6 Beach Blanket Barbie (14 page)

By the time I got to the Zoo the next morning, Goliath was doing much better. He was up and about and as cranky as a caged mountain lion should be. Scott gave us the go-ahead to start administering his medications though his food, which allowed us to back off the sedatives considerably. It makes my heart glad when I know that in some small way we’ve been instrumental in giving one of Mother Nature’s children a second chance at life. It’s days like this one that really bring home the importance of what we do.

“It looks like we’re back on track
.” Jeremy walked up to stand next to me as I watched Goliath pacing to and fro from a vantage point just outside his cage.

“It was touch and go for a while
, but it looks like the big guy will be okay,” I agreed. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a good day.”

“
Do you feel better after your day off?”

“Much. It’s a good thing too
, with the busy weekend we have planned. I need to get over to the park to check on things for the kiddie carnival, but I wanted to check in with you first. Is everything set for the pet adoption tomorrow?”

“We’re good to go,” Jeremy assured me.
“Tiffany is going to hold down the fort here while you and I are at the park. It looks like we only have six dogs, eight puppies, three cats, and nine kittens to place. Puppies and kittens tend to go fast, so I’m betting we’ll be done by noon tomorrow.”

“That
’d be fine by me. I have the kiddie carnival to monitor, and Zak said something about bringing Scooter over to enjoy the festivities.”

“How’s Zak doing with Scooter?”

“Really good, actually. I think even he was surprised at what a natural he is in the parenting department. They spent the day together yesterday. Zak bought him a bunch of new clothes and they did guy stuff like skeet shooting and miniature golf. Scooter was still sleeping like a baby when I stopped by Zak’s this morning.”

“I can’t imagine spending an entire day with the human tornado.”

“I think we might have seen the last of the tornado. He’s been really pleasant after that first horrible night. I don’t think Scooter is a bad kid, I just think he’s been lonely since his mom died. Spending time with Zak has been really good for him. Hopefully, the good behavior will continue once his dad gets back.”

“Maybe Zak can continue to hang out with Scooter. Like a mentor or something.”

“Yeah, he mentioned something like that. Are you bringing Morgan to the park today?”

“Probably not. She
is
only a month old, so I don’t think she’ll care about the events, and I worry about exposing her to all those germs.”

“I think she’d enjoy the colors and lights. Mom and Dad are bringing Harper for a while. If you get the chance
, you should strap her into her baby pack and bring her by.”

“Maybe. Are you leaving now?”

“Yeah. I need to make sure everyone who was supposed to show up actually did. I’ll be on my cell. Call if you need me.”

The park was located at the edge of town and was designed so that the focal point was a gazebo strategically placed smack dab in the center of a large grassy area. The plan for the weekend was to use the gazebo for musical events, as well as announcements and event judging. The kiddie carnival, which consisted of vendors offering games such as the ring toss, was set up on one side of the gazebo, while the craft fair, where home-crafted items were on sale, was set up on the opposite side. Food vendors congregated near the picnic area, allowing visitors to use the tables provided to eat their meals. Because the main attraction on this particular weekend was the lake and the beach, additional food carts were set up along the pier. Most of the water events were scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday. In addition to the kiddie carnival, which opened at three, the main draw for today was the beer crawl, which was an adults-only event held later in the evening.

By the look of things
, most of the individuals and organizations sponsoring booths had shown up early and construction of the temporary structures was well underway.

“How are we doing?” I asked Willa
, who was seated at a card table with a clipboard and ID badges.

“Pretty good. About three
-quarters of the individuals who signed up to have booths have arrived. I’m sure the others will be here shortly. So far no one has called to cancel.”

“How can I help?” I asked.

“Tawny might need help getting the ticket booth assembled. We decided to place it just to the left of the park entrance.”

“Okay, I’m on it. Let me know if anything
else comes up.”

There was a delicious feel
ing of excitement and expectation in the air as I made my way across the grass toward Main Street. Ashton Falls is a town known for its festivals and events, and at times the constant cycles of planning and implementation can become overwhelming, but on days like this, when the sun is shining and the sky is blue, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Ashton Falls might be a small town with zero nightlife, a limited budget, and an active gossip hotline—not everyone’s cup of tea, I’m sure—but to me, it’s home.

“I’m here to help,” I announced to Tawny
, a single mom who runs a preschool and afterschool day care in order to pay the bills and still be around for her kids.

“Fantastic
.” Tawny smiled. “When Willa asked me to do this, I figured how hard could it be? What I didn’t know was that one would need a degree in engineering to figure out these directions. How can I slip slot A into groove B when I have no idea where either slot A or groove B is located?”

I looked at the pile of pieces
, which appeared random at best. “Maybe this is slot A?”

“Maybe
, but what slot is the one over here?” Tawny held up what looked to be an identical piece.

I shrugged. “It looks like it fits. Let’s try it and see what happens.”

After five false starts, Tawny and I figured out which peg went in which hole and started to erect the structure. I just hoped the whole thing wouldn’t come crashing down midway through the day.

“Need some help?” Levi asked a short time later as I struggled to erect one of the preformed walls of the shack we used for outdoor events.

“I’d love it.”

“They sent you to do this on your own?” Levi asked.

“Tawny was helping, but she got called away.”

Levi grabbed one end of the wall while I grabbed the other. We lifted it until it was flush with the adjoining wall. I held it in place while Levi installed the bolts.

“You look better,” I commented as we worked. “Did you get some sleep?”

“I did. It was the first time I’
d really been able to sleep since I found out about Barbie. Where’s Zak?” Levi asked.

“He’s at home. Scooter was wiped out after his long day yesterday. Zak
’s going to bring him over once he wakes up.”

“
Did you talk to Salinger yesterday?”

“Yeah. He’s going to see if he can track down lifeguard guy
, now that we have a pretty good photo to use as a way of identifying him. He’s also going to check with the auction house to see what he can find out about the painting. I thought I’d stop by after I finish here to see if he has any news.”

“I think that should do it
.” Levi took a step back. I held my breath, but the structure we’d erected didn’t fall over, as I’d feared.

“Yay us. I guess we should find Willa and get our next assignment.”

Levi and I gathered the tools we’d been using and started back toward the check-in table, where Willa was still holding court.

“How was book club?” Levi asked as we walked through the park.

“We never did get around to discussing the book, at least not before I left. But I did find out that Barbie had dinner with an art dealer on the night she died.”

“Art dealer?” Levi stopped walking.

“Ryder Westlake was at the Wharf and ran into them. Nick said that according to Ryder, the man is an art dealer from San Francisco. I was going to bring it up to Salinger when I saw him.”

“Do we have a name for this
guy?” Levi wondered.

“Pinkerton Lowell. Dr. Westlake didn’t really have a conversation with the man
, so he didn’t know why he was in town, how he knew Barbie, or what business they might have together.”

“Maybe we should have a chat with
him,” Levi suggested.

“As far as I know
, he’s left the area, and I don’t have his contact information. I thought I’d just let Salinger follow up on it. Following up on leads is his job, and to be honest, I have a full day ahead of me.”

“Pinkerton Lowell is
n’t a common name,” Levi pointed out. “We know he’s an art dealer and we know he lives in San Francisco. How hard could it be to come up with a telephone number?”

I sighed. I really did have a lot to do and would have preferred to let Salinger call the guy. I suppose
this was my fault for mentioning anything to Levi. I knew he wasn’t going to let it go, so I agreed to help him with a strategy for the call if he could get the number. Levi hurried off, most likely to find a computer, while I continued on toward Willa.

I was halfway back to the registration table when I noticed the dog I’d come to think of as Scamp trotting across the lawn toward Main Street. I changed direction and followed him. I lost sight of him after he ducked into the alley behind the shops on the main drag but decided to go ahead and do a sweep as long as I was
there. I noticed Phillip Hayes’s water truck parked in the alley behind Bertie’s Clip and Curl and let myself in the back door of the popular beauty shop.

“Hey
, Zoe, what brings you by?” Bertie asked from her position behind the chair where Loretta Santiago was sitting. “Did you finally decide to tame those curls?”

“No, the curls stay. I was following a medium
-sized tan dog with darker-colored ears. I noticed your back door was open and thought he might have come in here.”

Bertie looked around the pink and silver shop. “Don’t see him.”

“I saw Phillip’s truck in the alley. I thought he might have seen him.”

“He’s in the back room switching out the water if you want to ask him.”

“Thanks. I think I will.”

Bertie’s
is what can only be referred to as the last of the old-fashioned beauty parlors. Giant hair dryers lined one wall, where women who still came in for roller sets congregated on a weekly basis to catch up and update their hairdos. I knew that the average age of Bertie’s customers was just shy of seventy-three, but the women who patronized the establishment were a loyal bunch who could be counted on to show up for their weekly appointments like clockwork.

“Mornin
g, Phillip,” I greeted him.

“Hey
, Zoe. Here to get your hair cut? Bet you’d look cute with a bob.”

Why did everyone keep asking me that? My hair was long and thick and curly
, but in spite of the fact that I hadn’t changed the style since I was ten, it did seem to suit me. Or so I thought.

“No, I just popped in to look for a dog. Light brown
, about so high.” I held out my hand. “You seen him?”

“Sure
. He’s been making the rounds through town.”

“I meant have you seen him in the last few minutes?”

“Oh. Then no.”

“It’s a terrible thing about Barbie.” I decided to fish around a bit
, as long as I had Phillip’s attention.

“Chick was a bitch. If you ask me
, she got what she deserved.”

“I thought you were friends,” I commented.

Phillip shrugged. “Not sure why you thought that.”

“Yeah, I hear y
ou. Barbie wasn’t my favorite human on the planet either, but it was a shame to ruin those shoes.”

Phillip laughed. “Have you ever seen anything so ridiculous? No wonder she tripped.”

“Yeah.” I tried for casual rather than alert. “She must have been toasted.”

“Toasted is right. Me
, I prefer a sensible girl who wears sensible shoes. Like you.” Phillip leered at me.

Eww.
I figured I’d lure him into a conversation by pretending to feel nothing but disdain for Barbie, but I certainly didn’t want to end up with a date.

I leaned in close. “You know,” I whispered like a coconspirator
, “I heard she was out with a man twice her age that night.”

“Yeah, she had dinner with the old man
, but as soon as they were done she dumped him. Even Barbie is more discriminating than to nail some guy who needs little blue pills to do the deed.”

“So you saw her after she left the restaurant?”

Phillip took a step back, then looked directly at me. “Not really,” he answered. “I was at the restaurant having dinner with my wife. We left at the same time. I saw the old guy leave in a limo while Barbie took off on foot.”