Free Trick or Deadly Treat by Livia J. Washburn Page A

containers on thetable. She opened one of the bags. “And these are peanut-butter-and-sweet-potato doggie treats.”
    â€œOh, how adorable!” Holly said with a big smile on her face again. “They’re cut into shapes. Those are ducks, aren’t they?”
    Phyllis nodded and said, “Ducks, dogs, and bones.”
    â€œThat’s really cute.”
    Carolyn opened the other bag and said, “And these are pumpkin oatmeal cut out into little jack-o’-lanterns.”
    â€œI’m sure the dogs will love them. Would you ladies like something to drink?”
    â€œI wouldn’t mind a bottle of water,” Phyllis said. Carolyn just shook her head.
    After Holly had given her the water, Phyllis looked around for Sam and spotted him and Buck near the bales of hay. A group of children had gathered around them and were petting Buck, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the attention. Children were always attracted to Dalmatians, Phyllis thought. There was just something about those spotted dogs that appealed to youngsters.
    A couple with a young daughter and a Chihuahua in matching ballerina costumes came up to the table. Holly offered them cookies, which they took with enthusiasm, and Carolyn broke a piece off one of her treats and offered it to the dog, who took it in her mouth, dropped it on the ground for a moment, and then ate it delicately.
    Carolyn looked at Phyllis, who saw that old competitive gleam in her friend’s eyes. She knew Carolyn would be disappointed if it wasn’t a fair contest, so she broke a piece off one of her treats and offered it to the ballerina Chihuahua.
    This time the little dog gobbled down the treat without any hesitation at all. Not a crumb touched the ground.
    â€œShe likes it!” the little girl said around a mouthful of coconut cream pie cookie.
    â€œOf course she does,” the girl’s mother said. “Now, what do you tell the nice ladies?”
    â€œThank you!” the little girl said, practically squealing with joy. It was clear she was having a great time.
    â€œYou’re very welcome,” Phyllis told her.
    â€œAnd so is your little dog,” Carolyn added. She didn’t sound quite so cheerful now that the Chihuahua had acted like it preferred Phyllis’s treat to hers.
    But the competition, such as it was, was young yet. Carolyn began breaking more pieces off the treat she held and offering them to the smaller costumed dogs and whole treats to the bigger dogs that passed by the table with their owners. A few of the cats took the treats, but most turned their noses up. Phyllis realized they should have made something different for the cats. She hadn’t even thought about them.
    After half an hour or so, Phyllis saw Mike’s SUV pull into the parking lot. All the spaces were full, so Mike had to park on the grass next to the driveway. A few other visitors had already done that. The vehicle’s doors opened, and Mike and Sarah got out. Mike wore his deputy’s uniform.
    One of the SUV’s back doors opened and Bobby climbed out. He was dressed as Sherlock Holmes, in a long coat and a deerstalker hat. As he ran toward Phyllis, he called, “Grandma!”
    Phyllis thought he was adorable, although she figured he was too young to really know anything about Sherlock Holmes. She knelt to gather him into a hug. He was too big now for herto sweep him up into her arms as she had done when he was a toddler.
    Those days were long gone. He would be in school soon, and as Phyllis thought about that, she felt a pang inside at how fast he was growing and how time was racing by like a rocket. That was just part of growing older, she told herself, and it came to everyone, from Bobby with practically his whole life in front of him to her with the years of her life dwindling.
    She put those thoughts out of her mind. This was no time for melancholy. She rested her hands on Bobby’s shoulders, smiled at him, and