The Dogfather
Page 21
Quinn doubled over as she yelled out in pain, dropping the gun on the counter. I grabbed it and backed away, pointing the gun at Quinn.
I sent a shaky smile in Betty’s direction. “Nice work. Call 911.”
She cradled her hand against her chest. “Why can’t I hold the gun and you call 911?”
“FBI. Drop your weapon.” Agent James suddenly burst through the backdoor.
Betty’s eyes widened as FBI Agent Tom James stood in the hallway pointing his firearm at me, before aiming it at Quinn.
“Never mind. You can have the gun,” Betty said.
Quinn’s face was comical as she tried to process that my intern was really an FBI agent.
I laid the gun on the floor and kicked it toward Agent James. He cocked a questioning eyebrow.
I shrugged. “This isn’t our first rodeo.” Regardless of my offhanded comment, my heart was still racing from being held at gunpoint.
“Have you been following me? Do you give private lessons? I’m pretty sure I’ll need to follow someone soon.” Betty’s excitement at possibly being followed obviously confused James.
“We’ve had this store under surveillance since Mason’s murder. I got a call there was possible trouble.”
“A real-life G-man.” Betty’s reverent tone almost made me giggle. Or the giggle may have been shock.
She elbowed me in the side. “I knew he wasn’t an intern. I’ve got great intuition.”
I pulled her into a brief hug. “Like you said, you are a star pupil.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“COOKIE, I’M PROUD of you.”
I smiled. “I didn’t do it by myself. You and Grey helped.”
She scoffed. “I’m not talking about that no-good Quinn Reed. I said from day one it was her, but no one believed me.”
It was true. She did say it was the wife. Of course, she always says it’s the spouse. At some point she had to be right. Turned out Quinn knew her husband’s secret—that he was responsible for his first wife’s death. She’d protected his secret until he could no longer give her what she wanted—money and status.
Darby and Colin were still dating. Now that all the facts had come to light, I didn’t feel as suspicious of Colin. Turns out he had good reason to hate Mason and Quinn. He decided to stay in town and expand his dog sitting business. I had a feeling he’d have to turn down clients soon.
As for Betty, well she really had been sneaking off to PI classes. And acting classes. And firearm training. She was dead set on obtaining a PI license. She just needed someone to mentor her. Lord help us all if she ever found that person.
“Then what are you talking about?” I asked my trusty assistant.
She pulled out a white handkerchief with bluebells cross-stitched in the corner. Very gently she pulled back all the soft material revealing my Grandma Tillie’s pin.
“Is it still in one piece?” I asked, reaching for the pin.
“Don’t get sassy with me.” She held out the handkerchief. “I think you’re ready for it now.”
I wanted to argue with her, but she was right.
She had no idea how right.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“WE MAKE A GOOD team.” Grey leaned back in the patio chair.
I grinned, batting my eyes. “I’ve always known we made a great team. It’s much easier to help you, and stay out of your way, when I know what’s going on.”
His face turned serious. “Thanks for everything you did for me. For the case.”
“I’ll always have your back.” My face grew warm as Grey studied me intently.
My stomach growled. I flipped open the pizza box. “We haven’t had Gina’s in ages.”
He’d suggested we grab pizza and take it back to his place and watch the sun set on his back patio. It wasn’t a hard sell. I pulled a slice from the box and dropped it on my paper plate. I was trying to keep my emotions in check, but it was difficult when Grey looked at me like I was more important than his favorite pizza.
“We’ve had a lot of good times here,” Grey said.
“We have,” I agreed easily. “You haven’t touched the pizza yet.”
His smiled softened his handsome face. “I’m enjoying watching you. I guess I forgot how much you love pizza.”
“So what happens next with the undercover case?”
“Paperwork. Agent James is ready to escape Betty.”
“I don’t blame him. He deserves a medal for dealing with her. I can’t believe he actually taught her how to tail someone. Although, she is the one who helped him nab Leo and take down the counterfeit purse ring. Not bad for his first case.”
Grey chuckled. “I can’t believe she was dating a mobster. What am I saying? Yes I can.”
I swallowed more pizza. “I thought Malone was going to lock himself in jail at one point when we were explaining what went down at Hot Handbags.”
“He needs a vacation.”
That was the opening I needed. “Speaking of vacations. I was thinking we should catch a flight to Vegas tomorrow, stop by the wedding chapel, and finally get married.”
“Is that the one with the Elvis impersonator?” Grey asked.
“No. The one with the drive-thru.”
He took a long drink of water. “Is this a marriage proposal?”
“No. It’s an elopement proposal. It’s time to act.”
“It’s been an emotional few weeks. A lot has happened.” He offered a way out. He obviously thought this was an impulsive proposal.
“I know what I’m saying, and I know what I feel. I love you. You love me. Let’s stop planning for the future and start living. If you don’t feel the same—”
“I was ready to marry you the very day I proposed the first time.”
“But not the last two times?” I joked past the sudden lump in my throat.
“Every time. I’m just waiting for you.”
The old Mel would have taken that as a slight. But I knew exactly what he was saying. “I’m ready.”
“Okay. Are you serious about Vegas? It’ll upset your mother.”
I shook my head. “This isn’t about her. Here’s an idea. We’ll go to Dallas this weekend as planned. She’ll forgive me once I ask her to throw us the biggest wedding reception party Texas has ever seen. She’ll forget all about the ceremony.”
“Deal. There’s one more thing,” he said.
“Whatever you say.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
THE SPUR-OF-THE-moment wedding was as crazy as our courtship. Elvis did make a brief appearance, and after hearing about our journey to the altar, promptly burst out singing, “It’s Now or Never”. Appropriate. Grey was as sexy as always in his dark-charcoal Tom Ford suit. I had made a quick trip to Fashion Island in Newport the morning before we flew to Vegas. I found the perfect strapless wedding gown. A simple silk charmeuse, column gown that was so buttery smooth it felt like I was wearing a slip.
After the ceremony we took a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon and made plans to come back and hike from the rim to the river for our first-year anniversary. The day was everything I had ever dreamed.
As much as I hated to return to Laguna, I had made a promise to Grey, and it was time to make good on it. I left him and Missy at my place grabbing the last of Missy’s belongings. We had decided to live at Grey’s. More room for Missy, my shoes, and purses. As a wedding gift, he promised to build me a handbag and shoe closet. He knew the way to my heart.
I pulled up to Caro’s house early in the morning, the quiet neighborhood similar to mine. Or should I say my old neighborhood? I touched my simple gold wedding band just to remind myself we’d actually gotten married.
I’d practiced my apology tour speech numerous times; starting with the announcement o
f our wedding, offering a sincere apology for being stubborn, and ending with a peace offering. I marched up the front walk to her door. I inhaled deeply, then exhaled. I practiced once more before I rang the bell.
“I’m sorry for hurting your feelings when I badmouthed your lousy ex-husband.” I sighed. “I’m sorry for sticking my nose into your business.” I nodded. That was better. “Caro, I’m sorry.” I liked that one the best. Simple and to the point. She could fill in the blanks.
I gently slipped my hand inside my tote bag and wrapped my fingers around Grandma Tillie’s brooch. I was doing the right thing . . . right? I shook off the doubts and pushed the doorbell. Dogbert barked once. I imagined Thelma and Louise swishing tails, wrapping around Caro’s legs as she walked toward the door.
The door slowly opened.
“Hey, Caro. Guess what? I got—” I stopped midsentence.
I blinked. I couldn’t be seeing what I thought I was seeing.
“Please tell me you’re not real,” I pleaded.
“Well, Melinda Sue Langston. My word, I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you and Caro weren’t speaking.” Mama Kat, Caro’s mama, stood ramrod straight in front of me. Primed to put me in my place. Well, Hell’s Bells. I released the brooch. That certainly put a damper on my plans.
I arched my eyebrow. “Does Caro know you’re in her house?”
Kat huffed. “You’re still unfunny. Caro’s not here. She had a house call.”
Oh, I’m sure she did. Caro was probably on her way out of town.
Caro’s mama narrowed her cold, judgmental eyes. “Do you have a message for her?”
I thought about it for a minute.
“Tell her Mrs. Donovan has something for her. If she’d like to know what it is, she can meet her at Cress Street Beach at sunset.”
“Who’s Mrs. Donovan?” Mama Kat called from behind me.
“She’ll know.”
The End
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Missy’s Tail-Wagging
Dried Apple Treats
Ingredients
2 Fuji or Honeycrisp apples
Directions
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Wash and dry 2 apples.
Remove core and seeds.
Slice apples into thin slices.
Place the apple slices on a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Flip slices and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until slices feel dry.
Remove from oven, let them cool completely, and then store them in an airtight container with the rest of your pup treats. The slices can be kept in the refrigerator for one week.
Mel’s Mediterranean Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
2 tsp. butter
2 slices bread (Mel likes sourdough)
2 thin slices Roma tomato
¼ cup spinach
2 Tbsp. pitted Kalamata olives
1 Tbsp. feta cheese
2 oz. fresh mozzarella slices
Directions
Spray a Foreman grill or sandwich press with cooking oil spray.
Preheat grill/sandwich press.
Spread butter evenly on both sides of each piece bread.
Top one slice of bread with tomato, spinach, olives, feta, mozzarella, and the second slice of bread.
Grill until bread is golden brown and cheese has melted.
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Acknowledgements
FIRST, THANK YOU to the amazing team at Bell Bridge Books. Your continued support and belief in us for the past seven years is deeply appreciated. To our fabulous editor, Deb Dixon, you make us look good. Thank you for continuing to share your expertise. You made our dreams come true!
Christine Wittholm, our agent at Book Cents Literary Agency, thank you for your direction, advice and support.
Tami, Christine, and Cindy—endless gratitude for being on call, and for your support and belief in us. You are not only amazing critique partners, but lifetime friends. We love you.
A special thanks to Steve, Rachel, Seth, Josh, Sarah, Jeremy, and Colleen for all the meals you cooked, Starbucks you delivered, and times you cleaned the kitchen. Colleen, you give the best hugs!
To Chewy who crossed the Rainbow Bridge during the writing of The Dogfather. You were the best little buddy an animal lover could know. You’re missed.
Finally to our readers, you fill our hearts with joy. Thank you for stopping us to share that you’ve binged the whole series and we need to write faster. Thank you for sharing with us how Mel and Caro helped you through a difficult time. Thank you for sharing all the parts that made you laugh out loud. Thank you for all the messages, emails, and posts telling us how much you love Caro and Mel. We love to hear from you! If you haven’t already done so, please visit our website and sign up to get updates. www.SparkeAbbey.com
If you or someone you know would like to learn more about service dogs, check out www.assistancedogsinternational.org.
Mary Lee and Anita, aka Sparkle Abbey
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About the Authors
Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets—Sparkle (Mary Lee’s cat) and Abbey (Anita’s dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and, depending on the time of day, with either an iced tea or a margarita.
Mary Lee Salsbury Woods is the “Sparkle” half of Sparkle Abbey. She is past-president of Sisters in Crime-Iowa and a member o
f Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Kiss of Death, the RWA Mystery Suspense Chapter, Sisters in Crime National, and the SinC Internet group Guppies.
Prior to publishing the Pampered Pets Mystery Series with Bell Bridge Books, Mary Lee won first place in the Daphne du Maurier contest, sponsored by the Kiss of Death chapter of RWA, and was a finalist in Murder in the Grove’s mystery contest, as well as Killer Nashville’s Claymore Dagger contest.
Mary Lee is an avid reader and supporter of public libraries. She lives in Central Iowa with her husband, Tim, and Sparkle, the rescue cat namesake of Sparkle Abbey. In her day job, she is the non-techie in the IT Department. Any spare time she spends reading and enjoying her sons, daughters-in-law, and six grandchildren.
Anita Carter is the “Abbey” half of Sparkle Abbey. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Kiss of Death, the RWA Mystery Suspense chapter, and Sisters in Crime.
She grew up reading Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, and the Margo Mystery series by Jerry B. Jenkins (years before his popular Left Behind series). Her family is grateful all the years of “fending for yourself” dinners of spaghetti and frozen pizza have finally paid off, even though they haven’t exactly stopped.
In Anita’s day job, she works for a fitness company. She also lives in Central Iowa with her husband and four children, son-in-law, grandchild, and a rescue dog, Sophie.