Murder Strikes a Pose (24 page)

Or I could spend it contemplating nature’s finest artwork—Mi-

chael’s gorgeous face. My tingling netherpart chakras left me no

choice.

“C’mon, Miss Bella, we’re going for a visit.”

I put on Bella’s collar, threw a few treats in my pocket, and set off for Pete’s Pets. Five days had passed since my first date with Michael, and we had yet to set up a second. Although we had

traded several longing glances through our respective storefront

windows, thus far the universe—in the form of ill-timed custom-

ers, mismatched schedules, and way too much dog walking—had

conspired to keep us apart. Five traded voicemail messages later, it was time to take matters into my own hands.

The parking lot was gloriously deserted. No stray dogs wan-

dered about; no bearded men lurked in the shadows. I decided to

take a risk and bring Bella into the pet store. The sign on the door said “Well Behaved Pets Welcome!” That certainly applied to us.

Bella would be an angel. After all, she loved her Cookie Man!

We walked up to the door to survey our territory. Damn. Tif-

fany sat behind the counter, looking bored. Michael was probably

doing inventory in the back. Time for Plan B. I tried to take Bella back to the car. Tried, to no avail. She sniffed the air, smelling the enticing aroma of dog treats. She wanted those treats. She
needed
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those treats. And to get them, she had to go into that
fascinating
room. She glued her butt to the ground and refused to move, no

matter how hard I pulled.

“OK, Bella, you win,” I said to the obstinate mule-dog. “But

first we need to make sure there aren’t any other dogs inside.”

I opened the door and glanced around the room. “Hey, Tiffany.

Are there any dogs in there?”

“What do you mean?” she replied in a bored tone.

“I need to know for Bella here.” I said, pointing at the treat-

seeking-missile pulling on my arm. “She doesn’t get along with

other dogs. Are there any dogs in the store right now?”

“No.” Tiffany sighed. She pulled a nail file out of her purse and started working on an imaginary hangnail.

Evidently she wasn’t big on small talk.

“OK, girl, let’s go in.” Bella’s eyes got twice their normal size. I could practically read her mind. This place was doggy heaven. She could smell treats—lots and lots of treats. They were right there, right on that counter. The woman sitting behind it was obviously

the treat dispenser.

Bella walked up to Tiffany, sat down, and stared. She gave Tif-

fany her most adorable look. She even offered her paw. Tiffany

continued to gaze down at her nails, ignoring her. Bella leaned

back, furrowed her brow, and let out a low, disappointed moan.

The human treat dispenser was broken.

“Bark!” said Bella.

Tiffany gave no response.

“Um, Tiffany, I think she wants you to give her a treat.”

Tiffany looked at me drolly.

Bella barked again.

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I reached into my pocket. “Here, I’ll even provide the treat.

Would you please give it to her?”

I handed Tiffany one of the cookies I’d thrown in my pocket

for just such an emergency. With an air that the action was some-

how beneath her, Tiffany handed the treat to Bella, then wiped her hands disgustedly on her pants.

Bella didn’t look at all satisfied. And who could blame her? She

had given Tiffany her most beguiling cute-dog behavior, and the

response had been entirely inadequate. She let out a series of six sharp barks, clearly voicing her opinion of Tiffany’s poor customer service.

Tiffany sighed as if Bella and I were both insane, then turned

her back to us. Man, was she ever in the wrong profession.

“Come on Bella. Let’s get some dog food.”

We were three aisles back when Jake ambled in. I was in luck,

or at least I thought so. Jake was here to flirt with Tiffany, not to harass me. If I was clever, I could forget about the dog food and sneak out unnoticed.

Jake sauntered up to the desk. Tiffany flashed him a sexy smile,

no longer seeming bored in the slightest. She leaned toward Jake

and giggled, touching him in a manner a little too familiar for

strangers in a pet store.

“Hey, gorgeous. How’s that new water heater working out for

you?” Jake eased around the counter, wearing a broad grin.

I’m sure they were about to engage in scintillating conversa-

tion, but those were the only words Jake got out before Bella got a good look at him. One glance at that nasty goatee and she roared

toward him in a flurry of teeth, fur, and noise the likes of which I’d never seen. I held on to Bella’s leash as tightly as I could, but to no avail. It was like trying to restrain a canine freight train.

195

Bella dove through a stack of wet dog food, scattering cans

in every direction. Distracted by the noise, she veered left and

knocked over a display of sale-priced cat litter, ripping open several bags in the process. I slid on the pelletized pine and grabbed a shelf for balance, only to pull down a box of individually priced dog cookies. Broken cookies littered the ground in a six-foot ra-dius. By the time I got Bella under control again, one thing was

abundantly clear: Hurricane Bella had been a Category Five.

Jake hid behind the desk and yelled, “Get your crazy dog out of

here! Lord, I hate that thing!”

“I told you, she’s not my dog!” I shouted back.
But frankly,

we’re not too fond of you, either
.

Michael rushed out to see what was causing all the commo-

tion. One look at the mess and his face turned as red as Rene’s nail polish. Steam practically poured from his scalp.

“Kate, what were you thinking? You know better than to bring

Bella in here!” He turned to the desk where Jake still hid, crouching behind a chair. “I’m sorry, Jake. For some reason, this dog

doesn’t like beards. This won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t,” Jake replied, still shielding himself with the chair. Evidently Tiffany would have to protect herself.

Michael’s look invited no argument. “Kate, get Bella out of

here.”

His stern tone took me by surprise. Michael was supposed to

be on
our
side. My feelings were hurt, but I’d never show that. Instead, I pretended to be angry. “Bella, let’s go. We’re not welcome here.”

I marched toward the door imperiously. Six steps later, I jerked

to a stop. I’d finally hit the end of my rope, or rather the end of my leash. Bella planted her feet, glaring at me accusingly. How could 196

she possibly leave now, when she still had dozens of broken cook-

ies left to eat?

“Don’t even think about it,” I hissed. I summoned superhuman

strength and dragged the struggling beast toward the door, past

a still-cowering Jake, a smirking Tiffany, and a now-laughing Mi-

chael, who had evidently rediscovered his sense of humor.

“I’ll come over later,” Michael said, flashing a crooked smile.

“Don’t bother,” I grumped. “We’re not interested.”

I stomped out the door, pulling Bella behind me. “So much for

that relationship, Bella,” I said as the door closed behind me. “Anyone who takes Jake’s side over ours is history.”

_____

I shoved Bella in the car and skulked back to the studio, deter-

mined not to cry. How could Michael choose Jake over me? The

Yoga Over Fifty class was still leaving, so I hid in the bathroom and tried to pull myself together before Alicia’s appointment. I adored Alicia, but she was the last person I wanted to see. Lord only knew what I’d say if she started mooning over Jake.

The prior class’s instructor yelled through the door. “I’m on

my way home. Talk to you later, Kate!” I looked at my watch. Al-

most eleven o’clock. I couldn’t hide in here much longer; Alicia

would arrive in five minutes.

I willed myself to let the past hour fade away. Rationally, I knew the morning’s events had nothing to do with Alicia, and my rational mind would prevail. I would be calm, balanced, and strong.

My professional behavior would be an example to yoga teachers

everywhere. A couple of deep breaths, and I was ready.

I took one look at Alicia and burst into tears.

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“That odious girl was at the front desk. And then Bella tried to

attack Jake … never wanted a stupid dog anyway … and Michael’s

a big jerk, no better than the rest of them … but now I’ll never go out with him again. And George really
was
a criminal … and—”

Alicia wrapped me in a great big hug. “Whoa, Kate, hold on

there! I’ve never seen you like this! Slow down now.” She stepped back and gazed in my eyes, as if hypnotizing me into a greater

state of calm. “Slow down your breathing, like you’ve taught me to do.” I swallowed hard and tried to stop sobbing. “That’s it,” Alicia continued, “take a nice, deep inhale and feel peaceful energy enter your system. Exhale, and let all of your frustrations go.”

I was horrified. I’d never broken down this way in front of a

client. I swallowed back the rest of my tears in several uneven, hic-cupping gulps. “Oh my God, Alicia. I’m so very sorry. How com-

pletely unprofessional.” I wiped the tears off my chin.

“Truly, it’s OK.” Alicia handed me a tissue. “Just goes to show

that you’re human like the rest of us.”

“This all happened so recently, but I’m supposed to be more

professional than that.” I groaned. “And on top of it all, Jake’s your husband. Please,
please
forgive me. I’m exhausted, but that’s no excuse. This session is on me. Maybe I should even pay you. I’m so

embarrassed.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Alicia interrupted. “Haven’t you told

me at least a dozen times that I need to let my emotions out every now and then? You’re no different. You’ve been a rock for me these last few months; maybe it’s time to return the favor.” She gestured to the lobby. “Let’s sit down and talk.”

Alicia poured me a glass of water. I gratefully gulped it down,

allowing the cool liquid to soothe my aching throat.

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“First of all,” Alicia began, “forget about Jake. He’s terrified of dogs, so I’m sure he was upset, but he’ll get over it.” She sat down beside me. “There was no harm done, so what’s he going to do

anyway? Sue you for scaring away his manhood? He’s probably al-

ready forgotten about the incident, so let it go. It’s over and done with.”

I sincerely doubted Jake had forgotten anything, but Alicia had

a point. Bella had created a scene, but she only damaged Michael’s displays, Jake’s ego, and my pride. All could theoretically be repaired.

“Second, so what if you and your new beau had a tiff? You

know the best thing about fights between lovers? Making up is

so very much fun.” She grinned. “Put your silly pride behind you, give him a call, and apologize.”

“But it’s not my fault that Bella—”

She held up a stern hand. “Hush, Kate. I’m talking now. You’re

listening.” She smiled to take the sting out of her words. “Who

cares who’s at fault? Call up your guy and make nice. By tomor-

row, all of this will be behind you.

“Third,” she continued, “you’re a saint for taking in that dog.

But even saints have their limits. You have to do something about her.”

“But there’s nothing I
can
do!” I argued. “No one else will take her.”

“That may be true, but you don’t have to put up with her er-

ratic behavior, either. Hire a trainer.”

I vigorously shook my head. “I already tried that. Too violent.”

“Come on, Kate, you’re smarter than that. Is all yoga the same?”

“No, of course not, but—”

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“Well, neither are dog trainers. Their methods vary as much, if

not more, than yoga teachers.” Alicia opened her purse and pulled out a cell phone. “One of my Magnolia tenants trains dogs. I’ve

seen her in action, and her methods are far from violent.” She

wrote down the number. “Her name’s Melissa. Tell her Alicia from

The Cedars sent you. She books pretty far in advance, but maybe I can pull some strings and get her to squeeze you in.”

“Thanks, but—”

“Shush,” she interrupted. The sound reminded me of Jim, that

odious trainer, and the sound he used to quiet his barking dogs. It was surprisingly effective. I shushed.

“You’ll call Melissa today, correct?”

I nodded my head yes.

“Good. Finally, and this is important. It’s time for you to forget about that murder. The police are completely capable of handling

a murder investigation, and frankly, playing amateur detective is driving you crazy. I know the victim was your friend and all, but do you honestly think you’re better equipped to solve a murder

than the entire Seattle Police Department?”

“Maybe not, but—”

“Let the murder go, Kate,” Alicia said emphatically. “Stick with

what you’re good at—yoga. If your new relationship is supposed

to work out, it will. If not, you’ll move on. The rest is simply a distraction.” She stood up. “You always say I should focus on my

most important priorities. Well, Kate, it’s time to practice what you preach. I’ll focus on beating my disease. You focus on getting your life back together. That’s an order.”

I stared off into space for a moment, thinking. Now that I’d

had a good cry, I felt better. And I had to admit that Alicia was 200

right—at least for the most part. I stood up, smiled at her, and

threw my tear-stained tissue in the trash. “Understood.”

Alicia had given me four pieces of advice: forget about Jake,

make up with Michael, call her trainer friend, and drop the investigation.