Addison laid a comforting hand on his arm. “It’s not your fault. You did everything you could. Maybe they got out of the yard somehow? Found a gap in the fence, or dug a hole maybe.”
Now she sounded like Felix. She recalled the way he’d comforted her at the cocktail party, tried to convince her it was going to be okay when all the facts pointed to the worst-case scenario. But now she understood why he did it, because she wanted to do the same for Phillip.
“My Rosie would never run away,” Rex said to her. “She’s too well behaved. She was stolen. I know it.”
“My property was secure,” Phillip said. “I took every precaution I could for this party.”
“If it was secure, then how did the dogs get off the property without anyone noticing?” Rex practically shook with anger, his coiffed hair falling down in strands across his tall forehead.
Addison saw a finger rise from among the crowd to point straight at her. It was Penny’s.
“It must have been Addison Turner,” the famed handler called out. “It’s the cocktail mixer all over again.”
“What?” Addison sputtered, practically laughing at the absurdity of it. “Me?”
Phillip stepped forward. “Absolutely not. She was with me the entire time. She had nothing to do with it.”
But Penny’s comment sent a ripple of whispers and glances through the crowd. Those who hadn’t recognized her now put a face to the name they’d all heard circulating the dog show circuit and from the media.
“Funny that she was present during both incidents,” Penny noted coolly.
“So were you,” Phillip said. “So were all of us.”
“You can’t blame me for this one,” Addison told her. “I’m just a guest here.”
“Maybe you had help,” she said. “A partner in crime.”
There were noises of affirmation scattered among the guests. Addison saw heads nod up and down.
Addison threw up her hands. “Like who?”
A honking horn interrupted her. Through the vines covering the wrought-iron fence, Addison could see a vehicle pull through the private drive to the mansion’s back access.
The crowd surged forward, eager to see what the commotion was about. Addison was bulldozed closer to a set of gates in the fence separating the yard from the driveway. She cradled Princess close to protect her from bumps and elbows, afraid for a moment that they’d be trampled.
The van crawled up to the iron gates that blocked its path. The driver honked the horn impatiently, but the security guards kept it firmly shut.
Guards one and two rushed ahead of everyone. They waved their hands in the air to signal the van to stop. Guard two moved a hand across his throat in a kill-the-engine motion.
The van door popped open and the impatient driver jumped down onto the flagstone driveway. It was Red Bra girl.
She took in the gathered crowd from the other side of the iron bars. “What’s going on?”
Carson pushed his way through the mob with Baxter on a leash. Phillip rushed over and grabbed the leash, bending down to his English mastiff, like he had to touch him to believe he was safe.
Carson stalked up to the gate, nose to nose with Red Bra. “Where have you been?” he asked.
“The bar. Making a supply run.” She was eyeing the crowd, clearly confused.
Guard one turned to his boss. “This was the only vehicle to leave the premises.”
“Did anyone search this van when it left?” Phillip demanded.
The security guards glanced at each other. Eventually one said, “Yeah, but it was just full of empty barrels and boxes.”
“How do you know they were empty?” Carson asked them. “Did you look inside of them?”
They silently conferred with each other again before shaking their heads.
Carson swore. “Who was in charge of this vehicle!?” he called out, as though it was the guests’ job to know and not his.
“I’m the manager.” A deep voice carried across the crowd from behind Addison.
She turned, along with everyone else, to see Felix walking down the drive. He came to a stop next to her and crossed his arms.
“How can I help you?” he asked. But with the scowl on his face and his head cocked like he was ready for a fight, he didn’t come off as very helpful at the moment.
Carson faced him, calling his tough guy bluff. “Were you aware that your employee left the premises?”
“Of course. I’m the one who sent her. We ran out of supplies. She went to the bar to stock up on a few items.” Felix was close enough to Addison that she heard him mutter to her, “The Head Turner was more popular than I expected.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Penny take note of the exchange. The look on her pinched face made Addison’s toes curl in her pink heels with annoyance.
Red Bra grabbed the iron bars and stared helplessly through them at Felix and Carson, as if she’d already been condemned. “What have I done wrong?”
“How long ago did you leave?” Carson asked her.
Felix stepped in and answered before she could, keeping the focus on him. “About an hour ago.”
“That was when I last saw Gumball,” the man with the toupee said.
“This guy was at the cocktail mixer last weekend too,” Rex said, indicating Felix as “this guy.” “Maybe he stole those dogs.”
Penny Peacock turned to Addison, almost gleefully. “Looks like we’ve found your partner in crime,” she said, eliciting a sudden uproar from those around her. It sounded like calls for blood to Addison’s ears.
“She had nothing to do with this,” Phillip yelled over them all. “She’s my guest here.”
“I saw them talking together earlier at the bar,” Kayleigh said between shuddering sobs.
“Probably conspiring,” Rex added.
Addison shot daggers across the stone driveway at Rex, sorry she’d considered him attractive for even a second. “I was ordering a drink.”
“They must be working together,” toupee agreed.
Penny never said another word. She didn’t have to—her nasty theory had taken root and was growing all on its own.
Addison threw her hands up, ready to argue, but Felix sidled close to her and muttered under his breath. “You’re dealing with a mob mentality here. You’re going to lose. Stop before they pull out their torches and pitchforks and you have a real problem on your hands.”
She glared at him like this was somehow his fault. Heck, maybe it was. Maybe he did steal the dogs. After all, she thought, he was so determined not to help her find the guilty party. Maybe that was because he was the guilty party. But by the looks on everyone’s faces, he was probably right about keeping quiet, so she took his advice.
She held Princess close to her chest protectively, like someone might want to get revenge through her own dog, an eye for an eye. “Yeah, well it looks like it’s not just my problem anymore,” she informed Felix coolly. “Now it’s yours too.”
9
End of the Tether
Whispers seemed to follow Addison wherever she went in Phillip’s mansion. Whispers, gossip, secrets, and lies.
The estate had seemed so large a couple of hours before, but now that no one was allowed to leave, the place felt stifling. It was stuffed with shifting eyes, pointing fingers, subtle head nods, and the whispers. Whispers that seemed to follow Addison no matter where she tried to hide from all those suspicious looks.
She thought that would have stopped now that there was a new suspect: Felix. But it hadn’t. The speculations had merely changed.
Addison could hear them murmuring with their backs turned in their exclusive clusters in the foyer, in the halls, on the terrace. Their voices grew louder as the police statements were taken and the alcohol had time to sink in: Addison and Felix were in league with each other in black market dog trading. No, an illegal dog fighting business. No, they were criminal dog breeders out for a monopoly on the best dog litters in the country.
&
nbsp; Some of the guests eyed Princess, as though Addison should feel guilty that she still had her dog. Or maybe it was because they were considering stealing the doxie out of revenge. Addison rarely let Princess down except to drink water or stretch her legs on the grass in the backyard. Even then she was always on a leash that was wrapped securely around Addison’s wrist.
Whispers, gossip, secrets, lies. Addison circulated through the property, attempting to overhear them all without being too obvious about it. The last thing she wanted was to draw more attention to herself, but even more dogs were at stake now. She needed to start looking for clues. To figure out how to find the dogs and get them home safe—and hopefully to clear her name. With or without Felix’s help.
As she passed the drawing room, she overheard Phillip talking to the head of security, or rather, at him, as he paced back and forth across the marble flooring.
“How could you let this happen?” he demanded.
“Well, sir. We—”
“What am I paying you for?” he interrupted. “I thought you were supposed to have this place secure.”
“We did everything—”
“Your company was supposed to be the best in town.”
Addison didn’t blame Phillip for being upset. Those three dogs disappeared right from under his nose, in his own home. She imagined he felt like she did the night of the cocktail mixer.
Pretending to appreciate a painting in the hallway, she peeked into the drawing room to see Phillip rubbing a hand over his clean-shaven jaw. The sight of him so frazzled filled her with guilt. He was the last person she wanted to spy on.
Besides, she already knew Phillip couldn’t be guilty. She just knew it. Someone whose eyes sparkled like diamonds couldn’t be evil. Phillip practically glowed with angelic innocence.
Addison tiptoed past the doors to sneak away, but then she heard him call out, “Addison!”
Totally busted. She waited in the hallway, trying to think of some excuse. However, when he caught up to her, he was the one who looked guilty.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I know I’ve been a bit distracted. I haven’t been ignoring you, I promise.”
“Of course,” she said. “I completely understand. There’s so much that you have to deal with.”
He sighed. “Not exactly the fundraising event I had planned.”
“It seems someone else had their own plans for your party.”
“I’m sorry that you got caught up in all this.” And he did look remorseful.
He was so sweet.
“It’s not your fault. They just need someone to blame.” I just wish it wasn’t me.
The tension around his eyes and perfectly sculpted lips relaxed. He slowly reached out to her, and she thought he might try to kiss her again. But then frantic barking and yelling carried down the hall, echoing throughout the expansive home.
Phillip’s hand froze in midair and he gave a small, frustrated groan. “I’d better go check that out.”
The tension was getting to humans and canines alike. After being cooped up for so long, it wasn’t the first dogfight that had broken out. It was only a matter of time before the humans started to snap and the first punch was thrown. She just hoped she wasn’t on the receiving end.
Addison sighed in disappointment as he walked away. But that disappointment quickly turned to annoyance. Annoyance at the situation, the unknown surrounding the poor lost dogs, at her own vulnerability and public disgrace.
Not only had the new round of missing dogs seemed to convince people that Addison was somehow involved, but her date with Phillip had been ruined. And for some reason, the only person she could think of to blame was Felix. Not that it was his fault, exactly. It wasn’t like he took the dogs himself. Or had he?
Felix was the one in charge of that van and had sent it back to the bar, after all. Maybe he and Red Bra were in on it together. If that was the case then Addison needed to find him.
Spinning on her heel, she stormed outside to find Felix so she could … well she didn’t know what yet. Rub it in his face now that he was the one accused? To spy on him, maybe even interrogate him until he snapped like a brittle nail?
The first place Addison looked for him was at the temporary bar near the lawn, but when she didn’t find him there she wandered around to the private drive where the van had been parked. Felix was nowhere to be seen, but his van was still there. For now. A tow truck was currently backing up to it. She watched the truck driver jump out to speak with the police.
Making her way around the other side of the house, she froze when she heard Felix’s voice nearby.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s not like I planned for this to happen. I was bartending the whole time.”
Addison and Princess peered around the corner of the old mansion. Felix had his back to her. The muscles under his shirt looked tense as he talked on his phone.
He kicked a stone in frustration. “I know this is a big deal, but there’s got to be a way to fix it.”
It sounded like he was talking about the missing dogs. She wondered who was on the other end. There was only one way to find out.
Glancing over her shoulder, she checked to see if anyone was watching. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she snuck behind him and into a gap in the pruned hedges he was pacing in front of.
“Who cares what a bunch of uptight customers say?” he growled into the phone.
Uptight? Who was he calling uptight? Well, okay, some of them she could see, but that didn’t include her, did it?
She crept closer, but thick tree branches blocked her view of him. Setting Princess down on the ground, she shuffled even closer and swept a branch out of the way to see him better.
He was pacing back and forth, his posture stiff. He was actually a little scary-looking when he was mad. He might have cleaned up as well as some of the gentlemen at the party, but looks could be deceiving. Felix was definitely no gentleman. Addison was pretty sure he could hold his own in a fight.
“I had nothing to do with it,” Felix said. “Come on, you’ve known me for four years.” He ran a rough hand through his hair, gripping it in frustration as he listened. “But this is my livelihood too.”
Livelihood? Addison wondered if he was talking to his boss. Maybe he was getting fired.
“But I’ve been banking on the extra side work. I’ve got bills to pay.… Yeah. Fine. I understand.… Good-bye.”
Felix hung up and jammed the phone into his pocket. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.
Addison shrank back from her viewpoint. Felix might have deserved a taste of his own medicine, to be the one accused after he refused to help her. But that didn’t mean he deserved to get fired.
Guilt tickled at her insides for listening in. Some spy she made.
She began to sneak away before he discovered her hiding in the bushes, prying into his personal affairs. But that’s what private eyes like Dick Tracy did, right? Surely they never felt guilty while on a stakeout or squeezing information out of informants.
Addison took another step backward. Her foot came down, and there was a loud snap as a twig broke under her weight. She froze.
“Who’s there?” Felix said.
“Crap,” she hissed. Now it was definitely time to scram.
Addison spun around, intending to bolt before Felix discovered her, but when she turned, she came face to face with a half-naked woman. A yelp escaped from her lungs before she realized it was only a moss-covered statue. She clamped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. She’d outed herself.
The grass swished outside her shelter as Felix approached. “All right. Come on out.”
Addison searched for an escape route, but she’d trapped herself in an alcove of sorts. Like a romantic little nook, nestled into a horseshoe of vegetation long since overgrown and forgotten.
She glanced at Princess for help, but the doxie was too busy sniffing the ground. Giving up, Addison tried to act natural. She slung an arm aroun
d the statue like she was just hanging out there by complete coincidence.
When Felix brushed the hedge aside and his eyes landed on her, his scowl eased slightly. “Oh, it’s you.”
She gave him a look like Fancy meeting you here. “Oh, hello.”
“Eavesdropping much?”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “Paranoid much? The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know. Princess had to pee.” She waved at her dog in evidence. Thankfully, Princess decided to corroborate her story and squatted near the base of the statue.
He narrowed an eye suspiciously. “In here?”
“Princess has a shy bladder,” Addison said. “She’s a lady.”
He shrugged it off, either believing her weak story or because he didn’t really care. “Well in case you didn’t catch every word, I’ve been laid off.”
“I’m sorry.”
His head snapped to her like he thought maybe she was being sarcastic.
“No, really. That sucks,” she said, giving him a small, earnest frown. “Trust me. I know what you’re going through. I’m facing losing my own income.” Not just her income, but her business, her passion, her dream.
“Well, it’s not indefinitely,” he said. “It’s just until things calm down with this damn dognapping business. Joe doesn’t want to lose me, but he also has to appease the customers who are calling for blood. He does a lot of private gigs for these rich types.” He waved a tired hand in the general direction of the house. “As long as I’m working for him, people are threatening to cancel their private bookings through his bar.”
He took a seat on the curved marble bench in the center of the alcove.
She sat down next to him. “That’s not fair.”
“I’m associated with this whole dognapping crime, fair or not.” He shrugged. “Isn’t that exactly what happened to you? Was it fair then?”
She was surprised by his sincerity, at this temporary truce that seemed to form between them. When he was the one who admitted it, it took the satisfying “Aha! In your face” feeling out of it. Now Addison just kind of felt bad for him. Maybe for both of them.
“No. You’re right,” she said. “So, are you going to look for a new job now?”
Beauty and the Wiener Page 11
