Bite

The shop was full of customers.

She had only left her supermarket trolley unattended for a moment or two. On one of the lower shelves, the brand of sauce she preferred had been shuffled to the back. It looked to be the only one left. Her arm was just long enough to retrieve it. As she straightened she saw the man standing by her cart, blocking her view of it. She pushed her way through several shoppers, only to find him casually strolling away when she got there. She quickly checked her bag. Her purse was there; notes, coins, cards, all there. Then, her small side pocket? Empty! No house key. She stood shaking her head and sighing for a moment. The man had calmly sauntered off with her house key. Her grin was unseen.

She finished her shopping, paid and left. Carrying her shopping bag, she began the short walk home, thinking about what she would find there. She had a pretty good idea about that. When she arrived, she collected the spare key from under the cactus pot and let herself in

The moment she was through the door, she heard the growling accompanied by a whimpering. First, she took her shopping through to the kitchen. She would unpack it later. She found him in the living room. He was lying sideways on the floor, with the dog firmly anchored to his leg. The dog was still growling and the man was sobbing. He looked at her, his eyes pleading.

In a restrained voice, he said, “I’m sorry. Get him off.”

She pulled a face that said this wasn’t going to happen. She said, “Sorry, no can do. We’ve had this trouble before, him latching onto someone’s leg like that. Had to call the vet out to tranquilise him before his jaw hung loose and we could get him to let go.”

Raising his voice, the man said, “OK. Just get a vet. The pain is excruciating.”

Ignoring him, she looked around. “Did you take anything?”

“No. No, I didn’t. I only just got here, moments before you arrived.”

“Oh! So, he hasn’t had his teeth in you that long, then?”

“Long enough!” he shouted. “Come on, call the vet, why don’t you?”

“Ah! Aha! There you have it, you see. You’ve hit the nail right on the head. Why don’t I?” She left the room and brought back one of the chairs from the kitchen. Putting it down in front of him, she sat looking down at him.

“Well done Buster,” she said with a commanding tone.

The dog growled and bit down harder.

The man screamed.

“I’m not sure what to tell you first, about me or the dog?”

She shrugged.

He began to sob again.

“About the dog, I think.” She smiled lovingly at him. “He’s a Rottweiler, you see. They are easily one of the most dangerous dog breeds you can find.”

The man choked out, “The vet!”

“Be quiet!” she shouted. “I’m talking. Anyway, that’s about Buster.” She looked at the dog with a nod and he responded with a slight shake of his head.

The man screamed again.

“Now. About me,” she said, “If my ex-husband was still here, he’d be only too happy to tell you that I’ve always had a wide streak of vindictiveness in me, and with good reason. The truth is, you picked the wrong house to rob.” She looked at his leg. “I see your bleeding. I’ll have to call someone soon; you could lose your leg.”

“Vet,” the man croaked. “I’m so sorry.”

“Um. Not that simple, is it?”

He nodded.

“With you losing blood like that, maybe I should call for an ambulance first. You see my difficulty, don’t you? Not only that, there’s the matter of the police, don’t you think?”

His head was shaking.

She raised her eyebrows. “Well, they have to be informed sooner or later you know, but I prefer later. Naturally, I’m not going to tell them about our little chat. No. I came home and found you lying there and called the police and the ambulance straight away. If you come up with another story, well, who are they going to believe? An opportunist thief or a respectable home owner?” She got up and moved towards the door.

He managed to say, in a weak voice, “Where are you going? I need a vet!”

Over her shoulder, she said. “I’m going to put my shopping away and boil the kettle. Then, I’m going to make myself a nice cup of tea and think about who I should call first… the police, the vet or an ambulance.”