Arsenic and Young Lacy, page 6
“What are we eating?” Will said.
“Good question.” Mayfair was a good half hour from any grocery store or restaurant, other than the Mayfair diner, which was only open for breakfast and lunch. “We probably should’ve stopped for something.” I sure as heck didn’t feel like going out again.
I returned Lacy’s refilled water bowl to her crate, and went back to the kitchen to root in my freezer. I came up with a frozen cheese pizza.
Will grimaced, then nodded.
“Sorry. I do have some decent wine. Becky gave it to me for Christmas. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion.”
Will’s face brightened.
“Speaking of whom,” I said as I pulled the bottle of wine from a cabinet, “I need to call Becky.” I wanted to check on her, but I’d also just remembered my free massage was supposed to have happened this afternoon. That was probably what the nagging feeling had been about.
Will took the bottle from me and set it on the counter, then he hauled me against him and kissed me soundly. My insides melted. Something warm wiggled against my right hip.
Will’s hand came up with my phone in it. “Text her. It’ll be faster.”
I grinned as I took the phone from him. “I won’t be long. Stick the pizza in the oven, would you?”
I walked into the living room, phone in hand, texting away. How r u doing?
Much better.
Sorry couldn’t come for massage. With Will. I hoped she didn’t mind being supplanted by a man, but the situation was too complicated to explain in a text.
After a couple of seconds, she responded, Ride him, cowgirl!
I laughed and shook my head. LOL Call u tomorrow.
Lacy whined a little as she paced back and forth in her crate. I would have thought she’d be tired, after her long day. I gestured for her to lie down. She complied and rested her chin on her paws.
Having finished his dinner, Buddy followed me back into the kitchen.
Will had found plates and napkins in the cabinets and was carrying two wineglasses to the table. “That pizza’s going to take a few minutes.” He twisted the screw cap off the wine bottle. “Hate to see what Becky considers cheap wine.”
He poured the ruby red liquid into the glasses, then handed one to me.
We clinked glasses and took a sip.
He nodded slightly. “Actually, it’s not too bad.”
I concurred, but then what did I know about wine. My ex-husband had been a bit of a connoisseur. I’d followed his lead, drinking whatever he handed me.
And now history was repeating itself. Well, sort of. The wine was not as good, but the guy sipping it with me was a lot better.
I smiled at Will. He took my glass away from me, set it and his own on the table and gathered me to him again.
When we broke for air, I murmured, “Hmm, I could get used to this.”
“I’m hoping you do,” he said, his breath warm against my cheek.
More melting inside. Will’s lips found mine again, and my knees went all wobbly. He wrapped an arm firmly around my waist and held me up.
It took a moment for the sound to penetrate my sex-crazed brain. A hacking noise from the living room.
I pulled away from Will and bolted around the corner.
Lacy had exploded from both ends.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Will smacked his palm on his steering wheel. “If only I had one of the cruisers, I could put on lights and siren.”
“Collins County bought you a car, but no siren?”
He gave me a quick glance, then eyes forward again as we sped down the road. “We’re talking about the county commissioners from hell here, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” I didn’t want to know how fast we were going. “That’s really the epitome of penny wise and pound foolish though.”
Another quick glance. “Is that another motherism?”
I gave him a feeble smile. He was always razing me about the old-fashioned words and sayings I’d picked up from my mother. And his gentle teasing was making inroads into the insecurities bred by the mean boys in middle school, who had not so lovingly made fun of my name and what they’d called my “prissy ways.”
Being a pastor’s kid is no fun. The parishioners frown at you whenever you slip and say anything stronger than dang. And the other kids tease you for being a goody two shoes.
I shook my head at myself. Goody two shoes... yet another motherism.
Retching sounds came from the backseat. I cringed. “Sorry about your upholstery.”
“What do you think’s wrong with her?”
I looked at poor Lacy, panting in the back. Her eyes were glassy. My throat tightened. “I don’t know, but this can’t be good.”
My hand flew to my mouth. “Crapola! I left the oven on.”
“I turned it off, and you might want to use a different expletive right now. We have more than enough crap already.”
Will spun the wheel, and the car careened into the parking lot of the emergency veterinarian clinic in Belleview.
I jumped out, unhooked the safety strap and gathered Lacy up as best I could in my arms.
“Here, I’ve got her.” Will took the shaking dog from me. “Get the door.”
Will held my hand in the waiting area while the vet, Doc Murdock, and his assistant worked on Lacy in an exam room. The staff knew me. I brought my dogs here all the time, although usually during normal business hours for routine things like vaccines.
Lacy had been here just two weeks ago for a complete checkup. She’d been in perfect health.
The clinic had been about to close for the evening when we got there, but Doc’s young receptionist, Joy, had stuck around to keep us company.
She brought us two mugs of coffee. Her pert nose wrinkled as she handed them to us.
I self-consciously rubbed at the dried smear of I-didn’t-want-to-think-about-it on my tank top. Will had several similar smears on his shirt.
Bless her heart, Joy plastered a big smile on her face.
I took one of the mugs gratefully. “Do you know what’s going on in there?”
Joy shook her head. “But you know Doc’s the best. She’s in good hands.”
Doc Murdock emerged from the exam room and walked across the empty waiting area. I jumped up.
“How...” I couldn’t get words past the lump in my throat.
Dear God, let her be okay.
Will stood and put an arm around my shoulders.
“Sit,” Doc Murdock said, making a gesture similar to my signal to the dogs to lie down.
We obeyed and the vet sat down next to me. He patted my knee. “We’ve flushed out her system as best we could, and I’ve got her on an IV to restore her fluids.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
“I think so. We’ll know more by morning. Marcia, if it was anyone but you, I’d be asking about what that dog has eaten recently. But I know you train your dogs not to eat anything without permission.”
“Doctor,” Will said, “pretend for a minute that it’s not her. What questions would you be asking?”
Doc Murdock looked at me, his eyebrows partway in the air.
“Oh, sorry. This is my, uh, boyfriend, Will Haines. Sheriff Haines, from Collins County.”
“Collins County?” Doc said. “Never heard of it.”
“It’s pretty small,” Will said. “Sandwiched between Sumter and Lake counties.”
Doc Murdock sat back in the plastic chair, his rotund body making it squeak a little in protest. “Did she act agitated earlier, or lethargic?”
“She was restless when we got home,” I said.
“Got home from where?”
I told him about working with her and her new owner at the owner’s house.
“What did she eat there?”
“Only the treats I brought with me.”
“What do you suspect she ate?” Will said, his voice firm.
I turned and looked at him. His lips were compressed in a grim line, his eyes hard.
Doc ran a hand over his mostly bald head. “Was she extra thirsty?”
“Yes.”
“Chocolate,” Doc said. “And as bad as the reaction was, I’d say probably dark chocolate.”
I whipped out my phone and punched numbers.
“It’s kinda late,” Will said.
“I don’t care.”
“Hello.” Rainey’s voice, sounding timid.
“This is Marcia. Did you give Lacy anything to eat today, besides the treats I gave you?”
“What? No. Why? What’s wrong?”
“She’s in the hospital, that’s what’s wrong. Somebody gave her chocolate.”
“Nooo.” A long wail. “I’d never do that. I know chocolate’s bad for dogs.” A beat of silence. “Is she okay?” Rainey’s voice quavered.
And my anger drained away, at her at least. I believed her. Rainey might be unstable, but she wouldn’t intentionally do anything to harm Lacy.
“The doc thinks so. But she’s not going to be up for training tomorrow.” And maybe not for a while after that, but I kept that thought to myself.
Snuffling in my ear.
I softened my voice. “She’s young and she’s strong, and Doc Murdock’s the best veterinarian I know. I’ll call you tomorrow with an update, okay?”
“Okay.” Her voice was small, that of a scared child.
“She’ll be fine,” I said, hoping that was true.
“Talk to you tomorrow.”
Disconnecting, I looked up. Doc Murdock had wandered off.
Will patted my arm. “He said to call in the morning to check on Lacy.”
We started for home. Will pulled into a fast food drive-thru. But worry about Lacy, combined with the smell from the backseat and my own clothes, made it hard to swallow down the burger and fries.
“This guy’s like a ghost,” Will said, when we were on the road again. “Somehow sneaking chocolate to Lacy. And sticking a nail in my tire, probably while I was sitting in the car.”
“Probably? When weren’t you sitting in it?”
“Only when I got out to get the muffin and tea. And then I dumped the bucket behind that same bush, just before you came out. I didn’t want us to have to smell it all the way home.”
I snorted at the irony, since we now had our windows down to make the smell coming from the backseat bearable.
“We don’t know that the nail is connected,” I reminded him. “It could be a coincidence.”
He glanced my way. “Lawmen are inherently suspicious of coincidences.”
“Yeah, but they do happen. And nobody could’ve just slipped chocolate to Lacy. She’s been taught never to eat anything I don’t approve.”
I fell silent. I had given the dog the okay to take food from Rainey.
Will’s thoughts must have been tracking along the same lines. “Are you sure your client didn’t give her some?” he asked.
I nodded, although I wasn’t as sure as I had been earlier. “Rainey called this guy an ebola virus today, spreading to everybody she touches.”
“That analogy works too,” Will said through gritted teeth.
When we got to the house, I waved a hand toward the backseat. “I’ll help you clean up in a few minutes, but I need to tend to the dogs first, okay?”
He nodded and headed for his trunk. I hoped he had a shovel in there, because he was going to need it to get the mess out of his car.
I let Jenny out first while I freshened her water bowl. Then I settled her in her crate for the night.
Motioning to Buddy to follow me, I nabbed my half-empty wineglass on the way by. I flipped the switch for the floodlights that illuminated the backyard and pushed open the screen door.
Buddy bolted from bush to bush, sniffing but not stopping to pee. His frantic searching said he really needed to go, so I couldn’t quite figure out why he was being so picky about finding just the right spot.
I strolled behind him, trying to unwind from one of the worst days of my life. I willed my muscles to relax, and most of them cooperated. I rolled my head around on my shoulders to get the stiffness out of my neck.
At the magnolia tree, guilt niggled at my stomach. I should be helping Will clean out his car. I chugged the last of my wine.
Buddy suddenly turned and bolted back toward the house, his nose down.
What the heck...
I pivoted, my gaze following his path all the way to the house. I expected him to stop and pee on the tiger lilies blooming there, but instead he plunged through them and jumped up on the side of the house, barking.
My eyes moved upward and the wineglass slipped from my hand. A scream erupted from my throat.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Buddy ran back to me, stopped, sniffed at the wineglass in the grass. Amazingly, it hadn’t broken.
“Leave it!” My voice was far harsher than I’d intended.
Buddy lifted his head and tilted it to one side.
I flopped down on my butt and threw my arms around his neck.
Will bolted out the back door. “What happened?” he yelled.
I looked up, opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
He pounded across the lawn and came to a stop next to me. “You okay? Why’d you scream?”
I lifted a hand and pointed at the house.
This guy was no graffiti artist. Again, the letters were sloppy and ran off the edge of the wall.
LAST WARNING. STAY OUT OF OCAL...
Will cussed under his breath. Then strong fingers encircled my upper arm and lifted me gently to my feet. I kept one hand entwined in Buddy’s fur and turned my face against Will’s chest.
I loved my little house. It felt like someone had thrown paint on my child. Tears stung my eyes. My stomach roiled, threatening to give back my dinner and the wine.
Will had an arm firmly around my shoulders as he eyed the damage. “You still think the nail was a coincidence?” His voice simmered with barely suppressed anger.
“What?” My overwhelmed brain failed to see the connection.
“The nail was to slow us down so he could get here first and do this.”
“Oh,” I said as I continued to stare at my poor house.
Suddenly pain and fear morphed into anger. My vision blurred in a red haze and my chest felt like it might explode. “I’m going to get this guy,” I growled, low and fierce.
Will turned me around, hands on both my shoulders. “No! I’m going to get this guy, and you’re going to keep a low profile until I do.”
I burst into tears.
He pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me.
It was three a.m. by the time we went to bed.
Will had called the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and had told them about the whole mess. Rainey’s sister wouldn’t be happy about that, but I didn’t care at this point if she got arrested for drugs.
The fact that Will was also a local sheriff must have carried some clout, because not one but two cruisers pulled up out front thirty minutes later.
Some confusion ensued because of the previous call to Rainey’s house, and my name being given as the owner there. Fingers crossed behind my back to negate the fib, I’d suggested that the deputy had been confused.
“We were kind of both talking at once,” I said.
Not really. Rainey’d been doing most of the talking and I’d been doing most of the scowling.
Then two deputies and a crime scene tech had tromped all over my backyard and along my fence line. The tech even scraped some of Lacy’s dried vomit off of Will’s backseat to be analyzed.
Finally Will saw the deputies and technicians off. When he came back into the house, I was standing in the middle of my living room, trying to figure out how my life had turned to crap so fast.
“They found some scratches on the fence,” Will said, “where they think a ladder was hooked on it.”
“Hooked?”
“Yeah, it might have been one of those kind you can get to drop out a bedroom window in case of fire.”
“Which wouldn’t be that easy to find down here, where so few houses have second floors.”
“True.” He put an arm around my shoulders and steered me toward my bedroom. “But one can order just about anything on the Internet.”
I stopped our progress as we neared my bedroom door. “Uh, Will...”
He put a finger on my lips. “We’re not doing anything tonight. I want our first time to be special.”
I sighed gratefully and leaned against him, and almost gagged at the smell of his shirt.
He stepped back and stripped off the offending garment, then pulled me close and gave me a long, tender kiss. Certain parts of my body protested the postponement of more strenuous activities. But I knew if we tried to make love, I’d probably fall asleep in the middle of it.
“Would it be too torturous if we slept in the same bed?” I asked.
He pursed his lips, then gave me a small smile. “I think I can handle that. But I stay clothed.” He looked down at his bare chest. “Well, mostly clothed and on the other side of the covers.”
“Deal,” I said, but my gaze was glued to his well-defined pecs, sprinkled with dark hairs.
Various body parts protested louder. I mentally told them to settle down.
I went in the bathroom and brushed my teeth, then changed into the oversized tee shirt I sleep in, wishing I had something more glamorous.
Will barely gave me a glance when I came out. “I hope you don’t mind, but I threw my shirt in your washer.”
I nodded as I covered a yawn.
Will carefully arranged the sheet and thin blanket on my bed so that I was under them and he wasn’t. Then he rolled onto his side and kissed me gently on the lips. “Goodnight, Marcia.”
“Night,” I mumbled, my eyelids already drifting closed.
He laid a bare arm over my middle. I snuggled as close as the bedding between us allowed, wishing again that I had the energy to do something about my tingling body.
And that was my last thought until morning.
* * *
I woke to an empty bed and a medley of morning fragrances. Fresh air drifting in through the open window brought the subtle scent of spring flowers. And a delicious combination of aromas–of brewing coffee, hot grease and toasted bread–wafted from the kitchen. My stomach growled.
