2

Leila Weinrich took an academic break from her studies in Oxford. She run out of money, and had to take online tutoring job to resume her course and get to her final exams. Both her parents were strongly against Leila taking an academic break, willing to support her as long as it was necessary. But Leila decided it was time for her to become independent. Her boyfriend, Tom, was taking it personally at the beginning, but eventually admitted they had temporary liquidity issues. Their cat Snoopy was pleased to have open books to sit on all day long. He especially enjoyed sitting on the work to be done urgently. The cat thought he was the boss and didn’t take it lightly when Leila unceremoniously moved his fluffy butt from her desk. It seemed like tutoring work and a break from study would put things back on track. It wasn’t as if Leila could have predicted what kind of ‘break’ she would have. It seemed highly unlikely it would involve dealing with sleepy dogs and disappearing corpses. Thoughts of her work, her studies and the final exams looming pushed the melancholy aside. Leila carefully shifted Wolfie from her lap and got up from the hardwood floor.

She gently placed the dog’s head on the Iranian rug with barely visible pattern. The dog didn’t wake up. Wolfie was busy chasing squirrels in her asleep, flinching her paws now and again and producing funny noises.

Leila Weinrich couldn’t think clearly for a long few moments. There was a confused, vivid memory of a dead body in her aunt’s drawing room, and a confused sight of a mess created for no good reason. She shrugged and moved her tiny shoulders back and swept a slow look around the room, as if she didn’t see it before. But nothing changed. Then she went out past the young, sleepy husky, pondering over a peculiar thought - her mind seemed to play funny tricks with her. She couldn’t remember having anything stronger than water and tea, but it still felt like there was a dead body in the drawing room behind the chest of drawers.

“It can’t be!” Leila murmured to herself. The reality slowly dawned on her: she better piece together what happened since she arrived at her aunt’s place. Aunt Christina was stuck in a hospital for another week. A Math Professor, Christina had been an enigma in the Weinrich clan. Some said that she left Vienna and went off to teach schoolchildren in a remote village because of some personal drama. There were gossips floating around. Leila didn’t like gossips and wasn’t that interested in personal dramas of her relatives. She was just fond of aunt Christina. A few days ago Leila called Christina, ashamed that she had forgotten her aunt’s birthday. It turned out Christina was admitted to hospital.

‘I was run over by a car, busted my leg!’ Christina said.

Alarmed, Leila hightailed it to the hospital.

Christina looked so-so. Her glorious blonde hair in a tight knot and her usually vibrant dark eyes half-closed. Surgery was scheduled for the next day; the fracture was serious. Christina’s spirits were so low that Leila began to worry.

‘Christina, darling,’ she said, ‘There’s nothing to fear - the fracture will heal in no time. Cheer up, girl!’

‘I am not worried about the fracture,’ Christina muttered, ‘I got a problem, Leila.’

‘What problem? My students are on half-term break, I can take care of it!’ Leila promised.

The problem was called Wolfie - a whopping thirty five kilos of a husky. The dog was two years old and had too gentle a nature for sled-dogging. Wolfie was getting harassed by her rowdier siblings until Christina adopted her. Now she had grown into a massive, furry and lovable creature.

All was great before the icy mountain road brought trouble. Christina was walking the dog when an out-of-control car spun in her way. The doctors said she was lucky to have walked away with minor injuries. But Christina was concerned about Wolfie. She got in touch with Gerard, one of her former students. He was studying in Zurich, but kindly agreed to feed Wolfie and take her for a walk once a day.

Christina’s voice was begging as she spoke to Leila.

‘Wolfie is very sensitive. She had never spent a night alone in the chalet. She would cry her heart out. And I’m stuck here for five days, maybe more. Leila, dear, what do you think?’

Leila’s mind was on her academic work, missing her boyfriend who had gone to New York, and the antics of Snoopy the cat. But then there was Wolfie, wailing in pain and destroying Christina’s silk cushions. And how about the neighbors? Christina seemed to guess Leila’s thoughts.

‘My place is very remote,’ she said, ‘the nice French couple next door won’t be around until March. There is an English guy, Dick Jones. He is always around. But I would rather avoid talking to him.’

‘Ok,’ Leila reassured her aunt. Tom being away made it easier - now she just had to find someone for Snoopy.

‘Don’t worry,’ Leila said softly, ‘I’ll take care of Wolfie. Tom’s gone, my students are having a break, and I know someone who can be trusted with Snoopy.’

The cat issue was resolved almost instantly. Snoopy and Leila’s mom clicked right away, as if they were cut from the same cloth. It didn’t take long for Leila’s mum to get all excited about spending a week in Snoopy’s company. Leila figured that their similar personalities had a lot to do with it. Relieved, she took her ginger thief over to her parents’ house, and arranged for her mom to send a stack of textbooks to Christina’s chalet. Leila Weinrich oiled her cross country skis and booked a train ticket for the same day.