She drank her coffee with one packet of artificial sweetener and a splash of nonfat milk. The cherub, whom I discovered was actually named Lacy, was sitting beside her with a cup of chocolate milk and a bowl of freshly sliced strawberries. The youngest bundle of sticky human, content on drooling and shocking the room with random shrieks of some emotion I was as yet unfamiliar with, was named Jaime. There we sat in the stiff, quasi uncomfortable silence that comes from being with a person that you think you want to get to know, but are unsure of the best approaches to take.
It was Lacy that eventually broke the ice and got the conversation rolling when she noted, quite seriously, that dogs should not have accidents on the sidewalk because it gets your shoes all icky. A mortified Susan went on to explain that for the past several months a neighbor had let their dog relieve itself in front of their apartment but never cleaned up afterwards.
"Have you spoken to the management about it?" I asked her as I watched Lacy delicately spread her napkin across her lap.
"They put up a small sign. I'm sure you can imagine how well that worked."
"Do you know who the dog's owner is?"
At this her eyes lit up as a mischievous grin spread across her face. "Not yet, but I'm getting closer. I've narrowed down the time just this week. I've been checking the clock for any sign of a deposit and I've discovered that they walk the dog somewhere between 5 and 6:30 every morning. Now I just have to bust them."
"Bust them?"
"Well they can't very well keep doing that, and if no one else is going to help me, then I have to figure out something on my own."
A brief image of the three of them waiting for the perpetrator on their steps in the darkness of the morning flashed before me. Jaime shrieked, pulling my attention back to the table. "I think your helpers might blow your cover."
Her face fell slightly. "I know. Wishful thinking. We all see ourselves differently in our own imaginations I suppose. More capable of adventure or possessing the ability to actually change things."
One small word of doubt from me and she caved completely. This would never do. In that instant I took up her mission, adopting it as my own. By heaven above me I vowed we would end this mess together.
***
"Mags, remind me again what I'm doing here?" The steam from Alex's coffee cup floated towards his face as I pulled him back into the shadow.
"I told you, we're on a stakeout."
"The sun isn't even out yet."
"Indecency thrives in the darkness, Alex."
He stared at me through bleary eyes. "And I'm backup?"
"Backup and muscle."
It was then that we heard the scratch of toenails on the sidewalk. Around the corner came a small brown Dachshund skittering along the pavement led by a middle aged man with an unlit cigar drooping from between his teeth. Alex and I witnessed the violation of the public space and the quick retreat by the man in the tacky velour jogging suit.
"Okay, you take care of that and I'll follow him." My attempted pursuit was quickly halted by my unwilling partner.
"Are you seriously asking me to pick that up?"
"Absolutely. I'll call you when I have an address for the drop."
After much tailgating, shoe tying and general admirations of architecture, I successfully followed him back to his place. I stepped out to the street and called Susan.
"We got him!" I whispered enthusiastically.
"My husband, Rob, doesn't leave for another hour. I'll be right there!" I could hear the excitement in her voice.
A few minutes later Alex, innocuous white box in hand, Susan and I stood inside the stairwell to the offender's apartment. "You have the note?" I asked her.
She grinned, holding up a beautifully elegant envelope monogrammed with a large "S." I proudly took the box from Alex, placing it in her gloved hands.
"Finish it, Susan."
She hesitated briefly as she bit her lip before quickly flitting over to the door where she placed the box and note. After a quick glance behind her and encouraging smiles, she gave three sharp wraps on the door before running back to rejoin the group that quickly dispersed into three unassuming strangers merely going about their morning routines. We each took a round-about route back to Susan's steps.
"My hands are shaking!" She laughed, removing the gloves to prove her point. A quick glance of her watch stole the grin from her face. "I've got to get back now. The kids will want breakfast soon."
"What did your note say?" I asked, hoping to prolong her moment just an instant more.
The smile returned. "It merely stated that I believed he dropped something this morning and I felt it was my duty to return it to his possession. And that he could count on me to continue to do so in the future."
Regardless of what else happened that day, at least she started it with a bit of adventure and an enthusiastic smile.
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