One Bark And Stormy Prom Night (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 3)

by Stella St. Claire

  Hefting a bag of supplies over her shoulder, she headed up to the third floor. Since no one was up there on a regular basis, no one had turned on the air conditioning, and the heat hit her like a brick wall. It wasn’t even that hot out, but with no windows open and no A/C, there was little ventilation. Coughing, Olivia dropped the supplies and opened all the windows. She’d have to talk to Janelle about one of them turning on the air to keep it circulating before they started showing it.

  She’d talked to the guys at the hardware store, and they’d agreed to cut the sheetrock for her if she gave them the measurements. Fishing out the tape measure from the bag, she grabbed a piece of paper and got to work.

  The tutorial videos didn’t make it look difficult. She just needed to nail everything in place, add some tape along the seams, and plaster some weird putty over everything. Then she’d use primer and paint on the walls.

  Easy-peasy.

  They’d have to hire help to install cabinets, but she was sure that she could add some shelves to the closets. She’d even looked at videos about how to install ceiling fans and light fixtures.

  They’d have the apartments ready in no time and save a ton of money.

  “Oh, God, it’s true,” Jackie said in horror. Startled, Olivia dropped the tape measure and whirled around to see her friend standing in the entryway. “You really are going to do it yourself.”

  “It’s not hard,” Olivia protested as she took the pencil out of her mouth and shoved it behind her ear. “What are you doing here?”

  The redhead walked gingerly around the apartment as though afraid she might fall through the floor. “I came in early to do some inventory for the store and saw your car out back. I heard the most interesting rumor last night.”

  Olivia didn’t really feel like indulging in the rumors of Lexingburg, so she bent down and picked up the tape measure again. “What’s that?” she muttered absentmindedly as she stretched the tape up to the ceiling and pressed it against the wall.

  “That you and Andrew were going to get your engagement photos done.”

  Crap. Olivia let the tape slide back in with a snap. “Who told you that?”

  “I heard it from more than one source, so the real question is how the rumor got started.”

  Twelve hours. That had been all it took. Twelve hours for someone to see them in the photography studio before people started flapping their mouths. Was it Frank? She was going to kill him.

  “It’s not like that, and it wasn’t my idea. Andrew wanted to help me figure out who Deedee’s new sponsors were, so he cooked up this plan to get the information straight from the photographers’. We were posing as a couple, but trust me, all it did was make things worse.”

  “Deedee Espouse? Why would you be looking into her?”

  Olivia realized that she hadn’t filled her friend on the latest in the investigation. Quickly, she gave her the Cliff Notes version of what had happened, but she left out how things had ended.

  Unfortunately, her friend was smarter than that. “And how did you feel about pretending to be Andrew’s fiancée again?”

  “Not great, but I don’t really want to talk about it. I’m afraid that Nick is so focused on Ballard that he’s unable to see any other suspects. My first assumptions about Deedee might not be correct, but I still feel like Ballard isn’t our guy.”

  “Our guy?” Jackie lifted an eyebrow. “What happened to not wanting to investigate this case?”

  “Kimberly was my friend, and if this is how I can help her, then that’s what I’m going to do,” Olivia snapped. She didn’t mean to speak so harshly to Jackie, but she was tired of defending the choices that she’d made recently. She knew that everyone thought it was about Andrew, but they were wrong.

  Jackie put up her hands in surrender as she slowly walked toward Olivia. “All right, all right. No need to get upset. I just wanted to make sure that you knew what was going on inside that head of yours. It just so happens that I have a gift for you.”

  Ashamed of the tone of voice she’d used with Jackie, Olivia dropped her shoulders and frowned. “A gift?” she asked in a small voice. “For me?”

  “Yes. I know you prefer your audio files, but I registered my store as one of the early-bird deliveries for the Rose Palmer Mystery Files, and her new one just came in this morning. I thought you might like to read it.”

  Jackie had barely gotten it out of her purse before Olivia eagerly grabbed it and smoothed a hand lovingly over the cover. The Thrift Shop Murders. “Jackie! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Squealing with glee, she reached over and hugged her friend.

  “Can’t breathe,” Jackie gasped and stumbled out of her embrace. “I’m glad to see you so happy again. If I had known it would work so well, I would have given you a book weeks ago!”

  Olivia had a fondness for the Rose Palmer Mystery Files. She admired the independent private eye’s spunky nature, witty retorts, and observant eye. She’d sworn off the mysteries right before her wedding planner had been murdered because she didn’t want any temptations to investigate after she’d sworn to Andrew that she would stop.

  But that hadn’t worked out, and now Andrew was gone, so she might as well do what she loved.

  Suddenly, as she stared at the book, she slowly lowered herself to the floor and sat cross-legged, staring at her friend. “You know,” she said thoughtfully. “I think maybe I’ve been thinking about this all wrong.”

  “The investigation or your relationship?”

  “I’ve been unraveling since Andrew left, and yesterday, when we were holding hands and looking at pictures, I thought that we could get back together, but I think he was right to walk away.”

  Jackie’s eyes widened. “That wasn’t the reason that I was giving you the book,” she said in alarm.

  “No, it’s okay. I still love Andrew, and I do want him back, but I think there are things that we need to work on. I was keeping things from him because I didn’t want to upset him, but they are just who I am. I love my life. I like that I enjoy investigating, and I love that I have a job that gives me a sense of freedom. I like that I need more time before making decisions. I sort of feel like there are other things that I haven’t discovered about myself because I’ve been trying to hold on to this perfect man.”

  “And?”

  Olivia sighed. “And he’s right. The lies do come easily, and it’s wrong. I should be completely open about what I want and how I feel. I should stop being afraid that Andrew won’t accept me.”

  Jackie joined her in sitting cross-legged on the floor and smiled. “I’m glad that you feel that way, but what happens if Andrew doesn’t accept you?”

  It broke Olivia’s heart to think that after all this, Andrew might not be there for her, but she had to face the truth. “Then he’s not the perfect guy for me.”

  Her friend nodded and glanced around the apartment. “And I suppose restoring the apartments by yourself and planning a prom and solving Kimberly’s murder is going to help you discover yourself?”

  “Yes.” Olivia nodded emphatically. “I think it is.”

  Sighing, Jackie shook her head. “Then I guess I’m onboard. But I swear, if I end up having to chaperone a bunch of hormonal teenagers, I’m going to kill you. I’ve read enough mystery books myself to know just how to get away with it, too!”

  “Understood.” Even Olivia wasn’t sure she could go as far as chaperoning.

  Jackie helped her finish up the measurements before heading back to her bookstore to do inventory. Olivia went back downstairs to do some paperwork and work on her new ads before it was time to collect her first round of dogs.

  Just before she grabbed the leashes, there was a hesitant knock on the doorframe. Elspeth craned her neck around the corner and smiled. “Hi, Olivia. I wasn’t sure if it was okay if I came in.”

  “Sure!” Olivia waved her hand. “Just push your thumb down on the button on top of the gate and lift the latch at the same time.” It took a few tries before the
woman could open the pet gate.

  “I figured that you’d have a bunch of dogs running around in here!” She reached down and gave Goodwin a few pats, but it was obvious that she wasn’t comfortable around dogs. Dressed in a cream-colored designer suit, she gave both dogs a wide berth as though she was afraid to get a single hair on her outfit.

  “Not today. I only offer doggy daycare if I can get Tanya to cover the dog walks, but she’s not scheduled for today. I’ll have to hire someone full-time when school’s out.”

  “She loves working here. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I just got the prom tickets from the printer,” the older woman said, hefting the bags in her hand for emphasis, “and I was hoping you could run them by the school sometime today? I’d do it myself, but I’m not sure that I’ll have the time, and the tickets go on sale tomorrow.”

  “That’s actually pretty perfect because I’ll pass the school on the way to the dog park today,” Olivia said as she reached out to take the bags. “I just drop them off at the office?”

  “Sue is the treasurer, so if she’s there, you can give them to her, but anyone in the office should be able to take care of it if you can’t find her. I honestly can’t thank you enough for all the help you’ve given me!” The poor woman looked as though she hadn’t slept in days, and Olivia felt sorry for her. She knew what it was like to juggle more than one thing on her plate.

  “Seriously, I love to help! Anything that you need!”

  Elspeth cast her one last grateful look before heading back down the stairs. Olivia grabbed her messenger bag, took the dogs out for the morning walk and, reaching the dog park, cracked open her new book to read a few chapters while she ate her lunch. The rest of the afternoon flew by rather quickly.

  After picking up Snowball, Lily, and Jax, Olivia took them to the dog park and let them run around until their hearts were content. Fender mostly sniffed the perimeter, but the rest of the dogs had a grand time chasing each other around. There were no other dogs present, so Olivia let herself relax and enjoy the sunshine.

  When they’d started to tire themselves out, Olivia walked them back toward the school. Lexingburg High was a small school. Olivia had graduated with little more than a hundred kids in her class, but several years ago, new districting requirements had taken some of the pressure off the Lowell schools, and some of the city kids had started going there, adding maybe fifty to seventy-five kids. Olivia’s college roommate had said that she’d graduated with a class of six hundred people, and Olivia had felt a little like a country bumpkin.

  Attaching the dogs’ leashes to the flagpole in front of the high school, she grabbed a few things from her bag. Expanding the collapsible water bowl, she filled it with a bottle of water and set it out. Next to the dogs, she set down a sign that read We are friendly. You may pet us while we wait. With Goodwin, she’d learned early on that if he didn’t get some love from people who walked by, he’d start to whine and pull at the leash. She didn’t plan on being inside for long, and since the school had let out an hour ago, she doubted that very many people would walk by.

  As she walked into the office, high school memories flooded her. Although her class had been small, she had been practically invisible during high school. Janelle was the older and prettier one, and Jackie was the outspoken one. Olivia had kept to herself and ignored anyone who got on her nerves, which was pretty much everyone, at that point. She had been a little cranky during her teenage years.

  “Hi,” she greeted the woman at the first desk. “I’m Olivia. I’m here to drop off the prom tickets. I’m supposed to see if Sue is in.”

  “Prom tickets?” A man poked his head out of the doorway from the corner office. “I’ll take them.”

  Principal Lee. She recognized him from when she’d had to drop off the paperwork for the student work program before she was assigned Tanya. Her own principal had retired shortly after she graduated. If Principal Lee recognized her, he didn’t let on, but then, he looked distracted. His dark, thinning hair stood straight up as though he’d been pulling on it, and his eyes were wide behind his wire-frame glasses.

  “Principal Lee.” Her voice was warm and friendly as she handed over the bags of tickets. “You know, I always figured that you guys and the teachers pulled out a keg and threw a party when the kids went home for the day.”

  “What?” His head jerked up, and she regretted the joke. Maybe he didn’t have much in the way of a sense of humor. Then he smiled faintly. “Oh. Believe me, I could use a keg right about now.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Just a lot going on. You’re helping Elspeth with the prom committee?”

  She felt a little pride swell in her. “I am.” She was about to explain that she’d come up with the theme and was helping with the decorations when he looked at her with his eyes full of hope.

  “I’m at my wits’ end. I need at least two more chaperones for the prom. I don’t suppose you know of anyone that could help me out, do you?”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him no and escape, but he looked as if he might cry if she walked away without helping him. Jackie and Janelle would kill her if she volunteered them. “Andrew and I would love to chaperone.”

  Relief swept over him, and he blew out his breath. “You are a godsend. An absolute godsend. I don’t have the volunteer sheet with me right now, but if you’ll get in touch with Elspeth, she’ll get you all signed up.”

  Nodding, Olivia slowly backed out of the office. She needed to make a run for it before she got roped into anything else for the day. It wasn’t until she’d burst through the doors and the sunshine hit her that she stepped dead in her tracks.

  She’d just volunteered Andrew. Andrew! It hadn’t even been a second thought. He’d just popped into her head, and it had just come out without her even realizing how wrong it was. They weren’t together anymore. He’d made that abundantly clear when he’d offered to pay the fees to get out of the lease—and she’d just volunteered him to be a chaperone at prom.

  Groaning, she whirled around to head back inside and correct her mistake. She couldn’t sign Janelle up because she was going to be running the bakery that night, but Jackie would forgive her.

  Maybe.

  Back in the office, she was about to knock on the principal’s door when his voice leaked through the other side.

  “I got another written complaint today about Tanya Rottingham. It’s written anonymously, but it states that a grade was changed in one of Seagram’s English classes.”

  Tanya? Olivia glanced over her shoulder to make sure the woman at the desk wasn’t watching her and leaned in closer to the door.

  Another male voice sighed. “That makes three complaints, all saying the same thing. I find it hard to believe that Ms. Rottingham has what it takes to hack into the computer system and change grades or that she’s charging students to do it. She’s such a bubbly and bright young woman.”

  “There’s more,” Lee’s voice came, saying gravely. “The anonymous student said that Tanya threatened to poison her dog if she told.”

  Tanya would never poison someone’s dog! She loved dogs too much for that!

  The devil’s advocate on her shoulder whispered low in her ear. Tanya often delivered Rich Eats to Olivia’s customers. It wouldn’t be hard for her to slip poison into the food.

  Ridiculous!

  “Maybe it’s time we go to the police with this.”

  There was a moment of silence, and Olivia strained to hear the answer. “Not yet. All we have are rumors and notes. I got a note last week claiming that Mr. Thompson had weed in his desk. You remember how that turned out. Chances are good that this is just students being cruel and competitive. We’ll talk to the teacher and see if any of the grades were really changed, and then we’ll go from there.”

  Someone made a loud throat-clearing noise behind her, and Olivia whirled around. The woman from the desk was staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

  “I was just waiting for
them to finish up their conversation before I knocked,” she explained, trying to sound innocent. “But you know, I can just email Elspeth and get the information about the prom chaperoning details.”

  Inching away from the door, she flashed a bright smile before escaping. As she retrieved the dogs, her mind was whirling.

  When she’d first hired Tanya, it had taken days for the girl to get the hang of the computer system. There was no way that Tanya could be a mastermind hacker who could change grades in the school system.

  Of course, there were times when she’d watched Tanya typing furiously at the keyboard, doing way more than it would take to input new client information. She’d always assumed that maybe Tanya was working on schoolwork.

  What if she wasn’t?

  After dropping the dogs off, she headed back to the office. When she climbed the stairs, she saw the open door at the top of the stairs, and her heart skipped a beat.

  Tanya was at her computer, and she was typing for all that it was worth.

  12

  As Rose took in the scene, her eyes darted around quickly. She knew that as soon as the police got there, they would kick her out. Despite all the cases that she’d solved, they still never gave her credit where credit was due.

  The victim lay at a strange angle. There was no way he could have fallen like that, which meant that someone had placed him there. Were the other two crimes just as similar? The police were being quiet about the details, and the press was forced to speculate on their own, but that could change everything. It could mean that these murders weren’t just random acts of violence. The killer wasn’t just pissed because they couldn’t get the shoes they wanted. This position would have some specific meaning.

  It was ritualistic.

  The blue and white flashing lights lit up the night sky, and she stiffened when a familiar voice called her name.

  Great. Of course, he would be on duty.

  "Tanya!" Olivia forced a smile. "What are you doing here? I thought I gave you the day off."