Doggie Day Care Murder

by Laurien Berenson

  “Don’t leave the country,” I intoned solemnly.

  “Are you kidding? That guy doesn’t even want me to leave town.”

  We both shook our heads.

  “Let’s start with the assumption that I’m innocent,” said Candy. “I hope you’ve managed to come up with some other suspects.”

  “I’m working on a couple of things,” I said vaguely. There didn’t seem to be any point in revealing how little I’d actually accomplished. “Is there anyone else you can think of whom I should talk to? Maybe someone you might have forgotten to tell me about last time?”

  Candy sat and thought. As I waited, I watched Winston go and retrieve a rawhide bone from a stash of toys beneath the window. He dragged it over next to her chair and began to chew.

  “What about Steve’s exes?” I asked. “Is there anyone in particular who comes to mind? Someone whose relationship with him didn’t end amicably?”

  “Steve didn’t have relationships,” Candy said with a snort. “He wasn’t a commitment kind of guy.”

  “All the better. What about someone who was upset over the way their fling ended?”

  “I don’t know . . . Steve was usually pretty careful about stuff like that. Mostly, he tended to get involved with women who understood the parameters going in.”

  “Mostly?”

  “Sometimes shit happens,” said Candy.

  “Like what?”

  “There was this one girl named Shannon Ritter. She used to be a groomer here—”

  Ding, ding, ding. Either we were having a fire drill or alarms were going off in my brain.

  “Oh,” I said aloud. “I’ve heard about her.”

  “She was a screwup. Not Steve’s finest moment by anyone’s standards. He ended up having to fire her.”

  “Because of the personal issue, or because of what happened to JoyJoy?”

  “Probably both,” Candy admitted. “Even before she messed up with Lila’s bitch, things were getting a little sticky around here. It had become pretty clear that Shannon really needed to go.”

  “Now she lives with Larry Holmes.”

  Candy’s eyes widened. “She does?”

  “He never mentioned that to you?”

  “No,” Candy muttered. “Idiot.”

  “That’s probably why he didn’t tell you.”

  The phone on Candy’s desk began to ring. She picked up, listened for a few seconds, then lifted the receiver away from her ear, and said, “Sorry, I have to take this.”

  I stood up, refolded my chair, and stashed it back in the closet. I’d reached the office door when Candy’s voice stopped me. “Melanie?”

  I turned. She still hadn’t gone back to her call.

  “Despite our differences, I loved my brother. I would never have hurt him. You have to help me prove that.” Her voice shook, making the plea all the more forceful.

  I nodded and let myself out.

  22

  On the way out, I saw the delivery man from Byram Pet Supply again.

  This time Cole was flexing his muscles unloading boxes of grooming equipment. As he piled them onto a handcart, he was also passing the time flirting with Bailey. For a facility that didn’t do full-time boarding, Pine Ridge certainly seemed to run through a lot of supplies. And Cole, with his tight T-shirts and dark eyes, had the knack of making the most of every drop-off opportunity.

  “It’s pathetic, isn’t it?”

  I turned to find Jason standing behind me. And I feigned innocence.

  “What’s pathetic?”

  “That guy. All brawn and no brains.”

  There was a thread of naked envy in Jason’s tone. And why not? Cole seemed to bask in the admiring gaze of just about every girl at Pine Ridge. Jason, probably not so much.

  Once a teacher, always a teacher, however. And there was a lesson just begging to be taught here.

  “How would you know?” I asked. “Have you ever even spoken with him?”

  “I don’t have to. Just watching is bad enough.”

  “For all you know, he could be a PhD candidate working his way through graduate school by driving a truck.”

  “With that build and a name like Cole Demarkian? Give me a break. He’s nothing more than a low-level achiever whose mother spent too much time watching soap operas.”

  Much as it annoyed me that the teen was making snap judgments, it irked me even more that he was probably right. Cole appeared to be a likable guy, perfectly competent in his job, but I wouldn’t expect to see him running a Fortune 500 company anytime soon.

  He and the groomer were talking with some animation now as he unloaded another box and placed it atop the stack on the cart. Bailey was shaking her head, but she followed Cole around the side of the building heading in the direction of the Dog House.

  “Bailey doesn’t seem to mind his lack of qualifications,” I said.

  “Bailey is not what I’d call selective.” Jason snorted dismissively. “She’d probably flirt with a Cocker Spaniel if it had the right equipment.”

  “I heard that,” said Bailey.

  She reappeared around the corner and marched over to where we were standing. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She did not look happy.

  “And I’ll have you know that you’re not only rude, but you’re wrong. I didn’t come out here to flirt with Cole, I came to tell him that there must be some mistake with the order. I didn’t ask for any more grooming supplies. Not only that, but I don’t have room for them back there. Ever since Steve died, all the ordering and stuff has gotten all screwed up. Like that’s any big surprise. But now I’ve got to go find Candy and ask her what the heck she thinks she’s doing.”

  “Candy’s in her office,” I said. “I left her there just a few minutes ago.”

  “Thanks.” Bailey gave Jason a level look. “Don’t you have some work you ought to be doing?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The teenager ducked his head. The motion seemed less an act of contrition than a move designed to cover the fact that he was laughing.

  He hurried away around the building. Bailey left and went into the office. I headed toward my car and considered my next move.

  I wondered where Shannon was working these days. The easiest way to find out, of course, would be to walk around back and ask Larry. But I didn’t want to involve him in what I was doing if I didn’t have to.

  For one thing, he’d probably warn Shannon I was coming. For another, he might insist on being present when I spoke with her. And I had little doubt that Shannon would be more open in discussing her relationship with Steve if her new boyfriend wasn’t part of the equation.

  Which led to Plan B, the Yellow Pages. Even though Shannon had left Pine Ridge, it seemed logical to assume that she was plying her trade as a dog groomer somewhere else in the vicinity. It was just a matter of figuring out where.

  As I was climbing into the Volvo, my phone rang. Alice’s name popped up on the screen.

  “Hey,” I said. “How’s the job going?”

  “Don’t ask. Where are you?”

  “Leaving Pine Ridge. Why?”

  “Perfect. Let’s meet for lunch. How about the Bean?”

  I checked my watch. “It’s eleven o’clock.”

  “Fine,” Alice snapped. “So we’ll be fashionable and do brunch instead. See you there.”

  Since she’d hung up without giving me a chance to refuse, I figured that meant I was going to the Bean Counter. I called Sam to see if he and Kevin wanted to join us.

  “Why are you eating lunch now?” he asked predictably enough.

  “Because Alice asked and she sounded desperate.”

  “Oh yeah.” Sam laughed. “Desperate women. That sounds like my kind of scene.”

  “No, really. Maybe she needs advice. You’re always good at that.”

  “I am?” He was still laughing. “You never do a single thing I say.”

  “But I always listen,” I said.

  “I think I’ll
take a pass. Tell Alice I said hi and bring home a half-dozen blueberry scones.”

  So I went to the Bean by myself. The coffee-before-work crowd was long gone. The lunch bunch had yet to appear. I had my choice of parking places in the nearly empty lot.

  “Hey Mel!” Frank said as I walked in the door. “Long time, no see.”

  My brother was behind the counter futzing around with the espresso machine. Wet hands held high and out to his sides, he walked out onto the floor and gave me a hug with his elbows. Really, you had to see it.

  Since my hands were fine, I gave him a proper hug back. It was nice that we finally had that kind of relationship.

  “Where are the kids?” he asked. “I bet Kevin’s grown at least another couple inches since I last saw him.”

  “He has. You and Bertie ought to come over some night and see for yourselves. Davey’s at camp; Kevin’s home with Sam. I’ve been out running errands.”

  “And I’ll bet you needed a midmorning break. Grab a seat.” Frank waved to the row of now-empty stools that ran long the front of the counter. “Coffee?”

  “Not just yet. I’m waiting for Alice Brickman. Joey’s mom, remember her? We’re lunching today.”

  “Great idea. Come in early. Beat the crowd. You know, the one that actually eats at lunchtime?”

  “Shut up,” I said fondly, and took a stool. “Has anyone ever told you that your counter-side manner could use some help?”

  “No. Most people are so in awe of my culinary skills that they that wouldn’t dare complain.”

  “Right. Like you actually baked those pastries yourself.”

  “Shhh!” Frank held a finger up to his lips. “You don’t want to ruin your brother’s mystique.”

  “Mystique? You? You must be joking.”

  The door slammed shut behind me.

  “Stop squabbling you two,” said Alice, walking up to the counter. “I get enough of that at home with Joey and Carly.”

  Having come straight from the office, Alice was dressed in a navy linen suit worn over a white silk shell. Low heeled pumps completed the outfit. She was wearing tasteful makeup, and her hair was pulled back into a bow at her nape.

  “Wow,” said Frank. “You look great.”

  On other occasions when their paths had crossed, Alice had probably been dressed much like me—in clothing whose sole purpose was to withstand wear-and-tear and not show stains. You know, the basic mother’s uniform. No wonder he was impressed.

  “Thanks,” said Alice. “And aren’t you a sweetheart to say so? Unfortunately, great looks aside, I feel like crap. You don’t happen to have anything stronger than coffee tucked away behind that counter, do you?”

  “Sorry. We don’t have a liquor license. How about green tea? It’s supposed to be very soothing.”

  “Soothing is good. Soothing might help. Bring it on.”

  Alice and I chose a booth near the front window. When a waitress delivered our drinks, we ordered without bothering to consult a menu. Cobb salad for me, a Reuben sandwich for Alice.

  I lifted a brow. “That seems like an unlikely choice.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” Alice pulled off her jacket, folded it neatly, and laid it on the seat beside her. “I feel like I’m splurging on my last meal. Either that or stocking up on protein before heading into battle.”

  “That sounds ominous. Who are you thinking of doing battle with?”

  “Oh, it’s Joe, of course.” Alice sighed. “Who else could make me so mad that I just want to kill him?”

  “The other people you’ve been working with for the last week?”

  “Yeah,” she agreed. “Them, too. Somehow this whole going-back-to-work experience seems to have brought out my latent homicidal tendencies. How do other women manage this stuff?”

  “About as well as you are.”

  I picked up my green tea and had a sip. It tasted good, but soothing was a stretch. Or maybe I was just too wound up to notice.

  “Has it occurred to you that maybe you’re trying to do too much at once? Rather than testing the water, you’ve thrown yourself back in the deep end. You’ve got Joey at camp, Carly at Silvermine, Berkley at Pine Ridge, and along with all the other things like shopping, cooking, and housework, now you’re working 25 or 30 hours a week. It’s no wonder you’re feeling a little frazzled.”

  “Frazzled doesn’t even begin to describe it. And to top it off, everybody at Plummer, Wilkes is still treating me with kid gloves. As if they think I’ll be totally unable to cope with any assignment that involves the slightest use of either technology or brainpower. Sometimes I wonder why I’m even there.”

  “You’re there because you got tired of being ‘just a mother.’ You thought it was time to reenter the real world.”

  “Like that’s happening.”

  “It will,” I said. “Give it time. You’ve only been there a week. They’ve hardly even had a chance to get to know you yet.”

  “At this rate, I’m not sure they ever will. Yesterday I put in nearly a full day at the office, then ran out and picked up the kids and Berkley, and barely managed to make it home before Joe did. And do you know what he said when he walked in the door?”

  “Nope.” Considering Alice’s current mood, guessing seemed like a dangerous option.

  “He asked me what was for dinner.”

  “That wretch!”

  Alice reached across the table and poked me. “Cut it out. You’re supposed to be on my side.”

  “I am on your side. Really.” And I could well imagine what had gone wrong, even if Joe hadn’t been able to. “I hope you handed him a take-out menu and a phone.”

  “There might have been some screaming first. I’m afraid I sounded like a banshee. You know, those wailing demons in Irish folklore? The kids were probably hiding under the furniture.”

  “You were tired,” I said.

  “Either that or possessed.” Alice flopped back in her seat and closed her eyes. “Lord, what am I doing sitting here complaining to you? I forgot. You used to be a single mother. You did all this and more.”

  “Things seem more clear-cut when you don’t have a choice,” I said pragmatically. “And it’s easier once you get into a routine.”

  She opened one eye. “You’re lying to make me feel better, aren’t you?”

  “Not entirely.”

  “Now I feel pitiful.”

  “And yet you still look great. Even Frank noticed.”

  “Even Frank?”

  He was my brother. I just shrugged. It seemed like enough of a comment.

  “I’ve lost three pounds,” said Alice. “It’s probably stress.”

  “Or lack of dinner.”

  There was a beat of silence, then she burst out laughing. “You’re really not going to let me take myself so seriously, are you?”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  Our food arrived and we both dug in eagerly. A couple of minutes passed before either one of us paused for breath.

  “Let’s change the subject,” I said. “Talk to me about something besides work.”

  “Amber Fine.”

  “Good choice.” With everything else that was going on, I’d pretty much forgotten that I was supposed to be snooping around in Bob’s neighbor’s life. “What about her?”

  “I took her a bundt cake.”

  “A bundt cake?”

  “You know, those round, curvy cakes you make in a mold? Mine was pistachio.”

  “I know what they are, I just wouldn’t have the slightest idea how to make one. You’re a woman of many talents.”

  “I’m a woman who can read the directions on the back of a box,” said Alice. “Trust me, it’s no big deal. Davey could probably make one if he was so inclined.”

  Perish the thought.

  “Okay, so you took Amber a cake. That was very neighborly of you.”

  “That’s what I thought. Also, you know, better late than never. Did you know that woman has nine cats?”

&
nbsp; “Really? She only had six when we lived there. She must have had a litter of kittens.”

  “Maybe you ought to talk to her about spaying and neutering.”

  I held up my hands. Like maybe I was warding off evil.

  “Not me. I’ve got my own problems. What did you find out about James?”

  “For one thing, he isn’t just a figment of her imagination. She showed me her wedding pictures. They’ve been married three years.”

  “Right. And separated for how long?”

  “I didn’t have the guts to ask. I did, however, manage to do a little snooping around. You would have been proud of me. I looked for things that might indicate that a man was actually living there.”

  “Newspapers piled on the table and wet towels lying on the floor?”

  We smiled together.

  “I got nothing,” Alice continued. “The woman’s a neat freak.”

  “With nine cats around, I imagine you’d have to be.”

  “Says the person who lives with five big dogs.”

  “Point taken. Now back to James. What did he look like?”

  Alice thought for a minute, then said, “Ordinary.”

  “That doesn’t help.”

  “Maybe it does. Think about it. Maybe he has been around some and we just never noticed him. That could be the case. In fact, I bet it probably is.”

  I put down my fork and looked at her. “Another possibility is that you’re trying to wiggle out of your assignment.”

  “Well, okay, you’re right, that could be the case as well. But come on, I baked the woman a cake. What more do you want from me?”

  “Oh please. You already told me all you did was read a box.”

  “And add eggs. Don’t forget that part. That was important.”

  To the bundt cake, I’m sure. To me, not so much.

  “So we’re back to square one.”

  “Square two,” said Alice. “I’ve seen pictures. That should count for something.”

  “Bob suspects Amber sliced James up and buried him in the basement.”

  “Bob has a terrible imagination.” Alice shook her head. “It’s a good thing you divorced him.”

  “I think so too,” I agreed. Without that step, I’d have never met Sam.