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  Dan tilted his head. “If you insist.”

  “I do. But bring Dinah. She looks like she could be a big help. And nothing personal, but she’s way cuter than you.”

  Dinah blushed.

  * * *

  The trip to the rescue pound took no time at all. PetSmart took even less. But it did take him a while to locate Mandy. Navigating the tunnels was more complicated than he remembered.

  But he found her, nestled behind the unattached door in the tiny nook she called home.

  He’d wanted this to be a surprise, but the animal started announcing himself the moment Dan knocked on the door.

  Mandy pushed the door to the side, saw the puppy, and clapped her hands together. “You brought me a puppy?”

  Dan handed the tiny chihuahua mix to her. “Rescue dog. He needs a home.” And you need a friend.

  She took the dog and cradled it close. “Aw. You remind me of my Bustopher.”

  “I know you can’t replace someone you’ve lost but...I don’t know. I hated to think of you living out here alone.”

  “It’s not so bad. Seen worse. Storm didn’t come.” She lifted the puppy up and he licked her face. “Aww. I think we’re going to be good friends.”

  “I’m certain of it. He’s seen the vet, gotten his shots and whatnot. I brought you some food and water and doggie dishes. I’ll check back with you periodically to see how...you’re both doing. And when you’re ready to move, I know a place you could go.”

  “I don’t want no charity.” She pressed her nose against the puppy’s. “I think we’re going to be fine right here.”

  He hoped she would change her mind later. But maybe having someone to take care of would be the first step in her recovery. The next step could be an indoor apartment.

  “Did you find your sister?” Mandy asked.

  “Sure did. I can never thank you enough for your help.”

  She looked up. “Does the dog have a name?”

  “Nope. That’s your job.”

  “Then I’m going to call him Dan. Is it all right with you?”

  He twisted his neck. “Eeeh...if that’s what you want.”

  “It is.” Mandy had tears in her eyes. “This is the best thing you could possibly have done for me.”

  Epilogue

  Dan made it to the senior-care center just before five. He had hoped to bring Dinah, but she was still training at the children’s museum, and this place would close to visitors at six. He would bring her next time.

  Once he was in the room, he took a chair and stared at the resident. She looked older than she was. She wore a comfortable dress that was basically a nightgown. Or hospital gown. Or pajamas. She was gray-haired and wrinkled, especially around the eyes.

  And how well he knew those eyes.

  She did not appear to recognize him. “What brings you here, mister?”

  “It’s Tuesday. I come every Tuesday.”

  “Well, that’s fine then. I don’t get many visitors.” She had some crocheting in her lap, but she did not appear to have made much progress.

  “Have you been outside? Lovely day. Not too hot, but hot enough.”

  “Mister, I live in Florida. Every day is a nice day.”

  Bit of an exaggeration, but he wasn’t going to argue with her. He spotted a puzzle book at her feet. “Been doing the crossword?”

  “Not so much,” the woman said. “Anymore I find it hard to focus. I don’t know why. curiouser and curiouser. Used to love solving puzzles.”

  “Runs in the family. You get out of this room much?”

  “Some. They have activities. I don’t like the dancing. They play the music too loud. And I can’t stand the Bingo. Stupidest game ever. Pure luck. Nothing to it.”

  Almost everything about her had changed...but some things would always remain the same. He leaned forward and took her hand.

  “You’re being a bit forward, mister.”

  “I realize you don’t remember this. But you’re my mother. I’m your son.”

  “Nonsense. I have a son. But he never comes to see me.”

  “He does. You just don’t remember.”

  “He got mad at me. Long time ago. They took my husband away, you know. Took him away and locked him up and we had to find some way to survive without him. My son blamed me.”

  Dan’s chin lowered. “I know I did.”

  “I didn’t want him to do that. I didn’t ask him to help. I was going to take care of it.”

  “You were going to get yourself thrown in prison. He didn’t want that. So he took care of it.” Dan paused. “He took care of you.”

  “I don’t really remember it all. It’s hard to remember anything these days.”

  He squeezed her hand tighter. “I know, Mom. But I’m going to keep visiting you, just the same. And since you brought it up, I want you to know—I’m sorry I was so bad to you when I was a stupid ignorant kid. I know you tried. I know you did the best you could.”

  “I tried to make it better,” she said. “But sometimes your mistakes haunt you. Sometimes they just plain tear you apart.”

  “I know exactly what you mean.” He scooted even closer to her and lowered his voice. “Mom, I want you to know you can stop worrying about Dinah. I found her. She’s safe. I took care of my family—just like my daddy did. No one is ever going to mistreat Dinah ever again.”

  “Dinah. I love that name. Isn’t that a pretty name?”

  “It is. And let me tell you something else, Mom. Your husband, my father, loved you. More than you could ever know. He would’ve done anything for you. In fact—he gave up everything for you.”

  “I had a husband,” she said. Her eyes seemed to retract. “He was a good man. I loved him.”

  “I know you did.” He wrapped his arm around her and hugged her tight. “He loved you too, Mom. And so do I.”

  Afterword

  Preview of Final Verdict

  Dan’s Recipes

  Thank goodness Dan got off the hook so he could get back to the kitchen. Want to try his recipe for panko-crusted tempeh? Only takes about 30 minutes to make. Fabulous.

  Ingredients (for two servings):

  tempeh (4 oz)

  soba noodles (4 oz)

  panko breadcrumbs (1/3 cup)

  yeast flakes (2 tbsp)

  cornstarch (1/4 cup)

  1 chile pepper

  1 avocado

  1 zucchini or yellow squash

  1 lemon

  tahini (2 tbsp)

  tamari (1 tbsp)

  sesame oil (2 tsp)

  olive oil (1 tbsp)

  vegagtable oil (3 tbsp)

  Instructions:

  1) PREP: Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Halve the lemon. In a bowl, mix half the lemon juice, tamari, agave, tahini, and sesame oil, then add olive oil and 1 tbsp warm water to make a sauce. Whisk until smooth. Add salt to taste.

  2) MORE PREP: Peel the zucchini (or squash) into ribbons. Split the avocado and thinly slice the flesh. Thinly slice the pepper. Cut the tempeh into thin triangles. In a bowl or on your cutting board, toss the ribbons with the remaining lemon juice and a dash of salt.

  3) COOK: Add the noddles to the boiling water. Cook al dente (4-6 minutes). Drain and run under cool water. Stir in the tahini sauce.

  4) COAT: In a bowl, add the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of cold water. Whisk until smooth. Combine the breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp of yeast, and a pinch of salt on a large platter. Dip the tempeh triangles into the cornstarch, then press them into the breadcrumbs to coat both sides.

  5) CRISP: Put a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat with 3 tbsp vegetable oil. Add the coated tempeh and cook until golden and crispy, 2-3 minutes on each side. Add salt to taste.

  6) SERVE: Put the noodles in bowls. Add the zucchini, avacado, and chile (to taste—it’s spicy) and the tempeh. Drizzle with the tamari sauce. Sprinkle with yeast. Enjoy.

  About the Author

  William Bernhardt is the author of over fifty books, including The
Last Chance Lawyer (#1 Amazon Bestseller), the historical novels Challengers of the Dust and Nemesis, two books of poetry, and the Red Sneaker books on fiction writing. In addition, Bernhardt founded the Red Sneaker Writers Center to mentor aspiring authors. The Center hosts an annual conference (WriterCon), small-group seminars, a newsletter, and a bi-weekly podcast. He is also the owner of Balkan Press, which publishes poetry and fiction as well as the literary journal Conclave.

  Bernhardt has received the Southern Writers Guild’s Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (University of Pennsylvania) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (Oklahoma State), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." In 2019, he received the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.

  In addition Bernhardt has written plays, a musical (book and score), humor, children stories, biography, and puzzles. He has edited two anthologies (Legal Briefs and Natural Suspect) as fundraisers for The Nature Conservancy and the Children’s Legal Defense Fund. In his spare time, he has enjoyed surfing, digging for dinosaurs, trekking through the Himalayas, paragliding, scuba diving, caving, zip-lining over the canopy of the Costa Rican rain forest, and jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet.

  In 2017, when Bernhardt delivered the keynote address at the San Francisco Writers Conference, chairman Michael Larsen noted that in addition to penning novels, Bernhardt can “write a sonnet, play a sonata, plant a garden, try a lawsuit, teach a class, cook a gourmet meal, beat you at Scrabble, and work the New York Times crossword in under five minutes.”

  Also by William Bernhardt

  The Daniel Pike Novels

  The Last Chance Lawyer

  Court of Killers

  Trial by Blood

  Twisted Justice

  Judge and Jury (August 25, 2020)

  The Ben Kincaid Novels

  Primary Justice

  Blind Justice

  Deadly Justice

  Perfect Justice

  Cruel Justice

  Naked Justice

  Extreme Justice

  Dark Justice

  Silent Justice

  Murder One

  Criminal Intent

  Death Row

  Hate Crime

  Capitol Murder

  Capitol Threat

  Capitol Conspiracy

  Capitol Offense

  Capitol Betrayal

  Justice Returns

  Other Novels

  Challengers of the Dust

  The Game Master

  Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness

  Dark Eye

  Strip Search

  Double Jeopardy

  The Midnight Before Christmas

  Final Round

  The Code of Buddyhood

  The Red Sneaker Series on Writing

  Story Structure: The Key to Successful Fiction

  Creating Character: Bringing Your Story to Life

  Perfecting Plot: Charting the Hero’s Journey

  Dynamic Dialogue: Letting Your Story Speak

  Sizzling Style: Every Word Matters

  Powerful Premise: Writing the Irresistible

  Excellent Editing: The Writing Process

  Thinking Theme: The Heart of the Matter

  What Writers Need to Know: Essential Topics

  The Fundamentals of Fiction (video series)

  Poetry

  The White Bird

  The Ocean’s Edge

  For Young Readers

  Shine

  Princess Alice and the Dreadful Dragon

  Equal Justice: The Courage of Ada Sipuel

  The Black Sentry

  Edited by William Bernhardt

  Legal Briefs: Short Stories by Today’s Best Thriller Writers

  Natural Suspect: A Collaborative Novel of Suspense

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