Mint Condition by Annabel Chase

Author:Annabel Chase [Chase, Annabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: _B, _C
Publisher: Red Palm Press LLC
Published: 2023-04-06T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

My first stop the next morning was to a ‘pet resort,’ where the owner provided boarding, training, and grooming services. Mr. Shue didn’t invite me to his office or to sit, so I spent the entire time standing in the middle of the store while dogs barked and ran rampant around me as I tried to convince the owner to run a series of quarter page ads in the newspaper. It didn’t help that a few of them caught Ophelia’s scent. Their noses were glued to my pants as I valiantly tried to maintain an air of professionalism. I liked dogs—Dane’s Great Dane, Willow, was a sweetheart, but this wasn’t the ideal environment for securing a client.

I was almost grateful when Mr. Shue cut me short to greet a Goldendoodle arriving for her grooming session. “I’ll be in touch,” he called over his shoulder as he escorted the large dog to the groomer at the back of the building.

“I’ll be in touch” was code for hard pass. C’est la vie.

I left the pet resort and rode my scooter into town. I was scheduled to meet Chief Tuck outside Dream Weavers in five minutes, the specialty rug shop owned by Stellan Laramie. The chief was desperate to talk to him after I shared Ruby’s intel that Stellan had visited his best friend the night he died.

Dream Weavers was nestled between a candy store and a kava bar. I was so glad my office was nestled between other office buildings. This location would set me up for dietary failure.

“You’re early,” the chief said as he approached me on the sidewalk.

“I had a client meeting that didn’t last as long as expected.”

The chief observed my clothing. “Do you know you’re covered in dog hair?”

“It’s the new trend. More ethical than fur.” I dusted off the sleeves of my jacket. “How well do you know Stellan?”

“He doesn’t fish, so not as well as I knew Matthew.”

“Well, we know he only inherited a guitar, according to the will,” I said, “so I’m not sure money is a motive here.”

“He would’ve known what the Continental dollar is worth though,” the chief replied. “If he was in need of money, that coin would go a long way toward helping matters.”

“If he was in need of money, I bet he could’ve asked his best friend for it, and Matthew would’ve given it to him gladly.”

Chief Tuck pondered my statement. “You’re not wrong. Still, he might have useful information if he was the last person to see Matthew alive.”

I smiled. “And that’s why we’re here.”

“No, we’re here to see if you pick up any energy vibrations.”

I laughed. “The only vibrations I feel are from my phone.”

He motioned me forward. “We’ll keep it casual. Remember, this is informal information gathering.”

I entered the store ahead of the chief, triggering the soft jingle of a bell. There were rugs everywhere—the floor, the walls, even hanging from the ceiling.

A slender man emerged from between two antique rugs hanging as part of a ‘recent arrivals’ display.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.