Witch Doggone Killer

by Paula Lester

  Mrs. Chapel nodded vigorously, setting her bun to bouncing. “Yes, day and night, the poor dear. It started yesterday morning. I thought it was just a tickle, but it hasn’t gone away.”

  I grabbed the otoscope and fitted on a head that was the right size for Ella Bean’s ear canal. As I reached for the dog to look into her ear, she gave me a clear glare and leaned away. “Come on, girl. Give me a peek. I need to see what’s going on so I can fix it. You want me to fix it, right?”

  The dog gave me the proverbial puppy dog look, but luckily, I’m immune. I stared her down. Finally, her shoulder muscles sagged, and she tilted her head to present me the sore ear.

  Mrs. Chapel’s hands fluttered around her chest. “Oh, my. It’s just like you can talk to them.” She leaned in as I examined Ella Bean’s inflamed ear canal. “I’ve heard the stories of how wonderful you are with pets, but I’ve never seen you actually talk Ella Bean into something like that before. Why, I never!”

  I grinned and removed the otoscope, letting the Corgi relax. She shook her head, jangling the collar, and leaned close to her owner. “Ella Bean has an ear infection. I’m going to take her to the treatment area for a good ear cleaning and get some medication in there.”

  “Infection?” Mrs. Chapel absently petted Ella Bean’s thick neck fur. “Will she be okay for the dog show? She got first place in her breed last year.”

  I gently pried the dog out of the elderly woman’s arms and put her on the floor, catching the leash and heading for the door. “I think she’ll be just fine by show time,” I reassured Mrs. Chapel. “Be right back.”

  I was relieved to find Korbin in the treatment area. When he saw me, he rushed to explain. “I’m sorry I was late. I . . . couldn’t get my car to start.” He lifted a hand to push back his sandy-blond hair, and I frowned when I saw his fingers tremble.

  I shook my head and handed him Ella Bean’s leash. “It’s okay. You’re never late. I think I can forgive it just this once.”

  “Not me!” Theresa sang from across the room, where she was getting the blood work machine fired up. “I don’t forgive you, Kor. I had to do all the opening work myself this morning. You owe me.” She pouted for a second but then winked at her co-worker.

  “Oh, pish.” I waved a hand at Theresa. “Catherine helped you with opening stuff. You’ll live.”

  She stuck out her tongue at me.

  I chuckled. “Wow! Such disrespect for your boss. You can go for a long lunch today. How about that?”

  Theresa snorted. “I suppose.”

  Korbin lifted Ella Bean onto the treatment table, and I cleaned the dog’s ear while he held her. I glanced at the technician as I finished up. He was uncharacteristically quiet. It wasn’t like him to let Theresa’s teasing go unanswered, either. “Everything okay?” I kept my voice low, not wanting to embarrass him.

  He jerked his gaze up to mine. “Oh. Um.” His eyes shifted away. “I’m fine.” He lifted Ella Bean down and gently set her on her feet.

  I wasn’t at all sure he was fine, but it wasn’t my place to pry further. He was my employee, not my kid. And other than being a bit late for work one time, if Korbin was upset about something, it wasn’t affecting his work. If that changed, I’d have to question him more.

  “Come on, Ella. Let’s go outside for a quick potty break before we go back to Mom.” I headed out the back door with the dog, grabbing one of the plastic bags we kept for clean-up purposes on my way. We made a beeline for the small fenced-in yard along the side of the building.

  When we got there, Ella sat down and peered up at me. “He smelled scared,” she said matter-of-factly. Then she got up and started sniffing around.

  “Scared? Who? Oh, you mean Korbin?” I frowned. What did my tech have to be scared of? I remembered the trembling hand and frowned deeper.

  Ella Bean finished up without any further chatting, and we went back inside. I asked Korbin to explain the dog’s medications to Mrs. Chapel. He nodded and headed into the room with the Corgi, and I narrowed my eyes at his back.

  As the morning wore on, I couldn’t help watching Korbin more closely than usual. He did everything necessary with no mistakes, but he was uncharacteristically quiet. After the last appointment before lunch, he entered my office, where I was writing up the morning’s case files.

  He cleared his throat and picked at something invisible on his scrub pants while looking at everything but my eyes. “Um. I hate to ask this, but is it okay if I take some time off?”

  I felt my brow furrow. I spun my office chair to face him and leaned back. “How long?”

  He shrugged and picked at the scrubs more. “Just a couple of days, I hope. My . . . um . . . grandmother is moving to a nursing home.” He swallowed hard.

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” I made a mental note to let Aunt Dru know. She and Korbin’s Grandma Ethel were friends. Korbin lived with his grandmother out past our farm about a half mile. “Take as long as you need. Of course.”

  “Thanks,” he mumbled, heading out of the room without another word.

  A niggle of something tickled at my mind. Korbin was acting so strange. Was he telling the truth about Ethel? I turned back toward my files but couldn’t concentrate. I reached over to refresh the screen on my desktop computer. No appointments in my column for a while.

  On a whim, I clicked a couple of times and blocked off my available appointments for the rest of the day, then shot to my feet, grabbed my purse, and headed out. I stopped at the front desk to let Catherine know I was taking the rest of the day off and then hurried out to my car.

  Yes! I hadn’t taken so long that I’d lost Korbin. I caught the bumper of his beat-up blue car leaving the lot, and I nosed my car out to follow him.

  My heart thudded along as I crept along at what I hoped was a safe distance behind the technician. What was I doing? Following someone because they were acting strange was not part of my portfolio as a boss or a human being.

  But still . . . Arthur Wiggins’ death had shifted things. I was a suspect, whether I liked it or not, and my business was at risk. Korbin wasn’t acting right, and Ella Bean said he was scared. Why would his grandmother going into a home make him scared instead of sad?

  Korbin’s car pulled into the library parking lot, and I parked along the side of the building in a parallel spot. I got out and crept to the corner of the building to peek around.

  Korbin approached a woman sitting at a picnic table under a huge oak on the library’s front lawn. I recognized her as Angelique Johnson. She was tall, leggy, and blonde, with model-like features. I’d overheard Theresa and Catherine gossiping about how they couldn’t believe a woman like her was dating someone like Korbin, who had more average looks. I’d given them the boss-look and made them quit chattering about it, but I was sure they started up again when I left the reception area.

  For an instant, I felt a stab of guilt at eavesdropping on the couple, but I shoved the uncomfortable feeling aside and concentrated on the conversation while keeping one eye peeked around the corner of the building so I could see their body language as they talked.

  Korbin looked around and then leaned close to the blonde. “Angie, did you hear what happened yesterday?”

  Angelique crossed her arms. She gave him a cool look. “If you mean that Arthur Wiggins died, then yeah. Of course I did. Everybody heard about it. So what?”

  The technician winced. “What do you mean, so what?”

  “I mean, so what that he’s dead?” She wasn’t even trying to match Korbin’s soft tone, as though she didn’t care if anyone overheard her.

  “How can you say that?”

  She shrugged. “What? He was a major jerk. Always raising the rent on everybody. Jackson really couldn’t afford the last hike that was supposed to go into effect at the first of the month. He would have probably ended up homeless.”

  Jackson? Was Angelique talking about Jeremy’s roommate? The man I’d seen in Arthur Wiggins’ office demanding information from Che
yenne?

  Korbin shook his head. “Okay, I get that Wiggins was a Scrooge, but you can’t go around talking like that right now.” He looked around again and then whispered, “He was murdered.”

  Her eyebrows rose, but I didn’t get the feeling she was surprised. It was more a cool, reproachful look. “You know, I don’t know why you insisted on this meeting and why I have to listen to your lectures. We aren’t dating anymore.”

  They weren’t dating anymore? That was news to me.

  Korbin shifted his body to lean away from her. “I still care about you.”

  Angelique stood. “Well, don’t bother. Jackson and I are doing great. And now that Arthur’s dead, we’ll be even closer. If I can get his roommate to move out, I think Jack’s going to ask me to live with him.”

  She spun around, blonde hair flying, and marched away.

  Korbin stayed seated, looking miserable.

  I darted to my car, got in, and drove away, my heart pounding fast. What had that been about? I pulled up to Stroves’ Bakery and put the car in park. I sat staring through the windshield as I replayed the conversation I’d just heard. It sounded like Korbin was worried about Angelique becoming a suspect in Arthur’s murder.

  It also sounded like she was a suspect. She certainly hated Arthur. And she wanted to move in with Jackson.

  What was that thing she’d said about getting rid of Jeremy?

  A shiver went through me as I realized the implications. If Angelique had murdered Arthur, she may be capable of killing Jeremy too.

  A knock on the window made me jump so high the top of my head grazed the ceiling. It was Julia.

  I climbed out of the car. “You scared me to death.”

  “Sorry. I was just heading out for the day and saw you sitting there staring at the lamp post. What’s up?”

  I chuckled. “I wasn’t staring at the lamp post. I was thinking. Do you want to grab some lunch?”

  She shrugged. “I’m game. Delores is covering the shop this afternoon, so I could even do some day drinking.” She waggled her eyebrows at me, and I laughed.

  “Okay, let’s hit the Grill, then. Get in.”

  The Grill was our group’s regular hangout. Steve, the owner, had known my parents and often gave us breaks on food and drinks. Julia and I ordered tacos and margaritas, and I told her what I’d overheard between Korbin and Angelique. without mentioning my spell-enhanced hearing.

  “Wow.” Julia pulled out a compact and studied her reflection for a second before snapping it shut. “That’s pretty incriminating.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think it’s enough to go on. I mean, from what I can tell, everyone hated Arthur because of his rent policies.”

  I watched a guy dressed in a cowboy hat choose songs at the electronic jukebox, which was new enough to play mp3s instead of records, and anticipated the imminent blaring of country music.

  “No, but it’s a start.”

  “I guess.” How was I going to dig deeper and find out if Angelique really did have something to do with Arthur’s death?

  The door swung open, and my eyes widened when I recognized the blonde I’d just been thinking about. Jackson was with her, still wearing the ill-fitting sportscoat I’d seen him wearing in Arthur’s office the day before.

  I studied my hands, hoping not to draw their attention as I battled a sudden bout of stomach clenching. But that was insane. Angelique hadn’t seen me eavesdropping on her and Korbin. She wouldn’t notice me in the bar.

  Steve dropped off our food and drinks and then headed to Jackson and Angelique’s table. He took their order, but another man joined them just as he was finishing up, and he had to stay and add onto the ticket.

  I kept one eye on their table as I ate and listened to Julia complain about her boss, Delores. She did it so often I didn’t need to give it my full attention to keep up.

  “Willow! How nice to see you here, honey.” The woman had popped up as though out of nowhere, right in my line of sight to Jackson’s table.

  “Oh, hello, Jane. How are you?” The woman was an old friend of my aunt’s. She wore her silver hair like Aunt Dru too, in a loose bun.

  “Oh, just fine. Just fine, dear. I had it on my list to visit you at the clinic tomorrow, but this will save me the trip.”

  I took a sip of my margarita and nodded, waiting for the inevitable dog or cat question. A vet could never expect to be left alone in public. Everyone had some obscure animal-related question that had to be answered right away. For free.

  But Jane’s words surprised me, not having anything to do with a veterinary question. “Since Arthur Wiggins is gone now, we need to replace him on the judge’s panel. The board would like to offer you the position.” She beamed at me, drawing attention to her lipstick, which needed to be reapplied. “Since you’re a vet, you’ll be the perfect choice.”

  “Judge’s panel,” I repeated, my mind racing to catch up. “Oh, you mean for the dog show.” It had slipped my mind that Jane was the vice president of the event’s executive board.

  “Yes, yes. Arthur was a judge. Could you be a dear and serve as his replacement?”

  “Um.” I took another drink to buy myself time to think. Did I really want to be a dog show judge?

  “Oh, good.” She beamed some more. “That settles it, then.”

  I blinked. Had it been settled?

  “I’ll drop off some rule books at your clinic tomorrow, dear. Study them well, so you know what to do.” She left before I could protest.

  Julia dissolved into giggles. “I guess you’re a judge now.”

  I groaned. “Great.” My eyes returned to the table I’d been watching. Jackson looked angry.

  “I said I don’t know, Mike.” His voice was raised.

  “Well, you need to find out,” the second man, apparently named Mike, replied. “I didn’t come this far to fail now. You need to figure out how to get me some of Arthur’s Superior Bay buildings. Whatever it takes.”

  Angelique and Jackson exchanged a glance, both looking uneasy. Mike got up and stalked out of the restaurant, and the couple bent their heads together and whispered.

  I sipped my margarita and watched them. What had that been all about? Getting Arthur’s buildings? Is that why Jackson had been demanding to know from Cheyenne who was going to inherit the murdered man’s holdings?

  Maybe I’d been wrong about Angelique being the prime suspect for killing Arthur. Perhaps I should be focusing on her boyfriend.

  Jackson.

  Chapter 4

  Aunt Dru made one of my favorites for dinner—beef stroganoff and a big side salad stuffed with veggies from the garden out back. We sat on the huge wrap-around porch at the wooden picnic table we kept there and watched Juliet prowl around the perimeter of the property while we munched away.

  When the first serving was devoured, I eyed the bowl of stroganoff and tipped my head thoughtfully. It was so tempting to have more.

  I pushed away my plate, deciding one helping was enough, and leaned back in the chair.

  Grinning, Aunt Dru took a small second helping. “So, how was your day?”

  I shrugged. “Slow day at work.” I smiled as Juliet pounced on something in the tall grass near the sheep pen. “Korbin asked for some time off. Said his grandma Ethel is moving to a home. Did you hear anything about that?”

  Aunt Dru shook her head, and a crease appeared on her forehead. “Poor Ethel. I hope she isn’t too depressed about it. I’ll have to pay her a visit as soon as she’s settled.”

  “I’m not sure that was the real reason he wanted time off. He was acting super strange this morning. And one of my patients told me that he smelled scared.”

  “Why would Korbin be scared about Ethel moving to a home?” She took a bite of salad and studied me, crunching away.

  “Exactly.” No longer able to resist, I sat forward, pulled my plate back, and got another small spoonful of stroganoff. “So, I followed him. He met up with his ex-girlfriend, Angelique, and t
hey had a discussion. She was pretty hot about Arthur Wiggins—said she was glad he was gone. I guess she’s dating Jackson Rimes now.” At my aunt’s quizzical look, I explained, “He’s Jeremy’s roommate.”

  “Ah. So, you think this Angelique may have been the one who killed Arthur?”

  Juliet had climbed onto the porch and sat next to me. I gave her a piece of carrot and a pat on the head. “I don’t know. I saw her again later at the Grill, and she and Jackson were both complaining about Arthur. Sounded like they hated him. And there was another guy with them who said this strange thing about wanting some of Arthur’s properties. Seemed like he wanted Jackson to acquire them for him somehow.”

  Juliet looked so cute working on the bit of carrot at the back of her mouth that I laughed at her antics. It reminded me of the trick event at the dog show. “Oh! Jane caught me at the Grill and asked me to be a judge at the show.”

  Aunt Dru’s eyes widened and then understanding crossed her features. “Oh! Arthur’s spot, right?”

  “Yep.”

  Juliet spit out the carrot, gave me a reproachful look, and stalked back off the porch, head and tail held high and haughty. She obviously didn’t approve of my choice of treats.

  “They’re good for your eyesight,” I called after the border collie. She ignored me and lay down in the grass at the bottom of the steps. “I’m not sure I want to be a judge.”

  “Oh, you have to be!” Aunt Dru clapped and beamed. “It’ll be so good for your business.”

  I cocked my head. “How do you figure?”

  “Being a judge is a huge honor. It will be free advertising for the clinic!” Her smile was so wide it seemed to reach over and draw my own lips upward. “This will be fantastic for you.”

  I shrugged. “I hope so. I’ll have a lot of homework to do reading the rule books and such. It’ll probably feel like cramming for a vet school exam.” That made me groan involuntarily. “Besides, are you sure that’s how this works? I mean, could it be against the rules for me to see the show dogs at my clinic?”