Derby Divas (Zoe Donovan Mystery) (3 page)

No
one said anything.

“Okay, the meeting is
adjourned.”

Ellie pulled me aside as I stood up to leave.

“I need to talk to you. Do you have time today?”

I really didn’t.

“Of course,” I answered anyway. “I really should head over to the Zoo and check in with Jeremy, and I promised my dad I’d come by after work to visit with Mom and Harper for a while. Maybe you can come over later? Say seven?”

“Make it seven
-thirty. The Beach Hut closes at seven, and I really should let Kelly go home early since she’s been covering for me for two weeks.” Kelly is Ellie’s assistant at the Beach Hut and the woman responsible for keeping the place running so that Ellie could go on vacation and volunteer for the classic car event. “How about I bring dinner and a bottle of wine?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Zoe’s Zoo, so named by Zak when he purchased the facility from the county, is an animal shelter dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and relocation of wild and domestic animals. My assistants, Jeremy Fisher, Tiffany Middleton, and Bobby Evans
, have an impressive track record when it comes to finding the perfect home for each pet. Along with our night crew, brothers Tank and Gunnar Rivers, we make a good team. Jeremy had been in charge while I was away, and although I had initially been nervous about being away for so long, based on the daily conversations I’d had with him and Tiffany, it seemed like everything had been handled perfectly during my absence.

“I’m back,” I announced as I walked through the front door.

The lobby was empty.

“Is anyone here
?” I called.

“Back here,” Tiffany answered.

I walked down the hall to find Tiffany and our veterinarian, Scott Walden, standing over a dog lying on the exam table.

“I’m afraid Bruno came down with an intestinal infection,” Tiffany informed me.

Bruno, a boxer, had been with us for about a month.

“He hasn’t been able to keep anything down for a couple of days
, so Scott is going to put him on an IV. He’s been sedated.”

I walked over
to the table and looked at the much-too-thin dog. He was unconscious but seemed to be breathing comfortably.

“Is he going to be okay?” I asked.

“He should be,” Scott answered. “We’ll need to keep him sedated until we can get some fluids in him. I’ve shown Tiffany what to do, and I’ll stop by on my way home from the clinic to check on his progress. If things go well, we’ll reduce his level of sedation and start him on a limited diet tomorrow. How was your trip?”

“
It was really . . .” I searched for the right word, “interesting.”

“Tiffany told me about the murder investigation and treasure hunt. Do you even know what it means to take a vacation? You
’re supposed to do things like lay on the beach and maybe read a book or two.”

I shrugged. “You know me. I like to be in the middle of things.”

Scott laughed. “Did you at least find the treasure you were looking for?”

“Not yet,” I admitted. “I guess these things take times. Years even. We found some really awe
some artifacts and our friend Malie is working with her uncle to try to figure out the discrepancy between the artifacts we found and the location where the boat they were supposed to be on went down. If they find anything significant, we can always go back so we can be in on the find.”

“It sounds like a fascinating project. I never learned to dive
, but your treasure hunt is causing me to reconsider the idea,” Scott informed me. “I really should get going, but maybe we can discuss it in more depth in the future.”

“I’d love to.”

“Call me if there’s any change in Bruno’s vitals.” Scott gathered his things.

“
I will.”

“Are we still on for tonight?” He glanced at Tiffany.

“I’ll meet you at six-thirty, as planned.”

I noticed Tiffany’s grin as Scott walked away.

“So are the two of you dating?” I asked. I knew that Tiffany had been working up the courage to ask Scott out for quite some time.

“I’m not sure I’d classify it as dating
, but I asked him to go to a movie with me a couple of days ago and we really had a good time. We’re meeting for dinner tonight. So far, the whole thing has been very platonic, but I’m hoping that our friendship will evolve as we spend time together.”

“Scott is a nice
guy. I think the two of you will make a good couple. I’m glad you finally got up the nerve to ask him out.”

“
Believe me, it wasn’t easy. I almost changed my mind, but Jeremy was here, and he brought up the subject of the movie, making my asking Scott to go a little easier.”

“Where is Jeremy?” I asked.

“Stray-dog call. He should be back in a few minutes.”

I made sure that the sides on the table
on which the dog was lying were raised and locked before we left the room. He was out cold, but I didn’t want to risk him rolling off. Once the IV was removed, we’d move him to a dog bed in the recovery room.

“Anything I need to know before I dig into that pile of mail and paperwork on my desk?”

“Not specifically. The report from the surprise inspection we had on Friday is on the top of the mail. Not to toot our own horn, but we nailed it.”

“I knew you guys would
.” I smiled.

Actually
, when Jeremy first told me about the inspection, I had been terrified, but he’d managed to convince me that he could handle it and, obviously, he had.

“Did you ever find out why we were targeted so soon?”

“Not really,” Tiffany answered. “The woman who came by said it was standard procedure, but Jeremy thinks there was more to it. Either way, she was very impressed with our entire operation.”

“Wonderful. I’m proud of the job you and Jeremy did while I was away.”

Tiffany smiled.

“By the way
, I really want to thank you again for staying at the boathouse to take care of Marlow and Spade. I know Marlow can be a handful and it was a lot to ask.”

“Are you kidding? I should be thanking you for allowing me to spend two weeks in your lakefront home. It was like taking a vacation of my own, which was great
because I can’t afford to go away.”

“I noticed the kitty condo in the corner of the bedroom.”

“I know you’re concerned about space and I’ll take it back to my mom’s if you want, but Marlow loves it, and it seems to have taken care of the laundry issue.”

While I was in Hawaii
, Tiffany had told me Marlow liked to make a game out of emptying the hamper and spreading her clothes all over the house. He often did that to me as well, and she’d speculated that he was bored while he was home alone all day. Although he had a buddy in the house, Spade is a lazy cat who likes to sleep, while Marlow likes to play. Tiffany’s mom had the kitty condo in her garage from when Tiffany’d had a cat as a child, so she’d offered to bring it over and give it a try.

“He does seem to like it,” I
said. “He loves to climb to the top and swat at that stuffed bird you hung from the ceiling. It looks like Ellie is going to be moving in with me for a while, so I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep it for the long run, but I’d love to keep it for now.”

“Ellie is moving in with you?”

“Yeah. She has to be out of her apartment by the end of the month, so I offered to let her stay with me until she can find her own place.”

“Wow, your boathouse is great
, but it’s not really designed for two.”

“We
’re going to put most of her stuff in storage, but she’ll need a place to put her clothes and personal items. It’s going to be tight, but I’m not sure Ellie is emotionally ready to find a permanent place to relocate. Besides, I can always stay with Zak if it gets to be
too
cozy.”

“Yeah, I
know Zak has plenty of room. I thought he might come in with you this morning. We talked about building another couple of outdoor runs before you left. He mentioned coming by to take measurements when you returned from your trip.”

“Zak went to Kansas to visit Scooter,” I informed Tiffany. “I’m sure he’ll be by when he gets back.” I looked at the mess on my desk.
“It looks like I have a mountain of mail to deal with. Can you send Jeremy in to see me when he returns?”

“Yeah, no problem. I
’ll be exercising the dogs if you need me.”

I hoped I hadn’t been too abrupt about ending the conversation with Tiffany
, but I didn’t want to talk about Zak. Besides, a mountain of mail really was an understatement. I supposed I could have had Jeremy open the mail and deal with what he could, but in spite of the excellent job he was doing, I couldn’t quite bring myself to give up that amount of control. Not that I’m a control freak, because I’m not. Usually. Okay, maybe I am, but only about things I care about. The Zoo is an extension of my love for our four-legged friends and I take what I do very seriously.

“You’re back
.” Sixteen-year-old Bobby Evans stuck his head in the door.

“I am
.” I smiled. “I heard you have a new addition to your family.”

“I do
.” Bobby grinned. “Want to see her?”

“Sure
.” I set aside the pile of bills I was sorting and followed Bobby out of the building. “Where did you find her?” I asked as we walked out the front door.

“Craigs
list. I couldn’t believe the guy was letting her go so cheap. I called right away and ended up bringing her home that very night.”

“She’s a real beaut,” I commented. “I thought you said you had your heart set on black
.”

“I did
, but when I saw this pretty little lady, I knew how rad white could be as well.”

“She’s quite a bit older than you were looking for,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, but she’s got good bones. She needs a little work, but I think she’ll do what I need her to do. Want to try her out?”

“I’d love to
, but I have a mountain of work. Maybe tomorrow? Are your parents happy with your choice?”

“
Not really.” Bobby gently caressed his thirty-five-year-old find. “But love at first sight is love at first sight. I’m sure you get that.”

Actually
, I did.

“I know
my mom is pretty disappointed by my choice, but I’m pretty sure my dad gets it. He’s already hinting around that he might want to borrow her sometime. Plus there’s the whole cool factor.”

“Yeah
, she’s cool all right. Congratulations. I’m sure the two of you will be very happy together.”

I left Bobby ogling his new toy while I returned to my office. I
’ll admit that I envied him. There’s something really special about your first. I know I still remember mine with warmth and affection.

“Did y
ou see Bobby’s new car?” Jeremy asked as we passed in the hall.

“I did. He was lucky
to find a Mustang he could afford.”

“She has the
302 v8 engine, and it has pretty low miles, considering. I took her for a drive the other day and fell in love.”

“The maintenance is going to cost him a fortune,” I pointed out.

Suddenly I realized that I sounded like my father.

“But totally worth it,” I added.

“Yeah, she’s pretty sweet. Makes me wish I’d gone for love over practicality when I bought my ride. Of course, Bobby has a lot more free time than I do, and I have a feeling he’s going to be spending a lot of time under the hood of the old gal.”

“Speaking of
old gals, did Winifred Spears ever decide what she was going to do with Bella?”

Winifred was a longtime resident of Ashton Falls wh
o had been gifted on her eighty-fifth birthday with a condo in an assisted living community by her son Randolph. Winifred wasn’t thrilled with the gift and made sure that everyone knew it, but after a fall on the ice last winter while she shoveled her walk, she had finally decided to go along with the wishes of her children and make the move. The problem was that the community she was moving into didn’t allow dogs over forty pounds, and Bella, a golden retriever/Newfoundland mix, weighed over a hundred. Winifred was determined not to move until she found the perfect placement for Bella and was dragging her feet, creating a fair amount of frustration and tension between Winnie and her children.

“I found
Bella a home that even Winnie thinks is a perfect match for her precious baby.” Jeremy beamed.

“Ethan Carlton
.” I suggested the name of the man I’d had in mind for Bella.

“Better. Zak Zimmerman.”

“My Zak?” I was stunned that Jeremy had even talked to Zak. He’d never mentioned adopting Bella.

“I called him this morning and he said he’d be happy to provide
Bella with a home. Winnie is thrilled that she’s going to live in a mansion on the beach, and Zak even promised to let her come and visit from time to time.”