by K E O'Connor
“Dogs! Badly behaved, spoiled dogs. They must take after their owners.”
Archer’s gaze roamed over the dogs. “Sit.”
The dogs stared at him for a second before obediently sitting.
“Good. Now, stay,” Archer said. “No more misbehaving for Cassie.”
My mouth fell open. “You’re kidding me! How do you get them to do that?”
“It’s all in the tone of your voice.” Archer grinned at me. “They know I’m the alpha male in the pack. Dogs will walk all over you and shove you to the bottom of the pack if you let them. They know I’m top dog around here.”
“They must.” I extracted myself from Archer’s firm grip. “Thanks. After this, I’m switching my allegiance to cats.”
“Don’t let Stool hear you say that.” Archer lifted his chin.
I looked over to the corner of the room where Stool sulkily sat. It looked like I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t having fun at this event. “Poor boy. He must hate having his town invaded like this.”
“Don’t we all,” Archer said.
“No problems with the zombies?” I asked him.
“Not so far,” Archer said. “Although, Rhino reported something interesting he saw earlier.”
“What’s that?”
“You herding a group of zombies away from the town hall.”
I looked away. “Oh, that was nothing.”
“Let me guess. They decided to take a look at the all-you-can-eat four-legged walking buffet in this building?”
“Keep your voice down.” I glanced around to make sure no one had overheard Archer. “We don’t need to worry everyone. The zombies were being curious, that’s all. I took them to get free food, and they disappeared after that.”
“Rhino said they didn’t go easily,” Archer said. “Be careful around them. We still don’t know all the triggers for placid zombies. Something could have been missed when they were tested.”
“You think a room full of dogs will revert them into mindless packs of wild animals?”
“I didn’t say that, but it’s good to be cautious.”
“You’re as bad as Nick,” I said. “Our placid zombies are harmless. Sure, they’re interested in what’s going on here; all of Zee Town is. That doesn’t mean they’ll race in here and bite down on a dog.”
“Of course, they won’t. I’m here,” Archer said. “I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you or your cute dogs.” He tugged on the end of my hair.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I said.
He grinned. “That’s what I want to hear.”
I tilted my head. Archer was always flirting, but there was never anything behind it. As gorgeous as he was, he wasn’t the guy for me. Perhaps it was time I made sure he was off the market and no longer toying with my affections.
“Have you been over to the theme park recently?” I asked him.
“Can’t say I have. Not since you stopped working there.” His eyes sparkled. “There’s nothing I want at the park anymore.”
“You must know Beth Colby,” I said. “She’s taken over running the park while I deal with these dogs.”
“Sure, I know her. What about it?”
“I believe she’s single,” I said.
Archer’s look turned shrewd. “Is that so? Why would I be interested in that news?”
I shrugged. “No reason. I just figured that, since she’s single and you’re single, you might like to be single together.”
“Cassie March! Are you giving me the brush off?”
I touched his arm. “Archer, you’ll always be my friend.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Just friends?”
“Stop that dog!”
I spun on my heel. Delia’s Afghan hound raced around the room, his leash trailing behind him.
I looked around to find Delia, but there was no sign of her. Actually, I hadn’t seen her for a while.
“Do you want me to deal with the blond furball?” Archer asked.
“Stay here. I’ll grab Asadi.” I spotted the dog run out of the town hall and chased after him.
Asadi bounded down the steps, heading toward the harbor.
My heart thudded as I raced after him. I hoped there were no zombies around. This was the kind of behavior that needed to be avoided. A running dog would peak a zombie’s interest, placid or not.
Asadi raced toward the bed-and-breakfast Delia was staying in.
I was panting by the time I caught up with him. “What’s the matter with you? Where’s your owner?”
He scrabbled on the front door of the bed-and-breakfast with his paws.
I pushed the door open, and Asadi scurried inside. I followed the dog in but couldn’t see anybody around. It wasn’t a surprise; it was late. Sensible people were asleep by now.
Asadi ran to another shut door and stood looking at it before turning to me.
I hurried to the door and tugged it open. It was gloomy inside. I felt around for a light switch, and a bare bulb illuminated over my head.
Asadi raced down a set of stone steps into the cellar below.
I placed my foot on the first step and froze.
Delia was lying at the bottom of the cellar steps.
Chapter 6
I raced down the steps, fearing the worst. Delia lay on her back, her gaze on the ceiling.
Asadi sat beside Delia, whining softly.
I checked for a pulse and grimaced when I found none. I pulled out my phone and called Nick.
“Cassie, it’s late. Is everything okay?”
“No. I’ve just found one of the show contestants - a human, not a dog. She’s dead.”
Nick sucked in a breath. “Who is it?”
“Delia Reynolds. It looks like she’s fallen down the stairs.”
“Are you with her?” Nick asked.
“I am.” My insides shook as I stared at her body.
“Where are you?”
“At the bottom of the cellar steps in the Summer Breeze bed-and-breakfast.”
“Don’t touch anything. I’ll call the owner and be there soon. I’m minutes away.” Nick ended the call.
My pulse raced as I looked at the long shadows in the cellar. What if this wasn’t an accident? What if someone had shoved Delia down the stairs and they were still here?
My heart hammered as I peered into the gloom, trying to see if anyone was lurking. Everything was quiet, and no menacing figures emerged.
Asadi nudged Delia with his nose and touched her with a front paw.
“I’m sorry, boy. It’s too late for your owner. She’s gone.” I patted his head. “You were very brave coming to find help.”
The dog sunk to the floor and gave a pitiful whine.
The poor guy. It must be so confusing for him. How did you explain death to a dog? Delia must have family or friends. As soon as Nick arrived and figured out what was going on, I’d find someone to take Asadi.
I looked up the stone staircase. It was narrow but well-made, and there was a sturdy rail leading down the steps. It would be easy to walk down without losing your balance.
From the way Delia had landed, it looked like she’d fallen down the stairs backward.
“Right this way, Officer Morton,” a worried sounding woman said.
Nick appeared in the doorway, followed by a pajama-clad Jessica Fowler, the bed-and-breakfast owner. “Oh! My goodness. What’s gone on here? Is that you, Cassie?”
“Hi, Jessica.” I raised a hand. “There’s been an accident.”
Jessica’s hand fluttered against her chest. “When I got the call from Officer Morton, I didn’t know what to think. The poor woman. What’s she coming in the cellar for at this time of night?”
“Thank you for your assistance, Mrs. Fowler,” Nick said. “Please keep this area secure and don’t let anybody else down here.”
“Of course.” Jessica glanced over her shoulder. “What shall I tell the other guests?”
“Nothing. You don’t
need to concern anybody else for now.” Nick firmly ushered Jessica away from the stairs before shutting the door behind him and hurrying down.
“How you doing, Cassie?” His hand touched my shoulder as he reached to feel for a pulse in Delia’s neck.
“I’m probably in shock,” I said. “If it hadn’t been for Delia’s dog, she could have been here all night.”
Nick nodded, his attention on the body. “Was anybody else here when you arrived?”
“No. Asadi led me to the cellar. I opened the door, and he raced down the steps. It was only when I turned on the light and went to follow him that I discovered Delia. There was no one else here.”
Nick glanced around. “Most people are in bed. Why are you up so late?”
“I’d like to be in bed too, but the contestants are still being demanding.”
“So I hear from Archer.”
“He’s keeping you informed about what’s going on?” I asked.
“Surprisingly, he is,” Nick said. His gaze went up the stairs. “This could have been an accident. Did you notice Delia drinking this evening?”
“I’ve not seen much of her. She was at the town hall earlier, but I haven’t seen her for hours.”
Nick leaned over Delia. “I don’t smell alcohol.”
“Don’t you think it’s odd she’s lying on her back? Unless you completely missed the top step or didn’t look down and see stairs...” I stopped talking. Nick would accuse me of interfering if I kept going.
Nick’s eyebrows rose. “Go on.”
“Well, you come through a door face first. The second I opened the door, I didn’t move until I found a light to turn on. Surely, if Delia was coming down to the cellar to get something, she’d have stopped at the top, flipped on the light switch, and walked down. The way she’s lying suggests she fell backwards.”
“Which means?”
I tilted my head, surprised Nick wasn’t snapping at me to stop coming up with wild theories. “If I had to guess, I’d say Delia was pushed through the door and down the stairs.”
Nick nodded slowly. “It’s possible. We’ll have to check to see if she has alcohol in her system or was taking drugs that may affect her balance. As you said, landing on your back is unusual. Look at the abrasions on the tips of her fingers. It’s as if she was reaching out to slow her fall. If she’d tripped down the stairs, her arms would have been out in front of her, trying to protect her from the fall.”
“Do you really think someone pushed Delia down the stairs?”
“That’s for me to find out,” Nick said. “You need to get out of here, Cassie. And keep this quiet for now.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” I said. “If the other dog show participants learn that somebody’s dead, they’ll panic. They might blame the zombies.”
“Or, you could have a killer among those dog owners,” Nick said. “I’ve heard how competitive these participants are. What’s to say one of them didn’t come here and do this?”
“You’re right. We don’t want to tip them off that we’ve found her body and are investigating a murder.”
“We aren’t investigating anything,” Nick said. “You’re finishing your work at the town hall, taking this dog with you, and going home.”
Asadi raised his head, a mournful look on his face.
“I can’t go home,” I said. “I won’t sleep having just discovered a dead body.”
“Haven’t you got a town hall full of pampered dogs to deal with?”
“Oh! Of course.” In my panic, I’d forgotten that I’d abandoned the contestants. They wouldn’t be happy if I was missing for long.
“Remember, not a word to anyone,” Nick said. “I’ll make an announcement soon. I’ve called Selina. She’s on her way to look at the body. If this wasn’t an accident, there’s someone out there who knows about this.”
“I can ask around and see what people thought of Delia,” I said. “We can get some leads.”
“No! Don’t do anything or you’ll arouse suspicion,” Nick said. “Go back to the town hall. Act like nothing strange is going on. You don’t want to alert anyone who’s involved that you know about Delia’s death.”
“I’ll keep quiet,” I said. “I won’t go blabbing to anyone.”
“Promises, promises.”
I glared at him. “Come on, Asadi. Let’s get out of here.”
The dog didn’t budge.
“Stool’s waiting at the top of the stairs,” Nick said. “He might be able to encourage Asadi to move.”
I hurried up the stone steps and opened the door to find Stool outside.
“I need your help,” I said. “We’ve got a sad dog to deal with. He needs to know he can trust me.”
Stool poked his head through the door before limping slowly down the steps. He sniffed around the body a few times and nudged the other dog.
Asadi whined and tilted his head.
“It’s so sad,” I said. “Asadi has no idea what’s going on.”
“He’s cleverer than you realize,” Nick said. “He’ll already be able to smell the change in his owner now she’s dead. That’s why we can train dogs to sniff out cadavers. The body is cooling, and the blood’s congealing. Plus—”
“I don’t need the details.” I grimaced.
Nick patted his jacket pockets and pulled out several dog biscuits. “Try these. Food’s a great motivator, even for the most miserable dog.”
After several minutes of encouragement, assisted by Stool, who gently nudged Asadi with his nose and kept looking at the stairs, Asadi climbed to his feet and followed me as I held out biscuits.
We left the bed-and-breakfast and walked back to the town hall.
I opened the door to find everyone still rushing around with their dogs.
Checking the time, I realized it was gone midnight. Everybody needed to leave.
It took about half an hour of chivvying people and dogs out the door, with promises to open early the next day, but finally everyone was gone.
I was walking around, checking the place was empty, when voices filtered to me from the back of the hall in the area cordoned off as a quiet zone.
“I see Paul’s outdone himself again this year.” That sounded like Claire, one of the judges.
“He’s already offered me a free week in his villa in Marbella.” That sounded like Fleur.
I crept closer.
“That sly old fox is always quick to offer a bribe.” And that had to be Ronald. “I hope you took the offer.”
“I said I’d think about it,” Fleur said. “Honestly, he’s so desperate to win, it’s pathetic.”
“Mind you, the way Delia operates, it’s no surprise he’s feeling desperate,” Claire said.
“Especially not after the dog doping rumor,” Ronald said.
My eyes widened. Delia seemed decent enough when I spoke to her. Dog obsessed, but then everyone in the contest was. Would she really drug other people’s dogs to win a competition?
“I heard it was more than a rumor,” Claire said. “Several contestants had their dogs tested after a show. There were traces of a sedative in their system. If that was Delia, and she got found out, she’d be banned from competitions for life.”
“She won’t try anything like that here,” Ronald said. “It’s not as if this is an international competition.”
“It will be if Mavis gets her way,” Fleur said.
“Mavis knows what she’s doing,” Claire said. “It won’t do any harm to set up a new show. Plus, it means we get an all-expenses paid trip.”
“Even if it is just to Cornwall,” Ronald said.
The three of them chuckled as I pursed my lips. Cornwall was amazing.
“We’ll keep an eye out to make sure there are no doping activities this year,” Ronald said.
“Everyone will be watching Delia,” Fleur said. “She can’t be trusted. The second she steps into a room with any dogs other than her own, she’ll be scrutinized. She won’t get away with anyth
ing like that this time around.”
They were right about that, not with Delia dead at the bottom of a set of steps.
I cleared my throat and stepped around the corner. “Hi. I thought I heard voices. I’m shutting up for the evening. I wanted to make sure no one was locked inside.”
“Oh!” Claire’s cheeks flushed, and she cast a guilty look at the other judges. “Thanks. We were just heading out.”
“I hope you’re ready for tomorrow,” I said. “I didn’t realize these dog shows were such big business. Everyone seems so competitive.”
“You’re right about that,” Ronald said cheerfully. “People get obsessed with their dogs. They’ll do anything to win.”
I nodded. “I imagine they would.”
“Well, we won’t keep you,” Ronald said. “See you bright and early tomorrow.” He clapped me on the shoulder before walking off with Fleur and Claire.
I watched them go. It sounded like nobody liked Delia. That would be a problem if her death wasn’t an accident. Anyone here might have it in for her, and there were almost four hundred participants taking part in the dog show.
“Excuse me. Can you help me?” A middle-aged woman with a shock of red hair hurried toward me, a leash clutched in her hand.
“It’s Jane, isn’t it?” I asked, recalling seeing her arrive with the other contestants.
“That’s right. Jane Keegan. I can’t find my dog.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. When was the last time you saw your dog?”
“She’s always doing this,” Jane said. “She loves to investigate new places whenever we go somewhere different.”
“Maybe she’s just outside having a sniff around.”
“I’ve looked around the building, and I can’t find her.” Jane bit her lip. “I usually put a tracking collar on her, but we were exercising in the hall, and I forgot to put it on. I turned my back and Mischief had vanished.”
“It sounds like you named her appropriately.”
Jane chuckled. “That’s just her pet name. Her stage name is Baby Rapscallion Strut the Third. She’s a Portuguese water dog, about knee high, with curly black and white fur. She’s a lovely little thing.”
“I didn’t see her in the hall while I was locking up,” I said.