Murder Fur Hire (Dog Groomer Mysteries Book 6) by Chelsea Thomas

Author:Chelsea Thomas [Thomas, Chelsea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-12-04T16:00:00+00:00

24

Running on Empty

We went to a vegetarian restaurant called Leaf for dinner. The place was right across the street from The Rapid Runner, and it looked pretty crowded, so we decided to give it a try. We all agreed we needed nourishment in order to discuss the case with any clarity, and we were in the mood for something healthy, probably because we were in Santa Monica. When in Rome, you know?

The inside of the restaurant was decorated like a garden in heaven. There were vines and plants along every wall and climbing every column. Everything other than the green plants was painted bright white. The resulting effect gave the place a light and airy feeling, even though it was dark outside.

The place was packed, and we scored the last open table in the entire restaurant. The table was all the way in the back of the room. Perfect for clandestine conversations. Three tanned women in sundresses ate at the next table closest to us, but they were so caught up taking pictures of themselves and their foods, I don’t think they knew we had even been seated.

The three of us each ordered a smoothie and a salad, and then we got down to business.

“I’m not sure I believe the brother’s story about being estranged from Javier,” said Granny. “Pretty convenient, if you ask me.”

“Really?” I said. “José didn’t give me any bad feelings. He didn’t know we were there to investigate his brother’s death, and he was forthright and honest about their relationship. I agree. I’m not sure I trust him. But I also wonder… Why would he have had any reason to lie?”

“His brother just turned up with a bullet between the eyes,” said Betsy. “That’s why, sister. Look, I’m sorry to rattle your cute little understanding of the world we live in out here in Hollywood, but things get rough. Friends kill friends. Brothers kill brothers. Happens all the time.”

“You testing out dialogue right now?” I said.

Betsy snapped her fingers in frustration. “Too on the nose? Too dramatic?”

“All of the above,” said Granny. “But I think I agree with your general point, Betsy. I don’t think José necessarily had any clear reason to lie. But the guy just didn’t seem trustworthy to me. His smile was too bright. His demeanor too calm.”

I sighed. I wanted to feel more certainty about a suspect, for once. People were so complicated. No one was ever just… good or evil. And it was impossible to know for sure if someone was being honest. Not to mention, people lied for all sorts of reasons, often unrelated to murder. It made investigations so much more frustrating. And why couldn’t the three of us ever seem to get the same read on a suspect? For that matter, why couldn’t we ever pick the right suspect from the get-go? Every mystery insisted on twisting and turning. And the more twists and turns, the less safe the streets of Toluca Lake. We needed to take action on our new information, and we needed to take action fast.

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