The Puzzled Heart Read Online Free PDF

Talk to me. Ramble on. Quote things. Please, Kate, don’t stay in this zombie state. Say something. Reed will be back, I promise you. The dog’s name is Bancroft, by the way, because Anne Bancroft is a favorite actor of the kennel owner. Banny for short. She’s a very sweet dog; I’ve seen her. Quite adorable, you’ll see.”
    “And what am I do to with her when she weighs two hundred pounds?”
    “Oh, we’re just borrowing Banny. She’s far too valuable to give away or even sell. She’s wanted for shows and then for breeding. Now don’t get too attached to her, because she’s just visiting. You do see, Kate, don’t you? We needed a place you could go regularly, quite innocently, where messages can be exchanged. Meanwhile Banny will learn how to sit,lie, stay, heel, and fetch, and no doubt many other wonderful tricks. She’s a present from me, by the way. But for God’s sake, for my sake, don’t let anything happen to her. That dog’s worth a bundle.”
    Kate still looked stunned. “Harriet,” she slowly said, “do you really know what you’re doing?”
    “We do, my dear, please try to believe that. We’ll have Reed back before you know it. Goodbye for now. And look out for Banny; the kennel will deliver her shortly. The doorman will bring her up.”
    “I hope she doesn’t pee in the elevator,” Kate said.
    “Ah,” Harriet said, “that’s more like it. Do have a drink,” she said, as she left. “I know Reed would want you to.”
    Kate thought for a while, no coherent idea remaining in her mind for long. Time seemed to have lost its meaning; then the doorbell rang. There on the doormat stood the doorman with an adorable, furry thing with a wrinkled brow who looked as bewildered as did Kate. She took the leash.
    “Here’s some food they left for him,” the doorman said. “I hope you enjoy him, ma’am. He’s going to be a mighty big dog.”
    “It’s a she,” Kate said. “Thank you.”
    Kate and Banny were alone. Banny looked around, then squatted and peed on the foyer floor.
    After Kate had cleaned that up and laid paper down in the kitchen and showed the paper to Banny and put some water down, she went back into the livingroom. The puppy jumped up against her knees, and on an impulse Kate picked up the bundle of fur, hugging it, and weeping onto it. The puppy licked her face.
    *
See
Amanda Cross,
An Imperfect Spy

Three

    K ATE , in order to set up the ordinariness of her visits to the vet and training class, went there with Banny over the weekend. At least it was something to do. She could spot Ovido behind the desk, and, while paying for the vet’s examination of Banny, she chatted with him in a natural way so that, if she should have a message to leave, their conversation would not appear in any way different from her usual behavior.
    Harriet and Toni were convinced she was being followed, and Kate had occasionally caught sight of someone who might well have been keeping her in sight. “Their main object is to frighten you,” Toni had said, “so they want you to know you’re being followed and hounded. But don’t underestimate them.Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do during your ordinary day.” (Toni forbore to mention, and Kate did not point out, that no day would ever be ordinary again.)
    On Monday, when she had a scheduled office hour, Kate took with her a message that had arrived the previous evening from the group that had kidnapped Reed; she did not need to go the route of the vet this time. The message said that the ad had been seen, and that Kate had exactly one week—that is, until next Monday—to place her article, which would be expected to appear not many days thereafter. If not, Reed would die or be terribly wounded.
    Inevitably, this last caused Kate some bad moments, despite Toni’s assurance that threats weren’t what mattered at this point. Getting Reed back was all that mattered. Meanwhile, Toni went on to say, encouragingly, that she and Harriet were