Rescue at Gooseberry Bay: Klepto Kitty

Book 2: Rescue on Gooseberry Bay

by Kathi Daley

Genres: Mystery; Animal Cozy Mysteries

Synopsis

A pretty black cat with a proclivity toward kleptomania, a Halloween festival with small town charm, a missing teenager and the secret she'd been hiding, and the cold case murder that only Bexley and her friends will be able to solve.

Bexley Cosgrove has a soft spot for abandoned animals after being abandoned herself as a young child. She knows she owes her life to the dog who found and rescued her, so as an adult, Bexley has committed her life to rescuing as many dogs and cats as possible.

In book 2 of the new series, small items from the Gooseberry Bay adoption center seem to keep turning up missing. After a bit of investigation, security cameras reveal that a black cat seems to be sneaking in at night to take whatever items might catch his eye. Bexley and her team are stumped as to his means of getting into the store, so Bexley comes up with a plan to track him down. She eventually determines that the cat is living on the street and has in fact built himself a nest which he has filled with various items stolen from businesses in the area. Once of the items Bexley finds in the cat's nest is a bracelet that was last seen on the arm of a teen who went missing more than three weeks prior, and another item found in the nest will provide a new clue in a very old murder case.

Read more

Release date: August 12, 2025

Publisher: Kathi Daley Books

Reader says this book is...: entertaining story (1) escapist/easy read (1)

Sample

Chapter 1

“Oh, thank goodness, Bexley’s here,” my good friend, Jemma Hawthorn, said to Hank, her
boyfriend, Cooper Fairchild’s rescue dog, as she crouched down beside him. “You have no idea
how happy I am to be able to hand this situation over to a professional.”
“I’m happy to help,” I replied, squatting down next to Jemma and Hank. “Where’s Coop?”
“Coop’s working today, so I volunteered to dog sit.” She kissed Hank on the top of his furry
head. He turned and licked her cheek. It was apparent their affection was genuine.
“Okay, so tell me what’s going on.” I wasn’t sure why we were hiding behind a hedge of
shrubs, but I supposed Jemma had a logical explanation. I first met Jemma several years ago
when I leased one of the five cottages artistically located on the peninsula at the south end of
Gooseberry Bay. Jemma, likewise, lived on the peninsula, in a two-bedroom cottage she shared
with her best friend, Josie Wellington, and their two cats, Stefan and Damon.
“It’s such a nice day today, so after the Halloween Festival planning committee meeting
concluded, I decided to take Hank for a walk. I hadn’t intended to walk this far, but since Hank
seemed to be enjoying the exercise, we decided to head toward the path that trails along the
river.” She glanced at me. “I guess you can figure that much out without a detailed explanation;
suffice it to say that Hank found a nest full of puppies during our walk.”
“And the puppies’ mama?”
“There’s no sign of her, but I have heard rustling in the brush, so she may be watching us. I
was afraid that if I approached the puppies and their mama was watching from a distance, she
might feel threatened and could possibly attack us, so I called Hank away from the puppies, and
we’ve been waiting here ever since. It’s been a while, and I feel like their mama should be back
by now. As I said, I don’t want to approach the pups to check on things in case she’s close by and
watching, but since I didn’t want to merely leave the puppies, I called you.”

I reached out to scratch Hank behind the ears. Hank, a large dog who appeared to be a
Labrador/Rottweiler mix, was partially blind. He became a member of the Gooseberry Bay
Peninsula family a year ago when his owner passed away, and he came to me as a rescue in need
of re-homing. At the time, I’d been less than confident that I’d be able to find a good home for
the special needs dog, who seemed to be able to see light and some shapes but little else, until
Coop decided to adopt him. Due to his visual impairment, Hank tended to stay close to Coop, or,
in his absence, Jemma. By this point, he’d adapted to his situation and was able to live a
relatively ordinary life.
“Do you think the puppies’ mama deserted them?” Jemma asked as she settled Hank close to
her, pulling him slightly out of my line of sight.
I scooted just a bit closer to get a better look at the four puppies who were huddled together
on a red towel that I assumed the puppies’ mama had found and used for her nest. “They look
well-fed and healthy. My guess is that she’s just out foraging for food and will be back shortly.”
“That’s what I hoped. Of course, even if the puppies’ mama comes back, I still think they’ll
be better off with you than on their own.”
“They will be better off with me. I think our best bet at this point is to wait behind the
shrubbery where you were waiting for me when I first arrived. I feel confident that their mama
will return shortly. If she does, we’ll try to convince her to come with us willingly. If she won’t, I
have a trap in my van.”
I ran Forever Home Pet Rescue along with my best friend and business partner, Denver
Marshall. Denver ran the main rescue and rehabilitation facility on Bainbridge Island, while I
oversaw the adoption centers in both Seattle and Gooseberry Bay.
“We could use another set of hands. Is Ainsley or anyone else around today?” I asked
Jemma.
“No. Josie had a catering job, Coop had a charter, Parker is in Seattle, and Ainsley and the
dogs went to Winchester Academy to hang out with Adam for a few days.”
Parker Peterson was a newspaper reporter for the Seattle News, who, like me, divided her
time between Seattle and Gooseberry Bay. And, also like me, she had permanent living
accommodations both on the peninsula in Gooseberry Bay and in Avery Carmichael’s penthouse
apartment in Elderberry Bay, just north of Seattle. Avery was Ainsley’s sister, and Ainsley was
the person who had introduced us.
“Then I guess the two of us will need to rescue this family on our own.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“I do. But for now, it’s just a waiting game.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.” Jemma sat down on the ground, crossing her legs.
She tilted her head and looked up into the darkening sky. “It looks like rain.
“Yeah,” I agreed, looking off into the distance. “I noticed the storm building to the west.
Hopefully, we can grab the puppies’ mama and get everyone safely to my van before the rain
makes it this far east.” I sat down on the ground next to Jemma. “You mentioned the Halloween
Festival. How are the plans for the event coming along?”

“It seems that things are progressing nicely. The committee decided to move the event from
Halloween night, when the kids are out trick-or-treating, to the weekend before Halloween. It
seemed like a good idea at the time, but planning a three-day event is a lot more work than
planning a one-day event.”
“The event will run three full days?” I asked.
“No, it will be one full day and two partial days. The event will start at four o’clock on
Friday afternoon. We thought about opening at noon, but the high school principal asked that we
delay the opening until school was out for the weekend so he didn’t have kids cutting their
afternoon classes to go to the carnival.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“Friday, the event will run from four to ten, and then on Saturday, we’ll open at ten a.m. and
run through ten p.m. Sunday will be ten to four.”
“It does sound like a lot,” I admitted.
“It is, and I’m going to be glad when it’s over. Not that I don’t enjoy the Halloween Festival,
because I do, but after acting as chairperson for the summer movie event and then having this
three-day event to chair, I’m pretty exhausted.”
“It sounds like the town is taking advantage of your willingness to help.”
She shrugged. “I guess they are, but someone else will be chairing the Christmas on the
Boardwalk event, so this will be it for me for a while. Will you be able to attend? The whole
gang is planning to show up. Despite all the extra work, I think it’s going to be fun.”
“I would like to come for at least part of it. I need to work out my schedule for the next two
weeks, but I’ll try to make sure I’m in Gooseberry Bay that weekend.”
“If you can only spare a few hours, the best time to come is Saturday evening. Saturday is the
chili cookoff, the rib dinner, and street dancing.”
“Street dancing?” I asked.
“We’re going to close Main Street along the boardwalk and divert traffic to the high school
loop to create a safe pedestrian corridor. We have an awesome band lined up, so I’m sure there
will be a crowd, but the more we talk about it, the more certain I am that, at least for the adults,
the street dancing is going to be the highlight of the weekend.”
“It does sound like fun. I’ll try to make it.”
Jemma looked behind her. “Did you hear that?”
I nodded. “There is definitely something watching us; most likely the puppies’ mama. As
long as we keep our distance, I think that she’ll likely come around.”
The two of us waited behind the wall of shrubbery for another twenty minutes before the
puppies’ mama finally reappeared. I had a feeling that she’d picked up our scent since she
paused and looked around before scampering into the dense grouping of shrubs where she’d
chosen to have her babies. Based on my vast experience in rescuing strays, I suspected that a trap
might be required.

“The puppies’ mama looks nervous, and I could tell by her behavior when she returned to the
nest that she isn’t going to be captured easily, even if we have her babies. I’m going to run back
to my van and get the trap. I hoped we could avoid that, but if we’re going to need it, it will be
easiest if we can set it up before she even knows we’re here.” I looked up at the darkening sky.
“I’m going to need to hurry if I’m going to make it to my van and back before it starts raining.”
“Uh, Bex. I think we have another problem.”
I looked toward the edge of the meadow, which was the direction in which Jemma was
pointing. Coyotes. At least a pair, possibly more, were lying in wait. Now that I knew they were
in the area, I realized they were probably also responsible for the rustling in the shrubs we’d been
hearing.
“That’s not good,” I said. “Even if the puppies’ mama decides to fight, she won’t be a match
for two or more coyotes. We need to secure the mama and babies before the predators make them
their lunch.”
“Maybe we can scare off the coyotes,” Jemma suggested. “Run at them with arms waving
and voices raised in warning.”
“That might be a temporary fix, but the puppies’ mama will likely come out of the nest when
she realizes we’re here, and that will make both her and her babies vulnerable. I have a slip rope
with me, which, if I am quick enough, I might be able to use to secure the puppies’ mama. The
four puppies are small enough for us to carry to my van.”
“Do you think you can snare their mama before she runs?” Jemma asked.
I actually wasn’t all that confident that I would be successful in my effort to save the
puppies’ mama, but the pair of coyotes inching forward encouraged me to try.
Since I’d had a lot of practice, I was actually pretty good with a slip rope. I instructed Jemma
to wait with Hank as I inched forward toward the cluster of shrubs where the puppies’ mama was
sleeping with her babies. As I got closer to the entrance that I’d seen the puppies’ mama use to
crawl into her sanctuary, I could see that she’d only left herself one way in and one way out. That
worked to my advantage. As long as she wasn’t able to slip by me, I should be able to snare her.
With every careful step I took, I expected the dog to jump up and either confront me or run,
but she must have been exhausted since she didn’t budge until I was kneeling in front of the
small opening. Once she finally woke up and noticed me, she began to growl. She seemed
hesitant to leave her babies to chase me off, and I imagined she hoped that baring her teeth would
be enough to send me scurrying away, but with the coyotes breathing down my neck, almost
literally by this point, I was staying put.
“I know you don’t know me, and I know you are just trying to protect your babies, but there
are coyotes just to my right, and I really need to get you and your babies out of here. It would
make this a lot easier if you would cooperate.”
I took a handful of dog treats out of my pocket and set them on the ground just in front of the
puppies’ mama. She continued to growl at me, but I decided to give her a minute to consider my
offering, even though the coyotes were less than twenty yards away by this point.
After about thirty seconds, the dog sniffed at the freeze-dried liver and then took a dainty
bite. The dog seemed to enjoy the taste of the treat, which wasn’t surprising since most dogs did.

The puppies’ mama ate what I’d given her the first time, and then I set another handful on the
ground, this time closer to me.
She took a minute and then inched closer.
The entire time I spoke to the puppies’ mama, I was aware of the coyotes waiting not all that
far away. I’d visually located a large stick lying to my left, which I figured I could use to try to
scare them off if I needed to. Still, I hoped I wouldn’t have to use it. On the one hand, I suspected
it might be a bad idea to get the coyotes all riled up, and on the other hand, one stick against two
or more predators wasn’t likely to be as effective as I’d need it to be.
The puppies’ mama inched closer to get the next handful of food. I set out a third handful,
this one close enough to where I was kneeling to allow me to reach out and slip the lasso over
her neck. This made her pull against the lead and start barking, which caused Hank to start
barking as well. I was pretty sure I was going to end up with at least one bite mark on my arm if I
wasn’t careful, so I called out to Jemma to secure Hank and come help me.
“Do coyotes attack people?” Jemma asked as she knelt down next to me while keeping an
eye on the coyotes watching us.
“If they’re in a pack and they have a good enough reason to attack, they will.” I held up one
of my arms. “Wrap your sweatshirt around my arm and hand.”
Jemma did as I asked.
I reached forward with my wrapped arm, grabbed the puppies’ mama, and pulled her closer
to me. I instructed Jemma to grab one of the puppies and hand it to me. She did as I asked.
That seemed to get the mama’s attention, at least for the moment, and she stopped struggling.
I imagined she was trying to figure out her next move, while I was likewise trying to figure out
mine. We had two humans, four puppies, one skittish mama, and an almost blind dog to transport
all the way to my van, which was parked about half a mile down the trail. We’d need to gather
everyone up and make the journey on foot while avoiding the two coyotes who were waiting and
watching from about ten yards to our right.
Once the puppies’ mama stopped struggling, I began handing Jemma the puppies. She
managed to secure three of the puppies in her arms while I hung onto their mama as well as the
last puppy. Jemma grabbed Hank’s leash, told him to heel with a touch of a hand on his head, and
we walked as quickly as we could without running in the direction of my van. While running was
my instinct, I worried that running might cause the coyotes to chase us and possibly even take us
down.
“You don’t think they’ll attack us to get the puppies, do you?” Jemma asked after I instructed
her to walk in front of me with Hank.
“I don’t think so, but I guess you never know what a wild animal will or won’t do.” I looked
up as a drop of rain landed on my shoulder. “I think we’re about to get dumped on.”
“Yeah,” Jemma said, picking up the pace a bit.
As the rain steadily grew heavier, I followed along as quickly as I could. We were about
halfway to my van when Jemma turned around to make sure I was okay and came to an abrupt
stop.

“What is it?” I asked.
“The coyotes. They have friends.”
I turned around to find four coyotes behind us. I stomped my feet and yelled, and Hank and
the puppies’ mama both began to bark. That caused the coyotes to retreat, although only
marginally.
“If we tuck all four pups between your sweatshirt and t-shirt, can you carry all four while still
hanging onto Hank?” I asked Jemma as I removed her sweatshirt from my arm.
“I can try.”
“Hand me the pups and put your sweatshirt back on.”
Jemma slowly did as I instructed, as the coyotes took advantage of the fact that she and I
were otherwise occupied to inch even closer. One of the coyotes began to yip, which caused his
friends to start yipping, which caused Hank and the puppies’ mama to start barking again.
Once Jemma had her sweatshirt on, she tied off the bottom to her t-shirt so the puppies
wouldn’t fall through, and then I slipped all four pups between her sweatshirt and her t-shirt. I
instructed her to walk toward my van with Hank directly in front of me. I then tied the end of the
slip rope to a loop in my jeans so the puppies’ mama would be secure, but I’d have my hands
free. I picked up the two biggest broken-off tree branches I could manage. By this point, the rain
was coming down at a steady rate, but at least the mama seemed to understand we were trying to
help her and had stopped struggling to get free. I kept the leash short, so the dog was right
against my leg. Then I followed Jemma and Hank, my arms brandishing the branches, while the
puppies’ mama growled and barked.
I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end as one of the coyotes seemed to take
charge of the group. The coyote who appeared to be calling the shots came forward while the
others stayed back. The coyote behind me was so close I could almost feel his breath on my leg,
but I continued to walk, and the coyote continued to follow me.
“I really want to run,” Jemma said.
“I know, but don’t. So far, the coyotes are following but not attacking. We don’t want to do
anything to provoke them.”
Jemma nodded, but I could see she was nervous. I didn’t blame her. She was responsible for
four puppies and a blind dog, with only me and my big sticks to protect her.
“There’s something in the shrubs to the left,” Jemma said.
“Yeah. I can hear the rustling. I only see two coyotes behind us. The other two must have
looped around.”
“What do I do?” I could hear the panic in her voice.
“Just keep walking. We’re almost there.”
Somehow, we all made it to my van without injury. Jemma climbed into the cargo area with
the puppies and Hank, and then the puppies’ mama followed. I closed the sliding door and
walked around to the driver’s side door. The coyotes were still watching from a distance, but I
think they realized by this point that their lunch was unattainable and would likely move on to
other prey.

Once the danger was over, I instructed Jemma to put the puppies in one of the crates I had
secured to the floorboard of my van. Once the puppies were settled inside, their mama walked
into the crate behind them. Jemma closed the door to the crate and then wrapped her arms around
Hank’s neck.
“Are you okay, big guy?” she asked the obviously shaken dog, who seemed happy to have
the drama come to an end. “I would have died if those coyotes had hurt you. You must have been
so scared. Being able to hear them but not to see them must have been frightening.”
“The poor dog does seem stressed,” I agreed.
“Do you think the coyotes would have attacked Hank if Hank and I had been alone?”
I considered Jemma’s question. “Normally, I’d say the coyotes wouldn’t have taken on a big
dog like Hank, but he is old and mostly blind, so I suppose he might have been seen as easy prey.
If Coop isn’t with you, you might want to stay on the peninsula with Hank in the future.”
“I will. I never even considered the danger from coyotes until today.” She hugged Hank one
more time and then lifted her head from Hank’s neck and looked at me. “Are you going to come
back to the peninsula?”
I looked at my watch. “For a while. I hoped to arrive at the ferry terminal in time for the early
afternoon ferry, but I can see I’ll never make it. I guess I’ll come back to the cottage, get dried
off, and then plan to be on the four o’clock ferry.”
“And what will you do with the puppies and their mama?”
“I’ll drop them off on Bainbridge Island. Denver will take care of the dog and her babies.”
Jemma took several deep breaths. “Thanks again for coming so quickly when I called. I
guess I was lucky you were still in Gooseberry Bay. I remembered you saying that you planned
to stop by the adoption center here in Gooseberry Bay this morning and needed to pick up a few
dogs and a litter of kittens from Bainbridge Island before heading to Seattle for a few days after
we had dinner together last night. When I found the puppies, I just prayed you were still at the
adoption center and hadn’t left already.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m glad I was here as well. If you hadn’t had help, things would have gotten
dicey for sure.”
When we arrived at the cottages, Jemma invited me to come in for a cup of hot tea to warm
us up. That sounded good to me, but I wanted to stop by the cottage I shared with Avery first to
change into some dry clothes. Before I headed to my cottage to change, we decided we’d bring
the puppies and their mama into Jemma’s cottage. She seemed fine in the crate, but it was going
to be a couple of hours before I continued my journey, and I didn’t want to leave her in my van. I
wasn’t sure how the puppies’ mama would do in a strange environment, but Jemma had an extra
dog bed she used when she pet-sat Ainsley’s dogs, Kai and Kallie, which she positioned in front
of the fireplace near Hank’s bed. Once the bed was in place, she lined it with a fluffy blanket that
the dog seemed unsure about, but eventually snuggled into.
As soon as the puppies’ mama was settled, I headed over to my cottage for a pair of dry
jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and a zip-up hoodie. Once I’d towel-dried my hair, I headed back to
Jemma’s.
“She looks exhausted,” Jemma said as we settled in front of the fireplace with our tea.

“She probably is. The puppies can’t be more than a week old, and their mama looks young. I
would be willing to bet this is her first litter.”
“I’m so glad Hank found the puppies. If he hadn’t, I think things would have gone badly.
Those coyotes looked serious about the meal they probably figured was going to be easy prey.”
I pulled one of the cozy throws Jemma had draped over the back of her sofa over my lap.
Even with the fire going and the warm tea to wrap my hands around, there was still a chill in the
air. “I love all your fall decorations. The leaf garland on the mantel is so pretty.”
“Thank you. I worked hard on the mantel, but I have to say it was worth it. The pillar candles
were a real find, and I love my lights. In fact, Coop and I sit here at night with only the fireplace
and the orange twinkle lights to illuminate the room.”
“And Josie?”
“Josie joins us when she’s here, but she is gone a lot. She has her catering business that keeps
her busy, but she also goes out to the academy to hang out with Hudson when she isn’t working.”
“I guess it was hard for everyone when Adam and Hudson had to head back to the academy
after being here all summer.” Adam Winchester was Ainsley Holloway’s boyfriend, and he
founded Winchester Academy, along with his brother, Archie. Hudson Hanson was Josie’s
boyfriend and taught math and computer science at the academy.
“It was. We all got used to the guys being here.”
I took a sip of the apple spice tea Jemma had prepared.
“So what’s going on with you?” Jemma asked. “Any new men in your life?”
I laughed. “Hardly. I do so much running around between Seattle, Gooseberry Bay, and
Bainbridge Island that I really don’t have time for dating. Ophelia has a cousin she keeps trying
to talk me into meeting. He’s an app developer, and, based on what Ophelia says, he seems like a
nice guy, but I’m really not interested at this point in my life.”
“You do move around a lot, but Parker moves between Seattle and Gooseberry Bay almost as
often as you do, and she seems to find the time to date.”
“I guess.” I shrugged. “Maybe the being busy thing is just an excuse not to have to deal with
the idea of making room for another person in my life. I feel like I’m still trying to figure out
who I am and how I fit into the world. It just seems to me that doing so might be easier without
another person to worry about.”
“I get that. And you’re probably smart to stay focused on your end goal. It seems like the
emotions associated with your search for your past have intensified in the past few months.”
“I guess they have. I’ve done this before. Become totally obsessed with finding my answers
to the exclusion of all else, but then I work through it and learn to live with the uncertainty of it
all. Once I get a handle on things, I’m good for a while until something happens to send me back
down the rabbit hole.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Maybe. I need to be sure to make that four o’clock ferry, so I don’t have time to get into it
right now, but I may come back by later in the week so we can chat.”

“I’d love that. You know I’m here for you at any time.”
Fortunately, the rain had stopped by the time I needed to load the dogs into my van and head
to the ferry. It looked as if there were additional showers on the horizon, but according to my
weather app, the break in activity should last long enough for me to arrive on the island. I
thanked Jemma once again and then climbed into my van. The drive to the ferry terminal was
short, and the ride from Gooseberry Bay to the island was a manageable trip. Once I’d boarded
and parked on the car deck, I settled in for the ride. I figured that I’d stay in my van with my
doggy passengers instead of going up onto the passenger deck as I often did.
The first thing I did once I was settled was open the door to the crate so the puppies’ mama
could come out if she wanted. I then grabbed a bottle of water from my mini fridge and poured it
into one of the dog bowls I kept on hand. I’d started keeping individual single-serve packets of
high-quality dog food on hand, so I opened one of the packets and poured it into a second bowl.
I’d offered the mama some of Hank’s food when we were at Jemma’s cottage, but she was too
nervous to eat. I guess I didn’t blame her for being cautious. The last couple of hours had indeed
been harrowing. As she had with Hank’s food, the mama dog looked at the food, but didn’t eat.
She did, however, drink the water, which I was happy to see. Once she’d finished the entire bowl
of water, she turned her attention to the food. I figured I’d have a bit of free time while the ferry
made its journey and the puppies’ mama had a meal, so I pulled my cell phone out and called
Denver to let him know I had passengers with me this trip and that he’d need to prepare a kennel
in the nursery.
“I didn’t know you planned to drop animals off this week,” he said after I informed him that
I’d be dropping off today as well as picking up the dogs and kittens we’d arranged to deliver to
the adoption center in Seattle.
“I wasn’t going to, but then Jemma and Hank found a stray dog and her litter,” I said, and
then explained about the arduous journey between the nest and my van we’d had to take to
protect the puppies, their mama, and Hank from the coyotes.
“Since there was a pack of coyotes, you’re lucky they didn’t attack you to get the pups.”
“I know. In fact, I was very aware the entire time that I might need to physically fight off the
coyotes while Jemma took the dogs to my van, but they were a smart group. They seemed to
have a strategy. I’m pretty sure if Jemma and I had split up, they would have divided up as well.”
“I’m glad you got out of the situation without injury. Does the mama or her puppies have any
injuries or health issues?”
“They don’t seem to. The mama is scraggly and desperately needs a bath, but she looks to be
healthy enough, and I didn’t notice any obvious wounds. The puppies are only about a week old,
but they appear to be well-fed and cared for. I’d say that all the little family needs is a safe place
to hang out until the puppies are ready to be weaned, and then we can begin to discuss adoption
for the mama and her puppies, but you might call Lexi and ask her to stop by this evening to
check on things.”
Lexi Hamilton was our friend and a veterinarian who generously donated her time to the
rescue.
“That’s a good idea. Are you planning to spend the night on the island?”

I had a cabin on the rescue that I could use anytime I was on the island. Since I only used the
cabin sporadically, I didn’t keep food there, but I had a few changes of clothes, some toiletries,
and a comfortable bed, so as long as Denver fed me, I was happy roughing it.
“Initially, I wasn’t planning to, but I think I will now. I’ll need to call Gina and Ophelia and
give them a heads up about the delay in my schedule.” Gina Jones and Ophelia Everly ran the
adoption center in Seattle. “I’ll have one of them contact the foster who was going to help with
the kittens I’m planning to pick up. I’m not sure if they planned to assign a foster for the dogs
I’m bringing or if they plan to have them adopted right away, but if they have a foster lined up,
they’ll need to notify them as well.”
I watched the puppies’ mama as she finished her food and then crawled back into the crate to
nurse her babies. She’d seemed dehydrated when I’d first set out the water, and she’d need
plenty of fluids if she was nursing, so I grabbed a second bottle of water, opened it, and poured it
into the bowl, which I then set just outside the crate.
“I’ll call Gina and Ophelia and get everything arranged,” Denver offered. “I need to talk to
them about a litter of puppies who will be ready for adoption in two weeks. When I last spoke to
Gina, she thought she could line up new families for the pups, which would allow them to go
directly into their new homes when they’re ready to leave here, but she wanted two weeks’
notice to put out the word that the pups would be available, take applications, and then do the
background checks and home visits.”
“Are you talking about the litter of eleven golden retriever puppies we rescued from the man
in Everette who had sixteen dogs and twenty-eight puppies?”
“That’s the one.”
“And what about the other seventeen puppies?”
“They were older, so they’ve already been adopted. In fact, a lot of the dogs from that rescue
have found new homes.”
I could feel the ferry slow to make the turn to approach the island, so I disconnected the call
and climbed back into the driver’s seat. When the warning to return to your vehicles was issued
over the loudspeaker, I was already waiting to go. Of course, the ferry loaded cars in such a
manner that being the first car ready didn’t necessarily mean you’d be the first vehicle to
disembark. I was familiar with the disembarking routine for this particular ferry and figured I’d
be fifth in line once things got going.

Chapter 2

Once I made my way off the ferry, I headed toward the rescue. The drive from the ferry
terminal to the rescue was gorgeous, and I never grew tired of it; however, despite the beautiful
fall colors today, my enjoyment of the trip was somewhat marred by the delayed stress I was
feeling after my morning ordeal.
“Bex!” Cassie waved as she called out to me from the second-story deck of the main house,
where she had a bedroom suite.
Cassie Gibson, who was just fifteen when Denver and I rescued her from a life on the street,
was eighteen now. After diligently working to earn her GED after settling in with Denver on
Bainbridge Island, Cassie enrolled at the local college, where she was currently a sophomore. At
thirty-five, Denver was only seventeen years older than Cassie, but he took his “dad” role
seriously, and I knew that meant more to Cassie than she’d ever be able to communicate.
I waved back as I pulled my van around to the ramp nearest the building we used for
grooming and medical needs, which was just one of the eight buildings currently housed on the
property. Denver and I had worked hard to build the rescue from a few pens in the barn that came
with the thirty acres Denver’s friend, Orville “Bucky” Buckingham, had left him when he died,
into a multifaceted rescue facility with both indoor and outdoor dog and cat areas designated for
housing, training, and play. Denver and Cassie were tasked with admitting all new rescues.
Along with their volunteers, they’d groom them, have them checked by our veterinarian, and
then train and socialize those needing training and socialization. When they’d done what they
could for each new arrival, the Forever Home Pet Rescue’s staff would turn the dog or cat, puppy
or kitten over to me, and I’d find foster homes for them to live in while they waited for their
forever families.
“I didn’t know you were coming today,” Cassie greeted me after I parked my van and then
went around to the side door to grab the puppies’ mama.

“Initially, I planned to do a pickup this morning and then head directly to Seattle, which I
didn’t mention to you since I would have been in and out before you got home from school, but I
had a change of plans, and it looks like I’ll be spending the night.”
Cassie screeched, jumped up and down, and then hugged me.
While Denver was most definitely her person, the one she depended on above all others, she
and I also had a special bond, and more often than not, she was thrilled when it worked out for
me to spend a night or two on the island.
“So what happened to make your plans change?” she asked once she’d hugged me and I’d
hugged her back. “You said you had a change in plans, what sort of change?”
I stepped aside and showed her the puppies and their mama. “These sorts of changes in
plans.”
“They’re so sweet. Where did you find them?”
I shared my story, which caused the blood to drain from her face. Perhaps I shouldn’t have
included so many details, but Cassie was an adult now, and it seemed silly to continue sheltering
her from the realities of life.
“I’ll help you bring them in,” Cassie offered. “I’m not sure where Denver went off to. Does
he know you’re coming?”
“He does. He’s likely in the nursery setting up a pen for the puppies and their mama. They’ll
be here for at least a couple of months.”
Cassie climbed into my van and sat down on the floorboard near the crate. The puppies’
mama walked right over and crawled into her lap. I wasn’t surprised. Cassie had a nurturing vibe
that seemed to calm most people and animals she came into contact with.
By the time Cassie and I had moved all four puppies and their mama inside, Denver had
made his way over from the medical building with Lexi and a friend of Lexi’s named Pamela,
who happened to be with her when she stopped by. Pamela chatted with Cassie and me while
Lexi conducted a thorough examination of the puppies’ mama, and each of her puppies,
establishing a baseline for weight and a few other milestones that were often checked in puppies
as young as our rescues. The puppies didn’t need to be cleaned since their mama had taken care
of that, but she was a mess, so Cassie and I sat and chatted with Lexi and Pamela as Denver gave
her a bath.
“Have you checked with animal control in Gooseberry Bay to see if someone is missing the
puppies’ mama?” Lexi asked.
“I did a quick search of their website and didn’t find any missing dogs fitting her description,
but I still need to call and personally speak to someone. While it’s possible that the dog just
wandered off and someone is looking for her, I have a feeling that isn’t the case.” I smiled at the
dog as Denver scrubbed her head. The poor thing looked miserable.
“Even though I agree that it’s unlikely she simply wandered off, I’m going to grab my laptop
from my car and check the site where lost dogs are posted so veterinarians can watch for them,”
Lexi informed me as she headed toward the door.

“Why don’t you think the dog simply wandered off?” Pamela asked me after Lexi went out
to get her laptop.
“She may have wandered off, which is why we’re all so careful to do a complete search, but
this dog appears to be a border collie mix, and border collies are one of the breeds with a high
surrender rate. Unfortunately, they also seem to be a breed with a high rate of abandonment.”
“Why?” Pamela asked. “The puppies’ mama is adorable.”
“She is,” I agreed. “And with her tri-color markings, she was probably a highly desirable
choice as a pup. The problem is that border collies are active dogs who need a job to do. If they
are given adequate exercise and mental stimulation, they are some of the best dogs you can add
to your family. But if an active and curious dog, such as this breed, is left alone all day, I can
almost guarantee you there is going to be trouble.”
“Why would someone adopt a high-energy dog if they weren’t going to be able to provide
the dog an active lifestyle?” Pamela asked.
“A lot of the time, first-time dog owners choose a puppy to adopt based on the cuteness
factor alone without having taken the time to research the breed.”
“We do get a lot of pure-breed border collies and mixes in here,” Cassie added. “Australian
shepherds, as well.” She reached out, picked one of the puppies up, and cuddled it to her chest.
“These puppies are absolutely adorable, especially with their mama’s tricolor markings.
Whichever adoption center handles the adoptions will need to be extra careful to find the right
human.”
“The women at both adoption centers are excellent at matching dogs with their humans. We
have very few returns.”
“I still can’t believe someone would abandon that sweet thing,” Pamela said.
I glanced toward where Denver was washing the puppies’ mama. “She’s a young dog, and I
suspect this is her first litter. While it’s possible that she may have dug under her owner’s fence
and escaped, my guess is that the owner abandoned her when they discovered the dog was
expecting. There are dog owners who are unwilling or unable to take on the labor and expense of
a litter of puppies, yet they never bother to have their dog spayed to prevent a pregnancy from
occurring. It’s incredibly sad. I’m just happy that my friend, Jemma, found puppies and their
mama and called me. Denver and Cassie will take good care of them until it’s time for them to
find their forever human.”
Based on the way Pamela was looking at the puppies’ mama with such intense compassion, I
had a feeling that she, at least, may already have found her forever human. I didn’t know Pamela
well, but I knew that she was a jogger who enjoyed biking and would likely provide the dog with
plenty of exercise once she weaned her babies and recovered from the spay I was sure Lexi had
already scheduled.
Lexi and Pamela decided to head out just about the time Denver finished the bath. Cassie and
I helped Denver get the puppies and their mama settled in the nursery, and then I helped Denver
finish the chores I’d interrupted when I arrived while Cassie got dinner on the table. Even though
Cassie didn’t have a mother to teach her, she was actually a pretty decent cook. Denver was a
decent cook as well, and likely taught her the basics, but I think a lot of Cassie’s talent had to be
credited to natural abilities.

“This casserole is excellent,” I said after taking the first mouthwatering bite. “And it’s perfect
for a crisp fall day such as today.”
“I thought it sounded good and I didn’t have classes today, so I had time to put it together.”
“Why didn’t you have classes?”
“This week is the mid-term break.”
Cassie had mentioned that, but I’d forgotten all about it. “How are your classes going?” I
asked.
She lifted a shoulder, causing her hair to tumble to one side. “Good, I guess. I have a couple
of classes that I love, one I hate, and one that is okay, but boring. I figure I’ll ace the classes I
love as well as the boring class, but I’m really going to have to focus if I’m going to get a decent
grade in the class I hate.”
“What class is it that you hate?”
“Advanced calculus. It isn’t even that the subject matter is so bad. It’s the teacher. He
assumes we know stuff we don’t, and he’s not at all helpful when students have questions. I’m
not the only one struggling in the class, and it seems obvious, based on comments made by other
students, that the guy feels no responsibility for filling in any gaps that may exist in our
knowledge base. He flat out told one student that the course had prerequisites and if the course
we took before signing up for his class didn’t adequately prepare us for the course that was to
follow, that was our problem.”
“Yikes. Is anyone in the class doing okay?”
She nodded. “There is this one guy named Dalton who’s really smart. He isn’t struggling at
all, so a few of us asked him if he would be willing to do some tutoring. He agreed to group
tutoring sessions on Wednesdays, and the first session is scheduled for a week from today. I
guess we’ll see how it goes.”
While I was pulling for Cassie, there wasn’t really anything I could do to help her. Math had
never been my strong point, and to be totally honest, I’d never had much motivation to fill in my
own educational gaps when it came to that particular subject.
After we’d eaten, Denver offered to do the dishes so Cassie and I could chat. Denver knew
that Cassie loved him, but he also knew how important it was for her to have some woman-to-
woman time, so he usually cleared out when I stayed on the island for an overnight visit.
“It’s starting to rain,” Cassie informed me after rushing in through the door to my cabin.
“I noticed that the wind had picked up and the sky was dark. According to my weather app,
the storm will only hang around for a few hours before blowing through.”
“I hope so. I have plans tomorrow. Outdoor plans.”
“Anything fun?”
“Just a hiking date with a few of my girlfriends from school, but I’m really looking forward
to it.”
“Speaking of dates, how’d things go with Brady?”

Brady Fairfield was a boy she’d had a crush on in high school who’d broken her heart and
then reappeared this past spring. He was interested in giving it another try, so Cassie eventually
agreed to go out with him. They dated casually over the summer, so when Brady decided to go to
an out-of-state college, Cassie was hurt, but the pair parted as friends. Brady had shown up after
a month away, looking for a commitment. As of the last time I’d spoken to Cassie, she planned
to cut things off with him once and for all. He was a nice enough guy, but he seemed to have
demonstrated a pattern of breaking Cassie’s heart without so much as a nod and then asking for it
back when it suited him.
“Things were somewhat intense. Brady can be such a baby if things don’t go his way, and he
put a lot of pressure on me to change my mind, but I held strong. I’m tired of being Brady’s
hometown sweetheart, who he leaves on a whim, but then pulls out and dusts off when it suits
him. I need to find a guy who wants to be in a relationship with me all the time and not just some
of the time, so until I find him, I think I’m better off on my own.”
I had to agree with that. Cassie had a lot to offer someone, but she was just getting started in
life. She needed to be able to concentrate on her personal goals and make decisions grounded in
what would be best for her. Brady seemed to be the sort who thought that she existed only to do
his bidding.
“So you’re good with being single for a while?”
She hesitated.
“Is there someone else?”
“Not really. I did meet this guy through my online gaming group. I’ve never met him in
person, but we’ve competed in a few of the same tournaments, and I guess you could say I’ve
noticed him. I happened to run into him in a chat room a month or so ago, and we got to chatting.
The guy is just so easy to talk to. It’s like he really understands what I’ve been through since he’s
been through something similar.”
“So he grew up on the street?” I asked.
“Sort of. Even though he had a family and I didn’t, his family was homeless for a while.
While our stories aren’t exactly the same, he seems to really understand how the sort of
background I had might affect the decisions I make in the future. He shared that he was dealing
with similar struggles.”
“Does this guy have a name?”
“I guess we haven’t gotten around to real names yet, but if we decide to meet up, I’ll
definitely ask him.”
“So you think you two might have a face-to-face?”
She shrugged. “Last week, he told me that he lived in Seattle, so I figure an in-person
meeting could be on the table.”
I really wished the knot in my stomach wasn’t warning me that an in-person meet-up was
actually a terrible idea.
“What do you actually know about this guy?” I asked.
“A lot, actually. Like I said, we’ve been chatting online for a month.”

I knew I needed to figure out a way to share my concern without conveying the “mom vibe.”
Cassie was an adult, and she had every right to make her own decisions. To this point, I’d been
the cool friend she could talk to and share everything with. If I started telling her what to do, I
harbored no illusions that her willingness to open up to me would likely cease.
“I know that I’m a millennial and you’re Gen Z, and I understand that there are functional
gaps in experience and communication between the generations at times, but I would be remiss
not to express my concern about your meeting up with some guy you met online. I mean, what
do you really know about this guy?”
Cassie smiled and rolled her eyes. “You do get that the majority of hookups probably happen
between individuals who meet online, either through a community or through dating apps, don’t
you? Hanging out in a bar, looking for your soulmate, is such a millennial thing to do.”
Even though I was only thirty-three, I’d never felt as old as I did in that moment.
“Just be careful if you decide to take this friendship any further,” I said. “You know that I
love you, and you know that I worry about you, even though I also know that you are an adult
capable of managing your own life. Does Denver know about this friendship?”
“No way. He’d totally freak. He’s not cool like you.”
“Can you at least promise me that if you decide to meet this guy in person, you’ll call and tell
me about it first?”
She tilted her head slightly. “Why? Are you going to do a background check on the guy? Are
you going to invade this guy’s privacy just because I find him interesting and might want to have
an in-person conversation with him?”
Absolutely, I thought to myself, but didn’t verbalize that thought. “I just think that it’s always
a good idea to let someone know who you’ll be with and where you’re going if you decide to
meet up with a man you met online. And it’s not because I don’t trust your judgement. It’s just a
good idea. If I go out with someone for the first time, I always make sure to tell at least one of
my roommates who I’ll be with and where I’ll be.”
“Okay,” Cassie said. “I guess I can agree that calling or texting ahead of time isn’t the worst
idea. But keep in mind that I was alone on the street before you found me. I know how to take
care of myself.”
I reached out and hugged her. “I know you do.”
After Cassie headed back to the main house, I decided to wash up and change into my
pajamas. The wind was howling, and the rain was slamming against the side of my cabin.
Usually, I enjoyed falling asleep while listening to storms, but I was too wound up tonight to
sleep. I had a book I’d left behind the last time I was here, plus a small TV was on the wall
across from the bed. I decided on TV, so I fluffed up the pillows and stacked them to provide a
backrest. I turned the TV on, pulled the covers back, settled in, and then grabbed Princess, the
ratty teddy bear I’d been clinging to when I was found and taken to social services as a child.
Princess was one of the few links to my past I had left in the world. The teddy bear and a
couple of photos taken after I was found sleeping under a bridge and turned over to social
services seemed to be the only proof I had that I’d even existed before new memories began to
form after I was assigned to my first foster home.

I looked down at the torn bear, remembered my conversation with Jemma, and tried to
remember something new. For years, I’d been living with the fact that my life, or at least my life
as I knew about it, didn’t really start until I was turned over to social services. But my need to
know the truth about my origin had become stronger with each birthday that passed, so after
years of dormancy, I’d decided to restart the search for my answers.
While I didn’t have many details, I did know a few things about my past. When I was
probably around four, I was found sleeping under a bridge with Princess by a homeless man
known in the community only as Boz. According to what Boz told social services when he was
asked how it was he happened to be with me, he’d been out scouring the dumpsters that lined the
alley behind a row of restaurants known as Culinary Row for discarded food when he happened
to notice a dog he’d befriended and sometimes hung out with curled up with a child under a
bridge. Boz wasn’t the sort to get involved, but he’d known that I’d die without help, so he made
sure I was left in the hands of someone he trusted. Since the police didn’t have any idea why I
happened to be alone, they initially placed me in a temporary foster situation. I don’t remember
that first foster placement, nor anything about my life to this point. I didn’t remember Boz until a
social worker told me about him, but I did have a memory of the dog who likely kept me alive. I
still had Princess. My social worker had informed me that I had the teddy bear with me when I
was found. The authorities assumed I’d brought her from home and had her with me when I
wandered away, was abandoned, or experienced whatever had happened to me that had ended
with me being alone under a bridge. But I later remembered it was the stray dog who’d saved me
that had brought Princess to me on that first night we were together. This was a realization I’d
managed to uncover only a few months ago, and in those few months, I’d thought a lot about that
dog.
“I guess we were both abandoned,” I said aloud to the teddy bear.
My memories of the past seemed to gel after I was placed in my first long-term foster
situation. I’d been happy with the Forresters. Living with them had been like living in a real
family, but their retirement led to my relocation, and life, as I had known it, would never be the
same.
I didn’t like to dwell on the past. What had happened had happened, and with Denver’s help,
I’d managed to survive and even prosper. I had a good life now, a life that had meaning. But
there was a hole in my heart that I knew would never be filled until I finally knew what had
happened to my parents and why I’d been alone in the first place.
I’d looked for those answers for many years, but had had little success. Just recently, I’d
spoken to a woman in social services who’d been a trainee when I’d been found, and she told me
that there had been a detective assigned to my case. His name was Jonah Riley. He’d since
retired and moved away, and while I’d looked for him, I hadn’t had any luck tracking him down,
but I had been able to find out that the man had retired after his wife passed away. I guess her
passing had hit him hard, and he hadn’t been able to deal with life as he knew it. I was able to
speak to a man named Garraway Appleton, who was a detective in training when Riley was still
on the force, and he thought Riley might have moved out of the country. Detective Riley’s family
name was actually O’Riley, and Appleton remembered Riley mentioning that his father had
immigrated to the States from Ireland as a child. According to the man I spoke to, after his wife .
died, Jonah made a lot of noise about finding his roots and starting a new life away from all the
painful memories.

I hadn’t had a chance to look for Detective Riley in Ireland, but I planned to at least try to see
if I could find the man who I hoped would have notes, memories, or something that might give
me even a tiny peek into my past. ...