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

said, “Sam and Buck are right over there. Do you want to go see them?”
    He nodded eagerly.
    â€œWell, here, take a cookie with you,” she said as she handed one to him.
    â€œAnd take a doggie treat for Buck,” Carolyn added. She gave a piece from one of her treats to Bobby.
    Phyllis let that go. Bobby hurried over to join Sam and Buck near the hay bales.
    As Mike and Sarah came up to the table, Phyllis said, “You dressed him as a great detective for Halloween?”
    â€œHey, I thought it was appropriate,” Mike said with a grin. “Considering who his grandmother is and all.”
    â€œDon’t start,” Phyllis warned him.
    â€œI told him the same thing,” Sarah said. She was a smart, pretty blonde, a perfect match for Mike, and Phyllis couldn’t have asked for a better daughter-in-law. “You have to admit that he’s adorable, though.”
    â€œMike or Bobby?”
    Sarah laughed and said, “Well, I was talking about Bobby, but Mike has his adorable moments, too, I suppose.”
    â€œGee, thanks,” he said. “Careful with all the flattery. You’ll give me a swelled head.”
    â€œIt’s too late to worry about that.”
    â€œHave some cookies,” Carolyn invited them.
    Mike took one from the plastic container and said, “I knew you were bringing some of these today. I’ve been looking forward to them.”
    â€œJust don’t eat so many that you ruin your appetite for supper,” Sarah told him.
    â€œNot much chance of that.”
    Phyllis felt the pleasurable warmth of having her family around her. At moments like this, she missed Kenny so fiercely it was like a physical thing, and she thought about what a shame it was he hadn’t lived to see his grandson grow up. But Bobby had been born before he passed away, so he had known that he had a grandson, anyway, and he had seen for himself what a fine young man Mike had grown into. That was life, Phyllis thought, a potent mixture of blessings and loss.
    A few minutes later, Dr. Baxter came out a side door from the clinic and headed for the table under the canopy. As he walked up to them, Phyllis said, “Hello, Doctor. Is that dog you were working on going to be all right?”
    A tired but pleased smile curved Baxter’s mouth. He nodded and said, “Yeah, he’ll be fine. Thank goodness his owners got him here in time.” He looked around the area between the clinic and the barn. “Looks like we’ve got a good turnout. Are these the famous doggie treats?”
    â€œI’m not sure how famous they are,” Phyllis said.
    â€œBut they’ve been pretty popular so far,” Carolyn added.
    â€œI’m sure they have been.” Baxter picked up one of Phyllis’s treats that was shaped like a duck and broke off the bill. Before she really realized what he was doing, he put the piece in his mouth and started chewing on it.
    Clearly as startled as Phyllis was, Carolyn said, “That’s a dog treat! The people cookies are over here.”
    Baxter swallowed and said, “Oh, I know that. But what’s in this? Sweet potatoes, peanut butter, and oatmeal, right? Nothing harmful there.” He chuckled. “Although if you were making them for human consumption, you’d probably want to add a little sugar. Still, they’re not bad. I’ll try one of those coconut cream pie cookies now.”
    He was reaching for the cookie when he stopped short and stiffened. Phyllis wondered what was wrong. She saw Baxter gazing up the driveway toward the road and turned to look in that direction herself.
    Two Weatherford police cars had turned in and were coming toward the clinic.
    Sam must have noticed them, too. He came over leading Buck and asked, “Were you supposed to get a permit for this shindig, Doc?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Baxter said. “I didn’t even think about that. But we’ve had