Poppies, Perils, and Poison by Erica Wynters

Author:Erica Wynters
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: murder mystery, romantic mystery, small town mystery, small town romance
Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The humane society smelled exactly like you'd expect—a whiff of wet dog, wood shavings, and some kind of air freshener that was clearly losing the battle. I wiggled my nose, but it couldn't stop my sneeze.

"God bless you," a girl said from behind the counter. She had her brown hair in two braids that fell over her shoulders. She smiled, revealing braces. "What can I help you with?"

I sneezed again. "Sorry about that," I said as I snatched a tissue from the box on the desk. "I'm looking for Dave Philips?"

"He's through the back," the girl said, pointing at a door behind the counter.

I hesitated for a moment, expecting her to add something about how I'd have to wait for him in the lobby, but she just went back to the book she was reading. I wasn't going to question it and give her a chance to change her mind.

"Thanks," I said. I passed by closely enough to see she was reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. "Are you in Ms. Taylor's English class?" I asked.

The girl looked up and grinned. "Yeah, I love Ms. Taylor. She's always saying the funniest things. How'd you know?"

"She's my best friend," I said. "I know she assigns that book every year." I held my hand out. "I'm Gwen."

"Stacy," the girl said. Her eyes lit with interest. "You said your name is Gwen? Ms. Taylor mentions you sometimes."

"She does?" I asked as I tried to think of how my name would have come up in a high school English class.

"Yeah, when we were studying Romeo and Juliet, she said some love stories are just doomed from the start and that she has a friend named Gwen who has one of those love stories with Mr. Crawford," Stacy said excitedly.

My face heated with the power of a thousand suns. Part embarrassment. Part rage. I was going to kill Penny. "She said that, huh?" I choked out.

"Yeah," Stacy said before turning back to her book. She seemed completely oblivious to my mortification, which was probably for the best. As a guidance counselor at the high school, the students were well acquainted with Chris. And me, apparently.

I hurried through the door to the back. I'd have to plot my revenge against Penny later. The smell intensified as I walked into a room filled with cages in a variety of sizes. I sneezed again. We'd never had pets growing up. My parents said they didn't have time to keep something else alive between me and the flowers. I'd never had problems like this before. Was I allergic to dogs or cats? What if I wanted to get one someday?

My panic over my future pet possibilities faded into the background at the sight of Dave holding the cutest kitten I'd ever seen. Gray with a white stripe down its back, it looked like a muted version of a skunk. Dave noticed me and smiled. "Gwen, what a pleasant surprise. Are you here to adopt a pet? Delilah here is ready to go to a good home.

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