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Chapter Two

Kadie gave me a sharp "Free!"  - my command to run and invetigate.  With a skid caused by my purple booties I reached Sunshine's trailer before the humans.  The door was open, her back was to me and she was shaing with fear as she faced the coffee table that was the centrepiece of the living room.

The scent of death reached my nostrils as I pushed by, knocking her aside. She did not flinch or complain as I launched myself onto the table and grabbed the rat, shaking it furiously, though it was already long dead, having had its throat slit so vigourously that the head hung as if by a string.

A crowd had gathered by the trailer forcing Kadie to shoulder her way up the steps amidst the grumbles of the thrill seekers. She entered the trailer looking frorm SUnshine to me and back again. Rat still in my mouth, I looked to see the director ramming his shoulder into a lighting technician, knockie the techie on his butt, quite a feat considering our director is 5'6" and the techie is 6'2".  Our director, Little Lionel Lucas as I like to call him, tok in the scene with a glance, simultaneously noting the cell phones taping the action, no doubt soon to be put on You Tube.

Lionel grabbed a iPhone and lauanched it above the crowd, an act followed by the sound of tinkling glass.

"Hey man, that was my phone!"

"Not anymore. The rest of you - if you want to keep your jobs, don't even think about posting this online. Now get the hell out of here!"  With that Little Lionel slammed the trailer door, rapping some fingers and toes in the process.

"jesus Christ! What is this?"

Sunshiine was crying her heart out, Kadie was crouched before me trying to convince me to give up my prize, which I hung onto proudly, my tail wagging a mile a minute. Between sobs Sunshine stuttered that she found the rat on the table when she entered her trailer and the dog (me) bravely (me, again) killed the rat.  Putting hhis hand on Sunshine's shoulder, cooing to her as her would a child, Lionel told Kadie to get the rat and I out of the trailer.

"No, no. Let him stay. He's a good dog."

Well, slap my ass and call me Sally, this was a dramatic change of events.  Not only was I a good dog, but she wanted me to stay.Sunshine had stopped sobbing, and Lionel manouevered her to the couch. Kadie bribed me to give up the rat by waving a liver treat in front of my nose. She makes the liver treats herself - buys beef liver and roasts it in the oven for two hours on a low temperature until it is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. (Just in case you dog lovers want to make crack for your dogs). In the words of the dearly departed Whitney Houston, "crack is whack"), and those liver treats are doggy crack. I would walk on hot coals to get me some liver.

While Kadie was examining the rat and Little Lionel and Sunshine whispered on the couch, I took the opportunity to sniff out my surroundings. This is luxury! No only does Sunshine have a trailer, the trailer has a lounge, a bathroom big enough to fit a shower and a one person jaccuzzi tub, and a huge bedroom . The trailer had three televisions, all flat screen, with one attached to the wall above the tub. If Kadie put on Animal Planet and put me in that tub, I might not run away when I sensed it was bath time.

She always wants to give me a bath after I have rolled in something delectable, like a dead bird or a lovely fish skeleton on the beach. I know I smell great, but she insists on washing it off. Humans. I will never understand them. I digress.

Back in the lounge Kadie was trying to explain to Little Lionel and Sunshine that they needed to call the police. I did not kill the rat, it was killed and left there for Sunshine. I hope this did not mean I got kicked out of the trailer into the rain. "

"But who would do that? I don't understand?" Sunshine whimpered.

"I don't know Sunshine, but I think we should call the police. This merely be a sick prank, but it may be a threat."

"Now, Kadie, don't get ahead of yourself. It was probably one of the crew trying to get a rise out of Sunshine" Lionel patted Sunshine's knee as he said this. "I don't think we need to take it any farther."

"Whatever you say Lionel. I will get rid of this."Kadie whistled to me as she made for the door of the trailer, but Sunshine grabbed my collar as I went by.

"Kathy, so you mind if the dog stays here. I would feel better."

Half way through the shoot and Sunshine still couldn't get KadieÕ's name right. I saw Kadie stiffen, but she nodded her head and left the trailer, rat in hand. I took advantage of Sunshine's vulnerability and jumped on the couch, laying with my head in her lap. This was much more comfortable than the floor. Sunshine absently stroked my head as she listened to Lionel.