Murder Strikes a Pose (14 page)

lice have been questioning all the tenants, and poor Jake has been on the phone nonstop. Nobody feels safe with violent drunks and

drug dealers setting up shop in the neighborhood. There’s even

talk of starting a neighborhood watch.”

“Honestly, I don’t think anyone has to worry.”

Alicia stopped, surprised. “What makes you say that?”

I hesitated, feeling suddenly vulnerable. “This would seem cra-

zy to a lot of people, but I think you’ll understand. I’ve dedicated my life to teaching and practicing yoga. Most people think yoga is simply a form of exercise, but as you know, it’s much deeper than that. It’s about mindfulness, about focus. It helps us see things as they truly are.” Alicia hadn’t burst out laughing yet, so I continued.

“As a yoga teacher, I notice subtleties that most people over-

look. It’s not intuition, exactly, but it sure feels that way. I sense things in my gut, and when I do, I’m almost always right. And my

gut tells me the murder was personal.

“Besides, I knew the man who was killed. I overheard a fight

right before I found his body and—”

Alicia’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, I totally forgot. You found

the body! How callous of me! I sometimes get so caught up in my

own world that I completely forget about other people. I’m so very so rry.”

I smiled. “You’re not exactly self-centered, Alicia. And even if

you were, you have a pretty good excuse.”

“Maybe, but still …” She paused. “Hey, wait a minute. You

knew the guy who was killed? I thought he was a transient.”

We continued talking as we moved to the lobby. “Not exactly.

He was part of the homeless community, but he lived in the neigh-

108

borhood. He sold
Dollars for Change
in front of the studio. He and his German shepherd were out there almost every day. Didn’t you

see them?”

“Now that you mention it, I do remember a man with a big

dog out there. But honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to him.

Seems like those guys are everywhere.” She looked at me quizzi-

cally. “But I still don’t get it. The police told Jake that the man was killed in some kind of drunken brawl.”

“I know, that’s what they keep telling me, too,” I replied. “But

they’re wrong. And I won’t let it go. I won’t stop looking until I learn the truth.”

Alicia handed me a check for the day’s session. “I know this

sounds terrible, but I hope you’re right—that the murder was per-

sonal, that is. I hate the thought of Greenwood being taken over

by criminals. Several of our renters have threatened to move, and the stress is driving poor Jake crazy.” She stopped at the door. “You know, I’m not around very much, but Jake’s here all the time. Maybe the two of you should put your heads together. Who knows?

You might remember something important. I’ll have him give you

a call.”

Great. I was already an untrained, self-appointed Sherlock

Holmes. Now I was stuck with Jake as my Watson.

109

thirteen

The next two days went by in a blur. I didn’t exactly forget about George’s murder; I just got caught up in the mundane tasks of ev-eryday life.

When I wasn’t being dragged around a local park by Bella, I

taught classes, paid bills, called customers, and performed the

myriad of other duties that consumed my life as a small business

owner.

Part of me felt like a failure. Four days had passed since George’s murder, and I still had no idea who might have wanted to kill

him. The more rational part disagreed. If I truly wanted to honor George’s memory, finding a good home for Bella had to come first.

I took Michael’s advice and started contacting rescue groups.

I called every group I could find in the greater Seattle area—even some in eastern Washington. He was right. Finding a no-kill rescue willing to take Bella wouldn’t be easy. Most of the rescues I contacted were full and would be for the foreseeable future. The

shelters that had space often weren’t equipped to deal with Bella’s 110

disease. Those who were willing to jump that hurdle said a firm

and final no as soon as they learned about her behavior issues.

I finally found Fido’s Last Chance—a rescue specializing in

hard-to-place dogs that were literally one step away from eutha-

nasia. I hated putting Bella in that category, but I was getting desperate. After thirty-seven firm answers of “no,” a “maybe” sounded downright promising. I crossed my fingers and set an evaluation

appointment.

On to the next project: paying off my ill-conceived bet with

Michael. Our date was to begin in two short hours, and Rene rev-

eled in date-preparation heaven. She invaded my home with half

her wardrobe, determined to make me look, if not sexy and glam-

orous, then at least presentable. She balked, however, at Bella’s participation in
Extreme Makeover: Kate Edition.

“A dog? Seriously? If you wanted a dog, why couldn’t you

have at least gotten something cute and hypoallergenic, like a toy poodle or even one of those labradoodles? You know how bad my

allergies are!” She sneezed, a bit more dramatically than strictly necessary. “You’ve gone from being the crazy cat lady to the creepy dog lady!”

“I’m sure you’ll live, Rene,” I replied drolly. “Besides, I already told you. I’m not keeping her. She’s only staying here until I find her a permanent home.”

Rene looked around the room, exasperated. “How am I sup-

posed to help you land this guy when everything you own is cov-

ered in dog hair? As if your clothing tastes weren’t bad enough.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.

“Give it a break, Rene. Tonight’s my way of paying off a bet. It’s not
Love Connection
.”

111

“Don’t be silly. This is the first date you’ve had in months. I’m not about to let you blow it.” She held up an outfit. “How about

this dress and those red stilettos?”

“Those shoes are great,” I replied, “as long as he’s planning to

carry me everywhere.” I tried them on to make her happy. “Crimi-

ny! How small are your feet, anyway?”

“Fine. Forget the shoes. At least you own a decent pair of black

pumps. Wear those. And try on this little black dress.” She handed me a dark cloth the size of a handkerchief.

It was easier to acquiesce than to argue. I tried them on. I had

to admit, the pumps
did
make my calves look good. The dress, however, made me look six months pregnant—with twins.

Rene shook her head. “Ditch the dress. That’s no good. How

about my charcoal miniskirt and your bright blue blouse?”

I put them on.

“Hey, not bad!” she exclaimed.

I had to agree with her. I usually wear skirts specifically de-

signed to camouflage my flabby upper thighs. But to my surprise,

this short skirt made my legs look, if not quite model-thin, at least less Miss Piggy-like.

“Unbutton the top two buttons of the blouse,” Rene ordered.

I obeyed. I could always button them back up later.

Rene stood back to assess her work. “Much better. Now, take

everything off so I can iron it.” She furrowed her brow. “But what
will
we do with that hair?”

I knew better than to argue with Rene when she was on a tear,

but all this effort was silly. I had no intention of ever going out with Michael again. I could understand getting all dressed up for a
first
date, but who in their right mind spent this much energy getting ready for a
last
date?

112

Sixty minutes later, the chosen outfit hung wrinkle-free on the

bathroom door, my hair was pinned in an up-do with so much

hairspray a tornado couldn’t tear it loose, and my fingers and toes shimmered with Rene’s sparkly, deep red nail polish—a shade aus-piciously called “Walk of Shame.”
Subtle, Rene. Real subtle.

Rene finally allowed me to rest—but only while my nails dried.

I sipped herbal tea, savoring the spicy aroma of ginger, while Rene nibbled almond orange biscotti. Bella stood sentry, quietly begging and drooling.

“I’ll trust you to do your own makeup,” Rene said, waving her

index finger back and forth. “But don’t make me regret it.” Tired of harassing me about my appearance, she turned to a new topic.

“So what
is
the story with the dog? I thought you’d be rid of it by now.”

“I thought so too. But I can’t find anyone who’ll take her. I

don’t suppose you and Sam are up for a new roommate?”

“Absolutely not,” Rene replied, shaking her head vigorously.

“The only dog to enter
my
house will be small and hairless. This drooling, furry monster doesn’t even come close.” She pointed

to her saliva-covered jeans. “Look at my pants—she slimed me!”

Rene pretended to be annoyed, but her affectionate smile revealed her true feelings. She leaned forward, touched her nose to Bella’s, and cooed, “You’re a stupid, disgusting monster-dog, aren’t you?”

Bella leaned into Rene’s touch, groaned deeply, and gazed at her

with unmistakable adoration.

Rene reached under the table to give Bella the last bite of cook-

ie. “I have to admit though, she does grow on you. It almost seems like she can stare right into your soul. Too bad she’s so darned big.

Are you sure she isn’t part horse?”

113

I laughed. “I used to say that myself, but now that I’ve gotten

used to her, I don’t really notice her size. I can see why George loved her so much.”

Rene stopped teasing. Her face turned uncharacteristically se-

rious. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but why don’t
you
keep her? You obviously like her, and she seems right at home here.

Other than being a German shedder, she’s not so bad. I can always load up on Benadryl before I come over. At least then I won’t have to worry so much about you being alone.”

I carried our dishes to the sink. “Honestly, Rene, part of me

wishes I
could
keep her. But that wouldn’t be fair to either of us.

Bella needs a family that can devote more time to her. With me,

she spends most of the day alone.”

“Can’t she hang out with you at the studio?”

“Are you kidding? I tried that. It was a disaster. Bella barked at everyone who came to the door. The postman even threatened to

stop delivering our mail. Seemed like every ten minutes, I had to take her out to the car or lock her in the bathroom.”

Rene shrugged. “I still don’t see the big issue. Leave her here.

Most dogs stay at home while their owners work. Bella will be

fine.”

I laughed. “Tried that too. She barked, howled, and drove my

neighbors nuts.” I poured myself a glass of water. “She’s quiet

when she’s alone in her crate, but I can’t leave her caged for ten hours a day. I’ve resorted to taking her to work with me and leaving her in the car.”

“In the car? Is that safe?” Rene asked.

“It’s certainly not optimal, but it’s safe. I reserved one of the covered spots by the studio’s back entrance. On warm days, my

car’s cooler than the house.”

114

I took a long drink. “It’s not fair to her, though. I bring her into the studio while I close up at night, but she’s still cooped up most of the day. Besides, I’d go bankrupt feeding her, let alone paying for her $400-a-month medicine. As it is, I can barely afford to feed myself.”

“How much money do you have left from your dad?”

“About $4,000, but I need some of that for taxes. The Depart-

ment of Revenue isn’t nearly as forgiving as Alicia.”

“I thought business was picking up.”

“It is. I’m not
paying
to work at the studio anymore—at least not most months—but I’m still not drawing a regular salary.” My

gaze didn’t quite meet Rene’s. “So as much as I’d like to keep Bella, I can’t.”

Rene could read me like a human lie detector—even when I

didn’t realize I was lying. She leaned back, crossed her arms, and looked at me skeptically. “Nice try, Kate. I know you better than that. Everything you said is an excuse. You’d find a way to make

it work; you always do. And Sam and I can always help out in a

pinch.” She forced me to make eye contact, insisting I tell her the truth. “What’s really going on here?”

I opened my mouth to argue but stopped, suddenly dizzy.

Irregular-feeling heartbeats fluttered in the soft pit of my throat.

Rene was right. Those
weren’t
the real issues. Even thinking about a future with Bella pushed me right to the edge of a panic attack.

I pretended to be calm as I returned to the table. “Honestly,

Rene, even if I could work out everything else, I don’t think I can stand the loss.”

“What loss? What are you talking about?”

115

“Bella’s going to live, what, another eight years, maybe ten,

max? And who knows what effect her disease will have on her

lifespan. Then she’ll die and I’ll be all alone again.”

Rene looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Do you remember what I was like when Dad died? I could

barely get out of bed. The grief was so intense, I thought it would kill me.”

“But honey, that’s normal! Everybody grieves when they lose

someone they love. And in spite of your squabbles, you and your

dad were practically inseparable. Of course you were depressed for a while!”

“Grieving may be normal, but not like this. It lasted for over

a year.” Even talking about that time brought back an unwelcome

feeling of nausea. “I didn’t want you and Sam to worry, so I put

on a good front and pretended to be OK. But I felt empty inside

for a very long time. In some ways, I still do.” I looked down at the table. “It’s like Dad took a piece of me with him when he died, and I never got it back. I simply learned how to function without it.” I bit my lip to keep it from trembling.