CHAPTER 41The copper teakettle on the stove’s back burner trembled and whistled, prompting Mara to get up from the table where she sat across from Ping. Two empty cups were before them with strings from their tea bags hanging over their rims. Flipping the knob on the stove to Off with a loud click, Mara lifted the kettle and poured the steaming water into the waiting cups. After replacing the kettle on the burner, she took her seat and slowly dunked her tea bag in the water.
“Did Buddy mention where he might have been exposed to the shedding?” Ping asked.
She lifted a shoulder. “He said something about going to the convenience store across the road earlier in the day. Why?”
“Buddy was home alone when you found him, right?” Mara nodded and Ping continued. “There must have been the passag
