“Are you the man who has the talking dog?”
Whitsell continued to stare.
“The one who called Hollywood Eye?” Ben persisted.
Willow smiled. Davis Whitsell forced his eyes away. “You from the Eye?” he asked cautiously.
Miles shook his head. “Hardly, Mr. Whitsell. We’re from…”
“We represent another concern,” Ben interrupted quickly. He glanced about the empty neighborhood momentarily. “Do you suppose we could step inside and talk?”
Whitsell hesitated. “I don’t think…”
“You could finish your beer that way,” Ben interjected. “You could let the lady rest a moment, too. She’s not feeling very well.”
“I don’t have the dog anymore,” the other said suddenly.
Ben glanced at his companions. The uncertainty and concern mirrored in their faces was undisguised. “Could we come inside anyway, Mr. Whitsell?” he asked quietly.
Ben thought he was going to say no. He seemed right on the verge of saying it, closing the door, and putting them out of his life. Then something changed his mind. He nodded wordlessly and stepped aside.
When they were inside, he closed the door behind them and went over to sit in a well-worn easy chair. The house was dark and still, the blinds drawn, and the ticking of the old clock at the head of the hall the only sound. Ben and his companions sat together on the sofa. Whitsell took a long pull at his beer and looked at them. “I told you the dog was gone,” he repeated.
Ben exchanged a quick glance with Miles. “Where did he go?” he asked.
Whitsell shrugged, trying hard to be nonchalant. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? You mean he just left?”
“Sorta. What difference does it make?” Whitsell leaned forward. “Who are you, anyway? Who do you represent? The Inquirer or something?”
Ben took a deep breath. “Before I tell you that, Mr. Whitsell, I have to know something from you. I have to know if we’re both talking about the same dog. We happen to be looking for a very particular dog—a dog that really does talk. Did this dog really talk, Mr. Whitsell? I mean, really talk?”
Whitsell suddenly looked very frightened. “I don’t think we should continue this,” he said abruptly. “I think you should go.”
None of them moved. Willow wasn’t even paying attention to him. She was making a strange, birdlike sound—a sound Ben had never heard before. It brought a tiny black poodle out from under the couch with a whine and into her lap as if they had been friends all their lives. The dog nuzzled the girl and licked her hand, and the girl stroked the animal fondly.
“She’s been badly frightened,” Willow said softly, to no one in particular.
Whitsell started to get up, then sat back again. “Why should I tell you anything?” he muttered. “How do I know what you want?”
Miles was drumming his fingers on his knee impatiently. “What we want is a little cooperation, Mr. Whitsell.”
They stared at each other for a moment. “You from the police?” Whitsell asked finally. “Some special branch, maybe? Is that what this is all about?” He seemed to think better of the question almost before he had finished asking it. “What am I thinking here? Police don’t use girls with green hair, for Pete’s sake!”
“No, we’re not police.” Ben stood up suddenly and walked about for a minute. How much should he tell this man? Whitsell had his eyes fixed on Willow again, watching the little dog nuzzle into the girl as she continued to pet it.
Ben made his decision. “Was the dog’s name Abernathy?”
He stopped walking and looked directly at Whitsell. The other man blinked in surprise. “Yeah, it was,” he said. “How did you know that?”
Ben came back and sat down again. “My name is Ben. This is Miles and Willow.” He pointed to the other two. “Abernathy is our friend, Mr. Whitsell. That’s how we know. He’s our friend, and we’ve come to take him home.”
There was a long moment of silence as they studied each other wordlessly, and then Davis Whitsell nodded. “I believe you. Don’t know why, exactly, but I do. I just wish I could help you.” He sighed. “But the dog’s… but Abernathy’s gone.”