Chapter 30 #2
‘Did you hear that?’
Before he could reply, another distinctive howl came over the breeze.
‘That’s definitely her,’ I said joyfully. ‘Hilda, we’re nearly there,’ I added in a yell.
There was an impatient ruff in response.
We rushed to the door of the storage shed, Jack pulling a key out of his pocket. He shoved it into the padlock and tried to turn it.
‘It’s not working,’ he said in confusion, examining the lock more closely. ‘This isn’t the right lock. My padlock is brass whereas this one seems to be aluminium.’
I peered through a gap in the wooden wall and was rewarded by a waft of Hilda’s pungent doggy breath from the other side, the most beautiful scent in the world right now.
‘There’s my girl,’ I said. ‘Someone must have broken in to leave her there.’ I fished my phone out of my pocket.
‘If they were able to break open your padlock, there must be a way of us doing the same. I’d look it up in a book, but in these circumstances, I reckon it’s quicker to see if there’s a video online teaching us how to do it. ’
‘Screw that,’ said Jack. ‘There’s a quicker way still. Stand back, Hilda.’
And before I could say anything more, he raised his foot and kicked the door in a move which a kung fu fighter would have been impressed by.
The door shuddered under his attentions.
‘Be careful, Jack,’ I urged, before adding a kick of my own.
The wood shattered, the door bursting open, and I was nearly felled by a hairy whirlwind.
‘My Hilda, my darling girl,’ I cried as she frantically licked the tears off my face, a giant paw resting on each of my shoulders. ‘You weigh a ton, old thing,’ I said affectionately, wrapping my arms around her and enjoying every moment of this chaotic embrace.
She responded by throwing herself into zoomies, joyfully lapping the boatyard while Jack and I stood in the middle watching her and laughing.
‘She looks in pretty good form to me,’ he said.
‘Maybe once she stops charging around, we can check her over,’ I said, although I was in no hurry for her to do that. I’d been afraid I’d never see her running like this again, and I was soaking up every moment of it.
Eventually she calmed down a little and flopped at my feet, immediately rolling onto her back so I could administer belly rubs.
‘That’s my girl,’ I said again, as she groaned appreciatively.
I took the opportunity to feel around her torso, checking her over for any sign of injury, but thankfully there was no sign of harm.
Judging by her full tummy, it certainly looked like she’d been eating well wherever she’d been for the last couple of days.
Jack bent down and gave her a pat too, before breaking away to inspect his shed.
‘Come and take a look at this,’ he called a second or two later.
Hilda shadowed me as I walked across to the building, but as soon as we approached the threshold, she hung back, refusing to move.
‘Don’t worry, I won’t make you go back in there,’ I promised. ‘What have you found?’ I called to Jack, reluctant to leave Hilda’s side now that we’d been reunited at last.
He emerged from the building holding two dog bowls. ‘One was empty, and this one had a small amount of water in it. Whoever left her in here didn’t intend for her to go without basic sustenance at any rate.’
‘But the very fact of locking her in a strange place was enough to cause her stress. Also, if it hadn’t been for the tip-off from the holidaymakers, I would have had no idea she was here,’ I pointed out.
‘She looks pretty happy now, thank goodness,’ said Jack.
‘I still want us to take her to the vet to get checked over,’ I said, then realised I was making a big assumption. ‘Sorry, I meant, I’ll take her to the vet. You don’t have to come with me, unless you want to?’
‘I’m more than happy to come along. It will put my mind at rest too.
I haven’t slept a wink either since she disappeared.
Apart from when we slept together on the well deck, of course.
’ Jack’s face suddenly blossomed with colour as he realised what he’d said.
‘I meant when we were both asleep but in the same place,’ he amended clumsily.
‘I like it when you blush,’ I said, without thinking.
Neither of us knew how to respond to that so we both smiled at each other goofily for a moment, before I pulled myself together and dragged my mind back to the practicalities.
‘Do you happen to have a piece of string or something on you?’ I asked. ‘I didn’t stop for long enough to grab a lead on my way here to find her.’
Jack searched through his pockets. ‘Afraid all I’ve got is a bottle opener which will do a fat lot of good. Perhaps you could use that?’ He reached across and gently tugged at the ribbon I’d tied around my ponytail that morning in a vain attempt to boost my spirits.
‘It’s not very strong, but I reckon she’ll be fine with it.’
‘I’m prepared to bet she’ll stick to your side like glue after your enforced separation,’ he said.
Actually, Hilda seemed to welcome the ribbon being tied to her collar, pleased that there was something physically connecting the pair of us together.
‘She’s probably worried about you wandering off somewhere,’ said Jack. ‘She knows exactly where she’s been for the last couple of days. As far as she’s concerned, you’re the one who’s been missing in action.’
‘If only she could talk and tell us what she’s been up to.’
‘Where do you think she might have been before she was locked in my shed?’ asked Jack.
‘That’s the question, isn’t it. I have an idea, but I’ll worry about how to prove it once Hilda’s got the all clear.’
As we waited in the reception of the vet’s practice, I called Nana Rose to let her know the good news, then sent messages to Flick, Kat and all the other people who’d been kind enough to get involved in the search.
And then I did a final scroll through Liam’s socials before texting him a carefully phrased message.
Have you heard anything about Hilda? It’s been over 48 hours since the Bookship drifted and she disappeared…
I was lying by omission by not telling him that I’d found Hilda, but I wanted to test my theory.
I’d not seen him since he’d filmed my desperate appeal for my missing pet.
He’d said he was taking the Lydia for a spin, but while he’d continued to post about the hunt for Hilda, the videos were mostly rambling pieces to camera from nondescript parts of the riverbank, rather than any actual footage of a search in progress.
The clips seemed more heavily edited than usual, and in none of them was he actually on board his boat.
‘Hilda Bramble?’ The vet interrupted my train of thought by calling us through into the consulting room.
I quickly told her as much as I knew.
‘Goodness me, a case of dognapping in Oxford? That’s very concerning. Let’s take a look at you, poppet,’ said the vet, slipping Hilda a treat, then setting to work examining her carefully.
Hilda was extremely patient, only letting out one little grumble of protest when the vet pressed the stethoscope against her chest.
‘I’m sorry, that was cold, wasn’t it?’ the vet apologised.
‘Well, she looks fighting fit to me. Perhaps an extra treat or two tonight to remind her she’s safely back home.
’ Hilda thumped her tail against the wall in approval.
‘Don’t you gobble them down too quickly,’ added the vet with a twinkle.
‘I’ll expect you’ll sleep well tonight.’
That was addressed to Hilda still, but I noticed that Jack joined me in nodding in agreement.