Dying to Celebrate

by Lynn Cahoon

  “I should be there, unless something goes crazy at the station. You know how things can pop up.” He pulled off the highway and onto the road that would take us directly to the shelter on the edge of town.

  “We haven’t had a dead body pop up in South Cove for a while.”

  Greg shook his head. “You know I deal with more than just murder in my job, right?”

  As we drove through town, I watched out the window as we passed by the streets. A few blocks in, a Santa stood on the street corner. Dressed in the traditional suit with padding, he looked the part. He had to be sweating buckets. But as we passed by, he waved at the truck. “Funny, he wasn’t near a store.”

  “Who wasn’t near a store?” Greg glanced toward my side of the street.

  I turned around and looked behind us; now I didn’t see him at all. Could he have gotten into a car that quickly? “Don’t tell me you didn’t see the guy dressed as Santa back there.”

  Greg reached up and adjusted his rearview mirror. “I don’t see him now, either.”

  “I know. That’s kind of weird, right?”

  “Or maybe you just have too much Christmas stress on your brain. Loosen up and let’s have fun this afternoon. No visions of Santa until the actual day.” He parked the truck in the front parking lot at the brightly painted building. “I’d love to be able to cheer you up, but we don’t even have any open cases for you to stick your nose into this week.”

  I grinned and unclicked my seat belt. “I know, but I like solving mysteries more when it’s not just someone egging old Mr. Williams’s house.”

  “I’ll have you know I solved that in record time.” He met me on the sidewalk. “Mostly because the kids’ parents brought them in and made them apologize after overhearing them bragging.”

  “See. Murders are much more interesting. Especially the ones around here. Maybe I should start an investigative club and we could go around solving cold cases.”

  “I think I’d have to shoot you.” He smiled as he said it so I knew he was kidding, somewhat. I guess I was pushing some buttons with him too. He knew I’d never set up a club. That would take time away from my favorite pastime, reading.

  Before we got further along the path our conversation was going down and possibly into an actual argument, Harrold pulled his electric car into the parking lot. The shelter had a charging station, and as he got out, he plugged the car into the port. “Good morning, children. Are you ready to take on a pack of angry beasts?”

  “Now, Harrold, just because they are at a shelter doesn’t mean the animals are angry.” My aunt pulled on a jacket and tucked her purse into the trunk. She glanced at Greg’s truck. “Do you want to put your purse in Harrold’s trunk? It would be out of sight.”

  “No, I’m fine.” I didn’t want to tell her that I hadn’t brought my purse. I had my house keys, my phone, and my debit card. My aunt would freak if she knew I didn’t have a makeup case, a brush, an emergency sewing kit, and a stash of medications handy everywhere I went. I figured if I needed something, I could stop at one of the pharmacies that seemed to be on every corner.

  Aunt Jackie frowned and glanced toward the truck, but Harrold saved me. “Come on, Jackie, leave the girl alone. If she says she’s good, she’s good.” He took her arm and led her to the sidewalk, locking the car with his remote. He reached out and shook Greg’s hand. “Are you still keeping the streets of South Cove safe for the tourist horde?”

  “Yes sir. You go on in, we’ll follow.” Greg squeezed my arm. He liked the idea of Harrold and Aunt Jackie as a couple. He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “I really enjoy your family.”

  And the really strange thing was he wasn’t just saying that. Greg liked Aunt Jackie. Even when she was over-the-top with her sarcasm or pushing her nose into business that she shouldn’t be in, he loved me, so he loved—or at least liked—my family. It was a good feeling.

  A young woman in a bright pink polo with Bakerstown Shelter embroidered on the pocket was at the front desk. Her ponytail bounced as she stood and greeted us with a cheery, “Good morning and welcome. Are you here for your forever friend?”

  “Actually, we’re with South Cove’s Coffee, Books, and More? We’re here to help get the dogs ready for the party on Saturday?” I stepped forward, ready to sign in or whatever they wanted us to do.

  “Ellen told me you were coming. In fact, she’s back with another couple from your group who just arrived.” The woman reached down and keyed something in, then spoke into the headset she wore. “Hey, the volunteers are here. Can I just send them back?”

  We waited as the answer came back. She nodded, listening, then took off her headset and walked around the counter. Opening a side door, she pointed to another door at the end of the hallway. “Just go through there and Ellen will meet you at the end of the cages.”

  We walked down a long white hallway that felt more like a hospital than an animal shelter, but as soon as we opened the next set of doors, we heard the clamor.

  Dogs barked and cats meowed, and there were some other noises I didn’t recognize. We walked past a row of adult cats who watched us with bored eyes. Cats were that way. Take me or don’t, I serve no human seemed to be the standard nonverbal message from the felines.

  When we walked along a row of adult dogs, the attitude changed. Dogs had a different approach to getting new homes. It was more of a frantic plea of get me out of here, I’ll do anything you want. I appreciated the desperation in their ploy.

  “There you guys are!” Amy waved us over to where she stood with Justin and an older lady. “I was just telling Ellen that you are never late. Especially Jackie.”

  Aunt Jackie glanced at her watch. “Technically, I’m still five minutes early.”

  Harrold chuckled. “I’m sure it wasn’t a criticism, dear.”

  I decided to ignore them and held out my hand to Ellen. “I’m Jill Gardner. I’m so happy you agreed to be part of our Christmas celebration this year.”

  Ellen beamed and squeezed my hand. “Oh, no, you don’t understand. We’re the ones who are grateful that you chose us to help this year. I know there are so many charities out there, but the shelter kind of gets lost in the bustle of the season. And honestly, we tend to frown on people giving puppies and kittens as gifts. Adding a new member to your family requires time for you to prepare. You don’t just get a baby human—you have nine months to get used to the idea.”

  “That’s a good analogy. So, do you want to do adoptions on Saturday?” Now I was confused. Maybe we were rushing things.

  “Oh, yes. So many of our older residents are hoping to be rehomed soon. I swear, so many people don’t know how to deal with senior dogs and cats. They think just because they need a little more care, it’s time to turn them in and get a new animal. It makes me sad.” She shook off the emotion. “I didn’t mean to make a big deal out of our adoption process, but we want the best for all our residents. We are a no-kill shelter, so we’re always full or almost full. Your event might just be able to match up some families with the dog or cat they’ve been waiting for.”

  I felt totally confused now, but since we were still on, I’d let Ellen deal with the adoption process.

  “Let’s get started getting these guys all pretty and smelling good.” Greg must have felt my hesitation.

  “Sounds like a plan.” Justin looked around. “Where do we start?”

  Ellen moved the group into the grooming salon, as she called it. As we passed more cages, a small terrier reached out his paw to me.

  “Hey, buddy. Are you going to get a bath today and a new home on Saturday? You look like you’d be a great pet.” I reached my fingers into the cage and rubbed behind his ears. He leaned into me, then licked my hand. My heart broke. I wanted him. I wanted all of them and I was going to feel this way, over and over, for the next week.

  “You’re going to be giving someon
e a very happy Christmas.” A man spoke behind me and I turned my head, not wanting to break contact with the dog. An older man with bright white hair and a white beard stood behind me, holding a cocker spaniel.

  “You know about our event?” As the words came out of my mouth, I felt stupid. Of course he did. He must work here with Ellen.

  “I know about a lot of things.” He smiled and rubbed the dog behind its ears. “But that one is special. She has waited a long time for this gift.”

  I turned toward the dog, who had stopped licking my hand and was now watching the man. “I thought this one was a male dog. Guess I was wrong.”

  When no one answered, I turned to find the hallway empty. I looked at the card on the cage. Baby was a ten-year-old male terrier. Glancing back at the dog, I cocked my head. “You saw him, right?”

  A short bark answered me.

  I glanced back down the hallway. Where had he disappeared to so quickly? I was about to go find out when I saw Greg waving at me from the doorway.

  “Are you helping or not?” He stepped toward the cage. “This is Baby. He’s first on our list. Do you want him? I have a tiny poodle for your aunt.”

  I nodded as Greg opened the door and Baby jumped into my arms.

  “I guess he likes you.” Greg smiled and turned to the next cage. “Let me get one more and we can get started on the bathing process.”

  I looked down at Baby, who was now giving me kisses on my chin. “You know I can’t keep you, right?”

  I swear the dog grinned and I saw the answer in his eyes. He knew I’d have a hard time putting him back in the cage.

  The problem was, the dog was right.

  CHAPTER 2

  I walked over to a table where I’d first brush the dog to get the knots out of his hair, then dump him in the tub. Baby had a short coat, but it was caked in mud. Ellen stood beside me and gave the dog a rub under his chin.

  “Baby’s new to the shelter. His owner was found dead on the beach last week. It was really sad. The dog never left his side.” Ellen sighed as Baby licked the side of her hand. “You miss your guy, don’t you?”

  I glanced over at Greg. “I’m surprised you didn’t know about the death.”

  “I knew about it. He was found closer to South Cove than Bakerstown.” Greg stroked the fur on what appeared to be a husky-poodle mix. “I was called in, but Doc Ames ruled it an unattended death. The guy had a heart attack.”

  I rubbed Baby’s head. “It wasn’t unattended, was it, Baby? You were there for your master, weren’t you?”

  The dog let out a small bark and a wiggle. He acted like he knew exactly what I was saying.

  “He’s very good at social interaction. If he was younger, he would have been snatched up the first few days he was here. But I’m sure we’ll be able to place him soon.” Ellen moved on to another table.

  I put the holding leash around the dog’s neck and realized he had on a collar. “Hey, buddy, let’s take this off.”

  I found the buckle and loosened it. When the collar fell off, so did the backing. I picked it up. “You really need a new collar, Baby. This one’s falling apart.”

  I looked at the two pieces. The front was blue with fake rhinestones and a medal that had a rabies number and last year on the tag. He’d been taken care of, even if his owner had been homeless.

  When I went to set the collar down on the table, a key fell out of a rip in the side. The dog put his foot on it in what looked like an attempt to hide it. I gently moved his foot and he growled at me.

  Quickly, I pulled out the key and stepped back out of the dog’s reach. Baby didn’t try to bite, but he was agitated. The key was small and had a number on it. Maybe the prior owner had put his valuables in the bank or a locker and hid the key with his dog. “Hey, Greg? Can you come here a minute?”

  He hadn’t put his dog up on the table yet, so as he walked over, he carried the husky-poodle mix. Baby barked his disapproval at the other dog’s proximity. Greg’s dog just ignored the insult and curled closer into Greg’s neck. Greg adjusted the dog tighter into his arm. “What do you need?”

  Holding up the key so he could see it, I asked, “Is this a safe-deposit key?”

  He leaned closer and now Baby growled at the other dog. “Looks like it. Put that in your pocket and I’ll do some checking on Monday to see if it matches up with our beach guy. Maybe there’s more to his story than just passing away on a beach.”

  “If he had something or someone, they should be told.” I glanced at Baby. “And maybe he’d have a home to go to.”

  Greg stepped back, absentmindedly rubbing the ear of the dog in his arms. “If I remember, there was no next of kin. Opening the box may give us more information about the guy.”

  As Greg left to start the bath process for the husky-poodle mix, I slipped the key into my jeans pocket and turned back to Baby. “Let’s get you all cleaned up. Maybe your guy had a relative who wants to take you in? You need to be all pretty and look your best, just in case, right?”

  Baby barked his agreement.

  For the next few hours, my life was a madhouse of one dog after another as we brushed and bathed, then turned the dogs over to the groomer the shelter had hired to cut their fur if needed. Aunt Jackie and Harrold were in charge of the final blow-dry and delivery back to a clean cage with fresh food and water. Thirty dogs later, we were done.

  Ellen moved us into a conference room where there were cookies and drinks. I grabbed a bottle of water and motioned her to the side. “Hey, I wanted to tell you that Baby’s collar broke apart during the grooming.”

  “One of the aides has already given him a new one. Don’t worry about it. A lot of times they come in with old collars and we just throw them away.” She patted me on the arm and started to turn away, but Greg stood on her other side.

  “What Jill’s trying to say is she found a safe-deposit key in the collar.” He held out his hand, obviously expecting me to just hand over the key. While I dug it out of my pants pocket, he continued. “I’m taking it into evidence custody. Do you want a receipt for the key?”

  “We wouldn’t have found it without you guys, so I guess it’s fine.” Ellen dropped her voice. “What do you think he had in the box?”

  “Now, that is the question, isn’t it?” Greg smiled and slipped the key into his pocket. He led me back to the table where Amy was finishing her second cookie. “What’s on the schedule now? Anyone up for dinner at the Roundabout since we’re out of town anyway?”

  “Harrold and I need to get back. We’re having dinner with Mary and Bill.” My aunt stood, and Harrold, holding a water bottle, joined her.

  “Nice seeing you guys.” He nodded to the group. “I don’t think I’ve ever washed so many dogs before in my life.”

  “Stick with us, you’ll have all kinds of new experiences.” Justin reached out and shook the older man’s hand. “See you around town.”

  “He’ll be at the party.” Aunt Jackie shook her head. “You all act like we’re never going to see you again after we leave.”

  Harrold leaned down and fake-whispered in Aunt Jackie’s ear. “They know we’re old and they might not see us again.”

  Laughing, I gave my aunt and her boyfriend a hug. “What can I say? I guess you raised us to have manners and respect our elders.”

  Harrold kissed me on the cheek. He turned to Aunt Jackie, but I saw the humor in his eyes. “See, she used the word elders. I told you they see us as old.”

  “Stop teasing the children, Harrold.” Aunt Jackie gave me an air kiss. “I’ll talk to you on Monday. I’d like to finalize the last-minute preparation items for the party.”

  “You know where to find me.” We hadn’t moved to winter hours but would after the Christmas party, which meant I’d be opening the store bright and early for my commuter customers.

  After Aunt Jackie and Har
rold left, Greg focused on Amy and Justin. “What about you two? Or are you going to hit the waves after this?”

  Amy and Justin were crazy-dedicated surfers. It was one of the things that kept them together.

  Justin grinned and grabbed another cookie. “You caught us on a break night. I’m taking Amy up the coast tomorrow to chase waves, but we don’t have plans tonight. What do you say, Amy? Want to grab some grub?”

  She stood and came around the table to stand by Greg and me. “I’m in. But only if you tell us what you were talking to Ellen about.”

  Greg put a hand on my arm and started leading me toward the doorway. “Sounds like a plan.”

  We drove a couple of blocks to the restaurant and waited for Amy and Justin to arrive. Greg leaned his head back on the seat’s headrest and sighed. “I’m hoping that this only has the guy’s personal items. I’d hate for Bakerstown to have to reopen this case.”

  “But if it leads us to who killed him?” I didn’t understand Greg’s reluctance.

  He shook his head. “Doc Ames was very clear on this. The guy had a heart attack. We looked for another cause with no luck. It wasn’t murder.”

  Amy and Justin parked and we all went into the restaurant together. As soon as we sat down, Amy turned to me.

  “Aren’t you looking forward to the cookie exchange? I’ve been testing recipes all week. Do you know what you’re bringing?” My friend’s face was filled with hope and joy.

  Greg coughed into his hand and I kicked him under the table.

  “I hadn’t really thought about it. Maybe chocolate chip?” I studied the menu, not making eye contact.

  “Oh, no, that won’t do. It has to be a special cookie. I’ll send you over some ideas as soon as I get home. Then you can bake a trial run tomorrow.” She keyed a note into her phone. “It’s no big deal, you’ll love the process.”

  I already hated the process and was beginning to think that maybe I did have latent Scrooge tendencies in my DNA. My aunt had never been a big Christmas fan, so maybe I was just showing my heritage. I decided to grab a lifeline. “Greg and I are doing the baking on Tuesday night and he wanted to pick out the recipe together.”