Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I am not making any money from this. Mistakes are mine.
Even the Pup is an Unmentionable by Debra8652
Chapter 27
Remy's POV
Mom had Monday off since she worked all weekend so she took me to the pet store as soon as it opened this morning. Manager Shannon misses me if I don't visit her often. We'd just said hello to Shannon when Mom's cell phone rang. It was one of her CI's - that's what us folks in the security business call a Confidential Informant. The CI had a lead on one of Mom's skips - the skip was eating breakfast in the diner where the CI works. Mom called the Control Room and talked to Hal while she checked to make sure she had the paperwork in her messenger bag. Junior and Manny were on patrol nearby and headed to the diner. They will arrive a few minutes ahead of Mom and get coffee to keep an eye on the skip until Mom arrives with the paperwork.
Shannon said that I could stay there with her while Mom did her thing. The rule on the pet store door says that dogs have to be on a leash, which I am. It says nothing about there being a person attached to the other end of the leash. Before I could start my shopping, my buddy Simon came in with his mom. He's a Westie - that's a West Highland Terrier. We met at the dog park. We booped noses then he went to the groomer in the back of the store.
There's also a doggy day care next to the groomer. There is a room for small-medium dogs and one for large dogs. When I first came to Trenton, I sneaked into the small-medium dog room while Mom was looking at dog food. I had the other dogs herded into a corner in record time. I was unceremoniously escorted from the room by the attendant and released into Mom's custody. Could I have been released on my own recognizance? Hard no.
Shannon showed me a bag of dried fruit that both Rex and Freddy could eat. I pawed the floor and snuffled so she knew to put it in my shopping basket that I let her carry. On to the stuffed animals. I'm getting quite a collection - duck, squirrel, turkey, raccoon, hedgehog and elephant but I see a cutie that I don't have - a stuffed sloth! Into the basket it goes.
Shannon got me a bowl of water. That's when I sensed Mom's SUV in the parking lot. She came in and paid for my items. Mom said the apprehension was uneventful and that Junior and Manny had already dropped the skip off at TPD. Mom paid for the guys' coffee and gave the waitress a big tip for her help. Go team!
Today is Friday the 13th. Fear of the number 13 is called Triskaidekaphobia - Stephen King has this fear. Yesterday was Mom's birthday. She had a really good day and loved the sketches that Raphael did of me in the park. They are in three acrylic frames that are hinged together and hanging in the breakroom for everyone to admire. Ella made a Red Velvet birthday cake, which was served in the afternoon with coffee. Hector took a photo of me with buttercream frosting on my nose. That will get printed out and framed for Mom's cubicle.
This morning, five Rangeguys and Mom will drop off 200 pairs of tennis shoes for Trenton schoolkids that Rangeman collected for Shoes That Fit in honor of Mom's birthday. The guys dropped their donations off in our lobby so they could be scanned and then sorted by size and whether they were for boys or girls, stored in the first floor conference room, and loaded into three SUV's earlier today. These military guys are so organized!
A/N Your reviews are appreciated!