Zee Town Paranormal Cozy Mystery - Complete Series Omnibus: Books 1 - 6

by K E O'Connor

  “Oh my goodness!” Beth skipped on the spot. “This is so exciting.”

  She might not find it exciting after a week of managing this place and all the stress that came with it.

  “We’re having a dog show in Zee Town,” I said. “There’s not much time to arrange things.”

  “A dog show?” Beth’s smile faded. “Is that a good idea? I mean, we all love dogs, especially the zombies.”

  “The Council always gets what they want. They want a dog show. And they want it in one week.”

  “Wow! So soon? Don’t worry. I can handle this.” Beth nodded. “You can count on me.”

  I rubbed my hands together. “Let’s get started. We can spend the day running through everything and plugging the gap you’ve left, so you’re not short-staffed. Any questions, you just ask.”

  Beth nodded eagerly. “Brilliant. Tell me everything.”

  I spent the rest of the afternoon huddled around my desk as I talked Beth through the main park operations. She was a quick learner, taking copious amounts of notes and asking plenty of questions.

  By the end of the working day, I was tired but confident she’d do an excellent job. The theme park would be well looked after in my absence.

  After Beth left the office, I pushed back from my seat. I sent a message to Laura, Selina, and Jen. I needed downtime after my hectic day. We arranged to meet for dinner at Laura’s diner in half an hour.

  I finished the last of my tasks at the office, walked out with Zara, and locked up everything.

  I left Zara at her apartment and wandered along the cobbled streets of Zee Town. This had always been my home. I was comfortable here.

  I walked into the diner to find Selina Talbert and Jen already at a table. There were a few other customers, but the place wasn’t too busy.

  Laura Lovely was behind the counter, plating up food.

  I gave her a wave as I settled at the table with the others. “How’s everything?”

  “I’ve been hearing about the dog show,” Selina said. Selina was tall and thin with a long mane of gray hair. She worked as the town’s doctor, assisting the living and the undead. She also doubled as a medical examiner and mortician.

  I nodded. “So have I. I’ve got someone to cover the theme park while I’m dealing with it. Beth Colby’s looking after the place.”

  “Good choice,” Selina said. “She’s a bright young woman.”

  “Exactly my thoughts,” I said.

  “And, she might decide to stay in that role,” Jen said. “Beth loves working at the theme park.”

  “I’m also thinking that.” I grinned at her. I’d been working at the theme park for over six months and still didn’t feel settled. I missed my old job. I loved being in the heart of Zee Town and surrounded by everyone I knew. I wanted to get back here. The theme park was stuck on the edge of town, and although it was only a ten-minute walk, I felt apart from everything.

  Laura hurried over with a tray. Her hair was tied off her face with her usual headscarf. She smiled as she passed me a plate of curly fries with roasted, breaded cauliflower wings. “Good day?”

  “I’ve had worse. I was just updating everybody about the park,” I said.

  “I’m more interested in the dogs.” Laura settled in her seat. “I can’t see how it’s going to work.”

  “Especially not with our poor zombies mistaking the dogs for food.” Jen dug into her dinner. “This is great. Thanks, Laura.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Something like this was bound to happen,” Selina said. “I’ve known Mavis Buster for years. She’s always had an obsession with poodles.”

  Jen spluttered a laugh. “Mavis and poodles? I wouldn’t have paired her with a dog like that.”

  “Neither would I,” I said. “She has several, apparently.”

  “The last time I heard from her, she had three poodles,” Selina said. “She’s besotted with them.”

  “No wonder she wants a dog show,” Laura said. “I bet she enters her own dogs.”

  “That doesn’t sound fair,” Jen said. “If Mavis is involved with the show, she can’t be a contestant.”

  “Mavis won’t care about something like that,” I said. “She’ll most likely rig it in her favor.”

  “She was thrown out of a prestigious dog show not so long ago,” Selina said. “I asked about it, but she was reluctant to reveal the details. She said it was a rumor. I looked into that rumor. Mavis was caught trying to bribe a judge. They disqualified her, and she can’t take part for ten years.”

  “Mavis Buster caught cheating!” I shook my head.

  “So, she decides to set up her own show,” Jen said. “No one can stop her nobbling judges now.”

  Selina nodded. “If Mavis organizes the show, she’ll have to win something.”

  “We’ll see about that,” I said. “If I’m in charge, it’ll be above board. Mavis might be funding it, but that doesn’t mean she automatically gets to win.”

  “It might be a wise idea to have a little trophy set aside with her name on it, just in case,” Laura said. “No one wants to get on the wrong side of Mavis.”

  I couldn’t disagree. Mavis was an odd one, with a rather unhealthy interest in firearms.

  “Mavis has been talking to people behind my back about this dog show,” I said, “including Nick.”

  Selina shrugged. “That’s no surprise. We’ll need extra security to keep the zombies away.”

  “Nick could have told me what was coming my way,” I said.

  “I didn’t realize you and Nick were getting so close that he confided in you.” Selina smirked at me.

  “We’re not close.” I inspected a cauliflower wing.

  “You’re friendlier these days,” Jen said. “And did my eyes deceive me, or had he brought you a cup of tea this morning when I dropped by the office?”

  “That was nothing,” I said. “We are getting along a little better. I doubt it will last.”

  “It’s about time it does,” Selina said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  “You and Nick have been dancing around your feelings for too long. You should get on with it.”

  My cheeks grew warm. “Get on with what?”

  “Admitting that you like him.”

  I gaped at Selina. “I don’t dislike him.”

  “Nick does seem fond of you,” Laura said gently. “He puts up with a lot.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You interfering in all his investigations, for one,” Jen said. “Most police officers would simply arrest you for interfering in police business. Nick lets you join in.”

  “He doesn’t let me do anything,” I snapped. “If I think he’s not doing his job properly, then I intervene. It’s the right thing to do. You’d all do the same.”

  “Erm, most likely not,” Jen said. “Alex talks to me about cases he’s working on, but I’d never tell him how to do his job.”

  Selina chortled. “Nick has the hots for you, Cassie. You should stop being so stubborn and admit you like him, too.”

  I sighed as I stabbed a curly fry. My feelings for Nick were confusing. When we’d first met, I definitely didn’t like him, but the more I got to know, the more I discovered there were different sides to him, and not all of them were bad. Nick cared about Zee Town, and in his own strange way, he cared about keeping the zombies safe. All I could say about Nick Morton was that things were complicated.

  “What else do you know about this dog show?” Laura asked. “Have you seen the alert Mavis sent around to all businesses? She’s asked me to do the catering.”

  “No, Mavis has kept me out of the loop until now,” I said. “It’ll be difficult to catch up.”

  “She must have known you’d object, so she planned it anyway,” Selina said. “Mavis knows you can’t back out now.”

  “So long as we keep the zombies away from the dogs, it’ll be fun. You can have different c
ategories to enter,” Jen said. “You could do a cute fancy dress one and get the doggies in little costumes.”

  “Dogs don’t like dressing up,” I said. “They’re happiest racing around in the sand with a stick.”

  “You could do waggiest tail,” Selina said. “Maybe goofiest ears.”

  “I get the impression Mavis wants this to be a serious dog show,” Laura said. “She might not go for novelty awards.”

  “We’ll have to have at least one novelty category,” I said. “Not all dogs fit the preferred shape and size for their breed. We don’t want anyone to feel left out. Imagine how Stool would feel if he can’t take part because he’s missing a leg.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “I’ll make sure every entrant gets a rosette. Something for them to take away and remember their first dog show in Zee Town.”

  “So long as we keep the zombies away and the contestants happy, that’s the main thing.” Jen leaned forward. “Mavis wants me to open a temporary dog grooming parlor.”

  “Have you ever groomed a dog before?” I asked.

  “No, but it can’t be much different from doing human hair. It could be a lucrative side-line while the show’s in town. I’ve already looked into bulk ordering dog shampoo.”

  I smiled as my friends chatted about the show. Jen was right. It could be fun. Although it would be hard work pulling everything together. I’d opened a successful theme park. I could deal with one small dog show.

  ***

  My stomach clenched as I re-read the information Mavis had sent me the next day. This show would be anything but small. Mavis had basically done it all. She’d booked the entire town for three days, invited four hundred contestants, and even designed the promotional material. She’d been sending it out for months without telling me.

  This wasn’t simply a dog show with a handful of contestants and a few novelty awards. This would be huge. Mavis wanted to stage a new type of Crufts.

  I gulped down the last of my tea and stood from my office chair. I needed something to calm my nerves. I needed ice cream.

  “Zara, can I get you anything from the ice cream stand?” I asked.

  “Liver sorbet,” Zara said.

  “One liver sorbet coming right up.” I headed out the door and closed my eyes for a second as I enjoyed the feel of the sunshine on my skin. Zee Town got some of the best weather in this part of the country.

  I purchased a liver sorbet pot for Zara and a triple chocolate and peanut butter brownie cone with extra sprinkles for me.

  Zara was waiting by the office door as I returned, looking eager for her liver sorbet.

  I handed it over, and we ate alongside each other as the sounds of the theme park filtered to the office. It was our last day here for a while, and I couldn’t wait to leave, although I would miss the ice cream on tap.

  “Zara, what do you think when you see someone walking their dog?” I asked.

  She gazed at me levelly before blinking. “Not much.”

  “When you see a dog or a cat, does it make you hungry?”

  She shuffled her feet. “They’re pets. Not to be eaten.”

  That didn’t exactly answer the question. “So, you know not to eat them?”

  She slurped on her liver sorbet. “That’s right. But...”

  “Go on. You don’t need to hide anything from me. We’ll have a lot more animals in the town for a few days. I want to make sure the zombies don’t find it too difficult. What goes through your mind when you see a cat or a dog?”

  Zara sucked up the last of her sorbet. “Tasty.”

  My eyes widened. “You want to eat the animal?”

  Zara shrugged. “Never happens. Never eat them. Looks like they’d be good to chew, though. Yum.”

  I let out a gentle sigh. This would be the biggest challenge during the dog show. I could handle the contestants, the people coming to watch the show, and all the dogs, but it was the zombies I was most worried about. I’d hate to think people got the wrong impression of them when they saw them hanging around and paying the dogs too much attention.

  It was in their nature. I couldn’t stop them from having inappropriate thoughts, so long as they didn’t act on them.

  I needed to call in the big guns for this task. Nick only had a small staff team, and they were always busy. I needed the expertise of Archer Rhinehart and his crew.

  Archer and his team were military trained, lethal, and could fight their way out of a room full of rabid zombies with only a toothpick and a sly smile. They’d keep things under control. We’d find a workaround. There had to be a way to make sure animals and zombies could be friends.

  No one would get nibbled on during my dog show.

  Chapter 3

  Seven days had passed in a frantic blur of organizing, checking, and fielding calls from Mavis.

  My head hadn’t stopped spinning with everything that needed to be done. Councilwoman Buster hadn’t let up for one second. She was determined this dog show would be a huge success.

  “Have you checked the dog crates are suitable? The loads that arrived yesterday?” Councilwoman Buster asked.

  I gritted my teeth and clamped the phone against my ear. “Yes, I sent you an update late last night. The crates are here and all in place. All the awards have arrived. The entire town hall has been kitted out for this dog show, just as you requested.”

  “Good. And the grooming room. What about the tables?”

  “They’re here and set up. All the equipment the owners will need to groom their dogs is in place.” I had similar conversations like this with Mavis at least three times a day. I was sending her daily reports, but they weren’t enough. Councilwoman Buster was a very thorough woman. She had my grudging admiration.

  “Has anyone arrived early?” Councilwoman Buster asked. “I’m on my way, but I want to be there when the first coachload arrives.”

  “Nobody’s here,” I said. “I checked all the bed-and-breakfasts less than an hour ago. Everyone’s rooms are ready, and the dog beds and crates have been allocated as per each owner’s specifications. It’s all sorted.”

  “I must admit I’m excited,” Councilwoman Buster said. “Well done, Cassie. You’ve done a sterling job of pulling this together.”

  “Thanks.” I kept my tone level to mask how frazzled I was. “It would have been nice to have had a bit more notice.”

  “I knew you were the woman for the job,” Councilwoman Buster said. “There was no point in getting you involved until I had everything in hand. There were a few contestants I was determined would come along. It took a lot of persuasion to get them to travel all this way.”

  “I’ve been meaning to ask, are you entering?”

  “Of course. My three boys will take center stage. It’s important the poodle breed is represented at the show. People often have a negative view of these wonderful dogs.”

  I bit my bottom lip. “You don’t think people might be unhappy that you enter? After all, it is your show.”

  “The three judges involved are excellent at what they do. They won’t be swayed by the fact I’ve funded and helped organize this event. They’ll be judging the dogs on their own merits. That’s fair.”

  I didn’t agree, but there was little point in arguing. We said our goodbyes, and I set the phone down and slumped in my seat.

  The phone rang again, and I groaned.

  “Councilwoman Buster! I promise you I have everything in hand. You really don’t need to keep calling.”

  “Oh! Cassie? It’s Beth.”

  I let out a sigh of relief. “Beth! Sorry. I’ve been getting hassle from our wonderful council over this dog show. Is everything okay at the park?”

  “Yes. Everything’s great. Just calling with my daily check-in.”

  I leaned back in my seat. Beth was a natural in the job. I’d made a great choice offering her the position. “Let me have it.”

  “All the staff turned up on time, and everyone’s working hard. The delivery of cand
y and popcorn has arrived, and there are no problems with visitors, other than a couple of cases of too much candyfloss and too many rides. All’s good here.”

  “That sounds perfect.” Beth was doing an amazing job. If she kept on like this, I really would recommend her to the Council to take the job permanently. It was something I was happy to facilitate. I hadn’t missed the park once since I’d stepped away.

  “I’m putting in the latest food order today. Is there anything extra you want delivered? I’ve checked the supplies, so I know what we’re running low on.”

  “No, I trust your judgment.”

  “Okay! I’d better get moving. As you know, this place doesn’t run itself.”

  I smiled as we ended our call. Beth had found her vocation. I was happy for her. Now, all I needed to do was convince the Council to keep her in that role and let me stay in my old job.

  I checked the time and jumped from my seat. “Zara, it won’t be long until the first coachload of contestants and their dogs arrive. Shall we take one more look at the town hall before they do?”

  Zara nodded and was just standing from her seat when the bell over the office door jangled as it was opened.

  I turned to see Nick and Stool enter. I grimaced. Other than a few brief conversations on the phone, this was the first time I’d seen Nick since I’d snapped at him over keeping the dog show a secret.

  His expression was one of caution as he approached, two takeout cups in his hands. “I thought you might need this.” He passed me a cup.

  I lifted the lid and was surprised to discover hot chocolate with marshmallows. “Thanks! This afternoon will be a busy one.”

  Nick nodded as he removed the lid from his cup and took a sip. “We can handle this.”

  I gestured for Zara to sit. We weren’t going anywhere for now. It looked like Nick had something on his mind. “I’ve got cookies in the back if you want one to go with your coffee.”

  Nick’s eyebrows rose. “Sure. Cookies would be great.”

  Stool padded over, his ears pricked as he heard mention of food.

  I patted his head. “Don’t worry. I’ve got dog biscuits for you in the back, too.”

  I hurried into the small kitchen and arranged half a dozen peanut butter cookies on a plate. I also made Zara a fresh cup of beef broth and pulled out a handful of dog biscuits for Stool, before carrying everything to the office.