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Authors: Linda O. Johnston

BOOK: Never Say Sty
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The judges were then called on to comment. Which caused me to cringe in anticipation.
Okay, so Sebastian wasn’t around any longer. But even so . . .
Matilda, psychologist that she was, said, “Lexie’s certainly a sweet dog, but doesn’t seem cut out to be an Olympic athlete.”
Eliza said simply, “I’d consider this a C-minus performance.”
Then it was time for those who were here to audition. Charley Sherman said, “You’re one in a million, Lexie, even if this isn’t your best game.” I wanted to hug him.
Brody Avilla was a lot less tactful, yet I thought he did a good job, too. “Okay, Lexie. You’re a young dog, so I’m sure we can teach you some new tricks—although this game isn’t one of them. Maybe you’d be better in our audience, cheering your fellow dogs on.”
Of course Wagner was perfect when told to perform. The judges rated him commensurately. Mooch, too, was one of the premier performers among the pups.
But it was up to Dante, Charlotte, Rick, and Rachel to help decide whether Brody or Charley would be chosen to continue with the show. They’d discuss it soon.
When all dogs’ performances had been done and dissected, I heaved a sigh of relief. It might be a good thing that Dante would be occupied with judging the judges. I wouldn’t need to talk to him just then.
So why did I feel so bad that we wouldn’t get to chat?
I was gathering Lexie to go when my eyes connected with one of the audience members’. He was attempting to maneuver around all the others who were streaming onto the stage.
I froze, even as I wanted to flee. But I really wasn’t afraid of him.
And it would be a good thing for me to find out why the heck he was here.
In a moment, he’d caught up with me. He bent and patted Lexie. And then he stood up and smiled.
“Hello, Kendra,” he said.
“Hi, Jeff,” I responded as casually as I could. “What brings you here?”
“You, of course. We need to talk.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I DON’T THINK so,” I said, even as traitorous Lexie, who didn’t understand the ephemeral nature of human relationships, leaped up on Jeff’s leg. They’d been buddies for a while and might remain that way, notwithstanding my recently acquired almost-aversion to the man I’d nearly moved in with.
“It’s about that guy Dante,” Jeff hissed into my ear as he stopped petting Lexie and grabbed my arm.
Okay, I admit it. He’d attracted my attention. I started to walk to the side of the stage area with him.
But suddenly we weren’t all alone in the milling crowd. Possible judge Brody Avilla had joined us.
“You’re Kendra Ballantyne, aren’t you?” he asked. “I heard that
Animal Auditions
was your idea, conceived to help the Hayhursts resolve a legal problem.”
“That’s about it.” I studied his movie-star handsome face to determine whether he was criticizing or complimenting me for my ingenuity.
“I love it,” he said enthusiastically. “And I really hope I’m chosen to be the new judge.”
Jeff shifted beside me in impatience. So what? Recruiting the right replacement judge was important to
Animal Auditions
, and that show was absolutely important to me. Jeff could wait if he wanted. Or leave, if he didn’t. It was all the same to me.
“I hate to profit by someone else’s misfortune,” Brody continued, his husky voice raised to be heard above the excited crowd murmurs around us. “I heard about Sebastian Czykovski’s death on the news, of course. Do you have any idea what happened to him?”
I stared for an instant. “He was murdered,” I said, incredulous that anyone connected with this show, even newly so, wouldn’t know that.
Brody’s smile seemed indulgent. “I figured. But what I wondered was whether you had any ideas about who killed him. I’ve heard you have a knack for solving murders.”
“Oh.” I felt my features soften. “You could say that, though I can think of better hooks for my reputation. I’m a lawyer. And a pet-sitter. And—” Oh, hell. Was my babbling a semblance of flirtation with this film star? If so, I figured I’d better cease floundering.
“So who’s the front-runner among your suspects?” he asked.
“I’d like to hear that, too.” Jeff had stood aside but he hadn’t left. Now, he interjected himself into the conversation.
“Sorry.” I stared from one man to the other. I’d thought Jeff was here as a follow-up to our lunch, as an attempt to stay on my good side. Brody was here because he wanted to be our show’s newest judge. But was their nosiness about my suspicions of suspects more than idle curiosity?
Of course, Jeff snooped as a profession. He was a P.I. as well as a security systems specialist. Trying to find out whodunit was probably second nature to him.
And Brody would surely have an interest in who offed the guy he hoped to replace on the show. He’d need to know if the role came with hazardous strings attached—or whether Sebastian’s killing resulted from that particular man’s making enemies.
“I haven’t come to any conclusions except certainty that neither Ned Noralles nor his sister, Nita, is guilty,” I opined, “no matter what ill-conceived tree his brethren detectives may be barking up.”
“Clearly the wrong one.” Brody nodded knowingly.
“Then we’re all in agreement,” Jeff said.
On this issue at least, although I felt certain there were lots of others on which we wouldn’t see eye to eye.
Lexie started straining on her leash, and I looked in the direction she pulled. Dante was coming toward us with Wagner, untethered, at his side. “So you’ve now met Kendra,” he said to Brody. He maneuvered himself in a manner that appeared to sever Jeff from the conversation, as if the P.I. wasn’t even present. Did he know who Jeff was?
I decided to be polite and introduce them, as Lexie and Wagner acted pleased to see one another again. “You two obviously know one another,” I said to Dante and Brody. “I’d like you both to meet Jeff Hubbard.” I moved to include him in the group. “He was my first pet-sitting client, and he’s also a private investigator and security expert. Maybe he can help figure out who killed Sebastian so this show can go on with no further stigma attached.”
“Assuming no one connected with it was the killer.” Jeff’s stare landed on Dante.
Uh-oh. The fiery glare that passed between them could have been explosive had there been even a hint of tinder in the air.
“Do you have any idea who might have done it, Jeff?” Brody asked calmly, stepping between Jeff and Dante as if he stopped arguments often. He had to maneuver around the two sitting dogs, and he patted each playfully on the head. “Of course, they haven’t arrested either Noralles, but I understand from Kendra that they may be leaning that way. Is it possible the police are right this time?”
“No way,” Jeff said.
“Of course not,” I added. “Ned Noralles is a cop himself. He respects the law. If he hated Sebastian enough to kill him—which I doubt—I’d see him conducting an investigation and finding something on the guy so he could arrest him. And I certainly don’t see his sister, Nita, killing Sebastian just because he trashed her poor pig Sty Guy’s performance on
Animal Auditions
.”
“Right,” Jeff said with a decisive nod. The way he smiled happily at me . . . was he actually here to try to clear Ned? They hadn’t exactly been friends for quite a few years, but lately their mutual hatred had mellowed. An interesting thought struck me: Had Ned hired Jeff?
“Well, hello, all of you,” gushed a female voice as ZsaZsa the Puli started sniffing Lexie and Wagner. They stood to invite her into their doggy circle.
Too bad Jeff’s Akita, Odin, wasn’t here, too. This could be a pup party. Did Brody also own a dog?
Corina joined us, her cameraman all but glued to her back. “This was fun,” she continued. “ZsaZsa and I would like to really compete sometime soon. In the meantime, has a decision been reached about which of the two delightful gentlemen will become the new judge? I could state pros and cons for both of them oncamera, but think either would make a wonderful addition to the show.”
“That’s the main reason I came over here,” Dante said, “although I got a little sidetracked.” His expression hardened just a little as he aimed a glance in Jeff’s direction, then eased up again. “I wanted to tell Brody that he’s in.” Brody responded with a huge grin. “Fortunately, we producers didn’t have to make the difficult decision. Charley Sherman has conceded, mostly because, even though he said he had fun, he felt he’d bring more to the show if he remained a trainer and kept coming up with scenarios to use in each round of episodes.” Dante’s smile looked almost smug. Obviously, this was how he wanted things. Had he convinced Charley to back out graciously?
I supposed it didn’t matter. Dear Charley would still stay connected with the show, probably in a way that made most sense, given his perfect training background.
And Brody as replacement judge? Looking at him onscreen would undoubtedly attract a lot of female viewers. Since he was an actor, he could play the role of ill-tempered judge if asked to, as well as if he truly despised performances of some animal contestants. That, too, could appeal to viewers.
All seemed well on the set of
Animal Auditions
. . . now. But I caught the complacent look that passed briefly between Dante and Brody. Both appeared pleased.
Was there something buried between them that they hadn’t yet revealed? Something that would affect our show?
If so, I sure hoped I could dig it out.
 
 
A WHILE LATER, we’d cleared out the stage and the gang had started to depart.
“We’ve got the next pig filming tomorrow,” Charlotte said to the band of judges congregating near the door. “You’re all set for it?” Her eyes were on Brody.
“Of course. Looking forward to it. And if there’s anything you lovely ladies can give as pointers in advance, I’d be delighted.” He looked at Matilda and Eliza, who all but fluttered beneath his flirtatious glance.
No doubt about which judge would be in charge on the show in the future. Was that good or bad? Guess we’d find out.
The three of them decided to go out to dinner together—and didn’t invite us. No matter. I was tired and had pet-sitting duties to tend to anyway.
Jeff fell into step beside me as Lexie and I headed out of the building. “Can I come over tonight? I’ll bring Odin and Thai food. We can talk about the Sebastian situation—and how best to clear Ned and Nita.”
“The last part of that sounds good.” It might be especially good to have a sounding board regarding my suspicion that Ned wasn’t absolutely certain his sister was innocent. And so did his bringing Odin. I’d spent a lot of time with Jeff’s dear Akita, especially when Jeff had apparently disappeared. But since Jeff was no longer in my life, neither, unfortunately, was Odin. And I couldn’t trust my suspicions to him any longer. “I’ll talk to you in daylight now, though. And no Thai as part of the bargain.”
“Kendra—”
Whatever he intended to say, Dante’s appearance with Wagner squelched it. We were in the parking lot by now.
“I think we’re way ahead,” Dante said, apparently speaking to me and shunning Jeff. “Brody will make a much better judge than Sebastian.” I didn’t attempt to hide the suspicion from my expression, and he added, “We’d have done fine with him, of course, if he hadn’t died. And I definitely feel sorry about how we lost him. Just in case, Mr. Hubbard, you suspect I’m the killer, the answer is an emphatic no.” He planted himself dead in front of Jeff and stared him straight in the face.
Both men’s hands curled instinctively into fists. I had to laugh, though, when Wagner was the one to ease the tension. He nosed his way between them and gave a big, healthy bark, as if to warn them that if either attacked, so would he.
Of course, I suspected Jeff would get the short end of that confrontation. So did he, since he turned to me and said, “I’ll be in touch, Kendra, to talk over that matter of importance I mentioned.”
“Fine,” I said. “Have a good evening, Jeff. And give Odin a big hug for me.”
He zoomed off in—what else? He’d lost his Escalade in a flood canal, and had replaced it with a new one. It was black and shiny and newer than the last.
I watched him drive off, Lexie sitting on the pavement at my side. And then Dante said, “I’ll see you later, Kendra.” He didn’t wait for any response from me, as he and Wagner headed for his sleek, silver Mercedes.
And I sighed as Lexie and I hied ourselves to our ugly little rental car. It was absolutely time to replace it. And I now thought I knew exactly what I wanted.
All I had to do was to figure out a way to pay for it.
 
 
CALLING MY OFFICE on my way to my first pet-sitting stop, I learned that my presence had hardly been missed.
“No emergencies today, Kendra,” Borden assured me. “How were things on your animal show?”
“Interesting,” I told him. “It’s going well. You should come to a taping with me soon.”

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