Trouble at the Kennel (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery #9)(17)
“I know the kennel, and it’s excellent, but did you know the owner was murdered yesterday? I also heard that someone released all the dogs from their kennels. Can you imagine what would have happened if Duchess had gotten out? One look at her, and I’m sure she’d be stolen and wind up in one of those terrible puppy mills.”
“Yes, I heard the same, and when I tell you what happened, you’ll understand why my friend heard Lisa tell Dr. Simpson that she thought the owner deserved to be murdered. She said she was so angry she could have killed the owner herself.”
“Wow, that’s so unlike Lisa. What happened?”
“Well, she left Duchess at the kennel and arranged for her to have a special kennel because the owner has a policy that any female dog that’s not spayed and could come into heat has to have its own special kennel, and they cannot be around any of the other dogs. And from what my friend said, those kennels don’t come cheap. Lisa said it was almost like she was being punished for not having Duchess spayed.”
“I’ve boarded Fluffy there, and I felt the same way. So what happened?”
“A week or so ago she said she noticed that something seemed to be off with Duchess. She told Dr. Simpson that she waited a few days thinking that her loss of appetite and lack of energy were due to a touch of the flu or something like that, but then Lisa became suspicious and made an appointment with Dr. Simpson so he could examine her. He confirmed she was pregnant. He wanted to know who Lisa had bred her to because he followed the dog shows and knew most of the other Yorkies that were quality show dogs like Duchess.”
“Well, so who is the proud father? Like the vet, we know most of the champions in the breed.”
“That’s the problem, Gina, she didn’t breed her to a Yorkie or any other dog for that matter. Dr. Simpson told her Duchess was about four weeks pregnant, and she should check her calendar and try and reconstruct where she might have been at that time. It turns out that was when she’d boarded Duchess at the Doggie Love Kennel.
“She called the doctor after she got home and told him she’d taken Duchess to the Doggie Love Kennel that weekend. She said someone must have left the door of her kennel ajar and some male dog got into Duchess’ kennel. Lisa told him what really worried her was she has no idea who the father is. She’s afraid it might be some very large dog, and if that’s the case, Duchess could very well have problems delivering the puppies. My friend said she was calling the doctor almost every day, and the doctor was getting pretty tired of all the drama.”
“Do you know if she called the kennel when she realized Duchess had probably gotten pregnant during the weekend when she was at the kennel?” Gina asked.
“Yes,” Susie said, “but she told Dr. Simpson it sure didn’t do her any good. She said she’d spoken to the owner, a woman named Mary. She’s the one who was murdered yesterday. The owner denied having any knowledge of Duchess’ door being left open and actually told Lisa she had to be mistaken. She said it could not have happened at her kennel. She was in a state of total denial. Lisa told the doctor it was not a good phone call. It ended with Lisa telling the owner that her lawyer would be calling her, and you know Lisa. With all her money, she has a lawyer on a permanent retainer.”
“Now that the owner of the kennel is dead, do you think she’ll go ahead and sue the kennel?”
“I don’t think so. My friend told me Lisa said she was just glad the owner was dead, and she hoped the kennel would be bulldozed and the land sold to some developer. She was worried it could not only be the end of Duchess’ career, but it could even be the end of her life. And all because somebody left the door to her kennel open.”
“That really is a shame. Duchess is one of the best Yorkie terrier show dogs in the country. I think Lisa even told me once she had a waiting list of people who want her puppies, and they are very expensive What about terminating her pregnancy? I know that’s an option.”
“I wondered the same thing. I guess Lisa is morally opposed to abortions and feeling that way, she couldn’t allow her dog to have one. Dr. Simpson said about the best thing she could hope for if she wasn’t going to allow an abortion was to hope Duchess had a miscarriage.”
“As a dog owner, I can understand how she feels. That is so sad.”
“I know. There’s a good chance she could be injured giving birth to the puppies and never be able to have another litter. Plus, Lisa might not be able to show her again if she’s injured, to say nothing of the fact that she might die delivering the puppies.”
“I honestly don’t know what I’d do in that situation. The one thing I do know is I’d be furious!”
“From what I hear she was and is. Oh, look. Fluffy’s doing really well. The judge just motioned to your handler. Congratulations!”
“Thanks, I better go down to the ring. Fluffy likes to see me as soon as she finishes a show.” She stood up and started walking down to the ring. Kelly got up from where she’d been sitting, and walked towards the door. As she was walking out, she happened to be behind the woman who had been talking to Susie. The woman stopped in front of another woman, bent down in front of the other woman and said in a low voice which Kelly could barely hear, “Cindy, you won’t believe what happened to Duchess. I’ll call you and tell you all about it.”