I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh Page B

Jenna.’ I open my coat to take out the black-and-white puppy, who has fallen asleep and is making quiet snuffling noises, apparently unaffected by the traumatic demise of his brother.
    ‘And who do we have here?’ says the vet, taking the puppy gently from me. The action wakes up the dog, who flinches, cowering away from him. Patrick hands him back to me. ‘Would you hold him on the table for me?’ he says. ‘I don’t want to unsettle him even more. If it was a man who put the dogs in the bag, you might find it takes a while for him to trust them again.’ He runs his hands over the puppy, and I crouch down and whisper soothing chatter into his ear, not caring what Patrick thinks of my nonsense.
    ‘What sort of dog is he?’ I ask.
    ‘A bitza.’
    ‘A Bitza?’ I stand up, keeping a careful hand on the puppy, who has relaxed now under Patrick’s gentle examination.
    Patrick grins. ‘You know: bitza this, bitza that. Mostly spaniel, I’d say, judging from these ears, but heaven knows what the rest is. Collie, maybe, or even a bit of terrier. They wouldn’t have been dumped if they’d been pure-breds, that’s for sure.’ He picks up the puppy and hands him to me to cuddle.
    ‘How awful,’ I say, breathing in the warmth of the little dog. He pushes his nose into my neck. ‘Who would do something like that?’
    ‘We’ll let the police know, but the chances of them finding out anything are pretty slim. They’re a silent lot, the folk round here.’
    ‘What will happen to this one?’ I ask.
    Patrick shoves his hands deep into the pockets of his scrubs, and leans against the sink.
    ‘Are you able to keep him?’
    He has tiny white lines at the corners of his eyes, as though he’s been squinting into the sun. He must spend a lot of time outdoors.
    ‘Given the way he was found, it’s not likely anyone will come forward to claim him,’ Patrick says, ‘and we’re struggling for space in the kennels. It would be a great help if you could give him a home. He’s a nice dog, by the looks of things.’
    ‘Oh goodness, I couldn’t look after a dog!’ I exclaim. I can’t shake the feeling that this has only happened because I came to Port Ellis today.
    ‘Why not?’
    I hesitate. How can I explain that bad things happen around me? I would love to have something to look after again, but at the same time it terrifies me. What if I couldn’t look after him? What if he got sick?
    ‘I don’t even know if my landlord would let me,’ I say, finally.
    ‘Where are you living? Are you in Port Ellis?’
    I shake my head. ‘I’m over in Penfach. In a cottage not far from the caravan park.’
    There is a flash of recognition in Patrick’s eyes. ‘Are you renting Iestyn’s place?’
    I nod. It no longer surprises me to discover that everyone knows Iestyn.
    ‘You leave him to me,’ Patrick says. ‘Iestyn Jones was at school with my dad, and I’ve got enough dirt on him to let you keep a herd of elephants, if you wanted them.’
    I smile. It’s hard not to.
    ‘I think I’d draw the line at elephants.’ I say, and immediately feel myself redden.
    ‘Spaniels are great with kids,’ he says. ‘Do you have any?’
    The pause seems to go on for ever.
    ‘No,’ I say eventually. ‘I don’t have any children.’
    The dog wriggles free from my hand and begins licking my chin furiously. I feel his heart beating against mine.
    ‘Okay,’ I say. ‘I’ll take him.’

11
     
    Ray eased himself out of bed, trying not to disturb Mags. He had promised her a work-free weekend, but if he got up now he could have an hour’s worth of emails done before she surfaced, and get a head-start on the Operation Break file. They would execute two simultaneous warrants on the clubs, and if their sources were to be believed, would find large quantities of cocaine in both, as well as documentation that would show the flow of money in and out of the supposedly legitimate businesses.
    He pulled on his trousers and went in search