Bad to the Bone Page 5

  “Oh, I think you’ll like our conversation—or at least there’s a good possibility you will.” Wanda’s grin appeared sly, and I wished I knew what she was thinking. Better yet, what she was planning.

  I was sure I’d find out soon, since, as Gwen brought our drinks and some menus, Jack joined us.

  He didn’t sit down immediately, though. He stood behind the chair that remained empty for him, leaning forward with his arms crossed on its back. His gaze stopped on Billi first, and I thought I caught a hint of confusion as well as caring in it. Its next stop was on me, where I gleaned an emotion I couldn’t completely interpret, although I guessed it was asking whether I was with him—or a traitor.

  Finally, it stopped on Wanda, where it definitely hardened. “I thought just the two of us were meeting tonight over dinner, to discuss our differences and find a better way to deal with them.”

  “That’s why I invited Carrie and Billi.” Wanda leveled a catlike smile on him. “They both play roles in our differences, so I figured they could also be part of our working things out.”

  “Don’t count on that,” Billi said slowly. She appeared to stare daggers toward Jack, as if she’d managed to transform any hurt she’d felt when learning of his possible affair with his coworker into fury.

  Too bad I couldn’t somehow bottle up those expressions and find a way to sell them, maybe to actors since they conveyed so many different thoughts and feelings. I realized, though, that I was allowing my own thoughts to wander as a way of pulling back from all the emotions surrounding me.

  As to my emotions? I was interested. Curious. And sympathetic, first to Billi and also, somewhat, to Jack.

  I was also very irritated at Wanda and the harm she appeared able to bring to people I considered friends.

  “Actually, I do count on that,” Wanda finally said to Billi. But before she could give any further explanation, Gwen came by to take the additional drink orders.

  Unsurprisingly, both also contained alcohol: a beer for Jack and a glass of white wine for Billi.

  “Okay, then,” Wanda said after she and I clinked glasses while our tablemates waited for their drinks—ironic, of course, as if we wished each other good luck. “There was a good reason for me to invite each of you here tonight, and I’ll tell you why.” She moved her sly grin to each of us, one at a time, and I almost shuddered when she got to me. This should be interesting, I nevertheless thought. I’d figured she just wanted to get more anger flowing, but maybe there was more to it than that.

  “I’ll start with you, Billi.” Wanda planted her gaze on Billi, whose face now appeared cool and unemotional—though I was certain she felt the opposite inside. “I know you’re interested in Jack. He’d have stayed interested in you, too, if I hadn’t stepped into this picture.”

  Neither Billi nor Wanda looked toward Jack, but I did. Instead of matching the indifference of Billi’s expression, his was now furious as he trained it on Wanda. He remained silent, though, clearly waiting for her to continue.

  “Now, despite how much I care for Jack,” Wanda said, “I’ll let you have him if everything I suggest tonight can be arranged.”

  At that, Jack nearly rose. I could see him clench his fists on the table as if he intended to use them as leverage, but he caught himself. He stayed still, but he did dare to cast a glance at me that suggested his rage.

  “But what if I—” Billi began, and I was sure she intended to say she wanted nothing to do with Jack … now.

  Wanda interrupted. “Oh, I know you may be a little miffed at him now, but just wait. I think the two of you could become a good item.”

  Before she continued, Gwen arrived with the other drinks and to take our food orders. I wasn’t hungry after all this but ordered a salad anyway. I gathered from what my companions asked for—a bowl of soup for Billi and a BLT for Jack—that they weren’t exactly starving now, either.

  Wanda, on the other hand, ordered a full steak dinner. Clearly her plans for us must require energy on her part. She was the only one evincing much of an appetite.

  After Gwen left, Wanda turned to me. “You’re next, Carrie. We’ve already discussed how much I want you to sell some excellent, healthy dog recipes to VimPets, and how I’ll make sure the company gives you lots of good profit in return. All I’m asking from you, on top of this, is that you confirm with our executives that I’m now your primary contact.” When Jack, between us, opened his mouth in apparent protest, she continued, “And before we’re through here, I’ll be your only contact.”

  “Forget that, you bitch,” Jack said, actually standing this time.

  Wanda remained seated, shooting an unruffled, almost sympathetic gaze up at him. “Oh, I won’t forget it. And you’d better not call me names. Not if you want me to make sure you get anything positive out of this.”

  “You’re not in charge,” he shot back, although he sat back down. “I can take this idiocy back to the company and have you—”

  “Have me what? Fired? I don’t think so. You know I have the ear of one of our highest-up execs, and you probably suspect his ear is not all I have. In fact—”

  She turned and unhooked her small and shiny purse from the back of her chair, then whipped out her cell phone. She leveled a smug smile at Jack as she quickly pushed a button on it and brought it up to her ear.

  “Hi, Marv,” she purred after the person on the other end apparently answered. She waited for a moment, then said, “Yes, I’m still in Knobcone Heights. That really nice vet tech and store owner Carrie Kennersly and I have been talking, and I think I’ve nearly convinced her to sell us some of her best recipes. Of course, I’ve promised her the extra compensation you and I discussed.”

  Her eyes shot to mine and she smiled. I didn’t smile back, but I admitted, only to myself, that I had liked the extras—like shares in the company—that she’d suggested. That didn’t mean I’d accept them, though, to Jack’s detriment.

  Maybe.

  “Yes. Right,” she said. “But the thing is, Jack is here too, and he keeps insisting that Ms. Kennersly is his find and only his to deal with. He’s been giving me such a hard time.” Her voice now sounded sad and frustrated.

  Jack had risen again. His expression clearly reflected his anger—and indecision. I figured he was trying to determine whether or not to yell at her, since it would only confirm he was giving her a hard time.

  “Don’t you have someone above this guy you can talk to?” I whispered to him, but he didn’t look at me. I assumed the answer was no, or he at least didn’t believe it would help.

  “No, no, that’s okay. Let me try to get things settled down with him first. You don’t have to fire him … although I might suggest that he quit. I think we’d all be happier that way.”

  Jack’s eyes were huge and furious by then. I saw him clench his fists even harder.

  But Wanda soon made some lovey-dovey comments and hung up. Then she looked at Jack. “So you see how things are. And that’s your part in my plan—leaving. I really do think you’d be happier if you quit. I’ll bet you could find a job here in Knobcone Heights so you could be with your sweetie Billi. Maybe Carrie could hire you, or the people with that pet boutique, or some other business altogether. Or you could start your own shop—though I don’t know what you’d sell. I’ll bet I could ensure you get a nice package for leaving.”

  That was when our meals arrived. Everyone just sat there staring at each other while Gwen placed the food in front of us. She looked puzzled, aiming her gaze at me.

  I simply shrugged.

  And that appeared to be that. As we ate, Wanda steered the conversation toward how Billi rescued and rehomed animals. Billi seemed to lighten up a bit as she talked about her favorite topic.

  “I’ll bet Jack would love helping you with that, wouldn’t you, Jack?” Wanda asked. “You two could do it together.”

  Then
she asked me about being a veterinary technician and the animal illnesses and allergies that had led me to develop some of my treats.

  In fact, the rest of the meal seemed to go quite smoothly, as if Wanda had never made her odd threats and suggestions.

  But when we were finally done eating, she said, “Now, I don’t expect any decisions right away, much as I’d like them. Think about what I said—overnight. We can all talk again, one on one, tomorrow.”

  “And if we say no to any of your suggestions?” Billi’s tone iced up again as she stared at Wanda. When she glanced briefly toward Jack she appeared slightly warmer, but only for an instant.

  “A no from any of you could make things quite difficult for all of you,” Wanda said. “Now, here’s my contribution toward our bill.” She whipped fifty dollars out of her wallet and placed it on the table. “I’ll talk to each of you tomorrow.” She grinned yet again, in a way that looked almost evil. “You might want to discuss it before you leave here. Have a great night.”

  And then she left.

  The only discussion that went on afterward consisted of things Wanda clearly wouldn’t like. None of us were interested in coming up with ways to accommodate her demands.

  Jack tried to solicit Billi’s attention. For a short while I thought he was succeeding, but she finally faced him and said, “I don’t want to talk about this. I thought we had something going, but I’m not about to try to save it because your buddy said I should want you to quit your job and then help you feel better about it.”

  “I’m not quitting anything,” Jack growled, glaring at her. “And we did have something going, as far as I was concerned, but not now. I’m not going to continue to see you because Wanda said we should.”

  “Fine,” Billi said.

  “Fine,” Jack repeated.

  My thought was that they should aim their anger in the direction it belonged, toward Wanda, but I didn’t say so.

  All I said was, “Jack, I don’t want to encourage Wanda either. But she did offer me more compensation for any recipes I provide than you seemed able to. I’d much rather do business with you if I form a relationship with VimPets, but I wouldn’t mind the additional incentive. Any possibility you could match it?”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” But his expression was a bit bleak, as if he wasn’t sure he could do anything at the moment with VimPets.

  We each paid a third of what was left after contributing Wanda’s fifty dollars toward the bill, as well as a generous tip to Gwen, who’d put up with us ignoring her now and then as we argued.

  When we left, I believed we all intended to head in different directions. I certainly didn’t want to remain in the company of either of the others just then, not even Billi—although I suspected she might need some cheering up. But at the moment I could have used some, too.

  In fact, I called Reed as I reached my car, and he sounded glad to meet me for a drink at the resort bar. I found myself smiling as I went back inside the lobby and headed to the rear, but this time to the right side, toward the bar, rather than the left and the restaurant. I grabbed a table for two in the crowded and noisy establishment, one at the back where there was a wonderful view of the lake during the daytime. At this hour, though, there was mostly darkness punctuated by the glow of buildings on the cliffside overlooking the water, their lights gleaming on the pulsing lake surface below.

  I ordered another glass of merlot and sipped it slowly, looking at it rather than at any of the patrons—especially since there were a couple of guys at a nearby table who seemed interested in getting my attention. I’d have played along if they’d had dogs with them, to get them to visit the Barkery sometime—but not now.

  Fortunately, Reed arrived fairly quickly, which made me smile. So did the hello kiss we shared. He sat down and ordered a beer, and I told him what had gone on that evening in his absence at the restaurant.

  “No wonder you look so glum.” He came around the small table to kiss me once more.

  I felt my glumness slipping away.

  As we talked, my mind relaxed, even as my body tensed a bit with the good feeling of being with the right company at the right time.

  In fact, when we’d finished our drinks, I called Neal. He was home that night and told me he’d been caring for Biscuit and would continue to. That left me free to visit Reed and Hugo at their house for an hour or two.

  Reed lived south of downtown Knobcone Heights, in a very nice area. It wasn’t a neighborhood where the town’s richest residents lived, but I enjoyed driving and walking through its pleasant streets.

  I later returned home to sleep, though, since, as always, I had to rise early the next morning to start my day.

  The next morning, I was quite surprised to receive a call from Jack as I reached my shops.

  “I need your advice, Carrie.” There was something in his voice that made him sound like someone else—a squeakiness, a fear, a lack of the usual sureness that he evinced.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “I … I took Rigsley out early this morning, since he was restless and demanding, and … Carrie, he led me behind the apartment building, near its parking lot. I found … Wanda is there. She’s apparently been stabbed. I’ve called 911 for paramedics and cops and all, but I think she’s dead.”

  Six

  I’d just walked Biscuit in front of the stores. Now, she was on her leash beside me. I managed to open the door into the Barkery, phone in hand. I closed it behind us and began shaking, an image of a bloody Wanda forming in my mind.

  I shook it off, kneeling to release Biscuit from her leash as I stumbled for something to say to Jack. As it turned out, there wasn’t much time. I heard sirens behind his voice over the phone.

  “I don’t know what to say,” I began.

  “Just promise you’ll do your usual thing and help figure out who did this,” he said. “I’ve got a good idea who they’ll want to blame.”

  Him. Of course. He’d been arguing with Wanda. She’d threatened his career, as well as the relationship he’d been attempting to establish with Billi.

  “Maybe not,” I said hopefully, without believing it. “For now, just remember all the stuff you see on TV. Don’t touch anything.” I hesitated. “You haven’t, have you?”

  “No. Of course not. It’s so … well, you don’t need to hear how awful it looks. How awful she looks.”

  But I could imagine. He said she’d been stabbed. With what? I didn’t ask. But there would be blood. Maybe a lot …

  He wasn’t certain she was dead. Might she survive? But in any case it sounded grim.

  I pulled my concentration away from the ugly vision in my mind. “Okay, then make sure you don’t answer questions without a lawyer. I can refer you to someone locally, if you’d like.”

  “I’d like,” he said.

  I’d been accused of murdering someone in the spring. That was probably why Jack had asked me for help—and said it was my “usual thing.” I’d figured out who the killer really was, and I’d done this a second time when there was another local murder and the cops thought Janelle was responsible. Neal and Janelle had just started their relationship and I believed her to be innocent, so I’d helped her, too.

  Now, there was Jack.

  “Try Ted Culbert,” I said. Ted had advised me when I was a suspect, and I’d referred Janelle to him. Ted and I had even flirted a bit for a while. I considered him a friend, in addition to a good and competent lawyer.

  Only …

  This time things were different, I realized, as Jack said the EMTs had arrived and he needed to hang up.

  I stuck my phone in the pocket of my dark slacks, slowly approached the counter beside the glass-fronted display case, and leaned against it. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned Ted.

  I’d been innocent. I’d felt certain Janelle was, too.

 
But Jack?

  He’d actually had reason to hurt—to kill—Wanda. She’d already put a dent in his new relationship with Billi.

  She’d threatened his job. His career. His livelihood.

  If that wasn’t a good motive, what was?

  Jack had said he’d found Wanda’s body behind his apartment building that morning, thanks to Rigsley. What if he’d encouraged Rigsley to go toward the parking lot so that he could blame his dog for helping to “discover” Wanda?

  As I closed my eyes and continued to lean against the counter, Biscuit came over. Adorable, sweet little girl that she was, she clearly knew that her mommy was upset and she tried to help me, nuzzling my leg. I knelt beside her on the blue tile floor and hugged her warm, furry body.

  But my mind was still engaged in what was going on.

  Jack. He had motive. Maybe opportunity, too, since it was outside where he lived. What had Wanda been doing there? Was she still staying in Jack’s apartment despite their argument?

  I knew someone else with motive, too: Billi. Could she have run into Wanda outside Jack’s apartment and stabbed her?

  If I had to choose one of them to be guilty, I preferred Jack over Billi. But she’d already appeared to pull back from liking Jack, so her motive would be sketchy—except that Wanda appeared to be the reason she’d distanced herself from him.

  Well, I didn’t know the full story. Maybe it had even been someone else. After all, Wanda wasn’t the nicest person. She probably had other enemies, too.

  Or so I hoped.

  I realized that I was starting to blame myself a little, too. Hadn’t I thought, after dinner last night, that Jack and Billi shouldn’t aim their anger toward each other but toward Wanda?