Good Friends: An Avery Barks Dog Mystery (Avery Barks Cozy Dog Mysteries Book 5)

by Mary Hiker

  Good Friends

  By

  Mary Hiker

  Good Friends

  An Avery Barks Dog Mystery

  Published By:

  Awesome Dog

  Copyright © 2015 Mary Hiker

  www.maryhiker.com

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.

  Cover by StunningBookCovers.com

  Chapter 1

  It’s gonna be a boomer.

  My blistered hands gripped the rake a little tighter as I scooped up the last of the twigs and small branches, piling them in the back of the utility trailer. The temperature dropped as dark puffy clouds approached with a far off rumble and the wind speed picked up, sure signs an afternoon thunder storm was about to burst out of the early summer sky. My dog, Chevy, and I were about to be right in the middle of it.

  My navy t-shirt was still a bit damp from a rain shower earlier in the day. I’d worked right though that one and enjoyed the water as it cooled my body in the most natural way. But lightning was a whole different story. I’d heard about more than one person getting zapped by a bolt in these mountains and I didn’t plan to be one of them.

  I called my dog so we could get back to the campground’s main lodge before the storm hit. The Golden Retriever mix bounded out from one of the campsites I’d been cleaning and jumped in the utility trailer’s passenger seat as I started the engine. Oversized raindrops bounced off the front of the gator as I hit the gas and headed across ninety-eight acres toward the Friendly Bear Campground Lodge. Chevy barked and tried to catch the rain in his mouth as we sped toward shelter.

  The sky opened and rain pelted my face and body, completely soaking my t-shirt and jeans in a matter of seconds. I barely managed to keep the water out of my eyes while I drove and water flowed off both my ponytail and Chevy’s fur by the time we made it to the main building.

  I jumped off the gator and onto the covered porch of the main lodge, creating a puddle of rainwater on the wooden planks underneath my feet. Chevy followed behind and shook his body furiously, releasing the rain from his golden fur and splattering water across the rocking chairs that sat in front of us. The fresh smell of rain was overtaken by a smell only animal lovers could love – wet dog.

  It was my fifth day in a row working at the campground and adjoining acreage to help my old friend, Tonya, get ready for camping season. She let me camp anytime I wanted - for free. It was a perk that came in handy when my cousin brought her five kids out to the mountains every year – so it was the least I could do. Besides, it was nice to hang out at the empty campground before season started and let Chevy have free run to explore the place.

  Most years, I would help out for a day or two preparing campsites for visitors, but this year was different. A big kickoff event was scheduled for this weekend and the entire property had been rented out. Both the campground area and a new area for outdoor events needed to be in prime condition for the party. The festival would be a big financial boost to the campground and get the season started off right for Tanya.

  The flap on the lodge’s doggie door opened and a black and white Border Collie bounded out to greet Chevy. The two dogs chased each other across the porch until Chevy’s hind end knocked over a flowerpot, spilling fresh dirt across the wooden planks.

  “Hey, Gunner,” I said and bent down to scoop up Chevy’s mess.

  The friendly Border Collie pawed at my arm as I scraped the dirt back into the clay pot. His eyes penetrated mine as I softly gripped his paw and gave him a little handshake, water dripping from my clothes and hair. Gunner gave me a quick lick on the cheek before Chevy flew by holding a tug toy and sideswiped the both of us. Gunner turned and grabbed the end of the red rubber toy hanging out of Chevy’s mouth and the two dogs started a game of tug-o-war.

  The lodge door opened and a tanned arm reached out, tossing me some old towels.

  “Thanks Tonya,” I said and wiped the water from my face with the softest one. “I’ll try and get Chevy dried off before I come in.”

  Tonya stepped out onto the porch, laughing. “Don’t worry about it, those two will be playing for a good hour – they always do.” Her shoulder length blond hair was frizzy with the humidity and she had the trim build of a natural athlete. “My floors need to be mopped, anyway. Just get the big drops off him and I’ll clean up when they calm down a bit.”

  I smiled. Tonya was a big animal lover and a wet dog wouldn’t put a damper on her day. She’d been a friend of mine for quite a while. We met back in college and I’d always been impressed by her intelligence and positive attitude. She had a laid-back personality but ran the campground with a business mind.

  Her dog was as smart as most humans I knew. I’d tried several times to get Tonya to train Gunner for search and rescue missions, but she’d always refused. Mainly, because she didn’t like the idea of working alone in the woods during the middle of the night – something that was the norm in my search and rescue work.

  I ran the towel across Chevy’s soaked fur, then squeezed the excess water out of my navy t-shirt and followed my friend inside the lodge as the dogs raced past me and rain pelted the green metal roof. “Whew, it’s really coming down out there.”

  I hung the dripping towels on one of the hooks in the mudroom, adding to the wet outerwear that graced the wall and kicked off my squishy sneakers.

  As I entered the main foyer of the lodge, I was startled by a slight smell that was definitely out of place out here at the campground. I stood for a minute and focused on the scent.

  Yep, it was definitely men’s cologne - the expensive kind that only the city guys wore. I’d only smelled this version once before, about two years prior. It was the day I traveled to Asheville to buy my truck and was forced to sit next to the dealership’s sales manager for close to two hours while we worked out a deal. He reeked of the stuff.

  It had to be Jacob Tanner.

  Chapter 2

  An extremely fit man in his late forties walked out of Tonya’s office and into the lodge’s main entry area. Jacob Tanner wore the casual business attire that car dealers in this region generally wore. A blue button up-shirt fresh from the dry cleaners with a perfect crease down each arm, pressed khakis and shiny dark brown loafers. No tie, because we were in the North Carolina mountains, after-all.

  Jacob sported a tan that undoubtedly came from spending many afternoons golfing at the high-end resorts in the region. I was glad to smell that he had learned to ease off on the sheer amount of cologne that he’d worn the last time I saw him. He was sociable, beyond handsome and smelled expensive, but his hard-core business demeanor made me uncomfortable. Jacob just had too much type-A personality going on for my taste.

  He was inspecting the campground before the big event for his long-time boss and friend, ‘Big Diesel’ Bronson. They had a standard that was gold level and Tonya was under a lot of pressure to produce a quality environment for their festival.

  “I’ll be right back with you, Jacob,” Tonya said as she scooted past the office and down a wide hallway.

  I followed behind her as my soaked socks left wet footprints on the old wooden floors.

  Jacob nodded. “Hi, Avery. ” He didn’t try to hide a wide grin as he watched the water drip
from my clothes.

  Before I could respond, Chevy ran up to Jacob and leaned his wet furry body against the man’s legs in a friendly greeting, causing his fancy pressed pants to get wet. Jacob jumped back and I held my breath until I heard his raucous laughter.

  “Good thing I’m a dog lover, buddy,” he said and patted Chevy’s wet head. I waved him a friendly good-bye.

  I followed Tonya to a back room that was decorated with just enough items to provide a comfortable cabin feel. She used the bedroom on the summer nights she stayed at the campground.

  Tonya pointed to a closet. “I’ve got some extra t-shirts and shorts in there. Go ahead and change into some dry clothes.” She handed me a wicker laundry basket for my wet clothes. “I also have a little gift for you and Chevy sitting on the second shelf. It’s a thank-you for helping me out all week.”

  I was sorting through the clean clothes looking for something that would fit me when Tonya’s phone rang.

  “Hello, Friendly Bear Campground.”

  She listened for a minute and gasped. “Are you sure?”

  The phone clunked on the floor and Tonya grabbed her jacket off the bed as she bolted from the room. A moment later, the front door slammed shut.

  Concerned, I reached down for the phone, “Hello?”

  “Avery?”

  It was Deputy Don Donaldson’s familiar voice. He was a member of my search and rescue team and a good friend.

  “Don? What’s going on?”

  The front door opened and slammed shut again, I assumed Jacob followed Tonya outside.

  “I’ve been out this way following up on a burglary call…” The wind blew into his phone as he spoke. “I just found a dead body leaning up against the campground’s main gate.”

  Chapter 3

  Chevy and Gunner napped on the dog beds scattered across the floor of Tonya’s office as I relaxed in her cushy chair and slid my gift onto the desk. A cute teddy bear sat on the edge of Tonya’s desk holding a little sign that read ‘Thank You. Hope this starts a new friendship, Jacob.’ I wondered if that was normal business practice for Jacob or if he had a thing for Tonya.

  I leaned back and turned on the evening news with the remote, wondering if they’d announce the body found out at the entrance gate. Instead, Big Diesel’s latest car commercial blared from the TV.

  “Hi Y’all, it’s Big Diesel Bronson and I’ve got some big news for you! I’m officially off the market. That’s right, Miss Lilly promised her hand in marriage and we’re throwin’ a party…”

  That’s why I’ve been working my tail off at Tonya’s campground, I thought, glancing at the blisters on my hands.

  Big Diesel was a middle-aged gentle giant with puffs of grey hair peeking out from the sides of his trucker cap. His six-foot five-inch frame and two-hundred seventy pounds filled out his trademark bib overalls and he usually had a cheek full of tobacco.

  His farmer look was all about marketing, since he was actually born in the City of Raleigh and owned several large car dealerships across the region. He had a huge bank account and a reputation for generosity. From the size of Miss Lilly’s engagement ring flashing on the TV screen, he planned on being with her for a very long time.

  Miss Lilly was a forty-something widower with a perfect complexion and even better manners. Her thick dark hair flowed perfectly to her shoulders and set off her bright blue eyes. She was one of the sweetest ladies in the county and it sounded like Big Diesel had landed himself a good woman.

  The car dealer leaned in to the camera as the commercial came to a close. “Come on out to our engagement festival this weekend at Friendly Bear Campground and get a great deal on a truck while you’re there. We’ll have lots of great vehicles parked out in the pasture to choose from.”

  I chuckled. Big Diesel was a salesman through and through.

  My phone rang and Deputy Don’s number appeared on my caller ID.

  “Hey Don, what’s the latest on the body?”

  “Boy, I’ll tell you what… Big Diesel sure has a lot of pull,” he said, sounding a bit flustered. “I’ve been ordered by the Sheriff to investigate this death undercover - no news of the body is to be made public until after the festival this weekend.”

  “Amazing what money can do these days,” I said and leaned back even further in the chair. “I wondered why Jacob Tanner tore off down the driveway after Tonya.”

  “Yeah, he was already on his cell phone when he drove by me at the gate.” I could hear the rain beating on Don’s truck hood in the background. “Anyway, I just wanted to ask you not to mention this to anyone for now.”

  “The old boys network sure runs deep around here.” I said and scratched Chevy’s head when he plopped it on my lap. “Who was it that died, anyway?”

  Lightning flashed outside the window.

  “I don’t know his identity, yet.” He said and blew out a deep breath. “And they’re not going to make it easy for me to find out. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I hung up the phone just as the office door flew open.

  Chapter 4

  Tonya’s breathing was labored from sprinting up the gravel drive. “I sure didn’t need that surprise today.” She stood in her cabin office, toweling off her hair.

  She had a lot riding on this event and wouldn’t want any news of a dead body to get out any more than Big Diesel and his boys. Tonya would get a nice chunk of the festival profits and planned to use it to build a dog friendly area for the campground.

  Big Diesel already supplied the land grading equipment to prep several acres of her land for the weekend’s festival and truck show. After it was over, Tonya would get the benefit of having most of the prep work done for her new dog park area. If the festival bombed, Tonya would have to reimburse him for the work. Extra money I didn’t think she had.

  “Everything should be all right,” she said and vigorously rubbed the towel back and forth across her head.

  At this rate, her entire stash of towels and dry clothes would be used up before the end of the night. Gunner woke from his nap, stretched and sauntered over to welcome her back inside.

  “The Sheriff and Big Diesel grew up together,” Tonya said and bent down to pet her dog. “He’s got the news about the body on lock down.”

  I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Doesn’t it make you nervous that there was a shooting close by?”

  “Deputy Don said the guy broke into Mel Medlock’s house and got shot in the process. He must’ve dropped dead in front of the gate.” Her shoulders relaxed a bit as she exhaled. “They already know who shot him and why, they just need to find out who he is.”

  “Mel admitted to it?”

  “Sounds like he was darn proud of it,” she said over her shoulder as she headed to the back bedroom to find some dry clothes, Gunner plodding behind. “The guy robbed his brand new safe and Mel found him standing in his living room - self-defense all the way.”

  That news didn’t surprise me all that much. Even though the man was in his late fifties, Mel Medlock was an ex-marine and one tough son of a gun. I had no doubt in his ability to protect his home and family, even if it cost him his own life.

  “What if the Medlock’s let the cat out of the bag?”

  “They won’t.” Tonya sounded confident. “Not with the pile of cash they’re getting from Big Diesel to keep quiet for a couple days. You know Mel, he always looks for the best deal he can get.”

  I shook my head and silently reminded myself never to get on Big Diesel’s bad side.

  “Is Heather okay?” I asked, suddenly worried about Mel’s wife. “She must be scared to death.”

  “She wasn’t home.” Tonya’s eyes grew big when the realization hit. “She probably hasn’t heard about it yet.”

  Heather was a well-proportioned woman with soft features and a good twenty years younger than Mel. The poor woman still dealt with occasional panic attacks related to a previous break-in by her ex-boyfriend. I always thought Mel was a good man for her, any
woman would feel safer whenever he was around.

  Chevy put his front paws on my lap and demanded my attention. He strained his neck, reaching over the desk until his nose touched my gift box. I laughed and rubbed my own nose when the smell of wet dog fur wafted up from his golden body. Based on his high interest, I suspected there was some type of dog treat in the box.

  The soft blue wrapping paper was decorated with Golden Retriever puppies. “Nice touch,” I said to Tonya as she re-entered the office and I opened the gift.

  My dog watched intently until he could contain himself no longer and buried his nose inside the box, emerging with an oatmeal dog treat. He trotted over to the corner of the office with his prize and sat down for a snack. I grabbed a dog treat from the cookie jar on Tonya’s desk and tossed it to Gunner so he wouldn’t feel deprived.

  After pushing aside three layers of colorful tissue paper, I pulled out a small doggie cam. It was the latest gadget that hangs from the dog’s collar and records video from the dog’s perspective.

  “Thanks Tonya, that’s a perfect gift.” I laughed and held up the small camera. “It’ll be entertaining watching Chevy’s antics on the computer screen.”

  “I just wanted to thank you for all the hard work.” Tonya’s eyes lit up as her focus returned to the campground event. “Jacob was pretty pleased with the place during his inspection and just left me a short to-do list.”

  “Anything you need help with?”

  “Nope,” she said and wrapped a towel around her wet head. “He’s decided my office is too small and is taking over my maintenance building for his fair headquarters. I just need to get him a set of keys for the new office and take some extra tables down there for the rest of his guys.”

  “All right, I’ll see you this weekend then.” Chevy jumped up beside me as I stood, his oatmeal stick hanging out of his mouth, already half eaten.