The Case of the Jaded Jack Russell Read online

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Bobbie said.

  “You know who’d be perfect for the online side of the business?” I said, glancing at Josie.

  “Sammy.”

  “Exactly,” I said.

  “You’re serious about funding my idea? You’d want to go into business with me?”

  “If the business plan looks anything like you say it does,” I said. “I have to say that it’s a distinct possibility.”

  “I’m not worried about that. The business plan is solid. How big a role would you want?”

  “Well, we sure don’t want to run it,” Josie said, shaking her head. “We’ve got more than enough on our plate at the moment.”

  “No kidding. And my aversion to all things corporate is well known,” I said, laughing. “Don’t worry, you’d keep majority control.”

  “But how would it work?” Bobbie said, leaning forward in her chair.

  “I have no idea,” I said, shrugging. “We usually just start talking until we come up with something everybody can agree to.”

  “And if we can’t all agree, we don’t do it,” Josie said.

  “Off the top of my head, you’d probably keep at least sixty percent, what’s left would go to the three of us,” I said.

  “Three?” Bobbie said.

  “Chef Claire,” Josie said.

  “You’d include Chef Claire?”

  “Absolutely,” I said. “We’re sort of like the three musketeers.”

  “And she feeds us very well,” Josie said, laughing. “You can’t put a price on that.”

  “I have the business plan and some more of the prototypes down in my car,” Bobbie said. “Should I go get them?”

  “I don’t see why not,” I said.

  “I’d love to see them,” Josie said, glancing at Jack who was once again tussling with the toy. “But I don’t like your chances of getting that one back.”

  Bobbie raced out the door. I sunk back into the couch deep in thought.

  “A dog toy business,” Josie said. “I like it.”

  “Yeah, and I really like the collectible angle. I think it could be big.”

  “But that’s not why you did it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You were looking for a way to help her, and, at the same time, not give Chef Claire any reason to freak out.”

  “Maybe,” I said, giving her a coy smile.

  “And since she won’t be running our rescue program, there’s no reason for her to move to Clay Bay.”

  “No, there isn’t. Funny how things work out, huh? Besides, locating the company here will give us a good reason to visit Ottawa. We both love it here.”

  “We do,” Josie said. “Well, I will give you this, my friend. There’s never a dull moment when you’re around.”

  “Compliment?”

  “Maybe,” Josie said, reaching for the bag of bite-sized.

  “There’s just one thing that’s bothering me,” I said, frowning.

  “That you’re turning into your mother?”

  “Yeah. This is exactly the sort of thing she would do.”

  “Doing well by doing good,” Josie said. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “No, there’s not,” I said. “Knowing her, she’ll want in on the deal.” Then I chuckled. “But we couldn’t do that to Bobbie.”

  Josie snorted and tossed me the bag of bite-sized.

  “This could be a lot of fun,” Josie said, glancing over at Jack who was pushing the toy across the carpet with his nose. “And maybe she’ll name one of the toys after me.”

  “Snacker?”

  “Funny.”

  Chapter 13

  Josie headed for the breakfast buffet while I swung by registration to request a late checkout. The police had finally let us know there was no need for us to change our original plans, and we decided to head for home as soon as possible that afternoon. The conference was scheduled to wrap up at noon right after the morning sessions, but there was no way I had time to attend any of them. My to-do list was longer than I would have liked, and I knew I’d have to maintain my focus if we were going to be able to fit in lunch at Mandarin then get on the road by two.

  I got our checkout time moved back an hour then left the registration desk to join Josie. On the way, I crossed paths with Marjorie and her son. Marjorie, while less stressed than she’d been earlier in the conference, obviously still had a lot on her mind, and she almost walked right past me.

  “Marjorie,” I said.

  “Oh, Suzy, hello,” she said, coming to a sudden stop. “I didn’t even see you. How are you?”

  “I’m good. Hi, Thomas.”

  “Hi.”

  He barely made eye contact. I guess he was still mad at me for suggesting he might have been the one who killed Middleton. I made a mental note to figure out a way to make it up to him, then decided I better write it down. I added the item to my to-do list then focused on his mother.

  “I just wanted to thank you again for inviting us,” I said.

  “No, thank you. Your session was wonderful. In fact, several people have already suggested that we have you back next year,” Marjorie said, shifting several large folders she was carrying to her other arm.

  “You’re going to do it again?” I said, grinning. “You are a glutton for punishment.”

  “That’s what my husband said,” she said, laughing.

  “Let me hold those for you, Mom,” Thomas said, reaching for the stack of folders.

  “Okay, but don’t drop them,” she said, reluctantly handing them over.

  Thomas, mildly annoyed at his mother, shook his head but said nothing. Then he pointed in the direction of the breakfast buffet.

  “I’m going to head on in,” he said. “I’ll save you a seat.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  We watched him walk away.

  “He’s still mad at me, isn’t he?”

  “Maybe a little,” Marjorie said, staring after her son. “Don’t worry, he’ll get over it. You just caught him by surprise.”

  “Yeah, I have a tendency to do that,” I said, frowning.

  “And to be honest, I think he’s got a bit of a crush on you.”

  “Really? My radar must be on the fritz,” I said. “Look, I’m glad I ran into you. I’m wondering if you’ve seen the guy who punched Middleton the other night.”

  “Are you talking about Victor Rollins?”

  “No, I already spoke with him. And that was a half-hour of my life I’ll never get back. I’m talking about the other guy. There was a woman tugging at his shirt trying to hold him back.”

  “That was his wife, Rena,” Marjorie said. “His name is Harold Smythe. They left the conference yesterday.”

  “I see. Do you know them?”

  “Yes, fairly well. Harold is a venture capitalist, and I believe he’s done some things with Middleton in the past,” she said, raising an eyebrow at me. “But that’s not why he was angry.”

  “Oh, goodie,” I said, laughing. “I knew there had to be a story there somewhere.”

  “Yes,” she said, inching closer and lowering her voice. “Rena and Middleton have been having a rather torrid affair. At least they were.”

  “And then Harold found out and didn’t take the news well.”

  “Nothing gets by you,” Marjorie said, laughing. “No, not well at all. But the police cleared them of the murder yesterday. After Harold punched Middleton, Rena dragged him off to the lobby, and they spent close to an hour arguing near the reception desk. Dozens of witnesses, including several of the hotel staff, confirmed it.”

  “Well, that saves me some time,” I said out loud to myself as I crossed the item off my to-do list.

  “What’s that?”

  “Oh, nothing. Have you spoken with the police lately?”

  “It seems like that’s all I’ve been doing,” she said. “They’re constantly asking me questions about some of the attendees.
Including you and Josie, by the way.”

  “Yeah, I know. We talked to them the other night. They started off a little huffy, but they settled down after we dropped a few comments about their mutual liaison.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah,” I said, nodding. “He probably should have taken off his wedding ring.”

  “What is it about conferences that bring out that sort of behavior?”

  “Distance from home and an open bar would be my guess. Are the cops still around?”

  “I’m sure they are,” she said, frowning as she looked across the lobby. “Perfect.”

  I followed her eyes and saw Roxanne standing next to a man near the front door. She had one hand on his arm and was waving at me with the other. I returned the wave and focused on Marjorie who was now glaring at the couple.

  “Do you know Roxanne?” I said.

  “Only by reputation.”

  “She’s not wasting any time,” I said, shaking my head.

  “No, apparently not.”

  “Do you know who the guy is?”

  “My husband,” she said, giving me a small goodbye wave as she strode across the lobby.

  I watched Marjorie exchange a few pointed comments with her husband, then dismiss Roxanne with a wave of her hand. Roxanne did her best walk as she crossed the lobby toward me.

  “What’s got into her?” she said, coming to a stop next to me.

  “I’m sure she has a lot on her mind,” I said, doing my best not to laugh.

  “Well, that was just rude,” Roxanne said. “It’s not like I was trying to sleep with the guy. All I wanted was a phone number.”

  “You wanted his phone number?”

  “No, a friend of his I spent the night with. The guy managed to slip out this morning without giving it to me. I hate when that happens.”

  “I’m sure you’ll track him down,” I said, shaking my head at her. “That’s why you never came back to the suite?”

  “Yeah, I went to one of the hotel restaurants and saw this guy eating by himself. I told him he looked lonely, and he asked me to join him. Then he told me his whole life story over dinner. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “What does he do?”

  “Pretty much what every other man I date does.”

  “Spends money on you?” I said, laughing.

  “Exactly,” she said, nodding. “Or at least I thought he was going to.” She fished through her purse and pulled out a valet parking ticket. “I gotta get going.”

  “Where are you off to?”

  “Montreal. There’s an investment conference starting tomorrow.”

  “You’re going to an investment conference?”

  “Yeah. Some of the richest people on the planet are supposed to be there so I thought I’d do a little shopping,” she said, then paused to make eye contact. “You’d probably call it hunting.”

  “Tomato, tomahto.”

  “Try not to judge me, Suzy,” she snapped, brushing her hair back from her face. “We all make our choices. Mine is to find a rich husband before it’s too late. And the clock is definitely ticking.”

  “I like your chances, Roxanne. You seem both focused and persistent.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, I’m tenacious,” she said, laughing. “And let me know if you’re ever in the mood to do a little hunting. We’d make a pretty good team. They wouldn’t know what hit them.”

  “Thanks, but I’m pretty busy with the dogs,” I said, shrugging.

  “Yeah,” she said, her voice dropping to a reverential whisper. “You guys do really good work. You should be proud of that.” Then her mood brightened again, and she beamed at me. “Well, I need to get going. Wish me luck. And thanks again for helping me out the other night.”

  Then she was gone. I watched her strut across the lobby, have a quick chat with the doorman that ended with a peck on the cheek, and then she headed outside and climbed into a new Mercedes and drove off. I crossed off saying goodbye to Roxanne from my to-do list and counted my blessings as I turned to head for the breakfast buffet.

  “Excuse me, are you Ms. Chandler?”

  I stopped and waited as one of the registration clerks approach me carrying a thick envelope.

  “Yes, that’s me,” I said, nodding at the envelope. “Is that for me?”

  “Yes, it just came by courier. I believe it’s from Middleton Enterprises,” the clerk said, handing it over.

  “That was quick,” I said, accepting the envelope. “Thanks.”

  I wasn’t sure about the protocol but tipped him anyway. He glanced down at the bill, pleasantly surprised, then gave me a quick salute as he walked away. I opened the envelope and removed several documents, all of them dealing with Jack. I confirmed his vaccination records were up to date, glanced briefly at his lineage, then slid all of them back inside the envelope. I tucked the envelope under one arm and crossed the item off my list.

  “What the heck are you doing hanging out in the lobby?”

  I glanced over my shoulder and saw Josie approaching gently rubbing her stomach.

  “Making incredible progress. You won’t believe how much I’m getting done. Who knew all I had to do was stand around here? People are just finding me,” I said. “How was breakfast?”

  “It was great, but I probably should have stopped after my first stack of pancakes,” she said, stifling a burp. “What’s that?”

  “Jack’s papers,” I said, handing her the envelope. “He’s all set. We shouldn’t have any problems going back across the border.”

  “Impressive lineage,” she said, scanning the documents. “He’s a rock star.”

  I gave her a quick summary of the last twenty minutes, and she listened carefully. I finished, then had a thought.

  “Is Bobbie still watching Jack?”

  “Yeah, she just took him for a walk.”

  “Don’t forget that we need to schedule a time for her to come to Clay Bay for the four of us to talk,” I said, glancing down at my to-do list.

  “Already done,” Josie said. “She stopped by while I was eating, and we talked about it. She’s coming over on Monday. I thought family dinner night would be a good time to do it.”

  “Perfect,” I said, then paused. “I already invited Chief Abrams to dinner. Do you think that’s going to be a problem?”

  “No, we’ll eat first,” Josie said. “And then he can take off, or stick around and play with the dogs.”

  “Yeah, that’ll work,” I said, crossing the item off my list.

  “What do you have left to do?” she said, peering at my list.

  “Have a chat with those two cops,” I said, shrugging. “That’s it.”

  “Don’t forget lunch at the Mandarin,” she said.

  “Really? You’re already thinking about lunch?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it since we got here,” she said, shrugging. “I just saw the cops heading toward the conference registration area.”

  “Then that’s where I’m heading,” I said, sliding my bag onto my other shoulder. “You want to come along?”

  “No, I’m gonna check out a couple of the morning sessions,” she said. “I’ll meet you by the front door at eleven-thirty. Try not to annoy the cops too much.”

  “I thought I might ask them if they want to join us for lunch,” I said, slipping my to-do list into my pocket. “You know, get them out of their element. Maybe they’ll relax and feel like chatting.”

  Josie stared at me in disbelief, then shook her head and walked away.

  “Hey,” I said, calling after her. “Cops gotta eat, too.”

  Chapter 14

  Just before noon I parked in front of the restaurant and glanced over my shoulder into the backseat.

  “You think Jack will be okay staying out here in the car while we eat?” I said, glancing at Josie.

  Josie turned around in her seat to look at the dog that was nestled on a stack of blankets and a thick pillow. He had a paw draped over the toy Bo
bbie had given him and was snoring loudly. Josie turned back around in her seat and nodded.

  “Yeah, I think he’ll be fine,” she said, laughing.

  I cracked all the windows, felt the cool fall breeze, then hopped out and locked the car just as the unmarked police car pulled in next to us. Bill and Shirley, wearing plainclothes today, got out and stretched in unison.

  “You made it,” I said.

  “A free lunch at Mandarin?” Bill said. “Probably not something we’re gonna say no to.”

  “Now remember what I told you,” I said, nodding my head at Josie. “Just keep your distance when she picks up her knife and fork. And never sneak up behind her when she’s eating.”

  “Shut it. And for the record, I won’t be using a knife and fork.”

  “You’re going with chopsticks?” I said, heading for the front door.

  “What else would I use at a Chinese restaurant?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe a shovel,” I said, shrugging as I held the door open for everyone.

  “Feel free to just go ahead and shoot her,” Josie said to the two cops as she stepped inside.

  She came to a stop and stared lovingly at the long display of dishes that easily exceeded a hundred items. A huge smile appeared on her face, and she softly clapped her hands.

  “It’s like that famous toy store in New York,” she said.

  “What?”

  “The toy store that was in all those movies,” she said, glancing at me. “I think it closed a couple of years ago.”

  “Are you talking about F.A.O. Schwarz?”

  “That’s the one,” she said. “This place is the F.A.O. Schwarz of Chinese food.”

  I glanced at Bill and Shirley who were obviously confused and perhaps reconsidering their decision to join us. Josie grabbed a plate and gave us an onward-ho wave. We followed at a safe distance, filled our plates, then found an empty table in the dining room. We ate in silence for several minutes, apart from the grunts and groans the food produced, then Josie put down her chopsticks and frowned.

  “What’s the matter?” I said, glancing over at her.

  “I forgot to grab one of the Eggs Benedict,” she said. “Remind me to get one on my next trip.”

  “They have Eggs Benedict?” I said, glancing back toward the buffet tables.