Oodles of Poodles (29 page)

But it looked a lot like triumph to me before it disappeared.

Suddenly, I had another thought. A wonderment.

All the animal handlers must spend a lot of time together ensuring that the animals were walked, fed, and watered as much as needed. They might get to know each other well—especially those who seemed to have an additional relationship of some kind. They could learn each other’s pleasures and boiling points.

And gestures.

I sat very still for a moment. From upstairs, I heard Antonio’s voice raised and a squeal that could have been Jerry crying.

Where was Brooke? Probably right outside the room, since she couldn’t be present if this was an official police interrogation.

I wished I could hear them.

I wished I could call to tell Antonio to slip in a few additional questions that had just popped into my mind.

But I couldn’t.

There was one thing I could do, though.

“Come on, Zoey.” I snapped on the leash I’d stuffed into my pocket. Then I led her out of the building and around toward the back loop, which would take us to where our visitors were still being shown around.

Only, on our way there, most of those visitors, and the volunteers acting as tour guides, slipped by on their way back toward the HotRescues exit.

“Thanks,” called R. G. Mick Paramus saluted his appreciation. With them were Cowan and Grant and Winna and her crew.

But not all of them.

I almost started to panic. I counted all of our volunteers, too, and Pete Engersol. There was someone I didn’t see, though.

Elena.

I thought of Dante’s instructions that I wasn’t to do anything alone. Well, I wasn’t alone. Zoey was with me.

Besides, even if I was right, Elena wouldn’t do anything here and now. It would be too obvious. And she loved animals. She wouldn’t harm any…would she?

I hurried to the back area. Okay, I wasn’t really being stupid. I made a quick call to Brooke, told her there might be something wrong and asked her to join me.

As I hung up, my phone vibrated again. Matt.

“Can’t talk now,” I said. “I think I was wrong. I think it may be one of the other animal handlers, and she’s here right now.”

“I’m here at HotRescues, too,” he said. “Where are you? Wait for me, and I’ll come with you.”

“I’m in our new area but I don’t see her. Come on back.”

“Wait!”

But I’d hung up.

I didn’t see Elena. But I heard a whole lot of noisy yaps from the building containing our smaller dogs.

Zoey and I quickly ducked inside.

“Oh, hi, Lauren,” said the sweet, enthusiastic voice I expected to hear. “This has been such a great visit. I know it’s time to leave, but I’m waiting for Jerry. I guess he’s
gone to the rest room. I can’t find him. Which may be a good thing, since there were a couple of little dogs here that I wanted to see again.”

Elena stood in front of one of the kennels that contained two small dogs, Pint-Size and Tiny, both Pomeranian mixes who’d been here for a while.

“They are cute, aren’t they?” I approached, keeping Zoey at heel. “Are you interested in adopting?”

“I’m thinking about one of the Sheba poodles, but these are so sweet.” So was she, all adorable in her Solario Studios T-shirt contrasting beautifully with her soft brown hair, her green eyes glowing as she smiled widely at me. So cute. So pretty.

So vile.

“Yes, they are,” I agreed. “But you know,” I went on conversationally, “I’m intending to take in the Sheba dogs once the filming is over. We do pretty thorough background checks and are very selective in our adoption process. We like actresses, of course, but people who put on an act to hurt our animals, or who try to frame other people for their crimes—well, I really don’t consider them appropriate new moms for our dogs.”

“What do you mean?” Her face still glowed with her smile, but that glow had turned more fiery. Her tone was less cheerful, too.

“Well, I suspect you’re very much aware of the nervous gestures of your friends like Jerry. That you might even study them to use if you ever get acting roles—or to protect yourself. It’s you who was our trespasser here at HotRescues, isn’t it, Elena?”

Before I realized what she was doing, she had yanked a leash from her own pocket and swirled it around my throat.

As I gagged, she said, “If that’s true, just what do you think you’re going to do about it, Lauren?”

She pulled the leash tighter.

Chapter 30

I screamed. Or at least I tried to. It came out as a croak, since Elena tightened the leash even more.

I turned slightly, wanting to face her fully but unable to move very far. Even so, I could see that she looked furious. Evil. Triumphant. And I was even more determined to survive so I could kick her right in her nasty face.

My mind raced even as I feared I was losing consciousness. The small dogs yipped and barked around us, but much louder and more sinister was the loud rumble in my brain. Instead of coming up with a solution, I remembered Matt’s order to wait for him, along with Dante’s prior instructions. I was supposed to be careful. I wasn’t supposed to be alone.

Then I remembered again, even as Elena screamed and toppled over, dragging me with her. I wasn’t alone.

That rumble had been my dear Zoey, growling. She had leaped on Elena.

That distraction, as she fell over with Zoey still making that loud snarling noise and standing on her chest, was enough for me to tear the leash from around my neck, gagging but alive.

Just as the door crashed open.

I expected Matt, but got a three-fer instead: Matt, plus Antonio and Brooke.

Matt looked furious. At me, for not listening to him? Or, more logically, at Elena for attacking me?

I couldn’t ask him. I had to help gently guide Zoey away from the woman she’d attacked to save me. I sat on the floor, hugging her and praising her in my cracked voice, coughing nearly between every word.

Antonio took control.

“What’s Antonio doing here?” I asked Brooke as she knelt on the floor near me, or at least I tried to ask that before my next round of coughing. “Thought…he was…with Jerry,” I finished.

“We’re convinced that Elena used him,” she said quietly as Antonio read Elena her rights. “He told us that he made that gesture when he was nervous, and the few times he’d made it lately was when Elena had been with him, goading him about how he’d never be more than an assistant animal handler, and how she was going to be a famous film star someday, that kind of thing.”

“Today?” I managed to croak out.

“Yeah, she was going through that scenario right here at HotRescues, pointing out some of Jerry’s permanent ‘fans,’ the dogs, since he’d never be anything better. He’d argued
with her, then started to cave in to her goading—and made that gesture.”

I recalled that Elena was with us the first time I had seen him hold his head that way, too. “Who was disguised…and broke in…at HotRescues?” I asked.

“Elena,” Brooke said with a decisive nod, as Matt bent down and put his arms around me. At first, he had stayed in front of the door. I assumed he was acting as Antonio’s backup in case Elena tried to run.

“Are you okay, Lauren?”

I tried nodding, which just made me cough again. I looked away, even as I felt somewhat comforted by Matt’s holding me close. When the coughing subsided, I tucked my head against his firm chest, still catching my breath.

When I felt a little better, I sighed.

“Can you stand?”

Without answering Matt, I began to pull my legs up under me. He helped me to rise.

Where I got a really great view of Antonio pushing Elena, her wrists handcuffed behind her back, out the door of the small dog building.

I wanted to clap and cheer.

Instead, I again leaned against Matt. Zoey stood on her hind legs, her front paws on my side. I reached down and patted her soft, furry head. “Good girl,” I said.

Matt insisted on taking me to the nearest hospital’s emergency room. I was sore but alive. That was what the doctor who examined me confirmed.

Matt was really quiet while all this was going on. Was it because I couldn’t easily talk back?

I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t feel well enough to ask him.

I did, however, insist on his taking me back to HotRescues rather than going home. He stayed with me there, sweet man that he is, and I mostly hung out in the welcome area with Zoey, sort of holding court with our staff and volunteers, assuring them that I was fine before they all left for the day. And, yes, I acknowledged, this wasn’t the first time I’d been attacked at HotRescues, but I certainly hoped it was the last.

Maybe it was a good thing I couldn’t talk well, though. I couldn’t really answer their questions about Elena.

I was surprised at first to see that Carlie was at HotRescues when we returned. So was her film crew. I only recalled then that she had gotten my okay to film our Doberman Miracle that day for her
Fittest Pet
show because he had survived Parvo.

“Oh, Lauren.” She raced up to me as I entered our welcome area. She was dressed for filming in her white veterinary jacket over black slacks, her blond hair styled immaculately around her face. Her expression was concerned, her violet eyes wide. “Are you okay? Nina told me what happened.”

“Are you all right, Lauren?” Nina echoed. She had just appeared in the kitchen door.

“It’s late. You should be out of here by now.” I directed those words to Nina. My voice was getting stronger, though it still rasped. “And, yes, I’m fine.”

Matt stood behind me, and I heard a noise from back there that sounded almost like a disgusted snort. When I turned, though, his expression was bland.

I figured I’d imagined it—although he still hadn’t said much to me.

“You can go home now,” I told Nina.

Carlie took me aside. “I think we’ll come back sometime later this week to film Miracle. Too much going on now, and it’s getting late. But you’re sure you’re okay?”

“Yes,” I said, feeling both warmed by her caring and exasperated that she was asking again. “I’m fine.”

“Then tell me—is that Elena the person who killed Hans? Am I no longer a suspect now?”

I laughed despite my growing annoyance. “I don’t know, not yet. All I can feel fairly confident of at the moment is that Elena’s the one who broke into HotRescues.”

“Okay. Fill me in when you know more.” She left with her crew a few minutes later.

“Are you ready to go home yet?” Matt asked when we were alone in the office. Nina had left, too.

“Maybe. Let me talk to Brooke.”

I assumed our security director was back checking on our residents again. Before I had a chance to call her, she appeared in the welcome room from the hallway leading to the kennel area.

“Antonio contacted me,” she said. “He’s booked Elena. I asked him a bunch of questions, and he figures we’ll all want to hear the answers—at least what he knows so far. We’re to meet him for a quick dinner.”

We gathered around a small table with a checkered tablecloth in a family restaurant not far from the Devonshire station. Matt and I had taken Zoey home first.

Antonio arrived shortly after the rest of us. He still wore his casual outfit. He looked tired, but his smile was huge as he kissed Brooke and greeted Matt and me.

We all ordered quickly, then looked toward Antonio. “We don’t have all the answers yet,” he said, “but here’s where things stand.”

Elena was now being questioned by the detectives assigned to investigate the murder of Hans Marford. “A public defender is on the way to represent her. She isn’t talking much now, but she did tell me a bit before the others got there. She knew how to get Jerry nervous enough to make that strange gesture. She didn’t exactly admit to having broken into HotRescues but she didn’t deny it strongly either.”

“And what about Hans Marford? Did she kill him?” For Carlie’s sake—and to satisfy my own curiosity—I had to ask.

“That’s why I wanted to get together with you briefly now. You’ve got to keep this quiet, of course, since we don’t want anything to screw up our ability to convict her if the evidence does point her way. But till she realized she was bragging too much and stopped talking, she gave me enough to continue a murder investigation involving her as the prime suspect.”

“What?” I asked when he stopped to take a drink from his water glass.

I noticed that Brooke and Matt, too, were leaning over the table in anticipation and almost laughed—but that might have delayed what Antonio had to say.

He ran his fingers through his dark hair as if in bewilderment. His scowl from beneath his jutting brow also looked perplexed. “I don’t know why she said so much. She didn’t
seem stupid to me. Maybe she thinks that even having what she said recorded—and I did show her that my smartphone was recording it—she can somehow withdraw or deny it. But she said that Mick Paramus had promised her she would get a starring role in his next film, whatever it was. After she seduced him. She said she hoped he knew that directors who make those kinds of promises to her after sex but renege—like Hans Marford—don’t survive very long.”

“Then she admitted to seducing Marford to get an acting role in
Sheba’s Story
and ran over him when he didn’t follow through?” That was Matt talking. The expression on his handsome face was more angry than confused—and that confused me.