Without Missing a Bark

by Stella St. Claire

  The sheriff’s words made Andrew feel only a little better. "Thanks, Nick. Tell Olivia that I'm leaving early today to be with her."

  "Will do."

  Cora shook her head as Andrew hung up. "Don't tell me that your girlfriend is involved in yet another mystery."

  "It's a good thing she's as talented at solving mysteries as she is at finding them," he grumbled. "Actually, that reminds me. I need to apologize for the other day. I would never ask you to cover for me when it comes to Olivia. I had no idea that you were going to see her after I’d told her I'd be late coming in."

  Cora chuckled. "So you weren't buying sexy things for Brent and Jackie?"

  "No,” Andrew answered and rolled his eyes, “and I'm going to kill him for saying that. I promise, I didn't actually lie to Olivia. I told her that I was going to be late, but I didn't say that I was going to be working late." Andrew’d had to run an errand that night, and he’d hated misleading Olivia. He certainly hadn't realized that Cora was going to be involved.

  "You don't have to apologize to me, boss,” Cora said, neatly laying the most important stack to Andrew’s immediate left and tapping the edges straight. “I don't even think you could be capable of deception." She hesitated. "I do have a question that I need to ask.” When he nodded, she said, “Once you're gone, will I still have my job?"

  "I've already spoken with Brent, and he sees no reason why you can't work for him. Of course, that's assuming that I get Admin to agree to promote him when I leave. But in either case, I'll make sure you're taken care of. Don't worry, Cora. You're excellent at your job."

  "Thanks, boss." She wrinkled her nose. "Although I'll have to think hard about working for Brent."

  "Jackie's been good for him. He's going to be great," Andrew said and laughed. "Now—I believe that I promised you a long lunch. I don't want to see you back until one."

  "I won't argue with that." She flashed him a grin and left the office.

  Alone, Andrew tried to figure out how he was going to do everything he wanted, keep Olivia out of trouble, and finish all the paperwork stacked on his desk.

  "While I was talking to Sylvia at the newspaper, she accidentally let it slip that Dear Ruby was written by some woman named Maddie, but I didn't make the connection to Madeline until I saw all the clippings of articles in her apartment. I think she's a bit of a hoarder. She kept every article that she ever wrote." Olivia paced back and forth and glanced hesitantly at Andrew. He hadn't said much since he'd rushed to her side.

  She swallowed hard and went on. "Nick said that the department was stretched a little thin with them also investigating Jackie's stalker/vandal. He wants me to go through the articles and the fan letters and pick the most suspicious letters." Olivia winced, thinking how all this might sound to Andrew, and she hurried to add, "But if you don't want me involved, I'll tell him no."

  "Come here." He reached up and pulled her down on the couch beside him. "First and foremost, I want to make sure that you're okay. I know that this isn’t the first dead body you’ve seen, but I'm still worried about you."

  "Well, Hannah doesn't count because I only heard about her death on television. So, technically, I've seen three." She cuddled up under his arm and closed her eyes. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it. I was really relieved, knowing I’d found the puppies, and then I was just shocked at seeing her. Nick said the killer only beat me there by a matter of hours."

  Andrew frowned. "So this paperwork Nick has asked you to do means that you won't be asking too many questions and investigating this on your own?"

  Olivia opened her eyes and sat upright. "I'm just going to help Nick with whatever he says he needs. The real question is whether the Dear Ruby author was killed because she’d stolen innocent puppies or because she ruined someone's life with her column." She leaned over and grabbed her phone. "Sylvia already emailed me copies of some of the letters that people sent to Dear Ruby. This is just from last month.” Her mouth twisted wryly. “She said there was a nasty response to every column Maddie wrote."

  Olivia scrolled through the attachments and shook her head. "This one lost his girlfriend because Dear Ruby told her that she could do better than an unemployed loser. He lost his job because of cutbacks, and he was actively searching for another job. He was unemployed for a month, but Dear Ruby was unreasonably unforgiving.” She paused and shook her head. “And that was one of the nicer letters."

  Andrew took a sip of his beer. "I always thought that her columns were meant to cause drama. I mean, did she ever give good advice?"

  "According to Sylvia? Yes. She told me that Maddie started the column while she was still in school to get her psychology degree. She wanted to help people, and for the first couple of years, her columns were helpful and insightful. Then, she said, Madeline turned bitter and angry. They only kept her on because people were still reading her columns. Something like people watch the Jerry Springer Show."

  Andrew frowned and shook his head. "I wonder what changed."

  "I don't know, but if that has something to do with the reason she was killed, I intend to find out." Olivia glanced up at Andrew again and pointed to her phone. "From the letters. Completely safe—and only if you're okay with it."

  He put an arm around her waist and squeezed gently. "Just be safe, and keep me in the loop.” His eyes narrowing in thought, he added, “Aren't you supposed to work this afternoon?"

  Tucking the phone away, Olivia stood and stretched. "Lady Celeste apparently told Natalie yesterday that she would need to be free today for me because something would come up.” She wrinkled her nose at a sudden realization. “It was very convenient. You don't really think that . . ." her voice trailed off as she tried to wrap her head around the idea that Lady Celeste might be the real thing.

  "Convenient, yes. And I'm not willing to comment on more than that. So if you have the afternoon free, and I have the afternoon free, what do you want to do?"

  "Get started on reading through the letters so I can close this case as quickly as possible." She flashed what she hoped was an apologetic look. "I just don't want this hanging over our heads. Things have been good, lately."

  Andrew reached up and squeezed her hand. "If you want, I can help you. Things are good, Olivia. This isn't going to change that."

  It was just one more reason why Olivia knew that Andrew was the perfect man for her.

  9

  Olivia took a deep breath of fresh air, admiring the gorgeous way the day had turned out, as she and Andrew walked the dogs. Natalie was working for Celeste today, and Andrew would have a late shift at the hospital to help cover some routine computer maintenance that night. They had Goodwin, Snowball, Tucker, and Lily with them—and of course, the four canines just couldn't behave.

  "Goodwin, if you don't quit smacking your tail in Lily's face, she's going to bite you," Olivia said sharply.

  Goodwin only wagged harder.

  "I'm not saying that you're wrong about Scott," Andrew said quietly, and Olivia could hear the unease in his voice. "But I do think that if you try to talk to him again, you're going to push him over the edge. You two don't exactly get along."

  "That's the understatement of the year," Olivia muttered, but then she said to Andrew, "Look, Madeline's murder might not have anything to do with the puppies, but if she was selling them, there's a good chance that she went first to the people who wanted them most. Scott is on that list. So is Lenore, so I'm going to be checking her out, too."

  "So you think that someone went to buy a puppy from her and then discovered who she was? Why didn't they take the puppy, then?"

  "If it were me, my desire to not get caught for murder would outweigh my desire for one of those dogs," Olivia noted dryly.

  Andrew snorted. "If it were you, I'm pretty sure that you'd still take the puppies."

  Laughing, Olivia jabbed him in the stomach. "They are the most adorable puppies, aren't they?"

  "If I wasn't allergic, you'd have all of them, wouldn't you?"
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  Olivia sighed dreamily. "Would you let me have all of them? We'd be very broke."

  "I do like to see you happy." He started to kiss her on the top of her head, but suddenly, Snowball launched forward, Tucker happily jumping to follow, and the big dogs all but dragged Andrew down the street.

  Chuckling, Olivia started jogging to keep up with them.

  Andrew got the Rottweiler under control, and due to the efforts of the humans involved, the group slowed when they neared Scott's house.

  Olivia straightened out Lily and Tucker’s tangled leashes and said, "Okay, so you remember the plan? We tell him that we need some poop bags. We can imply that one of the dogs did their business in his yard . . ."

  "Lie?" Andrew asked with arched eyebrows.

  "I said imply," she soothed. "That's not lying. Anyway, while I'm searching the yard for the ‘mess,’ you get him talking. He doesn't have anything against you, and you can find out his alibi for Madeline's death. Easy peasy."

  "Easy peasy, huh? It sounds messy and complicated to me." He shook his head as they walked up the driveway. Handing her his leashes, he smiled. "All right. Let's see what we can do."

  Olivia tugged on the leashes until she was standing out in the middle of the yard, surrounded by all four dogs. Giving a thumbs-up sign to Andrew, she pretended to scrutinize the ground as she waited patiently. It was risky to pull Andrew into her investigation, but she wanted him to know that they could do it together. Afterward, they'd do something that he liked, and that way, she could prove that they could easily blend their lives together.

  They were ready for it.

  When Scott opened the door and saw her in the middle of his lawn, his face immediately darkened with anger.

  Olivia waved and flashed him what she hoped was a sweet smile, raising her voice in greeting. "Hi Scott! I'm really sorry about this. Snowball is just really hyper today!"

  Andrew frowned at her from the doorstep. "Scott, we're out of poop bags, and Snowball—well, do you have a spare plastic bag?"

  Scott snorted. "Seriously? She's a dog walker, and she doesn't have any poop bags? And she says that I'm irresponsible?"

  Suddenly, Andrew sneezed.

  "Bless you," Olivia called out—but Andrew kept sneezing.

  Frowning, Olivia took a step toward the house.

  That was when Andrew suddenly looked up sharply. "It's you," he snapped at Scott. "You killed Madeline."

  He charged past Scott into the hallway.

  "Andrew!" Olivia called after him, but he didn't stop. "What is he doing?" she asked nobody, for Scott had also disappeared into the house.

  Grumbling, Olivia quickly hooked the four dogs to a post on the front porch and went running after the men. The German Shepherds in the house came thundering down the stairs, and chaos ensued, with excited dogs barking at the top of their voices both inside and outside.

  Olivia found Andrew and Scott arguing in the kitchen. Andrew was adamant. "You must have killed Madeline. You've got the one of those dogs here, don't you?"

  "Andrew, all of the puppies were recovered, remember?" Olivia reminded. One of the German Shepherds had followed her to the kitchen and now licked her hand, and she patted at it absently. It was a good thing that the dogs were friendly.

  Sneezing again, Andrew shook his head. "Then what am I reacting to? It's that shampoo!" He sneezed. “That shampoo they use on Shar-Peis,” he clarified.

  "That's your evidence?" Scott said with an incredulous laugh. "Because you're allergic to dog shampoo? I can explain that. Follow me."

  Curious, Olivia and Andrew followed Scott out of the small house and into the back yard, where a small playpen was set up. Two small brown puppies were rolling around and playing in the enclosure. "They're Shar-Pei–beagle mixes," Scott explained. "I just bathed them this morning so that's probably what you're reacting to. I was pretty sure I wasn't getting any of the Shar-Pei puppies, but there's a breeder in the state who was selling these."

  Olivia frowned. "Are you planning on breeding them?"

  "No," Scott grumbled. "Your advocating has really cut into my business. It's all about adoption these days, so I'm hanging up my hat on breeding German Shepherds. If you must know, these two babies are for my nieces. It's their birthday this weekend, and my brother asked me to use my connections and get him a good deal."

  Somehow Olivia managed to restrain her desire to clap her hands with glee. At least something was going right. "Scott, I do love your German Shepherds . . ."

  "Save it." He waved his hand in dismissal. "I was planning on retiring Glenda, anyway. She's given me three litters, and now it's time that she just enjoy her life. Despite what you might think, I'm not a monster, Olivia. I do care for these dogs. Anyway, I didn't steal any puppies, and I certainly didn't murder anyone.” He eyed Andrew, showing what looked like honest confusion. “Why would I kill Madeline?"

  Sniffling, Andrew rubbed his nose. "So she didn't call you about buying a puppy?"

  "Not exactly." Scott hesitated and sighed. "She didn't call. The article in the paper made sure that everyone in town knew about the puppy-napping, so I guess her hands were tied. However, there was a letter in my mailbox with no stamp or address. It just had my name on it, and it said that if I was still interested, someone had a puppy to sell me, and I should meet them in the dog park at such-and-such a time."

  "And you didn't think that was suspicious?" Andrew wheezed.

  Concerned, Olivia grabbed his arm. "Maybe we could take this to the front yard before my boyfriend quits breathing?"

  They left through the gate in the back yard and headed around to the front, where they were greeted joyously by the four waiting dogs. Andrew sniffed, but then he took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Better. Thanks."

  "Scott, do you still have that letter?" Olivia asked.

  "Are you kidding? A deputy already came by and talked to me. The last thing I wanted was to be caught with a suspicious letter, accused of a conspiracy to receive stolen property. I tossed that thing out the minute I got it."

  "If you knew it was suspicious, why didn't you go to the police?" Andrew asked.

  Scott reached out and scratched Goodwin's head. That traitor licked the man’s hand and wagged his tail. "Look, I'm not trying to get involved in anyone else's business. I'm not going to get involved in some witch hunt just because a couple of puppies were missing. Maybe this person is from the city—and has nothing to hide. Maybe Charlene gave my name to them. I don't know. It's really none of my business."

  "Do you know who Madeline Stone is?"

  "Yeah. She's the dead woman," Scott grumbled.

  "She's also Dear Ruby," Olivia said softly. "Do you know who that is?"

  Blood drained from Scott's face, and he shuffled his feet. "Sure. That's the gossip columnist. Everyone knows who she is."

  "Did you ever write to her?" Andrew prodded.

  "Nope."

  Olivia shook her head. "Come on, Scott. You don't have a very good poker face. Everyone in this town hates Dear Ruby. Just tell us what happened."

  "Fine," Scott grumbled. "I didn't write to her, but my wife did. Ex-wife, rather. This was years ago. I was working late. We were having money problems, but I never told her how bad it had gotten. I didn't want her to worry."

  "And she wrote to Dear Ruby for advice?" Olivia asked softly.

  "Yup. And Ruby told her that I was most likely having an affair. My ex went ballistic. She didn't believe anything that I said when I tried to explain. She filed for divorce, and during the proceedings, she finally discovered just how bad off we were. That pushed her even further. So yeah, Dear Ruby ruined my marriage.” He held up a staying hand. “Look, I know what you’re thinking. I didn't kill her. I joined a support group online, I got my finances in order, and I moved on. I didn't know who she was—until you told me, just now—and I didn't care."

  "So you have an alibi for yesterday morning?"

  "I was at work. Everyone in my office can vouch for me."
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  "This support group," Andrew asked. "It was for newly divorced men?"

  Scott nodded. "Yeah. First, I came across this message board of other victims of Dear Ruby. One of them suggested the support group. It was really helpful. I still log in and chat with them on a weekly basis. We're all trying to start dating again, and it's not easy."

  "There's a message board of people who hated Dear Ruby?" Andrew reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Can you give me the site address?"

  "Yeah. Sure." While Scott typed it into Andrew’s phone, Olivia went to gather the dogs. She didn't know whether she believed Scott. For such an apparently adjusted man, he still seemed to have a temper, but maybe it was just where Olivia herself was concerned. In any case, it looked like he wasn't their killer.

  "Thanks, man. And sorry about all of this," Andrew apologized. "We're just trying to catch a killer."

  "Yeah, no. I get it." Scott reached out a conciliatory hand, and the two men shook hands.

  Olivia stared at them. Really? Andrew had just accused Scott of murder, and now they were cool?

  "Also, there are few single women at the hospital who love German Shepherds."

  Scott perked up. "Really? Oh, man, it would be great if you could introduce me."

  Scratch that. They weren't just cool. Now they were going to be buddies. What in the world was going on? Olivia cleared her throat. "We're going to get going, Scott. Sorry again about all of this."

  "Hey, Andrew sets me up with one of his friends, and we'll call it even. Also, maybe you can get me a discount for a week or so of doggie daycare?"

  "Sure. We'll chat," Olivia said uncertainly.

  Andrew nodded and started down the steps as Scott went back inside. "Nice guy," he said conversationally. "We should invite him out for drinks sometime."

  Unhooking the dogs, Olivia stared at him. "I can't decide if you're terrible at this—or perfect. First of all, you can't just go charging in and accusing someone of murder. What if he had been the killer? You would have put yourself in danger!"

  As she handed him two of the leashes, all four dogs barked and pulled anxiously. They were ready to continue on their walk.