had startled him. Thatâs all it was. She was lying on her mat, her head up, her front paws crossed, one over the other, looking at us, as if nothing at all had happened.â He put a hand on his chest and rubbed it, as if by doing so he could erase his grief.
âWhat about the note, Avi? Where was the note?â
âIt was on the desk, in front of the computer. âThereâs a suicide note,â the first detective said. I am not ashamed to tell you, the tears were flowing from my eyes that night, too, Rachel. I donât know why, but the thought of her sitting at my desk and writing ⦠Poor Lisa.â
âDid you read it? Did they show it to you?â
âYes, yes, I read it,â he said. âFirst the second detective read it. They each leaned over the desk to read it. No one touched it. They asked me to do the same. To read it, but not to touch it. I did. They asked me if it was Lisaâs writing. I told them it was.â Avi took a few breaths. When he had calmed himself, he continued. âEven then,â he said, âwith all three of us in the room, Châan never moved. She just stayed on her mat, watching us. I guess she was in shock.â
âShe was just being an Akita,â I said.
âWhat do you mean?â
If he didnât understand Châan after living with her, how could I explain her to him?
I looked at my watch. âI have to get up early,â I told him. âI better go.â I tapped my leg for Dash, but then hesitated at the door. âWill you keep Châan, Avi? I donât think Lisaâs parents want her.â
The Akita had gotten up when Dashiell did. She stood quietly next to Avi, looking off to the side, as if she were in another world and none of this had anything to do with her.
âShe belongs here, Avi, with you.â
âGo home, Rachel,â he said. âItâs late. Let me not keep you any longer.â
11
Was There a Message Here?
I couldnât remember if it had been the homeopathic veterinarian or the holistic dentist who had told me about Rabbi Lazar Zuckerman, but he hadnât asked how Iâd heard about him, so I hadnât had to lie to a man of God.
I had left a message for him yesterday afternoon. He had left one for me after sundown, when he could use the phone without breaking the laws of God. He said I could come the following morning. But since I hadnât spoken to him, I hadnât had the chance to say I was bringing a pit bull with me.
He was seventy-five if he was a day, but crouching so that he could embrace Dashiell, he looked about eight. His eyes, behind rimless glasses, were a faded hazel, but wise and full of light. I think itâs a job requirement. He had a full head of hair, steely gray ringlets, a black yarmulke held onto the back of his head with a single bobby pin, and the obligatory rabbinical beard, long, full, and wonderfully unkempt.
âRabbi Zuckerman,â I said.
He stood and looked intensely into my face.
All the way here I had been expecting short and stout, perhaps because of his deep, rich voice, but the rabbi was as tall and slender as a young tree, if not quite as lithe.
âI hope itâs okay about the dog?â
He waved his hand in front of me, as if he were saying hello, to stop the false apology. âCome, come, both of you,â he said, leading me into a dining room off to the right, âwe have important work to do.â
We sat at a dark mahogany table on chairs so huge I felt my feet wouldnât touch the ground. Or was it the rabbi who made me feel as if I were a child? There were heavy velvet drapes on the windows, wine colored, swagged back with white curtains beneath, but still the light came into the room, showing the sheen of the much-polished table and the age of the faded, flowered wallpaper and worn oriental rug.
Rabbi Zuckerman placed his hands on the table and waited. After the long walk, Dashiell