Obsessed (The Lizzy Gardner Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

said, “Come on, pooch. Come with me.”
    He pushed himself to his feet and limped toward her.
    “That’s a good dog. You can do it.”
    Amazed the dog had survived the impact and ejection onto the hillside at all, much less was well enough to haul itself after her, she continued on. “You look hungry. I have a croissant in the car.”
    Stopping at the side of the road, she waited for the dog to catch up. The animal was so skinny, his ribs looked as if they might poke through his skin at any moment. He was even more pitiful looking at closer view: small eyes lined with pink; wiry, unmanageable fur; a half of a tail that looked as if it had been chopped off at midpoint. The poor thing was a mess.
    He plopped down at her feet. He was definitely hurt. Hoping he wouldn’t take a bite out of her, she leaned over and scooped him into her arms, trying not to breathe in the horrible smell as she crossed the street.
    It wasn’t easy, but she managed to open the door and lay him on the backseat. “Now what am I going to do with you?”
    Thump, thump.
    She grabbed her coffee cup from the front, dumped it out, and used her water bottle to fill the cup, then offered the dog some water. He slurped up every drop and then ate the croissant in dainty little bites.
    “Just so you know, I can’t keep you. I’m not good with animals and I really don’t have time to take care of a dog. I can hardly keep plants alive.”
    The dog stared at her, unblinking.
    “Oh, no, you don’t. Don’t give me that look. It won’t work. I have enough problems right now. It’s nothing personal.” The mutt had wise old eyes, the kind of eyes that looked at her in such a way as to make her wonder if he’d run into the street on purpose.
    Shaking her head at her wayward thoughts, she climbed in behind the wheel, turned on the ignition, and cracked the windows before continuing on her way. Using the rearview mirror to keep an eye on the dog, Lizzy wondered what the heck she was going to do with the animal.
    It was another mile before she spotted a group of kids walking to school. She pulled over and rolled down the window. The tallest boy in the group told the rest of the kids to hang back while he stepped close enough to the car to hear what Lizzy had to say.
    “I found this dog running around without a collar or tags,” Lizzy told him, pointing to the backseat. “Any of you know whose dog it is?”
    “Nope. Never seen him before.”
    The rest of the kids were already peering through the back window. They all shook their heads while the dog appeared to grin up at them, wagging his stump.
    “OK,” Lizzy said. “Thanks for your help.”
    She drove on, figuring she’d deliver the files and groceries as planned and then find a vet to look at the dog. He certainly didn’t seem to be in such dire straits.
    The street where Hayley lived had seen better days. There were lots of abandoned buildings and foreclosure signs. For over a year now, she’d rented an apartment atop a detached garage. A grim setup, but an improvement. After finding her mother murdered, Hayley had, despite Lizzy’s pleas, wandered the streets of Sacramento for months on end. She was still stubborn and refused to talk to a therapist. Her only friends, Tommy and Kitally, didn’t seem to mind that Hayley was nothing like the young woman they had once known. She was all darkness with no light.
    Lizzy couldn’t think of anything to do but hope the passage of time would bring Hayley back to life. Time didn’t solve all problems, but she knew firsthand it helped distance a person from their past. Although Hayley had enough money from the sale of her mom’s house to keep her living in the small apartment without heat for more than a few years, she’d never stopped working for Lizzy. She showed up at the office when it suited her, and Lizzy brought her extra work, as she was doing today, when she needed more help, which was more often than not since Jessica quit.
    Hopefully Hayley