by Kathy Krevat
“Uh, no.” I put on my confused face as if I had no idea how she got that idea. “I’m watching my friend’s mother’s dogs and thought it would be a nice treat for them. And her.”
“Cool!” she said, happy with the double customer bonus. “Let me set up.” She opened the trailer door and put down the ramp, then climbed inside.
Hulk sat at the bottom of the ramp, panting and waiting impatiently.
She looked outside and laughed. “Y’all like to be first, right Hulk?”
Thor sniffed around the wheels before taking his seat with Hulk.
“Can I see inside?”
“Sure.” She grabbed a hose coming from the ceiling to a couple of hooks, aimed it into the tub, and turned the water on. “Water tank on the roof,” she explained. Then she raised a pneumatic table in the center of the trailer. Hulk growled as Thor put a paw on the ramp and then backed off, as if knowing it wasn’t his turn.
“This is great,” I said. “You have everything you need.”
Bronx flipped a few switches and tested the temperature of the water against her wrist. Then she sneezed loudly.
“Bless you,” I said, taking a step back and wondering if I should be in an enclosed place with her.
She sneezed again. Six more times. I stopped saying, “Bless you,” after the third and waited until she seemed to be finished. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “I’m allergic to dogs.” She pulled out an inhaler, breathed out as if getting every bit of air out, and then took a puff of her medication.
“You are?” I asked.
She nodded, holding her breath for a long time and then exhaling. “Sorry. But I love them so much. I just suck down the meds and I’m fine.” She took Hulk’s leash. “Let’s get this party started.”
“Is it okay if I watch?” I asked.
“Sure,” she said.
I stepped up into the trailer with Thor on my heels. “How long have you had this business?”
She opened a small door cut into the side of the tub and Hulk jumped right in. “About two years.”
“Is it better than having a store?” I watched her spray water all over Hulk, rubbing his fur as if to smush the water in more. He closed his eyes, enjoying the massage.
“Oh yeah.” She poured a small amount of shampoo onto her hands and started lathering him up. A citrus scent mixed with wet dog smell. “It’s much more affordable than rent, once you pay off the trailer and all this stuff. And I get to set my own hours.”
I turned to check out her assortment of shampoos and conditioners. “How did you hear about Sunnyside Power Moms?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “Maybe when I was taking Gina’s class.”
I turned back. “Mommy and Me?”
She nodded, checking around Hulk’s ears.
“Did you know Twila well?” I asked. “I’m still so upset about…everything.”
“I can imagine.” She sounded sympathetic. “I only saw her at meetings.”
“Do you remember what happened that night?” I asked, and then backtracked when I realized how obvious it sounded. “I mean, I know the police talked to everyone. I just can’t stop wondering.”
Bronx looked up at me, pausing in her work, and Hulk decided to shake. Soapy dog water sprayed everywhere. She laughed, and the tense moment was gone. “I left with the last group—Daria, Sharon, Fawn, and Gina—and Twila was still there. She said she was almost done packing up her stuff, and yours, I guess. And then she was going to do a walk through and lock up.” She pulled out the hose to rinse off the suds.
Oh man. Twila stayed later because of my stuff? I’d never even considered that. “That’s all, huh?” My throat got so tight that my voice squeaked. “Nothing interesting happened during the trade show?”
She shook her head and then frowned, her forehead puckering. “You know, right before we left, she got a phone call that seemed to upset her.”
“How could you tell?” I asked.
“She was all friendly, and then she answered the phone, and then she wasn’t,” she said.
Whoa. That was new information. “Did anyone ask her about it?”
She crinkled her forehead again, trying to remember. “No. At least, I don’t think so. We were all carrying a bunch of stuff, and trying to hold the door for each other. It was a little confusing.”
I remembered the business cards that had been left on her table. “Hey, did you ever figure out who the Lice Club Lady was?”
She laughed. “Ooh. I asked around, and it’s some big secret.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it makes sense. Some moms don’t want anyone to know their kid has lice, so they have a secret place to go to get rid of them.” She pulled out the blow dryer with a big diffuser attached to it. “They pay for the service, and no one’s the wiser.”
Thor decided he was bored with our conversation. He barked and put his paws on the side of the tub.
“It’s almost your turn, honey,” Bronx said. “Hey, can you take him for a walk while I dry Hulk? Sometimes that big guy decides he needs to go in the tub. That’s a mess you don’t want to see.”
* * * *
A short time later, I called Ms. Osmond to take her clean and happy dogs back with their snazzy green bandanas wrapped around their necks, but she didn’t answer.
Uh-oh.
I tried Lani, who laughed and said she’d track her mother-in-law down, and then I called Elliott and asked him to bring out a big bowl of water.
“Cool!” He knelt down to pet the dogs, and they took turns drinking the water and lapping his face with drooly slurps.
I couldn’t help but cringe, but he loved it. “Can I take them for a walk?”
“Be my guest,” I said.
Lani called back. “The good news is that I found my mother-in-law.”
“And the bad news?”
“She’s in Nordstrom Rack.”
“Okay,” I said. “When will she be home?”
“It’s the Rack. It could be days.”
Chapter 11
It was way too hot to leave the dogs outside. The only solution was to lock Trouble up in the bathroom and let the dogs into the house. Elliott kept them outside while I took my life into my own hands.
Trouble must have known what I was planning, because she dashed under my dad’s bed as soon as I came into the house. Her snarl sounded like, “You’ll never catch me alive, coppers!”
I could’ve simply closed the bedroom door, but since she might be vindictive enough to express her displeasure in another way—she’d once objected to me being late with her breakfast by peeing on my pillow—I was forced to lie down on the floor and pull her out by two legs. She calmed down as soon as I had her in my arms, simply glaring at me and probably plotting her revenge while I locked her in the downstairs bathroom where she couldn’t do much damage.
The dogs were delighted to be inside, dashing around and exploring, shoving their noses into my dad’s lap and then taking off to snuffle enthusiastically at the bathroom door before running up and down the stairs. Finally they plopped down onto the living room floor and Elliott petted them until they fell asleep.
We were definitely not getting a dog.
My dad started dozing off as well, so Elliott and I tiptoed out. He went back to learning lines and I texted Lani for a mother-in-law status. She sent back an emoji of a person shrugging.
I brought my laptop down to the kitchen and opened my proposal just as Lani called. Luckily I had the phone on vibrate and I answered with a whisper before heading into the laundry room and closing the door.
“I wanted to find out what Bronx said,” she whispered back before realizing she wasn’t the one who had to be quiet. “Why are we whispering?”
“My dad’s sleeping, along w
ith the dogs.” I hopped up to sit on the washing machine and filled her in on what I’d learned.
“Damn,” she said. “I wish we could find out more about that call Twila got. Maybe your police friend knows something.”
“She’s not my friend,” I said. I debated telling her about Elliott wanting to contact his dad but decided to give the kid some privacy. I’d already told Horace all about it, and had to hope he’d be discreet. Instead, I told her what Bronx had said.
“Who’s next on the list of suspects?” Then she said, “Hold on.”
I heard some background noise and she yelled out playfully, “Your mother is taking advantage of my best friend.”
“Oh no.” Piper’s voice came clearly through the phone. “What did she do now?”
Lani explained and Piper said, “I’ll be right over to get them and take them home.”
I was about to say it was okay when Trouble yowled from the bathroom, probably, “Take the offer and get rid of those slobbering animals, you idiot!”
“That would be great,” I said to Lani.
“Piper’s leaving for a medical convention later, but she has time now.”
“That’s really nice of her,” I said. “I need to work on the proposal.”
“Wait,” Lani said. “Before we get to that, let’s review the suspects. I have the document in front of me.
I smiled. “It’s still funny to hear you say ‘suspects’ in your tough chick voice,” I said.
“Yeah? What about ‘perps’?”
I laughed. “Okay, what do you have written down?”
“Number one, Daria said Twila thought one of the SPM members was doing something unethical. Two, Gina doesn’t know anything about that. She said that Twila was devoted to her family and wouldn’t do anything to risk that, like have an affair. Three, Bronx said that Twila got a phone call that upset her, right before she and some of the other moms left together. You’re making good progress.”
“I’m not sure how to approach Mona,” I said. “Or Sharon. My dad is pretty neat and doesn’t need her closet organizing.”
“For Mona, you could pretend that you’re dating,” she said. “Or that you’re trying to get your hottie neighbor interested.”
“Funny,” I said. “I may have to stoop to that.”
“Now tell me about the proposal.”
I spent some time outlining my progress, until she interrupted me to say, “Piper’s at your door but she doesn’t want to wake your dad.”
“On my way.” I hung up and let Piper in. The dogs went crazy when they lifted their heads and saw who had arrived, totally defeating the no doorbell idea.
My dad blinked and sat up in his chair. “Hey, Piper.”
“Nice to see you, Hank,” she said. “Sorry to bother you. Just picking up the monsters.”
“They were no trouble,” he said. “Except to Trouble.” He chuckled at his own joke.
“How’s that cough?” she asked, as she expertly attached their leashes.
I collected their dishes and toys for her.
“A little better,” he said.
“Good,” she said. “Don’t hesitate to call if you want me to check it out.” The dogs pulled her toward the door, and she called out over her shoulder, “Oh, my mom will send you a check for the grooming. If she has any money left after shopping!”
I started to rework my mission statement when a notification came up that another review had been posted to SDHelp. I clicked over.
G. Verde from Encinitas, California gave me a one star review! Bought this at LI farmers market and my cat wouldn’t eat it. Saw that the owner is a murder suspect! Wonder where she gets her meat?
“What the hell?” I yelled.
“What’s wrong?” my dad said.
I walked into the living room in disbelief. “Look!”
I handed him the laptop and he read it, his face turning into a determined scowl. “Hold on.” He searched for G. Verde Encinitas, probably ready to track him down and give him a piece of his mind.
“It’s okay, Dad,” I said.
He waved me away. I sat on the armrest of his chair to see what he was up to. The search came back. There was no G. Verde in Encinitas, California.
I figured something out. “Verde is Green in Spanish. What is going on?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I have a guy who can find out.”
* * * *
The next morning was Elliott’s first day of musical theater camp. He’d jumped out of bed as soon as I opened his door to wake him up, both nervous and excited.
“Richard Winston the Third hasn’t responded.” He avoided looking at me by digging a spoon into his oatmeal.
“How do you feel about that?” I asked, channeling my best therapist rather than letting him know that this was exactly what I feared for him.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It was kind of bad timing, because I have to worry about this show. I wish…”
“What?”
“I should have put it off until everything was more, I don’t know, figured out,” he said.
I tried to reassure him. “Whatever happens, you’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.”
After dropping him at the recreation center, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up dried cranberries. My cook had told me we were low and my normal supplier had a delay. I was searching for organic when I saw Sharon come down the aisle. I’d run into her at the same time last week. Damn. I’d been putting off talking to Sharon since I felt so bad for implicating her husband. And because she was so nice to everyone. And maybe because I was totally jealous of her organizational skills.
“Hi, Colbie,” Sharon said.
“Same bat time. Same bat place,” I joked. “We must be on the same grocery schedule.”
“It’s the least busy time here,” Sharon said. “We missed you at the funeral.”
My throat tightened even though she’d said it kindly. “I was so sorry that I couldn’t be there.”
“I know, sweetie.” She patted my shoulder. “Grief is hard on all of us.”
“How was it?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Beautiful. But…tragic. That poor family.”
I took a deep breath. “It’s just terrible.”
“It is.”
“Do you know them well? Her family, I mean.” Was I really using a chance encounter at the grocery store to investigate a murder?
“No. We live in the next complex over, but her kids are much younger.” She shook her head. “Her poor husband had to fly back from Paris.”
So he couldn’t have done it. I guess it isn’t always the spouse. “I really hate to bother you with this, but you knew Twila a lot longer than I did. Someone mentioned that she was mad at one of the moms in our group. Did she say anything to you?”
“Mad?” She frowned and shook her head. “She never said anything like that. Why are you asking?”
I shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s been bothering me. I mean, she was so nice. And she did so much work organizing us. How could anyone be mad at her?”
Sharon moved her cart out of the way of a child pushing a kiddy shopping cart. “The only people who were mad at her were those people at the bottom of the list for Updale Estates.”
I moved out of the way too. Those things were lethal on ankles. “What’s that?”
“A new development that’s supposed to be nice and affordable,” she said. “Ever since the list was made public, people at the bottom have been accusing the people at the top of bribing the developers. And Twila and Trent were at the top.”
“Wow,” I said. “People will complain about anything.” I couldn’t imagine how that could have led to Twila’s murder.
“It’s more than that,” she said. “There’s some wacko activist getting peop
le riled up and organizing protests—they even blocked the road so constructions crews couldn’t get through. The affordable housing people are teaming up with the environmentalists and creating a big fuss.”
My phone buzzed and I saw a text from Elliott. So far, so good. Then I noticed the time. Shoot. “Well, don’t let me keep you. I have to get these cranberries to the kitchen.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I have a consult over in Santee.”
Then I remembered the question I was supposed to ask all the SPM members. “Oh sorry. Someone called the Lice Club Lady left a bunch of cards on a table at the trade show. Do you know anything about her?”
Sharon scowled at me. “My children never had lice,” she said, insulted.
“Of course not,” I said. “Mine, neither. It was just a question…” Great. Now she’d really hate me.
I said good-bye and got out of there. It was refreshing to leave the small town, and the whole tragedy, behind and head toward San Diego. Maybe I was meant to be a city girl forever.
I noticed the traffic up ahead and got off at the next exit, winding my way to the kitchen through the streets.
My cook Zoey was already there, reading the day’s batch sheets and pulling out ingredients. “’Morning,” she said to me and then called out to the room, “I’ll need Stove One in half an hour.”
The commercial kitchen was too small for the four companies who shared it on Mondays and Tuesdays. Most of us wished we had enough business to justify our own kitchen, but we rented it only for the times we could afford. We all worked hard to ensure the kitchen remained certified and that we didn’t interfere with each other’s processes.
At the next table, someone yelled back over the high-pitched sound of an industrial mixer. “Make sure you put on the fan. I don’t want no fish stink in my cupcakes.”
“No problem,” Zoey answered, although she rolled her eyes at me.
Zoey was a single mom and had gone through a similar program that I had. Like me, she’d been given housing, daycare, training, a job, and most important, a supportive community. Unfortunately, her ex-boyfriend kept hanging around the restaurant where she worked, and they let her go. With a restraining order in place, and no customers to contend with, she could cook to her heart’s delight in this kitchen. Once she had started working for me two mornings a week, she’d been hired by a couple of the other companies who used the same location, and now worked there pretty much full time.