Doggie Day Care Murder (18 page)
Read Doggie Day Care Murder Online
Authors: Laurien Berenson
I leaned over and caught Davey's eye behind my aunt's back.
He looked at me and winked.
Okay, so things were going well. That was good to know.
In the ring, the judge was putting the junior handlers through their paces. The boy with the Bull Terrier was moving his dog in an L pattern. The girl with the Basset had her dog stacked and ready to be examined next. The MinPin at the end of the line was dancing and hopping on its hind legs. Its inattentive handler had yet to notice that the little dog was tangled in its leash.
“So,” I said, lowering my voice to conform to ringside protocol, “who's going to win?”
“The class isn't over yet,” Aunt Peg said crisply.
As if that mattered. Aunt Peg already knew the answer. In fact, she'd probably known within the first minute after the six handlers had walked into the ring. Don't ask how she does it, it's a mystery to me too.
Davey leaned across in front, and whispered, “It's the boy with the Frenchie.”
Aunt Peg pinched his arm. He grimaced but didn't withdraw. “The girl with the Basset will be second. The MinPin is last.”
Well, we could all see that. Now, despite frantic gesturing on the part of a womanâpresumably a parentâstanding ringside, the little black-and-tan dog was rolling in the grass while his hapless handler stared off into the distance.
“I'm better than that,” Davey scoffed.
“You most certainly are,” Aunt Peg agreed. “But let's hope we've set our sights higher than being better than the worst in the class.”
“If I was in there, I would win.”
“Not yet.” Aunt Peg shook her head slowly as she considered the options. “That boy with the Frenchie is really quite good.”
The child in question was now free baiting his dog at the head of the line while waiting for the judge to approach. Large bat ears pricked at attention, the brindle bulldog followed the boy's every move. The two made a formidable team.
“But don't worry, we'll get you there. We still have two more weeks to practice.”
“Besides,” I said staunchly, “all those kids are older than you. And they've obviously been doing this for much longer than you have. You can't expect to win your very first time out.”
“Yes, I can.” Davey was supremely confident in his abilities. Some of Aunt Peg's self-assurance must have been rubbing off on him.
Speaking of Peg, I'd obviously done something to tick her off because now she angled her elbows outward, nudging both of us back into our seats. That effectively cut off my communication with Davey since her body now blocked the way between us.
“Some cheerleader you turned out to be,” Aunt Peg grumbled under her breath in my direction.
“What do you mean?”
“I'll have you know I'm not teaching my nephew to handle a dog merely so that he can walk into the ring and lose.”
“Of course not, butâ”
“If you're going to begin to spout some nonsense about self-esteem, and finding his own way, and doing the best he can, you might as well save your breath.”
“He's only nine years old,” I protested.
“And I'm sixty-four. What's your point?”
For once, I refused to back down.
“If you make him think that winning is the only possible outcome, you're setting him up for disappointment.”
“No,” said Aunt Peg. “I'm setting him up for success.”
In a perfect world, maybe.
In the ring, the judge was awarding the blue ribbon to the boy with the French Bulldog. The Basset stood behind him in second.
“What are you going to do if he loses?” I asked.
“Pick up the pieces,” Peg said firmly. “And try again.”
Davey leaned across and pushed his way between us. “Stop arguing,” he said. “I'm gonna win. And that's final.”
Oh great, I thought. Add it to the list. Now I had something else to worry about.
18
O
n Monday morning I went back to Pine Ridge.
n Monday morning I went back to Pine Ridge.
I was hoping to talk to Candy again; I wanted to discuss a few of the things I'd learned since our last conversation. Like the fact that Steve's and her working relationship hadn't been nearly as amicable as she'd made it out to be. Or that in recent months she'd considered leaving Pine Ridge and striking out on her own.
But I arrived to find the facility in the midst of a minor crisis. Madison, the receptionist, had been bitten by a Jack Russell Terrier during check-in, and Candy had bundled the bleeding teenager into her car and driven her to the emergency room.
I got the story from Jason, who was filling in for Madison behind the front counter. Judging by the look of abject boredom on his face when I maneuvered the door open with one hand and pushed Kevin's stroller into the reception area with the other, he would have preferred to be just about anywhere else rather than inside, answering phones.
“Cool,” he said, as I walked in. “Is that a baby?”
I hoped that was a rhetorical question. Either that, or Jason needed his eyes examined.
“His name is Kevin,” I said.
I propelled the stroller several feet into the room, then stepped back to close the door. It's amazing how many extra steps are added to even the most basic procedures when there's a baby involved.
“You do know we only do dogs here, right?”
“I kind of figured that. He's just along for the ride.”
Jason stepped out from behind the counter. His legs were long and he crossed the room in three quick strides. Squatting down in front of the stroller, he positioned himself at eye level with Kevin.
“Hey, little guy, whatcha doin'?”
“He doesn't talk yet,” I said, but I gave Jason points for trying.
Kevin shrieked and waved a hand in the air.
“Sure he does. He just has his own language.”
I smiled. Despite my better judgment, I liked this kid.
Jason looked up. His hand came up and scooped the bangs back off his face. “Can I hold him?”
I started to say no, then remembered the gentleness with which he'd handled the elderly Dachshund.
“Do you have any experience with babies?”
“Two younger brothers. Plus, I used to baby-sit.”
“From babies to dogs,” I said. “Why'd you switch?”
“That's easy. ” Jason grinned. “Dogs don't talk back. I'll be careful. Honest.”
I unclipped Kevin's harness and lifted him out of the stroller. Jason reached out his hands. To my surprise, Kevin did the same. It was like watching two halves of a magnet pull toward one another.
So I delivered the baby into the teenager's arms. He cradled him like a pro.
“Is Candy around?” I asked.
“Nope, sorry. She had to go out.”
“Do you expect her back soon?”
Jason was rocking now, swaying back and forth from one sneaker-clad foot to another. In another minute, he'd probably be dancing around the office. Kevin looked like he was enjoying himself enormously.
“I doubt it. She had to take Madison to the emergency room. You know what hospitals are like. They could be gone all day.”
“The emergency room?” My breath caught. “I hope it wasn't something serious.”
“The way Madison was whining and wailing, you'd have thought it was the end of the world,” Jason said with a smirk. “Some lady was checking in a Jack Russell. Her name is Bella, she's new here.”
I noted the way he'd remembered the terrier's name, if not her owner's. Aunt Peg would like this boy too.
“I guess Madison reached out to lift the dog over the counter. Any idiot could have told her that was a bad idea, bringing a strange dog right up toward her face like that.”
Good one, I thought, and added a few more mental points to his score.
“I wasn't here, so I don't know exactly what happened next, but Bella must have gotten upset about something and she nipped Madison on the chin.”
“That doesn't sound so bad,” I said, relieved.
“It didn't look that bad either. I mean, don't forget we're talking about a girl who already has a couple of holes punched in her face.” Jason shook his head. “So what's another scrape or two on top of that? Instead of complaining, she should have just stuck in another earring and gotten over herself.”
Could be Jason had a point.
“I take it Madison was more upset about what happened than you are?”
“Man, that girl screeched like an angry bobcat. I was out back and even I heard her screaming. Everybody came running. The lady, you know, the owner? I thought she was going to start crying. The only one who wasn't upset was Bella. She was running around the floor, chasing her stubby little tail.”
I could picture the scene. “Then what happened?”
“The lady left and one of the girls from the back came and got Bella. Then Candy took Madison away and told me to fill in until they got back. So here I am stuck inside sitting behind a desk when I should be out doing something useful, you know?”
I knew.
Jason waggled his index finger in front of Kevin's hands, encouraging the baby to reach up and catch it. “How's the web site coming?”
“What . . . oh . . .” For a moment, I'd forgotten I was supposed to have a cover story. “It's fine. How's business around here? Picking up?”
“I guess so. I mean, it's not like we're full or anything. But we seem to be getting supplies delivered every other minuteâkibble, canned food, rawhide bones, stuff like thatâso I figure if Candy's doing that much ordering, she must be planning to build the business back up again.”
“Have you stopped worrying about losing your job?”
“For the time being, anyway. And that's good news, right?”
“Good news,” I agreed. I held out my hands.
“Ah, come on. Not yet. The kid likes me.”
He was right, Kevin did. Whether it came to handling dogs or babies, Jason was a natural. And to think, eventually he'd have his MBA and all that talent would go to waste in the business world.
“If Candy's not here, there's no point in my hanging around the office. I think I'll go out back and take another look around, maybe see if I can pick up a few more ideas.”
Next item on my agenda was locating Larry, the maintenance man. Thanks to Lila Harrington, his girlfriend had been fired from her grooming job. I wondered how angry Larry had been at Steve Pine when that happened.
There wasn't any need to explain that to Jason, however. Instead, I reached over and lifted Kevin out of his arms. Both of them relinquished the contact reluctantly.
“He doesn't like everybody,” I said. “You're good.”
Jason's ears grew red. An Adam's apple bobbed in his skinny neck. “I know.”
I strapped Kevin back into his seat. Distracted by a set of plastic keys, he picked up the toy and began to shake it vigorously.
“If Candy returns anytime soon, will you tell her I'm out back and I'd like to speak with her?”
“Will do.”
Jason opened the door and held it wide so I could push the stroller through. As the baby passed by, he leaned down and gave an exaggerated wave.
Kevin blinked and lifted his own hand. For a moment, I thought he was going to return the wave. Then instead, he flicked his wrist and sent the set of plastic keys flying.
Jason caught them on the fly and handed them back to me. “What'd you say his name was again?”
“Kevin.”
“Nah, that's too plain for a kid with an arm like that. How about Kev-man? Or the Kev-ster?”
“Kevin,” I said again. “He likes his name.”
Jason laughed. “That guy's easy. He likes everything.”
Except sleep apparently.
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I found Larry out back.
It wasn't hard to do. I'd intended to look for him inside the Dog House or to ask Bailey for a lead, but both proved to be unnecessary. As soon as I pushed Kevin's stroller around the side of the office building, I saw him.
The maintenance man was sitting on a bench, beneath an oak tree that supplied shade to a nearby paddock. He was sipping on a can of Bud and staring off into the distance. Perhaps he was pondering how long Candy might be held up at the hospital, as I was pretty sure this wasn't his normal mode of behavior when the boss was around.
The stroller's wheels crunched on the gravel walk as we approached. Larry glanced briefly in our direction, then turned away again, dismissing us. He looked annoyed at the interruption.
“You must be lost. Clients belong in the front building. That's the office. You just missed it.”
“Thanks for the directions, but I know where I am. I was looking for you.”
“I don't think so.” He took another swallow of beer.
“You're Larry Holmes, right?” I was talking to the back of his head. At this rate, pretty soon there were going to be two of us who were annoyed. “You're the man who does maintenance here?”
“You got something you need fixed?” Finally, he shifted his body to face me. “Put it on the list in the office and I'll get to it. As you can see, I'm on a break here.”
The paddock closest to Larry's bench held a pair of Akitas, one white, one black. The big, powerful dogs were scrambling around the enclosure, chasing each other through a set of wooden climbing blocks. Kevin clapped his hands and squealed with delight at the show.
I wheeled the stroller closer to the fence and parked it in the shade. Then I went back to Larry.
“Look, lady, I don't know who you areâ”
“Melanie Travis.” I held out a hand.
Larry stared it. He didn't offer his. “That wasn't a question, okay?”
“Just trying to be friendly.” I withdrew my hand.
“I don't need any more friends.”
I took a deep breath and tried a different approach. “Candy asked me to speak with you.”
Larry looked mildly interested. “Yeah? Why?”
“I'm updating the Pine Ridge web site for her. I'm supposed to talk to everyone, find out what they do, and gather impressions about what should be included.”
The brief spark of interest faded. “Candy isn't here.”
“Yes, I know. Jasonâin the officeâtold me that when I arrived.”
“That kid.”
I waited for Larry to elaborate. He didn't.
“What about him?”
“I don't know what he thinks he's doing here. He ought to have an internship at Merrill Lynch or Ernst & Young. Then we wouldn't have to listen to how smart he is all day long.”
“Internships don't pay,” I pointed out. “I believe he's working here because he needs the money.”
“Yeah,” Larry agreed sardonically. “I guess there's a lot of that going around.”
“Jason was feeling pretty insecure after Steve Pine died. He was afraid Candy might cut back and he'd lose his job.”
“Summer help.” Larry shrugged. “What can you expect?”
This guy was a prize. If a problem didn't relate directly to him, he didn't want to know about it. I decided to steer the conversation in a more personal direction.
“So I guess that means you weren't concerned?”
“For my job? Hell no.”
Larry helped himself to another slug of beer. As he lowered the can, his eyes narrowed.
“Unless you've heard something? Is that what this is about?”
I shook my head. “I haven't heard a thing. Well, except . . .”
“Except what?”
Larry turned the rest of the way around in his seat and straightened. I had his attention now. He even seemed to have forgotten that he hadn't wanted to talk.
“It's just that I heard a story about a girl who got fired over something that didn't seem very important. A groomer, maybe? I think her name was Shannon. So I guess that makes me wonder how secure anyone's job is.”
“Yeah, Shannon.” Larry frowned. “She got a raw deal all right.”
“You knew her?”
“Sure, I knew her. Still do. She and I are livin' together.”
“Oh,” I said, with what I hoped was a convincing show of surprise. “Then you must know all about what happened.”
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