Debut Cozy Mystery Box Set 2

by Dianne Harman

  “Yes, although I’m not sure it helps me a lot. It might actually make things more difficult.”

  Kat spent the next few moments looking at the menu. “Well,” Blaine said, “what’s your lunch decision?”

  She put the menu on the table and said, “With the weather as cold as it is outside and snow on the way, I can't get past the open-faced gourmet chili on honey cornbread. That sounds wonderful.”

  “I agree.” He looked up at the waiter who had walked over to their table. “Vic, we’d both like the open-faced chili on honey cornbread. Will you vouch for it?” Blaine asked, smiling up at the waiter.

  “Absolutely, sir. It's my favorite. Matter of fact I have it almost every day after I'm finished with the lunch crowd. It should be out in a few minutes. Would you like a salad to go with it?”

  “Not for me,” Kat said.

  “Me neither,” Blaine said. “I had a great coffee cake for breakfast and the chili will be plenty. Thanks, Vic.”

  Blaine leaned across the table and said, “I understand Nick called you this morning. I called to tell him that I’d spoken with Casey at the kennel, and you were going to make an appointment with him for today. He mentioned that he’d gotten in touch with one of his employees who’s a computer whiz and between them they’d found out quite a bit. Nick is very, very ethical, and I knew he wouldn’t tell me what he’d found out, so I didn’t even bother to ask. Naturally my curiosity is on high alert. Would you care to tell me what he found out?”

  “Sure, although we had to cut the conversation short. Here’s what he had to say about Carl Jennings.” She relayed what Nick had found out about him.

  “Poor guy. Sounds like he had a lousy childhood, and it sure explains why he acted like he did yesterday. It's a good thing he has his daughter. They’re going to have to rely on each other in the coming weeks.”

  “Blaine, that would be true in an ideal situation, but this is not an ideal situation.”

  She looked over at Vic who was walking towards their table carrying two plates piled high with chili over cornbread. On the sides of each large plate were two small dishes, one contained chopped onions and the other was filled with shredded cheese. “May I get anything else for you?” Vic asked.

  “Yes, I’d like some red pepper flakes,” Blaine said. He looked over at Kat whose eyes were open wide in amazement.

  “Don’t you think you ought to try it first and see how spicy it is before you add red pepper to it?” she asked.

  “Probably, but I like my food as spicy as I can get it, excluding things like coffee cake.”

  Kat grinned and said, “Next time I’ll put jalapeño peppers in it. As a matter of fact, it might be kind of good fixed that way. It certainly would be different. Let's eat this while it’s hot, and then I'll tell you about the quandary I’m in concerning what to do about Carl’s daughter.”

  They were quiet for several minutes simply enjoying their meal. When Blaine was finished eating, he said, “Looks like you’re almost finished. I’d like to hear what happened.”

  She told him about her conversation with Lacie, and how Lacie had asked Kat if Nicole could spend the Christmas holiday break at their home because she didn’t want anything to do with her father.

  “What did you tell her?” Blaine asked, buttering a piece of cornbread that had escaped being smothered with chili.

  “I told her I’d have to think about it. Blaine, I just found out from Barbara that she gave my manuscript, you know the one I told you that fell out of Nancy's tote bag, to Carl so he could return it to Nancy. I think he must have read it, and that’s why he was so angry with me the night I met you and yesterday when we were at his house after I’d discovered Nancy’s body.”

  “That would make perfect sense. Did Nancy ever mention whether or not she’d told Carl she was editing your books?”

  “Not exactly. I think I told you that she’d laughed one time about none of my books being displayed in her bookcase, because all of the other books she’d edited were prominently displayed in her bookcase after they’d been published. She said something to the effect that Carl probably wouldn’t approve of them.”

  “Given what you’ve told me about his background, I'm sure she was right. Back to the Christmas break quandary. Are you leaning more towards taking Nicole in or telling her you can’t?”

  “I go back and forth. She’s over eighteen, and as I understand it, neither her father nor a judge can legally force her to go to Carl’s house if she doesn’t want to. Isn’t that true?”

  “Yes, you’d be on firm ground legally, but given how he feels about you, I’m sure your home is the last place where he’d want his daughter to spend the holidays.”

  “I agree, Blaine, and that's why I have the appointment to see Rudy today. First of all, I'm sure Carl’s going to be furious when he hears that his daughter might spend the holidays at my home. Secondly, we don’t know for sure if he murdered his wife, but if he did, he also might consider murdering me.”

  “Think it’s time we go meet Rudy and bring him home for you, but I do have a question for you.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Why couldn’t I be interested in a woman who was attractive and intelligent, but wasn’t involved in a murder case?” he asked, smiling at Kat.

  “Don’t know, Mr. District Attorney. Guess you’ll have to answer that question yourself, but look at it this way. I don’t recall you telling me that a guideline for a relationship with you was whether or not I’d bore you, and if you did ask me about that, I certainly didn’t answer you. So look at it this way. I promise not to bore you.” She grinned back at him. “Thanks for the compliment. Let’s go check out Rudy.”

  “Give me the keys to your car. I’ll stop by my office on the way and get someone to drive your car home.”

  “Thanks,” Kat said. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  CHAPTER 14

  On the way to Casey's Kennels, Kat and Blaine talked of this and that. They laughed at the differences in their backgrounds. Kat grew up on a wheat farm near a small town twenty miles from the university. The farm had been in her father’s family for generations. Her mother and dad made ends meet, but just barely. The only way Kat had been able to go to college was by getting a scholarship. She graduated from high school with a 4.0 grade average and that, along with her demonstrated financial need, qualified her for the scholarship which the university granted her.

  Blaine grew up in Mission Hills, a wealthy suburb of Kansas City. His home had been in the family for generations, and his wealthy family had easily been able to afford to send him to college anywhere in the world he wanted to go. He’d chosen the nearby University of Kansas in Lawrence. After graduation he’d studied law at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Once he’d been sworn in as a lawyer, he’d been recruited by several law firms who were familiar with his family’s pedigree and their wealthy connections. A lot of law firms like to have a “rain maker” on their staff, a man who had those connections and could turn them into cash for the law firm.

  When his fiancée died in a plane crash, he couldn’t deal with the memories reminding him of her wherever he went in Kansas City. He’d moved to the small university town of Lindsay and joined the law practice of a friend he’d met in law school. Two years after Blaine moved to Lindsay his brother, Nick, had moved there.

  Kat and Blaine readily agreed that their backgrounds couldn’t have been more different, but here they were, thrown together by circumstances and each glad that circumstances had taken the turn they had. “Well, let’s go meet this wonder dog Casey raved about last night. I hope he’s everything he’s supposed to be, and I’m not bringing you out to the kennel on some wild goose chase. You could be home writing the great American novel instead of meeting a guard dog,” Blaine said smiling as they pulled into the parking lot of the kennel.

  Blaine walked around the car and opened the door for Kat. “Thanks, Blaine,” Kat said laughing as she got out of the car, “but
I don’t think the type of writing I do is ever going to qualify me for writing the great American novel.”

  She stepped onto the dirt parking lot and said, “Glad I wore boots. I did it more for the cold than anything else, but high heels in this dirt would have been a disaster.” She stood for a moment looking at the long building where she assumed the dogs were housed. Next to it was a large two-story house.

  “Bet that house has been here awhile. It looks like the type that was built in these parts around the early 20th century. I imagine the other building was originally a barn, and Casey added on to it. Let’s go over to the house first,” Blaine said.

  As he knocked on the door she noticed the cheerful Christmas wreath that had been hung on it. It was quickly opened by a large man who appeared to be in his mid-30’s. “You must be Kat, and I’m gathering this is Blaine. You certainly bear a resemblance to your brother. I’m Casey and welcome to my home. Please, come in.”

  They shook hands and were immediately surrounded by two little boys and three large dogs. “Daddy, daddy, is this the lady who’s gonna take Rudy from us?”

  “I don’t know, Stefan. We’ll have to wait and see. You know you and your brother get to make friends with all the puppies and watch them grow up. They’ll never forget you. You could see them in ten years, and they’d still remember you.” He turned to Kat. “He’s pretty attached to Rudy. That's the dog sitting next to him. This happens every time one of them goes to their new owner. Usually I take them to whatever law enforcement agency has contracted with me for them, so I can spare the kids the separation pain. Probably should have done that today,” he said looking at Stefan who had his arm circled tightly around Rudy’s massive neck.

  Kat knelt down and said, “Stefan, would you introduce me to Rudy? My name’s Kat. You’ve done a beautiful job with Rudy. He’s so calm and friendly.”

  Stefan looked her up and down debating whether or not she was good enough for his friend, Rudy. Finally, a decision was made and he said, “Rudy, this is Kat. She’s the one I told you about.” Kat turned to the big black dog with one mahogany dot above each eye on the inner brow ridge, another dot on his cheeks, and a mahogany strip on each side of his nose. He was beautiful and wagged his tail in greeting. Kat put her hand out so the big dog could sniff it and said, “Hi, Rudy, nice to meet you.” She stood up and turned to Casey. “Since I’ve never done anything like this, what do I need to know about him?”

  “I've prepared an information packet for you. I figured you’d want him. Out of all the dogs I’ve raised in the last ten years, he may be the best. He’s highly intelligent, and he loves my wife. She couldn’t meet you, because she’s become so attached to him she knew she’d start crying when she had to say goodbye to him. All of the words he’s familiar with are described in the packet as well as some hand gestures you should memorize. I would suggest you keep him inside your house, even at night. My understanding is that you need a guard dog, and if he’s in a kennel in a garage he wouldn't be very effective trying to guard you. It actually would cause him a great deal of anxiety if there was a situation when he needed to guard you, and he was unable to do so because he was locked in a kennel.”

  “I’m fine with that. Does he need a dog bed or a crate or what?”

  “I have everything you’ll need for him. It’s all in the barn and included in his price. He knows his own smells and sometimes dogs get a little spooked when they’re in a new environment and not only is everything strange to them, they don’t even have their kennels or dog beds that they're used to. I also have enough food for him for several days as well as a collar and a heavy duty leash. Naturally he’s housebroken and leash trained. About the only thing you'll have to do is get an ID tag for him with your contact information on it. You can do that online and have it sent to you.”

  “I told you I have a female Westie at home who’s been spayed. What's the best way to introduce them?”

  “Has the Westie done much socializing with other dogs?”

  “A lot. I’m an author, and I think better when it’s quiet in the house. For the last year I've taken Jazz, that’s my dog’s name, to a dog day care center two days a week. She plays with the other dogs, and from what the attendants have told me, she’s a model dog and gets along very well with the other dogs.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have any problems. I would suggest putting Rudy in the back yard, if you have one, and let your Westie find him. That way the Westie won’t feel that her space has been intruded on. I take it from these questions you’ll be taking Rudy with you.”

  “Was there ever any doubt?” Kat asked laughing.

  “Not in my mind,” Casey replied. “Let’s go out to the barn and get his things. I’ll bring his leash in, and then you can walk him out to the car.

  “In a moment,” Kat said, kneeling in front of Stefan. “Stefan, you’ve done such a good job raising Rudy, I want to thank you. I hope your dad will bring you to my house once in a while, so you two could have a play day with Rudy. I’m sure Rudy would like that.”

  “Daddy, daddy, can we?” Stefan asked, jumping up and down.

  Casey put his big hand on Stefan’s head and said, “Absolutely. Look at it this way, Rudy’s not leaving. You’re just lending him to Kat. She needs him now. Understand?”

  “Yep. Can we go tomorrow?” Stefan asked.

  “I think we better wait a couple of days for Rudy to get used to Kat and his new sister. Kat has another dog, so Rudy needs a little time to get to know her. Okay?”

  “Yeah, just so I can go see him. Bye, Rudy, see you in a few days.” He kissed Rudy on his head and walked into the family room to join his brother who was watching cartoons.

  “Thank you, Kat. I really appreciate what you just did. This is always the hardest time for all of us. You made it easy,” Casey said.

  “I meant everything I said. I’ll look forward to seeing you and Stefan sometime soon.”

  After they returned from the barn Casey put the leash on Rudy and handed it to Kat. “Let’s get this over with,” he said opening the door and walking towards Blaine’s car with a hint of wetness in his eyes.

  CHAPTER 15

  Blaine loaded the crate, the dog bed, the food, and everything else that Casey gave him into his SUV. Kat petted Rudy and talked to him while Blaine finished up. A few minutes later they waved goodbye to Casey and drove to Rudy's new home.

  “Blaine, I can’t thank you enough for buying Rudy for me, although, as I told you, I certainly could have bought him myself. I think he and I have bonded. I just hope he and Jazz will get along together.”

  “First of all you’re very welcome. Actually, buying him for you was selfish on my part because last night I realized I liked you a lot and didn’t want anything to happen to you.” He turned to her and said, “It surprised the heck out of me, but hey, maybe it’s time for me to finally let go of the past and move on. I went to see a therapist years ago, and he told me that’s what I needed to do in order to get over Jessie’s death. Guess he was right, although I didn’t realize I hadn’t moved on until I met you.”

  “You’ve had a few more years to heal than I have, but I think I’m ready to move on as well,” Kat said. “Maybe we just met at the right time, that or the stars were aligned perfectly, although astrology never particularly interested me. My friend Bev is a huge believer in it. She goes to Kansas City to see someone she says is the best astrologer in the Midwest to have her astrology chart done for the coming year. I can’t tell you how many times over the years she wouldn’t do one thing or another because of the chart that was drawn up for her for that year. That stuff kind of makes me feel like I don’t have any control over my life, and I’d like to think I do, but I know a number of people who read what’s in the newspaper about their sign every day and really are believers in it.”

  “I didn’t know that about Bev. Jim’s never mentioned it, and I have to agree with you, although I really know next to nothing about it.”

  “The
reason Jim’s never mentioned it is because she doesn’t discuss it with him. She told me once that she knew Jim wouldn’t approve of her going to Kansas City for her annual chart check-up, as she calls it, so she tells him she has to go to Kansas City to go shopping. She generally goes in early December, and she does do some Christmas shopping, so technically she’s not lying to Jim. More of an absence of telling him everything. Actually, she went last week and she told me her astrologer said the coming year was going to be one of the best she’d ever had.”

  She inhaled deeply and said, “Blaine, I know I’m changing the subject, but I’m really nervous about Jazz and Rudy. I mean, what am I going to do if they don’t get along?”

  He looked over at her and smiled. “Looks like I’ll just have to take one of them home. They’re both nice dogs, and I’ve been thinking for a long time that I might like to have a dog. Let’s see what happens. Have you decided how you’re going to introduce them?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m going to let Rudy out in the back yard, and Jazz can kind of discover him. That’s what Casey suggested, and I think it’s a good plan. I’ll just play it by ear from there,” Kat said as Blaine pulled into her driveway.

  “Where’s Jazz now?” Blaine asked.

  “She’s probably on her dog bed in my bedroom. That's usually where she stays when I’m gone.” Kat got out of the car and opened the back door for Rudy.

  “Is your bedroom in the front or the back of the house?”

  “It’s in the back of the house, so Jazz won’t be able to see Rudy get out of the car.” She picked up his leash. “Come on, Rudy. Time to acclimate yourself to the back yard and get ready to meet Jazz.” She opened the gate to the back yard and let him off leash. “Go ahead and explore, boy. You might think about assuring me that you’re housebroken while you’re at it.” She came back through the gate and said, “Okay, he’s in the back yard. Let’s go in the house, and I'll let Jazz out. Think positive thoughts about what’s coming next.”