by Cindy Bell
“Mrs. Whitter?”
“In the living room, Nikki!” Mrs. Whitter called out, her voice tight.
Nikki knew that voice well. It usually meant that Mrs. Whitter was annoyed about something. She could be a demanding woman when she wanted something a certain way, and quite stubborn when anyone challenged her. Nikki followed her voice into the living room, and was surprised to see Bryan there. Mrs. Whitter held Princess in her arms as she faced off with the much larger man.
“I just don’t understand why you sold it to me in the first place.”
“I’m very sorry, Mrs. Whitter, it was a terrible mistake. But I must have the collar back.” His eyebrows pinched together as his cheeks flushed.
“I’m very sorry as well, Bryan, but I will not be giving the collar back.” Mrs. Whitter huffed as she did her best to cover Princess’ ears. “It is a very special gift for Princess’ birthday, and her party is only two days away. Now, I made the purchase fair and square, I would not like to discuss this any further.” She stroked the top of Princess’ head.
The dog wagged her tail eagerly at the sight of Nikki.
“What’s going on here? Is everything okay?” Nikki crossed her arms as she looked at Bryan. After what she’d just heard from Gina about him, she didn’t trust him to be calm or stable.
“I’m simply trying to explain to Mrs. Whitter that the collar I sold her is unsafe.” Bryan frowned as he looked over at Nikki. “I received a call from one of my customers who bought the jeweled collar. The color ran into the dog’s fur when it rained and stained it. I wouldn’t want that to happen to Princess. I’m doing my best to make sure that anyone who bought one of these collars returns them.” He turned his attention back to Mrs. Whitter. “And I can assure you, Mrs. Whitter, I will more than make up for the inconvenience. I will personally craft you a custom collar for Princess, that you will both love. Please, I don’t want Princess’ fur to be stained.”
“I understand.” Mrs. Whitter sighed as she lowered her eyes. “I wouldn’t ever want for that to happen to my baby.” She gave the dog a soft snuggle. “It is too bad though, it was so beautiful, and our favorite color.”
“Again, I’m very sorry.” Bryan wiped at his brow, where beads of sweat had gathered. “Do you have the collar?”
“Yes, yes, I’ll get it for you.” Mrs. Whitter frowned as she handed Princess over to Nikki. “Sorry for the delay, Nikki, just let me handle this then you and Princess can take your walk.”
“It’s no problem, Mrs. Whitter.” Nikki smiled as Princess settled in her arms. The little dog stretched her head up to lick Nikki’s cheeks.
“Aw, she loves kisses.” Mrs. Whitter giggled, then headed down the hallway.
Now that Nikki knew Mrs. Whitter had bought Princess a collar for her birthday, she was relieved she hadn’t been able to buy the collar and key ring set.
Alone with Bryan, Nikki noticed that he fidgeted with the hem of his button-down shirt. He was just about as round as he was tall, which could make for an intimidating person, but his boisterous personality usually put her at ease. Unfortunately, she didn’t see much of that personality today.
“Are you okay, Bryan?”
“I’m fine, thanks.” He glanced at her. “I just have a lot to do.”
“I understand.” She watched him as Mrs. Whitter returned with a small, black box. Perhaps that was why he wouldn’t sell her the key ring, he’d found out they were faulty as well. But then why had he boxed them up in individual boxes? Where was he sending them?
“Here you are.” Mrs. Whitter held out the box to him.
“Thank you.” He took the box and flipped it open. “I will make this up to you, Mrs. Whitter, I promise.”
“It better be something spectacular, and by Saturday!” Mrs. Whitter pursed her lips.
Nikki caught a glimpse of the collar just before Bryan closed the box. She noticed that although it was a different design, it had the same green stones as the key ring Nikki wanted to buy Mrs. Whitter. That didn’t surprise her, since Mrs. Whitter adored anything and everything green.
“It will be, I promise.” He gave her a quick smile, wiped his brow, then nodded to Nikki on his way out.
Nikki wondered if he was worried because he might be in some legal trouble due to the recall.
“It’s a good thing Princess is safe, you wouldn’t want her fur to be bright green.” Nikki stroked the dog’s fur. “You made the right decision, Mrs. Whitter.”
“Oh yes, I know. It’s just so disappointing. I’m trying to make sure everything is just perfect, and now this is one more thing I have to figure out.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Next year, I’m hiring a party planner.”
“Is there anything I can help you with?” Nikki looked Mrs. Whitter over. Though she was a short and frail woman, at times she packed a level of strength that Nikki had never seen in another person. She had to be careful not to offend her by treating her too gently, that was a lesson she learned not long after she began pet sitting Princess. She had emphatically explained to Nikki, that she was far tougher than she looked.
“It’s okay, I’m sure I can handle it. But thank you for offering.” Mrs. Whitter eyed Princess for a moment. “In fact, what would help the most is if you took her for her walk now, so I can get a few things done. I’m pretty sure she’s getting suspicious.”
“Uh oh.” Nikki grinned. “Sure, I’ll keep her out a little longer, too.”
“Thanks, but not too long, I don’t want her getting too much sun. Oh, and make sure you take a bottle of water from the fridge, halfway through the walk have her drink. These warm days worry me.” Mrs. Whitter frowned.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her.” Nikki clipped Princess’ leash on her collar, then grabbed the water out of the kitchen. As she headed out through the back door, Princess took a wild leap of delight. She was quite a bold and energetic dog.
“Wait for me, Princess!” Nikki laughed as she broke into a jog. Princess loved to run.
* * *
Not long into their walk, Nikki realized that the sun really was a bit intense. She steered Princess towards Pooch Park, so that she could walk on the shaded sidewalk. Nikki was about to give Princess some water, when the sound of shrill sirens made Nikki jump. Dahlia tended to be a quiet place. Loud noises commanded attention. A police car sped past her. One police car wasn’t too unusual. But when it was followed by two more, her heart jumped into her throat. What could be happening that warranted that kind of response?
Princess barked and hopped back and forth. She was too distracted to drink the water that Nikki offered her. When an ambulance flashed by, followed by two more police cars, Nikki began to worry. Dahlia didn’t have a huge police force. If she were to guess, the entire force might be headed in one direction. Too curious and concerned not to find out what it was all about, she walked Princess in the direction the police cars were headed. She noticed that they stopped outside Bryan’s shop. Her eyes widened at the sight of all of the police cars gathered around the small shop. It seemed to her that nothing could be so bad to require such a turn out.
Nikki lingered quite close to the shop. A few minutes later, a stretcher rolled out of the shop. Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered if she might have missed the signs of a heart attack when Bryan was at Mrs. Whitter’s house. He had been sweating a bit and seemed nervous. She assumed that he was just acting strangely, but perhaps he was having a medical emergency, and she didn’t notice. She could tell that it was him on the stretcher, but it wasn’t a heart attack that caused his emergency. She could see the blood-soaked gauze pressed against his chest. Her heart lurched as she realized that he might have been shot. With her eyes wide, she could barely convince herself to take a breath. She had just seen him not even an hour before. As Nikki watched the ambulance drive away, she noticed an officer headed in her direction. She tightened her grip on Princess’ leash, and wondered if the officer might scold her for spying.
“Ma’am
?” The officer held a notepad in one hand, and had his other hand on his hip. “How long have you been standing here?”
“Not long.” Nikki frowned as she looked down at Princess. The dog lunged at the officer, determined to get a sniff of his shoe, but Nikki kept her leash tight and short. “I’m sorry, we’ll be on our way.”
“It’s no trouble, I’d just like to ask you a few questions.” He met her eyes and offered a friendly smile. He looked familiar, but she didn’t know him by name. She hadn’t had much reason to deal directly with the police, but they often patrolled local events.
“Sure, but I’m not sure if I can help.” Nikki shrugged.
“Did you happen to hear anything, or see anything?” He opened his notepad and prepared to take a few notes. “And could I have your name?”
“I didn’t see or hear anything, I’m sorry.” Nikki frowned as she offered her name. “I just followed all of the police cars because I was curious. I have no idea what happened. But is Bryan okay?”
“Did you know him?” His eyes narrowed some as he studied her.
“Not well no. I did go to his shop a few times and see him around town.” She noticed that he spoke in the past tense. “What happened to him? It looked like he was shot.”
“I can’t share too much information, Nikki, but I’m afraid he didn’t make it. If you can keep that to yourself until we inform the family, I would appreciate it.” The officer locked his eyes to hers.
“Yes, of course I will. How terrible.” Nikki pressed her hand against her chest. “How could this happen?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. So, if you have any information, if you can think of anything at all that might help the investigation, please let us know.” He offered her a card.
“Thanks.” She took the card. “If I think of anything I’ll contact you right away.”
“I’m going to ask you to move along. We’re going to clear this entire area for the investigation.” The officer glanced up and down the street beyond her. “Hopefully, someone saw something.”
“Good luck with your investigation.” Nikki guided Princess back in the direction of Mrs. Whitter’s house. It left her unsettled to think that someone could have been murdered while she was walking Princess. What if she’d gotten to the shop a little sooner? Would she have seen something? Would she have been able to help in some way?
With her stomach in knots she walked up to the front door of Mrs. Whitter’s house and knocked lightly on it.
“Nikki, you’re back so soon?” Mrs. Whitter frowned as she opened the door. “I thought you were going to keep her out a bit longer.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Whitter, I forgot.” Her cheeks flushed. “Something terrible happened and I didn’t think, I just thought it would be best to get Princess home to you.”
“What is it? What happened?” Her eyes widened as she opened the door all the way and gazed at Nikki.
“Bryan has been killed.” She shivered as she spoke the words.
“What? Are you certain?” Mrs. Whitter clasped her hand over her mouth as a gentle moan escaped her.
“Yes, I saw him, and I spoke with a police officer. He was killed at his shop.” Nikki released Princess from her leash, and the dog raced towards the kitchen. “I can’t believe that we just spoke to him a short time ago, and now he’s gone.”
“Neither can I.” Mrs. Whitter tugged at the pearls that hung around her neck. “This is just devastating, absolutely devastating.”
“Yes, it is.” Nikki grasped her shoulder with a soft touch. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Whitter, are you going to be okay?”
“Yes, of course, I’ll be fine. But what am I going to do for a birthday present now?” Mrs. Whitter frowned.
Nikki took a slight step back, startled by Mrs. Whitter’s reaction. As the woman wandered off, she muttered about how she needed everything to be perfect.
Nikki stared after her, concerned. Was she so wrapped up in the party that she didn’t realize just how tragic the situation was?
“Mrs. Whitter, please be sure not to tell anyone else. The police haven’t had the chance to notify the family, yet.” Nikki followed her into the living room.
“Oh right, absolutely. I won’t breathe a word about it.” She sniffled as she grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table. “Bryan.” She sighed and wiped at her eyes. “He was a nice man.”
“Yes, he was.” Nikki met her eyes. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“Yes, I will be. I’m sorry, I just don’t know how to react to all of this.” She wiped at her eyes again.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Whitter.” Nikki gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “The police are going to figure out what happened. If you need any help with the party, just let me know.”
“I can handle it.” Mrs. Whitter sniffed and blinked back her tears. “I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will be.” Nikki squeezed her hand again, then smiled.
“Thank you, Nikki. Princess just loves her walks with you.” Mrs. Whitter stood up. “So much to do!”
“I love them, too. Bye, Mrs. Whitter.”
Nikki was tempted to offer to help again, but she knew better. Mrs. Whitter did things on her own. As Nikki left the house she headed in the direction of the next dog she would walk. She had a group of six dogs to collect, and could only hope that their antics would help distract her from the morning’s events.
Chapter 3
Once Nikki had gathered all of the dogs, she directed them towards the park. It was her favorite place to walk them, as it was free of cars and other dangers. However, getting them not to terrorize the squirrels could be quite a task. For a few minutes she was distracted by their playfulness and joy at being outside. However, it wasn’t long before her mind wandered back to Bryan. Who would want to kill him?
Most of the time he was a kind and friendly person. Of course, she didn’t know him very well, but from what she did know of him, he didn’t seem like someone who would be anyone’s target. Had someone tried to rob the shop? Maybe he walked in on it? Guesses and theories rolled through her mind as she attempted to make sense of what happened. When her cell phone rang she jumped in reaction to the sound of her ringtone. She juggled the leashes in her hands and managed to pull her phone out of her pocket. When she saw Quinn’s name on the screen, she answered it right away. However, just as she hit the button to accept the call, Coco and Sassy, two of the bigger dogs she walked, lunged for a squirrel. She gasped and almost dropped her phone as she tried to keep control of the dogs.
“Coco, Sassy, you know better!” She huffed as she brought them back to her side, then managed to get the phone between her shoulder and her ear. “Hello?”
“Are you okay?” Quinn’s voice greeted her with concern.
“Oh yes, sorry, it’s just I’m walking the dogs and Coco and Sassy saw a squirrel.” She laughed.
“Ah, those pesky squirrels.” Quinn chuckled. “Listen, I’m calling because your name came up in a homicide investigation.”
“Yes, I spoke to one of the officers this morning.” Nikki kept the leashes tight in her hand.
“Would you mind coming in to talk about it?” Quinn cleared his throat. “I need to comb through what’s been done already and make sure nothing was missed.”
“I don’t mind, but I can’t really help. I didn’t see anything, like I told the officer. I followed them to the crime scene out of curiosity, but I didn’t see or hear anything. I was only there after they were.” Nikki continued to guide the dogs along through the park.
“I understand, but I’d still like to speak to you again if that’s possible, just to keep the record clear. Is that okay with you?” He spoke in a professional tone.
“Sure, if you think it will help.” Nikki noticed the way he spoke to her. She guessed that he was under a good bit of pressure as a young detective, and he needed to make sure everything was accurate.
“I think it would. Thanks, Nikki.”
“I just have to take the dogs home. I’ll need about an hour?”
“Sure, no rush. I’ll be here most of the day. You can text me when you’re on your way if you’d like. Thanks again.” He hung up the phone.
A little surprised that Quinn hung up so fast, Nikki tucked her phone back into her pocket. She never minded spending some time with him, but she wished she had more to offer to help him with the investigation.
Nikki dropped the dogs at their homes one by one. Coco was the last dog she had to drop off. As she walked him towards his house, she had to pass the pet boutique. When she did, she noticed a man across the street. He stood at the edge of the sidewalk and stared hard at the shop, which was still roped off with police tape. She didn’t think she had seen him before. The way he looked at the shop made her heart skip a beat. What was he up to? When he noticed her watching, he began to walk away. That made her even more suspicious. She decided to follow him, for just a few minutes. With Coco in the lead she walked across the street. He turned a corner and disappeared inside a real estate agency.
Nikki continued past the agency in the direction of Coco’s house. She was sure that there were many reasons for him to be looking at the shop. Just like her, he could have been curious about what happened there. Maybe he was a friend of Bryan’s and just wanted to figure out what happened. No matter what, there was no law against spying on crime scenes. If there was, she would have been in a lot of trouble. Once she dropped off Coco she headed back towards the police station. As she did she considered what she knew about Bryan.