Chapter 10

cardigan followed sierra into her grandfather's house. it was surprisingly fragrant, and he noticed plants and flowers arranged in all the corners. he walked over to a startling rose arrangement, feeling the petals to see if they're real. "i can't believe these colors exist in nature."

she smiled at him. "dog's an experimental gardner, always tinkering with hybrids. he prefers interesting flowers to pretty flowers. i watered them all this morning. they were looking a little dry, which told me for sure that's he's been gone."

"i can see that," cardigan acknowledged. he glanced into the dining room. "that one looks pretty conventional." he indicated a green fern on the table.

sierra stared at it. "that wasn't here this morning, and he'd never have an ordinary fern." she walked over to it cautiously and examined it closely. "look, cardigan. the soil is really loose on top." she lifts the fern up gently by the base, pulling it out easily. she placed it on the table and dug her fingers into the soil. "there's something in here!"

cardigan watched as she pulls out a small, sealed plastic zipper bag with a folded sheet of paper inside. she hastily rips it open and opens up the note, reading it under her breath. he grumbled, "what's it say, charles?"

she ignores him, continuing to read to herself, then hands him the note as she sinks down into a chair. cardigan grabs the note and reads:

sierra,
i'm sorry about james. i was with him. i'm okay, just a little banged up. don't worry. i have a place to stay. i don't think they care about me, else they would have killed me, too. they probably think i'm too dumb to be a threat. instead, they just knocked me on the head. it hurt like hell, but i'm okay. i'm just going to be hard to find for a while, just to make sure nobody cares. i'm worried about you. be careful. i'll come back when i think it's safe.
love,
dog

cardigan looks puzzled. "why didn't he just call? why leave a note like this?"

she smiled weakly. "he can't talk. he was born without vocal chords. that's why he joked about being 'too dumb.'"

he looks at her. "what now, charles? i mean, livermore is dead, and the police are handling the case. your grandfather is safe. what else is left for us to do?"

she hesitates. "there is something, cardigan. but....can we get some lunch first? i'm starving."