There were grunts of pain in response, but the person continued to hold her tight. Unable to do anything else, she turned her head and bit the hand covering her mouth.
“Ouch. Dammit, Addy, it’s me,” Felix’s voice hissed in her ear.
She immediately stopped fighting. He released her and she spun around, half-hugging him in relief and half-slapping him at the same time.
“Ouch,” he whispered. “What was that for?”
“You scared the crap out of me.”
He held up his hand to the dim light filtering through the windows, probably checking for teeth marks. “What are you doing here? I told you to stay.”
“I’m not a dog,” she hissed back. “I told you I wasn’t going to let you go in alone.”
“Look, I know you’re worried about Princess, but—”
“Don’t be so stupid. She’s not the only reason I’m here right now.” She bit her lip before she said any more. It wasn’t the time or the place for a confession; they might be discovered at any moment.
“Look,” she finally said. “Safety in numbers, right? You need someone to watch your back. You helped me. Now I’m going to help you get Naia back.”
Felix frowned. “But—”
“No buts. The longer you argue with me, the better our chances are of getting busted.”
“You’re the last person I want to argue with.” A shadow of a smirk tugged at his lips. “And sometimes the first person.”
Addison stared at him, wondering what that meant. Her heart, which was finally starting to slow, thudded in her chest, so hard she feared even Felix could hear her heartbeat.
Felix held a finger to his lips. “Shhh. Did you hear that?”
“What?” Addison froze, wondering if he really did hear her heartbeat.
He ducked his head down. For a second, she thought he was about to lay his head against her chest, but then he knelt on the ground next to her feet. He leaned in close to a metal pipe running out of the house’s brick facade.
Addison crouched down next to him, and they brought their heads closer to listen. Beneath the soft tinkle of the fountain, the breeze rustling the pink and orange zinnias, and Addison’s heartbeat in her ears, she could just make it out. The sound was quiet and tinny after echoing its way up the pipe, but there was no doubt about it.
“Barking,” Addison breathed.
Felix’s eyes ran up the side of the wall, as though he had X-ray vision that could see which part of the house the pipe originated from.
“Alistair wouldn’t have all the dogs just running loose inside the house,” Addison said.
“No. My guess is the basement.”
Addison’s eyes widened as she recalled Phillip’s comment from their date. “Or Alistair’s famous wine cellar.” She suddenly realized Princess might be all right after all, and her body sagged with relief. “That’s why I lost Princess’s signal not too long ago. She must be too far underground.”
“Come on.” Felix grabbed her hand. “There’s got to be a way in.”
“Wait. Over there.” Addison pointed to the flowerbed at the base of the house. Hidden behind the colorful zinnias was a low window just above ground level.
Felix wasted no time tearing the flowers out by the roots to expose the window. The remaining orange and pink heads flattened under his weight as he knelt down to peer through the dirty glass.
Addison bent down next to him and looked over his shoulder. “I can’t see a thing.”
“We’ll have to find another way in. This window’s too small to climb through.”
“For you, maybe,” Addison said, already checking to see if the window was locked.
Felix grabbed her wrists. “Now who’s being a hot head?”
“We’re in this together, remember?” she said. “Let me help.”
But he didn’t let her go. “Then we’ll find another way in. Together.”
“How?” She waved a hand at the house. “Are we just going to waltz through the front door?”
“I don’t know. We’ll think of something,” he said, not backing down.
They were nose to nose, bickering as usual, only this time when it boiled Addison’s blood it wasn’t in a way that made her want to shove the crushed zinnias in his mouth. She wanted to shove her tongue in his mouth instead.
She ached to grab him and kiss him one last time, before something happened and it all went horribly wrong. Or maybe before everything went right and they parted ways and never saw each other again.
“May I help you?” a female voice asked from behind them.
Addison and Felix jumped; they hadn’t heard anyone sneak up. When they turned around, they were staring up at Penny Peacock. And, more important, the barrel of her gun.
29
Dog Meat
Addison was staring right down the barrel of a gun, and it wasn’t a 3D movie. It was real. Too real. She wasn’t a ninja, or Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Lara Croft. This wasn’t going to be a blank shot at her heart, or red paint that stained her sweatshirt, or fake brains that splattered the walls. It was going to be her blood and brains that splattered the bottles of expensive wine behind her and Felix.
Penny’s gun hadn’t wavered since she took their phones and Addison’s keys in the garden. It had remained targeted on their backs as Penny marched them into the mansion, into Alistair’s study, through the hidden door behind his bookcase, and down the long wooden stairway into the wine cellar.
Princess’s sparkling necklace jingled as she pawed at Addison’s leg, stinging the cuts on her shins from the trek through the woods. Her big brown eyes pleaded for attention. She whined, begging to be picked up, to be comforted by her best friend.
Addison’s fingers twitched to reach out to her, to scratch her behind the ears and give her a million kisses. But she fought her instincts and kept her hands in the air where Penny could see them, while her brain groped for a way out.
She assessed the dim room lit by a single flickering light bulb above them and a few old wall sconces. Every wall was lined with floor-to-ceiling wine racks full of outrageously expensive wine, probably some so expensive they weren’t meant to be drunk. Decades of spilled red wine stained the old hardwood beneath their feet, making it rich with color and aroma.
Wooden barrels were stacked on their sides against the wall beneath the small window. If she had the chance, she could climb them like stairs and escape into the yard, but that would leave Felix to fend for himself. Addison’s eyes shifted to the stairs behind Penny, to the only way out of the tiny, cold cellar for both of them.
The gun flinched.
“Don’t even think about it,” Penny said. “Cozy little place down here, isn’t it?” She spoke about the cellar like she was thinking of redecorating it.
Addison thought she could have started with some new hardwood flooring since the old one was currently coated in sticky urine puddles—and worse—from the thirty-five or more dogs anxiously pacing the congested room.
It looked like the floor had been cleaned a couple of times, but the smell lingered, trapped in the raw wood planks. Addison’s nose stung with the harsh ammonia smell, overpowering the scent of the wine at times, making her eyes water.
“Nobody even comes down here anymore,” Penny said. “Not since Alistair’s heart attack. It was the perfect place to keep the dogs. It’s nearly soundproof down here.” Her eyes widened with glee. “No one can hear you scream.”
Addison gasped, and this time she did risk bending down to pick Princess up. The doxie scrambled into her arms and kissed every square inch of her neck as Addison held her protectively.
“Oh no, don’t misunderstand.” Penny’s expression transformed to one of innocence. “I’d never hurt the dogs.” She held a hand over her heart. “You on the other hand”—she waved the gun casually between Addison and Felix—“what am I going to do with you?”
Felix shrugged with his hands still in the air. “Let us go?”
“And let you
run to the authorities?” Penny laughed. “I don’t think so.”
Penny had gone through both their phone-call histories to see if they’d called the police. But of course they hadn’t. Addison had sent Zoe a text instead.
Addison wondered what Penny would do if she knew she’d sent the text. If it would prevent her from killing the two of them. It wasn’t like she would get away with it if someone knew of their whereabouts, right? Then again, if Penny knew the police were on the way, she might simply kill them sooner.
Addison strained her ears, listening for sirens. Charlotte should have told Zoe what happened after they’d left on the lifeboat. Zoe should have gotten her text about their exact location. The police should be on their way. Was that too many shoulds for Addison to rely on?
“We won’t tell anyone,” Addison said. “I promise.”
“I just want my daughter back,” Felix said. “Let me just take her and we’ll be on our way.” Though he said it like it was a simple business transaction, Addison could hear the desperate fear in his voice.
Penny tapped her chin. “Yes, your mischievous daughter. She was an unfortunate complication.”
“Was?” Felix’s voice had gone dry and rough, like he’d swallowed sand.
“Don’t worry,” Penny told him. “She’s still alive. I haven’t decided on what to do with her. Maybe I’ll let her go. Kids’ memories are never very reliable. But you, you…” She waggled her gun at them again before turning to the swarm of dogs circling her legs. “What should I do, little ones? I can’t very well let them go.”
Her voice altered, as though she was pretending to be a dog herself—if dogs could talk. A little like Scooby-Doo, Addison thought. Penny ignored Felix and Addison to confer with the show dogs, as though they were coconspirators in her master plan.
She seemed to trust the opinion of one dog more than she did the others: Kingy. The Pekingese still sported Addison’s stylish kimono from the night of the cocktail mixer, looking princely among the other dogs that were in various stages of disarray since their dognapping.
Of course the dogs that had been taken from the Belle that night still appeared well groomed, full of energy. They jumped around the cramped cellar, unsure of what was going on but excited by all the extra playmates. Colin and Sophie padded over to Addison like it was a regular social call, and Oliver trotted over to Felix like he was checking on his owner before going back to play. The dogs that had been there longer, however, knew the score. They skulked around the gloomy space with matted hair, their long nails clicking on the dirty floor.
Addison could name practically every one of the pets, or at least their owners. There was Baxter, Lilly, Elvis, Precious, Rosie, and a handful of others whose owners had pointed fingers at her at one time or another. And of course there was Oliver and her Princess and even Colin and Sophie who got caught up in this mess. Every one of the dogs that had been taken over the last two weeks, all collected in one place.
Addison was so relieved to find them safe and healthy. Their owners would be overwhelmed to see them. But it wouldn’t do anyone any good if Addison and Felix didn’t get through the ordeal to tell anyone.
Penny looked so put together. Not nuts at all. She’d changed since the gala into a daffodil yellow pantsuit. Too bright and cheerful an outfit for such a maniacal evildoer.
“What was that, Kingy?” Penny asked. She listened for a moment, nodding in all the right places and making noises of affirmation.
“Bark,” he told her. “Bark, bark.”
“Yes, I think you’re right.”
Felix tilted his head closer to Addison while Penny was distracted, deep in her consultation.
“Keep her talking,” he said softly. “Ask her questions.”
“What’s the point? She’s nuts,” Addison whispered back.
“She’s a total egomaniac. She thinks she’s smarter than everyone else to have pulled this off. Just look at her.” He nodded his chin in her direction. “She’s gloating, but there’s no one around for her to gloat to. She wants to tell someone. Anyone. For someone to know how clever—”
“Hey!” Penny screamed.
Marching across the stone floor, she pressed the gun against Felix’s cheek. Her mouth screwed up as she dug it in, and his skin puckered under the pressure. Addison could hear the metal scrape against his stubble. She drew a sharp breath.
“I didn’t say you could talk,” Penny spat.
A noise escaped Addison, but it was incoherent. It took her a few seconds of stuttering to get something, anything to come out. “W-We were just saying how, how clever you were to keep the dogs down here. I mean, who would even think to suspect Alistair when it was his dog that first went missing?”
She didn’t know if Felix’s plan would work, but she trusted his judgment of people. And what else could they do? They needed to stall for time before the police got there.
“Alistair Yates.” Penny said the name like it was a swear word. “All I wanted to do was win. In all my career as a handler, I have never been defeated. My dogs always win.” Her eyes widened as though it was a promise, or a threat.
Addison pitied Penny’s rivals. She imagined Penny as the type of person Kitty Carlisle had been afraid of at competitions.
Penny pulled the gun away from Felix’s face, and Addison’s body relaxed until she thought she would melt into a puddle on the floor. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until her lungs ached with the sweet oxygen that rushed in and out of them.
“But it was an impossible win this time,” Penny continued. “Alistair was going to destroy my perfect record. All because he couldn’t let go of Lilly’s glory days.” Penny wheeled on Alistair’s beagle cowering among the furry group as though it was personally her fault.
She glared at the dog. “You’re old. You should have retired two years ago for God’s sake. You were lucky to win last year. But Fancy. Oh now there is a star.” Penny sighed. “She has a bright future in the circuit. But could I convince Alistair she was ready? No!”
Felix was nodding readily, with an understanding expression that he’d probably used a thousand times while listening to crazy stories from wingbats like Penny.
“Of course,” he said. “It makes perfect sense why you had to take Lilly out of the running yourself. Alistair just wouldn’t listen.” There wasn’t a trace of sarcasm in his voice, and even Addison almost believed his sincerity.
“Exactly.” Penny laughed, clearly relieved to have someone on her side. “I would never do anything to hurt Lilly, so stealing her was my only option.”
It was just like the bad guys in cheesy eighties and nineties movies, Addison thought. Penny was revealing her evil plan, convinced that she’d already won. But the good guys always got away in the end, after they’d been told everything. Addison had to remind herself that this wasn’t a movie though, and in real life the good guys sometimes die.
“But why not just take Lilly?” Addison asked. “Why did you take all the other dogs?”
“Fancy wasn’t a sure thing,” Penny told her. “She’s untested. A virgin to the ring. All those lights, cameras, people. It can be a lot for a first-timer. There was no way to know for sure if she’d win. Especially with so little time left to train before the big show.”
“So you took out all the competition,” Addison said airily. She was trying to imitate Felix’s nonjudgmental tone, all the while thinking Penny was a freaking dog-brained lunatic.
“I made sure to take out all the major players, but I didn’t want to be too obvious about it, so I took a mix of red, yellow, and white ribbons as well to throw off the cops’ scent. I even ended up with this thing.” She gestured to Oliver.
Oliver whined like he knew he was being insulted.
Addison nodded. “And by kidnapping Lilly, it took the suspicion away from both you and Alistair.”
Penny waved a hand through the air, the one that held the gun, and Addison and Felix stiffened as it passed over them. “
Alistair will get over it,” she said. “Lilly was past her prime. I did him a favor.”
Somehow Addison doubted he would see it the same way.
“And you two were the perfect fall guys.” Penny grinned at them like they were two well-behaved dogs. “So naive. You were in the right place at the right time. For me anyway. It was easy enough to sneak the dogs out of the cocktail mixer through the hidden trap doors in the stage floor. Once I got your incompetent assistant out of the way, that is,” she told Addison. “I barely even tried to insult the girl and her grooming abilities before she ran out the back door crying.”
“And Charlotte helped you load up the dogs at Phillip’s party,” Felix coaxed her.
“Your boss was very helpful too. He closed up the bar and hid them in there for us until nightfall, after which I shipped them over here to Alistair’s.”
“How did you get him to agree to it?” Felix demanded, his sympathetic demeanor slipping.
“The same way I convinced the Belle’s dog minders to help me out. Everyone has their price. Your boss didn’t seem to mind turning a blind eye for a few bucks. Apparently he’s built up quite the gambling debt.”
Addison could hear Felix’s teeth clench. “Joe knew. He knew I wasn’t guilty, and yet he had no problem pinning it on me. As long as he kept the heat off of himself.”
Even in the dim light, Addison could see the vein on Felix’s forehead begin to throb. She jumped in before Felix lost his cool. “But what are you going to do with the dogs?”
Penny considered the odd mix around her. “Find them good homes out of state. Maybe I’ll even breed them myself.” She paused. Her eyes widened as she turned to the animals. “I mean, just look at all of them.” She spread her arms, waving the gun again. “The ultimate examples of each kind. I would have a monopoly of blue-ribbon winners. I could breed nothing but superior dogs. No one could beat them.”
“I suppose that’s why you’ve been sleeping with Judge Walter Boyd,” Addison said. “To ensure Fancy had his vote. Is he somehow involved too?” She figured if by some miracle they managed to escape, it would be good to know all the details, everyone who was involved.
Beauty and the Wiener Page 30