Page 21 of Saltwater Promises
His heart sank. Had something happened? He called her back right away.
“Hello?” she answered, airy and light.
He was relieved just hearing her voice. “Hey Lynn, it’s Mike. I saw that you called me. I’m sorry I missed it.”
“Did I?” she let out a laugh. “I didn’t mean to. It must’ve been a butt dial. Sorry about that.”
Ah. So she was okay, and had never meant to call him. Too bad. “Oh, right, no problem.”
“What’s that noise? Do you have a kettle going?”
Mike looked down at his feet to see that Biggles was staring him in the eyes. “No, that’s just my dog. I was up late last night working on some things, so I overslept his morning walk. He’s letting me know.”
Lynn laughed. “How dare you. The poor guy has probably been holding it all night.”
“Don’t be mistaken,” Mike said as he walked over to get Biggles’ leash. “He’s been out multiple times. He’s not satisfied until he gets his walk. He’s a very particular sort of dog.”
“Like owner, like dog, I see. What’s his name?”
Mike smiled. “Biggles.”
“Biggles?”
“Yeah.”
She snickered. “Did you pick that?”
“No. His previous owner, a convict, did.”
Silence for a moment. “I don’t think I want to know how you got him.”
“I adopted him,” Mike said with a chuckle. “Fully legal. Would you like to meet him?”
“Sure, sometime.”
Mike clipped the leash on, and Biggles dutifully led him to the door. “How about today? I’ve been meaning to see how Biggles does on a plane. We can meet you in Bellingham. Go for a walk and some lunch, maybe?”
“I’m working on a painting this morning…”
“Bring it along.”
“Ha. It’s too big.”
“You’ve got to eat sometime.”
Silence again. “Oh sure, let’s.”
“Great. I’ll see you soon.”
Mike needed a break from his investigating anyway. He felt accomplished. He’d finally found Stacy, the link he’d been looking for, and now he needed to plan. He couldn’t rush it, though. She might be his only way in. He needed time to think, and he still felt foggy after staying up most of the night.
Plus, Marcus didn’t seem to fly his plane much anymore – mostly on the weekends for kicks. It was a shame, really. It was a nice machine. As long as Mike kept the tank full, Marcus told him that he could borrow it whenever he wanted.
Mike stooped down to scratch Biggles behind the ears. “All right, old boy. Let’s get your flight wings.”
