Chapter 10
Beano, the Dog
Many truly good things in life happen without planning or expectation. Such was the case with Beano, a stray puppy William Harrison found one night in an arroyo by near his apartment.
In this excerpt, Harrison is reunited with Beano after being out of town. Well cared for by his private investigator colleague Pete Zemdarsky, Beano happily joins Harrison for a barbecue at the Zemdarsky home, along with Harrison and Pete's new intern, Janice Evans.
I always felt that Harrison was meant to have a dog in his life, and I was happy to include one in the book for him - even one with a peculiar gastro-intestinal problem.
It is clear that Beano means a lot to him, just as Harrison means a lot to others in his life - although he may not see that clearly through the fog of regret he has wandered through for many years.
At least he had sense enough to rescue lost, little Beano when he did - or maybe it was the other way around?
Beano barked from the backyard. “Pete’s not cooking my dog, is he? I better get out there.”
Harrison noticed the big toenail on Mandy’s right foot needed trimming. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Janice tossing the salad. Ahead, the sliding door leading to the backyard was already open. A dead fly and an orange peel shared space on the door’s lower track. Harrison thought of mentioning this fact, but he was outside before he could say another word. A basketball waited for him on the patio table. His head started to ache.
Must be from the smoke?
The flames rose much too high, and the conflagration surrounded dinner. Zemdarsky, bedecked in a straw hat and checkered apron, stood too close to the inferno. Harrison shook his head and spotted Beano. Preoccupied, she sniffed along the wooden fence in the part of the yard that was farthest from grill.
After picking up the basketball, Harrison cautiously approached Zemdarsky. “They about done, don’t you think?” He tried spinning the ball on his middle finger.
“Willy, my boy, about time. Apparently, everybody here likes them well done. Don’t you?”
“I see you invited Janice,” Harrison said, kneeling. Beano trotted over to him. “Hi, girl.”
“She needs to eat.”
“I gave you more than enough food.”
“No, the Evans girl, not that girl. God, that’s warm.” Zemdarsky shuffled back from the flames. His eyes sparkled.
“She’s young.” Harrison lowered his voice. “I admit though, she seems pretty mature for her age.”
“And she’s very bright, Billy. I’ve read her report—hell, dissertation. ‘Gubernaculum and Jurisdictio.’ You will be impressed.”
Harrison ran his hands over the basketball’s surface and pressed it with his fingertips. “Can we just eat? Or, how about some free throws?”
“Okay, okay. But I think she likes you.”
Fighting the urge to look over his shoulder, Harrison accepted a friendly lick on the cheek from Beano. “How was your week?”
“She’s a dog, Bill. She doesn’t have weeks. If you’re interested, mine was fine. How was yours? Did your client pay well for such a last minute arrangement? All the necessary fees and expenses taken care of?”
“Yes, of course. It could lead to more work too.”
Zemdarsky nodded and retrieved the chicken and ribs. “We can talk after dinner.” Grease dripped into the charcoal. The flames hissed and flared.
Staring at the fire, at the rising flames, Harrison said, “Pete, this is going somewhere I’m not sure I want to go.”
Smoke rose from the pile of meat and bones stacked on the plate.
“Would you rather eat outside?” Pete said.
Harrison stood, bouncing the basketball once on the cement patio. “No, I mean the case. It’s taking me somewhere I’d rather not go. But, the thing is, I think it might already be too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“To not get involved. To stay comfortably ignorant.”
“Willy, in case you haven’t noticed, there are people around who actually give a crap about you, and your smelly dog too.” Zemdarsky lowered the grill’s lid and looked Harrison square in the eyes. Smoke had darkened his cheeks and the hat’s inner brim. “Whatever it is that you’re facing, you don’t have to face it alone. You don’t have to carry these burdens alone.” Zemdarsky removed the hat and tossed it onto the patio table. “Besides, no one person ever has all the answers. Got it?”
Harrison nodded.
“Now then,” Zemdarsky said, filling his mouth with a rib, “dinnya ice surfed.”