Murder Strikes a Pose (6 page)

I glanced at the clock. Eleven-fifteen. Bummer. The instruc-

tor for the lunchtime meditation class wouldn’t arrive for another thirty minutes. I’d locked myself safely inside the studio, hoping to work on the monthly newsletter. Instead, I was trapped, knees

screaming, hunched under the desk in the world’s sloppiest Half

Squat.

I pinched back a sneeze and nestled up to the filing cabinet,

determined to wait Jake out until the end of time—or at least

until an unsuspecting yoga teacher discovered my mummified

corpse. Jake knocked a few more times, then dropped an envelope

through the mail slot.

I held my breath, waiting.

Silence. Was it safe to come out?

“Well, hey there, gorgeous. What are you doing here?”

39

Jake’s voice startled me and I jumped, bumping my head

against the drawer. Who was he harassing now? I rubbed the bump

on my head and considered my next course of action. I wanted to

know who Jake was stalking, but if I stood up, he’d see me for sure.

I decided to play hide and go peek instead. I scooted to the win-

dow, parted the leaves of the Schefflera tree, and cautiously looked outside. Jake sidled up to Jenny, a student from my nine o’clock

prenatal class.

“I don’t think they’re open,” he said.

“Oh, no, they
can’t
be closed!” Jenny wailed. “I forgot my purse inside! I was so blissed out after class that I walked all the way home before I realized I’d
driven
to the studio. So then I walked back to get my car, only to realize I didn’t have my purse. I left it by the yoga mats. And my car keys are inside it!”

Several non-yogic phrases entered my mind, but I managed

not to say them out loud. Still using the plants as cover, I crawled out from behind the desk, snaked along the wall, and craned my

neck to peep through the door to the yoga room. Damn. There sat

Jenny’s purse, plain as day, on top of the yoga mats. I skulked back to my hiding place by the window and continued eavesdropping.

Jenny wept. “How can I possibly take care of a
child
if I can’t even remember a
purse
! I swear all of these pregnancy hormones have given me that forgetfulness disease. You know, the one old

people get? Oh lord, what’s it called again?”

Alzheimer’s
, I silently answered.

“Don’t worry, honey,” Jake replied, wrapping his arm around

Jenny’s shoulders. He hugged her close and whispered in her ear.

Jenny covered her mouth and blushed, tears suddenly abated. I

glowered at Jake through my leafy green canopy. I knew it was cus-tomary to put your hand on a pregnant woman’s belly, but I could

40

have sworn I saw Jake’s hand wander to an entirely different part of Jenny’s anatomy.

This conversation had to stop. I couldn’t just sit here and al-

low Jake to harass Jenny. Not even if she appeared to enjoy it. Not when I had the keys to her getaway vehicle.

I reluctantly abandoned my sanctuary and sneaked back across

the floor. Once inside the yoga room, I stood up, dusted off my

pants, and pounded the achiness out of my thighs. Then I grabbed

Jenny’s purse, pasted on a fake smile, and confidently strode back across the lobby.

“I thought I heard someone talking out here,” I said, as I un-

locked the door. “Sorry to keep you waiting, but I was using the

restroom.” I held up the purse. “Is this yours?”

“Thanks, Kate,” Jenny replied, gratefully taking it from my

hands. “I swear this pregnancy brain is going to be the death

of me.” She glanced at her watch. “Oh no! And now I’m late for

work!”

“See you later, sweetheart!” Jake yelled as Jenny hurriedly wad-

dled to her car.

Irritation crawled up the back of my neck to the top of my

scalp. “What do you want, Jake?”

Jake’s flirtatious smile vanished. He picked up the envelope

he’d dropped through the mail slot. “I stopped by to give you a

copy of your rental agreement.”

I must have looked confused, because he kept talking. “Alicia

told me your rent check’s going to be late again. This is the last time, Kate. Alicia may be a pushover, but I’m in charge now. From now on, you’ll pay the fifty-dollar-a-day late fee, like everyone else.” He edged closer, his dark, bristly whiskers advancing dangerously close to my cheek. “Unless, that is, you want to start giving 41

me some private lessons?” His expression feigned innocence, but

the implication was clear. Even thinking about it made me want to toss my morning muffin, so to speak.

One look at my face, and Jake wisely stepped back, holding up

his hands. “Mellow out, Kate. I was kidding.”

I resisted the urge to stomp on his foot.

He grinned. “But think about it, just in case.” He handed me

the envelope and walked away, whistling.

_____

I still felt slimy after the meditation teacher left two hours later, so I cleansed myself with a short yoga practice. I was literally hip deep in the luscious stretch of Pigeon Pose when I heard the mag-nificent sound of Bella’s unmistakable bark. George was back! I

grabbed a dollar for a paper and ran to greet him.

I threw open the door and froze. George wasn’t alone. The

stranger standing next to him wore a bulky camouflage jacket and

pushed a bicycle piled high with a mountain of army green duffle

bags. No smile graced his dirt-smudged face; I had a feeling it never did. I couldn’t quite hear them, but based on their low, almost growling tones, I suspected they were arguing.

I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, shivering. I felt un-

easy about this stranger, though I couldn’t quite articulate why. It wasn’t his disheveled clothes or even his thick, dark beard. In some odd, intuitive way, I sensed his energy. It felt jagged, unpredictable somehow—like an irritable mountain lion, newly escaped from its

cage.

“Is everything OK over there?” I asked. The stranger muttered

something to George, handed him a black nylon gym bag, and

walked away, grumbling and pushing the bicycle beside him.

42

I walked up to George. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” George said. “Just a little disagreement over prop-

erty rights.”

George and I watched the departing stranger, now half a block

away. Bella growled softly at his retreating shape.

“Bella, you hush now,” George said. He ruffled Bella’s ears be-

fore smiling at me. “Don’t you worry about Charlie there, ma’am.

He’s a friend of mine. He likes to act all gruff, but he’s harmless enough. He even hides my stuff when I can’t watch it. Sometimes I just have to remind him it’s mine, not his.” He patted the gym bag.

“But it’s all good now.”

I would have probed further, but I got distracted. “Hey, Bella

looks better!”

Bella seemed happy and energetic; I could even have sworn

that she smiled. Her ribs were still visible, but her eyes sparkled, and she looked like she’d put on a pound or two.

George, on the other hand, looked awful. His dull, depressed

eyes were underscored by purple-gray smudges, and his shoulders

rounded forward in an uncharacteristic slump.

I kneeled down to scratch Bella’s neck. “I’ve missed you two the

last ten days. I was starting to get worried.”

“Sorry about that,” George replied. “We’ve been out of town.

Bella’s tests took three days to come back, so I stayed down south.

It’s not like I have a phone they can call with the results.”

I was almost afraid to ask. “What did you find out?”

“It’s not good. Bella has EPI, which is an autoimmune disease.

Evidently, she can’t digest food anymore. That’s why she’s always hungry and keeps losing weight no matter how much I feed her.”

“I’ve never heard of that.”

43

“Neither had I. It’s pretty rare, but over half the dogs that get it are German shepherds. That’s what made the vet think of it. He gave me some medicine to mix with her food, and so far it seems

to help.”

George’s dismal demeanor confused me. “Well, that’s good,

right? At least now you know what’s wrong with her, and she’s

starting to get better.”

George sighed and absently rubbed Bella’s fur. “I suppose. But

the medicine’s expensive. The vet gave me a bottle that had been

donated to the clinic, but it normally costs over $200.”

No wonder he seemed so sad. George could never afford $200

medicine. “That
is
expensive,” I replied. “But we’ll figure out a way to get you a refill if she needs it. Maybe I can host a fundraising event.”

The grim line of his mouth turned into a sad smile. “That’s

very kind of you, ma’am, but a bottle only lasts two weeks, and

Bella will need this medicine for the rest of her life.”

My heart sank. “The rest of her life?” I could never raise that

much money.

“Yes, otherwise she’ll starve. The vet even hinted that I should

put Bella down, but I couldn’t do that. She’s my life, and she’s so young, you know?” He looked away to hide the tears in his eyes.

“She’s not even two yet!”

“Oh, George, I’m so sorry.”

I moved to hug him, but he turned away and shook off my

touch. I didn’t know what else to do, so I stood silently with him for several awkward moments. Finally, he wiped his eyes and vigorously shook his head, as if forcing himself back to reality. When he turned back to face me, his heartsick expression had been replaced by one of stubborn determination.

44

“Don’t you worry about us, ma’am. I have a plan. Bella needs

me and I
will not
let her down. No way.”

“What are you going to do? Do you think your family will

help?”

He hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully. “My family

isn’t an option. But I’ve been thinking, and someone owes me.

They don’t know it yet, but they’re going to help.”

That didn’t sound good. “George, what are you up to?”

He set his jaw stubbornly. “Don’t worry about it. All I can say

is, I have plan.”

Worry nibbled at the lining of my stomach. “How in the world

can you get an extra $400 a month, George? You can barely buy

dog food for Bella, much less expensive medicine. You’d have to

rob liquor stores or sell drugs to get that kind of money.”

George crossed his arms, frowning. “I told you before,” he said

through clenched teeth. “I don’t steal, and I don’t do or sell drugs.

So get off that. Besides, what I do with my life is none of your

business.”

He was up to something, and it couldn’t be good. Nibbling

worry escalated to biting agitation. I knew George wouldn’t like

what I was about to say, but I said it anyway. “Maybe you could

find Bella a new home.”

He didn’t have to reply. His stiffening shoulders told me exactly what he thought of that idea. For a brief moment of sanity, I hesitated, wondering if I should go on. But fear for George drowned

out all reasonable thought. I knew I might regret it, but I kept talking.

“I hate to say it, but maybe the vet was right. Maybe you should

even consider—”

45

George’s expression turned from cold anger to retching dis-

gust, like he’d discovered a smear of dog waste covering his shoe.

“What is wrong with you?” he hissed. “Would you give up on a

family member because she got sick? Would you get rid of a child

because she was expensive?”

“No, of course not,” I snapped back, insulted. “But Bella’s not a child, George.
She’s just a dog
.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I wished I could take them

back. George’s look was clear. I was no longer a pile of dog dung.

Now I was his best friend—and he’d just learned that I’d slept

with his wife, strangled his puppy, or committed some other sin of unforgivable betrayal. He shook his head in disbelief. “I honestly thought you were different. I thought you’d understand.”

I’d already gone too far, but I kept on going. After all, George

was clearly blinded by emotion. I had to make him see reason.

“Look, George, I get it. You don’t want to put Bella down, and I

can understand that. But you can’t keep her. I’ll help you find another home for her. I’ll even help you find another do—”

He hurled his papers to the ground. “Now she’s
replaceable
? I don’t know why I thought you were so special. You’re as bad as

everyone else—worse even. You
pretend
to care.” He glowered at me with disgust. “I’m done talking with you. If you don’t want a

paper, then get out of here so I can sell it to someone who does.”

I wanted to continue our conversation. I wanted to help. A part

of me even wanted to apologize. But I was stubborn, and we were

both angry. I turned on my heels and stomped away, dollar bill

still in hand. I slammed the studio’s door, then jiggled and pulled and kicked and swore until it finally clicked into place.

“Stupid door. Just as cantankerous as that old man.” I pulled

off my shoes and threw them in the corner. “Don’t know why I’d

46

want to help him anyway. Ungrateful jerk disappears without a

word for over a week, then shows up here expecting me to—”

I paused.
Hey, wait a minute …

George’s timeline was incomplete. Bella’s test results took three days to come back. Why then, had George been gone for ten? I

couldn’t imagine that he’d blithely sacrifice a week’s income, given his financial problems. What had he been up to?

_____

The rest of the day went by in a blur of private clients, teachers’

meetings, and group classes. Before I knew it, the students from