Like Cats and Dogs by Kate McMurray (scary books to read TXT) 📗

He shook his head, trying to push the thoughts aside. Doug emerged in a clean pair of bright blue scrubs looking ready to conquer the day. “All right. I’m ready for the sick dogs and cats of Brooklyn now.”

Rachel looked toward the front window. “Well, the rain seems to be slowing down. Hopefully that means patients will come in soon.”

But instead of dogs or cats, the next people who came into the vet clinic were a pair of men in boxy suits. The sleeker one extended a hand toward Caleb, probably because he happened to be standing near the door.

“Hello, I’m Brian Randolph,” the man said, “and this is my assistant Mr. Newton. We own the building across the street.”

“Uh-huh,” said Caleb. He could sense that both Rachel and Doug had tensed.

“I’ve been speaking with the owner of this building about a possible sale. She hasn’t said yes yet, but I can play hardball. I just wanted to take a look at the clinic here, since I’d be your new landlord. I understand it is one of the busier ones in the neighborhood.”

Rachel put her hands on her hips. “We’re one of only two vet clinics in all of Brooklyn with emergency hours. The other one is in Midwood.”

“Yes, quite a distance from here,” said Randolph, nodding. “You folks have nothing to worry about, at least not in the short-term. A business like this provides a valuable service to the neighborhood.”

The use of the word business made the hair on the back of Caleb’s neck stand up. Even when he’d owned a clinic and had to deal with its finances, he still thought of it as a clinic more than a for-profit business. Caleb and Kara had opted not to pay themselves during the early lean months, for example, because the patients were more important than their bank balance. Luckily, that period of their lives hadn’t lasted long, and they had turned a profit, but Caleb still didn’t quite think of it that way.

Lauren had mentioned this slimeball had taken an interest in the building, but Diane didn’t seem interested in selling. So why was this Randolph guy sniffing around the vet clinic?

“Does that mean in the long-term that you might close the clinic?” Rachel asked. “If you buy the building, I mean.”

“No, not at first.”

Right.

“Let me guess,” said Caleb. “You’re buying up buildings on the block so you can level it and replace everything with some eyesore of a glass tower, so you can have a bank and a Starbucks on the first floor and luxury condos upstairs, thereby stamping out all the personality from the neighborhood.”

Randolph balked. “I’m interested in investing in real estate on this block, yes, but not for nefarious purposes. I’d like to find businesses that best serve this neighborhood. More housing, better restaurants, and yes, a veterinary clinic, are all a part of that. But wouldn’t you all prefer to practice your craft in a state-of-the-art facility? Better technology, newer equipment, nicer facilities? This waiting room is quite dark, don’t you think?”

A woman and a German shepherd came in then. Rachel ran to the door and held up a trash can for the woman’s umbrella. Caleb was grateful to the dog, his next appointment, for getting him out of this conversation. Doug busied himself looking at the schedule on Rachel’s desk.

“We’ve got patients,” said Rachel, gesturing at the dog. “Nice of you to stop by, though.”

The assistant, who had said nothing while inside, looked visibly uncomfortable in the presence of a wet dog. He stepped toward the door, clearly intending to flee, and the German shepherd chose that moment to shake the water out of his fur. The Newton guy was covered in little droplets and looked ready to crawl out of his skin.

“Yes, let’s go,” Newton said to Randolph.

“Indeed.” Randolph took one last look around, clearly sizing the place up. “Hopefully I’ve given you something to think about. The current owner of this building can’t afford to pay for many upgrades, but I can.” Then they left.

Rachel told the woman with the German shepherd to take the dog to Exam 1. When they had passed through the door, Rachel shivered in an exaggerated way. “Ugh, that guy is skeevy. Gave me the willies.”

“Olivia said there was a real estate developer sniffing around the building,” said Doug. “Guess that was him.”

“You don’t think Diane would sell, do you?” asked Rachel.

Doug shrugged. “I don’t, but a huge pile of money will make people act out of character. And that looks like a guy who’s got a vault full of cash that he swims in like Scrooge McDuck.”

“Diane is eccentric, but I’d much prefer her as a landlord than that guy. Good gravy.” Rachel shook her head. “And what was all that about better facilities? Is he trying to get us to talk Diane into selling? Or to moving to some other fancier building so he can tear this one down? What is his end game?”

“Unclear,” said Doug. “He’s like a cartoon villain.”

“I like this job,” Caleb said before he thought about it too much. Rachel and Doug both turned toward him with questioning looks on their faces. He sighed and said, “Just saying. I like working here. I’d like to keep working here. It would be a real shame if some dickhead developer bought the building and tore it down.”

“Amen,” said Doug.

“I’d better go see to…” Caleb grabbed the chart from the desk. “Captain von Trapp.”

Doug sang, “The hills are alive with the sound of barking…”

Caleb laughed and walked back to the exam room.

Chapter 20

Lauren stood in a crowded hotel ballroom with theater seating, looking for an empty seat. She’d come to a symposium about new science regarding feline behavior because Diane encouraged this kind of professional development. It was being held at a hotel in Midtown. Since moving to Brooklyn, Lauren spent far less time in this high-traffic tourist area around Times Square, mostly