Episode 982: How Come You’re Not Here

“Yes, sir, my parents work for you. I’ve been to your garden party a couple times.”

The dogs quickly calmed their barking and settled for enthusiastic tail wagging in response to their visitors, in addition to the volunteers already there.

Enid stopped at each cubicle, intent on giving each pup some love and to sell their personalities as best she could to Mr. Marques. But, between the things Tansy had told Enid about her grandfather and her own perception of the pristine surroundings of that garden party, Enid found it difficult to believe that this guy would be swayed into adopting any of their menagerie no matter how intense the puppy eyes.

Mr. Marques just didn’t seem the type to fall in love with messy, with anything less than perfection, which happened to be the shelter’s adorable stock in trade. Why though would a super busy person waste his time on a full meet and greet tour of the shelter if he wasn’t serious?

“You’re friends with my granddaughter.” He did this finger point thing as if the thought had only just then occurred to him, but there was something in that hand gesture and in his tone of voice that struck Enid as rehearsed.

But why would he even act that way? Was she just suspicious of him because Tansy had told her a lot of conniving stuff he’d done or was there a reason to find him and his presence at the animal shelter, suspect?

“Tansy volunteered here for awhile,” Enid offered. She had no desire to address the friend situation.

“Yes,” there he went with the hand gesture again, “as I recall she really enjoyed her time here. I remember thinking how odd it was when she told me she’d quit. Did that seem odd to you?”

Enid shrugged. If Tansy hadn’t told him anything, she sure wasn’t going to violate T’s privacy. She kind of couldn’t help spilling everything to Tansy’s mom, but that had felt safe, Mr. Marques had not.

“Come now, you were friends, you worked together, surely you have an opinion.”

“Nope.” Enid folded her arms. “I don’t mean to be rude and if you are sincerely here to adopt, I apologize and I want to help, but if you’re just fishing for information about Tansy, you’re wasting my time and yours. I have nothing to say, especially not to someone who would get these animals hopes up for no reason.”

Episode 983: Strangers