The Nose Knows (22 page)

I looked at Mom. She believed him.

Right then I found myself wishing Donny was an airhead prone to wild fantasies, but that wasn’t the case. He prided himself on being accurate. He wore a pocket protector, for Pete’s sake. I, for one, sure believed it when he said he always locked the door and left everything nice and neat. I wouldn’t be surprised if Donny brushed his teeth in the exact same sequence every night. In fact, it wouldn’t shock me if he had a different toothbrush for each day of the week. He was wound tighter than our friend, Snappy, the Chihuahua! However, the question remained.
Why
would anyone want to access the therapy program?

Everyone was quiet. No one quite knew what to do next.

Cynthia broke the silence. “Doc, I think we could have an invading third party. The technology exists for someone tapping into us right now. I suggest we all sign off and you call each one of us by phone and discuss what we should do.”

Mom wasn’t sure if what Cynthia said was true or not, but the girl did know a whole lot about computers. Mom opted to play it safe.

“Okay, group, each of you sign-off and shut your computers down. I’ll call each one of you in a few moments. I’m signing off now.”

As the screen went blank, our eyes went to Mom. She stared at the empty screen shaking her head. “Something is not right, guys. I sure wish I knew what was going on.” After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well, for now I need to deal with the group and see what we can work out. So I’d better start calling.”

Fearless jumped down and sat on the edge of my bed. He looked worried. “What—
breath—
is going on, Spunk?”

“Don’t know, my friend, but the fact this happened so soon after that episode with Mr. Johnson puts a knot in my gut.”

“Do you think they’re—
breath—
connected?— Shouldn’t Mom call—the police?”

“And tell them what? Mr. Johnson didn’t break any laws by having someone sitting there in his own house. He broke a therapy rule, yes, but not a law. Fancy was the only one that heard Mr. Johnson threatening Mom, and the cops can’t question a cat. Mom didn’t hear it. Sure, Mr. Johnson acted weird. So what? If acting weird were a crime, most humans would be locked up! You and I know something’s wrong, but we can’t prove anything. The only thing I know right now is the group cannot meet here. The person who broke into Donny’s apartment might be watching him and could follow him over here.”

Fearless shivered. “What are we—
breath—
going to do?”

I couldn’t afford to wait and see if Mom agreed with my thinking. There was too much at stake. I had to keep them away from this house. I began searching for where Mom had laid the Sunday paper. Luckily, Mom’s neatness paid off and it was on top of the papers waiting to be recycled.

“Come one, boys, I need your help.”

All four of the cats knew this wasn’t the time to ignore me. They all moved lickety-split.

“What do you want us to do, Spunky?” Sweetie asked.

“Pull the paper apart until you find the glossy part with all the coupon pictures in it.”

I didn’t need to ask again. Each cat sank a claw in the corner of a paper and began dragging sections to different parts of the room. There they clawed, jumped, and skidded on the papers until they began to separate. The glossy coupons were slippery so it didn’t take long before they had found them. Luckily, for me, a workable coupon was on the first page. I snatched up the corner in my mouth and jumped against Mom’s chair.

Mom put her hand over the phone. “Hey, you guys, stop all that noise right now!”

I shook the paper I was holding.

“Cynthia, please hang on a minute. Spunky, this is no time to play. Go lie down.”

Mom was getting angry. I had to make the right move fast. I managed a bark even with my teeth locked onto the paper. I gave it another shake.

Mom knew I try very hard to be good. For me to be this bad meant there had to be a reason.

She reached down and snatched the paper out of my mouth. I released it before the paper tore. She was angry, but my move hadn’t been in vain. The fact that she didn’t crumple it up meant something had registered. She glanced at it. Would she see what I wanted her to see? I focused all of my thoughts and stared at her forehead.

I don’t know what penetrated into her mind but I do know that Mom’s eyes got wide and I heard her say, “Cynthia, I agree, we should stay off the computers. I appreciate your volunteering to check out Donny’s computer and see what you can learn. But we still need to meet so we can discuss all of this. I suggest that we meet at Applebee’s in thirty minutes. I know your addresses, and each one of you can easily be there within that time frame. You call Melanie and I’ll call Alan, John, and Donny. After I’ve spoken to them I will call you on your cell phone and we can confirm if the plan is a go.”

Mom also called Jacob and alerted him.

“Jacob, I may need your help.”

“Are you all right? Where are you?”

“I’m fine. But remember what I told you about Mr. Johnson having someone eavesdropping on the group?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, now Donny’s apartment was broken into. Someone used his computer and accessed his group therapy software program.”

“Is Donny okay?”

“Yeah, he’s scared and angry, but fine. He wasn’t there when it happened. The point is, another group member, Cynthia—she knows a lot about computers—raised the concern that someone could be tapping into our computers and we needed to close them down. We did and I’m meeting the group at Applebee’s so we can discuss all this.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Well, I was thinking maybe you could meet me at the restaurant. You can’t be part of the group but maybe you could sit nearby so I’ll know you’re there. To tell you the truth, this whole thing has me shook up.”

“I’m heading to Applebee’s right now. Why don’t I give you a lift? Don’t worry, I won’t sit close enough to eavesdrop on the group. Then after the meeting, we’ll drive off somewhere in the opposite direction and talk this thing through. How does that sound?”

Mom sighed. “Mighty good. Mighty good. Thanks, Jacob.”

“I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Jacob knew all about Mom’s past. He knew she was scared. He didn’t try to talk her out of it, he sprang into action. See why we think this guy is a keeper?

After Mom left, the boys and I reconvened back in the den. We discussed several options and made some tentative plans. Since we had no idea when Mom would be back home, we all opted to get some shut-eye while we could.

The glossy newspaper coupon for Applebee’s “TWO FOR $20” was still on Mom’s desk. I smiled. Too bad I hadn’t also found a coupon for dog food— maybe then she would’ve remembered to feed us before she left. Oh, well, it had worked as I’d planned. They were meeting in a public place. The group wasn’t coming here. Mom would be safe.

Now if I again concentrated very hard she might get my next message: “doggie bag . . . doggie bag . . . doggie bag. . . .”

I
t was late and Mom still wasn’t home. We were starving. The boys wanted to revolt and open the cupboard themselves. Hey, when these boys put their heads and claws together you’d be surprised at what they can accomplish. Okay, I’ll confess I egged them on a little. It would be a sure win for me. I wouldn’t be the one getting into trouble. Mom knows I’m too short to reach the cupboards—and the thought of kibble spilled all over the floor sure sounded good to me.

Hey, I’ve never met a dog who doesn’t love cat chow.

Fortunately, Mom arrived home before things went too far. She served our dinner. Given the lateness of the hour, I should say it was a midnight snack. At least Mom compensated for the lateness by being generous with the portions. I filled my little belly.

Jacob and Quincy had come back home with Mom.

“Hannah, I don’t think you should be alone tonight. Why don’t I stay here tonight, in the guest room of course? That way I’ll know you’re safe.”

Mom took a deep breath and let it out very slow. “Jacob, I appreciate your offer, really I do. But nothing strange happened at the restaurant. No one followed us when we left there. I am sure of that. You took every precaution possible. With all those turns you made, no one could have possibly followed you. I didn’t even know where we were half the time. I’ll set the security alarm and I’ll be fine. I thank you for coming to the restaurant. It helped seeing your face. But I’m much calmer now. I have Spunky to guard me. You go on home. I’ll be fine.”

Fearless jabbed me with his paw. “Hey, Spunk, how come—
breath—
Mom thinks you are—the only one that guards her?”

“Good question, Fearless. Humans forget the damage you cats can do. I’m not saying I agree with it, but humans do always have a guard dog, not a guard cat.”

“Humph. Stupid humans.”

“Hannah, I
really
think I should stay.”

“Jacob,
please
, just take Quincy and go home. I’ll be fine.”

Jacob stepped forward and hugged Mom. Her body language told me she was tolerating it but not liking it. She gently pushed him away.

His hands still clung to her arms. “You promise to call if you get scared at all?”

“Oh, Jacob, quit worrying. I’ll be fine.” She pushed a little harder this time. He let go.

“Promise?”

“Okay, okay, I promise. Now go home. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

The slight quiver in her voice sounded as if she wasn’t one-hundred-percent sure about that. She was clearly annoyed by Jacob’s efforts to protect her. Dad used to calmly take charge of things without asking. Maybe Mom had grown accustomed to the quietness of his ways. Or maybe Jacob’s heightened level of caution was making her even more anxious? Or maybe she simply was not ready to have him stay the night? A human snuggle has been known to lead to other things.

I could be wrong; maybe she actually rejected his offer solely because of her confidence in my awesome ability to protect her. I certainly knew this wasn’t the night to sneak up and jump on her rump in bed. A fun thing to do, but not tonight.

In truth, I was disappointed Jacob hadn’t stayed. With no one to talk to, Mom was now very quiet. The boys and I couldn’t find out what had happened at the restaurant or what had been decided.

The next morning, the police called Mom. We heard the conversation on the speaker phone.

“Dr. Richards, we’re investigating an alleged break-in at Donny Swanson’s house. He gave us your name and told us that you’re his therapist. Is that correct?”

“Yes, officer, Mr. Swanson is a client of mine.”

“Well, we’re wondering if, in your opinion, the man . . . well . . . if he any problems with his . . . grasp on reality.”

“I beg your pardon.”

“Well, ma’am, the kid seems a little loony. We were wondering if he has an overly active imagination or acts a little paranoid.”

Mom’s back straightened. She spoke very slowly and distinctly. “Officer, just because a person is obsessive about things being in order doesn’t make him mentally unstable. I’d think the fact that Mr. Swanson
is
very observant would be an asset to your investigation, not a hindrance. Maybe if you investigated the facts of the case instead of trying to diagnose Mr. Swanson, you might find out that he knows what he’s talking about. Besides, officer, I’m sure you’re well aware of the law. Any opinion I may have of Mr. Swanson is protected under therapist-client privilege. But Mr. Swanson did tell me that he reported to you the problem we had with a new client of mine who was caught letting another person eavesdrop on our group session. His name was Mr. Johnson and I can give you his billing address if you want.”

“Hmm . . . well, ma’am as far we can tell, Mr. Johnson didn’t break any laws, so we’d be hard pressed to have a reason to question him.”

Mom had begun pacing. Her voice was surly. “If someone accessed our group therapy program on Donny’s computer, wouldn’t that seem like a possible connection to you?”

“
Allegedly
accessed the software, ma’am. We have no proof anyone was actually in Donny’s apartment.”

Mom stopped pacing. Her shoulders sagged. “Is there anything else I can do for you today, officer?”

Guess not. The officer thanked Mom for her time and hung up.

Mom then spent a good amount of time muttering and sputtering to herself. “The nerve of that man saying Donny was loony. That officer is the one who’s loony. Why don’t they just leave the psych business to the shrinks and do what they’re supposed to do— investigate the facts! Maybe they’re just lazy and don’t want to knock on doors and do the work. It sure is easier to write Donny off as being loony. And why can’t they go talk to Mr. Johnson? I didn’t ask them to arrest the man, just talk to him. But no, Mr. Johnson seems to have more rights than Donny. . . .”

The officer had obviously stepped on Mom’s professional toes. Besides, she liked Donny, and that made her even more protective. No one was going to call her Donny a “loony.”

After lunch, Mom and I headed to Cynthia’s house. Mom brought her laptop. Cynthia lived twenty minutes away, so I got a whole bunch of car time. I was happy. Mom’s anxious behavior, however, didn’t enhance the journey. She looked in the rearview mirror a lot more than usual, and she didn’t listen to her usual radio stations. She was on high alert. She was talking a lot more than usual too.