Tailing Trouble, page 2
The redhead frowned, but there was no denying that Puddles was calmer, his eyes closing with the need to sleep.
“I’ll take over from here. Why don’t you wait outside, Ms.…?” Ally paused, waiting for the woman to provide her name.
“Okay.” Without a word, the woman left the exam room.
Ally carried the Lab into the back room, placing him in the deep sink. He was awake but definitely mellow enough that she could quickly pull the necessary supplies together. From there, it didn’t take her long to place the gastric tube into the animal’s stomach. After giving a full dose of activated charcoal, she waited.
The results were good, if messy. Puddles barfed up some of the charcoal. She cleaned him up, knowing more charcoal would come out through his back end.
When he seemed stable enough to be left in a crate, she washed up and went out to the main lobby.
“How is Puddles?” the woman asked.
“Doing fine so far, but I’d like to watch him for a couple of hours.”
The redhead frowned. “Is that really necessary?”
“I wouldn’t keep him if I didn’t think it was,” Ally said gently.
“Okay, I’ll come back in two hours.” The woman jumped up and left before Ally could say anything more.
Ally crossed over to the counter. “Any sign of my grooming appointment, Gramps?”
Her grandfather grimaced. “That lady called and said she’d have to reschedule for tomorrow. She said her name, something with an M, but I didn’t catch it all.”
Again with no name? Gramps still had some things to learn about being a receptionist, but now wasn’t the time to remind him. Especially since he was volunteering his time to help her out. “Okay, that’s fine.” She went around to pull up her client list on the computer. “Here’s Puddles. Looks like the redhead is Valerie Wagner.”
“Always great to have a paying customer,” Gramps said cheerfully.
“Yes.” Even one who still missed the old vet. Ally made a note about the visit next to Puddles’s name in the computer, printed out the invoice, and then headed back to check on the Lab.
Black charcoal was definitely coming out the back end, and she tried to strip off her white lab coat before Puddles could—well—make a black puddle on it. She hauled him back over to the large sink to minimize the mess.
After almost two hours, Puddles looked much better. She cleaned him up again and listened to his heart, nodding with approval.
His pulse was within the normal range.
“You’re a good boy, yes you are.”
Ally heard the clinic door open and close. She lifted Puddles from the sink and set him on the floor. After drying him off with a towel, she stood back as he shook the remaining water from his coat. He walked slowly but steadily, as if sensing his owner was nearby.
Ally smiled as she brought the Lab into the main lobby. “Puddles is ready for you now.”
“He is?” Valerie Wagner hurried over, then stopped with a frown. “What on earth is that awful stench?”
Ally did her best to remain professional. “The best way to get rid of the poison is to use activated charcoal. It’s messy and smelly but works like a charm. Puddles may have loose dark stools for a while, but he’ll be fine.”
“Thank you,” Valerie said begrudgingly.
“I have the invoice ready for you.” Ally pushed the paperwork toward her.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t have any money with me.”
Who came to the vet without money? Ally wasn’t falling for that one. “Okay, but I’ll need a credit card if you don’t have cash.”
“Oh, I cut those up years ago.” Valerie waved a hand. “I’ll be back with the cash, I promise.” The redhead and Puddles disappeared outside.
Ally sighed, wondering if she’d ever see Valerie, Puddles, or the promised cash again.
Chapter Two
“Are you going to let her get away with that?” Gramps asked indignantly.
“What am I supposed to do, chase her down Main Street? It’ll be fine.” She hoped. “I’m sure she’ll pay eventually.”
“You gotta be firm with these people, Ally.” Gramps wagged his finger at her. “You can’t give away your services for free.”
“I know.” It was her own fault for not getting the payment before taking Puddles into the exam room. But time had been of the essence, and she hadn’t wanted to delay caring for the poor Lab. And, other than the occasional snafu of a credit card being declined, no one had ducked out of paying before. “So my mystery grooming appointment has been postponed until tomorrow?”
“Yep.” Gramps looked chagrined. “Sorry I didn’t catch her full name. Maggie? Martha? Molly? Something with an M. I’ll do better next time.”
“No worries.” Ally suspected Gramps was becoming hard of hearing; maybe that was why he yelled into his cell phone. She glanced at her watch. “It’s lunchtime. You ready to head over to the library?”
“Sure.” Gramps looked excited at the prospect of getting a new book. “Let’s bring Roxy.”
“Sounds good.” Ally quickly went up the stairs to the small apartment over the clinic she called home. Roxy greeted her like a long-lost friend. Ally bent down to smooth her hands over Roxy’s golden-brown fur. “Let’s go, Rox.”
Willow Bluff wasn’t a large town—about four thousand people according to the last census. Furry Friends Veterinary Clinic was located on the south side of Main Street, and the municipal building, which housed the library, city hall, and the police station, was on the north end.
“Are you okay to walk that far?” Ally asked as Gramps leaned on his cane.
“Stop asking me that,” he groused. “I’ll tell you when I’m not okay to walk to the library.”
“Just checking.”
Her grandfather was a Vietnam vet and preferred to think of himself as the soldier he’d once been, refusing to give in to any sign of weakness.
She shortened her steps to match her grandfather’s, enjoying the unusually warm weather. Fall was her favorite season, although the leaves on the trees had only just started to change color.
“What we need is more information on the robbery,” Gramps mused.
“No, Gramps, we don’t.” Ally didn’t even want to think about Gramps involving himself in another of Noah’s investigations. Noah, her former high school crush and tormentor—who’d dubbed her Hot Pants after she accidently started a fire in the chemistry lab and then sat on a nest of fire ants, which sent her screaming and yanking off her shorts as she jumped into Lake Michigan—had developed an eye twitch and nearly lost his temper several times when Gramps interfered in his last investigation. Ally had no doubt that if Gramps continued butting in, Noah would make good on his promise to arrest him.
As they approached the municipal building, she said, “I heard there was a croquet league starting up for next summer. Care to be my partner?”
“Croquet is for old people.”
Ally decided not to point out that her grandfather was seventy-eight, which probably qualified as old enough to play croquet. And there were younger people playing too. She pulled open the door to the library, holding it for Gramps.
“Hello, Oscar.” Rosie Malone, the Willow Bluff librarian, greeted him with a smile. “I have a new book for you.”
“Great!” Gramps grinned. “I can’t wait.”
“Ally, you know dogs aren’t allowed in here,” Rosie chided.
Rosie had been telling her that for several weeks, and each time Ally had ignored her. “We won’t be long.” She placed Gramps’s library book on the counter.
“Have you heard about the big-box store robbery?” Gramps asked Rosie.
“Yes, at Electronics and More, right? It’s terrible, isn’t it?” Rosie took Gramps’s library card and checked out his new book. “I can’t imagine who would do such a thing.”
“Hear anything through the grapevine?” Gramps pressed. Ally shifted her weight from one foot to the other, trying not to show her impatience.
“No,” Rosie admitted. “But apparently the mayor and city executive are very upset about it.”
“Why is that?” Ally asked, curious in spite of herself. She hadn’t heard that either the mayor or the city executive had been very upset back in June when two people were murdered.
Rosie leaned forward and dropped her voice to a loud whisper. “They’re concerned about a drug connection.”
“Drugs, huh?” Gramps mused.
Rosie nodded. “I guess drug users tend to steal stuff to support their drug habit. And that’s not going over well with the city leadership. They don’t want Willow Bluff to be tainted by druggies.”
“Interesting theory.” Gramps reached for his book. “Thanks again, Rosie.”
“You’re welcome, Oscar.”
Ally took the book from Gramps and tucked it under her arm. As they walked outside, she gestured to the Lakeview Café. “Ready for lunch?”
Gramps nodded, his gaze thoughtful. Ally knew he was already imagining suspects in the robbery case who might be addicted to drugs. It was all she could do not to scream in frustration.
They were seated at a table near the edge of the patio, in deference to Roxy being with them. The dog stretched out on the concrete, seemingly content.
“Iced tea, please,” Ally said, when their server came to take their order.
“I’ll have lemonade.” Gramps waited until the server was out of earshot to lean forward. “I bet Pricilla Green is on drugs.”
“Why, because of the way she looks?” Ally threw up her hands. “Come on, Gramps. You can’t judge a person by their outward appearance. Would a cop on Dateline do that?”
“Maybe not, but you have to admit, her showing up to clean the Legacy House in that getup is weird.”
There was no arguing that Pricilla’s attire was strange. “I agree. But that doesn’t make her a crook or a drug addict. She didn’t look like she was high or on something.”
“Could be that she knows someone who is,” Gramps pointed out. “Like that boyfriend of hers, the one Hilda doesn’t like.”
“You’re grasping at straws, Gramps.”
They lunched at the café so often that Ally had the menu memorized. When their server returned with their drinks, they ordered their meals. Ally stayed with the Cobb salad, while Gramps went for his usual cheeseburger.
“Hey.” Gramps gestured to a table that was catty-corner from them. “Isn’t that Valerie Wagner? The woman who stiffed you for Puddles’s care?”
Ally twisted in her seat, her gaze narrowing as she recognized Puddles’s owner, dyed red hair glinting brassily in the sun. Without hesitation, she threw her napkin on the table and stood. “Watch Roxy,” she told Gramps before stalking over.
“Hi, Ms. Wagner.” Ally greeted the redhead with a broad smile. “How is Puddles doing? Better, I hope.”
“Oh, um, Puddles is doing fine, thanks.” Valerie looked flustered at Ally’s showing up so unexpectedly.
“I hope you can make time to pay the bill later this afternoon,” Ally said before turning to Valerie’s companion. “Did you hear what happened? Poor Puddles ate two bags of semisweet chocolate, and I had to give him charcoal to counteract the poison in his system.”
“Oh my, how awful,” Valerie’s companion said.
Valerie flushed beet red, clearly annoyed to be caught off guard by Ally’s comments. “I was planning to come right after lunch.” She riffled through her purse and pulled out some cash, which Ally felt certain she’d possessed earlier in the day. “Here you go. Thanks again.”
Ally refused to feel guilty as she pocketed the fee. “Thanks. I’m just so glad Puddles is feeling better. Take care.” She offered a tiny finger wave as she returned to her seat.
“Good job,” Gramps praised, holding on to Roxy’s leash. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks.” Ally was proud of herself too. She hated conflict, and if she hadn’t needed the money, she wouldn’t have done something so bold as to confront Valerie in a public place.
But she needed her business to survive and thrive. And she deserved to be paid for services she’d provided.
Gramps was right. She needed to stand up for herself. She couldn’t let people walk all over her. Maybe word would spread around town that she wasn’t a pushover when it came to expecting payment for services.
When their food came, Ally noticed Gramps scrutinizing their server. She groaned inwardly, knowing exactly what he was going to say before the words popped out of his mouth.
“Did you notice she’s wearing long sleeves on this hot day?” Gramps asked as he picked up his burger. “Very suspicious, if you ask me.”
Ally hadn’t asked, so she ignored him. She took a bite of her salad. “This is good. How’s your cheeseburger?”
“We need her name,” Gramps continued, as if she hadn’t spoken. “Don’t most servers greet you by telling you their name?”
“She did tell us her name. It’s Darla. She’s a perfectly nice young woman. She brought her cat Jessy in to the clinic just two weeks ago.” Ally reined in her temper with an effort. “And you have absolutely no reason to suspect every person we see as being involved in the Electronics and More store robbery and/or on drugs.”
“Pays to keep an open mind.” Gramps tapped his temple.
Really? Ally swallowed a sarcastic reply. They finished their meal and returned to the clinic.
When they arrived, Ally made a quick note on Valerie Wagner’s invoice that she’d paid in cash, then tucked the money into her petty cash drawer. From there, she cleaned the exam room and the large tub.
The rest of the afternoon passed slowly, with no calls coming in. At four o’clock sharp, Kayla Benton arrived with Domino. Ally had purposefully tucked Roxy upstairs to prevent doggy mayhem.
“Thanks for boarding him,” Kayla said in a harried tone. “My parents are watching the twins while Mark and I have a long weekend together. Easier for them if they don’t have to deal with the dog too.”
“Of course. It’s not a problem.” Ally smiled and took Domino’s leash. She felt a kinship with the animal, as her hair was dark, naturally curly, and out of control, much like the poodle’s. “Have fun.”
“Trust me, we plan to.” Kayla bent to give Domino one last rub. “See you later.”
Domino whined for a few minutes after Kayla left. Then he sniffed Ally and the area around the clinic, no doubt looking for Roxy. The two had played together once when Ally thought it might be good for the animals to socialize.
It hadn’t gone well. Roxy had grabbed the scarf she’d tied around Domino’s neck and tried tossing him around like a rag doll. Domino had fought back with surprising strength. It had been difficult for her to pry them apart.
“Come on, Gramps. I’ll crate Domino and take you home.”
Gramps didn’t argue, and soon they were back at the Legacy House.
“Ally, won’t you stay for dinner?” Harriet asked, beaming when Ally showed up without a dog at her side. “I’m making one of my mother’s special recipes.”
Ally’s mouth watered at the enticing scent wafting from the kitchen. Harriet was an amazing cook and had more German recipes than Ally had veterinary patients. “What is it this time?”
“German dumplings.”
Tempting, very tempting. Remembering her boarder, she declined. “I’m sorry, Harriet. As much as I’d love to stay, I have two dogs that need to be walked tonight.”
“Maybe next time,” Harriet said, although she looked keenly disappointed.
“Stop back later, Ally, and bring one of the dogs with you,” Gramps said, giving her a sly wink. “Harriet made pumpkin pie for dessert.”
No dessert! a tiny voice in the back of her mind shouted, but Ally’s resistance melted. Pumpkin pie was one of her favorites. “Okay, I’ll see you later, then.”
The return trip to the clinic didn’t take long. Ally ate a quick microwaved Lean Cuisine meal, then decided to take Roxy out first. Domino would be stuck in his crate all night, so she’d save him for last and do her best to wear him out.
When it was Domino’s turn for a walk, he was überexcited to be out of the crate. Domino was tall as her hip, and when he stood on his hind legs, with his front paws over her shoulders, he was taller than she was by several inches.
Kayla hadn’t spent much time training him to sit, stay, or come, likely too busy caring for twins, but that was okay. Ally let him set the pace as they walked down toward the Legacy House.
Twice Domino caught sight of a squirrel, lunging toward it with enough force to yank her off her feet.
“No, Domino. Heel!”
He glanced back at her, his black curls almost obscuring his vision, then turned back to where he’d seen the squirrel, straining against the leash.
“This way.” She tugged, drawing him back on course. Just beyond the Legacy House was the lakefront, the clear rippling water of Lake Michigan looking serene and peaceful. The only concern about strolling there was that there had been a coyote attack on a small schnauzer belonging to her high school friend, Erica Kirby, a few months ago.
Ally felt confident Domino could hold his own against a coyote. Smart coyotes went after much smaller prey. But first she’d swing by the Legacy House for dessert.
She found Gramps sitting outside on the patio overlooking the lakeshore.
“Just in time,” he said by way of greeting. “Harriet is sending Lydia out with two slices of pumpkin pie.”
“Great. Sit, Domino.” Ally pushed hard against his hindquarters. “Sit!”
“That dog needs training,” Gramps observed. “Roxy behaves much better.”
“I know.” Ally looked up as Lydia came outside with two generous slices of pie topped with whipped cream.
“Here you go,” Lydia said.
Ally smiled. “Thanks, Lydia.” Domino surged against the leash at who knew what, nearly toppling Ally off her chair. “Sit!”
Domino stood for a long moment before relaxing and dropping to his haunches beside her.
