I left a brief message letting him know I’d stop by tomorrow and that I’d remembered something that might be helpful. I left out the part about having Mona’s cell phone.
Fluffy yawned and stretched. I fingered the diamond heart again. It was possible the police would want it as evidence. Fluffy rested her big paw on my hand. Good Lord, she was a heavy dog.
Okay, first thing in the morning I’d stop by the shop, grab a backup collar. Then I’d make a quick stop at the police station, drop off Mona’s cell and explain about the obscenely expensive collar. Then I’d meet Mona’s lawyer. Maybe he’d have advice about Fluffy. It was possible the meeting was to inform me I had to hand Fluffy over to Cliff.
I felt as giddy as a beauty pageant finalist. Suddenly, tomorrow had possibilities.
Chapter Thirteen
We were on the move. The morning sun peeked through a handful of billowy clouds, teasing us with what was yet to come. The jacaranda trees were no longer in bloom yet somehow still managed to look elegant stretched toward the sky.
Another beautiful day in SoCal.
Have you ever been driving down the road, minding your own business, when suddenly someone pulls up along side of you, waving like a crazed stalker? Me either. Until today. Tricia Edwards was on the loose, and she was following me. I ignored her.
For the second day in a row, there was parking in front of Bow Wow. I nabbed a spot before some idiot could steal it from me. Tricia pulled her Mercedes in beside me, a dozen pine air fresheners swinging from her rearview mirror.
She jumped out of her car, crying erratically and waving her French manicured hands. “I had to hear about Mona from Entertainment Today?”
I swear, she was a What Not To Wear project in the flesh. Her wild, leopard-print dress and wide, studded belt was tighter than plastic wrap around Sunday leftovers no one would ever eat. It hurt my eyes to look at her.
“It wasn’t my place to tell you about Mona.” The dogs piled out of the Jeep. Fluffy rubbed up against me leaving a trail of dog hair on my jeans. I brushed it off as we headed for the boutique.
“Someone should have called me. I was her best friend,” she whined.
Lord, she was trying. I understood she was upset by the death of her friend, but why did she think I should be the bearer of bad news? We weren’t family.
I unlocked the door and strode inside. I flipped on the lights intending to grab a collar and leave, but Tricia followed me, slowing us down. I locked the door to keep out anyone else who might mistakenly believe I was open for business.
“They said you were the one who found her. What happened?”
“Fluffy found her.”
The dogs and I wound through the shop while I looked for a Fluffy collar. Holy cow, there were so many choices, how did anyone decide when they were in a rush? I needed to rethink the way I laid out the accessories. Maybe I didn’t need so many choices. Tricia clip-clopped behind us, never letting me forget she was there.
“You realize Jo was right,” she pronounced.
“About what?” I asked distracted.
“The dream.”
I turned to face her. “What about it?”
“Fluffy appeared to Jo in a dream and told her Mona would die.” Tricia explained.
“And Mona believed her?” I asked, the skepticism in my voice undeniable. Was it bad I wanted to smack some sense into Tricia?
“Of course.”
“Jo’s a fake. Is there something I can help you with? I’m not really open.”
“I’ve come for Fluffy.” Tricia held out her privileged hand assuming I’d fork over the dog leash.
I stopped in mid-step. “Not to get personal, but are you on drugs?”
“I assume that’s a rhetorical question.” Her greedy brown eyes flashed with impatience.
Funny how quickly her tears had dried. “You don’t even like dogs. Why would you want Fluffy?”
“I was Mona’s best friend. She’d want me to care for her.”
I wasn’t convinced that was true. “Cliff’s equal owner. If anyone should get Fluffy, it should be him.” Except Mona had bitterly fought Cliff for custody, and then Cliff dropped the bombshell that he didn’t want the dog. A slight wrinkle in my otherwise sound logic.
“Mona would rather die than let Cliff have Fluffy,” Tricia stated.
I tilted my head sideways. “Interesting choice of words.”
Tricia’s flushed. “Well, it’s true. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was the one who killed Mona.” Her grieving sadness had been replaced by catty accusations.
“Because of Fluffy?”
“Of course. He called Mona day and night, begging for money. He was always broke.”
“And you know this how?” Maybe he was looking for the collar? But if that were the case, wouldn’t he just take Fluffy when I’d called him? Better yet, why not take the collar?
“I’m Mona’s best friend. I know everything.”
I looked at Tricia. “I’m sure you don’t need my advice, but I wouldn’t go around accusing Cliff of murder. That could get you into a lot of trouble.”
“I’ve done no such thing.” She reached for the leash. “Give me the dog, and we’ll be out of your hair.”
Fluffy inched closer to me and sat on my foot. Ouch!
As much as I didn’t want Fluffy, it seemed Fluffy didn’t want Tricia.
I studied Tricia’s standoffish stance and demanding outstretched hand, ordering me to relinquish the dog. She was probably the only one who wanted the high maintenance hairball.
I was too stubborn for my own good. I didn’t appreciate being told what to do. And I really hated it when people assumed I’d do what they wanted because it was convenient for them.
There was a sudden banging on the front door. Tricia and I both jumped. The dogs immediately barked in alert and lunged toward the door. I grabbed their leashes and tied them to the counter.
“I’m closed,” I shouted.
An older man hammered his fist against the door then waved an envelope in front of him.
The dogs barked louder.
“Enough. It’s fine,” I reassured the dogs. “I’m closed,” I hollered over the noise.
He continued to beat down the door undeterred, and the dogs continued to bark.
The world had gone crazier than Uncle Wiley’s pet coon.
I marched to the door and unlocked it. I opened it halfway and opened my mouth to explain I wasn’t open.
“Are you Melinda Sue Langston?” his gruff voice shot out.
I was beginning to hate my name. “Yes. But I’m not open.”
The dogs were still going at it in the background.
He handed me the envelope. “You’ve been served,” he said, then fled down the street.
“What? Hey, get back here.”
“You’re being sued?” Tricia asked with a disturbing girlish giggle.
“Calm down. It’s not a Lifetime movie of the week.” I ripped open the envelope.
Sure enough. I was being sued. By Tova Randall. Seriously, how does this happen?
“Tricia, I have to go. We’ll talk about Fluffy later. I have somewhere to be.”
I shoved the envelope in my bag and grabbed a thick, black, snake- skinned collar with rhinestones.
“But-but, Fluffy,” she stammered.
I grabbed the dogs and pushed Tricia out the door.
“Grab a martini at the Dirty Bird. We’re done.”
Chapter Fourteen
I’m sure by now it’s obvious, I don’t avoid confrontation. But I didn’t have the patience to deal with Malone. As I walked up Forest, two dogs in tow, half the town either offered to take Mona’s dog off my hands or spouted advice on caring for a pampered pooch like Fluffy.
The sun hid behind a handful of clouds, allowing a slight chill to settle in the air. I shivered. I formed an impromptu plan between Beach Street and the police station. If I dropped off Mona’s phone at the front desk, quickly explained about
the collar and then left, I’d have some extra time with Mona’s lawyer. I wanted to know how Tova could sue me.
We walked inside the police station, and before the dogs and I had even reached the information counter, we had the attention of both uniformed ladies. One a body builder with a don’t-waste-my-time chip on her shoulder. The other a skinny tomboy with blond curls and a really big gun.
“That’s Mona’s dog,” the one with double D biceps said.
“Yes, it is.”
“You must be Melinda.” She immediately picked up the phone and paged Malone.
I shook my head and waved my hand for her to stop. “No need. I’m not here to see the detective.”
“Doesn’t matter,” the one who couldn’t have weighed more than her gun said. “He wants to see you.”
Great. “I really don’t have a lot of time. I have another appointment. I just wanted to-”
“Ms. Langston.”
I sighed, recognizing the no-nonsense voice in an instant. “Malone.”
He was just as intimidating and good looking away from his crime scene. Today he was wearing jeans, black shirt and leather jacket. He wasn’t my kinda good-looking, but I could certainly see why Caro had found him appealing.
Missy lay down at my feet, drooling on my ballet flats. Fluffy growled. No drool necessary.
“Fluffy, sit.” I liked her for verbalizing how I felt toward Malone.
“Come on back to my office.” Said the spider to the fly.
“I’d rather not. I have another appointment.”
“I’m sure you wouldn’t.” He left, expecting us to follow.
He’s a cop. So we did.
We all traipsed down one hall and then another until we finally reached our destination. If his office were a restaurant, it’d be considered a hole in the wall, with seating for two. I’d imagined it much larger.
“Have a seat.”
I chose the tan plastic chair. It was the only choice. I wasn’t kidding about seating for two. “I really do have an appointment.”
“Fluffy looks cleaner,” he commented, keeping his back to us as he closed the door.
“Jade did a great job.” I had that same heart pounding anxiety I felt in the fifth grade when I’d been summoned to the principal’s office for passing notes during US History. Since then I’d had considerable experience under my pageant sash and breathed through it. Breath in. Whoa. Malone had had pastrami for brunch. The smell was unmistakable.
The dogs planted themselves on either side of my feet, like front yard bottlebrush shrubs. Fluffy refused to look in Malone’s direction, and Missy continued to create drool pools.
“It looks like all of you are getting along.” He sat in his chair opposite from me.
“Looks can be deceiving.”
“I’m surprised to see you with Fluffy. I thought you were calling Cliff.”
“I did. He doesn’t want her.”
He pushed a stack of papers to the side of his desk. “That may change.”
“Look, I just stopped by to give you this.” I pulled Mona’s phone from my purse and slid it across his desk.
He didn’t touch it. In fact, he didn’t even look at it. Instead, he watched me with his commanding blue eyes. “What is it?”
“Mona’s cell phone.”
His cheek muscle twitched. “Why do you have it?” Calm male voices weren’t always a good thing.
“When I dropped Fluffy off that night, I’d called Mona wondering where the heck she was. When I heard her phone ringing behind me on the hall table, I picked it up. I must have tossed it into my purse at the same time I put mine away. I just didn’t realize it at the time.”
“When did you realize you had potential evidence in your possession?” His stare was so intense it felt like he was trying to crawl inside my head.
I realized I was gripping the arm of the chair. I exhaled and wiggled my fingers. “Later that night. When it rang.”
“Who was it?”
I could tell from the clenched jaw, I was treading on thin ice. “Tricia Edwards. Mona’s best friend and business partner. She hung up before I answered, which at the time was fine by me. I didn’t want to explain why I was answering Mona’s phone.”
“I see.”
Truth be told, I didn’t want explain why I had answered Mona’s phone right now either. “I’m not sure that was a good thing. If I’d talked to her, she wouldn’t have accosted me this morning.”
“You’ve talked to her?”
I leaned forward, a little more confident on this subject. “About twenty minutes ago. She was upset because I hadn’t told her about Mona’s death. No offense, but isn’t it your responsibility to notify the public? Then she demanded I hand over Fluffy. When I wouldn’t, she threw Cliff under the bus saying he was broke and mad at Mona because she wouldn’t give him more money.”
Malone rubbed his eyes, frustrated. “What is with your family?” he bit out.
“What?”
“Do not play detective.”
“I’m not,” the denial was automatic. This must have been the same lecture he’d given Caro. A fat lot of good that had done him.
“You understand I’m going to verify what you’ve told me?”
“I’m not lying. If I had something to hide do you think I’d have brought it to you?” I made myself return his stare without blinking. But inside I was chanting for him to not ask about Darby.
Not that he had any way of knowing her number was in Mona’s contact list. But he was about to. I prayed he didn’t turn on the phone until after I was long gone and out of earshot.
“It’s possible you erased the call history.” He tapped the desk next to the phone.
“That’s stupid. You’re going to pull her cell records at some point.”
He continued to stare at me with his unreadable face. It was becoming ridiculous. I had the urge to stick out my tongue and make faces just to see if he’d crack a smile.
“Thank you for bring the phone.”
My mama had taught me to be gracious. “You’re welcome. There is one more thing.”
He rubbed his eyes again and muttered something under his breath that sounded like profanity. “What?”
“Officer Salinas mentioned the possibility that Mona had interrupted a robbery.”
“It’s one theory,” he replied, guarded.
“Did you know Fluffy’s collar is made of real diamonds? It’s got to be worth an SUV or two.”
He looked down at Fluffy. She turned her head and tipped her nose in the air, showing him her best profile.
“That’s real?”
“As real as Caro’s hair color.”
His head snapped up, and he pinned me with a look that said I’d broached an off-limits subject. “She wears it all the time?”
I bit the inside of my cheek and fought back a smile. I was pretty sure he wasn’t talking about Caro’s hair. “I’ve never seen her without it.”
“That’s public knowledge?”
“To everyone except the cops.”
His look said, smartass. “Fluffy was with you that night?” was what he actually said.
I couldn’t take it any more. A genuine smile broke out, but I did manage to keep the giggle out of my answer. “Yes.”
He wasn’t impressed. He’d be a real killjoy at the family reunion. Caro would have appreciated the play on words.
“And that wasn’t part of the normal routine?” he asked.
“Mona’s left her dog with me before, but it wasn’t a weekly event. She did it to annoy me.”
He didn’t say anything. He just stared at the collar. “You might want to consider a replacement and put that in a safe.”
“You don’t want it?”
He looked at me. “Why?”
“As evidence?”
He shook his head. “It’s not evidence. Put it in a safe and get her a real collar.”
“So what did you want?” I asked, suddenly reminded he’d called m
e into his office and not the other way around.
“You’d left me a voicemail at midnight.”
“Oh. I got a little excited about the collar,” I confessed.
“How is Fluffy doing?” For a second his stony expression relaxed, and I caught a glimpse of sympathy. I wasn’t sure who he felt sorry for, me or the dog.
“Demanding. Does what she wants and bosses Missy around.”
“I’m sure you’ll work it out.”
“I’m sure someone else wants this dog.”
“I need you to keep her until Mona’s attorney gets in touch with her new guardian.”
No, no, no. “When will that happen?”
“Soon.”
I waited for more information, but none came. “Not soon enough,” I said.
“I have complete faith in your abilities to remain the alpha dog, Miss Langston.”
He grabbed a pencil and plastic bag from his desk drawer. He used the pencil to slide the phone into the bag. The realization that I was smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation made my stomach plummet to my toes. How had that happened?
He stood, indicating our time was over. I followed his lead and gathered the dogs. He didn’t ask where my next appointment was, so I didn’t share that I was off to Owen Quinn’s office.
Malone played everything so close to the vest. He made me feel the need to do the same.
“Let’s go, dogs,” I called out.
Fluffy waited for me to leave the room first (surprise) but then cut off Missy (no surprise). Missy, bless her heart, brought up the tail end without complaint.
“I guess I’ll see you around.” I called out over my shoulder.
“Don’t forget. You gave me your word. Stay out of my investigation.” Malone’s booming voice chased us down the hallway.
Finding Mona’s killer was the furthest thing from my mind.
Chapter Fifteen
After the meeting with Mona’s lawyer, I was bursting at the seams. I needed a large chai latte and someone to talk to. Darby agreed to meet at the Koffee Klatch, a cozy local coffee shop with the best cheesecake in town. With its chic atmosphere and big comfy couches, it was the perfect place to bring the dogs and assimilate everything I’d just learned.
Get Fluffy Page 8
