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"Let's talk about the cat first" Don got into avoidance mode, just as his father had earlier in the clinic when I had tried to ask him about what happened. "Who do you think stole it?"

"The guy who told me about it in the first place." I told him. "He seemed peeved that I couldn't really do much about it, and after all three of you left, a bounty hunter came by looking for him. Turns out he got arrested for possessing pot, was out on bail, but had missed his court date. Here's his address."

"You're giving me his address?" Don gave me a suspicious look.

"Vets aren't bound by any confidentiality protocols" I said. "The bounty hunter mentioned something about a wife."

I was still mad at Don for upsetting his Dad, but that cat needed to be seen to,and unlike the heroines of mystery novels, I lacked a friend in the police department. Plus, I needed to prove that I was innocent to get this stupid mess cleared up.

"I'll look into when I can." he neatly put it in a folder on his desk.

"Next item of the agenda" I began. "What did you tell your father?"

"I've got work to do" he tried to give me the brush off.

"That can wait." I symbolically pushed some files to the side.

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Damn it! I was already in enough trouble with Dad! I didn't want to deal with her right now.

"We had a FAMILY talk" I emphasized the word family to make a point.

"You and Charlie really upset him, so it is my business!" she gave me a dirty look.

"What part of Family talk don't you understand?" Man she sucked at taking a hint. Maybe I should growl or something to get the point across.

"If it concerns Alan, if concerns me!" she insisted

"If Dad doesn't wanna talk about it, you should respect that."

"You hurt your father and you're talking to me about respect?"

"You're the one who's hurting him! By splitting this family apart!" I yelled having lost my patience.

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"You and Charlie are the ones having the hissy fit and accusing me of stealing!" I retorted angrily. I had never asked Alan to choose between me and his kids. It wasn't my fault that Alan was mad at them. What man wouldn't be pissed off at someone accusing his significant other of a crime? "And wouldn't you be mad if someone accused Jane of stealing?"

"Leave her out of this!" Don spat, then added "Has it occurred to you that maybe Dad is only with you because of your age?"

"You...Bastard!" How dare he? Alan wasn't one of those men who just wanted a trophy girl friend. How could he think so little of his dad?. "You think that your father is that shallow?"

"Don't flatter yourself! Do you really think he'd put up with your buill shit if you were his age?"

"You fall very far from the tree, Donald" I seethed. "Hell, you can't even see it!"

"Calm down you two!" Megan butt in. "What's going on?"

"You boss is being a bastard" I told her. "He and Charlie have accused me stealing"

"What?" She looked puzzled.

"This is a private matter, Megan" Don told her with a hard face.

"You've got a few spectators" She told him. We both looked, but of course, they had either left or were pretending to be oh so hard at work. "Why don't you two take this to the conference room?"

We did so and the argument continued.

"Don't call me Donald!" Don snarled, when he closed the door. "That's not even my name!"

"Fine! Whatever!"

His face was getting redder and redder. The eyes and mouth were hardened, while his forehead wrinkled. "Know what? You only say that I fall far from the tree because I don't give you the royal treatment like my Dad does! He cooks for you, takes care of your pets, spoils you, all for what? So you can give him grief with your stupid shenanigans?"

"I did not steal the cat!"

"You could get jail time for breaking an entering!"

"I don't know how to do that!" I growled "You just want it to be true!"

Suddenly, the door knocked. With a sigh, Don said

"I'll be done in a minute!"

I heard Jane's voice say, "I think you should let me in now!"

TBC