Samhain Publishing Ltd, Ebooks and Books in Print

“Hello, Pack and Go. This is Emma.” I hoped it wasn’t another complaint; the last man who’d called seemed to feel it was entirely my fault that his flight home had been delayed for four hours.

“Oh, Emma, thank goodness it’s you! I don’t know what to do! I’ve called the police but they don’t want to know and it’s been two hours…”

“Gilly?” It was hard to be certain amongst the sobs.

“What should I do? Oh, Emma, my precious little Robbie’s gone!”

I glanced across the shop to where Rob sat, hale and hearty, selling a holiday in Portugal to a woman with a moustache. I wondered if Gilly had finally flipped.

“What do you mean, gone?” I thought it best to humor her till I could find out what she was on about.

“He’s been dog-napped!”

I moved the receiver a little way from my ear. Gilly can shatter glass when she’s upset. Only she would name her dog after an ex-boyfriend. I wondered if Rob knew he had a doggy namesake.

“How do you know he’s been dog-napped?” Perhaps he’d simply got fed up of being hauled about inside Gilly’s handbag and made a break for it.

“He’s missing, and my little snookums would never wander off and leave his Mummy!”

“So, you haven’t had a ransom note or anything?”

Bad move. This sparked a fresh wail of despair from the other end of the line.

“My poor baby! He could be in the hands of terrorists. They’ll mistreat him and he needs his special diet!”

“Gilly, will you calm down? You don’t know anyone has taken him. When did you last see him?”

There was a pause and then some sniffing. “This morning, when I let him out into the garden.” She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “He needed to go, you know, outside.”

I wanted to bang my head off the desk. “Then he could have escaped from the garden.”

“He wouldn’t do that. Oh Emma, can’t you come and help me?”

Rob finished with his customer and made inquiring signs at me with his eyebrows. I mouthed back, “Gilly,” and a terrified expression crossed his face before he made a dash for the back offices.

“Gilly, you know I’m at work.”

“I came and helped you when you were burgled,” she said reproachfully.

I’m not sure I would describe Gilly’s presence at my flat in the aftermath of the robbery as being helpful, but she clearly felt it was. I looked at the clock. It was nearly twelve now and Gilly didn’t live too far away.

“Listen, I’ll try for an early lunch hour and come over.” I didn’t really want to spend my lunchtime with Gilly. I really wanted to go to Ikea, but I had a horrible feeling that if I didn’t agree, then she might turn up at the shop.

“Is Rob there?”

Well, I couldn’t see him, so I felt safe in saying, “Actually, Gilly, I think he’s popped out.”

“Oh. Well, will you tell him what’s happened? I know he’ll be worried. Rob is so fond of my little coochie-pie.”

I think Gilly hoped Rob would drop everything and rush to her aid. I was second-best in the doggie squad stakes.

“I’ll let him know.”

“Thank you, Emma.”

Rob reappeared by my desk the instant I put the phone down.

“What did she want?” He lowered his voice and leaned in toward me so no customers could hear.

“She says her pooch has been dog-napped.”

There was an expression of complete bewilderment on Rob’s face. “That ratty little thing that lives in her handbag?”

“Yep, that’s the one. Robbie, he’s called apparently.” I bit back the urge to grin as Rob struggled to digest this latest bit of information.

“Well, has she called the police or somebody?”

“She says they aren’t interested. I’ve promised to go over in my lunch break.”

Rob’s look of bewilderment was replaced by alarm. “You didn’t say I’d go, did you?”

“No, but it’ll cost you! Can I take a longer lunch?”

Rob’s shoulders slumped with relief. “Okay, it’s worth it. Greenback Grebe’s gone out anyway, so I can cover for you.”

Poor Rob. I stifled an urge to ruffle my fingers through his hair. After he’d gone back to his own desk, I wondered where that urge had come from.