Page 20 of Sanctuary

“Ellery asked how Cash has been all week. Have you noticed anything different about him?” She stepped closer to Beth and rubbed her arm gently. In the two years Beth had been working at the Sanctuary, they’d lost a few animals, and each one hit Beth harder than the one before. Lori sometimes wondered how many it might take before it became too much for Beth to handle.

Beth leaned into Lori’s touch. “He’s been a lot quieter than usual. And he didn’t want to come out for any of the school tours.”

“Mm.” Ellery nodded. “You said you had a fresh stool sample?”

“Over there.” Lori pointed to the Blue Bell ice cream tub on the tack table.

“Rocky Road? I’m hoping not,” Ellery said and opened the container.

Lori pinched her nostrils when a waft of the poop’s scent filled the air.

Ellery dipped her hand into the tub and messed around in there like she was mixing cake batter. “There’s a lot of mucus… Is he eating well?”

Beth shook her head. “Maybe about half of what he normally puts away.”

Lori noticed an escaped tear and offered Beth a tissue. “What are we looking at, Ellery?” she asked again, hoping that the reason Ellery hadn’t answered the first time was just because she needed more information.

“I think it might be proximal enteritis,” she said, peeling off her latex gloves. “My next step will be nasogastric intubation to remove some fluid. Depending on what comes out, we’ll have to do that every couple of hours. And I want to run some tests: blood count, chemistry profile, and an ultrasonography.” Ellery closed her bag and looked at them both, her expression serious. “I’ll need to get some fluids inside him too. Are you good to bring him to my clinic, or do you want me to call Mark?”

“I’ll bring him,” Beth said and put her arms around Cash’s neck. “He’ll be more relaxed that way.”

Ellery looked to Lori for her confirmation, and she nodded. Drugs, tests, possible surgery… It was beginning to sound like it would warrant a funding drive, but Gabe Jackson had already inadvertently run one for them, which vastly reduced the ongoing pressure right now. She thought again about Gabe’s offer to restore the lawyer’s old project. There was no good reason not to let her do it. Lori was running a non-profit, and generous offers like that couldn’t be declined. And it wasn’t about being beholden to Gabe; they’d hardly spent any time together, but she seemed like good people. That said, the lawyer had seemed like good people too when she helped Lori secure this property. When she really thought about it, Lori was most concerned that it might mean she’d see Gabe even more, and that felt like self-flagellation.

“Lori?”

“Yes? Sorry, I was just thinking?—”

“About how we’re going to afford this?” Beth’s eyes were wide, like a startled rabbit.

Of course. Beth hadn’t been at work since Friday, so Lori hadn’t had a chance to tell her about the money Gabe’s comment had raised. “No. Not that.”

Beth frowned. “We always have to think about that.”

Lori smiled. “I have some news to share, but we’ll talk later. Get the horse trailer so we can get Cash off to Ellery’s.” She tapped the radio on her belt. “And call Fran to help; I think she’s over with the dogs at the moment.”

Beth looked considerably brighter, and she scampered out of the stables, calling Fran as she moved.

“You have good news?” Ellery asked.

Lori turned back to her and grinned. “I have great news,” she said and regaled the amazing story to Ellery as they prepared Cash for transport.

“That’s wonderful, Lori. I don’t suppose Gabe would be interested in somehow fixing my financial worries too, do you?”

Lori dropped onto a hay bale and patted the space beside her. “What’s going on with you?”

Ellery sighed deeply and joined Lori. “My landlord is raising the rent on my building again. It seems that everyone is trying to scrape back every cent that they lost during COVID. He owns a lot of real estate, but over seventy percent of his tenants had to close down during the pandemic, and they’ve been unable to reopen. He’s suing most of them for breach of contract, but I think they’ve all filed for bankruptcy, and he knows he probably won’t get anything from them.” She pulled out a piece of hay and began to twirl it. “So his next move is to squeeze the businesses he has left?—”

“Until they’re dry? But then he’ll end with no rental income at all. Seems short-sighted.”

“I’m not sure he has any other choice,” Ellery said. “Which means I have no choice but to raise my fees too.” She shook her head. “But like you usually are, all my clients are struggling to afford to keep their animals healthy. I’m worried that if I increase my prices too much, people will stop bringing their animals to me, and then they’ll suffer. And lots of them might die too.”

Lori put her arm around Ellery’s shoulder and was about to say something she hoped would be comforting when she was struck by an idea that might work out well for them both. “The building that you’re in at the moment, is it too big, too small, or the perfect size?”

Ellery shrugged. “It works really well. I could always use more space, but it’s been fine for over ten years.”

“Do you want to stay where you are, or would you consider moving somewhere a little out of town?” Lori asked.

“You’re being very cryptic.” Ellery narrowed her eyes. “I like where I am because it is in town, and that makes it easy for people to get to me, but it’s not so easy for clients like you. I don’t know though; everyone is raising rents, and I don’t have the capital to buy my own building, so I don’t have much choice.” She smiled ruefully. “Like I said, I need a Sergeant Gabe Jackson too.”

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