Death at the Dog Wedding

by Stacey Alabaster

  “George, do you want to talk about this?” Adam called after me.

  No, I very much didn’t. I was back on my feet and sprinting toward the front door.

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” I said as Adam caught up with me. I flashed him an ‘everything is fine and forgotten about’ smile. I brushed off my hands and tried to ignore the grass stains on my pants. And my throbbing ankle. “Come on. We are here for a reason. And only one reason.” I paced toward the door.

  “I still don’t know why I let you talk me into this,” Adam said with a sigh as he trudged behind me. “I suppose I was just so surprised that you were talking to me that I would have taken anything.”

  I knocked on the door and saw movement in the window, someone pulling the curtain back an inch, and then quickly bolting away. It was a slim man, in his mid-thirties, with rusty red hair that was almost brown.

  “Great. He’s doing a runner!” I called out, hearing the back door of the house slam shut. There were goats bleating as he ran past them. “Quick, Adam, go after him!”

  Adam was faster than I was, fitter as well, and he bolted off while I struggled to follow with my tender ankle, just hoping that Adam had managed to catch the man. It might have been our only chance.

  I arrived breathless at the side of the house to where I found the man pinned on the ground with Adam’s knee in his back. Adam glanced up at me, his floppy hair in his eyes. “Says his name is Bej,” Adam said, sounding a little breathless as well. “And he is a dog walker all right.” Adam nodded down. “Just look at all this white fur on him.”

  The poor guy looked terrified as he looked up at me for mercy.

  “Let him get up,” I said softly, nodding at Adam. If he tried to run again, Adam could just catch him. He slowly got to his feet and looked around uncertainly. Should he run?

  “What’s going on, Bej?” I asked, as he brushed himself off.

  “What’s going on is you two turning up at my house, assaulting me,” he said, straightening his shirt.

  “That’s not exactly what happened,” I said evenly, hoping that if I sounded confident enough about it he would believe me. It kind of was what happened, to be fair.

  “Oh, what do you call chasing me on my own property and throwing me to the ground?” he said.

  “We just want to ask you a few questions,” I said, stepping forward, trying to make myself look contrite and playful. “It’s important,” I said, stressing the word and shooting him a meaningful look so that he would understand just how serious it was.

  “Why? What’s happened?”

  “It’s Maxine,” I said, lowering my voice. “Something has happened to her.”

  Bej’s brow creased and he looked genuinely distraught. “What has happened to her? Is Maxine all right?”

  I glanced at Adam. Did this guy really not know or was he just playing innocent with us?

  I shook my head. “No, she’s not all right, Bej. She is dead.”

  He spoke in a trembling voice that left me with a chill down my spine. “Was it the dog?”

  The whole tale sounded so unlikely to me. I just couldn’t believe that Massie was a dangerous dog, no matter what Bej was saying to me. He had been sitting across from me in the cafe for the past fifteen minutes, telling me everything. How Massie had a reputation for being a dangerous dog. That no dog walker wanted to go near her. That she had attacked a random woman on the street.

  Bej ordered a second hot chocolate while Adam stood up and walked to the counter. It didn’t look like he believed Bej’s story either, but I was at least willing to listen to it. “She might look like a nice friendly dog from a distance, but if you get her riled up, or if she doesn’t like you, well, it’s another matter all together.”

  “Is this why you didn’t want to talk to me?” I asked Bej as he popped a marshmallow into his hot chocolate. He seemed quite child-like for someone in his mid-thirties.

  He nodded. “I thought you were going to ask me to walk her again. I can’t do it. I refuse.”

  “I just don’t believe that Massie could do something like that,” I said. “She seems like such a sweet dog. She lived with me for a few days and there was no sign of aggression at all.” I shook my head. “Are you absolutely sure that we are talking about the same dog here?”

  “That is what Felicity told me.”

  I glanced around, hoping that Adam overhead that but he was up at the counter paying for our order. “What did you just say?”

  “Felicity told me that Massie attacked her.”

  I shook my head. “So you were never actually attacked by Massie yourself? You only heard all of this information secondhand?”

  Bej finished off his hot chocolate and shrugged. “Yeah. But that doesn’t make it any less real.”

  I wasn’t so sure about that. “Bej. Who else told you these stories about Massie?”

  He paused for a moment to consider the question and then shook his head. “Well, I suppose it was just Felicity.” He seemed a little sheepish.

  “No one else?” I kept looking over my shoulder to see if Adam was listening, but he was having a quiet argument with the cashier. It looked as though his card might have been declined, so he was hunting through his wallet, looking for coins.

  “No, I suppose it was just Felicity.”

  “And why do you trust her so implicitly, Bej?” I asked, leaning across the table. “Don’t you think she might have had an ulterior motive for spreading rumors about Maxine’s dog?”

  Bej was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

  “Come on, Bej. I can see from that fluffy white fur all over you that you must walk a dog named Flora.”

  Bej finally admitted something. “Well, I suppose that I was getting double-booked a lot of the time. Maxine always wanted me to walk Massie at the same time as Felicity wanted me to walk Flora.”

  Perfect motive for making up a rumor about Massie then. And a good way to scare away her dog walker.

  Adam walked back over to the booth and told me that he needed to leave. “My shift is about to start.”

  But I had to tell Adam something before it was too late.

  “Adam. This woman that you are seeing. Your new girlfriend. Or whoever she is. She is not as innocent as you want to believe she is.”

  Chapter 10

  I walked into the craft store expecting to see Brenda, but it was someone in uniform who greeted me instead. Ryan? What was he doing here?

  “You don’t want me working here anymore?” he asked, looking a little disappointed. “I thought I was supposed to start at ten today.”

  Darn. That was what I had told him. I hadn’t expected Brenda to make such a quick recovery, though.

  “Brenda is back from the hospital,” I said gently. “Though she has been acting a little strangely ever since,” I had to admit. “And it turns out that having a police officer running the store makes customers a little nervous.” I glanced around at the empty store. “They probably think there’s been a murder in here. And I wouldn’t blame them. So, I think I can take it from here.” I took off my coat.

  “Is this about what happened the other night?” Ryan asked. “Because I think I’m able to keep my personal and business life separate.”

  But I wasn’t quite sure I could. I shook my head and smiled at him. “It’s not about that. It is about business.” I looked around at the empty shop. “Seriously.”

  He placed his hat back on his head and shrugged a little. “I didn’t think I was doing such a bad job.”

  “You weren’t. It’s the uniform. Nothing personal.”

  He still didn’t look like he believed me.

  “I guess I’ll see you around in another three weeks,” Ryan said as he turned to leave.

  “Ryan, wait—”

  He turned back hopefully. “Yes?”

  “Did you hear anything further about the Maxine Schmidt case?” I asked

  His face fell.

  “George. You know I can’t talk t
o you about that. See you around.”

  “We need to talk,” Adam said as he opened the door of the restaurant. I hadn’t been having a very good track record in these things lately, but Adam had insisted on meeting in public. He sounded serious. He’d never sounded serious like this in his life, at least not since I’d known him. Even when, twelve years earlier, the police had turned up on our door and accused him of killing our next-door neighbor.

  Wow. We were even going to sit down at a received table. Not just the bar, which was Adam’s usual style. This was formal. “Do you want to order a wine?” Adam asked. “I think you might need it.”

  “Oh, I always need it,” I said with a light laugh. But he didn’t return the laugh. Not even a smile. What was going on? The waiter arrived at the table and poured the red into my glass. I only took a single small sip, though. I was starting to get a little nervous.

  “I think it’s better that you hear this from me first, rather than secondhand,” Adam said.

  It suddenly dawned on me. Adam was about to leave town. I placed my wine glass down with a thud and a tiny bit spilled over the top, staining the wood of the table below. “Adam, I know that things have been a bit difficult. You haven’t quite got your feet on solid ground here yet. But you don’t need to be stuck at the grocery store forever. You’ll find a better job…”

  His brow was creased in confusion. “What is wrong with my job?”

  “Nothing,” I said quickly, picking up my wine glass again. I took a deep breath. This was just like Adam, to appear and then disappear again without trying to give things a proper go. I took another sip of wine.

  “Adam, I just think you haven’t thought this through enough,” I said calmly. “This town—Pottsville—this could actually be a good place to put down some roots,” I said, offering him a smile.

  “Oh, I more than agree with you,” he said, brightening slightly. A strange look crossed his face and his lips began to curl at the sides, as though he was almost trying to suppress a smile. He stared down into his coffee and looked a little lost for a few moments.

  I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “Okay then. I’m confused. What is it that you want to tell me? Are you leaving town or not?”

  Adam stared at me and shook his head. “No, George. I intend to stay in Pottsville for a long time.”

  I sighed with relief. “You were scaring me there for a moment. I thought I was going to lose you again.” I settled back in my seat and took an easy sip of wine now that I was more relaxed. Whatever he had to tell me now couldn’t be that bad. “So,” I said. “Spill it.”

  Adam stared down into his coffee cup again. He couldn’t even meet my eyes when he finally told me the terrible truth.

  “George,” he said. “I am going to ask Felicity to marry me.”

  There is a thing called denial, and I was in it. Heavily. I sauntered into the shop and was pleased to see that Brenda still seemed to be in her new cheery mood. She normally wore clothes in what she called ‘neutral colors’ but that anyone else would call ‘gray.’ But this day, she was wearing a bright blouse with a fuchsia base and bright yellow flowers printed on top of it.

  I grinned at her and pretended everything was all right. Because it was alright, right?

  “Hi, Brenda!”

  She retuned the wide grin and suddenly, I felt like I was starring in a production of the Stepford Wives. Both of us grinning deliriously and robotically at each other.

  “So how is the investigation going?” Brenda asked. The question surprised me, though with her bright new attitude, I supposed I should have expected it. “Had any more breakthroughs?”

  I sighed with relief. “Yes. The case!” I snapped my fingers. “Just what I need to get my mind off things.”

  “What do you need to get your mind off of?” Brenda asked, a little nosily. Ah, so the old Brenda was still there, not buried so deeply after all.

  “Nothing,” I answered quickly, trying to get my mind back on the case. It was just what I needed, something to dig my mind into. And I no longer needed Adam’s help. I no longer needed him for anything. If he wanted to go and get engaged to Felicity and ruin his life with a liar and a…ahem.

  “So?” Brenda asked. I realized she had been standing there, waiting expectantly for me to speak. She’d even poured herself a coffee in the meantime and was taking a sip of it. I hadn’t even noticed her making it.

  Right. I needed to focus. An idea came to me. I flashed Brenda a smile.

  “I need to go back and see Massie,” I said, pacing.

  “But she is a dangerous dog!” Brenda said, spluttering and almost choking on her coffee.

  I placed a hand on my hip. “And how do you know about that?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “News travels fast around here.” Yes, especially when Brenda was on the receiving end. I’d only heard the news about Massie the day before. How had it already gotten to Brenda’s ears?

  “I don’t believe what people are saying about Massie, Brenda,” I said. Jasper ran up to me with his tail wagging and his ears up. He even jumped up on my chest to show his excitement while Brenda sighed. But a sigh for Brenda is basically a smile. I glanced over at her. “And I think you’d do better to listen to less gossip as well. Why not find out for yourself whether Massie is a good dog or not?”

  Brenda looked at the floor. “I’d rather not take that risk.” But I could tell she was willing to be swayed. She’d had fun the other day, investigating.

  “So, Brenda, do you want to come or not? I think the fresh air will be good for you. Didn’t the doctor say you need to get outdoors more?”

  “All right. But only because it is doctor’s orders.”

  This time, she was wearing a beekeeper helmet that made her look like a junk sale spaceman as we walked down the street. “Is that really necessary?” I asked her.

  “I’m not taking any risks this time. I don’t want to swallow any more bugs.”

  “I’m not sure the fresh air can get in through there,” I commented.

  “There are holes.”

  A cat ran out from underneath Elliot’s house just as I was opening the gate to let Massie out again. She didn’t seem at all dangerous to me—surely the rumors were just vicious lies.

  It was a little black and white thing that paused when it saw Massie standing there. It pricked its ears up and darted its eyes around, trying to sense how bad the danger was.

  I held my breath in anticipation. Was Massie about to chase after it?

  But she only gave it a quick glance, then went back to ignoring it and huddled back down into her kennel.

  “She just does not seem like a violent dog,” I mused. “She doesn’t even bark when people approach her.” She hadn’t even chased after that cat.

  “Maybe she is only violent toward certain people,” Brenda offered. “People she doesn’t like. Such as this Felicity woman.” She raised an eyebrow.

  I chuckled a little. “Well, I certainly can’t blame her for not liking Felicity.” If Massie had been aggressive toward Felicity, maybe she’d had good reason to be.

  I heard the crush of gravel as a car pulled up. “Oh no, Elliot must be home!” I tried to hide when I saw his white car pull up, but there was no place to hide. And with Brenda’s crazy getup, we had no hope of going undetected. He stepped out of the car and smiled at me, but he looked a little confused.

  “Hey, George. It’s a surprise to see you. What are you doing here?” he asked me.

  “Sorry to intrude like this,” I said, standing up. “I was just checking in on Massie. I’ve been a little worried about her.” I looked down at the sulking dog still huddled in her kennel. “She does seem to be taking the loss rather hard still.”

  Elliot nodded. “Yes,” he said with a sad sigh. “I don’t know what to do with her. What cheers up a depressed dog?”

  “I wish I knew,” I said, returning the sigh. “Maybe we should take her for a walk?”

  Brenda was to the left of me, fl
apping her arms around. Somehow, a bug had managed to find its way in through the cracks in her helmet.

  “That’s it! I am out of here!” It seemed as though her new positive attitude and lease on life had deserted her once and for all.

  “Hey, Elliot,” I said. “Should we take Massie for a walk with Jasper? That might cheer her up. Why don’t I go home and get him, and I’ll meet you back at the dog park in a half hour or so?”

  “They certainly seem to be getting along,” Elliot mused, almost smiling as he looked down and saw how bouncy Massie was. “This is actually the happiest I have seen Massie in days.”

  She was trotting along, trying to get Jasper’s attention. Jasper was more interested in pulling me toward the dog park—his favorite place in the world. He was very impatient.

  “Hey, Elliot,” I said. “You’ve known Massie for a while, right?”

  He nodded and reached up to adjust his glasses. He was well-dressed—though casually—on that day in a stripy shirt with a denim jacket over it. “Ever since Maxine first got her as a puppy. I was working for her at the time and I was her closest friend at work, so she let me have the afternoon off to come look at the puppy with her.”

  Huh. I hadn’t realized that was how Elliot and Maxine had met.

  “How long ago was that?” I tried to keep Jasper under control. He was trying to get free now that he could see the park up ahead. I gave up and unclicked his leash. We were close enough. He ran off and bolted toward the dog park, which would remain empty until Massie caught up with him.

  Elliot was counting up the years in his head. “I guess about six years. She was such a sweet puppy. Honestly, just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen,” he said, a grin spreading across his face. “And Maxine was so excited. I went with her to visit the breeder. There were six of them, all tiny balls of fluff with their eyes still closed. They couldn’t even see us. But Massie woke up and shuffled out of the bed all the puppies were sharing together and walked over to Maxine when she entered the room. That was why Maxine chose her. It was definitely love at first sight as far as Maxine was concerned. She loved that dog.”