A Splash of Murder (Pet Shop Cozy Mysteries Book 12) Read online

  I hesitate, a bit flabbergasted by his introduction.

  “Hello?” he says.

  “Uh, yeah. Sorry, I’m here. Do… do you say all that every time you answer the phone?”

  “I do. Why, do you think it’s too much?” he asks. “I was thinking of shortening it. Doesn’t quite fit on a business card, you know?” I like this guy already. “Anyhow, what can I do for you, sir?”

  “It’s Will. And I have a couple of dogs that need some… attention.”

  “Sure thing, Will. What are we talking here, bathing? Trimming? Clipping? Ear-cleaning? Cologne? Little bow in the hair?”

  “I’m going to go ahead and say all of that. Except maybe the bow.”

  “Ah,” he says. “We call that ‘the Whole Shebang.’ Let me see here… you’re in luck. We have an opening this afternoon.”

  “Perfect,” I tell him. “Um, where are you located? Your website just says Bridgeton and a phone number.”

  “Oh, we come to you,” he tells me. “We’re a mobile groomer. We’ll come to your house, your place of business, wherever you want. We’ll even meet you on the street and pop a hydrant, if you prefer.”

  Hmm… mobile groomers. This could work in my favor. “I own the Pet Shop Stop on Center Street in Seaview Rock,” I tell him. “Can you meet me there?”

  “We sure can. How’s two o’clock for you?”

  “Great, thanks.” Well, isn’t that just perfect. Not only will I get the dogs taken care of, but Sarah can’t avoid me at the shop. One way or another, I’ll get her to spill about her mom.

  ***

  At around quarter to two, I stow Rowdy and Spark into my decade-old SUV and head over to the Pet Shop Stop. I bring Basket along too, for good measure. Basket was born with only three paws and started life as our shop-kitten, teetering around the pet store under Rowdy’s watchful and protective eye. These days, now that he’s full grown, he’s something of a recluse, choosing to stay out of the way of our rambunctious hounds. I put him in the passenger seat next to me, since he hates car rides and hates being slobbered on even more.

  I park in my spot behind the store and circle around to the front with Basket under one arm, Spark on his leash, and Rowdy walking dutifully beside me. At the same time, a blue minivan pulls up to the curb with a magnetic sign on the door that reads ANY PET GROOMED! WE GROOM ANY PET, ANY SHAPE, ANY SIZE!

  A young guy gets out, thirty at best, and hurries over to us with a broad, friendly smile on his face. “Hi there!” he exclaims. “Are you Will?”

  “Yeah, Will Sullivan.” I shake his hand.

  “I’m Adam, Adam Barker. And this is my sister, Lindsay.” He jerks a thumb over his shoulder at the woman getting out of the passenger side of the van. I have a hard time believing the two are brother and sister; they couldn’t look more different. While Adam is short, boyish, and somewhat plump, Lindsay is tall and thin and her hair is bright pink.

  “Grab your stuff and come on in,” I tell them.

  Sarah blinks at us several times as the parade enters the Pet Shop Stop—me with Basket, Rowdy, and Spark, followed by Adam carrying a large folding table, and then Lindsay, with an oversized wicker basket filled with grooming supplies.

  “Oh. My. God,” Lindsay gushes. “This shop? Adorable.”

  “Yeah, this place is great!” Adam agrees.

  Sarah smiles politely while frowning with her eyes. “What’s all this?” she asks.

  “You wanted the pups groomed; these are the groomers. This is Adam and Lindsay, mobile groomers from Bridgeton.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” Sarah nods to them. “And… why are we doing this here?” she asks me, the smile still on her face.

  “Seemed convenient.” I shrug. “You guys can set up in that back corner there, near the sink. Dennis, can you move that display, give them some room?”

  In the rear corner of the store, Dennis looks up from his sweeping. “Sure.” He slides the display over several feet, and then nearly bumps right into Lindsay as he turns back.

  “Oh! I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” she smiles. “Hi, I’m Lindsay.”

  “I’m, uh, Dennis. Nice to…” He clears his throat. “Nice to meet you.” He quickly grabs his broom and resumes sweeping, his cheeks flushed.

  Oh, he’s going to get so much grief from me for that later.

  CHAPTER 4

  * * *

  I’m not going to lie; I actually forget about the impending doom that is Melinda’s visit while I watch Adam and Lindsay work. They start with Spark, who whines a bit as they put him up on their table and harness him in. Adam strokes him along his spine and reassures him that it’s okay.

  “Who’s the best doggie in the world?” he coos. Then he winks at Rowdy, lying on the floor, and adds, “Don’t you worry, pal. I don’t play favorites; whoever’s on my table at the time is the best doggie in the world.”

  Sarah watches too, and at one point she leans toward me and murmurs, “They’re really good. I get why you had them come here.”

  “You do?” Did she figure out my ulterior motive?

  She nods. “I think it’s a good idea.”

  “I, um… what?” I really don’t think we’re on the same page here.

  Sarah meanders over to them while Lindsay expertly clips Spark’s nails and Adam holds him steady. “So, how’s business for you two?” she asks casually.

  “Oh, it’s not bad,” Adam tells her. “Truth be told, it could be better. Being mobile means we don’t have the overhead of a physical location, but we also spend a lot of time traveling from appointment to appointment.”

  “Yeah. I bet if you had, like, a physical space that you could share with another business, that would be ideal, right?”

  “It would be,” Adam agrees.

  Sarah throws me a glance of approval. What she’s approving, I have no idea. I peer over at Dennis to see if he’s picking up on it, but he’s too busy pretending to sweep and seemingly trying very hard not to stare at Lindsay.

  It takes them just under an hour to perform the Whole Shebang on two dogs and a (very unhappy) cat, and before I know it they’re packing up their stuff and breaking down the table.

  “You two are just terrific,” Sarah tells them as she pays them in cash from the till. “I’m really impressed with your work.”

  “Why thank you,” Adam nods to her.

  “In fact,” Sarah continues, “Will and I had an idea…”

  “We did?” I ask.

  “How would you two feel about working out of here a couple days a week?” she suggests.

  Oh.

  Oooohhh. Sarah thought that I brought them here to audition or something.

  “Really?” Lindsay says, incredulous. She exchanges a look with her brother.

  “Sure. All your clients would be your own,” Sarah tells them, “and we could help drum up some more business. You don’t take up much space. All we’d ask for is a small commission—say ten percent.”

  “That sounds very fair,” Adam nods. “What do you think, Linds?”

  “I think it sounds wonderful,” she agrees.

  “Great!” Sarah claps her hands together. “We can do a trial basis, try a couple days here and there and see how it works out. How about Monday?”

  “Monday works,” Adam tells her. “This is awesome. I’m psyched! Thank you both, you won’t regret it!”

  After they leave, Sarah turns to me and says, “What a nice couple of people. That was a great idea, Will. I think it’ll be good for business.”

  “I… yeah,” I say stupidly, not wanting to give away my real motivation. “It was a good idea, wasn’t it?”

  “Gee, it sure was, Will,” Dennis says with a grin that suggests he knows that it wasn’t at all my intention. “How ever did you come up with such a grand idea?”

  “Shut it, Casanova.”

  His cheeks turn scarlet again and he sulks away, pushing the broom along.


  “Uh, Sarah? Can we talk for a minute?” I ask her.

  “Sure. About what?”

  “Your mom.”

  She looks up sharply, her eyes wide, as if she too had forgotten about the visit and that she was trying to avoid having this conversation.

  “Come on,” I goad, “We need to talk about this. What’s the deal there?”

  She sighs in defeat. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I’ve actually known about it since last week.”

  “Why wouldn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “Because I know the way things were left after her last visit. I know you hate her, and—”

  “I don’t hate her,” I protest. Sarah shoots me a sidelong glance. “Okay, I… strongly dislike her, that’s true. So why now? Why invite her?”

  “Look, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. After the fire incident, and having people actively try to kill me…”

  “Yeah, I vaguely recall that.”

  “You know how I feel about you. Me and Dennis, our relationship is better than ever. But me and Mom don’t have that kind of closure, and if something were to happen to me, god forbid, I wouldn’t want to leave that kind of loose end. So I invited her here in the hopes that she and I can patch things up… and also that maybe you and her can work it out too.”

  Oh, man. It’s not bad enough that Sarah wants to rectify the situation with Melinda, but she wants me to do so as well? A thousand therapists working around the clock couldn’t fix all the problems I have with that woman.

  Sarah puts one hand on my arm and squeezes. “Try? Please? For me?”

  I groan. “Okay. But only because of you, and only because you asked so nicely.”

  “Thank you. You’ll see; this will be for the best for everyone.”

  I smile reassuringly. But inside, I sincerely doubt it.

  CHAPTER 5

  * * *

  The next day, that dreaded Sunday, Dennis and I move some things around in the Pet Shop Stop to make a little extra room for Adam and Lindsay. Sarah makes a big sign to put in the window that advertises pet grooming, and then she runs off a couple hundred flyers to hand out to customers with the Any Pet Groomed slogan on them.

  Around two, Sarah drives down to the train station to pick up Melinda while Dennis and I close up the shop a bit earlier than we normally would. Then the two of us, with the pups, head back to the house and wait.

  Not long after, Spark lets out a couple of warning yips to let us know that Sarah’s car is pulling into the garage.

  “It’s not too late,” Dennis whispers to me. “We can still run and make Canada by nightfall.”

  “As appealing as that is, I promised your sister I’d try,” I tell him.

  “You’re so whipped,” he insists.

  “Yeah? Well, I can’t wait until tomorrow to see how red-faced you get around Lindsay.”

  “You’re such a—hi, Mom!” Dennis says loudly as Melinda enters. He steps forward and hugs her briefly. Behind her, Sarah enters with a rolling suitcase.

  “Oh, Denny—I’m sorry, I meant to say Dennis,” Melinda says, “I missed you. How are you? Are you eating enough?”

  Dennis rolls his eyes. “I’m doing fine, Mom.”

  Melinda looks me up and down with her lips pursed. I see she hasn’t changed much; she wears a spotless skirt and blazer with a string of pearls around her neck. Her auburn hair is styled in a sophisticated wave, and other than the crow’s feet at the corner of her eyes and a few small wrinkles around her mouth, she bears a striking resemblance to Sarah.

  “Hello, Will.”

  “Hello, Melinda,” I reply tightly.

  Then she does something I really don’t expect; she steps over to me and puts out her hand, which I shake gently. “It’s… nice to see you,” she says. Of course I don’t believe her, but it does actually seem like she’s trying.

  She looks around at the kitchen and the adjacent dining room. “Would you look at this house,” she says. I hold my breath, waiting for her to say something condescending or scathing. “It is gorgeous!”

  “Huh?” I actually blurt out.

  “Just look at you,” Melinda says, putting both hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “A business owner and a town councilwoman! You really are blooming, aren’t you?”

  Sarah’s thirty-nine; if anything, she bloomed quite a while ago, but I don’t say anything.

  Sarah smiles sheepishly. “Thanks, Mom. Let me give you the tour.”

  “Oh yes, absolutely! I hope the rest is as beautiful as this kitchen.”

  As soon as they’re out of the room I turn to Dennis, wide-eyed, and ask, “What was that all about? Was your mom just… nice?”

  He shakes his head, equally confused. “That’s obviously a poorly-made clone. No way that’s Mom.”

  ***

  The four of us decide to go to dinner at the Runside—Melinda’s idea, surprisingly, since last time she was here she disparaged my favorite local watering hole. This time around she calls the décor “charming” and says the North Atlantic haddock is “delectable.”

  “So Dennis,” Melinda says, dabbing at the corners of her mouth with a napkin, “I hear your comic is getting quite popular.”

  “You know about that?” he says in surprise.

  “Of course I do.” She reaches over and puts her hand on his. “Just because we haven’t seen each other in more than a year doesn’t mean that I don’t care deeply about what’s going on in your life. I just wanted to give you your space.”

  “Well… uh, yeah,” he says, thrown by the uncharacteristic act of affection. “It’s called Bill Mulligan: Pet Shop Detective, and our readership just passed five thousand subscribers.”

  In case you didn’t realize, Bill Mulligan is based (very loosely) on yours truly, except that Bill is a hard-as-nails detective that cracks jaws and carries a revolver, while I’m a licensed private investigator in the state of Maine that currently has no caseload.

  “Wow,” Melinda says reverently. “Five thousand people are reading my son’s work? I’m so proud of you.”

  “Thanks,” Dennis murmurs. I can tell by his expression that he’s fighting between bewilderment and satisfaction. Last time his mom was here, she told him that writing comics wasn’t a real job. “Um, I have to use the restroom.” He gets up and hurries across the Runside toward the men’s room.

  “You know what? Me too, actually.” Sarah stands and throws a surreptitious wink my way. I almost groan out loud; I know exactly what she’s doing. She’s trying to give me and Melinda a moment alone to talk. But I also know we’ll need more than a couple minutes to bury the hatchet between us.

  Even so, I have to admit it does seem like she’s trying to be better. Maybe in the past year or so she realized what she’d done to her kids; in her own way, she thought she was protecting them, but really she was just pushing them further and further from her, and for a while they wanted nothing to do with her.

  I clear my throat before saying, “So, Melinda, it seems like you’re doing well.”

  “I am, Will. Thank you for noticing.”

  “I, uh, hope that we can, you know, overcome our differences and be friends.”

  She looks me right in the eye and says, “I have no interest in being your friend, Will.”

  “Excuse me?”

  She doesn’t blink, not even once, as she tells me, “First you successfully snared my daughter. Now you’ve entranced my son. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the reason I don’t have a relationship with my children.”

  “Hey, that’s not fair at all—”

  “I’m here for one reason, and one reason only,” she cuts me off, “and that’s to repair my bond with Sarah and Dennis. It’s not for you. Not one bit.”

  I nod slowly, narrowing my eyes. “You haven’t changed at all.”

  She shrugs. “Go ahead, tell them that. Drive a wedge further between us.”

&nbs
p; “You’re the one that tried to drive a wedge—”

  “Hey, what are we talking about?” Sarah asks brightly as she returns to our table.

  “Oh, nothing, sweetie,” Melinda says with a smile. “Will was just telling me all about the exciting things you’ve been doing with the council. Weren’t you, Will?”

  “Yes,” I say, my teeth practically gritted, “I was.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing really,” Sarah insists, blushing a little.

  “No, it’s fascinating! I want to hear about it from you, though.” Melinda props her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands, rapt. She glances over at me and furtively smiles with one side of her mouth.

  Seems like I’ve got a big, fat “I told you so” cued up, and nobody to tell.

  CHAPTER 6

  * * *

  The next morning, I can’t wait to get out of the house and over to the pet shop. I take Dennis with me, leaving the other two boys, Spark and Rowdy, back at the house with Sarah.

  The night before, Melinda continued with her overly saccharine demeanor well into the night, even so far as to say how cozy the little twin bed and guest room we’d set up for her looked. She didn’t say anything further to me. Before we went to bed for the night, Sarah sighed contentedly and mentioned how great it was that her mother seemed to have turned over a new leaf.

  Naturally, I didn’t say anything. How can I? Everything Sarah wanted to happen is happening, as far as she’s aware.

  “You’re awfully quiet this morning,” Dennis notes on the drive to the Pet Shop Stop.

  “Just thinking,” I mumble.

  “You don’t trust her,” Dennis remarks.

  I look over at him in surprise. “How do you know that?”

  “Because I’m not sure I do either,” he admits. “Remember, I lived with her for twenty-odd years. It’ll take more than reading my comic and saying a few nice things to convince me she’s changed.”