Till Death Do Us Bark (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 2)

by Stella St. Claire

  Janelle shook her head. "I don't understand. Why would one of Lacy's former clients kill her?"

  Brett snorted. "Clearly, you've never heard the term Bridezilla. Something happens to even the most well-mannered brides when it comes to planning a wedding. I have no doubt that any of them could be capable of murder."

  "That I believe," Andrew muttered. Olivia elbowed him gently in the side.

  Janelle reached out and snagged the list. "Oh, I know all of these couples. Derek just gave you the list?"

  "Not exactly," Olivia hedged. "Jackie might have mentioned my wedding planning problems to Derek, who just happened to happily supply the names of the most recently married couples who might help me."

  "You went investigating without me?" Janelle actually looked a little hurt, and Olivia felt bad. She wanted to point out that Janelle was a little fixated on the sale of the brownstone, but she kept her thoughts to herself. "Deanna and Mark were married last month. Both of them are accountants, and from what I heard, they had a beautiful wedding. I don't see them committing murder. Kim and Harris had a very small wedding, and they're very much in love. Plus, Kim is pregnant, so I don't think she'd be dabbling in poisons."

  The waiter arrived with their drinks, but the group ignored them as Janelle continued to skim over the list. "Oh, Iris and Neil." She grimaced. "I don't know about their wedding, but I'm pretty sure they aren't going to live happily ever after."

  "Iris? Long blonde hair and green eyes?" Brett asked suddenly. "A dusting of freckles on her nose?"

  "Yeah." Janelle slid the note back over to Olivia. "Do you know her?"

  "I do," he said slowly. "I certainly didn't know that she was married."

  "Brett!" Olivia admonished. "You didn't!"

  Jackie laughed. "Hang on, cowboy. Iris just got married about two months ago."

  Relief visibly swept over Brett, and he reached for his beer. "Thank God for that. Still, I dated her a couple of times not long before that. I can't believe she was seeing someone."

  "She may not have been," Janelle said with a shake of her head. "She and Neil only dated maybe two months before they got married. They claim that it was love at first sight, and Iris might very well be in love, but I'm pretty sure Neil only married her to get on her insurance. Iris is a pharmacist, and Neil has bounced around from job to job. He's a notorious daredevil. I think he's broken something like three bones in the past year."

  Olivia bit her bottom lip. "If Iris just discovered that her marriage is an unhappy one, I can't imagine that she would take her rage out on Lacy. Wouldn't she be upset with Neil?"

  "It was a huge wedding. If Iris was having some doubts, she might be experiencing some financial regret."

  Andrew frowned. "Lacy does have a tendency to bully people into doing what she wants."

  This again? It was all Olivia could do not to shoot him a dirty look. "All right. It's not a huge lead, but at least it's something. Janelle, you know more about the wedding-planning circuit. Can you think of anyone else who might have a beef with Lacy?"

  Janelle shook her head. "Just because I'm a baker doesn't mean I know anything about weddings. Why would you assume that?"

  Her tone was sharp, and everyone stared at her. "Sorry," Olivia said slowly. "I didn't mean to offend you."

  Her sister’s shoulders slumped. "I didn't mean to sound upset. I guess I'm just unhappy that I'm spending date night here." She shot Patrick a crooked smile. "I know that it's my fault."

  "You said Iris is a pharmacist?" Olivia mused. "Everyone knows that cyanide is a poison, but Iris would probably have an easier time getting some. Where does she work?"

  "The health center on Twelfth Street."

  "I don't want you going alone," Andrew said suddenly. "Can you wait until this weekend so I can go with you?"

  "This weekend? I was hoping to have this solved by this weekend." Olivia gave him a pleading glance. "Do you want a wedding or not?"

  "Yes, I do. In the fall."

  "I'll go with her," Janelle said quickly. "I wasn't planning on going into the bakery until tomorrow afternoon, so we can go in the morning. We've already faced one killer and survived to tell the tale. Soon we'll be pros."

  "I would prefer if that didn't happen," Andrew said darkly. He looked at Olivia for a quiet minute before sighing. "Fine, but you'll talk to her in public, and you'll call me both before and after. If this gets dangerous, you're done. I'd rather not get married at all than to lose you, do you understand?"

  Olivia smiled and kissed him. "I love you, and we'll be careful. I promise."

  "Can I come?" Jackie asked. "I have tomorrow off."

  "You do?" Brett asked with an interested look on his face. "Does that mean you're free to have dinner with me?"

  "I imagine I'll be too shaken up after confronting a murderer, but if things change, I'll be sure give you a call."

  Brett looked wounded, and Olivia laughed. Despite everything weighing on her shoulders, she was feeling more relaxed and at ease. If everything went well, the murderer would be behind bars soon, the idea of some stupid curse would die down, and Olivia would persuade Andrew to get married as soon as possible.

  11

  The next morning, the three women found themselves standing by a bench next to the health center. The sky was overcast, and Olivia hadn't prepared for a lack of sun. She shivered and stared at the sign above the door. Janelle and Jackie looked at her expectantly.

  "Well?" her sister asked. "What's your plan?"

  "Before I can ask Nick to bring her in for questioning, I have to establish motive and opportunity. An unhappy marriage isn't exactly a smoking gun. I don't suppose either one of you has a reason for being in a pharmacy, do you? Feeling a little under the weather?"

  "There's no need for an elaborate scheme," Jackie said with a frown. "We'll just go in and ask her for the names of the vendors she used for her wedding. That should open up the conversation to her feelings about Lacy."

  Janelle looked disappointed. "That's no fun. This is my morning off. I was hoping for a little more excitement."

  "All right. We'll tell her that you suspect you’re pregnant and want her recommendation for the best form of birth control," Olivia said with a wicked grin as she stepped forward.

  "Don't you dare!" Janelle hissed. "It'll be all over town that I'm pregnant, and I won't have it!"

  "Just think of all think people who will come into the bakery, hoping to get a look at your baby bump," Jackie said mischievously.

  Janelle glared at her. "You two are terrible."

  Chuckling, Olivia opened the door and stepped in. The small pharmacy was only a few years old, but it was meant to resemble a quaint apothecary. Rather than metal shelves, all the décor was made of dark-stained wood. The high ceilings gave the place a misleadingly spacious feeling, and the large windows at the top would have let in the welcoming sunlight—if there had been any. Instead, it just gave an ominous view of the sky.

  There was only one other woman in the store, a little old lady slowly shuffling down the cold-remedy aisle. She sneezed loudly and failed to cover her mouth, and the three women quickly gave her a wide berth.

  Stopping as though to look at the allergy pills, Olivia cast a quick look over her shoulder to scope out the pharmacists’ counter. The only person back there was a tall, dark-skinned man. "I take it that's not Iris," she whispered.

  "No, but he's yummy," Jackie answered softly.

  Suppressing a snort of laughter, Olivia elbowed her friend sharply and walked over to the counter. Praying that Iris was hiding in the back somewhere, she gave the man her brightest smile. "Excuse me, I don't suppose you can tell me when Iris is working next? She was looking into something for me."

  "Iris? I'm afraid that she's on vacation all week. A delayed honeymoon, I think. Perhaps I can help you with something?"

  Olivia bit her lower lip. "She left last weekend?"

  The man nodded. "She's not scheduled to return to work until next Monday."

>   Exchanging looks with Jackie and Janelle, Olivia muttered a quick thanks to the man and hurried out of the store. Once on the sidewalk, she balled her fists in frustration. "Iris couldn't have murdered Lacy. She wasn't even here. It's just another dead end. Why is this so difficult? It's not like there's a slew of murderers running around Lexingburg!"

  "That doesn't mean they're easy to identify," Janelle said in an attempt to comfort her. "Did you ever think that Samantha could be capable of killing?"

  "I did," Jackie muttered. "No one is that perfect."

  Slumping onto the bench, Olivia let her head drop. "I have no more leads. I need this wedding. I need to prove to Andrew that I want to marry him."

  "Is that what this is about?" Jackie asked as she sat down next to Olivia. "You're afraid that if you don't plan a fancy wedding, Andrew will doubt your decision?"

  "I spent weeks doing the most ridiculous things to avoid his proposal. If I were him, I'd doubt me, too," Olivia said miserably. "I wanted this to happen quickly so there were no lingering doubts in his mind, but also so that I could get it over with. It's not like I'm dreading it, but like I don't have to keep stressing about it. I just want to enjoy my wedding day and start my marriage."

  "Oh, sweetheart." Jackie leaned over and gave her a hug. "We're going to figure out who killed Lacy, and we're going to make sure that you have the best wedding ever. Even if you are still thinking about those horrible pink bridesmaid dresses.”

  “They’re peach, and you pick now to complain about my color scheme?” Olivia asked in mock indignation, but she couldn’t maintain her look of outrage, and it soon dissolved into a chuckle.

  Jackie shrugged. "It seemed like a good time. I'm a redhead, and you hate pink."

  "She's not wrong," Janelle pointed out. "All right. Come on. Let's go to Happy Ending, get some scones and coffee, and put our heads together. Surely, between the three of us, we can come up with a new plan of action."

  Feeling invigorated with the idea, Olivia stood and nodded her head. She never gave up on anything, and she wasn't about to start now.

  Of course, now that she thought about it, there were a few ex-boyfriends that she’d given up on, and a few dead-end jobs, but all of that stopped—now. Olivia was turning over a new leaf. She would see things through to the end.

  Starting with her wedding.

  There was a small line at the counter when they entered the bakery. Olivia was impressed when Janelle didn't immediately put on her chef's coat and jump behind the counter. Maybe she was finally able to see the stress that Olivia was under. Over the past few years, the sisters had drifted apart, but the investigation into Yvette's death had helped to close the gap between them. She'd hoped that their progress would continue, but lately Janelle seemed distracted.

  Maybe that was finally about to change.

  "You two grab the table in the corner, and I'll grab our goodies," Janelle said with a smile. She headed to the back of the counter, but someone in the line called her name. Olivia watched with interest as Janelle pulled the blonde stranger out of the crowd and led her to the back.

  "Who's that? She looks familiar," Olivia asked as she sat down.

  "That's Patricia Lament. She was Janelle's boss at Patty Cakes."

  "I remember now," Olivia murmured. "She was Janelle's mentor in college. She looks really stressed. Do you think there's bad blood between her and Janelle since Janelle opened her own bakery?"

  "I doubt it. Patricia mostly caters to parties. She doesn't have a large dine-in area."

  "Too bad I can't use her. No matter what happens, at least I know that I’ll have a wedding cake."

  Settled in the chair, Olivia returned her thoughts to the case. "If it's not Matthew, and it's not an angry bride, then that has to leave someone that Lacy worked with, right?"

  "You have to admit that you don't anything about Lacy. For all you know, she had a string of angry exes or maybe even a disgruntled family member," Jackie pointed out.

  "True." Olivia hated to admit it. "But I have to focus on what I know, and I know, or at least I've learned, that Lacy isn't an easy person to work with. If she severed a relationship with a vendor, it would cut them out of a lot of weddings."

  "Oh," Jackie said suddenly.

  Olivia blinked and looked at her expectantly, but her friend didn't say anything. "What? What are you thinking?"

  "It's just some gossip that I heard," she said uneasily. "It was right around Kim's wedding."

  "Spit it out, Jackie! It's not like you to beat around the bush."

  "Well, I don't know the particulars. If I tell you, you're going to have to be discreet about your investigation. I mean, really discreet, Olivia. I don't think that Janelle is going to be very happy."

  "Jackie!"

  "All right. All right. Patricia was supposed to do the cake for Kim's wedding, but something happened. I think it had nuts in it, and Kim's allergic to nuts. Lacy blasted her in front of everyone and had to get an emergency cake brought in. I don't think Patricia's been able to work a wedding since then. It's probably why she looks so stressed."

  Olivia felt her heart sink. That really was one hell of a motive, but Jackie was right. If she accused Janelle's mentor of murder, her sister would never forgive her.

  "Uh-oh," Jackie whispered. "I don't think your morning is going to get any better."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Your mother just walked in, and she's heading straight toward you.”

  Her eyes widening in horror, Olivia stood and turned to see Pamela Rickard marching to the table. Olivia recognized the look on her mother’s face all too well. It was the same look that she’d had when she’d discovered that Olivia, at seventeen, had played hooky from high school for a day so she and Jackie could drive to another state and see a concert that night. It was the same look that she’d had when Olivia had tried to hide a wild baby bunny in her closet when she was thirteen. And it was the same look that she’d had when she discovered that Olivia had tried to dye Janelle’s beautiful pink prom dress blue.

  It meant that Olivia was in big trouble, and there was nowhere to hide.

  "Hi, Mom," she said weakly.

  "Olivia, I am so furious with you that I don't even know where to begin. You find another dead body and don't call me?"

  Olivia shot a pleading look at Jackie, but her friend was already turning her head as though she didn't see what was happening right in front of her. With Janelle still off talking to her mentor, there was no one else to save her. "You haven’t been speaking to me," she said softly.

  "Just because we're fighting over the wedding doesn't mean that you should not call me when something like this happens!"

  "I'm sorry, Mom."

  Tears suddenly sprang to her mother's eyes, and Olivia hurried to hug her. It was so rare for her mother to cry, and Olivia couldn't stand it. Pamela Rickard was one of the strongest women that she knew. "Mom, please don't cry. It's not like I'm in any danger."

  "It's not that," Pamela sniffed. "I just hate that we're fighting. I hate that you feel like you can't come to me. It's all her fault!"

  "My fault?" Jackie squeaked.

  "No," Pamela scoffed. "That damned wedding planner!"

  Horrified, Olivia slapped her hand over her mother's mouth. "Mom, you can't say things like that! Nick will think that you did it!"

  "I don't care," Pamela huffed. "I know you thought the damned woman hung the moon and the stars, but I've been talking to people, and that Lacy McBride was horrific. She doesn't deserve to be anywhere near a wedding. She's got so much bad karma that it's a wonder she even lived this long."

  Olivia's cheeks burned with embarrassment as people started to look over and stare at them. Praying that the floor would open up and swallow them whole, she glared at Jackie. "Would you please go get me something that I can stuff into my mother's mouth!"

  Jackie scrambled away from the table as though she couldn't get away fast enough.

  Olivia pulled out the chair next
to hers. "Mom, sit down. Let's talk about something other than Lacy. Really, anything else. I don't want to have to come visit you in jail."

  A sly smile passed her mother's face, but at least she stopped looming over Olivia like some angel of doom and perched on the chair, looking up expectantly as if waiting for Olivia to take her own seat before she pounced. "We could always talk about your wedding. Now that you don't have a wedding planner, I'm sure you're just dying for my help. I've heard about your troubles, and I don't believe in a curse. I do believe that a mother should be involved in her daughter's wedding, though. Don't you?"

  Olivia groaned inwardly. Her mother had just played her like a fiddle.

  With a sigh, she sank down onto the chair and prepared for the worst.

  12

  It took Olivia twenty minutes and a promise to let her mother help with the wedding before she could escape from Pamela’s guilt trip. Even though all Olivia had done was try to deflect some of her mother’s atrocious ideas for the perfect wedding, she felt lower than low as she gathered that afternoon’s dog entourage.

  Nick was supposed to walk Tucker, but he’d handed the leash off to Olivia so he could work. Between the sheriff’s Labradoodle, her own two mongrels, and Lily and Clyde, she had a time getting them to the dog park. Waiting at the crosswalk, she sighed and eyed them with jealousy. “You guys are lucky,” she informed them. “You don’t have to deal with upset boyfriends, silly curses, overbearing mothers, terrifying mothers-in-law, disastrous weddings, and ridiculous curses.”

  To show his lack of sympathy, Clyde waited until they were halfway across the street before squatting to do his business. “Really? You can’t do anything to make my life easier, can you?” As the walk signal turned red and started to flash in warning, she pulled out a bag and smiled apologetically at the waiting cars.