The Big Chihuahua (15 page)

“Do you think we should go back in there and rescue him?” I asked Pepe, watching as Mark pulled the door open and marched inside.

“I think we should go enlist the help of our boss,” said Pepe.

The motel was only a few blocks from the city hall, and we hurried over there, looking back occasionally to see if Mark had emerged from the encounter, which I half expected.

Jimmy G was in his room. A great puff of cigar smoke floated out as he opened the door, along with the voice of Judge Judy, who was castigating some poor litigant on the TV.

“What’s up, doll?” Jimmy G asked, removing his cigar from his mouth.

“I just saw Mark Darling,” I said, “and I think he might need our help. He was going to confront Broadbent—”

“The third,” Pepe added.

“Don’t interrupt,” I said.

“Jimmy G wasn’t interrupting,” said our boss.

I decided to ignore both of them. “—and the guy was not in a good mood. Plus his office is full of guns.”

“And the stuffed heads of helpless animals that he slaughtered,” said Pepe, shivering.

“Hey, don’t you worry your pretty little head, sweetheart,” said our boss. “Mark Darling can take care of himself. Besides, he fired us.”

“What? How did that happen?” I asked.

“He stormed in all indignant because he said Jimmy G and his operatives weren’t doing their job. Jimmy G showed him that piece of paper you and your rat-dog had found up at the compound.”

“So that’s what set him off?” I asked.

“When he found out his wife had given twenty-five grand to this Broadbent character, he wanted to know why. Told him Jimmy G couldn’t read minds and maybe he should go talk to Dogawanda if he wanted an answer. That’s when he marched out of here and said if we weren’t going to do our jobs, he would do it for us!”

“That was our only piece of evidence,” I said.

“And we
were
doing our jobs,” Pepe said.

“Well, actually I think maybe we blew it,” I told Jimmy G. “I was questioning Broadbent, trying to get him to explain what the money was for and instead of getting information, I just got him all riled up.”

“Like poking a bear,” said Pepe.

“Funny metaphor,” I said, looking at my dog.

“Never did understand what ‘riled’ meant,” admitted Jimmy G. “So tell me more about your interrogation techniques.”

“Well, they came straight out of
The Private Detective’s Bible
,” I said. “You know, where you’re supposed to start out friendly and then drop in a zinger—”

Jimmy G cut me off. “You’re just too cute to use that technique, doll. Dames got to work the interview from a different angle. Use your feminine wiles. Get him eating out of your hand.”

“Well, if that is the case, then you really blew it, Geri,” Pepe said.

 

 

We headed back up to the ranch, leaving Jimmy G to deal with the brouhaha over the money orders.

When we arrived at the compound, I saw Felix’s car in the parking lot but it was empty. He and Tavo must have unloaded the wolf-dogs and perhaps they were putting them back in their pen.

I felt a little guilty about being gone for so long—at the beta level, Dogawandans were not supposed to leave the compound at all—but there was no one at the Beta Barn when I returned. I slipped into my new Dogawandan clothes and went out looking for them, meanwhile trying to think of a great excuse for my absence. The lack of caffeine was still bothering me, and I decided I would simply say I went into town to get some medicine for my headache.

The kitchen was humming as Dogawandans prepared for lunch. I asked one of the women tearing up kale where to find everyone else.

“They’re in the Longhouse, preparing for the memorial,” she said.

“Memorial?”

She looked at me sternly. “For Leaf!”

“Oh, of course.”

“We’re preparing the funeral feast. As Dogawanda prescribes, everything must be alive to symbolize the new life that Leaf will live on the other side.”

I nodded as if I understood.

“Do you suppose they noticed my absence?” I asked Pepe.

“I’m sure they noticed mine,” he said. He sounded forlorn. “How can Crystal channel Dogawanda without me?”

“Perhaps she doesn’t need to channel Dogawanda to prepare for a memorial,” I said, trying to reassure my suddenly needy dog.

The Dogawandan thought I was talking to her. “Crystal and Dogawanda have already consulted on the choreography of the service. Now she is simply explaining it to all of the others.”

“Should we go join them?”

“I wouldn’t,” she said. “Not unless you want to get called out in front of everyone for dereliction of duty. With any luck, you can join the group when everyone assembles for the memorial,” the woman said, going back to her task. “Just listen for the bell.”

Since we had some free time on our hands, I decided to check in with Felix and find out how the wolf-dogs were adjusting to their reprieve.

“I do not understand the point of that,” grumbled Pepe, but he followed me as I left the kitchen and took the path into the woods. The feeble sunlight dwindled and dimmed, but with Pepe charging ahead we were able to retrace our steps and arrive at the wolf pen, where we found Felix and Tavo and the two wolf-dogs. One of the animals was lying on the ground at Tavo’s feet, apparently still asleep.

Felix had the other wolf-dog on a long leash, with a muzzle over its snout. The wolf-dog shook its head back and forth, trying to shake off the strange contraption attached to its face.

There was a third person on the scene: Chloe, who was dressed more sensibly than the last time I had seen her, in jeans and a camisole top. But she was still shivering, and it was unclear if it was from fear or cold, since she was half hiding behind Felix.

“Keep it away from me!” she shrieked.

“She’s not going to hurt you!” Felix said. He sounded annoyed.

“She can’t open her mouth,” said Tavo.

“Hi, Geri,” said Felix, looking up and seeing me. “We’ve got the hybrids back safely, but now we have to see if we can work with them. They’ve both been traumatized by their incarceration.” He looked at Tavo. “I’m not sure we can have them ready by tomorrow.”

“We’ve got to, bro,” Tavo said. “The whole crew is already on the way up here. We’re scheduled to shoot the scenes with the wolves tomorrow night.”

“I know, Tav,” said Felix, “but look at them. I can’t guarantee anyone’s safety”—Chloe shrieked and clutched Felix tighter—“without the muzzle, but I’m not sure I can get her used to it by tomorrow and the other animal”—he pointed at the slumbering wolf-dog—“is still sedated.”

“Poor thing,” I said, kneeling down and putting my hands on either side of the wolf-dog’s snout, lifting it up toward my nose as I often do with Pepe when he’s slumbering.

“Geri! No!” Felix dropped the leash he was holding and lunged at me, pushing me aside so roughly, I fell sideways into the dirt. He stood over me, his face contorted with such rage I was afraid he was going to strike me. I cowered like a submissive dog.

Luckily, Pepe was not submissive. He jumped in front of me and began growling. Meanwhile, Chloe was screaming and running around in circles, flapping her arms while the suddenly liberated wolf-dog dashed into the underbrush.

“Good grief, Geri!” said Felix, yanking me to my feet. “Don’t you ever do that again!”

“Unhand her, you brute!” said Pepe, circling around Felix’s ankles. Knowing him, he was looking for the right place to attack. Lucky for Felix he was wearing cowboy boots. Pepe has a fondness for Achilles tendons.

“What?” I said. “He looked so peaceful.” Indeed, the slumbering wolf-dog had not responded to any of the screaming and shrieking.

“You better tell her what’s going on, Felix,” Tavo said. “But first you’re missing a wolf!”

“Damn!” said Felix, looking around and noticing for the first time that his other wolf-dog was gone. Chloe was still wandering around in circles, but now she was whimpering.

“Stop it!” said Felix. “You’re acting like prey! You’re lucky the wolf didn’t turn on you!” I had never seen him quite so angry. In fact, I had never seen him angry.

“Cool it, bro,” said Tavo. “I’ll take care of Chloe. You go get that wolf before we lose it.”

“I will help,” said Pepe, putting his nose to the ground and dashing off in the direction the wolf-dog had gone.

“Come back here, Pepe!” I yelled. But he was off, with Felix following close behind him.

“What’s going on?” I asked Tavo.

“It’s a long story,” he said, “and one you have to hear from Felix.” He turned to Chloe. “Come on, I’ll take you back to the car.” But first, he half dragged the slumbering wolf-dog to the pen and shut it inside. I wasn’t sure why he was allowed to get so close to a sleeping wolf-dog while I wasn’t. My ego was really bruised.

I decided to follow Felix and Pepe. Apparently it was something I did that had upset Felix and that had caused the wolf-dog to bolt. Plus my dog was missing. In the woods! With a wild wolf!

I headed in the direction where I could hear Pepe’s voice calling out directions. “Over here, Felix!” and “Circle around behind her.” But since Felix couldn’t hear Pepe, I didn’t know how it would help. At some times it sounded like Pepe was talking to the wolf-dog. “Calm down. We come in peace.”

The sound seemed to come first from one direction, then another. And my path was equally unclear, blocked by a fallen tree, too big for me to scramble over. When I tried to go around it, brambles snagged my shirt. Soon I could no longer hear Pepe.

The air was cool between the big trees. I stopped and realized I had no idea where I was. I remembered something from Girl Scouts. The moss on the trees would tell me which direction was north, so I studied the trunks of the tall trees around me. The jagged bark of the pines had patches of moss, and I thought I could discern a pattern. If the moss could be relied on, I was somewhere north, or higher up the mountain than the Dogawandan compound and needed to head downhill. I began to move in that direction, stopping frequently to pick a path over outcrops of rock and rotting trunks of fallen trees, pushing aside prickly salal and the leathery green leaves of fern.

Just as I was beginning to lose faith in my progress, and thinking I had perhaps seen that particular boulder before, I heard a strange sound: a crescendo of howls that raised the hair on the back of my neck. It must be coming from the Dogawandan ranch. I pressed forward and was rewarded by seeing more light between the trees. Eventually I stepped out into a clear space and saw that I was right on the edge of the woods, behind the lodge. The Dogawandans were gathering around the fire pit. Something was happening and I needed to know what.

Just then I heard Pepe’s voice.

“Geri! I found you!” He raced toward me. I stooped down to scoop him into my arms.

Felix was right behind him.

“Geri, thank God! You’re safe!” he said, rushing toward me and pulling me into an embrace. “Your dog is such a good tracker. He brought me straight to you. It was almost like following Lassie.”

“What about the wolf-dog?” I asked.

“The leash got tangled in the brush pretty quickly,” said Felix. “She wasn’t far. Just freaked out. Pepe helped there, too. He seemed able to calm her down by his presence. She’s safe, back in the pen.”

“I talked to her,” said Pepe. “She responded well to the precepts of Dogawanda.”

“And Towering Cedar,” I said.

“What?”

“Pepe’s Dogawandan name,” I said.

“He’s a marvel,” said Felix, patting Pepe on the head.

“Geri, we must hurry!” said Pepe. “Dogawanda needs us!”

I set him down. “Pepe and I need to participate in this, whatever it is.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Geri.” Felix shook his head. His dark eyes were pleading. “I behaved badly. I’m really embarrassed. I need to explain what happened.”

“It’s OK,” I said. “I understand you were worried about me.”

“Come on, Geri,” said Pepe, trotting toward the gathering.

“It’s more than that,” Felix said. “It’s complicated. But it’s important.”

“I want to listen,” I said. “I really do. But—” I looked at Pepe as he reached the edge of the circle and another howl went up. “I really need to figure out what’s going on here. Can we talk later?”

Felix looked crestfallen. “I guess.”

“Where will you be?” I asked.

“The film company booked a bunch of rooms at the resort,” Felix said. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a room key: a plastic card tucked inside a paper sheath that was imprinted with the number 602. “Here’s my extra room key.”

“OK, I’ll see you there later,” I said. He gave me a quick hug and I turned and ran off after my dog.

The Dogawandans stood in circles around the fire pit, right in front of the Lodge. They were arranged, as they usually were, by level. I could see Terry in the first circle, right next to Crystal and Fox Black, who had a guitar slung over his shoulder. We took our place in the very last row.

“Hold me up so I can see,” Pepe told me.

I held him up. “Can you see now?” I asked.

“Uh-huh,” he said. “Look at that—Fox Black has his famous Gibson Hummingbird with him.”

“Since when did you become an expert on guitars?” I asked my dog.

He looked me square in the eye and tilted his head as he replied, “Everybody knows that
Senor
Black has his favorite guitar. It is legend.”

“Oh,” I said.

“Besides, I know all about guitars. I once traveled with some of the best Tex-Mex bands. How do you think I learned to dance?”

“Welcome all,” said Crystal, spreading her arms. Then she held one hand out, palm down, and gestured toward the ground. “Sit!” she commanded.

On cue, everyone sat cross-legged, Pepe and I following suit.

“That is an easy trick for a dog,” he said.

“On this solemn but joyous occasion,” Crystal intoned, “we celebrate the life and passing of our beloved Leaf.” She paused and nodded with a warm smile. “But know this: her passing was but a passing from this Now to the Eternal Now. All praise to Dogawanda.”

“All praise to Dogawanda,” chanted the assembled devotees.

“Before we begin our procession to the spot where Leaf last fell,” said Crystal, “our fellow enlightened one, Fox Black, has written and will perform a song in her honor.”

Crystal stepped back and Fox stepped forward. “You all know,” Fox continued, “that I have had my share of troubles.” One of his bandmates had died of an overdose and it was well known that Fox had been thrown out of the band several times because of his own drug use. “But thanks to Dogawanda, I am able to be here with you, free of my compulsions, thanks to the freedom of perfect obedience to the Now.” Fox continued, one hand resting on the guitar’s body. “
Now
is where it’s at!”

“
Now
!” came the unified reply.

“So this song is for Leaf,” Fox continued. “It’s called ‘A Tree Has Many Leaves.’” He strummed the guitar and began to sing:

“No wonder Dogawanda told him to focus on guitar-playing and not songwriting,” said Pepe.

“So beautiful,” said the woman next to me. She dabbed at her wet eyes.

Fox bowed his head and stepped back as Crystal came to the forefront once again.

“We thank you, Fox,” she said. “Dogawanda thanks you.” She put one hand out toward us, then raised it quickly. “Up!” she ordered.

We all stood again.

“I am glad her command was ‘up’ instead of ‘roll over,’” said Pepe. “I will never do that one. It is too degrading.”

“We are going to create a memorial to Leaf,” Crystal said. “All things exist in time, but for a rock, time passes more slowly than for a plant or an animal. So we will build our memorial out of stone. As we proceed to the place where she passed from the Now into the Eternal Now, I encourage you to pick up a rock, a rock of sufficient weight to represent the sorrow you feel at Leaf’s passing, so that when you put it down on the spot where she fell, you will lay down any grief or any regrets as well.”

The Dogawandans formed a loose line, with the inner pack up at the front as usual, which meant that Pepe and I were at the rear. We moved slowly along the path to the front gate and then out across the parking lot. As we passed the area at the edge of the parking lot where the rocks were deposited, everyone stopped and began searching for a rock.

“Put me down, Geri. There are rocks all over—I want to get one for Leaf, too.”

“That’s sweet,” I said, and put him on the ground. He started casting about for a rock like everyone else was doing.

“Here is the perfect size for me,” said Pepe, standing over a rock that seemed bigger than his mouth.

“Do you want me to carry it for you?” I asked. I wasn’t sure if he could manage to open his jaws wide enough to scoop it up. Meanwhile, most of the Dogawandans seemed to have settled on a rock and were starting off again, following Crystal down the dirt road that led to the construction site.

“I can do it myself,” said Pepe, scooping up the rock and taking off after them.

I grabbed the biggest rock I could see and ran after him, staggering a little under the weight of the heavy piece of granite.

I couldn’t see Pepe. Knowing him, he had dashed ahead to the front of the line. I fell in with the others, processing in single file along the dirt road that led from the parking lot to the construction site.

As we came out into the open space, I saw that the Dogawandans who were at the front of the line had gathered in a circle around the place where we had found Leaf’s body. They must have placed their rocks and then stepped back to admire their handiwork. Oddly enough, they were moaning and crying. Some were turning their heads away. Others were clutching each other. Perhaps this was all part of the ceremony. A release of emotion.

I tried to push forward, determined to get to the front of the circle and to find my dog. Pepe dashed up to me. He seemed frantic. He was trying to speak, but he couldn’t because of the rock in his mouth. So his words came out as “Grrsh, dosh rawr.”

I knelt down and removed the rock from his mouth, which meant setting my stone aside, and he spoke again: “Geri, don’t go any farther!”

“What? Why not?” The Dogawandans were moving away. I could see that something was lying on the ground. It wasn’t a pile of rocks. It was a body. I got up, unable to believe what I was seeing, and moved forward for a better look.

The body belonged to a man. One shoe had been removed and his toe was jammed into the trigger of a rifle. It looked familiar. It looked like the rifle Broadbent had handed me just a few hours earlier. The gun lay across the body with the barrel pointed at the head, but you couldn’t make out any features because the face was splattered with blood. But I didn’t need to see the face to know who lay there. I recognized the yellow polo shirt and immaculately pressed khaki pants.

“It’s Mark Darling!” I said.