A few months without a murder or a crime of any significance had me in the holiday spirit for sure. I strung a garland of greenery across the front counter of Tail Waggin’.
My tuxedo cat, Trashcan, swatted at a bulb, sending it crashing to the floor. “Every year we have to retrain you.” I reached for the broom and dustpan.
“Good morning.” My friend, and employee, Heather Langley, entered the store. “It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas. Cold outside, too.”
I smiled a greeting. “I’m loving it.” Behind her entered my hunky boyfriend, maybe fiancé, Brad. We spoke briefly of marriage on occasion, but neither of us was in a hurry. On his heels came our dog groomer, Shar.
Brad brought coffee as he did every morning for the group. He placed a tender kiss on my cheek. “Looks good in here.”
“I’m not even close to being finished, but it’s coming along. Know anyone who wants a kitten? We have two little gray ones. I’m hoping to find them a home by Christmas.”
“Barney is all I can handle.”
I nodded. The beagle someone dumped on our doorstep a while back had taken some work to train. At least he no longer stole things from unsuspecting people, and Brad could afford to replace the occasional chewed, leather shoe.
“If this keeps up, I’ll become Waterfall’s cat lady.” I laughed and hung a red bow on the garland before joining my friends at the table in front of the shop window. “Is your nephew still coming for the holidays, Shar?”
“No idea. Seems he’s found himself in a bit of a pickle over a stolen car.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I pretty much told him we didn’t need that kind of trouble over here. Although your mom says the police station phone is deader than a runover toad, and she’d like for something to happen.”
“I’m glad nothing is happening around town.” I stared at my blended drink. “Being chased by killers is no fun.”
“For you maybe.” Shar laughed. “Alex feels the same. Says he’s glad not to have to worry about me getting myself killed for sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.” Alex McIlroy, detective and Shar’s boyfriend, had a few more gray hairs since dating her. “The Waterfall Sleuths will fall apart if something doesn’t happen.”
“I’m with McIlroy.” Brad gave me a quick kiss. “I don’t enjoy worrying about my girl. Chinese tonight?”
“Sounds perfect.” My little apartment over the shop was more than crowded when we chose to eat there—dogs, cats, humans, and all. Of course, my Mastiff, Sheba, counted as two dogs.
After Brad left, we three women returned to work. Since our customers treated their pets as children, we were busy with folks purchasing Christmas presents for their fur
babies.
Unfortunately, nobody wanted two rowdy little kittens when they were putting up Christmas trees. “Shar, why don’t you take them? They match Starr.” Her silver poodle.
“No, my little darling is going to be an only…” Her gaze met my imploring one. “Okay. Just until you find them a home, but they’d better not destroy anything. I can’t bear the thought of any animal spending Christmas in a cage.” She glanced out the window. “Here comes your mother, and she looks happy.”
Which could only mean she’d heard something at the police station to raise her spirits. I really disliked the fact that seeing my mother happy meant she was up to something.
“Hello,” she sang, waltzing through the front door. “I have a job for us.”
My shoulders slumped. “No.”
“Nobody died.” She plopped her purse with a clunk onto the counter. “But—” she wiggled her eyebrows. “Lots of things are being stolen. I guess someone doesn’t have the money to buy presents, so they’re stealing them. Laptops, jewelry—anything that can be sold.”
“Leave it to the police. Let’s enjoy the season, please.” I moved a box of ornaments out of the way of my cat, Sharkbait.
She crossed her arms and gave me that “mom” look. “Whoever the culprit is, they stole a bag of gifts destined for the children’s group home. It’s our civic duty to stop this kind of thing from happening again. Don’t be selfish, Trinity Ashford.”
“How is that being selfish?” I felt my eyes widen. “Because I want to enjoy Christmas without being in danger for my life? I’ll tell you this. It might start with theft, but someone will die. They always do.”
“Don’t be such a grinch.” She glanced at Shar. “I’m sure you’ll help.”
“Of course.” She cut me a sharp gaze. “I care about the children.”
Oh, for heaven’s sake. I rolled my eyes, refusing to be guilted into getting involved. “You two do what you want, but leave me out of it.” I lifted a box of dog toys set aside for the animal shelter and headed for the attic out back. As soon as I closed shop for the day, I’d drop off the donation, then freshen up before Brad brought supper by. I stored the box in the backseat of my car.
One of the workers from the gym next door waved as she took out the trash. “Frigid.”
“Yes, it is.” Further down I waved at Mr. Miller who owned the drugstore. He scowled and ducked back into his shop.
Most of the shop owners in our horseshoe-shaped strip mall were friendly, but I’ve had to bother Mr. Miller about crimes too many times for him to like me. Not that I’ve ever accused him, but more like my questions were intrusive and unnecessary in his opinion.
I wrapped my arms around my waist and turned in the other direction. A navy-blue truck idled next to Shar’s vintage Thunderbird. I waved to let them know I saw them. They raced away.
“Someone was interested in your car,” I told her back inside.
“People stop and look all the time.”
“But with the thefts going on—”
“I have a good alarm system. If someone tries opening the door without using the fob on my keychain, the noise will wake the dead.” She flashed a grin, carrying a long-haired, mixed-breed dog back to the grooming station.
“Time for work.” Mom grabbed her purse. “I’ll let you know if I hear anything more. Make sure to lock up your valuables.”
“Okay.” What valuables? I had an old model SUV, a tiny apartment, pets, and a pet store. None of which held anything worth stealing.
I spent the rest of the morning logging in daycare pets so their owners could shop or go to the beauty parlor or a myriad of other things. When people dropped off their pets, they felt compelled to tell me everything they had on their to-do list as if they felt guilty leaving their pet with me.
“David and I set a date,” Heather said once things settled down. “We’re getting married in the spring.”
“I’m so happy for you.” I jumped up and gave her a hug.
After her husband was sent to prison, leaving her to raise their toddler son alone, she’d started dating our delivery guy—a super nice man who cared very much for Heather and her son. “Have you told Bobby yet?”
“I wrote him a letter, not that it’s any of his business now that we’re divorced. But, as Robbie’s father, I owed him that much.” She dusted a display rack of pet food dishes. “What about you and Brad?”
“We’re enjoying where we’re at right now. Brad and I have the best of both worlds—each other and our independence.” I grinned, spotting him in the parking lot speaking to a man I didn’t know.
Since the completion of the movie theater across the lot, he’d chosen to have his office there to stay close to me. I didn’t mind in the slightest. We were able to enjoy a morning coffee, lunch on occasion, and supper together most nights. I’d also spent more nights than I cared to admit in the luxury of his guest room at the penthouse he owned. Whenever I was embroiled in a mystery and things turned dangerous, he insisted on me staying with him because of better security.
I wasn’t quite sure why I didn’t want to live with him permanently. Maybe it was the convenience of living over my shop. Or maybe it was the feeling that if I said “I do,” he’d be able to boss me around. Not that he would, but people changed after getting married, didn’t they? My parents thought I’d lost my mind by hesitating. Perhaps I had. Who wouldn’t want to marry a handsome, kind millionaire?
He tossed me a wave through the window. I blew him a kiss, warmth spreading through me. I needed to do some soul-searching. How long would he wait for silly me to set a date?
“I want you to be my maid-of-honor,” Heather said, breaking through my thoughts. “We don’t want a big wedding. Something small and intimate at that venue by the lake.”
“Sounds perfect.” Springtime in Arkansas was gorgeous.
Sheba lifted her head from the floor and stared toward the back door. Her hackles rose. She gave a light woof.
My two cats charged up the stairs.
“It’s just those silly cats, girl. Everything is fine.” I patted her head.
A cacophony of barking came from the boarding kennels. What in the world was going on?
Sheba lumbered to her feet and thundered toward the kennels with me on her heels.
The back door hung open. I checked every kennel, pleased to see them all closed and occupied. Why would I have left the back door open? Had I wanted out of the winter chill that badly?
I reached out to close the door.
Glass shattered outside.
An alarm blared, increasing the barking of the dogs.
Sheba darted past me.
I raced after her in time to see the dark blue truck I’d seen earlier speed from the alley.
- ASIN : B09C1FRM1N
- Publisher : Independently published
- Publication date : August 6, 2021
- Language : English
- Print length : 113 pages
- ISBN-13 : 979-8451160954