Nine Lives: A Lily Dale Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

other direction.”
    He tries. Nope. “What does that sign say, Mommy?”
    “It says they closed at five. But there’s a light on in there, and the vet answered the phone when we called. Can you knock, please, sweetie?”
    He does, timidly and then louder, at her urging, as the cat somersaults in her arms.
    At last, movement from within. A man in a lab coat opens the door. He’s tall, with brown hair, broad shoulders, and brown eyes behind a pair of glasses.
    “I . . . I’m Isabella Jordan.” Her voice cracks a bit. “I called a few minutes ago. Are you the person I talked to?”
    “Yes. I’m Doctor Bailey.” His scrutiny flicks from her to Max to the cat and settles on Max again. “And you are?”
    “I’m Max, and this is—”
    “No need for animal introductions, Max,” he cuts in brusquely. “I see you’ve brought your pet pig, Penelope, for her daily weigh-in.”
    Startled, Bella double-takes on the man’s gaze and spots a gleam amid the sternness.
    “She isn’t a pig,” Max contradicts, “and she isn’t a duck either, even though my mom thought she was.”
    “Young man, I don’t know who you’re trying to fool, but I believe I’m the animal expert here, and I know a pig when I see one.” Doctor Bailey is deadpan.
    “She’s a cat! ”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Yes! Plus she’s got more cats in her belly.”
    “Is that so? Then it appears you’re the expert here. What should we do next? Have a look at her?”
    “Yes!”
    “All right, come on in, and can you please be sure to lock the door behind you, Max? Otherwise, we’ll have all kinds of critters trying to sneak past reception now that my assistant is gone for the day. I hate when that happens.”
    “Does that really happen?” Max whispers to Bella, wide-eyed, as they follow Doctor Bailey over the threshold.
    He answers the question before Bella can: “All the time, Max. I used to leave a clipboard on the desk overnight with the paperwork so that they could sign themselves in properly. The cats were very efficient, as were the unicorns, but the kangaroos were too jumpy, and the skunks . . . don’t even get me started on the skunks.” He pinches his nose with his fingers, and Max laughs. Bella finds herself smiling, too.
    The waiting room is small, with a creaky wooden floor covered in a threadbare runner. The reception desk is slightly battered, with papers stacked tidily on its top and a wooden chair neatly rolled beneath it. The only other furniture in the room is a park bench with a wooden slatted seat and wrought iron arms. Above it is a bulletin board topped by a sign that reads, Happy Tails, and is covered in photos of smiling people clutching furry creatures.
    Definitely not a sophisticated operation, but a friendly one.
    Doctor Bailey flips on the light in an exam room the size of a small walk-in closet. All business again, he looks at his watch and then at Bella, gesturing at a chair. “Here, sit and hold her. I only have a couple of minutes. I’ve got a puppy in the next room about to wake up from anesthesia after emergency surgery, and I can’t leave her alone for long.”
    “What happened to the puppy?” Max wants to know.
    “Someone found him in the woods and brought him to me a little while ago. His leg was badly hurt.”
    “How?”
    “I’m not sure.”
    “Whose puppy is it?”
    “I’m not sure,” Doctor Bailey says again, unperturbed by the questions but clearly focused on the cat now.
    He kneels beside Bella—so close she can smell his soapy scent—and gives the cat a brief once-over, which mostly seems to consist of patting her here and there and letting her nuzzle his hand.
    “She’s pregnant all right.”
    “How many kittens are in there?” Max asks.
    “Quite a few. And they’re due pretty soon.”
    “How soon?”
    “I’d say within the next week or so. But other than that, she seems perfectly fine. Here, I’ll scan her.”
    “We’ll leave the room,” Bella says quickly. The