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

by Stella St. Claire

  It wasn’t the strangest theory he’d heard, but still . . . “She’s just a kid,” he murmured as he closed out of the reservation program that Olivia used.

  “At the very least, the school expels her for cheating, and she doesn’t graduate. Colleges would rescind their offers. At worst, the school presses charges, and she goes to jail. Either way, her future is ruined if this gets out. Even if Deedee didn’t get the whole story, it wouldn’t take long for the truth to come out.”

  Andrew opened the operating system and typed in a few commands. To his surprise, his first few tries came up empty. “I think you might be right,” he said softly. “The computer history has been wiped clean, except for yesterday afternoon. When was the last time that Tanya used the computer?”

  Her face fell, and she wrapped her arms around her body. “Yesterday afternoon,” she whispered. “Oh no. I can’t believe that Tanya would do something like this. I knew that she was desperate for money, but to resort to hacking and cheating?”

  “One crime doesn’t automatically lead to another,” Andrew reminded her as he pulled her reservations program back up. “Are you going to tell Nick?”

  As he pushed his chair back, Goodwin shoved his nose into his lap and licked his hand. Olivia started to pace the floor while Andrew stroked the dog’s head. He’d only been to the office a couple of times since she’d opened it, and he was impressed by the progress that she’d made. More surprising, he was impressed by how comfortable she seemed. When Janelle had first broached the subject of Olivia using the second floor as an office, Olivia’s flight instincts seemed to automatically kick in, and he’d thought he’d have to tie a rope around her to keep her in town, but here she was, obviously loving her new place.

  “Not yet. I think I want to talk to Tanya about it, first. If I’m wrong, then I could ruin her life. Just because Deedee said she overheard something doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s true.”

  “You also overheard the principal talking about it, and the history on the computer is wiped clean,” he reminded her gently.

  “Maybe there’s an explanation for everything,” she said in a tired voice. “I really do appreciate you looking into it for me.”

  “Is there anything else that I can do to help?”

  She shook her head. “No. I guess that’s it.”

  “Really?” He smirked. “I thought maybe you were thinking of asking me to prom.”

  Her face went immediately pale. “Oh, God,” she whispered. “In the middle of everything, I forgot to tell them that I’d made a mistake. Andrew, I am so sorry. The principal asked, and Jackie and Janelle had already said that they wouldn’t chaperone. Your name just came out. I wasn’t thinking, and when I went back to correct it, that was when I heard the principal talking. How did you find out?”

  “I got an email from the prom committee on the way over here thanking me for my support. The email seemed pretty desperate. There might be tears if you tell them that I can’t do it. I guess I can rent a tuxedo for the evening.”

  Her eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. “Are you sure?” she whispered. “I mean, I’m going to be there.”

  “I assumed that.” He gave Goodwin one last pat on the head before he stood. “Do you want me to pick you up, or would you rather we drive separately?”

  “I . . .” her voice died in her throat. She opened her mouth again, but no sound came out. For a second, he wondered if this was the reaction that he would have gotten had he asked her to prom years ago when they were in high school.

  “I’ll pick you up,” he laughed. “But you are going to owe me several beers afterward.”

  “Done. Absolutely.” A smile spread over her face. “Thank you, Andrew.”

  “Sure thing, Just promise me that you won’t be alone when you face Tanya. I know she’s little and all, but if she did kill Kimberly . . .” He shook his head. He didn’t want to admit that he was scared for her.

  “I promise.”

  There was an awkward moment, much like the one out on the street when he’d blurted out that he’d pay the fee for breaking the contract, and he had to fight the urge to lean over and hold her. Instead, he just flashed her a smile and backed out of the office.

  When he got back to Brett’s, he threw the lease paperwork into the trash.

  14

  “You’re not listening to me,” Rose said angrily. “Jason, you have the wrong man in custody. I have never been wrong, so why can’t you trust me?”

  “Never been wrong?” He rounded on her with fire in his eyes. “Rose, you have no idea just how wrong you can be.”

  She remembered all too well about their last argument. He’d stood half-naked in her room, staring at her in disbelief as she tried to kick him out. She’d believed the rumors about him, and in doing so, she’d lost one of the best things she had going for her.

  “About my work,” she said through gritted teeth. She’d worked on and off with him for the past year, and he’d never brought that night up. Why would he do it now?

  “Your work.” He laughed hoarsely. “You mean the job that put you in the hospital two years ago with two bullet holes? Or how about the job that had you locked in a basement for three days?”

  Rose drew herself up to her full height. “You do the same job that I do.”

  “I have backup, Rose. A partner. You don’t.”

  “I did at one time.”

  He gave her a withering look, and she knew she’d stepped too far. Gritting her teeth, she tried again. “You have the wrong man in jail, and I think you know it.”

  Olivia felt as if she were floating as she locked up and left the office. Not only was Andrew okay with chaperoning the prom, but he’d offered to pick her up. It was like a real date!

  A sudden thought occurred to her, and she stopped on the stairwell. When did she get old enough to consider chaperoning a prom a date?

  “Well,” a sharp voice demanded below. “Are you going to come down and tell us what happened or just stand there grinning like an idiot?”

  Chuckling at Jackie’s impatience, Olivia hurried the rest of the way down. Janelle had her apron folded in half at the waist, and although there was a line to the door of people stopping by after work, she motioned Olivia and Jackie to a table.

  “Tell us everything,” Janelle demanded.

  “You have a line of people to serve,” Olivia pointed out.

  Her sister waved her hand impatiently. “I’ve got a new girl back there. I guess we’ll find out whether or not she can handle the stress of my business. Now talk.”

  Feeling a little devilish, Olivia leaned over as though she was going to give them all the juicy details and ended up just telling them in a low voice what Andrew had found on the computer.

  “That is not what we wanted to hear,” Jackie scowled, but she pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Did you call the vet today?”

  “I did, and she doesn’t have a single case of poisoning or someone thinking that their dog had been poisoned.” It was good news that the pets of Lexingburg were safe, but Olivia hated to think what that meant. Quickly, she filled them in on what she’d learned.

  “So Tanya probably did it,” Janelle said quietly. They all exchanged sad glances. It was difficult to believe that sweet Tanya—that anyone her age—was capable of cold-blooded murder. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to ask Tanya about it, first,” Olivia sighed. “I owe her the chance to explain before I go to Nick with my suspicions. If there’s even the slightest chance that everything adds up differently, it could save her reputation—and her future.”

  “Now tell us why you were in la-la land as you came down the stairs!” Jackie demanded.

  “The afternoon went well. There was some space between us, but it was comfortable. Plus, he found out that I’d volunteered him to chaperone at the prom, and he offered to pick me up.” A sudden thought occurred to her. “Oh, God. I need a dress.”

  “A dress to knock h
im off his feet,” Jackie finished. “We’ll hit up Delilah’s right now. She’s got some stunning dresses.”

  The thought of shopping at Delilah’s made Olivia wince. “I don’t know.”

  “What? Goodwin and Fender will be fine in the yard while we shop, and you can show Delilah just how good you look, all dressed up!”

  There was no arguing with Jackie, so Olivia didn’t even bother. Secretly, she did feel a small thrill about buying a pretty dress. The last time she was supposed to dress up for Andrew was the first night he was supposed to propose to her at L’Amore.

  Instead, she’d been embarrassingly late and had ended up wearing her normal get-up. The others in the restaurant had been shocked, but Andrew didn’t even bat an eye.

  And, of course, the last time she’d gone dress shopping was for her wedding.

  Her excitement turned just a little sour at the thought.

  “So not fair,” Janelle grumbled. “I want to go.”

  “Keep your phone on you,” Jackie advised. “We’ll send pictures.” She grabbed Olivia’s hand and practically dragged her from the table. “Come on. I think she’s closing soon.”

  As much as Olivia hated Delilah, the woman had excellent taste in fashion. Her boutique drew people from miles around, and she wasn’t humble about it. Every year during prom season, she filled the back wall with the most glamorous dresses of every color.

  Since prom was days away, most people would have gotten their dresses by now, but there were still a few people wandering around the shop as they entered.

  It smelled like high-class luxury. Olivia could think of no other description as she glanced at the dainty-looking fabrics around her. There had been a time, before Andrew, when she’d wandered around the store and purchased a few items as gifts, but that had been years ago, and Delilah had clearly grown in that time.

  Silk and lace were the prominent features. There were soft cream blouses and beautiful burgundy boho-style skirts. Hats, scarves, and sunglasses made for hiding from the paparazzi. The store was built for people just like Delilah.

  The devil herself turned around from helping a customer and lifted a perfectly tweezed judgmental eyebrow. “Jackie. Olivia,” she said coolly. “Were you looking for me?”

  Because, obviously, they weren’t there shopping. “Actually,” Jackie said loudly, “we’re looking for a dress for Olivia. She and Andrew are chaperoning the prom together.”

  In that moment, Olivia wanted to simultaneously hug and kill her best friend. She loved that Jackie would defend her like that, but the whole shop was looking, and within the hour, everyone would think that she and Andrew were back together.

  How humiliating would it be if things didn’t turn out well?

  “I see,” Delilah said slowly. Her eyes slowly ran down the tank top and cropped running pants that Olivia was wearing. She twirled her finger in the air. “Turn around.”

  “This isn’t necessary, is it?” Olivia protested, but she turned. “I mean, at this point, I’ll just take a look at whatever you have in my size.”

  “You’re got curvy hips and nice calves, so I think something with a slit,” Delilah said, ignoring her. “A little flat on the top, but that just means you’d wear a strapless well. I’m thinking an emerald or sapphire color might look good with your skin tone. Please tell me that you’re not going to wear your hair in a ponytail.”

  “Um.” Stumped that Delilah was actually trying to help her, Olivia shrugged. “I guess not? I haven’t really thought about it.”

  “Please do.” Her voice still had a hard edge to it. “I’d hate to dress you, only to discover that you ruined it because you tossed your thick hair up in some silly little piece of elastic. Take dressing room three, and I’ll bring some dresses to you.”

  She stalked off, and Jackie and Olivia stared at her, stunned. “Do you think she’s going to bring me a burlap sack?” Olivia whispered.

  “I think we’ve entered some alternative reality,” Jackie muttered back. “Come on. Let’s get to the dressing room before she changes her mind and kicks you out.”

  There were four small dressing rooms on the left side of the wall. Olivia slipped into the third one and waited nervously as Jackie shut the door behind her. The small, enclosed space reminded her of wedding dress shopping. Janelle and her mother must have tossed six hundred dresses at her, and she’d been miserable as she was forced to try each and every single one on and parade in front of them. In the end, she’d finally selected a dress that she sort-of liked because her mother and Janelle were over the moon about it.

  It was probably a sign that the shop had lost it, and even now, having been found again, it was sitting at the tailors. The thought of it sitting unwanted on the rack, waiting for her, made her stomach bunch up in knots.

  “What do you think of these?” Delilah asked from outside the door.

  “Oh, I love this dark green color. That’ll look great on Olivia. Actually, all of these will. You’ve got a good eye.”

  “I know,” Delilah said almost smugly. A heap of fabric flew over the door and smacked Olivia in the face. “Try these on.”

  “A little warning next time,” Olivia growled as she gathered the dresses and hung them up. Jackie was right. All of them were stunning. Her favorite was the blue, so she left that until last. Shrugging out of her clothes, she listened to the conversation outside.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Delilah said slowly. “Do you happen to know if Derek Jameson is seeing anyone?”

  Olivia’s eyes widened as she slipped on the green dress. It hooked in a halter style behind her neck and plunged low, but she didn’t have much cleavage to show. Still, it curved around her hips and showed off a good amount of leg. Throwing open the door, she barged out.

  “You’re interested in Derek?” she blurted out.

  Delilah sighed and rolled her eyes. “I know that he’s been lusting after you, but you can’t have all the good men, Olivia.”

  “No, that’s not what I meant at all.” She didn’t want to say how relieved she was that Delilah wasn’t eyeing Andrew anymore. “As far as I know, he’s not dating anyone. He’s a good man.”

  “And you think that I’m going to chew him up and spit him back out again?” Delilah twirled her finger again. “Turn around.”

  Dutifully, Olivia turned. Delilah sighed and shook her head. “The neckline is too deep. Try another.”

  Closing the door between them, Olivia shrugged out of the dress as she talked through the door. “I’m not saying that at all. I’m just saying that Derek is more than a pretty face. He’ll be good for someone. I’m surprised you two didn’t date in high school. Derek was a sucker for a pretty face back then.”

  “I didn’t date jocks,” Delilah muttered. “Who’s the man that I see Andrew with sometimes?”

  “Brett?” There was a note of possession in Jackie’s voice, and Delilah picked up on it.

  “Retract your claws, kitty,” she said, amused. “I was merely going to say that he’s handsome. I’ve seen him several times in Lowell, but he always had a different woman on his arm.”

  “We’re working on that,” Jackie said immediately.

  Olivia tried to pull on the maroon dress, but she was having trouble figuring out how it fit. She couldn’t find a zipper in all the gauze, and there was no way it was going to fit over her hips. Giving it up, she went for the midnight blue dress.

  It was stunning. The heart-shaped neckline was perfect for her medium-sized bust, and the deep color made her skin glow. It fell midway down her back and curved over her hips with one long slit up the skirt. It was comfortable and gorgeous.

  Opening the door, she walked out, knowing there was a huge smile on her face.

  Jackie’s eyes widened, and even Delilah managed to show just a little emotion.

  “Oh, Olivia,” Jackie breathed. “It’s perfect.”

  Delilah nodded. “It suits you.”

  Standing in front of the mirror, Olivia adm
ired herself. It was rare that that she found herself pretty, and it was even rarer that she cared. Unfortunately, she glanced at the price tag. “God, I can’t pay this for a dress I’m only going to wear one night,” Olivia muttered. Especially not after the money she’d paid for the wedding dress. Feeling a bit of despair, she glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t suppose you have a similar one that’s about half the price?”

  Delilah cocked her head and stared at her. “I’ll reduce the price by half if you give me three months of free doggy daycare. My baby gets a little lonely at the house, and I’d like her to have some company during the day. You will not let that ridiculous Rottweiler anywhere near her, though.”

  Olivia’s eyes widened. Delilah had a poodle named Duchess, and she couldn’t imagine Delilah letting her precious pup play with Olivia’s rambunctious dogs. Still, she couldn’t let the opportunity get away.

  It wasn’t just the discount.

  It sounded like Delilah was finally ready to be civil.

  “Deal,” she said quickly. “We’ll work out the details later.”

  “All right, then.” A genuine smile crossed Delilah’s face. “If you were looking for a dress to make Andrew speechless, I do believe that you’ve found one.”

  “Thank you,” Olivia said impulsively. “I know that Derek is out of town for work, but when he comes back, maybe you could join us at End Game for a drink.”

  The old Delilah returned as she sniffed. “End Game? Perhaps we could go to L’Amore, instead.”

  “Or we could just have coffee at the bakery,” Jackie compromised.

  Olivia tried not to laugh. If Delilah really did pursue Derek, the poor deputy wouldn’t know what hit him.

  She paid for the dress and hurried out with hope written all over her face. Things were going well with Andrew. She’d talk some sense into Tanya and get her to turn herself in, and then on Saturday, she’d be on Andrew’s arm again in the most beautiful dress.