Witch Doggone Killer

by Paula Lester

  “This is the judges’ voting records for the past fifteen years of dog shows that Arthur judged.” He slumped back into his chair. “I started studying them at the office, but my eyes were crossing pretty rapidly. I could use some help going through them.”

  Aunt Dru grabbed the next file. “You’re thinking there may be a clue in here as to who killed Arthur?”

  Crosby put his head in his hands. “I’m not sure what to think. But maybe. If the three of us scan these, maybe we can either put that theory to rest or find something that jumps out at us. But I completely understand if you’d rather just head to bed. It isn’t your job to do this.”

  I was already grabbing more files, and I shook my head. “I’ll help.” I took a sip of tea and then grinned at my friend. “I pulled a lot of overnighters during vet school. I think I can handle one now for a good cause.”

  Crosby looked so relieved it tugged at my heart strings. Then we both looked at Aunt Dru.

  “Oh, I don’t need much sleep. When you get to be my age, you don’t.” She grabbed some files too, and we all dove in.

  It took about an hour for us to get a good system down. Once we did, the speed at which we looked through the files and then handed them to the next person picked up considerably.

  Dixon wandered in and asked for some food but then fell asleep by my feet when I didn’t respond immediately. I pushed my feet under his warm little body and settled farther into my chair with a yawn.

  “Look at this,” I said finally, pushing three open files toward the others. There were several dogs at this show—about ten years ago—that got great marks from Arthur but not so good from most of the other judges. Those dogs did fairly well overall, but it seems like that was mostly down to his uncharacteristically high scores.”

  Aunt Dru adjusted her reading glasses and peered at the sheets where I pointed at them. “Yes, I see that.”

  “Okay, now look at this.” I put several more files in front of my aunt. “This was a few years later. You can see that Arthur was judging the same dogs much lower. Now, mostly lower than the other judges. I wonder why his scores slid so much on the same dogs.”

  Crosby was nodding, and he pushed files of his own across the table. “I’m seeing the same thing with these dogs. This is two years ago, and this is the same dogs last year. Much different scores.”

  “What does it mean?” Aunt Dru adjusted Dragon on her lap.

  I spoke slowly, thinking it through as I responded. “I think it means some dog owners were paying Arthur off to judge their dogs higher. When they stopped paying, he must have judged them more harshly.”

  Crosby nodded and tapped the file in front of him thoughtfully. “Makes sense.”

  “Wait a second.” I stood, dislodging Dixon, who gave me a grumpy yowl, and started pacing around the kitchen, suddenly having more energy than simply sitting at the kitchen table called for. “Remember what that one guy said, Cros? The one who was trying to get into the medicine room at the arena? He said Arthur used to get him in there. What if Arthur was helping some handlers and owners by getting them supplements and vitamins that would make their dogs look or perform better?”

  He didn’t look convinced. “Are there such medications?”

  I chewed my bottom lip thoughtfully and then nodded slowly. “B-vitamins may help some dogs feel more energetic briefly. Especially if they were feeling a little low or tired beforehand. A mixture of them and maybe some fluids to ensure the dog was well-hydrated?” I shrugged. “It wouldn’t help much if any, but lay people may not know that.”

  Crosby pursed his lips for a second. “So, you think Arthur was helping people get concoctions that were supposed to make their dogs perform better and maybe also flat-out taking money to judge dogs higher.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. That’s what I think. And either someone got upset because he stopped helping them or they learned he was helping their competitors and wanted him gone so their dog could do better.”

  “I just can’t believe someone would kill another person over a dog show win.” He shook his head and then ran a hand through his sandy-blond hair, leaving it rumpled.

  Aunt Dru reached over to pat Crosby’s arm. “People can be alarmingly dreadful,” she said kindly.

  His shoulders slumped as though a weight had settled on them. “Yeah. That’s for sure.”

  “Arthur would have to have been super careful about what he was doing, though,” I said. “The other judges watch like hawks for signs of a judge on the take. They don’t want all their perks at risk if they’re thought by the public to be corrupt.” I paused, thinking about the flow of drinks coming to all the judges at the bar. “But, you know, it seems like all the judges walk a fine line on this. They all accept these perks. It’s just a matter of degrees, I guess. So, even if they knew Arthur was getting some concessions, they wouldn’t necessarily have intervened if they didn’t think it was too obvious or crossed some arbitrary line.”

  Aunt Dru clucked her tongue. “What a shame. The dog show is the gem in Superior Bay’s cap. Everyone should be working hard to make sure it retains a good reputation.”

  “I think that ship may have sailed,” I said. “Even the board members were at the bar tonight accepting drinks.” I paced a little more, crossing my arms. “But it’s still a big leap from paying off a judge to get your dog ranked a little higher and killing that judge.” I stopped suddenly and turned toward them, a sudden scary thought making me feel cold. “Do you think whoever killed Arthur arranged for me to take his place?” At their confused expressions, I held up a hand. “After I became a judge, I couldn’t stop thinking about how there were a lot of people who would have been better choices than me. So, I called them all up and talked to them. And, to a person, they all said they’d been asked to judge but that something had come up to make them unable to. Either they’d gotten sick or been called away and couldn’t take the time to learn the rules.”

  Crosby’s eyes narrowed. “Gotten sick, huh?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Like, perhaps someone gave them a lower dose of poison than they did Arthur.”

  He whistled, low and slow. “That’s pretty creepy,” he said.

  I tried not to feel even more nervous that the police officer in the room seemed knocked off his game by the idea.

  “So, you think Arthur’s killer specifically wanted you to take over his spot? Why would they want that?” Aunt Dru’s voice wavered a tiny bit with worry.

  I crossed to put an arm around her shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe they thought I could be bought? But I haven’t had anyone approach me and ask for their dog to be judged easily.”

  My aunt leaned into me, accepting the meager comfort I was able to share. “Maybe they didn’t want you there because you could be bought. Maybe they wanted you there because you’re extra honest and couldn’t be bought by their competitors.”

  Crosby shuffled the files in front of him again, studying the most recent shows’ dog scores and chewing on the inside of his lip. Suddenly, he sat up straighter. He leaned forward, grabbed the files from older shows and scanned several of them. A second later, he sucked in a breath and then looked up at me, his eyes wide. “I think I know who it is.”

  Chapter 17

  The next morning, Crosby picked me up early for the dog show. Aunt Dru waved from the porch after promising to arrive at the arena in time for the main best of show round in the afternoon. We’d offered to give her a ride, but she wanted to stay with Dragon as long as possible.

  The closer we got to the arena, the more nervous energy I felt coming off Crosby. I had a growing pit in my own stomach, of course, and his jitteriness was only adding to it. But I didn’t say anything. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if Crosby and I had a tiff before the show.

  After he pulled into a parking spot in a roped-off section of the lot outside the arena, Crosby turned off the truck and swiveled toward me.

  I’d already started to get out, so I had to shut the door again.


  “I’m going to stay close to you in there.” His eyes darted toward the arena. “There will be other officers around too. We’re going to be vigilant. And I’ll ask Aly and Julia to stay watchful too. But I need you to be careful. Watch your back and don’t go off on any tangents.”

  I held a hand over my heart and said solemnly, “I will do my best to be tangent-free.”

  He wrinkled his nose. “It’s not a joke, Will.” He sounded exasperated. “Come on, take this seriously.”

  “I am! I’m sorry. I was just trying to be funny.” I reached over and squeezed his hand. “I swear I’ll be careful.”

  He looked like he wanted to say something else. I stayed silent, giving him time to decide on his words. But he shut his mouth, opened the door, and jumped out. I trailed behind him through the parking lot toward the back door of the arena, mulling over what had just happened. Crosby had seemed to be on the verge of saying something meaningful, but he’d stopped himself. Why?

  Was Aunt Dru right? Did Crosby have romantic feelings for me? I eyed his back. What if he did? Could I reciprocate?

  “Hey, boss!”

  I spun around at Jeremy’s voice, feeling somehow like I’d been caught doing something wrong. I shook off the feeling. That was ridiculous. I’d been having a private thought. And, besides, I didn’t owe Jeremy anything.

  Besides an answer to his question about whether I’d have dinner with him. I still owed him that.

  Crosby tossed a look over his shoulder. When he saw Jeremy approaching me, I could have sworn he frowned a little.

  This was all too confusing. If Crosby didn’t want me losing focus and putting myself in danger, he shouldn’t act so strange. I puffed out an exasperated breath and turned to greet Jeremy. “Hey! What’s up?”

  “Oh, not much. Just reporting for duty.”

  Jeremy was serving as the official show vet. He’d be doing quick exams on all the dogs before they went into the ring. “Great. You can come in this door, and I’ll help you find Jane. She’ll get you set up with an area to look at the dogs in.” I hesitated and then spoke more softly. “Listen, keep your eye out for anything weird, okay?”

  His eyebrows rose. “Weird? You mean like a handler wearing a tutu? Makeup on a chihuahua? A dancing clown pirouetting through the arena? Aliens trying to steal all the dog food?” His face was deadpan. “Hit me with it, boss. What are we dealing with?”

  A laugh bubbled up from my chest and out of my mouth, and it felt like it took a heavy weight with it. I’d needed that. “Just watch for anything out of the ordinary, okay?”

  “Sure thing. I’ll tackle my duties like a linebacker tackles defensemen. I mean, if that’s what linebackers do—I have no idea. I’m more of a baseball guy than a football one.”

  We headed toward the building together. Crosby had already disappeared inside. I decided it was as good a time as any to address the proverbial elephant in the room. Er, parking lot. “About what you asked me a few days ago . . .”

  He shook his head. “Ah, don’t worry about that. Consider it retracted. I don’t want you to feel awkward around me. It was a bad idea asking, with you being my boss and all.”

  I stopped, using a hand on his arm to draw him to a halt too. “It wasn’t a bad idea. I’m glad you asked. I just haven’t been sure what to say because Superior Bay is a small town. I’ve been wondering if going out with you could upset some people and make them go to the Red River vet clinic instead of mine.” I groaned. “That’s a terrible reason to have left you hanging like I did. I’m sorry.”

  Jeremy grinned, and I couldn’t help but notice how adorable it was, boyish and full of charm. “It’s okay. I get it.” He grabbed my hand. “How about we just put this on hold for right now? Get through the dog show and let things settle down for a bit. You can take your time deciding.” He squeezed my hand and then dropped it. “And if the answer’s no, it’s no. I’m a big boy—I can handle it. It won’t affect our business relationship.”

  Relief made me smile broadly at him. “Thanks. I think that’s a good plan.” I jerked my head toward the building. “We’d better get in there. The dogs aren’t going to examine or judge themselves.”

  He gave me a smart salute followed by a wink, and we headed inside. Jane descended on Jeremy within seconds, whisking him away to his vet station. I stood, looking around for Crosby, for a couple of minutes, but he was nowhere to be seen.

  So much for him staying close to me.

  I still hadn’t seen him when I settled into my chair at the judge’s table and got ready for the first round. Then I forgot to look for him or watch for trouble like I was supposed to as the dogs and their handlers came out and jogged the oval in front of us.

  I did my best to judge each dog fairly and was relieved when none of the judges gave me the hairy eyeball for judging too leniently.

  The president of the board announced there would be a brief break and the second round of judging would commence in about an hour.

  I made my way into the atrium, which was barely contained chaos. I wandered around the outer edge until I spotted Aly and Julia. They shared an eight-foot table, half loaded with flower arrangements and half with pastries. I joined them behind the table. They both looked great, not nearly as tired as I felt.

  “Wow, looks like you both got a proper night’s sleep,” I observed.

  Julia eyed me critically for a moment and then reached over, grabbed a paper cup from a stack, and filled it with steaming coffee from a big dispenser. She handed it to me. “You need this.”

  “Yes, I do. Thanks.” I took a sip, looking around at all the people bustling by. My gaze fell on the guard outside the medicine room. He wore a harried look, and his eyes darted around almost non-stop. I wondered idly if anyone had tried to get into the room who shouldn’t have that morning.

  Aly reached over and pinned a lavender and cream corsage to my shirt. “Sorry I missed you before the first round of judging.” When I gave her a questioning look, she waved a hand in a flourish. “You’re a judge. I made corsages for all the judges. Be sure to put it in the fridge tonight, so you can wear it tomorrow too.”

  I craned my neck to look down at the iris and baby’s breath. “It’s beautiful. Thanks.”

  “I made that one especially for you.” She turned to smile at an approaching customer.

  I kept my eye out for suspects, thinking about what Aunt Dru, Crosby, and I had come up with the night before.

  Then a shout rang out above the rest of the din in the atrium. The general dull roar in the room increased, and suddenly, it seemed like everyone was moving. The bulk of the action was going on just on the other side of the fountain, and I couldn’t make it out clearly from my vantage point. But I could see that there was a lot of movement going on, and the noise level in the room kept increasing.

  I hurried around the end of the table, Aly and Julia right behind me. We pushed our way through the throng until I saw what the problem was.

  A loose dog.

  I recognized her. It was a Westie who had won second place overall the year before. What was her name? Rosie? Rosebud? Rosalie!

  Rosalie was hopping around, diving under people’s legs, turning in circles like a crazy out-of-control top, and generally showing off her athletic ability as some people tried to scoop her up and others attempted to scoot out of her way.

  People banged into each other, causing a domino effect, and the dog just kept darting around, somehow managing to stay just out of everyone’s reach.

  I handed my coffee cup to Julia and made my way to the edge of the fountain. I vaulted up onto the ledge that lined it and balanced there, praying my fatigue wouldn’t result in a tumble into the water. Then I’d either have to miss the second round of judging to go home and change or judge while wearing wet clothes. Plus, it would ruin the lovely corsage Aly had made me.

  Carefully, I knelt on the six-inch-wide platform, cupped my hands around my mouth, and made loud kissy noises.

  Rosalie�
�s ears immediately turned in my direction. Her sharp eyes spotted me instantly.

  Again, I made dog-friendly noises with my mouth and then cheerfully said, “Here, girl!”

  The dog jumped sideways around two pairs of legs and then leaped into the air, landing right next to me as easily and perfectly balanced as a gymnast. I scooped her into my arms, and she leaned into my chest. I could feel her little heart pounding wildly next to me. Instinctively, I squeezed her tighter and put my mouth near her ear. “It’s okay. I gotcha.”

  She looked into my face, and the fear in her expression was unmistakable. I frowned. Why was she scared?

  But I pushed the question away. The little dog must have gotten loose somehow and found herself out in the atrium full of people, who all got loud and tried to catch her. Of course she was scared.

  “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you back to your kennel.”

  The dog squirmed like mad all of a sudden, attempting to climb up my chest and onto my head.

  “Stop!” I cried, thinking about how she was bound to shred my corsage—and maybe my shirt—with her back claws while trying to do such crazy acrobatics. “Come on, now. Behave. You need to go back to your kennel.”

  The dog shoved its muzzle into my ear and whispered, “Don’t take me back there! It’s not safe.”

  I frowned and held her out so I could look into her face. Dog faces can’t make all the subtle expressions humans’ can, but one thing they can show easily is terror. And Rosalie was terrified. Instinctively, I brought her back to my chest and gave a little squeeze. “Hey, it’s okay.” I bent to whisper into her white, fluffy ear. “I won’t leave you alone until we have a chance to talk.”

  The dog’s rock-hard muscles relaxed a little against me, but I felt a shiver wrack her tiny body. It made me feel terrible and angry all at the same time. Who had made the sweet Westie so scared?

  I looked around, wondering the best way to lower myself from the ledge while holding the dog without toppling into the sea of people. A hand appeared, offering stabilization, and I accepted it, stepping down lightly. I found myself looking directly into Korbin’s face. He looked almost as upset as Rosalie. “Can I talk to you?” he muttered, looking around furtively in all directions.