The splash and the subsequent desperate whimper made María José leap out of bed in fright. Overwhelmed by fear and concern, she ran down the stairs and out to the yard. Perla was standing there, trembling and in shock under the moonlight.
The elderly woman immediately scooped the frightened little dog into her arms and carried her inside the house.
“Who did this to you, my sweet darling? Was it that wretched old hag, Ludmilla? It had to be her, right? Who else would think of harming a small, innocent soul?” she said as she busily wiped the soft, white fur. “Don’t worry, my little one, that witch will get what’s coming to her. She’ll regret ever setting her crooked feet on this island!”
The frantic pounding on the door forced Israel to reluctantly open the terrace door.
“María José… is something wrong? What happened?” he asked worriedly as he saw his distressed neighbor.
“You’re asking me that?” the elderly woman screeched.
“I-I don’t understand,” he stammered.
“Ask that deranged witch of a wife of yours, the one who poured a bucket of water on my dog, which could’ve killed her!” she shrieked.
“Are you done?” came a cold voice from behind Israel.
“No, I’m not done! What did that dog ever do to you?”
“Do you honestly think that at this hour I have nothing better to do than wash that mangy mutt for you?”
“Ludmilla,” her husband snapped, then turned to their neighbor. “Please, calm down, María José. I can assure you, my wife didn’t hurt little Perla. When I came downstairs to open the door, she was snoring like a tractor. Let’s take a look around. Could it be that Ted has lost his marbles again?”
“No, the water was poured from above.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“By the shape of the puddle. It’s symmetrical. If it had been poured from the side, it would have formed an elongated mark.”
Ludmilla raised her eyebrows and nodded appreciatively. That hadn’t occurred to her.
“Have you considered that good-for-nothing Heidi might’ve done it? She goes out to smoke at night. Who knows what she’s smoking? Maybe it’s something that made her think that mutt was a dragon…”
“Ludmilla,” Israel growled.
“Sorry,” the woman replied with feigned remorse. “I meant to say… doggy,” she added mockingly.
“Why would she harm Perla? She likes her, just like everyone else does, because she’s a sweet dog.”
“Maybe,” Ludmilla snapped, “because she pees everywhere.”
“That little bit only bothers you.”
“Fine, then tomorrow let’s ask all the residents what they think about the yard reeking of urine everywhere.”
“Perla is not a cat; her pee doesn’t smell,” María José insisted, though she sounded less confident.
“I suggest we stop arguing,” Israel interjected, silencing the angry women. “Perla is fine, and that’s what matters most. Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll find out what happened. I’ll talk to the person responsible and ask them to explain like an adult what their problem is with the dog.”
“Heidi isn’t an adult; she’s a stupid brat who thinks smoking makes her look older,” Ludmilla grumbled.
“Dad?”
“Hey, Uwe, what’s up?”
“What are you doing on the roof?”
“Me?” the man asked, puzzled.
“Who else? You came down earlier.”
“Oh, nothing. I just heard some shouting. The lights are on at Ludmilla’s, but it’s quiet now. If something were wrong, they’d let us know.”