The Puppy Who Knew Too Much

Book 2: Dog Club Mystery

by V.M. Burns

Genres: Amateur Sleuth; Animal Cozy Mysteries

Synopsis

Lilly Echosby and her toy poodle Aggie find a fresh start in Chattanooga, Tennessee, spoiled by the scent of murder....

Having solved the shooting death of her cheating husband, Lilly's left behind the drama of Lighthouse Dunes, Indiana, to start over in the hometown of her best friend, Scarlett "Dixie" Jefferson. As she gets settled in her new rented house, Lilly gives Aggie, short for Agatha Christie, her own fresh start by enrolling her in the Eastern Tennessee Dog Club, where Dixie is a trainer.

But drama seems to hound Lilly like a persistent stray. Her cranky new neighbor appears unfamiliar with Southern hospitality and complains that Aggie barks too much and digs up his prized tulips. But what the poodle actually unearths is the buried body of a mysterious man who claimed ownership of the lost golden retriever Lilly recently rescued. Now it's up to Lilly and Dixie to try to muzzle another murderer....

Release date: February 12, 2019

Publisher: Lyrical Press

Print pages: 188

Sample

Chapter 1

“I’m sorry I’m late.” I flopped down in the seat across from Dixie. “That dog.” I shook my head. “Remind me why I ever thought having a dog was a good idea?”

“Uh oh.” Dixie chuckled. “What did Aggie do now?”

A waiter hovered near our table, and I shoved my coffee cup in his direction. He got the hint and filled the cup and discreetly backed away from the table.

“What did she do?” I took a sip of coffee and held up a hand and ticked off my grievances one at a time. “She chewed a hole in almost every pair of socks I own. Ripped her dog bed to shreds so there was nothing but foam all over the floor. She climbed up on the bed and left a deposit on my pillow, and I just spent fifteen minutes chasing her around the hotel room trying to get my underwear out of her mouth.”

Dixie’s eyes grew large, and the corners of her mouth twitched.

“Don’t you dare laugh,” I threatened, but it didn’t do any good.

Dixie wasn’t able to hold back the laughter. She guffawed and laughed so long and hard that people at nearby tables turned to stare and started to laugh too. After a few seconds, even I was laughing.

When I finally pulled myself together, I wiped tears out of my eyes. “This isn’t funny. I can’t believe I’m laughing.”

“If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.” Dixie wiped her eyes with a napkin. “It’s funny.”

“No, it isn’t.” I leaned forward. “Seriously, I’m at my wits’ end. She was such a good dog in Lighthouse Dunes. Now that we’ve moved to Chattanooga, she’s become the devil’s spawn and is intent on getting us tossed out of the hotel.”

I’d recently relocated from Lighthouse Dunes, Indiana, to sunny Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was living in an extended-stay hotel that accepted pets.

“I told you, you’re welcome to stay with us. Beau and I have plenty of room, and we’d love to have you.”

Scarlett Jefferson—Dixie, to her friends—had been my best friend in college. She was a Southern belle who was close to six feet tall. She was thin, with big hair and a big heart to match. She and her husband, Beau, were willing to let us stay with them, but I’d been through a lot. Three months ago, I thought the fact that my husband was leaving me for a younger woman after twenty-five years of marriage was the worst thing that could happen to me. It probably was the worst thing until Albert was murdered and the police arrested me as the most likely suspect. Eventually I was cleared, but I was still working through my feelings and wasn’t prepared to drag all of my emotional baggage into my friend’s home.

I shook my head to clear the bad memories away. “I appreciate you both so much.” I sighed. “But I don’t want to be a bother.” Dixie was about to interrupt, and I held up a hand to stop her. “I know what you’re going to say, but I’ve still got a lot of things to work through, and I think it would be best if I don’t drown your poor husband in all of my crazy drama at one time. Besides, I’m hoping we find a rental and can settle down.” I sighed again. “Who knew it would take so long to find a reasonable rental in a good neighborhood that would allow pets?”

“Well, you know you always have a place with us,” Dixie said.

I knew Dixie was sincere in her invitation, but I was still adjusting to life alone without Albert. In addition to moving six hundred miles from Indiana to Chattanooga, I had adopted a rescue, a toy poodle. I named her after my favorite mystery writer, Agatha Christie, Aggie, for short. I had had a lot of change in a relatively short period of time.

I nodded. “Thank you.”

“Regardless of where you stay, you need to get Aggie trained. She’s bored in that hotel room all day, which is why she’s getting into trouble.” She tilted her head to the side. “I thought you were going to crate her during the day.”

I pulled out my cell phone and swiped until I came across a video and held it up. “I put her in the crate, but she’s a little Houdini. Every day when I come home, she’s out. At first, I thought the hotel staff were coming into the room and letting her out, but they swore they weren’t. So I got one of those motion cameras and set it up.” I leaned forward. “That little minx used her nose to slide the latch on the crate until she got it open and walked out like she was the queen of Sheba.” I stared. “It didn’t take her five minutes to get out of the crate.”

Dixie laughed. “Well, that’s the problem with smart dogs like poodles. They figure things out pretty quickly. You’re going to need to get a different crate with a more challenging lock.”

Aggie was a two-year-old toy poodle Dixie had rescued from a breeder. She was six pounds of adorableness, and I fell head over heels in love with her the first time she looked at me with those big brown eyes and laid her head on my shoulder. However, Dixie was right: she needed training.

“I signed up for your basic obedience class at the East Tennessee Dog Club. We’ll be there with bells on Thursday night.”

Dixie nodded. “Good. You’ll need a six-foot leather leash, a plain, flat leather collar, and a pouch full of treats she’ll sell her soul for.”

“I have these dog biscuits that...”

Dixie was shaking her head before the words left my mouth, and she had that You poor pitiful thing look in her eyes that she always gave me before she said, “Bless your heart,” which I’d learned was Southern speak for You’re an idiot. “Dog biscuits are nice for everyday, but you want something that will drive her crazy so she’ll want to do whatever you ask to get those treats.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Hot dogs or string cheese.”

“You told me not to give her table food.”

“True, but that was on a daily basis. Human food has preservatives, additives, tons of salt, and other things that aren’t good for people or canines. But training is different. You can give her good dog treats too, but not the dog biscuits that she gets all of the time. This needs to be something special.”

I pulled out my phone and added a reminder to myself. “Okay, I’ll add soul-selling treats to the grocery list.”

“Now, how is the house hunt going?” Dixie took a sip of her coffee and pointed to the newspaper I had placed on the table when I sat down.

“Not so good. I was supposed to look at a place this afternoon, but my realtor called and said I was too late. It’s already rented.”

“Maybe you should buy a house rather than renting,” Dixie said. “There’s a lovely home just down the street from me.” She smiled enthusiastically.

I shook my head. “I can’t afford your neighborhood; besides, I don’t think I could drive there.”

Dixie and Beau had a large, sprawling estate atop Lookout Mountain, overlooking the city. I never realized I had a problem with heights until I tried driving up Lookout Mountain. I’d lived most of my life in Indiana, which was flat and known for corn and wheat fields. I loved looking at the lush green mountains of Tennessee. However, driving them was a completely different matter. I couldn’t believe how narrow the roads leading up the mountains were—only one lane in each direction. The roads had been carved out years ago and snaked up the steep, rocky terrain. On one side of the road, your car practically hugged the mountainside; then across the two lanes there was a steep drop-off with nothing to prevent cars from tumbling over the sides.

Dixie chuckled. “I remember the first time I took you to my house. Your eyes were as big as silver dollars.” She laughed. “You kept saying, ‘That aluminum foil rail isn’t going to stop a car from falling off the side of the mountain.’”

“There need to be concrete barriers on that mountain.”

“Concrete would ruin the views.” Dixie shook her head.

“Falling off the side of the mountain will ruin it more.”

Our waiter returned and took our orders. He was a friendly young man and smiled and called me ma’am. I’d only been here for two weeks and was still getting accustomed to the friendly moniker. However, I already knew I liked Chattanooga. The people were unbelievably friendly and the landscape picturesque. However, my favorite part of Chattanooga was the weather. We were sitting outside having brunch in December. The locals complained about the cold, but at sixty-seven degrees, I thought the temperature felt fantastic. I’d checked the weather in Lighthouse Dunes earlier. There was two feet of snow on the ground and more expected every day. I’d take sixty-seven over fifteen with highs expected in the upper twenties, when the wind chill would make it feel like only seven. The very thought caused me to shiver.

I looked up. Dixie was staring at me. She then glanced to the side, and I followed the direction of her gaze to the table next to us. A small lady was sitting there, staring and smiling at us. I glanced back at Dixie, who shrugged. I tried to ignore the woman, but, after a few moments, the woman leaned over.

“Excuse me. I’m sorry to interrupt, but did I overhear you say you were looking for a rental home in a good neighborhood that accepts pets?”

I always thought the Midwest was a relatively friendly area, but two weeks in Chattanooga showed me the South was on a totally different level of friendliness. Complete strangers talked to you. They walked up to you and held conversations, and as in this case, they joined in on your conversations. My initial instinct was to ignore her, but Dixie was a lot friendlier than me.

She turned to the lady and smiled. “Yes, my friend just moved here from Indiana, and she’s been looking for a nice house in a decent neighborhood. Do you know of a place?”

The lady was older. She was small with dark hair and large glasses. “Actually, my son has a house in a great neighborhood. He’s overseas at the moment, and he loves pets. In fact, he has a wonderful dog, Rusty. He’s so smart and well trained. He adopted him from a colonel he knows.” She smiled broadly and held her chest out proudly. “He’s a military contractor stationed in the Cayman Islands.”

I tilted my head and tried not to look puzzled. The Caymans weren’t part of the United States. We had troops stationed all over the globe, but the Caymans? I looked from Dixie to the woman. “Is it listed with a realtor?”

She shook her head. “Not yet. You see, I live in Georgia, and I keep an eye on things for him when he’s out of the country.” She smiled again. “He had to leave the country very suddenly, and it’ll be a long time before he returns, so I thought there’s no sense in that house sitting empty. He might as well let someone live in it and let the house make money for him. I have to do some shopping, so I thought I’d come check on it.” Her eyes got large. “It’s a good thing I did. He left in such a hurry, the front door was open.” She shook her head in dismay.

“Well, maybe you could give me your son’s telephone number or e-mail address, and I can talk to him and arrange to see the house.” I pulled a pen out of my purse and picked up a paper napkin so I could write down the information.

“Well, I was thinking that since I’m here and you’re here, maybe I could show you the house now. That way I won’t have to drive back from Georgia.” She looked eagerly from Dixie to me. “My eyesight isn’t what it used to be, and I hate driving in traffic if I can avoid it.”

I looked at Dixie and tried to use telepathy to ask, Is this woman crazy? However, either my mental telepathy wasn’t working or Dixie decided to ignore me.

“Why, that sounds like a great idea. My name is Dixie, and this is my friend Lilly.” She pointed to me.

“Oh, excuse my manners. I’m Jo Ellen Hansen.” She shook hands with Dixie and then me. “It’s a lovely house, and I was thinking that if I rented it right away, then my son would be so pleased when he came back.” She smiled.

The waiter brought our food, and Mrs. Hansen stepped out of the way. When the waiter left, she said, “Why don’t I let you ladies finish eating and I’ll go run a few errands. Then we could meet at the house in an hour. Would that work for you?” She looked eagerly from Dixie to me.

Dixie stared at me, and I nodded. “That would be fine, but we’ll need the address.”

She giggled and told me the address. I wrote it on my napkin. She gave directions to Dixie that didn’t mean anything to me. However, Dixie must have known the area.

When Mrs. Hansen left, I looked at Dixie expectantly. “So?”

She shoveled a forkful of hash browns into her mouth and washed it down with coffee. “It’s a nice area. I guess we should have asked how much she wants for rent and a pet deposit, but it’s not very far from here.”

We finished eating, and I followed Dixie to the house, which was less than five minutes away from where we were eating near the mall. The subdivision was small, with only one way in or out. It was tucked away but close to two elementary schools.

The houses were newer, probably built in the last ten years. When we pulled in front of the address Mrs. Hansen had given us, there was already a car in the driveway, and the lady in question hopped out as soon as she saw us and waved. We parked and followed her inside.

The house was a Craftsman-style home with thick wooden beams atop stone columns supporting a wood-covered overhang. Inside, we were greeted with dark hardwood floors, high ceilings, and a massive stone fireplace. The kitchen was huge, with tons of cabinets. The house was very open and had a contemporary feel, despite the Craftsman architecture. There were three bedrooms on the first floor and a large finished bonus room upstairs with a bathroom. My only complaint was that the bedrooms and the master bath were small. In fact, one of the bedrooms was barely bigger than a closet. However, I reminded myself that I was now single with an empty nest. My two children, Stephanie and David, were grown and had moved away; they had lives of their own and would only visit on occasion. Stephanie was a successful attorney in Chicago, and David was a successful actor who was currently touring Europe with a repertoire company. So the house would be more than an adequate size for me and a six-pound poodle.

Mrs. Hansen pointed out every feature with pride. When the tour was over, we stood in the empty great-room area. “What do you think? I can give you the keys, and you can move in immediately. I can have all of his furniture and belongings moved to storage since he’ll be gone for an extended period.”

“We can take care of getting the furniture put in storage,” Dixie said.

“Thank you.” Mrs. Hansen breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled at me.

“It’s a lovely house,” I said hesitantly. “Don’t you need to talk to your son? Run my credit report? Have me fill out an application or sign a lease?” I wanted the house, but I’d never experienced anything like this before. “I mean, I don’t even have a job yet.”

She smiled. “What do you do?”

“I’m a certified public accountant.”

Her eyes widened, and she clapped her hands. “This must be destiny. I just so happen to know someone looking for an accountant.”

This seemed too good to be true. “Really?”

“My son, Robert, used to work with one of the Hopewells.” She smiled and waited expectantly.

I merely stared back.

“You know, the Hopewells.”

I shook my head. “Sorry, I’m not from here.”

“Of course, that explains it.” For the second time today, I got the You poor pitiful thing look. “I’m sure if I make a call, they’ll hire you.” She smiled. “Our meeting today was blessed by providence. I don’t see why we need to go through any formalities. My son gave me power of attorney since he’s overseas,” she said proudly. “Plus, I consider myself a good judge of character. You both look like nice people.” She turned to Dixie. “Plus, you drive a Lexus.”

It took about thirty seconds before I realized my mouth was open and closed it. I struggled to understand how the type of car Dixie drove mattered the least bit in terms of me renting this house. “You know I’m the one who’ll be renting the property, right?”

“Oh yes, but you look like an honest person.” She smiled.

I was dumbstruck.

“Well, I can tell you my friend is definitely honest and trustworthy.” Dixie turned away from the woman and winked at me. “How much is the rent?”

She gave me a price, and I nearly choked. However, I needn’t have worried. Dixie turned on her Southern charm and negotiated the rent down a couple of hundred dollars to a number that was still higher than I would have liked but was within a comfortable range. She also arranged for a refundable pet deposit that was half what I’d been quoted by other landlords.

I was adamant about a lease and called my daughter, Stephanie, and explained the situation. She quickly sent an electronic copy of a standard tenant/lease agreement with all of the particulars. We were able to sign electronically. I handed over a check for the security deposit, pet fee, and first month’s rent, and Mrs. Hansen handed over the keys and promised to get in touch with her friend about the job.

“My son’s girlfriend, Lynn, lives near here, and I’m sure if you need anything, she’ll be more than willing to help you. Plus, you can always give me a call.” She handed me a card with her telephone number. She seemed thrilled and smiled broadly before she hurried out to get on the interstate before the traffic got too bad, and left Dixie and me standing alone in my new rental.

“What just happened?”

Dixie shook her head. “You just rented a decent house in a decent neighborhood. So, you and Aggie can get out of that hotel room, and you might have also landed a new job. Let’s go and pack up your stuff and get the utilities set up so you can move in as soon as possible.”

Three phone calls had the electric, water, and trash switched to my name. The owner had left so quickly the cable and Internet hadn’t been disconnected, so I was able to get that transferred into my name too. My furniture, clothes, and belongings were in storage, so packing up the hotel room only took a couple of hours. By the end of the day, with Dixie’s help, Aggie and I were in our new home. Since the landlord had left in such a hurry and his furniture was still there, Aggie and I had a place to sleep that was better than the hotel.

Dixie was a master at arranging things. I was able to check out of my extended-stay hotel without a penalty. She even arranged for the movers to pack the landlord’s furniture into a storage pod, as Mrs. Hansen requested, and to bring my belongings the next day, which was a feat I hadn’t thought possible. Apparently, a Southern accent, used properly, could unlock quite a few doors. When I asked Dixie how she managed, she merely laughed and tossed her head back. “It’s a gift, honey.”

I was grateful she was using her gift on my behalf and accepted the statement as truth.

T. . .