by Vella Day
“I can try.”
“If we can learn why the dog was taken—again, assuming he was—it might help us figure out who was responsible,” Drake said.
That reason for the spell seemed to be a sticking point. “Any suggestions where I should look?” I asked.
The two brothers looked at each other. “Other than going back to speak with a fellow witch, I got nothing,” Jaxson said.
“My neither. You said you were just with our sheriff. He’s not looking for the dog?” Drake asked.
“It didn’t look like it. Both he and Nash were at the station a few minutes ago.”
Jaxson held up a finger. “I’ll check out the dog owners to see if something like this has happened to them before.”
I snapped my fingers. “You are a genius.”
Jaxson tapped his chest. “Me?”
“When I spoke to the owner of the Papillon, apparently this show wasn’t for first timers. She claimed it was some kind of Master’s level competition.”
Drake smiled. “And you want to know which competitions, if any, had any reports of stolen pets. We could then cross-reference which of our seven contestants were also at the same events. If so, that might narrow the field.”
“Exactly. Unfortunately, I know nothing about these dog competitions. I’m hoping my good friend who works at the library can help.”
“It’s worth a shot,” Drake said.
After I thanked them again for their help, I walked next door to the parking lot since the library was a distance away. Just as I reached my car, my cell rang. It was my mother. Guilt hit me once more. Every time I became wrapped up in helping someone, I didn’t make the time to see my parents.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Glinda, I’m sure you’re off helping someone, but I wanted to remind you about your father’s birthday dinner on Monday.”
My heart nearly stopped. I had forgotten. It was his fiftieth birthday, which made it a big deal. At least I had purchased his gifts already. “Sure. What time do you want me?”
“Seven at our place?”
“Sure. What can I bring?” I asked.
“Don’t you remember you said you’d make the cranberry sauce and that yummy yam casserole?”
The memory came flooding back. “Absolutely. Seven o’clock. Monday. Be there. Thanks, Mom.”
“Is everything okay, sweetie? You sound, oh, I don’t know, more stressed than usual.”
I didn’t want to burden her with this dog mess. She’d want to know why I was getting involved with something that was none of my business. Again. At some point, I’d have to tell her about the request from Gertrude Poole. Even my mother wouldn’t have turned down Gertrude. She was a valued member of our coven—a coven to which I never considered myself belonging. “I’m fine. I’m off to the library. See you in two days. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Her voice faded, most likely from worry.
I hopped in my car and drove to the library. When I walked in, I was happy to see Delilah Smithson manning the front desk. She’d helped so much on the Morgan Oliver case that I was hoping she could steer me in the right direction for this one.
When I approached, Delilah looked up from her computer and smiled. “Well, well. This is becoming a habit. I love it.”
“It seems to be. Since you lent me your genius before, I was hoping you could help me again,” I said.
“I’d love to try. What do you need?”
I explained everything from the pink aura to the missing dog. “In case this type of thing has happened before in Florida, I’d like a list of cities that have hosted agility competitions in say, the last six months.”
“I can certainly take a look,” she said.
“I plan to ask Sheriff Rocker to check for reports of missing dogs in these cities during the run of the show.”
“Sounds good. Give me a few minutes, okay?”
“Sure.” I left Delilah to do her thing while I did a bit of research on my own. I found out that there were classes of competition for this stuff from novice to master level. These dogs at our show must be the best of the best then. I also learned what the obstacles were called. There were weave poles, seesaws, and open tunnels to name a few. Apparently, there could be anywhere from fourteen to twenty obstacles per event. This was a whole new world to me that I found quite fascinating.
Twenty minutes later, Delilah came over with a print out. “I have the list of agility competitions you want.”
When I looked at the list, I sank down in my chair. “Are you kidding me? There’s been about one every week.” I’d been hoping for once a month. I scanned the list. “I’m sure there will be no mention of missing dogs though. If there were, no one would enter. At least I know the location of the towns, so thank you.”
While I could ask Jaxson to investigate these, it would be easier to see what Steve could pull up.
“You don’t have to come just for research, you know,” Delilah said.
“I know. Time seems to get away from me, and life gets in the way sometimes.”
She smiled. “I hear you.”
With the list of events in hand, I returned to the sheriff’s department. This time, the only law enforcement person there was Nash. I didn’t want to discriminate, so I asked Pearl if I could speak with him.
“Of course, dear. I’m sure he’ll make time for you.”
As I walked toward the back, Nash looked up. While he said nothing, his eyes screamed surprise.
He nodded to the paper in my hand. “What’s that?”
I handed him the print out. “I’ve been doing some brainstorming and was wondering if maybe there have been other missing dogs at previous agility events. I have a list of all of the competitions in Florida for the last six months.”
He whistled. “There are a lot of these.”
“I know, but if no dogs ran off—or weren’t kidnapped in any other past event—it might make it easier to narrow down our suspects.”
“Our?”
Darn it. “Your suspects.”
The slight tilt of his head and the imperceptible upturn of his lips implied I’d impressed him. “I’ll get right on this. Anything else?” he asked.
Wanting to be totally transparent with the law, I let him know my pink aura theory.
“You think this aura might be a spell that lures a dog away from its owner?”
If I had told him I had just met an alien, he would have acted less surprised. I wouldn’t be put off though. “It’s just a theory.”
His lips almost formed a smile. “Good to know.”
Since that seemed to be about all the time he was going to give me, I pushed back my chair. “Where’s Steve?” I hadn’t really meant to ask, but I was eternally curious.
“Doing his job.”
Okay. The boys’ club was in full force. After chatting with Pearl once more, and sadly learning nothing new, I needed to do one more thing before I could relax. Now that the dog was confirmed missing, I wanted to confer with Gertrude once more about the pink aura and what it could mean. If that failed, I’d pass my theory by Bertha and Hazel to see if they were aware of a spell that could hypnotize a person or animal.
When I entered the Psychics Corner, the lobby had quite a few people, unlike the last time I was there. I walked up to Sarah. “By any chance is Gertrude free? I only need a minute of her time.”
Sarah checked her computer screen. “She has an appointment in ten minutes.”
“That’s perfect.” I smiled and dashed off before she told me not to disturb the psychic.
Sarah must think I was a free-loader rushing in all the time. Truth was, I had tried to pay both Jack and Gertrude, but they wouldn’t take any money.
I knocked on her door. When she called out for me to come in, I entered.
She let out a breath. “Oh, Glinda. I was about to call you.”
That didn’t sound good. “What happened?” I hoped she wasn’t ill.
Gertrude was sitting on a h
ard-backed chair next to a loveseat. I figured the non-cushioned chair was easier to get out of than the soft sofa.
Her office was even more cozy than Jack’s in part because she had flowers under her window sill and tall lamps on either side of her desk that cast a warm glow in the room.
“I saw another pink aura,” she announced. “This time it was around a smaller dog, one with sandy-colored pointed ears.”
Another aura. My pulse skyrocketed. “That’s not good.” I mentally ran through the dogs. My guess would be Snookums, the Papillon. “I think I should call the sheriff and warn him.”
“Yes, dear. You do that.”
I pulled out my phone, and my hands were shaking too much to even swipe the call button. I forced my heart to slow. When I calmed a bit, I contacted Steve.
“Sheriff Rocker.”
He didn’t know it was me? It didn’t matter. “Sheriff, it’s Glinda.”
“I’m a bit busy, Glinda. Can it wait?”
“No, it can’t. Gertrude, the psychic, had another vision of—”
“Let me guess,” he said. “She saw a pink aura around another dog.”
Dread pooled in my stomach. “Yes. Don’t tell me he’s missing too?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Chapter Seven
My heart refused to slow down. “Which dog was it?” I asked, despite being rather sure.
“He is a Papillon belonging to…” A paper rustled. “A Patty O’Neal.”
“I met her yesterday. That is terrible. Does anyone have any clues as to his location?”
“I’m working on it. I have to go but call again if you learn something.”
I really appreciated that he believed I could help. “I will.”
I disconnected and turned back to Gertrude. “I guess you heard. A second dog was taken.”
“Yes, but neither dog will be harmed,” she announced with great calm.
That was good news. Since she had yet to be wrong, I wouldn’t ask her how she knew that. “Did you see anything else in your vision besides the pink aura? Like what the person who took the dog looked like?”
“No. Nothing. I wish I did.”
Too bad. It would have been super helpful if she had seen where the dogs were being held. “I know you have a client, but I have a quick question. Have you heard of a spell that hypnotizes a person or an animal?”
She sat there so long, I feared she might have suffered a stroke. “Yes and no. There are suggestion spells, but I’m guessing you want to know if any one of them comes with a pink aura?”
Gertrude could read minds. “Yes.”
“Not specifically. All of the spells I ever did were for good. I would never hypnotize someone without their consent—dogs included.”
This was scary stuff. “Do you think a black witch is involved?” I didn’t know of any, but I was sure they existed. There were covens all over Florida.
“Most likely, but please do not look for this person, or you could end up in a very bad place.”
Goosebumps ran up and down my body. “Good to know.”
Someone knocked on Gertrude’s door, and then Sarah poked her head in. “Your next appointment is here.”
That was my cue to leave. “Thank you, Gertrude.”
“Any time.”
It had been a long day, and I needed to unwind. There was a slim chance that Iggy had found out something. Those visiting town didn’t have a lot of choices where to eat. Dolly’s diner was the closest to the park, but her place only had ten booths. While we only had ten indoor tables, many ate at the bar or on our expansive outdoor patio.
Not wanting any part of the madhouse inside the restaurant, I went through the side entrance and up the stairs where I found Iggy on the sofa instead of on his stool.
“About time you got home,” he said.
“If there was a way for me to text or even phone you, I would have.” Sheesh. It wasn’t as if he could even use a cell phone. “From the way your tail is moving, you’ve learned something.”
“I have.”
“Let me put down my things and grab a drink. I’m parched. A lot has happened today for me too.”
Iggy followed me into the kitchen. Either he wanted something to eat too, or he was chomping at the bit to learn or to share. “Tell me,” I said as I grabbed a glass from the cupboard.
“Two women who seemed to know the contestants were eating lunch.”
That wasn’t earth shattering news. “And?”
“They were talking about these two women, Patty and Michelle.”
“There is a Patty O’Neal who owns a Papillon. Did you know her dog went missing maybe a half hour ago?” I was making the time up, but it had happened recently.
“No. That makes sense now.”
“Sense, how?”
“Apparently, many years ago, Patty stole another woman’s husband—a woman by the name of Michelle.”
I remember serving Patty, her husband, and her two kids. She seemed nice. “Interesting, but there are a lot of women by the name of Michelle in the world.” I checked the list for one. “I see a Michelle Stewart has a dog she entered in the contest. Do you think that could be the same woman?”
“From the way these two women at lunch were gossiping? Absolutely.”
That might be something else for Steve to investigate. Since Patty’s dog was missing, it was possible that Michelle had something to do with it. “Did you learn anything about Josh Randall? His dog was taken too.”
“No. Got any leaves for me?” Iggy asked.
Apparently, he had given me enough valuable information and wanted his reward. “Sure.”
I fixed him a nice plate and even threw in two blueberries. On occasion, he liked those too. I carried the plate to the coffee table and then sat down.
“I think I need a spreadsheet,” I announced more to remind myself than to Iggy.
“Is that the answer to all of life’s problems?” Iggy asked.
“Maybe. It helps me organize my thoughts.”
“I should have one too.”
I laughed. “Is your life that complicated?”
He lifted his chest. “Do you know what it’s like having a cat for a girlfriend?”
I worked hard not to laugh again. “I can’t say that I do.”
“She’s stuck up and ignores me.”
And yet, he still liked her. “Aimee is a cat.”
“She doesn’t act that way with Aunt Fern,” Iggy said.
I had to say Aimee did seem to adore my aunt. “True.”
Before our discussion could continue, my cell rang. “I should take this. It might be important.”
Iggy turned to the side to see and hear better. The call was from Penny. She’d worked for me today, because she had something to do with her seven-year-old son tomorrow.
“Hey, Penny.”
“What are you doing tonight?” she asked.
“Besides resting? Nothing.”
“You have to do me a favor.”
I was all favored out, but saying no to Penny was impossible. “What is it?”
“Sam and I are going on a date, and I’m petrified.”
I chuckled. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you married to this guy?”
“Yes,” she said. “But we broke up two years ago, because well…you know. This will be our first date since the divorce.”
Perhaps there was a good reason why they hadn’t dated since then. Sam had been into some bad stuff after they married, which was why Penny divorced him. Ever since his former partner in crime had been sentenced to jail time for accessory to murder, Sam had, in theory, cleaned up his act. “You’ll be fine. Where are you going?” It wouldn’t be romantic if they ate at the Tiki Hut Grill.
“Sam suggested we drive over to Holland. He said there is a rather nice steak place there.”
I was impressed. “Steak sounds divine, but be careful. You’ve told me all the stories about how easy it was for him to charm you. Remember
, as soon as you fell for him, he turned on you.”
“I know. I called because I want us to double date. Talking with Sam throughout dinner might be a bit much.”
Two issues came to mind. One was that I didn’t have a second half to this double date, and secondly, if one couldn’t sit through a dinner with someone, how were they ever going to be together in the long run? To my credit, I didn’t voice either of those issues. Well, I was about to mention the lack of a date, because while I was a witch, love spells weren’t my forte.
“Glinda?” Penny asked. “What do you say?”
“Did you have a date for me in mind?”
“I do. Jaxson.”
Mixed emotions slammed into me. Did she want to have him on this double date because she wanted him for herself? When Jaxson first came into town a few months back, Penny had been smitten. She’d seemed interested in learning what she’d missed out on all those years ago in high school. Or was she really trying to help me? I wanted to believe the latter.
“You do know we’re just friends, right? Jaxson is too valuable a resource to ruin by dating him.”
“Fine, then how about Steve?”
That made me laugh. “You might not have heard, but another dog was kidnapped. He’s a bit busy.”
“I know. I even heard the competition has been canceled. The other entrants are afraid something will happen to their dogs too.”
“What?” Why hadn’t someone told me? Like Steve. “That is a real shame, but I’d be afraid too.”
“I don’t blame them either. So, what do you say to double dating?” Penny asked.
While this wasn’t a video call, I could almost see her lips turn into a pout. I didn’t believe in beating around the bush. “I’m not the type to ask someone out on a date,” I announced.
She laughed, all traces of begging gone. “This is the twenty-first century, you know.”
“I do, Miss Smarty Pants.”
“What about Drake then?” Penny said.
“You know he doesn’t date women.”
“Okay, you pick. What about the new deputy? I heard he’s hot,” Penny said, with a hunk of slyness thrown in for good measure.
Enough was enough. “I’m sure Jaxson is working tonight, since this is their busiest night of the week, but I’ll ask him.”