The Landlord's Dog
An officer arrives in twenty minutes and takes Pepper for a checkup. That night, Mr. Hollis knocks on your door, holding the officer's card.
Mr. Hollis looks you in the eye: "Was it you?"
What do you say?
The story so far
The officer was kind but firm. She checked Pepper's gums, poured water over his back, and lifted him into the van with a towel under him. She wrote something on a form and taped a notice to the gate. Rosa watched the whole thing from her porch with her hand over her mouth. Now it's 9:40 p.m. and Mr. Hollis is in the hallway in his work clothes, holding the card like it's a parking ticket. He doesn't sound angry. He sounds hurt, which is worse. "Three years," he says. "I let you skip rent. I fixed your sink." Behind him, through the stairwell window, you can see the empty chain lying in the dark yard.
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