In less than 10 minutes, Giselle arrived at the destination with Dorothea.
It was a narrow alley next to a shopping mall. Alice and several onlookers were squatting by an open drain, peering anxiously inside.
When Alice spotted Dorothea, she rushed forward and explained nervously, "I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Kane. I took Nini for her vaccination today, just as you requested. Afterward, I stopped by the mall to get a few things, and a little girl asked if she could hold Nini.
"Initially, I refused, but she kept begging, so I gave in. While I wasn't paying attention, she slipped away. By the time I caught up, she was crying and told me Nini had fallen into the sewer."
"I don't want to hear another word of your excuses!" Dorothea snapped. Shoving past Alice, she dropped all pretense of dignity and crouched by the manhole, peering down in desperation.
After Giselle parked her car, she quickly approached them.
It turned out the manhole cover was loose. When the little girl ran off with Nini in her arms, she accidentally stepped on it. She managed to grab the edge in time and kept herself from falling, but the cat slipped from her grasp and tumbled down.
Giselle crouched to peer inside.
The sewer was dark, with only a faint shimmer of water. There, wedged against a curve in the pipe, was the cat's half-submerged body. Its fur was drenched, its paws paddling without strength, and its mewls carried the sound of exhaustion.
"Have you called the police yet?" Dorothea demanded frantically. "Why aren't they here? Where are the police and firefighters?"
"I called the police, but they didn't sound very eager when they realized it was a cat. It might take them a while to get here," Alice replied.
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