Dog-Gone Murder
Page 18
“It was more than $10,000,” Eleanor said.
“I’ve been wondering what ever happened to Fitzgerald and the other dogs,” Phoebe said.
“I heard that they weren’t keeping the dogs,” Kate said. “After all, Jack Francis was pressuring Angela to kill Fitzgerald.”
“That dog boarding facility will be wasted space with no dogs, for sure,” Po said.
“I think they’ve found new owners for all the dogs,” Maggie said. “Other devoted breeders and showers.”
“And I heard that the proceeds from the sale went to Mercedes’ estate,” Po said. Who had indeed heard that. From Max, who was in the know.
“Just so they’ll all be with people who will really care for them,” Phoebe said.
“Is Jack Francis recovering from the shock of being accused of murder?” Selma asked in the lull that followed.
“He was cleared right away when Angela was arrested,” Kate said. “But I don’t know about the dealership.”
Leah laughed. “It sounds like Melanie has stepped up on that front,” she said. “Maybe she was cowed by her mother all those years. But not any more. She inherited the bulk of the estate and moved right into the power vacuum, I think. I heard she’s turning things upside down.”
“Well,” said Eleanor. “If the relationship survives it, maybe that was the answer all along. It could be a great partnership. Jack Francis’ quick talking and a little leavening and business smarts from his wife.”
“I just can’t be nice about Jack Francis,” rejoined Phoebe. “Even if it turned out that he wasn’t the worst of the bad guys here, he still conspired with Angela to steal Fitzgerald, didn’t he?”
“Could be,” Po admitted. “I sure think so. But I’m not sure the police are pursuing that part of the investigation any longer.”
“After the trouble it caused to have Fitzgerald disappear?!” Phoebe was appalled. She turned to Maggie. “They sure weren’t going to let you off the hook if it was your fault that he was gone.”
“True enough,” Maggie said. “But since it wasn’t my fault, I’m happy to have the whole thing settled.”
“Mercedes didn’t cut Jarrod off, did she? After all that she bullied him, it seems like he’s due,” Phoebe said. Po decided not to share all she suspected about Jarrod’s friendship with Helen. No need to complicate his life at this point. He’d be the target of irrepressible gossip in Crestwood for at least 10 years without her help. So it was Leah who answered.
“I think he got something,” she said. “But he’s moved out of the compound, I think. So maybe that was part of the deal; Melanie got the house.”
“What a horrible time that family has been through,” said Po, thinking back.
“Even suspecting that Mercedes had been murdered couldn’t really have prepared them for the reality,” Susan agreed. “And to find her body at the dump. It seems so terrible.”
“P.J. said it was a first as far as they knew, using a body bag for a Great Dane to hide a murder victim. Poor Mercedes was probably picked up from the freezer just a few hours before they came and searched the clinic,” Maggie said. “And here I told them it was just impossible that she’d been murdered in my treatment area.” She looked around, as if asking for understanding. “I really just couldn’t imagine it.”
“How could you?” soothed Po. “None of us could.”
“We went over all the drug logs with a fine-toothed comb.
She had altered them in places, but it was tough to catch. I think she’d also been selling drugs, siphoning off a tiny amount from each vial to sell, and filling it back up with water. I feel terrible.”
“Well, it’s not like you escaped unscathed either,” Kate said. “How much did you find so far?”
“We’re still trying to track it all, but we’re up to at least $8,000 that she stole from the practice for this year alone,” Maggie said. “No wonder we weren’t making what I expected.”
“How is that possible?” Phoebe asked, shaking her head in disbelief. “It seems like such a huge amount.”
“Well, one thing she did was pocket the money if somebody paid in cash,” Maggie said. “She had also opened an account with a name that was almost exactly the same as one of my suppliers. And she wrote herself checks to that account. When I reviewed my bills, it looked fine.”
“Wow,” said Phoebe, big-eyed. “That is seriously sneaky. Imagine if she put those powers to work for good.”
Maggie laughed. “Yeah, imagine,” she said. And then she sobered again. “I sure made a lot of mistakes,” she said. “I thought Angela was such a godsend. I never once suspected.”
“Max said that’s how it normally goes,” Po said. “He says small businesses get stolen from all the time, and never realize. And he says it’s so often the person you’d least expect. That great employee you couldn’t live without who comes in early and leaves late and never goes on vacation. That’s partly so they’re there to cover their tracks.”
“Well, I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I’m not alone,” Maggie said. “I sure fell right into that trap. She seemed to care about the success of the clinic. I was always impressed with how well she did with clients. And she just loved the pets, I thought. And then she stole Fitzgerald. Imagine …”
“You know I should have put two and two together,” Susan said suddenly. “Remember that day you came by the store, Po? I was going to walk the river that night? Well, I did. And I didn’t see the dog, of course. But I did see Angela drive by. I assumed she’d been out looking for the dog, just like I was. But now I bet she had him penned out there somewhere.” Susan looked discouraged. “I walked the other way, figuring she’d checked in that direction. If I’d checked up on her, I might have found him.”
“Trust me,” Po said. “I think we all had opportunities to put two and two together that we missed. It was tough to get the bits to square up.”
Kate laughed. “Always the quilter, Po.”
Po looked at her and smiled, happy that they all could laugh again. Happy that the cloud had lifted from her town, and her dear friend Maggie’s face.
“It will take time for everything to feel back to normal,” Maggie said, as if she were reading Po’s mind. “But I finally feel certain that we’ll get there.”
“Yes,” Po said. “We’ll get there. And faster than you think, I bet.”
When she got home, Po ironed the new binding on her cat quilt. Taking down the summertime piece she had hangingin the entryway, she hung it up and admired it. The four cats expressed all the personality she’d hoped.
At her feet, Hoover seemed to be admiring the new piece also, and he suddenly woofed twice in apparent satisfaction.
“I quite agree,” Po said, leaning down to scratch his ear in his favorite spot. “What a memory. What an experience. What a wonderful group of dear friends.”
Acknowledgements
First, I must thank the Persian Pickles for bringing the joy of quilting to my life and inspiring me both to sew and write. You are my very own Queen Bees.
Of course, very special thanks to Sally Goldenbaum, creator of the Queen Bees and my writing mentor. I appreciate your support during the whole of the writing process and your generosity in sharing the Queen Bees with me. How could I be so lucky to have the perfect friend arrive in my life? It’s a blessing to know such an incredible writer and all-around wonderful person.
Additional thanks go to my friends and advisors and teachers and supporters in the veterinary field. They deserve all the credit for the details I got right and none of the blame if I got anything about the workings of veterinary practice wrong. I feel privileged to work with veterinarians; as a group you are caring and generous with your time and your ideas, and as individuals you’re even more terrific.
Thank you to my dad for being my early reader and providing such valuable feedback. And finally, hearty thanks to all the family and friends who cheerfully supported me during the writing process.
Marnette Falley
About the Author
Marnette Falley is a proud member of the Persian Pickles, which meets in Lawrence, Kan. She is an editor at a veterinary publishing company and lives in Bonner Springs, Kan., with her husband, Joe, her 10-year-old daughter, and two adoring dogs.