by K E O'Connor
My phone rang, and I pulled it out of my pocket. “Hey, Archer. Is everything okay?”
“That’s a negative. There’s a problem at the show. You’re needed,” Archer said.
“Not more zombie problems?”
“The zombies are acting like angels compared to the dog owners. Things are getting out of control. Do I have authorization to use non-lethal force?”
“What? No! Don’t do anything. I’m on my way.” I stuffed down some lasagne before I jumped to my feet.
“Trouble?” Laura asked.
“Dog fights among the humans.” I shook my head. “I’ll see you later.” I jogged back to the town hall and through the open doors.
I hurried into the show ring. Two people stood toe-to-toe, glaring at each other.
Other dog owners stood nearby, looking on with nervous amusement as if waiting for a fight to begin at any second.
“This is sabotage.” I recognized the red-faced, curly-haired woman as Lindsay. She owned a sleek Dalmatian called Princess Jasmine Fireball Spot.
“You have no proof.” The other woman was called Anna, and she owned an equally beautiful Dalmatian who had too many double-barreled names for me to remember.
My eyes widened as I spotted Lindsay’s Dalmatian. A bright pink stain ran down her back.
I hurried over. “What’s going on?”
Lindsay turned, her eyes blazing with fury. “This monster has ruined my dog. She sabotaged Jasmine’s dry shampoo. Look at her.” She gestured to the pink dog. “How am I supposed to show her when she looks like that?”
“And I’ve already said I had nothing to do with it,” Anna snarled. “You’re the one who doesn’t know how to use your products correctly. You must have mixed the wrong cosmetics and dyed your dog by accident.”
Lindsay snorted and stepped into Anna’s personal space again. “I know how to groom my own dog. I’ve used these products on her hundreds of times. Don’t think I didn’t see you lusting after Jasmine. She’s far superior to your cross breed.”
Anna smirked. “My girl comes with her pedigree papers. I can trace her lineage back six generations. Match that.”
“I don’t need to match it. I see her spots are smeary and her tail is too long.”
“Gertrude doesn’t have smeary spots!”
Lindsay jabbed a finger at Anna. “There’s no doubt I’d have won this contest. You can’t stand the thought of that. You put something in the spray, so Jasmine’s fur would be ruined.”
Anna shoved Lindsay’s shoulder. “Take that back. You’ve got no proof I did anything of the kind.”
“Ladies, there’s no need for this,” I said. “I’m sure there’s an explanation. Can’t the pink be washed off?”
“I’ve tried,” Lindsay said. “It’s a permanent dye. This evil witch did it. She should be disqualified.”
“Gertrude is going nowhere,” Anna said smugly. “She’s in perfect condition, unlike your dog. You should retire from the contest while you can still hold your head up. You don’t want pictures leaking out that show Jasmine looking shabby.”
“You lying, deceitful, little—” Lindsay stumbled backward as Anna shoved her again.
“Stop! Or I’ll have you both disqualified,” I said.
Anna glanced at me. “You wouldn’t dare. This has nothing to do with me. I’m the innocent party here.”
“Innocent or not, you can’t shove another person,” I said.
“I’ll shove whomever I like if they’re accusing me of something I didn’t do,” Anna said. “This woman’s a nightmare. Do you know, the other—” Her words were cut off as Lindsay knocked Anna to the floor.
I stepped back and tripped over one of the Dalmatians, my arms pin wheeling as I tried to keep upright and not squash a pedigree pup who must have had thousands invested in her.
“I’ve got you.” Archer caught me just before I hit the ground and pulled me to my feet.
“Thanks!” I felt his arms tight around me and quickly stepped away.
“Would you like me to handle those two?” Archer grinned as he watched the women rolling around on the floor and batting at each other. “Although, it looks like fun. Maybe we should let them get on with it.”
I raised my gaze to the ceiling. “Get them out of here. They’ll spoil the whole event if they keep on.”
He shot me a salute. “Yes ma’am. Rhino, you take the red-head.” Archer strode over, accompanied by Rhino. They glanced at each other before pulling the women apart, lifting them off the floor, and out of each other’s reach.
“I’m not done with you,” Lindsay yelled as she was carried away by Archer.
“Same goes for me.” Anna kicked her legs in the air. “You’re an embarrassment to the dog show community.”
“You’re an embarrassment to the whole world,” Lindsay yelled as she disappeared through the door.
Anna glowered after Lindsay, not seeming to realize she was being held off the ground by an enormous guy with a gun strapped to his back. Her head twisted, and she stared up at Rhino and blushed. “Hi! You’re awfully big. Do you work out?”
Rhino’s eyes widened, and he looked over at me, a startled expression on his face.
I grinned. “Take Anna outside and let her get some fresh air. Make sure she doesn’t come into contact with Lindsay.”
Rhino nodded as he escorted Anna out of the hall.
I blew out a breath and looked at the Dalmatians. “What am I going to do with you two?”
Jasmine barked and trotted over to Ronald, who stood watching the show.
I caught hold of the other Dalmatian, Gertrude, and followed Jasmine. “Just a little lunchtime entertainment to keep people amused before the next competition begins,” I said to Ronald.
He smiled as he petted the dog. “It’s nothing we haven’t seen before. Things get tense during the pedigree rounds. There’s a lot on the line, you see. People pay thousands to get their hands on a pure breed. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out as they’d wished. There are a lot of unscrupulous people out there who forge paperwork and make unfounded claims about the pedigree of puppies. It’s only when they come to these shows that they realize they’ve literally been sold a pup.”
“Do you know Jasmine?” I nodded at the dog he petted. “She likes you.”
“All dogs like me. They sense when they’ve met a friendly face.”
“Would you mind looking after Jasmine and Gertrude?” I glanced at the door. “They can’t be shown now, and we can’t let Anna and Lindsay take part in the rest of the contest. Not after that behavior.”
“Happy to. And I agree, you’re well within your rights to have them disqualified. You have my backing. The other judges will agree. There’s no need for arguments of this nature. It’s not professional.” He nodded at me before walking away with the two dogs.
I looked around the show ring. I needed to focus. I had another day and a half of this show, plus I had an innocent zombie to free.
The day was only just getting going, and I’d already had a row with Nick and had to break up a fight. I had a feeling the rest of the day would only get worse.
Chapter 16
A warm, soft tongue licking my fingers jerked me from the doze I’d been falling into on my couch.
I opened my eyes and looked around.
Asadi stood by the side of the couch, looking at me expectantly.
“Sorry, Asadi. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Today has been an experience.” I petted his head. “What do you need?”
Asadi rested his head on the couch, his eyes full of sadness.
“Do you want something else to eat?” He’d already been offered his dinner but had barely touched it.
Asadi blinked at me.
“I’ve already let you out. You can’t need the toilet again. How about a toy to play with?” I climbed off the couch and hunted in the cupboards until I found an old tennis ball. “How about this?”
Asadi didn’t even lift his head to inspect
the toy.
I bounced the ball on the floor several times but didn’t get any joy from him.
“You poor thing.” I settled back on the couch and stroked his head. “You must be missing your mom. I bet it’s confusing for you. You don’t understand where she’s gone. It’s no use me telling you what happened. Although, you might be the only eyewitness we have to the murder. If only you could talk.”
I glanced up at the sound of a knock at the front door. I hopped off the couch again and opened it. My eyes widened as I discovered Nick and Stool outside.
“It’s not too late for visitors, is it?” Nick asked.
My eyes narrowed. “It depends what those visitors want. Are they going to tell me why they’re charging an innocent zombie with manslaughter?”
Nick’s mouth turned down.
I stepped to the side as Asadi brushed past me and sniffed noses with Stool.
“I might talk to you about the case, so long as you’re reasonable,” Nick said.
I scowled at him. I was still angry after this morning’s events. “I’m not in the mood for company.”
Nick glanced away. “How about we take Asadi and Stool for a walk?”
“I don’t think he wants to go out.” I looked down to see Asadi’s tail wagging. He was happy to see Stool. It was petty of me to deny him doggy company because I was angry with Nick.
“How about it?” Nick asked. “I’ll even treat you to an ice cream if you like.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I shoved my feet into my shoes and grabbed my purse. I was a sucker for ice cream.
Nick sighed. “Because I came down a little hard on you this morning. You surprised me when you came into the station and accused me of not knowing how to do my job.”
“I never said that exactly.” I attached Asadi’s leash and locked my front door before following Nick along the lane with Stool.
“You might as well have said that,” Nick said. “I’ve done this job for a long time. I know a good suspect when I see one.”
I bit my tongue as we walked in silence. I focused on Stool and Asadi as they trotted side-by-side. Asadi was patient with Stool and adjusted his pace so they could stay together. It was very cute.
I glanced at Nick, and my anger faded. He was offering an olive branch. “Has Ashton confessed to what he did? Did he go into the bed-and-breakfast and confront Delia?”
“His story keeps changing. That’s worrying me. He admitted that he remembers leaving the shelter. He walked along the harbor that night. Ashton definitely walked right past Delia’s bed-and-breakfast. He also stopped outside it. That’s been confirmed.”
“Did he go inside?”
“Ashton’s not certain and panics when I ask him. He knows why I’m asking these questions. He’s scared that, if he says the wrong thing, it’s all over for him.”
“Which is why you need me there. You know I can keep a zombie calm. I won’t interfere. I’ll just be there for Ashton if he needs reassurance. Are you planning to question him more, or is your decision made?”
“I’m wavering,” Nick said. “It’s circumstantial evidence right now. I am listening to you and going easy on Ashton. He seems particularly fragile. The slightest stress and he starts fading in on himself. I had to wait three hours on one occasion before he was up to talking again.”
“Don’t you think that rules him out as the killer?” I asked. “If just the stress of being asked questions about murder has him fading, imagine what he’d have been like if he’d gone to the bed-and-breakfast and confronted Delia? He’d already had one run-in with her, so he knew what she was like. Ashton wouldn’t have wanted that to happen again. There’s no way he could have shoved Delia down the stairs.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” Nick said.
I sighed. I didn’t, and there was some evidence against Ashton. Plus, he was interested in Asadi.
“Ashton’s always been clear that he doesn’t want to eat Asadi. He even told me that the fur would get lodged in his throat if he tried to take a bite.”
Nick grimaced. “You have been doing a lot of snooping into this case and ignoring my instructions not to.”
“For all the right reasons,” I said. “I can hardly not be involved. I’m running the dog show that our victim was involved in.”
A smile traced across Nick’s face. “You’re admitting you knew the victim. Did Delia do something to annoy you? Do I need to add you to my suspect list?”
“That’s not even the tiniest bit funny.”
He nudged me with his elbow. “It is a little funny. You always end up in the middle of these mysteries. One day, someone will plant evidence that gets you put behind bars. It’ll be a punishment for being so nosy.”
“If you keep talking like that, the evidence won’t need to be planted, not if it’s your body that’s found.”
Nick glared at me for a second and laughed. “So, would you like an ice cream?”
I smiled at him. Nice Nick was back. “Why not?”
We wandered to the harbor and over to the ice cream stand run by Flower Woodstock, a tie-dye wearing free spirit who made incredible ice cream, including some suitable for zombies.
“Good evening, you two,” Flower said. “What will you have on this beautiful night?”
“I’ll have a rum and raisin cone,” Nick said.
“I’ll have a peanut butter and cookie crumble triple cone,” I said.
Stool nudged me with his nose.
I chuckled. “And a pot of plain vanilla for one greedy dog.”
Flower smiled as she served the ice cream. “Is this a date?”
Nick’s cheeks flushed pink, and he looked away.
This was awkward. I smiled at Flower. “No, we just fancied a walk together.”
“It’s a wonderful evening for that. Enjoy your ice cream.” Flower gave me a discreet wink.
She had the wrong idea. This wasn’t a date.
We walked along until we found somewhere to sit. Stool and Asadi remained glued to my side as I fed them little scoops of vanilla ice cream while enjoying my own triple cone.
“If Delia was alive, she’d probably try to kill me for feeding her pedigree dog junk food,” I said.
“He’s enjoying himself,” Nick said.
“Asadi’s certainly cheered up since Stool came to visit. The ice cream will only improve his mood. He’s been through a tough time, and I’ve yet to find him a new owner.”
As soon as the dogs had finished their ice cream, they bounded onto the sand to play, leaving me alone with Nick.
Nick was silent for a moment. “Flower’s idea wasn’t such a bad one.”
I looked at him. “What’s that?”
“I mean, we have sort of tried before, going on a date.”
My mouth dropped open. “If you’re talking about that evening when you interrogated me about my past, I don’t call that a date. At least, not a successful one.”
Nick tilted his head. “Are you seeing anyone at the moment?”
I sucked in a breath, not certain I liked the direction of this conversation. “You know I’m single.”
“What about Archer?”
I smiled. “Archer’s very... persistent. He loves to flirt, and I think he enjoys a challenge.”
“Then he’s picked very well with you,” Nick said.
I shook my head. “Funny guy. He’s more suited to somebody like Beth. I suggested they might like to go out together.”
Nick grinned. “What does Archer think of that?”
“His ego might be bruised that I’ve turned him down, but Beth’s lovely. She’s full of fun and energy and loves to try adventurous things. They’d be perfect together.”
Nick nodded slowly. “I can see them as a couple.”
“What about you?” I asked. “Seeing anyone special?”
His lips pressed together for a moment before he shook his head. “Not since my fiancée.” Nick rarely talked about his private life, but he’d o
nce been engaged.
“That’s a long time to be alone,” I said.
“I’ve had options,” Nick said swiftly, “but I’ve been busy. When you move to a new place, it takes a while to make connections.”
“Nick, you’ve been here over five years. That’s long enough to make a few decent connections.”
“And you’ve been here your whole life,” Nick said. “If that logic follows through, you should be married.”
I shrugged. “I lost somebody during the uprising. It wasn’t as serious as being engaged, but he was a decent guy. I thought it would go somewhere. Ever since then, I don’t know, I want to meet somebody, but it’s never happened.”
“Because you have terrible taste in guys,” Nick said.
“Hey! That’s not fair.”
“Do I need to remind you of your dubious dating history?” Nick asked. “You dated a guy who kidnapped zombies.”
“We weren’t seriously dating,” I said. “That’s a terrible example.”
“I have more.”
My eyebrows lifted. “I had no idea you kept such close tabs on my tragic love life.”
Nick scuffed his feet on the ground but didn’t say anything.
“I was talking to one of the judges, Ronald. He has a zombie for a wife. That’s dedication to a relationship. She turned into a placid zombie during the uprising, and he decided to stay with her. That’s true love. I want a guy who’ll stay with me even if I turn into a zombie.”
Nick’s eyes widened before he shook his head. “I’m not sure whether I admire the guy or pity him. How can you have a full relationship with a zombie?”
“It’s happened here,” I said. “Remember when Colin Figgins dated Emma? He wasn’t the only guy in town who became interested in having a placid zombie for a girlfriend.”
Nick shuddered. “There are lines that should never be crossed. That’s one of them.”