She changed tacks. “What can you tell me about Bethany?�
Nick looked surprised, and then remembered annoyance crossed his face. “Bethany Underhill? She’s a regular pain in my side, but she’s harmless. She likes to protest just about everything that crosses her path, and she makes frequent phone calls to the station to complain about just about everything. Not that long ago, she thought that Hattie had deliberately run over her dog.�
“With her car? I thought Hattie didn’t leave the house.�
“It was the night of the launch party. Honestly, I think that Hattie just wasn’t used to driving the car, and that dog is never restrained.� Nick shrugged. “Hattie paid for the vet bill, and the dog was fine after a couple of days, but Bethany wouldn’t let it go. She wanted me to investigate.�
Deliberately running over a dog? That was certainly a motive for foul play, at least in Olivia’s book. “So you’re telling me that you have an angry neighbor and a missing neighbor, and that’s not enough to open an investigation?�
“I’m sorry, Olivia.� The sheriff honestly did look a little frustrated, and Olivia shook her head and stood. Nick was nothing if not a by-the-book guy, and she could tell that they weren’t going anywhere.
“Jackie’s snake?� she said as an afterthought.
“We’re looking into it, but it sounds like a practical joke. I still don’t like the idea that you were looking into that vandalism at her shop when your office was broken into, but right now, I don’t think that she’s in any danger. I’ll let you know if that changes.�
Olivia raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t like Nick to offer to share information with her. “Will you, really?�
“Yes.� His expression was serious as he nodded, and Olivia frowned as she headed toward the door.
What was going on?
As she collected the dogs for their scheduled walk, nearly an hour late, she texted Andrew to give him an update on everything. She just managed to get all the wiggling bodies exercised and loved before heading back to the bakery to prep for the interviews of her potential employees.
As she walked into the bakery, she headed for the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, but the sight that greeted her there stopped her cold. Janelle was seated on a stool and leaning across the counter, her head resting on a ball of dough. Gasping, Olivia was rushing forward when Mary suddenly appeared and grabbed her arm. “It’s okay,� Janelle’s assistant whispered. “She’s just sleeping. She’s been exhausted all morning. She needs to take a break.�
Relaxing, Olivia blew out her breath. “Is she okay?�
“She’s stressed and overworked. Just let her rest for a little bit longer. I’ve got to head back to the front.� She shook her head. “Too bad about the dough. We’ll have to throw it out and start that batch over.� She shrugged philosophically and added, “Spilt milk. Speaking of milk, want me to put another pot of coffee on for you?�
“Yes, please. I’ve got two interviews scheduled for this afternoon, and I’m going to need a caffeine jolt after the morning that I’ve had.�
Mary nodded and headed back out to the front. Olivia was about to make her way upstairs when the oven timer dinged. Cringing, she looked back. Janelle would never forgive herself if she let something burn in the oven. With a sigh, she grabbed a silicone mitt and opened the oven.
It was empty.
Looking to her left, she saw the pan of rolls waiting to go in. That would be simple enough. No actual food prep involved. Olivia put the pan in the oven and shut the door. How much time did rolls need to bake?
Giving it an hour, she scribbled a note on the pad next to Janelle, poured herself a cup of coffee from the old pot, and headed upstairs. She had hardly sat down before there was a knock at the door.
Her first interview.
The girl looked barely out of high school; she had a high, bouncing, blonde ponytail and pink lip gloss. She was dressed in a pair of tight jeans, an even tighter pink tank top that showed off a little too much cleavage and abdomen, and pink tennis shoes.
“Natalie?� Olivia asked as she slowly stood up. This was how the woman had dressed for an interview?
The interviewee’s face broke out in a wide grin. “Yeah! Hiyah! You must be Olivia!�
“I must be.� Her words were laced with confusion. The woman’s resumé was impressive—three years of experience at a Lowell vet. However, the girl standing in front of Olivia didn’t even look old enough to have three years’ worth of work experience.
Gesturing to the chair, Olivia inhaled deeply. The girl was here. She might as well interview her. “Have a seat.�
“Oh! You already have two doggies here!� Natalia squealed with excitement as she swung her purse into the chair and hurried to the next room where Goodwin and Fender were leaning over the dog gate, tails wagging.
“That’s Goodwin and Fender. They’re my personal dogs.� It wasn’t surprising that Goodwin was acting this way, but Fender was usually more reserved with strangers. Now, the old basset hound was happily licking at the girl’s hand while she carefully scratched both heads.
“Oh, his coat looks great for a basset hound as old as he is,� Natalie cooed. “Nice and shiny but with no oily buildup. Did you raise him from a puppy?�
Blinking, Olivia smiled. “No. I’ve only had him for about a year. He was all but left on my doorstep in a basket,� she added with a laugh. “He requires lots of baths—which he doesn’t love—but he’s pretty healthy, considering. He’s also usually not so friendly with people.�
“I just love dogs,� the girl breathed as she gave each dog a kiss on the head and straightened. “I thought that I’d like to be a vet, but that line of business just broke my heart. Too many people not taking adequate care of their pets. I just couldn’t cut it anymore.�
“This is just a part-time job, Natalie. It’s definitely not going to be like working as a vet tech.�
Natalie waved her hands airily as she bounced back to the chair and sat down. “I know! I already got a job working for Lady Celeste. Did you know that she’s a psychic? She’s the one who told me that you might be hiring. I really need to get my dog fix.�
Olivia almost choked. “You’re working for Lady Celeste?�
The young woman beamed. “Yes!�
“Doing what?� Olivia prayed the girl wasn’t about to tell that she was a psychic in training.
“Oh, just minding the store. Lady Celeste said that she wanted to do more experiencing of life and all of the pleasure that it had to offer.�
“Oh.� Olivia shut her eyes and shuddered. She really hoped that wasn’t a euphemism for all the pleasure that Mayor Henderson had to offer.
“She’s super flexible with my schedule, so I don’t see any obstacles about one job affecting the other. Ms. Rickard, I know I don’t look like I can handle dogs, but I promise that I am used to wrangling one-hundred-and-fifty-pound beasts in order to give them shots and managing five puppies to make sure that none of them falls off the table. I don’t mind the messy bits, and I love slobbery kisses. I’m also great in pet emergencies.�
Sitting back down, Olivia shook her head. “Natalie, you’re almost overqualified. I’m looking for someone who’s going to stick with this job.�
“I’m your woman!� Natalie leaned forward with a hopeful look on her face. “I’m not commuting from Lowell. I just signed the lease for an apar
tment yesterday here in Lexingburg. I like this town. I plan to stay here.�
Her face was sincere. Olivia couldn’t help but like the young woman.
Even if she was dressed from head to toe in pink.
Olivia asked her a few more standard questions before standing and shaking her hand. “I have another interview to conduct today, Natalie, but I’ll be getting in touch with you once I’ve made my decision. Thanks for coming in today.�
“Thanks for meeting with me!� Natalie grinned, and Olivia half-expected to see her smack some bubble gum. She didn’t—but she did give Goodwin and Fender a little more love before leaving the office.
While Olivia waited for the next woman, she checked Natalie’s references. Everyone at the vet clinic had nothing but excellent things to say about Natalie’s work with the animals, although most of them commented that her personality was a little bright.
More like blinding.
Twenty minutes later, when it had become obvious that the other woman wasn’t going to show, Olivia headed back downstairs to check on Janelle. It was time, once and for all, to make her sister slow down and take a deep breath. If she hired Natalie, Olivia would have more time to help her sister out—or at least convince her to hire more people to help out in the bakery.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out. Seeing Andrew’s name on the caller ID made her smile. “Missing me yet?� she purred.
“Every second.� He hesitated. “I did receive all thirty of the updated text messages that you sent me. You don’t have to tell me when you leave the office to get coffee, you know. But other than that, it sounds like things are exciting on your end.�
Great. He was already mad at her about getting involved with something. “I’m just being open and communicative. And I am minding my own business,� she promised him. “And I am not getting involved in Hattie’s disappearance. In fact, I just interviewed a promising prospective employee. Well, I saw promise, anyhow. I’m actually on the fence about her. How do you feel about pink?�
“The color or the singer?�
Olivia chuckled as she entered the bakery. “Never mind. How is the conference?�
Mary was in the corner flirting with Wilbur again, and the tables in the seating area were nearly all filled with other sprinklings of people.
“Boring. I actually got another email from Hattie. It looks like it was sent right around the time that you said you were in her house. It says that she has a family emergency, and she’ll be out of touch for the next two weeks. She sent me the reports I needed.�
“Oh. That’s great!� She tried to sound optimistic even though the alarm bells were going off in her head. Hattie might have forgotten about cancelling deliveries, but she’d left without making any arrangements for her cat?
As she entered the kitchen of the bakery, an acrid burning smell hit her nostrils. “Crap! Andrew, hang on!� Dropping the phone on the counter, she vaulted for the oven and opened it.
A wave of smoke rolled out, and Olivia quickly hit the off button and grabbed the mitt.
Just then, Janelle bolted upright. “What’s burning?� she yelled.
“It’s okay, I got it!�
Janelle opened her mouth, and then the strangest look spread across her face. Smacking her hand over her mouth, she whirled around and raced to the bathroom.
“Andrew? Are you still there?� Olivia asked as she picked up the phone and dropped the pan of blackened rolls in the sink. Turning on the water, she waved the steam away as it hissed.
“Are you okay?�
“Yeah. I think I misjudged how long it takes to bake bread. I sort of burned the rolls.�
“You’re baking bread?� She could hear the incredulous note in his voice.
“Janelle was sleeping, and I was trying to help out. It’s not important.�
But Andrew’s next words proved he had something else on his mind. “Olivia, I’m just going to say it. The language in the email doesn’t sound anything like Hattie. She’s very specific and technical in her communications, but these emails are full of slang and abbreviations. She doesn’t write at all like that. I don’t think she’s the one composing these emails.� She heard him take a deep breath. “Olivia, I think that something is wrong.�
Frustrated, she tugged at her hair. “I think there’s something wrong, too. I tried to tell Nick, but he said that the emails indicate that she’s fine, and he has no reason to investigate. The thing is, I think that he thinks there’s something wrong, too, but he can’t do anything about it.�
“But you can.�
Olivia froze, her eyes widening. Surely, she hadn’t just heard what she thought she’d heard. “Just so we’re clear, you’re asking me to look into Hattie’s disappearance.�
“Yes.�
“You want me to investigate.�
“Yes.�
“Are you drunk? Is someone holding a gun to your head? Maybe we should have come up with a distress word before you left.�
“Olivia, I’m worried about Hattie. I don’t want you to get yourself into trouble, but you could at least look into it and give Nick a reason to investigate, right? I’m not asking you to chase down a killer. Just see if you can find some evidence that maybe Hattie isn’t the one sending me these emails. I’m going to spend some time tonight trying to see where these emails originated, but maybe you could look into her house a little more closely.�
This was a momentous occasion. Not only was Andrew asking for her help, but he was also volunteering to help her. And asking her to break in to Hattie’s house. She wished that he was near enough that they could celebrate.
An investigative duo. They could be unstoppable.
“Olivia?�
Shaking herself out of her daydream, she grinned. “I will see what I can do.�
“And you’ll stay out of trouble?� he asked in a warning voice.
“Of course!�
“Good.� He sighed. “I miss you, babe. I’m glad that you’re talking to your sister again.�
“Well, I wouldn’t say that we’re talking. In fact, she took one look at me and looked like she was going to vomit. I’ve heard of people going green, but this was the real deal. She raced into the bathroom and …â€� her voice trailed off.
“And?�
A sudden thought gripped her. “Andrew, I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you tonight.� Adding a quick goodbye, she hung up and slowly tucked the phone into her pants pocket.
Mood swings. Fatigue. Sudden unreasoning panic about looming deadlines.
Nausea.
Holy smokes, Janelle wasn’t possessed by a demon.
Janelle was pregnant.
6
When Janelle got out of the bathroom, Olivia wanted to demand that Janelle tell her the truth, but she also wanted her sister to tell her in her own time. The battle warred inside her, and she finally chose option number two.
“I burned the rolls,� Janelle said stupidly as she stared at the mess in the sink. “I don’t even remember putting them in.�
“You didn’t,� Olivia admitted. “I did. I’m so sorry, Janelle. I overestimated how much time it would take to bake bread. You were asleep, and I just wanted to help.�
Janelle lifted her eyes, and Olivia’s heart broke when she saw that they were filled with tears. Her sister blinked them away and drew herself up to her full height. “Itâ
€™s okay. They were a practice run for the wedding. I was playing with different recipes to find one that might please Bridezilla. I can whip up another batch.â€�
“Sure you can!� Olivia said supportively, then changed the subject. “I’m hiring someone to help me out with the dogs.� She studied her sister to look for other signs of pregnancy. Despite Janelle’s evident exhaustion, her skin glowed, and there was a twinkle in her eye. Now that Olivia knew, the signs were so obvious. How could she have missed it?
Obviously, it was because the sisters had been sniping at each other.
“I can help you out down here more if you need it,� she finally said, a little lamely.
“You’re a terrible baker,� Janelle said with a chuckle. “But I do need some help. I’m thinking of hiring two temporary people to help me out with the wedding, but I like knowing that you’ll be around to help me out. Next time, wake me up when you see me sleeping, okay?�
Not likely. Olivia nodded, smiled, mumbled something about having to go, and turned to head back upstairs. She had one more round of dogs to walk that evening, and she wanted to take Fender with her. She was going to walk Clyde, the arthritic pug, and Lily, the dachshund, which meant they’d be walking at a slow pace.
Her head was spinning. Andrew wanted her help on a case. Janelle was pregnant. There was so much going on, and she didn’t even know where to begin.
“Sorry, Goodwin. You’re way too energetic for Clyde, but be a good boy, and I’ll take you to the dog park tonight before it closes.� Goodwin deserved a little alone time. She knew that he loved being with the other dogs, and there were times he enjoyed cuddling up to Fender, but even dogs could get a little overwhelmed from time to time.
Olivia knew how he felt.
Fender and Clyde were two grumpy old pups, and they barely tolerated each other, much less Goodwin. Although small, Lily was still fairly young, and she wanted to explore everything, she annoyed Fender and Clyde, and they would hurry along at their best limping pace to get away from her. It was a weird system, but it worked.
Kept in the Bark (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 5) Page 5