As if she understands me, Mitzy’s barking slows then comes to a complete stop.
I find myself waiting for a few seconds, waiting for her, a dog, to give me the answer.
When she only stares at me, I make a sound of disgust at myself.
That’s it, it’s official. I’ve completely lost it.
Defeated, a wave of exhaustion rolls over me, and the tenderizer almost drops from my hand.
Tightening my grip, I swallow back the nearly overwhelming feeling of helplessness and turn away from Mitzy.
When she starts barking and chasing after me again, I stop just long enough to snap at her, “I’m not going to mess anything up. I’m going to bed.”
Mitzy quiets, silently following behind me as I walk to the kitchen. Dropping the tenderizer in the sink, I head upstairs.
She doesn’t make a peep until we reach the upper landing. Barking at me as I head for the guest bedroom.
“What?” I ask. “Am I not allowed to sleep now? Must I stay awake and eagerly await his return?”
She barks one more time at me then walks over to the door leading to James’s bedroom.
“Uh-uh. No way,” I tell her. “I’m not sleeping in there.”
Mitzy barks at me again, clearly agitated, and it dawns on me that maybe she just wants me to open the door for her so she can go to her own bed.
Sighing, I walk up to the door to James’s room and open it for her.
Suddenly excited, Mitzy gives me a little yip then she darts in.
I pause for a moment, wondering if I should close the door again or leave it open so she can get out if she needs to. Deciding it’s probably best to leave it open, I walk back to the guest bedroom.
Mitzy runs out of James’s room and starts barking at me again.
“Good grief,” I groan. “I told you, I’m not sleeping in there.”
Growling, Mitzy lunges for my leg but I manage to jump out of reach just in time.
“Mitzy!” I squeal. “What the hell?”
Yipping at me, she circles around me, then lunges again.
I jump back and tell her to, “Stop. Please. Dammit, Mitzy, stop!”
Not realizing as she keeps growling and lunging at me that she’s purposely maneuvering me into his room until it’s too late.
Once she has me nearly to his closet, she darts around me and disappears inside it.
Afraid she might run back out and start attacking me again, I book it for the door, totally planning on slamming it behind me.
Then she starts barking again.
There’s an urgency in the way she barks this time, an urgency that calls out to me. Like she’s trying to alert me to something.
My curiosity getting the better of me, I hesitate at the doorway then decide to take a little peek to make sure she’s okay before I leave and lock her in.
The first thing I notice once I step inside and flip on the light is that James has an enormous closet, but it’s only half full.
And not half full in the way that he doesn’t have enough stuff to fill it. No, one side of it is completely empty. Like maybe someone’s stuff was there but now it’s gone.
My stomach sinks at the sight of it.
Did he have a girlfriend that lived with him? I don’t remember seeing anything about it in his folder, but I didn’t see anything in there about this house, either.
Mitzy keeps barking, her barks becoming more urgent.
Shoving away the sinking feeling, I start to push through his many suits and shirts to reach her.
I find her in the very back corner, barking at a white cardboard box on the floor.
“What’s wrong?” I ask as I squat down beside her. “Is there a mouse or something?”
Fluffers always yowls at me when she finds a mouse instead of taking care of it herself.
Mitzy barks and nudges the box with her nose.
Thinking she wants me to move it, I pick it up and look for whatever was hiding behind it.
But the spot is completely empty.
There’s only a rectangle of dust on the hardwood floor from where the box was sitting.
With a scowl, I look back at Mitzy and say, “There’s nothing there…”
She starts barking again at the box that’s now in my hands.
“Is it in the box?” I ask, hoping I’m wrong.
Mitzy pauses for a second then she yips happily as if she’s saying yes.
“Shit!” I yelp as I toss the box to the side, afraid a mouse is going to jump out at me.
The box hits the wall and the lid slides off as it falls to the floor.
A dozen or so photos tumble out as I scramble back.
My heart racing, I keep expecting a mouse to jump out of the box, but nothing happens.
Excited now, Mitzy yips at the photos on the floor.
Tearing my eyes away from the box, I look at her, ready to tell her off for scaring me like that, then blink in surprise.