Deadly Bites on Winter Nights (An Ivy Creek Cozy Mystery Book 9) by Ruth Baker

Author:Ruth Baker [Baker, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CleanTales Publishing
Published: 2022-12-08T16:00:00+00:00

15

The dog stopped and looked at Lucy, tilting its head.

Maybe it was Ivan, Lucy thought, with a rush of excitement. She’d only met the farm’s dog a few times, so she couldn’t be sure… but how wonderful it would be if she could bring Lenora Nelson’s lost dog home to her!

“C’mon, Ivan,” she encouraged. “Do you want to go home?”

At the word “home”, the dog’s ears pricked up, and he began to cautiously come forward again.

Just then, a car door slammed on the street, startling the animal. He flinched, and bolted, running away, leaving Lucy sorely disappointed. She straightened up with a sigh and then pulled out her phone.

Since she didn’t know for sure if it was Ivan, it would be silly to chase the dog down the alley. She’d call the Nelson’s house and mention she might have spotted him. The answering system picked up after a few rings, and Dominic’s voice came over the line. Lucy waited for the beep, and left a brief message, including the name of the cross street nearby.

She ended her call and glanced down the alley again, but the dog hadn’t reappeared. Maybe it would be there again when she came out of the antique shop.

She mentally crossed her fingers and walked on, soon coming to the door of Cleo’s Collectibles. She stopped for a moment in the street, admiring the front window display.

An antique rocking chair held a large wooden Nutcracker soldier standing several feet tall. An antique checkerboard constructed of light and dark wood was set up on a small table in front of him. His would-be opponent, a large plush toy fashioned after Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, sat in another rocking chair, his four legs akimbo. A white artificial Christmas tree was behind them, its tiny lights twinkling.

Seeing the white tree, a true blast from the past, gave Lucy fresh hope that the store might yield the vintage ceramic tree she was looking for. She opened the door and stepped inside.

The store was dimly lit, and Lucy blinked, her eyes adjusting from the brightness outdoors. There were no overhead lights on, she noticed. Instead, at least a dozen floor and table lamps, all tagged for sale, were lit up. They emitted varying degrees and shades of illumination, lending a warm and cozy ambience to the shop.

The homey atmosphere was completed by the presence of a large, striped, orange and white cat, who came to greet Lucy immediately, winding around her ankles.

Lucy smiled and bent down to stroke the feline’s head. “Well, hello there,” she murmured. “Aren’t you the friendly one?”

A woman’s voice came from the far side of the shop. “That’s Cleo,” she said. “She’s welcoming you to her shop.” The obvious affection in the proprietor’s voice had Lucy realizing she’d found a kindred spirit: a cat person.

Lucy grinned at the woman and walked forward, with Cleo zig-zagging in front of her.

“Hello,” Lucy held out her hand. “I’m Lucy Hale.”

The woman shook her hand with a surprisingly firm grip. “Rosalyn Sykes,” she said, her green eyes full of good humor.

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