Page 70 of Second Act
The inspector looked flustered. “I don’t have one.” She slipped his card into an inner pocket and patted the others. “Maybe a piece of...”
Hugh produced another of his cards and held out the pen as well. “Just write your name and number on the back of mine.”
She used her tablet as a writing surface and penned her information with great care. When Hugh’s fingers brushed hers as he accepted the card, the inspector jerked slightly and gave him a nervous look.
“Do you know that I found Dr. Quillen sleeping on the dog bed in that corner last week?” Hugh said to Ms. Washington, pointing to the spot. “She was so concerned about one of the dogs that she didn’t want to leave until she was sure the little creature would make it. That’s an impressive commitment to the animals here, don’t you think?”
Jessica’s mind went straight to what she and Hugh had done afterward, making the blood heat up in her veins, but she managed to say, “Any vet would have done the same thing.”
The inspector tore her attention away from Hugh long enough to acknowledge Jessica. “I’ve heard good things about you.”
“This program has instilled a love of animals in the young people here that they’ll take with them all of their lives,” Hugh said, making another grand sweep with his arm. “They will go out as ambassadors of kindness to our fur friends. Maybe one of them might even become an inspector like yourself.”
Ms. Washington swallowed before she said, “That would...well, maybe.”
Hugh stepped out of the doorway and bent just slightly at the waist in an almost bow. “Why don’t we go to the kennel area and you can use it as an illustration of how I should set up my own program?”
“I could do that,” the inspector said, walking out the door. Hugh gave Emily and Jessica a wink before he followed the woman into the hallway.
They waited until the footsteps had receded. Emily quietly closed the storage room door and then made a show of fanning herself. “Oh my God, he had me nearly melting onto the floor, and he wasn’t even looking at me!”
“Me, too,” Jessica said, sagging against the wall as the adrenaline drained out of her system.
“Well, that’s because when he looks atyoulike that, he means it.” Emily glanced at her watch. “We’re supposed to give him a little more time alone with her before we rejoin them. By then he’ll have her eating out of his hand.”
“And the K-9 Angelz will be safe.” Jessica blew out a breath. “I don’t think we could have done it without him.”
“Yes, meeting Hugh Baker probably made her week. You know, I always feel a little sorry for the various inspectors,” Emily said. “Everyone dislikes them so much, but it’s a job that needs to be done.”
“It’s only the occasional bad apple who abuses the power they have. But you just never know which kind is going to walk into your place.”
Emily twisted the door handle open. “Time to find out the verdict.”
Once he got her talking, Hugh discovered that Arlene Washington knew her stuff and was genuinely concerned about the dogs’ health and well-being, so his interest was no longer feigned. In fact, he was glad to have her contact information for future use.
But he knew the power of leaving them wanting more, so Jessica and Emily’s reappearance played right into his plan. He looked at his watch—or rather, Julian’s, since he hadn’t had time to do more than strip off the black turtleneck and jeans and throw on his own suit—and smiled an apology at Arlene, as she’d asked him to call her. “If you’re finished with your inspection, I’ll walk you to the door. Otherwise, I’m going to have to say good-bye here. I have a scuba scene to shoot, and it takes a while to suit up.” He made a wry face.
“I’m satisfied with what I’ve seen,” Arlene said, tapping on her tablet again. She spared a quick nod for the other two women. “You’ve passed.”
He could see the quick flicker of relief on both their faces.
“Thank you,” Emily said sincerely but without any sign that she expected otherwise. “I appreciate your taking the time to come here. We always want to be sure we’re doing things correctly.”
He gestured for the women to precede him up the stairs, but as soon as they reached the top, he made sure to walk beside Arlene so he could focus his attention on her one last time. It wouldn’t do for her to think that once the center’s kennel had been approved, he had lost interest. He made a point of taking Arlene’s winter coat from Emily and helping the inspector into it.
“It’s been a pleasure and an education,” he said, pulling the heavy metal front door open. He stepped out behind Arlene to find half a dozen photographers loitering on the sidewalk. As they scrambled into action, their cameras clicking and whirring, irritation burned through him. He supposed they had followed his limo from the movie set. That had been a tactical error on his part, but he’d been in a hurry.
Arlene stood frozen at the top of the steps, her mouth half-open. He forced a rueful half smile and offered his arm to her. “I’m sorry for the aggravation. Allow me to escort you past these nuisances.”
She swallowed. “Sure,” she said, putting her hand through the crook of his elbow. They walked down the steps side by side with Arlenelooking like a deer in headlights. The photographers parted barely enough to let them through. He controlled his desire to give them a look that would make them move farther away. He could imagine the caption: “Hugh Baker angered when he runs afoul of the Big Apple’s health department. Inspector hauls him off to jail.”
His limo was parked by a fire hydrant a few steps away. The photographers followed them, so he bent to murmur in Arlene’s ear, “May I offer you a ride anywhere?”
She shook her head. “My car’s just down the block.” With a flash of unexpected humor, she added, “I don’t want to start any crazy rumors by getting into a limo with you.”
He laughed. “You’re a wise woman.”
As he ducked into the car, he glanced back at the Carver Center to see Jessica standing at the top of the steps, an expression of stunned horror on her face while the photographers swarmed his ride. He closed the door and hit the driver’s intercom. “Drive around until you lose these vultures and then circle back here.”
