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Reluctantly, one scaly, almost Jurassic, clawed foot followed the other, and the culprit was pulled out of her hiding spot.

‘Why aren’t you in your cage?’ He looked around the living room and grimaced at the grubby pink footprints now decorating his formerly white rug. That would teach him to not take his plate away after dinner. ‘Maybe I should call you Houdini, you ungrateful little brat.’ He stroked a finger through what soft, pink feathers she had, and groaned when he saw the cage door on the living room floor — removed from its hinges by a clever beak. ‘It’s a good thing you’re cute, the amount of trouble you cause. I’ll have to do the bolts up a lot tighter next time.’

Mallow just snuggled against his neck and made kissy noises. She knew she’d gotten away with it!

‘I’m going to have to text Angela.’

* * *

‘I am so sorry,’ Rick apologised again as he strode into Bill’s a few hours later.

‘It’s all right, I got your text. What’s going on? Is Mallow OK? You said she’s why you’re late.’

‘Yeah, she’s fine. But she took the cage door off its hinges first thing this morning. And it took me a while to get it back on, and when I eventually did I was already running late.’ He didn’t even bother to mention the mess of footprints — though he had taken a quick reel of them, with the culprit looking very pleased with herself. He’d probably get a few thousand hits from it, and hopefully some cleaning advice.

‘She took the door off her cage?’

‘Yup.’

‘Did we not fix it properly?’

‘Apparently not tightly enough. She undid the bolts on the hinge. Must have taken her all night.’

‘Clever little madam.’

‘Yeah. And then, as soon as I tried to leave this morning, she started screaming. I went back and settled her twice, but the third time I locked up I could hear her calling three floors down. So, I . . . umm . . . I brought her with me and I’ve just put her in the office. Which in itself made me even later, because my first lift wouldn’t let me in the car with her, so I had to call another one. I really am very sorry.’

‘It’s fine, Rick. Is everything sorted now?’

‘Umm.’ He wasn’t totally sure how she’d take the answer. ‘Depends on how much you mind her being in your office.’

‘In her cage?’

‘Her travel cage, yes.’

‘Rick, you can’t leave her in that cage all day, it’s far too small.’

‘I know, but I couldn’t leave her screaming, and I didn’t want to let you down either. I didn’t know what to do. I mean, I know Paul and Nancy said I’d have to make some lifestyle changes to look after Mallow, but I didn’t realise I wouldn’t be able to leave my flat! I can hardly even leave the room before she starts screaming. By the time I’d showered this morning, the neighbours probably thought I was committing murder.’

‘Well, she can go in the bathroom with you, so long as you’re not spraying things. The steam will probably be good for her feathers and skin, but that’s not really a long-term solution.’

‘No.’

‘She’s probably scared,’ Angela explained. ‘It’s obvious that whatever happened in her past, she’s been traumatised. And it’s equally obvious that she feels safe with you. She’s probably scared that you — the only person she trusts — might disappear and leave her alone again.’

‘Yeah.’ Rick nodded sadly. It made him angry to think of what Mallow might have experienced before being dumped in the rain. ‘Nancy called it separation anxiety.’

‘Poor Mallow.’ Angela sighed. ‘Come on, let’s see what we can come up with to keep her ladyship happy today.’ She hobbled back towards the office.

‘Thanks, I really appreciate this.’

‘You’re welcome.’ She studied him for a moment. ‘Can I ask something though? You said your ride wouldn’t accept her. Are you still using taxis every day?’

‘Yeah.’

‘But you live miles away. Isn’t that costing you a fortune?’

Rick shrugged. ‘I don’t really have much choice. It’s not like Yvette is going to give me a lift anymore. I mostly just use the time to catch up on social media and check in with my Rickheads.’