Trouble at the Kennel (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery #9)(11)
“Kelly, have you given any thought to what you’re going to do with this puppy tomorrow when we both have to go to work?”
“Of course. Remember when Lady was a puppy? I took her into work with me, and I can do the same thing with Skyy. Roxie and the rest of the staff will be happy to have an excuse to get outside for a few moments while they walk her, and I’ll bet some of the customers would like to as well. I still have the puppy fence I bought for Lady, and I’ll put it in front of the entrance to the pantry storage room. It will be fine.”
“You’re more confident about your abilities in that area than I am.”
“It will all work out, you’ll see.”
“I know. It’s that glass half full thing. Right?”
“Right, Sheriff. Now sit down and let me get some food in you.”
“What’s for dinner?”
“The one thing you taught me to make. Fisherman’s fried rice. Sounded perfect, and we had all the ingredients. It’s all ready. Time to eat, and then I’ll tell you the rest of what Noelle told me, although you may already know.”
CHAPTER 9
“No matter how many times I eat fishermen’s fried rice, it always takes me back to the first time Jack cooked it for me,” Mike said.
“You may go back in time, but I think it’s been an inward thing. I don’t remember hearing about it,” Kelly said, picking up the dishes and taking them to the sink.
“Several years ago, after a particularly difficult case and when my divorce was being finalized, I needed a little time away from everything, and I gave Jack Trout a call. I’d met him several times over the years, and we always talked about fishing, something both of us were very interested in, although I’d never been fishing with him before. That was the common bond.
“Anyway, he was between guided fishing trips, and we agreed to go up to the Mt. Shasta area for a few days. We camped out overnight, and the first morning I woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon cooking. He fried some rice in the bacon grease, scrambled some eggs, and then mixed it all together. It tasted great on that cold morning. I’ll never forget it. Always makes me think of the outdoors and fresh air. I still love the dish. We should have asked him to make it for us when we were in Cuba, but I don’t think he had access to the resort kitchen. Thanks for making it tonight.”
“I like it because I almost always have the necessary ingredients on hand, and it’s so easy to make. That it tastes so good is just a plus. I’ve taught Charlie how to make it at the coffee shop, and we serve it there from time to time. A lot of people request it even if it’s not on the menu. Since I usually have all of the ingredients, Charlie whips it up for them. It’s soul satisfying!”
Mike said, “Make you a deal.” I’ll take Skyy out to see if she can commune with nature one more time while you do the dishes. Sound fair?”
“Very. Take Rebel and Lady with you. I’m sure that little girl can learn some valuable lessons from them.”
“Come here, sweet little girl,” Mike said, picking the puppy up and walking over to the door. “Lady, Rebel, outside.”
Kelly grinned as she saw Skyy lavishing Mike’s face with puppy kisses. She turned back to the dishes. It’s just a matter of time until she worms herself into his heart and calling her sweet little girl isn’t a bad start.
A few minutes later the dog parade returned with Mike grinning broadly. “Well, that was a piece of cake. If she continues to be that good, I may have to rethink my two dog rule after all. She is pretty darn cute. She even came to me when I called her, so I guess Mary must have worked with her, because she responds to her name.” He sat down at the kitchen table and said, “I kind of remember you saying something about Noelle telling you about a conversation she’d recently had with her mother, and it might have something to do with her murder.”
“I don’t know about it having anything to do with her murder, but there were three people who Mary recently had words with.” She told him about the Pit Bull Sanctuary man, the Yorkshire terrier pregnancy incident, and the neighbor who was upset about the excessive barking coming from the kennel.
Mike listened carefully and then said, “Well, I suppose all three could be considered as suspects, but I have a hard time making any of them as killers. Yes, they were all probably angry at Mary for various reasons, but angry enough to kill? I think it’s a stretch, Kelly.”
“I have no idea. I’m simply telling you what Noelle told me. She did mention that Mary was very upset over the incidents.”
“That’s understandable, but to kill someone and release all the dogs? Of course we still don’t know which came first, Mary’s death or the dogs being released. What I want to do tomorrow is look at the kennel’s business records and talk to the manager, Sandy Reston. She might know something. Actually she probably would know more than Noelle, since she was the one who was working there. What’s on your agenda for tomorrow?”
“Business as usual. I’m glad I only have one day before the weekend. It will allow me to ease into the routine. I need to get some groceries for here, and I’m sure I’ll have to restock the coffee shop. I’ll take Lady and Skyy with me. Rebel’s been going into work with you lately, so he’d probably be more comfortable doing that. Okay?”