Barking up the Wrong Bakery (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 1)
Page 5
Her boyfriend didn’t respond, and she turned her head. He was staring at the tree line, and she sighed. God, was he staring at the moon? Was he going to propose now? They were talking about her sister’s innocence! “It might,� he called out in a curious voice.
Taking a quick picture of the crumbs, she carefully backed away from the crime scene. “What are you staring at?�
With a strange smile, he pointed to the trees. “What do you see?�
“The moon is pretty, Andrew, but that’s hardly the most pressing issue here.�
“Not the moon, baby.�
Confused, she realized that he was pointing at the trees. It wasn’t until she concentrated that she saw the steadily blinking red light. “It’s a camera,� she whispered.
“It’s a camera,� he agreed.
“It’s so well hidden. No one would ever see it in the daytime. It’s farther away. It’s got a wider angle, and it’s hidden. The killer wouldn’t have known about it. Andrew, this could clear Janelle!�
“Call Nick,� he said with a gorgeous smile.
In that moment, Olivia would have said yes to anything he asked of her. Pulling out her phone, she called the sheriff.
5
Pacing nervously, Olivia stared at her phone. Janelle was meeting with Nick, and the sheriff had refused to talk to Olivia ahead of time.
Doubts flashed in her mind. She and Nick were friends. She covered for him when his wife thought he was out walking the dogs and getting exercise. If it were good news, he would have told her. Why would he keep things from her?
Janelle wasn’t a killer, but what if there was something wrong with the camera? What if it was turned off during the murder? What if she’d made things worse?
“Status quo,� she whispered. “I should have just left things alone. I just made things worse. What have I done?�
The phone interrupted her panic attack, and she grabbed at it so quickly that it fell to the floor. “No. Janelle! I’m here,� she yelled at the still-ringing phone, for all the good it would do. She picked it up and answered. “I’m here!�
“Hi,� her sister said, laughing joyfully. “You sound so panicked!�
“Don’t play with me,� Olivia snapped. “What did Nick say?�
“You did good, little sister. You did good.�
Relieved, Olivia sank against the wall. “Oh, thank God. So who did it?�
“It shows Yvette waving goodbye to me as I left, but it didn’t show anyone else until you and Andrew showed up. The lens was zoomed in on the truck. If the killer came in from the front and stayed behind the truck, the video wouldn’t have caught it. So it doesn’t solve the whole case, but it does exonerate me.�
“That’s great,� Olivia said as she straightened. “I’m glad that I could help.�
“So you’ll come by tomorrow and sign the paperwork for the bank?�
She was saved from answering by the beeping of her phone. Thankful for the distraction, she glanced down to read the text and laughed. “Mayor Henderson is calling for a town meeting!�
“Already? Didn’t we just have one this quarter?�
“Someone just got murdered, Janelle. I don’t think that they want to talk about curb appeal and raising HOA fees,� Olivia said dryly. “It’s tonight at five. You want to go?�
“Not especially. It always just turns into some ridiculous fight.�
Olivia grinned. “I know. That’s why they’re so fantastic! C’mon. We’ll go to the meeting and we’ll have dinner at End Game afterward.�
Janelle sniffed. “I don’t know about End Game, but I guess I could meet you there. Patrick has a meeting tonight, so I was just going to spend a few extra hours at Happy Endings.�
Olivia was pleased. It had been a long time since she and Janelle had hung out together. Lately, they’d just gotten together to talk about the bank loan or her love life. Maybe this was exactly what she needed. She’d start to see Janelle as her sister again, rather than this uptight stranger her sister had turned into.
Maybe then she’d feel more comfortable going into business with her.
Olivia didn’t bother changing out of her dog-walking clothes. She’d grown up in Lexingburg, and the town no longer had high expectations of her. There was a time when everyone had thought the Rickard girls were just the darlings of the town. Everyone still thought that of Janelle.
Olivia … not so much.
It wasn’t that she was a troublemaker, and it wasn’t that she just didn’t have much motivation or aspiration. It was just that all of Olivia’s best-laid plans usually went awry.
I’m not that girl anymore, she reminded herself. She had a successful business. She had a great boyfriend. No one made bets about the next heart she’d break or the next job venture that would fail.
It wasn’t her fault that she hadn’t realized she didn’t have a green thumb until she’d tried to work for the flower shop. She did know that customer service wasn’t really her thing, but Janelle had insisted that she wait tables at the new cafe a few years ago. The reception position had seemed like a solid fit—until her boss had decided that her legs were touchable.
The dog-walking thing worked. For a solid year, she’d never had a lag in business. And despite what Nick thought, she wasn’t all that nosey.
Still, no one blinked an eye when she showed up at the town hall wearing yoga pants and a shirt that read Exercise … Eggs are Sides.
The meetings were a notorious waste of time. The mayor generally had an inflated sense of his own importance and often used the meetings to boast about his ludicrous accomplishments—like planting flowers on the side of the road. Unfortunately, as a business owner, Olivia was required to come to the meetings on the off chance that the mayor was about to push an agenda that would affect her business. Mostly, the meetings turned into an inane circus affair with one business entrepreneur yelling at another for something ridiculous, like competitive pricing. Last time they’d met, the owner of the vintage clothing store was angry because the kids’ clothing store next door was too rowdy. The verbal argument had escalated into a screaming match better than any toddler’s temper tantrum.
Today, the town hall was packed with people curious about the murder. Olivia’s neighbor, old man Cramer, hobbled up and gave Goodwin some love but ignored her. Delilah Devereux, the owner of Delilah Silks, gave her a nasty look, but everyone else was friendly enough. Lady Celeste waved excitedly to her, but Olivia ducked her greeting and found a seat next to Janelle and Olivia’s good friend, Jackie Jones.
“Janelle brought treats,� Jackie said excitedly, passing over a cookie. She was a small woman sporting glasses and fiery red hair. She owned Shelfie, and for a while, everyone had written her off as a mousey bookworm. Olivia knew she had a hot temper and little patience, but it wasn’t until the town had revolted against Jackie’s erotica section that people had gotten a taste of her temper.
Jackie had won that round, and she gleefully told Olivia whenever one of her protesters sneaked in to buy the newest hot read.
“Thanks, Janelle,� Olivia said as she snatched a cookie. “Double-fudge chocolate chip? How am I not a thousand pounds by now?�
“It’s all that exercising that you do,� Jackie said with a grin.
“I would hardly call strolling around town with a bunch of dogs exercise. Old Man Cramer walks faster than you,� Janelle sniffed.
Olivia shrugged. “That’
s when they behave. I burn all the calories chasing after them when they break free.�
“You are the worst dog walker ever!� Jackie reached across and snagged another cookie from the bag. “I’m going to need the sugar high if Donald complains about my window display again.�
“Jackie, you literally displayed covers with half-naked men and a sign that said ‘cheat on your husband with men who still have their hair,’� Janelle chastised.
The bookshop owner just shrugged. “Just because Donald is bald doesn’t mean that he had to take it so personally!�
The man in question, Donald Henderson, walked behind the podium and the whole room went quiet. It was all Olivia could do not to laugh when she saw the blond toupee on the man’s head. He hadn’t just gotten upset when Jackie had put up her display. He had actually gone out and bought a wig.
“Citizens of Lexingburg!â€� The man’s robust voice boomed in the large meeting room. “I appreciate you all coming here on such short notice. I know by now the rumors that have circulated about young Ms. Dunn’s death. I’m here to set the record straight. Earlier today our very own Sheriff Limperos held a national press conference to help calm the public and inform them …â€�
“I’m sorry,� Olivia whispered, leaning over to Janelle, “is that pride in his voice? We’re talking about a murdered woman!�
“You know Mayor Henderson. He’s on a warpath to put Lexingburg on the map.�
“Maybe he did it,� Olivia said in disgust as she leaned back in the folding chair. Tuning out the conference, she tried to channel Rose Palmer’s power of observation as she surveyed the town hall. Was the killer here?
There were a few notable absences. Franklin Kennedy, one of the town’s more influential members, was missing, as was his son Jacob, Yvette’s ex-fiancée. The sheriff himself wasn’t there, which surprised Olivia. She had a feeling it wasn’t because Donald hadn’t tried.
She could just picture the conversation now: the mayor trying to convince Nick that it was important that he be there to speak at the town meeting, and Nick reminding him that it was more important that he catch a killer. That probably pissed Donald off to no end.
Olivia’s mom was also missing, and that was really strange. Pamela Rickard had always been a big part of the community. When Olivia’s parents had still been together, her mom had been the stereotypical domesticated stay-at-home mother. She organized bake sales, was the PTA president, and even led a Girl Scout troop for a year before she realized that her daughters were not exactly Girl Scout material. When Olivia’s parents divorced, Pamela put that leadership experience to good use and took a job teaching, until she worked her way up to assistant principal. She had retired last year and moved in with her long-time boyfriend, Joseph Bunner.
Now that Olivia’s mom had all this free time on her hands, she threw herself into the community, and she bullied her daughters into helping her.
Concerned, Olivia leaned over again to whisper to Janelle. “Where is Mom?�
Janelle gave her a strange look. “She’s at Dawson Vineyard for a few days with Joseph. She won’t be back until tomorrow. She didn’t tell you?�
“Maybe,� Olivia admitted. She had a bad habit of deleting her mom’s voice messages when it sounded like she was about to ask Olivia to help her with yet another bake sale or fundraiser event.
“Ms. Rickard, am I boring you?� Donald asked suddenly. All eyes turned on her, and Olivia gave him her best smile.
“I’m so sorry, Mayor Henderson, I was just trying to comfort Janelle. This whole situation with Yvette has her very upset. You know how close they were,� she lied.
“Olivia!� Janelle hissed.
Donald gave her a suspicious look. “As I was saying, Sheriff Limperos has asked if anyone has any information on this horrible crime to call the tip line. Now, before we adjourn, I believe the Lady Celeste has an announcement to make.�
Crap. Before Olivia could figure out how to make her escape, Celeste stood. Today she was decked out in a bright blue beaded headscarf with a matching long blue-and-green printed dress. Celeste almost floated to the front of the room and waved her hands around. “Thank you so much, Mayor Henderson. We very much appreciate you putting our minds at ease during this troubled time.�
Donald practically beamed as he stepped aside. Almost everyone knew that he had a huge crush on Celeste—everyone except Celeste, although Olivia privately suspected that the alleged psychic did know and used it to get all of her projects approved. If Olivia should hanker to open a pet psychic business, Donald would shoot her down before she could even knock on his door.
“I’m so pleased to announce that dog walker Olivia Rickard and I …â€�
“Oh, no,� Olivia moaned. She was going to publically align herself with Olivia.
“… are teaming up for a special segment …â€�
“Make her stop,� Olivia whispered in dread. She tried to sink lower in her chair.
“… to help this town better communicate with their pets. Next week only, I’ll be hosting an open session for you to bring your pets to me and ask those questions that have always plagued you. After that, it will be by appointment only. Olivia, darling, would you like to stand up?â€�
“Kill me,� Olivia pleaded under her breath. “Kill me, right now!�
“Stand up,� Janelle said loudly with a grin. “I’m so interested in this!�
“You don’t even have a pet!� Olivia shot back.
“I might get one!�
“Olivia,� Celeste urged.
Slowly standing, Olivia gave the grinning faces of the crowd a sheepish smile. “Lady Celeste approached me yesterday morning about the project,� she said awkwardly. “So if that’s something that you’re into, please let her know.�
She tried to sit back down, but Celeste wasn’t finished yet. “Olivia, how could the pet owners of Lexingburg benefit from this kind of session?�
“Not a clue,� Olivia muttered before Jackie reached over and pinched her. “Ouch. I mean, I can’t speak for the cat lovers here, but dog owners might want to know why their dogs like to dig in a certain spot in the yard, or why they bark at the same person over and over again. You all know those funny little quirks.�
“Exactly,� Celeste said cheerfully. “Olivia, Goodwin, and several of Olivia’s other furry clients will be at my shop next Thursday at six o’clock for our very first session.�
“I will?�
“I encourage everyone to bring their pooches and come out and join us!�
Celeste sank into a low bow, and Olivia slowly sat back down.
Jackie winked. “Oh, I don’t think there’s a single one of your clients that would miss that.�
Olivia covered her face with her hands. “I hate this town.�
6
“Andrew, there’s someone here to see you. She says she’s your fiancée’s sister?� Cora, Andrew’s secretary, sounded confused as she relayed the message. “I didn’t realize that you’d asked Olivia to marry you.�
Andrew groaned. “I haven’t. You can show her in.� Janelle had gotten just a little too excited when Andrew had announced his intentions to propose to Olivia. He could see now that it had been a huge mistake. He knew that proposing to Olivia would take some work. The love of his life didn’t make anything easy, but Janelle wasn’t proving to be the best sidekick.
Janelle was still wearing her Happy Ending
s chef coat when she bustled in. “Andrew! I had no idea you had such a nice office! Huge oak desk. Living plants. Plush furniture. I just assumed that you worked in some cramped cubicle.�
“I’m the head of the IT department,� Andrew explained, eyebrow raised. “You’ve got some flour right here.� Pointing to his right cheek, he watched as Janelle absently swiped at her own face.
“I wanted to personally thank you for turning over the evidence that exonerated me. I just left the town meeting, and it would have been horribly embarrassing if I were still a suspect.� She put a basket of muffins on his desk and sat down.
“I would say that Goodwin and Olivia are to thank for that,� he said mildly. Janelle had a way of overlooking her younger sister, and while Andrew tried not to get in the middle of it, he knew it bothered Olivia.
Janelle waved her hand to dismiss him. “Right. Anyway, I heard that things didn’t go well at L’Amore. I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry. It’s just like Olivia to ruin her own proposal dinner.�
Andrew cocked his head. “Things didn’t work out, but I wouldn’t say that it was Olivia’s fault. We did find that camera because things didn’t work out. Besides, I’m not entirely sure that a fancy dinner is the way to go.�
“What do you mean? Every woman dreams of a romantic proposal.�
He frowned. “I thought Patrick proposed to you in your school’s dining hall?�
“Exactly. I love Patrick, but Olivia deserves better than that. It’s a miracle that she even found you, and I want this proposal to be perfect for her. What’s your next plan?�
Scratching his head, Andrew tried not to look dismayed. The truth was that he hadn’t planned anything else. He didn’t want the proposal to seem forced. He wanted the question to come naturally because that was when Olivia was more relaxed. At the restaurant, she’d looked like a deer caught in headlights. He’d known it was a mistake the moment he’d asked her to go to dinner with him, but Janelle had been so insistent. The walk home had been the perfect opportunity, but Goodwin had ruined that. “With everything going on in town, I don’t know that now is the right time …â€�