We left Reg’s office and trotted down the hallway toward the lab As we walked students smiled and waved hello Alisa stopped us just outside the lab Morning Prof Boot Alisa said Morning Reg said And yes you may pet Spooky 2
Alisa smiled and knelt to greet me She pushed her lips into a kissy face as she said my name slowly Spoooooooooooky Since she made her face so nicely I kissed her right on the lips The leftover spice from her taco lunch tasted as good as it smelled I miss being in your class Alisa said Prof Lester is less than Reg cleared his throat Alisa looked up Prof Lester had stepped out of the classroom and stood beside me Reginald Alisa Spooky Prof Lester said with a nod to each of us My butt wriggled harder at the sound of my name and the sight of Prof Lester Prof Lester didn’t smile at or fuss over me as much as some people did She was an astronomer and more of a star person than dog person Prof Lester said she could tell when stars and apparently dogs were special 3
and worth paying attention to And when Prof Lester first met me she said she liked my moxie and that I was a star I didn’t know what moxie meant or much about stars but that was good to hear Morning Prof Lester Alisa said Morning Marcia Reg said Any new cases Prof Lester said Matter of fact I just got a text Reg said Looks like Spooky will be heading to court Prof Lester gave me a small smile and a wink Then she turned to leave But not before she reached down for a quick scratch of my head Good dog she whispered Brightest star around Alisa looked at her phone Shoot she said Late for class Alisa kissed the top of my head I tried to get one more lick of the taco spice but she was too fast 4
All right Spooky Reg said We need to get to class too I gotta check my email see what this new case is all about Reg adjusted my lab coat and opened the door I followed him in He let go of my leash as soon as we got in the room I knew the drill Reg headed for his teaching table at the front of the lab I hopped toward my bed in the corner Every Monday Wednesday and Friday while Reg taught chemistry to the students I slept in my lab gear Even though I never touched the chemicals in the laboratory the rules were that everyone in the lab must wear safety equipment Including dogs Reg didn’t need to bring me to class but he thought it was good practice for me And it was As a Helper Hound sometimes I have to put on extra equipment And I had to get used to all sorts of strange places and people doing weird things If you ask me there aren’t many 5
