Give the Dog a Bone Read Online Free PDF Page A

death?”
    Dr. Thames hesitated, then, as if weighing each word, answered slowly, “He did not kill his ex-wife, no.”
    “In your opinion, would my convincing him that his dog does not possess his ex-wife’s soul be harmful to his mental stability?”
    He stared past my shoulder at the door, then raked a hand through his white hair and leaned forward to meet my eyes. “That’s the million-dollar question. You see, Allida, I’m trying to rid him of that delusion myself. It would be far better for Ken if you would wait a couple of months before you embark on any of this.”
    “Under normal circumstances, that would be fine with me. The problem is that Mr. Culberson is under the impression that Animal Control could take the dog away from him soon. And he exerts so little control over Maggie that that’s possible, especially if she were to bite someone.”
    He snorted. “
Maggie
struck you as a possible
biter
?”
    “
Any
dog can bite, especially a totally untrained one.” I was tempted to hammer my point home by informing him that goldens had the highest incident rate of bitings. I also knew, though, that that was a deceptive statistic, caused by the breed’s popularity.
    He lifted a shoulder, his focus locked on mine. “You asked my opinion, and that’s it. We’re at cross purposes. My concern is for my client, Ken. Apparently yours is for the dog.”
    “No, I’m saying that the two are inexorably linked. That Ken would be very damaged were his dog to be removed from his care.”
    Again, he leaned forward. “Allida, I want to get Ken to a sounder place mentally. He’s at a critical juncture of his therapy. I don’t want you or anyone else getting involved and undermining my work with my patient.”
    “Have you already expressed these concerns to Ken?”
    “Yes, but he still wants to work with you. Against my advice.”
    I rose, frustrated and annoyed. “Then we
are
at cross purposes, aren’t we? When I work with my clients, I see my role as twofold. I work to establish a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship between the dog and the owner. For that to happen, I need the owner’s cooperation and trust, which I try to earn. Frankly, I’m surprised that you seem so ready to dismiss the therapeutic benefit that a beloved animal can give to its owner.”
    He got to his feet as well and stepped forward. Though he maintained a pleasant tone, he said, “Allida, you are not qualified to discuss what is or is not ‘therapeutic.’ ”
    The remark galled me. I studied his face, but saw no registry of emotion whatsoever. I turned toward the door. “I’d better go before your patient arrives.”
    He clapped his hand on my shoulder. I whirled around and glared at him. He said evenly, “You want to work with Ken’s dog, fine. Maggie’s so untrained she’s miserable to be around, yet he won’t go anywhere without her. That’s one of the issues we’re working to resolve. But let me warn you. If you take advantage of my patient’s financial situation or do anything that’s injurious to his precarious mental health, I’ll slap a malpractice lawsuit on you faster than you can say ‘Chihuahua.’ You got that?”

Chapter 3
    Too late, various comebacks to Terry Thames’s verbal challenge ran through my brain as I made the short hike back to my office. Forcing myself to look at the situation from his perspective, I could understand his attitude. It irked me, though, to be presumed guilty until proven innocent. He was the one whose therapy had thus far failed to convince his patient that his dog was not his late ex-wife. Which one of us needed to validate his or her credentials?
    He’d said that Ken was not dangerous, though he’d qualified the statement with “in my opinion . . .” Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but sometimes it’s appropriate to keep one’s expectations low when entering into a new relationship. I decided that I would indeed add Ken and Maggie to my list of clients, on a trial