by K E O'Connor
Jane’s mouth twisted to the side. “I’ll take a look for her outside again. I’m sure she’ll be fine. This seems like a safe place.”
I winced but decided not to mention the zombie risk. I had to hope they were tucked in their beds and not taking a midnight stroll. Mischief roaming about might be too much of a temptation to resist.
“I’ll look out for Mischief on my walk home,” I said. “Which bed-and-breakfast are you staying in?”
“Thanks. High Tides. Mischief has done this before, so I’m not too panicked. Sometimes, she disappears for a whole night. She always makes her way home. Still, it will be a comfort to know she’s okay.”
“Of course. I’ve got your details. I’ll give you a call if she turns up.”
“Thanks, Cassie.” Jane nodded before hurrying out of the town hall, whistling and calling for her dog.
I looked down at Stool and Asadi, who’d been following me around. “How about we go for a little search and rescue of our own?”
Stool tilted his head, but Asadi didn’t respond.
I found a spare leash and attached it to Asadi’s collar to make sure he kept up. I locked the final door and left the town hall.
The streets were quiet as we walked along, the dogs’ claws tapping on the cobblestones. It was a mild evening, and a large moon sat high in the sky making it easier to look around for any signs of Mischief.
I walked slowly, peering along alleyways as I passed them to see if I could spot the missing dog.
I was about halfway home, when Stool stopped walking. The fur on his back rose, and he turned to look along an alleyway.
I blinked slowly and peered into the gloom as my eyes adjusted. “Can you see something? Is it Mischief?”
The sound of a quiet whimper filtered out of the alleyway.
My pulse skipped as I stared into the gloom. Something was lurking in the shadows.
“What is it?” I whispered to Stool.
He lowered his head and began to growl.
Chapter 7
I tried to squash my nerves and settled a hand on Stool’s head to quieten him. I tugged gently on Asadi’s leash, and the three of us headed into the alleyway where the noise had come from.
I’d only taken a few steps before there was another whimper. It was followed by the shuffling of feet.
Stool growled again.
“Stay away,” a quiet female voice said.
My eyes widened. That was Zara.
I picked up the pace, the dogs coming with me. The alley curved slightly, and when I rounded the bend, I saw Zara’s straight red hair in the moonlight.
In front of her were three large male zombies.
“Zara! What are you doing?” I hurried closer.
The three male zombies swiveled toward me.
I slowed, shocked to see the intensity in their eyes.
“They want the dog,” Zara said. “Dogs not for eating.”
“The dog?” As I got nearer, Zara was in front of something, her legs splayed. Cowering behind her knees was a black and white dog. His tail was tucked between his legs, and the whites of his eyes were showing.
I stopped a few paces from the zombies. They were from the shelter and new to town. They’d only been here a month.
Stool growled, and I was surprised to hear Asadi rumble a warning as well as they stared at the zombies. They must think this was a dangerous situation.
The zombies’ fingers flexed, and they looked at the dogs.
“No!” I said sharply. “Listen to me. These dogs aren’t for you. You must not eat the animals. If you do, you’re breaking the rules, and you’ll have to leave Zee Town.”
The tallest of the three zombies stepped closer. “Hungry.”
“You don’t need to be hungry,” I said. “There’s plenty of food at the shelter. Why are you out so late?”
“Because of the animals,” he said. “Smell so good.”
I shook my head. My worst fears were being confirmed. The poor zombies were struggling to control themselves with so many animals around.
“Must eat dog,” the zombie in front of me said. He pointed a finger at Stool.
This had gone on for too long. I stepped in front of the dogs and raised both hands. “You will not eat the dogs. You’re going back to the shelter and not leaving until tomorrow morning. Before you leave, you must have plenty of food, so you aren’t hungry. Do you understand?”
The male zombies all blinked slowly. They inched nearer, their focus no longer on the dogs but on me. Or rather, the crescent-shaped scar on the palm of my hand.
“It’s you,” the lead male zombie said.
I lowered my hands slowly. “Promise me you won’t try to take a dog.”
They all nodded. “We promise,” they said in unison.
I blew out a breath. “Excellent. Now, why don’t we get you back to the shelter? You can have something to eat and forget about this evening.”
I glanced at Zara to see her staring at me. I nodded at her. “Everything okay?”
She nodded back.
“Are you good with Mischief?”
“Won’t hurt him,” Zara said. “He’s sweet.”
“Okay. The three of you walk in front of me, Zara, and the dogs. I don’t want you tempted as we head to the shelter. Zara, you stay by my side and bring Mischief with you.”
The zombies shuffled past me. Once they were a few steps ahead, I caught hold of Zara’s elbow and walked along beside her, the three dogs trotting with us.
“What happened?” I whispered to her.
“Was out late. Heard a noise. Found the dog in the alley. He was cornered.”
I smiled at her. “You saved him. That’s brave of you. Those three zombies are big guys.”
“Remembered what you said. Must not hurt the dogs.”
“Thanks, Zara. I’m surprised you’re out so late,” I said.
Zara’s head lowered. “Hard to rest. Dogs are distracting.”
I let out a gentle sigh. “I know. I thought it would be a challenge for you, but nothing like this. I should have told Mavis no to the dog show.”
“She’s too scary to refuse.”
“She’s even scarier than three big hungry zombies,” I said. “We’ll get through it. It’s just three days. So long as we keep everybody fed and distracted, we shouldn’t have any more problems. Although, it might not be a bad idea to have a curfew on the dogs and their owners. This one wasn’t supposed to be out on her own.”
Mischief stayed close to Zara’s heel, seeming relieved not to be under threat of being turned into a late-night dinner snack.
“Curfews are bad,” Zara said. “Remember the bad times.”
“It won’t be like it was during the uprising,” I said. “Maybe just for a couple of nights. I’ll speak to Nick and see what he thinks.”
We reached the shelter and headed inside. I settled the zombies at the table and grabbed three large bowls of meat stew from the serving counter. I also got one for Zara to take away as a reward.
“Is everybody happy now?” I asked them.
They all nodded as they slurped their stew.
“Remember what I said, no dog hunting. Ignore them. If you feel hungry, head here and get yourselves something to eat. The dogs will be gone soon.”
“We’ll obey you,” the largest of the zombies said.
My brow wrinkled. Sometimes, the way the zombies spoke confused me. It was like they saw me as their leader. And they were all obsessed with the scar on my hand.
“Great. Go to bed after you’ve eaten.” I caught hold of Zara’s elbow, and we left them to their food.
“Are you okay to go home now?” I said to Zara as we stood outside the shelter. “Stay inside. Try not to think about the dogs.”
She nodded. “Leave this dog with you?”
“Sure, why not? One more dog won’t be a problem.” Stool, Asadi, and Mischief didn’t seem to mind each other.
Zara ambled away. She was the best assis
tant a woman could have. Zara was so loyal and dedicated, and even though she’d been tempted, she hadn’t given in.
I turned and walked straight into a wall of solid muscle. My gaze lifted until I met Archer’s amused expression.
“What are you doing skulking around in the middle of the night?” He grinned down at me.
“I could ask you the same thing,” I said. “Where did you come from? Isn’t it past your bedtime?”
He snorted a laugh. “I don’t need sleep. I run on pure adrenaline.”
I tilted my head. “That doesn’t sound healthy.”
Archer shrugged. “Despite you giving me the brush off, I’m still looking out for you. One of my team reported you poking around an alleyway with a load of zombies. What’s going on?”
I gestured for him to walk with me. “Our zombies are interested in the tasty treats that come with fur.”
Archer nodded. “That’s hardly a surprise. What does Mavis expect will happen? The zombies of Zee Town have only got so much self-control.”
“Fortunately for us, Zara’s got more self-control than others,” I said. “I went looking for a missing contestant’s dog and found him in an alleyway. Zara was protecting him against three other zombies.”
“And you did your zombie voodoo on them and saved the day?”
I glanced at Archer out of the corner of my eye. “I don’t do zombie voodoo. I spoke calmly to the zombies and explained the situation.”
“Sure you did.” Archer grinned at me. “Not even a little Cassie March zombie magic to keep them calm?”
I ignored the question. “I’m worried this is only the beginning. Once the show gets going, contestants will be out and about all day, walking their dogs and heading back to their bed-and-breakfasts. If we don’t have a slipup, it’ll be a miracle.”
“Your miracle is walking right alongside you.” Archer slung an arm around my shoulders.
I gently shrugged it off. “That’s sweet of you. I can make my own miracles.”
“Lucky girl.” Archer raised a hand. “I see you’re not in the mood this evening.”
I smiled at him gratefully. “Any other day I can handle you, just not today. It’s been long and stressful.”
“I’ll remember that.”
We walked in silence for a moment, heading in the direction of my cottage with Stool, Asadi, and Mischief.
“Have you spoken to Nick?” I asked.
“Not recently. Should I?”
“You don’t know about Delia?”
“Fill me in. What’s the situation?”
It would be okay if Archer knew about the dead body. He probably kept more secrets than James Bond. “Keep this to yourself, but we’ve got more than misbehaving zombies to worry about. Delia Reynolds was a contestant in the dog show. This is her dog, Asadi.” I pointed at the glum Afghan hound.
“You’re talking about Delia in the past tense,” Archer said. “That’s never a good sign.”
“Asadi arrived in the town hall and guided me back to Delia. She’s dead. I found her at the bottom of a flight of steps in the cellar at the bed-and-breakfast she was staying in.”
Archer’s eyebrows shot up. “An accident?”
“Nick doesn’t think so. From the way she landed, Delia was most likely pushed.”
Archer blew out a breath and rubbed a hand over his crew cut. “What do you know about her?”
“Not much,” I said. “I was planning on researching Delia when I got home.”
“Don’t you need to get some rest? Haven’t you got three days of fur and frolics to look after?” He grinned at me.
I rolled my shoulders. “I’ll find it hard to sleep after seeing Delia. It’s a shock finding a body.”
“You know, if you need any company—”
“Thanks! I don’t need that kind of distraction.” Archer was incorrigible.
“You can’t blame a guy for trying.”
I shook my head. “I overheard the competition judges talking about Delia tonight. They had nothing nice to say. She wasn’t popular. There’s even a rumor she drugged some dogs to mess up their chances of winning a competition.”
“That’s a lousy thing to do.” Archer studied the dogs as they ambled in front of us. “Why do you have so many dogs in your company this evening?”
“Stool was my assistant, helping to sniff out the rampaging Mischief.” I pointed at the Portuguese water dog. “Mischief escaped from her owner as I was closing the town hall for the night. And I’m taking care of Asadi until I find him a new home. I’m hoping Delia’s got family or friends who will pick him up.”
“So, not only are you a zombie whisperer, but you’re also the dog whisperer tonight.”
“I’m neither,” I said swiftly.
“Although I never approve of murder, unless it’s sanctioned by the right authorities, if this death is suspicious, it might not be a bad thing for you.”
“What makes you say that?”
“It could mean the end of the dog show,” Archer said. “Nick might shut the whole thing down, so he can interrogate everybody.”
I grimaced. “Don’t let on I told you about this. Nick told me to keep quiet. He thinks, if anyone did kill Delia, it’s most likely one of the dog owners.”
“That’s logical thinking,” Archer said. “Those dog owners are weird. Easily capable of murder so they win a prize.”
“I won’t mind if the show gets canceled,” I said. “But I’m not saying anything until Nick gives the word. You mustn’t either.”
“My lips are sealed. Even if I’m tortured, I won’t say a thing.” Archer smiled down at me as we approached my cottage. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come in and keep you company over a mug of cocoa?”
“I’ve got all the company I need.” I gestured to the three dogs, not entirely certain where they would all sleep. “Thanks for looking out for me, Archer.”
“Any time.” He tugged a strand of my hair before turning and strolling into the darkness.
I opened the door and ushered the dogs into the cottage.
Stool happily limped in. Mischief sniffed around the door frame for a moment before deciding she liked the look of the inside and bounded in after Stool.
Asadi looked up at me and then along the lane.
“I’m so sorry, beautiful. I know I’m not Delia, but you’ll have to put up with me for now. I promise, first thing in the morning, I’ll get looking for someone who can take you.” Someone must have loved Delia and her dog. I petted Asadi and gave him several biscuits before he finally walked into the cottage, lifted his nose, and had a good sniff.
I checked the time. It was late, but I’d try calling Jane to let her know I had Mischief.
I located her number and rang it, but it went to voicemail. I sent a message, letting her know Mischief was safe and well and I’d bring her back first thing.
And while I was doing that, I’d have a friendly chat with Jane, see what she knew about Delia and if anyone might have had it in for her.
That wasn’t officially snooping, so I couldn’t get in trouble with Nick.
If I told myself that enough times, I might just believe it.
Chapter 8
I’d just hopped out of the shower and was drying my hair when my phone buzzed.
My eyebrows rose when I saw the caller. It was Mavis Buster. It had only just gone six in the morning, and I’d not had the best night’s sleep. I’d been kept awake by snoring dogs and my own tumbling thoughts as I’d puzzled through what had happened to Delia.
“Good morning, Councilwoman Buster,” I said.
“Cassie, I’m glad to have caught you,” she said. “I’ve spoken to Officer Morton. He’s alerted me to the unfortunate... situation with Delia.”
I nodded slowly. Of course, he would have to tell her what was going on. This basically was her dog show. “It was a shock finding Delia like that.”
“I imagine so. But the show must go on, you understand.”
> My eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure I do. I understand that Nick needs to do some investigating before deciding on the cause of death.”
“He’s following my instructions on that matter,” Councilwoman Buster said.
“And how did Delia die?”
“A fall down the stairs,” Councilwoman Buster said. “Hard stone floor against bone head will always win.”
I grimaced. Poor Delia. And poor Asadi. He stood watching me from the end of my bed as if he knew I was talking about his former owner.
“Officer Morton is putting out a public statement for everyone involved in the show,” Councilwoman Buster said.
“What’s he saying happened?”
“Delia’s dead, and he’s being thorough and asking questions to ensure he has all the information he needs.”
I blew out a breath. At least I didn’t need to keep Delia’s death a secret anymore and could do my own questioning.
“Anyway, I wanted to let you know that the contest will continue unaltered,” Councilwoman Buster said.
“Is that a good idea?” I asked. “If Delia was pushed, then someone in the show might be involved.”
“I’m not letting a little thing like this get in the way of the biggest event Zee Town’s ever seen,” Councilwoman Buster said.
I sucked in a breath. Murder was hardly a little thing. “What should I tell the other contestants? What if they’re also at risk?”
“Tell them nothing,” Councilwoman Buster said. “I’ve reassured Officer Morton that I’ll oversee things. Everything can continue as normal. He may do discrete questioning, but he’s not to alarm other participants. Animals pick up on their owners’ stress. That will be bad for the show.”
I could imagine how well that conversation had gone down with Nick. He hated being told how to do his job and people interfering when he investigated. I should know; I’d done it enough times.
“And Nick was happy about that?”
“His happiness isn’t my concern,” Mavis said. “The dog show will go on. We have our opening event at ten o’clock. That will happen as planned. I’m so looking forward to it. As are my boys.”
I raised my gaze to the ceiling. “Whatever you think is best.”