Doggone Dead (10 page)

He grimaced and reached for his keys in his front pocket. “That would be great.” He handed them over. “I guess our date is over.”

“Sure. I would say call me, but if the second date is anything like the first, it could be pretty frightening for both of us.”

The paramedic loaded him onto the stretcher. Adam grasped onto the sides and said, “Besides, there is the little fact that you were pumping me for information on your father’s case. I actually consider myself a fair judge of character, but I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“Well, you can be pleased with yourself then, because you didn’t reveal anything. No harm done,” I said as I picked up my purse. The phone inside started ringing. The caller ID read “Dad.”

The next day, as he sat at my kitchen table ladling sauerkraut onto a hot dog, my father asked, “So did you see anything at all, Betsy?”

“I told you it was really difficult to see, but the shot was being fired from the brush near the bayou. There was a flash and some powder. Luckily, whoever it was wasn’t a very good shot.”

“We checked it out, and it’s lookin’ like they might have come from the antique Charlie Loper guns that were stolen from the museum.”

“Okay, but after finding out that Hunter Grayson was funneling money off of Miss Loper, I can see a good reason for him to be killed. Shooting at me and Adam Cole is another matter.” I said. “He’s only been in town for a few weeks, so anybody wanting revenge for a case he tried seems a little soon. And me? Me? I’m the Happy Hinter. Who would want to take a shot at me for goodness’ sake? What did I do, give some bad advice on ring around the collar?”

“Whatever you did, that gun was aimed right at you,” my father answered.

“If I had to pick a suspect – and Dad, try not to take this personally – I think I would have to go with you. You have the biggest motive in town right now with Adam Cole investigating you.”

“Which brings me to our next topic of conversation. What the hell were you doing out with him at Ben’s Bayou?”

“Grandpa,” Zach said. “You used a bad word. Mom said I can’t say it, so why can you?”

“Listen to your mother, son,” my dad said.

“Betsy, I need an answer to my question.” His tone made me feel like I was sixteen sneaking into the house after curfew.

“Okay, okay. I know it probably wasn’t a good idea, but I met him before I knew he was the new district attorney. He flirted with me a little and asked me out and I said no.”

“Because she has a boyfriend,” Zach said around a mouth full of sauerkraut.

“Right,” I confirmed. “But then that thing came out about you in the paper, and they featured my picture of you. I just felt like I owed it to you. That’s all.”

Dad smiled and scooted closer. “Thank you for that,” he paused, “but don’t you ever do that again.”

“Dad, it was no big deal. After we were shot at, I told him the truth. The worst that came out of it was that he disappointed I wasn’t there for the right reason.”

“Yeah, and he lives in this town now, and you don’t want to go pissing off the district attorney.”

“Grandpa!

“Sorry. So, in all of your spy work, did you find out anything?”

“No, he found out more about me than I did about his investigation,” I admitted. “He described you as ‘some old cop’ who was caught planting evidence.”

“Old? Now that hurts.”

“That’s what he said. I really wanted to get more out of him, but trying to question Mr. Cole was harder than I thought. Turns out I’m not as good at being sneaky as I thought.”

Zach grinned while his cheeks bulged with hot dog.

“Who do you think would frame you like that, dad?” I said.

“You even have to ask? Clay Bonnet was yelling how I planted that pot even before I got out of the driveway with his son. It doesn’t help that he’s hired Irving Spalding to try his son’s case. He’ll get it thrown out of court before it ever comes to trial. It was just a stroke of good luck that Rocky heard about the charge and then looked through the pictures you brought in from the farm.”

“Yeah, I used to think Rocky was on our side.”

“He is, when it sells papers.”

“But putting the picture in the paper without asking me or you and taking that picture at the restaurant?”

“It’s his job, the same way you do yours and I do mine. He had a scoop.”

My cell phone rang from behind me. My dad rose from the table and looked at the caller ID on the phone lying on the counter.

“It’s Mr. Fitzpatrick, Betsy,” he chuckled. “Wonder what he would think of your little dinner date?” He picked up his Stetson and headed for the door. “Have to run, darlin’.”

I answered the phone on the fourth ring.

“Betsy,” Leo said, “are you all right?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, maybe because you were just shot at.”

“Oh, that.”

“Yes that.”

“How did you hear about that? It just happened.”

“It’s on the Internet,” he said. “You made the statewide news.”

“Oh,” I said. “I’m okay. You don’t need to worry. I wasn’t even hit.”

“It says someone else was. What were you doing there, anyway?”

Okay, here came the big confession. I would try to explain to him that I was really just on the date to get information on my dad’s investigation. He would surely understand why I did what I did.

“Betsy?”

“Yes.” I cleared my throat. “The man I was out with is the new district attorney in town. We met at the veterinarian’s office. He has a dog named Sunshine.”

“And you are...dating him?”

“No! Well, I was sort of ... but no, we won’t be going out ever again.”

“Being shot at kind of put him off, huh? No one ever said life with you would be easy.” I could hear anger rising in Leo’s voice.

“Let me explain.”

“No need. You’re a grown woman, and if you want to get picked up at the dog doctor, then have at it. I’ll hand it to him – he does use his surroundings well. Who needs a bar when you can just take old Sunshine out for her shots?”

Now he was getting me angry. What did he think I was – available to anyone who asked? The idiot didn’t even realize how I felt. I hadn’t even defined it myself in my own head, but I sure wasn’t shopping around for someone else to date.

“Leo...”

“Wow, look at the time. I’m just glad you’re doing okay, Betsy.”

The line went dead on the other end. He totally misunderstood what had happened and my reasons for being there. It surprised me that he reacted so quickly. Usually Leo was an excellent listener. It was one of the things I liked about him most. After my failed marriage, I felt like no one would ever pay any attention to me again. Leo didn't seem to be listening this time. If he had just stopped interrupting me, I could have gotten it out. I continued to worry about the situation as I did the lunch dishes and Zach ran out to play with Butch. I knew I had to do something, but I didn’t think I could get Leo back on the phone. I walked over to the computer and started writing an email to “weatherguy.” My weatherguy.

“I’m so sorry about this misunderstanding. I am not sending love letters to Adam Cole, the new district attorney. It was all a big mix-up. As if I would send anything nice to the guy who is framing my father...”

I noticed that when I pulled up my email, there had been a message from Dr. Springer. It started to gnaw at me that possibly something had come back from the blood test she took after Butch’s week in “captivity.”

Putting off writing to Leo, I clicked back to my inbox and opened the email from Dr. Springer.

Dear Clients of Springer Veterinary Clinic,

To celebrate the Fourth of July this year, we are having our first pet parade before the beauty pageant. Dress your dog or cat in their finest patriotic outfit and join the parade at the Pecan Bayou Public Park! Hope to see you there!

I looked back at the list of recipients of the email and noticed Adam Cole’s name near the beginning. Would he be there with Sunshine? He left the restaurant pretty angry with me. I was hoping that he would understand a daughter helping out her father, but instead I probably once again made matters worse for my dad. Maybe I would go down to his office to try to smooth things out. Then again, maybe I should just let it go.

It probably wouldn't hurt to write him a little email and apologize for making a fake date with the man. I started a new email to Adam, leaving the email to Leo unsent. I was feeling scatterbrained about the whole thing and just had the overwhelming impulse to fix it all, right now. I would write him a note first and then transfer his email address from Dr. Springer’s list to this new email.

Hey, sorry about our date, and not just the shooting. I think you’re a really great guy...

Zach burst through the back door with Butch. His face was the color of ripe watermelon.

“Man, it’s hot out there. Can I have a soda?” He looked like the poster boy for sunstroke, so I jumped up and poured him some water with ice in it. I wet a kitchen towel and put it on the back of his neck.

“What about Butch?” he asked. Bossy for a kid. I put some fresh water in Butch’s bowl, which he lapped up until it was gone.

“You should have come in sooner, Zach. This heat can be dangerous.”

“Sorry, Mom, but we were exploring,’” Zach said after gulping down another mouthful of water. Zach tried to put the wet cloth on the back of Butch’s neck, but the dog pulled away from him and went over to the braided rug in the den and collapsed, panting.

“Poor boy, he’s all worn out.”

The gray puppy looked tired, but at the same time in a state of euphoria only achieved from playing with a little boy on a hot summer day.

The back door swung open again, and Danny came clomping into the room.

“Betsy! We’re going to have a parade! We’re going to have a parade!”

“Yes, I know, Danny. I was just reading about it in an email the doctor sent.”

“We’re going to have a parade with dogs! Dr. Springer says we can bring Butch and have him in the parade.” Aunt Maggie had followed her son in quietly and was now pulling a water bottle out of my refrigerator. After she unscrewed the cap and took a swig, she sighed.

“They’ve decided to have a dog parade to celebrate the Fourth. They’re going to put them in the front of the regular parade so as not to spook the dogs. Dr. Springer’s telling all her clients to dress up their pets.”

“Not the cat people. They’re not invited. Cats don’t parade good, you know,” Danny added.

“Cool!” Zach said. “Can you make Butch a little flag costume?”

“I don’t know about that, but we can do something.

“We could attach sparklers to his collar.”

“I know, I can make Butch a red, white and blue yo-yo outfit,” said Aunt Maggie. My aunt was famous for her yo-yo bedspreads, and we each had one. She loved to take little scraps and turn them into puffy circles that she would then sew onto a bedspread. It was only fitting that Butch should have his own.

“I’m going to meet my girlfriend there,” Danny said. I shot Aunt Maggie a look. I guessed Allison would be there, but how comfortable would she feel with Danny professing his love to her in front of the crowd.

Maggie raised her eyebrows and shook her head. She knew a heartbreak was coming for her son. She attempted to change the subject.

“I’m sure Adam Cole will be there with that dog of his. What’s his name? Aquarius?”

“Sunshine,” I said. “If he is there, he probably doesn’t want to talk to me. He wasn’t too happy  when he found out I was Judd Kelsey’s daughter.”

“I suppose not. That’s alright, you tried.”

“Unfortunately, Leo heard about it and wasn’t too happy on the phone.”

I had never seen Leo angry. More than angry, he had seemed hurt. It had been such a simple idea to go and get some answers out of the man who was investigating my father on a false charge. Now the simple idea had turned into a bad situation with a man that I was pretty sure I had some strong feelings for. I didn't know if I was ready to head for the love thing, but being with Leo was just easy and felt right. My time with Leo was not something I wanted to lose in my life because of one dinner date.

“You had better call him and make it right, Betsy. Fellas like that don’t mosey into your life every day,” said Maggie.

I knew she was right and just had to hope he would read my email. I returned to my computer to go back to the email I had started.

“Mom!” I heard from the next room. “Do we have any more hot dogs?”

When I became a parent, I never knew my life would turn into the job of a 24-hour waitress who never earned a single tip. I quickly filled in both the men’s emails and sent them off.

That night as I worked on my next column on fireworks anxiety and dogs, I checked  my inbox to see if there was an email from Leo. If there was just a way I could get him to listen to me, then I could explain everything.

My phone rang. This had to be Leo and my chance to set things straight. I grabbed for it.

A male voice on the other end started the conversation before I could say hello. “Uh, Betsy. This is the guy who is trying to frame your father.”

I recognized a voice that was now becoming familiar on the other side of the line. Would this ever end? How many times could I insult this man and get away with it?

“Adam?” I know I had said it, but never to his face.

“That’s me. I just received your email.” His tone was curt and to the point. “Look, although I’m not from around these here parts, I will treat your father’s case with fairness. Just because somebody makes a claim, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the truth. You should realize I’ve been around long enough to know that.”

I slowly came to the realization that he was reacting to the email I sent Leo. Had I accidentally switched the email addresses of Adam and Leo? That would mean ... I ran to my computer,phone in hand, and checked my “sent” mail. Sure enough, I had done the unthinkable.