by Beth Byers
She grinned at me, hiding her laughter as she said, “You don’t arrest those you love.”
“You do,” I told her, “If it’s true love.”
“Kinky,” she said, and it was me who groaned this time. We waited outside of the house even though I suspected that they’d show up and tell us to go away. The police would search the place and we’d be left out.
What I wanted to know was whether whoever had searched Gary’s place had found what they were looking for. If they had, were they gone? If the killer had fled, were we safe again? Carver kept talking as he raced over, but we didn’t leave Zee’s car. Neither of us really wanted Carver and Simon furious with us.
That was the type of thing that ruined family dinner. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’d learned my lesson after nearly dying, but I had certainly learned to be cautious. Besides, Gary had been killed with a knife. There was no sign the killer was in his house, but if he was—we were staying in the car with the door locked.
“I don’t have all day,” I teased Carver while I smirked at Zee. “I have to move the dogs from the shelter to the vet’s office. You’re gonna need to hurry up.”
The sound of his car sirens echoed through Zee’s car, and she bumped her fist with me. A few minutes later, we heard the sirens through the windows of the car and not just the car speakers.
When Carver’s gaze focused on us still inside the car, he seemed shocked. Zee grinned at him as though we’d never have done anything else. But to be honest, stabbing seemed like a bad way to go. I didn’t want to add it to my nightmare list. It was a reasoning, I was smart enough not to share with any of them, so I just shrugged at Carver.
“You can’t come in,” he told us.
Zee shot him a nasty look, but I rolled the window down and asked, “Do you want us to make sure you don’t get stabbed in the back.”
He scowled and then took out his gun. The way he adjusted his shoulders told us both that he wasn’t afraid.
“You’re not invincible,” Zee told Carver. It was the comment of a girlfriend, and he scowled at her.
“He’s been a bachelor too long,” I told her, loud enough for him to hear me clearly, “He isn’t used to be worried over.”
“Hmmm,” Zee said. Carver’s ears and cheeks were red, and he scowled at both of us.
“I don’t think he wants our help,” I said. Honestly, I didn’t really think anyone was in the house, but I wouldn’t have left Simon, and I didn’t blame her for being unwilling to leave Carver. This was why cops had partners.
The look he shot us told us to get lost, but Zee was winning the stare down. Then he said, “There it is.”
I glanced at Zee and then realized I was hearing another car. One of the traffic cops arrived and Carver raised a brow at us.
“Fine,” Zee said, revving the car engine at him and getting a nasty look from Carver. She grinned unrepentantly and I leaned out and said, “I need to move the dogs from the shelter.”
His expression weighed what I said and then he snapped, “Fine.”
“Fine,” Zee snapped.
“Fine,” I snapped, mocking them both.
“There aren’t enough cops to go with you,” he said.
“So?”
“Call Az,” Carver ordered
“Because he has man parts?” Zee demanded.
“Because he’s trustworthy and cares about you,” Carver snapped back. “Anyone else would murder you two and blame it on the killer.”
Chapter ELEVEN
I wasn’t surprised to see Az and his big truck at the shelter when we arrived. Carver had probably called Az before he’d searched Gary’s house for the killer. The big Jamaican crossed the parking lot to us, arms folded across his chest as he stared us down.
“We didn’t do anything,” I swore as I got out of Zee’s car. I let out Goliath and let him do his business next to the tree on the side of the parking lot as Az’s mocking laughter rolled past me.
I grinned at him and then said, “Thanks for being here, buddy.”
“Anything for you, Rosie luv,” he said.
“What do you think about training Lyle to be the cook and opening a Jamaican food truck by that public parking lot right next to the beach?
He blinked. I was sure my idea came out of nowhere, but I watched as his eyes glinted at the thought and I grinned.
“Probably we should plan that after we solve this murder and get these dogs sorted,” Zee said. Her tone was approving.
“But he’ll need a menu for the event on Labor Day. A tent for the new food truck would be better than one for The 2nd Chance Diner. Besides, we can still sell our desserts while he sells his jerk chicken or whatever.”
“Focus, Rose,” Zee said. “Az, you’re the lookout and muscle. We need to load up the dogs, take them to the vet, and get any paperwork with personal information on it.”
“Gary shredded that stuff,” I told her.
We went into the shelter and grabbed one of the dogs and a harness. We put the little dogs onto the bench seat in Az’s truck, the Great Dane went back to Zee’s car, and then we took our last three dog crates, strapped them into the truck bed. I grabbed the three dogs that would be the most comfortable and took them out to the yard area.
We just needed to build anew, I thought, staring at the beatdown shelter. I could finance that. It would be good to hire some locals, we could put in a real vet area for the dogs to be checked over. An area that was meant for grooming dogs. It would be so much better for the dogs that way. We could even have a room for little animals like hedgehogs or birds. An area for the kitten overflow that happened during kitten season to help out the private cat shelter.
I threw the ball a few times for the dogs as I imagined it and then my gaze was caught by the wooden shed that had been built for the dog excrement. I frowned at it and then glanced back at the shelter. The little shed was adorable. It was well made. It was the only nice thing about the shelter. And…Gary had done it.
He was the one who emptied it. Jenny refused to, and I didn’t see how being a volunteer signed me up for lifting oversized bags of pooh. Could it be? Hiding something behind actual feces was a good idea. Maybe too good of an idea for Gary. But even idiots had the occasional good idea. I walked over to the little shed and stared for a long minute before I opened the wooden door. Inside was a plastic garbage can that caught the deposits we threw through the opening.
I slowly pulled out the large garbage can and behind it I found a small gray metal box. It almost disappeared in the darkness of the cabinet but not quite. I leaned over, slowly picking it up and heard, “I heard you were a busy body, but even I’m a little surprised you found Gary’s stash.”
I turned to face Tom and was unsurprised.
“Is Philip even your dog?”
“Of course not,” Tom scoffed. “He does belong to some kid in Tillamook though.”
I nodded, staring at the man. Not the man. The murderer. I hadn’t noticed the cold look in his eyes before. Maybe I had been feeling too guilty about not finding his dog that I hadn’t seen what was in front of my face.
I was afraid. I could feel the tightness in my lungs again. Was it all in my head or were my lungs burning to remind me I’d only survived last time by sheer chance? I stared at his hands and saw a knife. I did not want to die on the same knife that had killed Gary. What a way to go? I wanted to get married! I wanted to have a baby! I wanted to see that flash of happiness in Az’s eyes come to fruition. I wanted to see Zee and Carver spend the rest of their lives sniping at each other. I had so much I wanted to do. Most of all, I wanted to leap into Simon’s arms and feel him hold me close.
I took a slow breath in and said, “This doesn’t have to get ugly.”
“Well…” Tom countered, “I’m afraid it does.”
I almost felt the weight of the cuffs around my wrist again and heard the cackle of the fire that had been intended to kill me. A part of me wanted to curl up and wrap my head tight. But i
nstead, I threw the box at Tom and turned, darting to the fence and throwing myself over it. I crashed onto the gravel, screaming.
I could feel the hunt on me, the fixation of the man who intended to kill me. I would not make it easy. Not at all. I was going to fight until it was too late and then fight to my dying breath.
“Rose!” Az shouted.
I ran towards his voice, but I was too late. I was tackled to the ground on the side of the shelter. I looked up to see Az standing by his truck while Zee was frozen in horror, the door of her car open as she looked back over her shoulder.
“Just stop,” Az told Tom. Az approached slowly, but all I could register was the haunting feel of my death approaching. I wasn’t going to make it. Tom had a knife and Az was unarmed. The sound of dogs howling filled the air and Az held out his arms to the side. “Just let her go. You can’t take us all.”
The knife was placed against my neck, and Tom ordered, “Get back or I’ll kill her. What’s one more?”
“A longer sentence,” Zee told him. “It’s one thing to kill your crime partner. It’s another to kill a local hero, a cop’s girlfriend, and volunteer. You think any judge won’t throw the book at you for that? She finances a shelter for unwanted dogs, you fool. Let her go.”
“Enough!” Tom ordered. “Just enough. Get back!”
“You can make up some lie about Gary attacking you,” Zee said gently. “You can’t do that with Rose. Let her go. We won’t chase you. Az and I don’t care about you.”
“Shut up!” Tom shouted. “Just shut up!”
Even I could hear the panic in his voice. The sound of the dogs was louder. I wasn’t surprised they sensed something was very wrong. I whimpered a little, but I bit it back. I’d hold still until I got my chance. Then I’d escape. I’d get a chance. I would.
I scrunched my eyes tight and heard the growl of a furious dog. My gaze darted to the side and I saw Goliath’s monster teeth for the first time in a way that was terrifying.
Tom cursed and then Goliath leaped. Az ran forward, dragging me away, and Zee calmly pulled a gun from behind her back, pressing it against Tom’s head while Goliath held him down.
“Rose,” Zee ordered, “Get up. Goliath is bleeding.”
I yelped and pulled Goliath away from Tom. My sweet, oversized pup had been stabbed, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t anywhere crazy dangerous. My hands were shaking as I dug out my phone and called the vet, demanding she come right then. I took off my shirt, pressed it against Goliath’s side and cooed to him while Az called the police.
In a sort of distant way, I saw my hands were shaking, but the pressure was firm and strong on Goliath’s wounds. His chocolate gaze was fixed on mine in sheer love despite how my hands pushed against his wound.
“It’s going to be ok, buddy,” I told him. “Its going to be ok. Whatever it takes, we’ll get you right. I could hear my voice crack. I could hear the worry in my gaze, and my sweet giant’s tail flopped against the ground.
“Ok,” Zee said as the vet ran up to us. “Even I am a dog lover after that.”
I cried, feeling the tears roll down my face as the doctor took over.
“It’s going to be ok,” she told me as she pressed a shot into Goliath. His eyes drooped in seconds, and she said, “He’s not in pain now. I’ve got him.”
Zee squatted down next to me when a uniformed police officer cuffed Tom, took Zee’s gun away, and lifted the criminal up. It was a race to get Tom into the police car before Simon and Carver arrived, and he just made it. It was a good thing. One of them might have killed Tom. Assuming I didn’t. But before I had a chance to attack Tom, I was wrapped up in tight, stringy arms. Zee held me close, whispering nonsense to me until Simon arrived and took over.
He almost snatched me from Zee, wrapping me up in his work shirt and rubbing the shock out of my arms. I was shaking, bloody from Goliath, and to my surprise, bleeding from the knife Tom had held to my throat.
Simon held a cotton pad to my throat, pressed a kiss to my forehead, and begged, “Never leave the house without the Great Dane. Promise me?”
“Goliath,” I told Simon, “And I promise.”
* * * * *
It turned out Gary wasn’t quite as stupid as we’d thought. He’d gotten pictures of Tom stealing dogs and accepting payments. What Gary had gathered had killed him in the end, but with the evidence of Gary’s blood on Tom’s knife, Gary’s blood on the rags in the back of Tom’s car, and the way he attacked me, he was going to jail for a long time.
Goliath recovered fully. The wound was shallow and he barely lost that much blood before we’d stopped it. The shelter wasn’t able to find all the original homes for the dogs, but a lot of them went home. The sweet golden retriever really did go to a little girl in Tillamook. The pit bulls stayed with Carver. The ones who weren’t returned were adopted by dog lovers who heard their stories. After the publicity, we found homes for all the dogs in our shelter while we rebuilt.
We did find Goliath’s home. But, after they heard about how he saved me, they let me keep him. Goliath had been stolen within weeks of being adopted by his last family. Instead, they took one of the other dogs who couldn’t be returned. I outfitted that dog with everything under the sun, and we were all happy.
The new shelter was all I wanted it to be. We got a contract from the town of Silver Falls that kept the town money coming in while letting me be the boss. The mayor hated the plan, but the town council overruled her. It turned out finding a competent manager was easy. As was stepping back and letting Zee’s friend take over Donuts for Dogs while Az took over running the Jamaican food tent. I took over nursing Goliath and training the shelter manager.
We’d never brought more money in for the shelter than we did in the months we were rebuilding. The combination of the fund raiser, publicity from the crime ring, and one very successful Go Fund Me, and I barely had to help pay for the new state-of-the-art-facilities.
For the dogs, it was a happily ever after. For the criminals, it was jail time. For me, it ended being wrapped up in my love’s arms as he brought me home. And yeah, I laid down on the floor of our living room and let myself be covered in our dogs. Sometimes, the only way to reset was with wet puppy kisses.
The End
Hello! Hello! Can I just take a moment to gush over how much I love you for reading my books and giving me a chance? Writing is the best thing ever! Almost as awesome are reviews, and indie folks, like myself, need them desperately! If you wouldn’t mind, I would be so grateful for a review.
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The next book in The 2nd Chance Diner series is available for preorder now. Just click here.
Rosemary Baldwin is requested to put together a special event to honor the Zee's mother. Straight from Great Britain, you'd never think Zee's mama would be so proper. Only as Zee's family gathers, Zee's one-time love falls dead. Her family members are the main suspects. For once, Zee doesn't have to drag Rose into the investigation. Will they be able to find the murderer before it's too late?
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Also By Beth Byers
The 2nd Chance Diner Mysteries
Spaghetti, Meatballs, & Murder
Cookies & Catastrophe
(found in the Christmas boxset, The Three Carols of Cozy Christmas Murder)
Poison & Pie
Double Mocha Murder
Cinnamon Rolls & Cyanide
Tea & Temptation
Donuts & Danger
Scones & Scandal (Coming June 2018)
Lemonade & Loathing (Coming July 2018)
Wedding Cake & Woe (Coming Sum
mer 2018)
The Brightwater Bay Mysteries
(co-written with Carolyn L. Dean and Angela Blackmoore)
A Little Taste of Murder
(found in the Christmas boxset, The Three Carols of Cozy Christmas Murder)
A Tiny Dash of Death
A Sweet Spoonful of Cyanide
Also By Amanda A. Allen
The Mystic Cove Mommy Mysteries
Bedtimes & Broomsticks
Runes & Roller Skates
Costumes and Cauldrons (found in the anthology Witch or Treat)
Banshees and Babysitters
Spellbooks and Sleepovers: A Mystic Cove Short Story
Hobgoblins and Homework
Gifts and Ghouls (found in the anthology Spells and Jinglebells)
Christmas and Curses
Potions & Passions (found in the anthology Hexes and Ohs)
Valentines & Valkyries
Infants & Incantations (Coming Soon)
The Zinnia West 1950s Mysteries (co-written with Christina Hill)
Zinnia West & The Corpse Served Cold
Zinnia West & The Corpse Burnt Crisp
The Rue Hallow Mysteries
Hallow Graves
Hungry Graves
Lonely Graves
Sisters and Graves
Yule Graves
Fated Graves
Ruby Graves
The Inept Witches Mysteries (co-written with Auburn Seal)
Inconvenient Murder
Moonlight Murder
Bewitched Murder
Presidium Vignettes (with Rue Hallow)
Prague Murder
Paris Murder
Murder By Degrees
Curses of the Witch Queen
Fairy Tales Re-Imagined
Song of Sorrow: A Prelude to Rapunzel
Snow White
Kendawyn Paranormal Regency Romances
Compelled by Love
Bewildered by Love