The Case of the Graceful Goldens

by B R Snow

  “You’re not going to have to put him under, are you?” Rooster said.

  “Not as long as he doesn’t try to bite me,” Josie said.

  “Then maybe I should be in there with you,” he said.

  “Great minds think alike,” Josie said, heading for the exam room.

  After they had entered the exam room, I headed for the reception desk to continue reviewing the day’s schedule with Sammy.

  “It’s pretty light today,” Sammy said. “We’ve got a couple of boarders coming in this afternoon, and Josie has three annuals scheduled. But that’s about it. Oh, I almost forgot. Jerome just called. He’s in town and is stopping by in a bit.”

  “Sounds good. We’ll need every spare minute we can find to stay on top of the mud,” I said, glancing out at the rain that continued to pound the ground.

  “You know, I was thinking we might want to consider putting up a covered section over part of the play area where the dogs could do their business,” Sammy said. “It wouldn’t have to be big or that expensive, and it might cut down on the mud factor when it gets like this.”

  “I like it, Sammy,” I said, nodding. “Sketch something up, and we’ll discuss it with Josie.”

  “Will do,” he said, then cleared his throat. “There’s something else I’d like to discuss with you.”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  Sammy reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it and held it up for me to see.

  “Sammy, I never knew you cared,” I deadpanned.

  “Funny. It’s for Jill.”

  “I know who it’s for, Sammy,” I said, laughing. “It’s a gorgeous ring.”

  “Thanks,” he said, beaming. “I’m going to propose tonight.”

  “Congratulations. Where are you going to do it?”

  “Over dinner at our place,” he said. “I’m a lousy cook, but I thought the ring might help her get past the burnt chicken.”

  “Why don’t you take her to C’s?”

  “I would, but I’m a little short on cash at the moment. That ring set me back a bit.”

  “My treat,” I said, smiling at him. “Think of it as a pre-wedding gift.”

  “Geez, Suzy,” he said, frowning. “I don’t know. You already do so much for us.”

  “Not nearly as much as you and Jill do for us, Sammy. You better put that away before she comes out. You don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

  He did, and we began chatting about his expanded responsibilities during the time Josie and I would be on vacation. A few minutes later, the door to exam room two opened, and Titan led the way out closely followed by Josie and Rooster.

  “That was fast,” I said, glancing down at the bandage on Titan’s front paw.

  “It was one of those carpet tacks,” Josie said. “It was wedged in there pretty good.”

  “I just had some carpeting redone, and one of the workers must have dropped it,” Rooster said.

  “You might want to run the vacuum a couple of times to make sure there aren’t any more buried in the rug,” Josie said.

  “Just as soon as I get home,” Rooster said.

  “He let you work on him?” I said.

  “He was very good,” Josie said. “We gave him a little shot to numb the area, and he settled right down. He’s a tough guy.”

  “He gets that from his father,” Rooster said.

  “Hey, Rooster,” I said. “Did I see you driving around with your ex-wife yesterday?”

  “Yup. You probably did.”

  “Any juicy details you feel like sharing?” I said, grinning at him.

  “Nope.”

  “Subtle,” Josie said, shaking her head at me.

  “It was worth a shot,” I said. “How long is she staying in town?”

  “She left this morning,” he said. “I doubt if she’ll be coming back anytime soon.”

  “Did you ever find out if she and your brother had something going on?” I said.

  “She said no. And for the sake of my own peace of mind, I chose to believe her,” he said, giving me a look that said end of discussion. “Thanks, Josie. Good job.”

  “No problem, Rooster. Just try to keep him from chewing the bandage. In a couple of days, he’ll be good as new.”

  Rooster waved goodbye and headed for the door. Before he could open it, someone on the other side entered and stood in the doorway. He glanced at Rooster, then down at Titan who was already beginning to sniff the air and stepped to one side as they walked past. Rooster nodded at him on his way out.

  “My, but he certainly is a colorful character,” the man said as he removed his coat and hat. “Hello, ladies. What a lovely day.”

  “Hi, Jerome,” I said. “I’m glad you’re here. We’re running low on a few things, and I was actually going to give you a call.”

  Jerome was the sales rep we used almost exclusively. He represented several different companies and carried a wide variety of items we used at the Inn. His prices were a bit high, but Josie and I had decided that one conversation with Jerome was a lot more efficient that us having to have a dozen different ones. As such, we were happy to pay a little extra for the convenience. Jerome was also a major source of information about what was happening in the dog world and loved to gossip.

  “I’m a couple days early, but I’m going on vacation and trying to get everything ordered and processed before I go,” he said.

  “Where are you going?” Josie said.

  “Cozumel. I can’t wait.”

  “I’ve always wanted to go to Cozumel,” Josie said. “I’d love to see the Mayan Ruins there. Are you going to check them out?”

  “Josie, darling,” he said, waving the idea off. “Do I look like the sort of man who would spend all day hiking through the wilderness just to climb a stack of old rocks?”

  “Silly me,” Josie said, laughing.

  “Right after I land, I’ll be checking in at the resort and heading to the pool to find the bucket of margaritas with my name on it.”

  We headed to my office and got settled in.

  “I hear your dog show was a huge success,” Jerome said, accepting the bag of bite-sized Snickers from Josie.

  Remembering my promise to do a test run with my bathing suit in the mirror later on, I waved the bag away.

  “Who’d you hear that from?” I said.

  “Everyone,” he said, popping one of the bite-sized into his mouth. “Of course, Fetch and Tug would have been happier if the Chesapeake had won Best in Group, but you can’t win them all, right?”

  “The Springer that won is a beautiful dog,” I said.

  “Yes, and it was the last dog that Alexandra Vincent ever judged,” Jerome said, grabbing another of the bite-sized. “Dreadful news about her and her husband.”

  “That reminds me,” I said to Josie. “We need to mail Alexandra’s bag to her sister.”

  “What a way to go,” Jerome said, frowning. “But at least it was probably quick, huh?”

  “Yes, it probably was,” Josie whispered.

  “I met her a few times,” he said. “She seemed to be a very sweet woman.”

  “She was,” I said, nodding. “Let me ask you something, Jerome.”

  “Go right ahead,” he said, smiling. “Apart from getting my hands on a big chunk of your hard-earned money, isn’t that why I’m here?”

  “We’ve always appreciated your brutal honesty, Jerome,” Josie said, laughing.

  “It is one of my better qualities, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Have you heard anything through the grapevine about a robbery at a clinic that specializes in dog semen?” I said.

  “As a matter of fact I have,” he said. “Apparently, there are some strong rumors that the people behind the robbery are very well-placed in the show dog world.”

  “Really?” I said. “Have any specific names come up?”

  “No, not yet,” he said, shaking his head. “But it can’t be a very long list of potential suspects. Frozen
samples from some of the top show dogs are worth a small fortune. As you know, the black market for dogs is big business and getting bigger. Say, how are those tracking devices working out?”

  “The device needs some work before it’s ready for primetime,” Josie said. “The signal and the battery both need a serious upgrade.”

  “That seems to be the prevailing opinion. I heard the CEO of that company had an accident,” he said. “He jumped off a fiord in Norway wearing a bat suit. Those adventure types are definitely people to avoid. As I always say, you’ll never be prone to injury when you’re prone.” He chuckled at his own joke. “He was lucky to get off with just two broken ankles.”

  “You are in the loop, aren’t you?” I said.

  “Of course,” he said, reaching for another bite-sized and glancing at Josie. “Three’s my limit. Don’t let me have any more.” He looked back at me. “And if I weren’t in the loop, I’d just be one more guy pushing product, right?”

  “What have you heard about Fetch and Tug lately?” I said.

  “It’s been pretty quiet the last couple of weeks, but thanks for reminding me,” he said, reaching into his bag. “This is just a miniature sample, but the all the new marketing materials will be available for order in a couple of days.”

  He placed a small cardboard cutout on the desk. On it was the Fetch and Tug logo along with an action shot of Glen and Abby Wilson’s Chesapeake Bay retriever.

  “It is a great looking dog,” he said. “But I probably would have stayed with Alexandra’s Goldens.”

  “Wow, that was fast,” I said, glancing at Josie. “I can’t believe they’re already in production.”

  “Why not?” Jerome said, frowning.

  “Because the deal just got closed the other day,” I said.

  “What are you talking about? The deal closed last month.”

  Josie and I both sat upright.

  “The deal closed last month?” I said.

  “Yeah. I’m surprised you hadn’t heard.” He glanced back and forth at us and noticed our surprise. “What?”

  “Nothing,” I said. “It’s just that we heard it hadn’t closed yet.”

  “No, it was definitely wrapped up last month,” he said. “And I got that from a very reputable source.”

  “Yeah, we thought we did as well,” Josie said.

  “I got it from one of their marketing VPs. Fetch and Tug thinks it’s time to change breeds. Personally, I think they’re going to regret dropping the Goldens, but it’s their company, right? Okay, you guys ready to spend some money?”

  We spent the next fifteen minutes placing our regular order and reviewing the new products he was now carrying.

  “I’ve also got some great Christmas sweaters for dogs,” he said, holding up a page from a catalog filled with photos of various breeds posing in hideous sweaters.

  “Those poor dogs,” I said, laughing. “The Doberman looks like he’s saying kill me now.”

  “We’re not really big on dog clothing, Jerome,” Josie said, making a face.

  “But I’m sure some of your customers are,” he said, extending the catalog closer.

  “Yeah, probably,” I said. “But we really don’t have room to display them in the reception area.”

  “Are you sure?” he said. “I thought that if you rearranged some of the furniture in the waiting room, you’d be able to fit in a nice display rack in the back corner.”

  Josie and I gave him a blank stare.

  “Okay, you win,” he said, laughing as he held up his hands in surrender. “Far be it for me to push.”

  “Have a great time in Cozumel, Jerome,” I said, standing up.

  “Oh, I will,” he said, packing his bag. “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”

  “Can’t wait,” Josie said.

  Jerome smiled at both of us, then tossed the bag over his shoulder.

  “Mayan Ruins,” he said, shaking his head as he left the office.

  I sat back down behind the desk, my mind racing.

  “Questions?” Josie said, raising an eyebrow at me.

  “Dozens.”

  Chapter 26

  After Jerome had left, Josie was soon summoned to deal with another walk-in emergency, this one a Lab that had been chasing a tennis ball and scraped her side against a piece of rusted metal that was protruding from a backyard garden shed. The cut that ran along the Lab’s ribcage was long, but fortunately, not deep, and Josie headed off leaving me alone in my office.

  I started by scribbling down several questions that were rolling around in my head, then fired up my laptop. I began with a review of Fetch and Tug’s website, then moved on to the various news articles about the robbery at the clinic. I took a short break and was staring out the window when an idea popped into my head that nagged at me and eventually turned into an earworm. But instead of a song that gets stuck in your head, this earworm couldn’t carry a tune and just kept repeating I wonder if until I gave up and called Chief Abrams. Our conversation was short, and a fruitless, and incredibly depressing, half-hour followed when I reviewed all the stories about the hit and run that had killed Alexandra and her husband. I had just begun my search for the mailing address to send Alexandra’s bag to when Josie returned and stretched out on the couch.

  “How’s the Lab doing?” I said, glancing up as I waited for the sister’s website to load.

  “She’s sore, but she’s going to be okay,” Josie said as she made room for Captain on the couch. “Suzanne showed me a photo of the garden shed. One of the sides came loose and somehow got bent up at a ninety-degree angle. The dog could have easily gotten its throat slit. Not to mention one of her kids.”

  “How many stitches did she need?” I said.

  “Just a few in a couple of spots,” Josie said. “That’s probably a lot less than her husband’s going to need when he gets home tonight.”

  “Let me guess, it was on his list of things to do around the house, but he didn’t get around to it,” I said.

  “Worse,” Josie said. “He told her he’d already taken care of it.”

  “Uh-oh,” I said. “Silly man.”

  “Did you find anything?” Josie said, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to me behind the desk.

  “Not a lot that’s new. But Jerome wasn’t kidding about the Fetch and Tug deal. It’s all over their website, and it made the news in at least two dog publications.”

  “Then why the heck didn’t Alexandra know it was a done deal?” Josie said.

  “I’ve been wondering the same thing. But do you remember when she was talking about her and husband’s partnership?”

  “Yeah. She handled the dogs, he handled all the business stuff.”

  “I guess it’s not too much of a stretch to believe she might have been out of the loop,” I said. “As long as she was left alone to do her thing with the dogs, maybe she was happy remaining oblivious to what was happening on the business side.”

  “But people must have been talking about it,” Josie said. “At a minimum, she would have heard rumors, right?”

  “I’m sure she did,” I said. “But if her husband told Alexandra to do the usual, she might not have given it a second thought.”

  “The usual? You mean, like telling her to ignore the rumors, remind her that everyone else is jealous of their success, and saying: You just need to trust me, Alexandra?”

  “Yeah, that usual,” I said, nodding. “And they were married a long time. If her husband asked her to trust him, she probably did.”

  “Which brings us to the husband,” Josie said. “Let me guess, you’re thinking that Alexandra’s husband might have been playing his own version of Honey, I already fixed the garden shed.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been sitting here wondering why her husband needed to stay on the west coast to have a meeting with the Fetch and Tug people about their deal if the deal with the Wilson’s Chesapeake had already closed a month earlier.”

  “And you’ve also been wonderin
g why he didn’t jump on the first plane as soon as he heard that someone had tried to kill his wife,” Josie said.

  “Yeah, it does makes me wonder,” I said, nodding.

  “Me too. Right from the start. You think the husband was up to a whole bunch of no-good, don’t you?”

  “I do. And I think I know the answer to why he didn’t get on a plane.”

  “Oh, please, do tell.”

  “He didn’t need to get on an airplane. He was already here.”

  “Now that could turn out to be a brilliant insight,” Josie deadpanned. “Or one of the stupidest things you’ve ever come up with.”

  “Shut up,” I said, laughing.

  “Alexandra’s husband as one of the dognappers?” she said, frowning. “I’m going to need a minute to process that.”

  “Take all the time you need,” I said, studying the landing page of the sister’s website.

  “Why would the guy try to steal his own dogs?” Josie eventually said.

  “It does seem odd, doesn’t it?”

  “I guess odd is a word for it. So, let’s go with that,” Josie said.

  “Apart from unconditional love, what’s the one thing that pair of Goldens brought Alexandra and her husband?”

  “A ton of money,” Josie said.

  “Yes. And what is one of the first things people tend to do when they acquire something very valuable?”

  Josie thought for a moment, then spread her arms in revelation.

  “They insure it.”

  “Well done. You got it in one.”

  “You think this is an insurance scam?” Josie said, frowning.

  “I think it might be part of it,” I said. “I called Chief Abrams earlier, and he’s doing a bit of checking at the moment.”

  “Okay, let’s say I buy that possibility,” Josie said. “What’s the connection, if any, with the clinic that got robbed?”

  “For the moment, I’m going to stick with money as the motive,” I said.

  “Alexandra’s husband was planning on getting into the Black Market for dogs?”

  We looked up when we heard a knock on the door and Chief Abrams poked his head in.

  “Come on in, Chief,” I said. “We’re just sitting here kicking around some ideas.”