The Grey Tier Read Online Free PDF Page A

her tail swinging back and forth wildly, smacking me in the face with each twirl.
    “Easy girl. Easy. Stop! Stop it!” I laughed even harder, and then a knock at the door sobered me up real quick.
    Cass started barking and the knocking grew louder. Uh-oh.
    “Just a minute,” I yelled at the door and then hissed at Cass, “Stop, stop, shhh!”
    “This is the manager. Open up the door! Do you have a dog in there?”
    I tried to sound as innocent as possible. “No. No. It’s just the TV.”
    “Open this door, or I will call the cops!”
    I closed my eyes and cringed. This was not looking good.
    “Cass, get down,” I whispered. “Down.” She growled. Not at me, but at the door. I got her off the bed and locked her in the bathroom. I cracked the door open and there stood the manager—ugly, overweight, spectacled, and in a wife beater with his paunch exposed and hanging over ill-fitting sweats. Lovely.
    “Hi!” I put on my best fake smile. “Is there a problem?”
    He crossed his arms. “You have a dog here.” A statement, not a question. Crap.
    “No. It’s the TV, Animal Planet .”
    “We don’t get that channel. And the dog you don’t have is scratching on the bathroom door. I’m not deaf. You need to get out.”
    “What?”
    “No dogs. No cats. No birds. No lizards. No pets! Get.”
    “Now?”
    “Did I stutter?”
    The beginnings of panic unfurled in my chest, “I-I can put her in the van for the night.”
    “Nope. Get. Out. Bye-bye.” He wiggled his pudgy fingers at me, and then accidently dropped his keys. I bent down at the same time he did to grab them and my fingers grazed his. I yanked my hand back but it was too late. I saw the manager in a car with a tiny little girl. He looked much younger, a lot less weight on him, and he was happy. They were singing “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.” Rain splattered against the windshield, and in an instant, something hit the car. It went black and then I saw the manager crying over the child. “No, Sara! No!” She was covered in blood and very still. I pulled my fingers back and stood up.
    “You got ten minutes,” he said.
    “I’m sorry.” It was all I could say.
    He frowned. “I was going to charge you for the night as well and keep the cleaning deposit. I can’t rent the room until it’s fully cleaned and fumigated. Pets have fleas and I am running a nice place here. I can’t allow someone to stay in this room after a dog has been in it.”
    “My dog does not have fleas.” She probably did. I have, in fact, seen one or two on her, but seriously, this guy was not running the Ritz Carlton by any stretch of the imagination. Motel 6 was a five-star by comparison.
    “I said I was going to charge you, but you seem a bit down and out, so I won’t. You still gotta go though.”
    I nodded and shut the door softly. I knew if I had not touched him and saw what I had, he would have definitely charged me. In some ways it would have been worth it, even though I didn’t have much left. It is not easy to see the suffering of others, especially when it involves the loss of a child. It’s why I’m usually so careful not to touch people. Damn. But hopefully his pain had been eased some.
    I sighed, and took Cass out of the bathroom. I quickly threw my things into my suitcase and we left the motel without a clue as to where we would go.
    We drove around for thirty minutes with me in a daze and Cass curled up in the back seat. I finally decided the best idea would be to park in a residential area and get up early in the morning and move. I found a quiet, well-lit street, parked, and climbed in back with my dog. Was this how people wound up on the streets? I couldn’t go back home. Not considering all the faith Betty had in me, and I didn’t want to prove to my daddy I couldn’t make it on my own. I also didn’t want to wind up panhandling with Cass, looking sad and desperate. I could ask Nick for more money. I could ask him if I could work the