Page 32 of Again, In Autumn

Without a sound, he pushes at my outstretched hand and circles my body, tongue out.

“Are you going to eat me?” I ask.

The dog’s tail wags.

“Bring me back to your companion and his knives?”

The dog presses his nose to the palm of my hand.

“I guess not.” I give the feathered edges of his retriever mix ears a toss. A gold ID tag dangles from a bright red collar. “Hi there, Copper. Where did you come from?”

I glance around to see a human, but there’s no accompaniment to the sound of Copper’s panting. He bumps my legs repeatedly for a pet. There’s also no address on the collar, just a phone number, and I didn’t bring my phone.

I’m a serial killer’s dream target.

“Come on, Copper, back home with me for a bit,” I say, hoping he will follow and reminding myself to bring my phone even if it’s inconvenient because, obviously, I am not alone out here in these woods.

Copper runs ahead of me, staying along the road. He’s clearly a people dog. He doesn’t have any interest in going astray, just stops and waits when he’s gone too far ahead.

“Copper!” comes a woman’s voice from the woods.

I’ve just reached the driveway of Heddy’s house, so I look at the cabin far into the distance.

“There you are!” says the voice, much closer than I expected and in the opposite direction.

A woman hurries down the street toward us. Copper and I walk to meet her and stand in front of Adam’s house.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry,” the woman says earnestly. She tucks short dark hair behind her ears and pushes up the sleeves of her knitted cat sweatshirt. “He just took off, and he’s never done that before!”

“It’s fine,” I reply, watching her crouch down and allow Copper to lick her in the face.

She stands. “At least you found him and not a bear or some crazed land-hungry hunter.”

“No, he found me.” I give him a quick pat. “And I’m glad he wasn’t a bear or hunter. I just realized how vulnerable I am out here…you’re not going to murder me, are you?”

She smiles at my joking tone. “And deal with the coverup? No, thank you, too much work.”

I holster finger guns, and she laughs, ruffling Copper’s fur.

“Well, this guy is harmless,” she insists. “I’m just not used to dog-duty. I’m a bit more of a cat lady myself. But Copper wanted to come outside with me, so I let him and then – whoosh! He just took off. I was about to wake up my brother and tell him I’m not dealing with it. This is not my dog!”

“He seems very sweet,” I say. Copper sits politely while I stroke his soft head. I kneel to his level. “I lost my golden mix a year ago. She looked just like Copper, actually. A little smaller, darker around the ears.” I hold his sweet face in my hands and his tongue slides out to lick my palm.

“What was her name?”

“Amber.” I sit up and smile, remembering my perfect girl. “I got her just after my sixteenth birthday. We had quite a few adventures together.”

The woman suddenly steps back. “Oh my God, you’re Vienna?”

I stand tall. “Yes?”

She sticks her hand to her chest. “I’m Maggie, Adam’s sister!” Her thumb juts toward the house. “Just when you were talking, I saw your sister’s face for a moment and then I remembered a picture Adam has from that summer you all met. Amber’s in it!”

Picture? I don’t remember all of us taking a picture together, but we might have done. Adam and I certainly wouldn’t have stood near each other, to keep up the rouse, but he seems like the type to have kept photographic proof of his and David’s bromance.

I smile politely. “Oh yeah, she followed me around all summer.”

“We missed you so much at dinner last night. I wish you could have joined us.”

---