| General Fiction posted September 1, 2025 | Chapters: |
...7 8 -9- 10... 
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The Kendricks pick out a puppy
A chapter in the book Beating the Devil
Beating the Devil - Chapter 9
by Jim Wile
| Background A cancer researcher invents an early cancer detection system. |
Recap of Chapter 8: Mal arrives at the lab and gives Brian the cashier’s check for $25,000. Brian then has him write out his confession, and they take it to get notarized. Mal expresses extreme regret to Brian for betraying him, and Brian wishes him well.
Brian pays Vivian Delacroix a surprise visit during her office hours. He confronts her with the confession from Mal and demands that she send him a cashier’s check for the remaining $25,000 and leave Mal and him alone. Brian will use the money in addition to Mal’s check to pay for Mal’s daughter’s medical bills.
In exchange, Brian tells Vivian he will keep quiet to the police and her employer. She threatens to expose Brian’s past instead, but Brian informs her that is already well known. He asks her why she got into cancer research, and we learn it was because her father died from inoperable brain cancer. Brian leaves her with the thought that they shouldn’t try to slow each other down and to remember why she got into cancer research.
Chapter 9
Later that night, Brian called Abby to update her on recent events. “Good and bad news again, I’m afraid.”
“Give it to me.”
“The good news is that I caught the saboteur red-handed, and he won’t be a problem anymore. The bad news is that it was my favorite lab technician, who I fired, of course, and I’m going to miss him.”
“Did you find out who he’s working for?”
“Yep, and I think that’s all taken care of.”
He related to her the details of his visit with Vivian Delacroix and his decision not to bring charges against her.
“That’s pretty admirable, the way you handled it, Brian. I’m not sure I could have gone as easy on her. I just hope she sends you the check and leaves you alone from now on. Is she a decent scientist anyway?”
“One of the best, but she’s a shitty person. I’m just really sorry to lose Mal. I’ve got to find a replacement for him now. Our next phase of the project is going to require it. Speaking of which, do you feel like paying us a visit so you can see the home breathalyzers in action and spend some time working on the new calibrations with me? We know your algorithms work correctly now, but the calibrations will be different from the ones for the lab breathalyzer.”
“Yeah, sure. When should I come?”
They made arrangements for Abby to fly down on Monday and stay with them for a few days, as she had done many times before.
On Saturday morning, the day had finally arrived for the trip to Pat Malloy, Breeders to pick out the puppy.
“Oh boy, we’re getting a puppy today!” cried Lindsay over breakfast.
“Not quite,” said Julia. “We’re only going to see them and pick one out today, but remember, we can’t bring him home for two more weeks.”
“Dammit!” said Lindsay.
“Hey, missy, that’s not a word you should be saying.”
“But you say it sometimes, Momma. And Daddy says it too.”
“We shouldn’t say it either. It’s not a nice word. Say ‘Darn it’ instead or ‘Phooey.’”
“I like that one. Phooey!”
Johnny looked at Brian, and they grinned at each other.
“That’s better. I agree—phooey, but those are the rules. The puppies still need their momma’s milk, and they still need to play with their brothers and sisters a while longer. Plus, we need a little time to buy everything he’s going to need, like a cage, and a carrier, and food and water bowls, and other things.”
Johnny said, “We’re going to put him in a cage? Like at the zoo? How will we play with him then?”
“I should have called it a crate instead of a cage. When a new puppy comes to a house with lots of activity, it can sometimes be too much for him, so he needs a safe place to relax away from all the excitement. He’ll sleep there at night until he’s bigger, and it also helps with potty training so he can learn to hold it until he’s let out. He won’t stay in it for too long at a time while we’re here, but if we have to leave for a while, we’ll put him in it so he won’t tear up the whole house. Puppies can chew things up in no time. He’ll be comfortable in there.”
“Can we go now, Momma?” asked Lindsay.
“Finish your breakfast first, then get dressed, and we’ll leave in half an hour.”
“Yippee!” she cried, turned to her brother, and they gave each other a high five.
Pat Malloy, Breeders was located in a country setting on the outskirts of Gastonia, North Carolina. When the Kendricks drove up and parked in a small lot for five or six cars, they were greeted by both Pat and Terri Malloy, who were sitting on the large front porch of their farmhouse style house. They were both 50-ish and lean, wearing jeans and T-shirts with the company’s name and logo. They came down off the porch, introduced themselves, and shook hands with Brian and Julia.
Terri squatted down to address the kids at eye level. “So, you’ve come to pick out a puppy?” she said, addressing Lindsay and Johnny directly. “We’ve got two litters in that building over there. We have both cocker spaniel pups and Lab pups. Wanna see them?”
Johnny said, “We don’t need lab pups. My daddy uses rats in his lab. We want a puppy to play with.”
Pat stifled a laugh while Terri smiled and winked at Brian and Julia. “I meant Labrador Retriever puppies like the one your momma told me about on the phone. We call them Lab pups for short. We have two chocolate ones and three yellow ones from the same litter.”
“Chocolate puppies?” said Lindsay. “But we want a real one.”
Pat Malloy couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. The other adults joined in.
“That’s their color—chocolate brown,” said Pat. “Let’s go see ‘em.”
They all made for the outbuilding where the kennels were, Johnny and Lindsay bounding well ahead.
The outer office was clean and well lit. The walls were covered with wallpaper featuring many breeds of dogs. Pat opened a soundproof door to a hallway containing many doors. After a short walk down the hall, he showed the Kendricks into a 12 by 12 foot room where the Labs were.
The room was subdivided into several distinct areas. A yellow Lab named Gypsy was lying on her side nursing her five puppies in the whelping area. There was also a play area with many dog toys strewn about, an area with puppy pads for toileting, and an area for food and water bowls. The room was similarly well lit and clean.
When the family entered the room, three of the five puppies finished suckling and bounded over to them. Two were yellow females, while the male was chocolate-colored.
“They’re so cute,” said Lindsay, and she and Johnny got down on their knees. The chocolate one began licking both their faces and was the more excited of the three, while the other two hung back and watched.
Pat said, “We plan to have ‘em fully weaned in two more weeks. Terri and I will leave y’all alone with ‘em for a while so you can get acquainted. I’ll be out in the front office when you’re ready to talk.”
Julia and Brian thanked the Malloys, who closed the door and left.
Gypsy finished up with the two who’d continued nursing, and all of them came over to greet the Kendricks. Johnny and Lindsay were absolutely delighted to be licked, sniffed, and crawled over by the five puppies, who kept them constantly entertained with their antics. After 20 minutes of nonstop play, the family had come to a unanimous decision and filed out of the room and down the hall to find Pat at his desk.
“Did you make a choice?”
“We want the chocolate boy doggy,” said Lindsay.
“Yep, we all agreed,” said Julia. “Can we pay a deposit to reserve him?”
“Absolutely. That will be $500 right now and $1,500 more when you come to bring him home. He’ll be reserved just for you. You picked my favorite one of the litter too. You’re going to love him.”
Pat filled Brian and Julia in on the various immunizations the puppies already had and gave them some papers to read over for first-time dog owners. They arranged for a time to come get the puppy in two weeks.
Julia said, “You’ve got a beautifully run business here, Pat. I’m so glad Maddy McPhail recommended you.”
“Thank you, Julia. That’s how we get most of our business—through word-of-mouth. Glad you found a puppy you liked. It looks like a great family he’ll become part of. I’ll see y’all in two weeks.”
 Recognized |
Brian Kendrick: A 41-year-old neuroscientist and cancer researcher
Julia Kendrick: Brian's 41-year-old wife. She is also a world-class violinist.
Johnny Kendrick: Their 6-year-old son
Lindsay Kendrick: Their 4-year-old daughter
Dr. Marie Schmidt: Julia's mother
Madison (Maddy) McPhail: Owner of Bo
Bo: Maddy McPhail's cancer-sniffing therapy dog
Abby Payne: Brian's partner on the project. She is 65 and a brilliant mathematician
Callie Bennett: The programmer on the project. She is Abby's cousin.
Malcolm Roberts (Mal): One of Brian's two lab assistants
Larry Posner: One of Brian's two lab assistants
Vivian Delacroix: An oncology professor at Wake Forest University also doing early cancer detection work
Picture courtesy of Imagen-4-Ultra-Exp
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Julia Kendrick: Brian's 41-year-old wife. She is also a world-class violinist.
Johnny Kendrick: Their 6-year-old son
Lindsay Kendrick: Their 4-year-old daughter
Dr. Marie Schmidt: Julia's mother
Madison (Maddy) McPhail: Owner of Bo
Bo: Maddy McPhail's cancer-sniffing therapy dog
Abby Payne: Brian's partner on the project. She is 65 and a brilliant mathematician
Callie Bennett: The programmer on the project. She is Abby's cousin.
Malcolm Roberts (Mal): One of Brian's two lab assistants
Larry Posner: One of Brian's two lab assistants
Vivian Delacroix: An oncology professor at Wake Forest University also doing early cancer detection work
Picture courtesy of Imagen-4-Ultra-Exp
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© Copyright 2025. Jim Wile All rights reserved.
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