Saving Ferris Read online

  SAVING FERRIS

  a novel by

  A R KENNEDY

  Copyright © 2018 A R Kennedy

  Kindle Edition

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Places, names, characters and events are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Dedication

  To all my pups through the years—C, L, H & h—

  for teaching me Kelly was not “just a dog”

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgements

  CHAPTER 1

  Cecilia woke up. She’d never get used to the darkness of country nights. She rolled over to return to sleep and heard the noise that must have been the cause of the early wake-up call. A small yip from the window. She mumbled her displeasure and slapped her husband’s side of the bed.

  “Joey, wake up.” No response. “Joey.” She reached for him again and found nothing but his cold pillow. A small yip again. “Dumb dog,” she mumbled. She was fully awake now, remembering why her husband’s side of the bed was empty. Why it would forever be empty.

  Cecilia sat up at the edge of the bed and hung her head. She no longer wanted to be in the empty bed. A low growl emanated from the dog. “Okay, Ferris. I’m coming.”

  She snapped on a nightlight and shielded her eyes from the small, yet bright, light. In the city, she could have seen the bedroom without such an aid. Some people called it light pollution. Cecilia called it the life of the city.

  She could make out the profile of Ferris, staring out the window onto their backyard. He stood tall enough that his head rested on the windowsill. She often found the golden retriever looking out any window of the house like this. Waiting for Joey to return, she assumed. She had done it for weeks too.

  But tonight, he stood at alert.

  “Do you want to go out or what? Remember, I’m not the one who likes you, so hurry up.”

  He turned his head briefly and looked at her, then returned his attention to the backyard. “I am not taking you out in the middle of the night to chase a squirrel.” The backyard’s motion sensor light was on and she cursed the squirrel that must have triggered it.

  She started to lie back down and return to her dreamless sleep. The dreams, in reality and in sleep, had disappeared with Joey. The call of nature diverted her and she headed to the bathroom instead.

  With the door to the hallway open and the rest of the house now available, Ferris took off and ran down the stairs. “I’ll take that as I got to go now too, woman.”

  Putting Ferris’s bathroom needs before her own, she followed him downstairs to the kitchen’s sliding glass door, his exit to the spacious backyard. It was far more likely he’d have an accident than she and she didn’t want to spend the rest of the night cleaning up his mess.

  She snapped on the kitchen light. Now that she was fully awake, the light no longer caused discomfort. She doubted she’d return to sleep again tonight anyway.

  “Calm down,” Cecilia told the dog as she struggled to put on his leash. “I know Joey lets you run around but I’m not chasing you at two in the morning.” It was no surprise that Ferris continued to move. Listening was not his forte. It was how he got homed here.

  Cecilia finally got the camouflage leash on Ferris’s collar and opened the sliding glass door. Ferris squeezed through before she had it fully open, pulling her through as well. An alarm beeped and she reached for the doorframe to stop her momentum. “Ferris, come on!”

  Ferris had a lot of flaws but pulling her on their walks was not one of them. Holding the leash in one hand and firmly placing her foot over the doorframe, she quickly punched in the alarm code. The incrementally louder and faster beeping stopped. She stepped onto the patio and Ferris pulled her onto the backyard’s grass. “You really are a pain in the tush tonight.”

  The motion light flicked on as Ferris pulled her into the middle of the yard. He stopped and surveyed what Cecilia figured he imagined as his kingdom. Again, he was in high alert.

  She looked around the yard but could only see as far as the backyard’s light illuminated. She couldn’t see the fence that ran around the acre of land. She couldn’t see her closest neighbor’s home. She couldn’t see anything but Ferris. And her breath in the cool night air.

  “What’s wrong with you?” She patted him on his back. Usually when she petted him on his back, he squirmed in glee. Tonight, she didn’t think he even noticed the touch.

  With the damp grass soaking through her socks, Cecilia wished she had put on shoes. The chill ran up her body and she regretted not putting on a jacket as well. Joey’s T-shirt and boxers did little to keep her warm. Hoping to generate a little warmth, she told Ferris, “Come on, one lap and we’re back in.” Several pulls on his leash yielded no movement. With no motion, the yard’s light flipped off. Suddenly engulfed in darkness, Cecilia let out a short scream.

  Ferris twirled around, yanking Cecilia with him. As the light flipped back on, Cecilia screamed again.

  CHAPTER 2

  The backyard went from complete darkness to light in a second. She registered what she was seeing as she hit the ground. Her head slammed against the grass. She screamed out for help, “Joey!”

  Ferris pulled on his leash again and this time she didn’t have the strength to hold him.

  She started to scream for help once more but the intruder punched her in the face before covering her mouth. He was shorter than her but heavier. He was able to keep her pinned to the ground. Ferris barked continuously but she had no view of him.

  With the intruder’s full weight on top of her, she was unable to move. Her struggles only produced micro-movements that did little to free her. He leaned in to her and his hot breath stung her ear. She
tried to pull away but his hand over her mouth kept her still. “Just stop. It’ll be over in a minute.” He held a knife to her throat. The cold steel blade against her skin froze her. “Be quiet. Am I making myself clear?” he asked.

  He had made himself clear. Very clear. Cecilia didn’t know what he wanted but he could take anything he wanted from the house. She tried to speak but his hand smothered any attempt. She tried to nod her head, slowly to avoid being nicked by the knife, but his hand kept her firmly in place. With her head pushed against the cold, wet grass, she looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. Cecilia hoped eye contact would signal she understood and would remain quiet.

  “I didn’t hear you.” He laughed. Ferris’s barking had stopped and the night had returned to the country quiet she had always hated. The laugh echoed through the cool night air. She hated that laugh more.

  With the hand that remained over her mouth, he pushed her head harder into the grass. His other hand, the one with the knife, moved down her torso. She felt the cold blade through Joey’s worn T-shirt. As the knife slid down her body, his eyes tracking its movement, Cecilia realized what he wanted—her. And that she wouldn’t give.

  She resumed her fight with all she could muster as she heard him start to unbuckle his belt. He slammed her head against the ground. “Quiet!”

  The backyard light flipped off again. Startled, he lessened his grip slightly. She kneed him in the crotch and pushed him off.

  She struggled to her hands and knees and then to standing. Ferris was now at her side, nuzzled against her leg. “Ferris! Get in the house!” she yelled. They ran for the still partially open sliding glass door. She took one backward glance to see the intruder still on the ground, writhing in pain. Ferris now leading the race back to safety, Cecilia crashed into him at the door. She pushed him in and fell in behind him. She landed hard on her back, hitting her head again.

  She blinked several times trying to clear her vision. The flashing alarm system’s box caught her eye. It reminded her of what Joey called “My Backup.”

  Using the kitchen island, she tried to pull herself up. But her hand was smeared with blood and she slipped back to the floor. Using both hands, she hauled herself up.

  With tunnel vision, she headed to the safe, not noticing the still-open sliding door or the trail of blood she’d left on the floors and counter.

  Her wet socks slid on the hardwood floor as she entered Joey’s office. She held onto the doorframe for support. She swayed and tried to focus on her goal. Her vision was clouded by the trail of blood from her head wound. She wiped it away and refocused on her destination. She stumbled again and held onto the desk for support. Two more steps, using the desk to steady herself, and she stood in front of the safe. Her fingers shook as she pressed his code. Zero–six–two–five. Her finger trembled as she tried to hit the five, hitting eight instead. A series of beeps signaled the incorrect code. She tried again and quickly failed. Her shaking finger hit the eight instead of the zero. She glanced over her shoulder, fearing she’d see the intruder behind her. She saw no one, not even Ferris.

  Cecilia cleared out her second failed attempt by hitting the eight three more times. The safe beeped again, signaling the incorrect code. She took a deep breath before her third and final attempt. One more failed entry and only a locksmith could open it.

  Zero–six–two–five.

  There was a soft click signaling entry. She pulled open the door and grabbed what she needed.

  Cecilia ran back to the kitchen but stopped short at the counter when she saw them.

  “Oh no,” she mumbled. “Please not Ferris. Oh, please God, don’t hurt Ferris.” Cecilia’s body shook. Her voice quaked as she asked, “Please let him go.”

  The intruder stood on the patio, holding a knife to Ferris’s throat. One hand was on the scruff of his neck to keep control as Ferris struggled. The knife remained gingerly at his throat.

  “Just let him go. I haven’t seen your face. Just let him go. I can’t tell the police anything.”

  The balaclava masked his identity. She had seen little that the police would find helpful. Dark jeans. Dark hoodie. Dark shoes. Dark eyes. Slightly shorter than her. Heavier than her.

  Now, all she could see were his brown eyes and his knife. He pressed the knife firmer into Ferris’s golden coat. The dog whimpered. She continued to beg. “Please just let him go.”

  “And if I don’t?” he asked.

  Cecilia slowly raised the gun.

  He laughed again. That slow, resonating cackle that would haunt anyone’s dreams.

  The gun shook in her hands. Ferris continued his light whimpering and the intruder remained in place. The sides of his mask moved, as if raised in a grin by the muscles underneath.

  She saw a drop of blood on Ferris’s coat.

  And she shot.

  CHAPTER 3

  Then

  “CeCe, I’m home,” Joey yelled as he entered the front door. “And I have a surprise.”

  “If it’s anything like your last surprise, I don’t want it,” Cecilia called from the kitchen.

  His laughter filled the entryway. “No, this one’s alive.”

  “I think that’s worse,” she called back. She stirred the homemade chicken noodle soup, Joey’s favorite, one more time before putting the cover back on the pot.

  Two weeks ago, he’d come home with a dead deer strapped in the bed of his truck. He honked until Cecilia came running out of the house. She had screamed in horror as he pointed excitedly at the carcass. “First day of the season and I got this!” He was like a child on Christmas morning.

  “What is that?” she asked.

  “Dinner,” he answered.

  She ran to the bathroom to vomit as he described, in detail, how it would go from the truck to their dinner table.

  With trepidation, Cecilia met Joey in the foyer after he assured her it wasn’t another deer.

  “You know I love you,” he told her.

  “Uh oh,” she responded.

  He kissed her on the neck and whispered into her ear, “Not the answer I expected.”

  “I love you too,” she said before kissing him on the lips.

  He put his arm around her waist and escorted her outside into their front yard.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “I know you are a city girl. But you’ve seen a dog before!”

  Cecilia looked at her husband out of the corner of her eye. The yellow-furred dog was running around the front yard. An orange butterfly fluttered about. The dog seemed to be chasing it. Every few steps, he’d jump in the air after it. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to eat it or play with it. Was it dinner? Or a new friend?

  “What’s it doing here?” she asked, trying to keep her tone even.

  “He needs a home.”

  “What’s he doing here?” she asked again, less successfully keeping an even tone. The dog jumped again and landed against the fence. It looked at the fence, as if considering how it got there, then returned its attention to the butterfly.

  “Come here, Ferris,” Joey yelled.

  At the sound of his name, the dog’s attention turned to Joey and he sprinted toward the couple. Joey held his arms out for him. The dog jumped and landed a foot away from Joey, onto Cecilia.

  They fell hard to the ground. The dog jumped up, placing all paws onto Cecilia’s body. She groaned at the strain of his weight. He stood over her to inspect her. Appearing to be pleased, he licked her face. Then he scampered off for his other playmate, the butterfly.

  Joey put a hand out and helped Cecilia up.

  “What is that doing here?” she asked again.

  “He failed out of service school. He needs a home.” Joey’s eyes never left Ferris. The smile never left his face.

  Cecilia’s glare remained fixed on Joey.

  “A dog failed school?” she asked.

  “He was training to be a service dog,” he explained.

  “And he failed?” She touched h
is arm to get his attention. It took two more times before he turned from watching Ferris to her.

  “Yes,” he answered. A smile still lit his face. He turned back to watch Ferris. Cecilia did as well. The dog ran from one edge of the front yard to the other. She would have thought he was chasing something but there was nothing there. More than once he bumped into the fence when he turned around.

  “And you brought him here?”

  “Yes.” He nodded.

  “To live.”

  “Yes.”

  “Ferris?” she asked.

  At the sound of his name, the dog came running over again. Cecilia stepped to the side before the dog could tackle her once more. He jumped toward her, missed, and landed hard on the grass. He sprung back to his feet and shook his body. Spotting something new, he ran toward the far corner of the yard, where a squirrel had appeared.

  “Ferris like Ferris Bueller?” she asked.

  Joey laughed. “That’d be funny. A dog struggling to get a day off of school, feigning illness, and then spending the day with his friends.”

  Cecilia had always loved Joey’s laugh. It was the first thing she had noticed about him. Could you fall in love with someone at first listen? If so, she had.

  She kissed Joey on the cheek, knowing she wouldn’t be able to convince him to find the dog another home. She doubted a dog, especially one who had failed out of training, had a return policy. As much as she didn’t want it living in her home. Shedding in her home. Doing whatever else dogs did in a home.

  But she knew when Joey loved someone, that was it. She counted herself lucky to be in his loved category and now Ferris was too. She hoped the bumbling dog understood how lucky he was.

  “So he’s not named after Ferris Bueller?” Cecilia asked.

  “Nope, he’s named after a ferris wheel.” They watched as Ferris began running tight circles, chasing his tail. “Because he likes to run around in circles.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Cecilia woke up on the kitchen floor. Ferris sat next to her, licking her face. She heard male voices shouting. Suddenly, one stood over her.