Page 1 of No Good Deed

CHAPTER 1

Welcome to Phail

Piper Keenan grinned as she drove across the border from upstate New York into Vermont. After relying on transit for years in Chicago, she hadn’t forgotten how to drive. The freeways had been scary at first, but rewarding herself with Oreos at every rest stop had proved to be all the incentive she needed. Even fear of black ice melted with the power of chocolate.

Rusty, who lived up to his name, might be her first car, but they’d bonded in her three whole days of car ownership. He’d promised to not break down on the freeway and she’d promised him frequent breaks including an overnight rest in Syracuse, and a nice long rest in Phail, Vermont.

Her face scrunched up even thinking about the town’s name. The first suggestion she’d make would be to change the name to something less depressing. It was probably a big reason why the town’s population was less than her former condo building.

This temporary job helping the town would be a good move for her. A chance to leave her troubles in the rear view mirror, and take a breather before deciding her next steps.

With the pressures of the crowded freeways behind her, Piper soaked in the scenery. Vermont lived up to the hype. Snow covered the mountains, waterways, and the fields, making every view a fairy tale.

As someone who’d grown up in Chicago, snow and cold didn’t scare her. In the city, the snowy wind tended to rip through you and steal your breath. Plows and sanding trucks usually meant dirty brown snow on the ground. In contrast, Vermont looked like it belonged in a Christmas movie.

The road twisted and curved, dancing through the trees and the mountains. What would this place be like in autumn with all those trees showing off their colors? Gorgeous.

Not that she’d be here to see it. Her two-week job didn’t even stretch all the way to Christmas. With a sharp shake of her head, she shoved that thought away. No worrying about the future. This was a two-week respite from panic and worry. Right. Maybe she should pull over at the next rest stop. That last pack of Oreos was calling.

Just like in those Christmas movies she loved, the snow got thicker and harder. The wind picked up and Rusty shuddered a few times. Snow bounced off his windshield. “You’re doing great, Rusty. Not long now.”

The GPS showed her destination was in ten miles. Ten miles to Phail. Yup, that sounded awful. Maybe the guy who’d hired her could be talked into changing the name of the town. As the snow thickened, she reduced her speed. She didn’t need another crash, especially one that was her fault.

As she rounded another curve, she spotted a small animal climbing out of the ditch and onto the road, and she slowed further. “Come on, little guy. Newbie snow driver here. Keep moving. You can do it.”

Except he couldn’t.

The little guy got about halfway across her lane and flopped to the ground. Was he hurt? Piper pulled over to the side and put on her flashers. The animal didn’t move. You weren’t supposed to approach wild animals, but this was a little thing, and she couldn’t leave him alone.

When she shoved open her door, the icy wind immediately leached the heat from her body. But she was from Chicago, and a bitter wind wasn’t going to stop her.

Was it dead? Injured? The black and white pattern became obvious as she neared. “Tell me you’re not a skunk.” The body shuddered, and she realized the pattern wasn’t like any skunk she’d read about.

The icy wind shriveled her lungs, and this little one had to feel it worse than Piper. “Are you a dog? Please be a dog.”

A peek behind her showed the road was still clear, so she moved into the middle where snow was already covering the little body. She squatted down and sighed with relief. “You’re definitely a dog. Yay. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

The little dog rolled over and proved he was definitely male. He didn’t open his eyes, but his whimper nearly broke her heart. Piper held out her hand to let him sniff her scent. Other than a whine, he didn’t react.

She brushed her hands gently over his body but didn’t find any obvious injuries. No blood and he didn’t react in pain to her touch.

Piper slipped off her hoodie and wrapped it around him. “Come on then. I’m going to Phail. Ack. That sounds terrible out loud. I hope they’ll let me change the town name. There might be a vet in town. If they had a website, I would know that already. We’ll get you checked out. I’ve got water. Are you thirsty? Please don’t die on me.”

Piper dashed back to her car and hopped into the driver’s seat. She angled the heater vents to aim directly at the dog, and held his little body close to hers and rubbed gently. He whimpered again, but it didn’t sound as sad.

“Do you have a chip inside? Is your family looking for you? I bet we can find someone in town who knows about dogs, even if they don’t have a vet. We’ll get you some food. Do you want some water?”

Piper slid the seat back to give herself room and took her reusable water bottle from the cup holder. “I don’t have a bowl, but I think the lid will work. Let’s try.”

When she held out the water, his huge ears perked up and his eyes popped open. She had to blink away happy tears. “There you are cutie. You’re definitely not a skunk but maybe I should call you Pépé LePew.”

His little face puckered up, and she laughed as she angled the lid so he could drink. “Okay. No skunk names. You have Snoopy’s coloring, but you’re not that kind of dog. What about Rocky? You climbed that ditch like a champ.”

He ignored her and dipped his tongue in the lid.

“Penguin? They’re black and white.” Still no reaction. “Panda? Zebra? Oreo?”

He yipped at the last word. “Oreo?”

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