Bow Wow Big House, Page 2

  And even though I didn’t technically tell anyone my secret, Georgie somehow managed to wrangle it out of me a few years back. Apparently, a person can only be so intuitive.

  Recently, I’ve learned that my boyfriend’s former best friend, Deputy Leo Granger, happens to share the same odd gift. And as fate and my bad luck would have it, Jasper’s ex-girlfriend, Camila Ryder, somehow garnered this information as well. She cheated on Jasper with none other than Leo, but recently she’s seen the error of her ways and tried tooth and nail to get Jasper back.

  Camila went as far as threatening to expose me if I didn’t relinquish my hold on him. As if I’d break up with a perfectly good homicide detective over a few flimsy threats. But then, true to her rotten word, Camila did make good on those threats. On Christmas Eve, she wrote Jasper a letter and basically told him that both Leo and I share a supernatural gift. Thankfully, Jasper laughed it off and called her insane. But the men who showed up from the Metaphysical Research Department, MRD for short, weren’t laughing. That’s right. Camila had the nerve to call in the feds. As if I’ll ever admit to my ability.

  Two investigators from the MRD came sniffing around the Country Cottage Inn, twice last month—the second time being on Christmas Eve right after Jasper read that ridiculous, yet explosively accurate letter. Jasper chased them away and they’ve yet to be back. But something tells me they will be. And they will want answers.

  Mayor Mackenzie Woods drones on and on, and I can’t help but glance around at the glamorous crowd. A commotion near the entry of the room catches my eye.

  It’s Siena Thomson arguing with a tall blonde, and I watch as the blonde snatches Siena by the wrist and Siena struggles to break free.

  I slip away from the crowd and make my way over to the entry, if for anything, to make sure the two women don’t come to blows.

  “Don’t you ever threaten me again, Mariah,” Siena snips as she steps in close to the towering blonde. “Or I will end you.” She stalks off and I step back, trying to blend into the crowd.

  The blonde glares in the direction Siena disappeared in.

  Oh, honey. Kiss your daddy’s millions goodbye because I will most certainly end you.

  Chapter 2

  The odd thing about hanging out in a haunted house is that there’s an underlying creepy delight to it all. Okay, I confess, I’m not all that big on getting frightened out of my mind. But with a room full of people—not to mention adorable pets—each one more glamorous than the next, there’s the illusion of safety in numbers.

  That is, with the exception of this moment right here as I delve into the main hall just outside of the raucous ballroom behind me.

  I spot Siena near the base of the stairs, tapping spastically into her phone just as a younger woman with long, dark hair and matching dark eyes approaches her. She’s got on a copper-colored dress that fits her like a tight glove, and a part of me wishes I could trade dresses with her before Jasper gets here.

  Siena looks over at her. “Oh, thank God, Winnie. What is going on tonight? Has everyone gone mad?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” The brunette, Winnie, I suppose, waves it off. “I have everything under control. Let’s get our minds off it and focus on the task at hand. We’re raising a lot of money tonight for a good cause.”

  Siena openly scoffs at the girl. “We would have raised more if you’d have paid attention to the messages I sent you. Remind me to dock your pay.” Siena bolts off like a woman on a pay-docking mission.

  “What?” the girl calls after her. “Siena, you can’t be serious.” A hard groan comes from her. But she is. Because she’s a monster.

  The woman barrels past me, nearly knocking me right off my heels as her ring gets caught on that annoyingly large bow on the back of my dress.

  “I’m so sorry.” She takes the ring off and works it loose from the fabric, and I can’t help but admire it’s a beautiful rose gold Claddagh ring. I’ve always wanted one of those. It’s a traditional Irish ring, and the design consists of two hands holding a heart, and the heart just so happens to be wearing a crown. The entire ring is representative of friendship, loyalty, and love. My father is Irish, so the connection is there, but I have a feeling even if he wasn’t I’d still crave the pretty little bobble.

  The woman, Winnie, untangles the two of us and speeds off with tears in her eyes.

  Poor thing.

  I’m about to head back to the ball when Siena speeds this way, scanning the vicinity with those wicked laser beams she calls eyes.

  Good. She’s gone. There will be hell to pay for this fiasco, and I’ll gladly pin it on that nitwit.

  She sheds a saccharin smile my way and my mouth opens to say something just as an older woman with a cardigan on over her dress strides out from behind.

  “There you are.” Siena practically lunges at her. “I’m so glad you made it. Did you bring your things? I’ll have Winnie display them in the entry. Are you selling or donating?”

  The older woman balks. She’s tall, wide shoulders, a strong jaw, auburn hair that touches down to her neck worn in a pageboy style. She has good cheekbones, and if I were her, I’d show them off.

  “Aren’t I always donating to the cause?” the older woman bleats with a raspy deep voice as if she smoked one too many cigarettes in her lifetime.

  Siena spots me and does a double take. I turn to take off and I hear her call my name.

  “It’s Bizzy Baker, right?”

  I cringe a moment. There are only a handful of things worse than getting caught eavesdropping. And if I were a better liar, I’d quickly point out that I was lost on my way to the ladies’ room.

  A smile springs to my face. “Yes, that’s me,” I say. “Is the restroom this way?” I point to the left and she frowns because she can see right through the toilet-based half-truth.

  It would be a nice cover if I believed her. Of course, she was listening in on my conversation. Why wouldn’t she be? Everyone else does it. When you come from money, everyone wants to get what they can get—even a stolen conversation.

  I frown over at her for reading me so well.

  “Never mind the restroom.” She waves me over. “I want you to meet someone.”

  I head that way and Siena holds out a hand to the woman before me.

  “Bizzy, this is Lucy Miller. She’s designing the clothes for the upcoming fashion show. Of course, the dogs will be modeling the fashions. Trust me. It’s a brilliant way to get rid of them—as in adopted.”

  My mouth rounds out with surprise. “A doggie fashion show!” I can’t help but giggle. “That’s a wonderful idea.”

  Lucy shakes her head. “Oh, it is. It will be held at the adoption event at the end of this month right outside the Bow Wow Rescue House. We’re working hard to get the entire community involved.”

  Siena nods. “Which brings me to my next point. Bizzy, don’t you run that dusty inn?”

  My eyes widen her way. Just whose inn is she calling dusty?

  Her lips twitch with a budding smile. I just love crawling under people’s skin. And not once has anyone dared to give me an ounce of resistance. There’s more to having money than all those lovely zeros in your bank account. The power that comes with it is addictive and delicious.

  “Yes, I manage the Country Cottage Inn right here at the cove.”

  Siena nods. “And don’t you have some pet facility on site?”

  “Oh! Yes, we do. We have Critter Corner, a pet daycare that’s available to both our guests and anyone else who would like to use it. There are so many pets left alone at home while their owners go to work, and this way the pets can be around people during working hours. It’s fun for the animals. And my staff has just as good a time with them.”

  “Perfect.” Siena gives Lucy a shove over the arm. “Hit her up with the merch. Maybe you can make a sale after all.” She takes off for the couple holding that adorable Chihuahua I saw earlier.

  Lucy leans in. “Don’t mind her. She’s abras
ive, but she has no idea how she comes across. Trust me when I say it could be worse.” And it has been much, much worse, but I’m not one to disparage anyone while they’re within earshot, especially not a brat like Siena. “So tell me more about Critter Corner.”

  “Oh, it’s my baby right along with the inn,” I say, never taking my eyes off Siena.

  The couple she’s chatting with are both dressed in the same deep crimson red color. It’s not so odd on the woman, a short brunette. Her dress looks almost banal, off-the-shoulder, tea-length. But the man has a crimson suit, coat and matching pants, and his dress shirt shares the same devilish hue.

  Lucy gives a dark rumble of a laugh. “Those are the Dillingers. They’re actually brother and sister. Harry and Molly. Creepy, right?”

  I shake my head. “I don’t think I’d ever want to coordinate wardrobes with my brother that way.” Huxley and I usually get along pretty well, but not enough to warrant a matching wardrobe.

  “Molly works for Siena’s father, managing his ritzy casino hotels. He’s got an entire chain of them. Anyway, Molly introduced Siena to Harry and they were fiercely serious. But she dumped him and moved on to her boy toy, Jackson.” She cranes her neck in the crowd. “He’s here somewhere. Last I heard he and Siena were arguing. I bet he’s steering clear. Which is good advice for all of us on a night like tonight. So about the pet daycare. Would you mind if I left my card at the facility? Believe it or not, there’s a big demand for custom clothes for pets. You know those furry little beasts come in every shape and size. My clothes are all tailored to fit like a glove.”

  A laugh bubbles from me. “I think that’s a great idea. You can leave all the cards you want. I bet you’ll pick up a ton of new business that way.”

  “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me. I’ll stop by next week.” She gives a wave as she dives into the crowd. But my attention drifts back to Siena and the odd couple in matching outfits.

  The woman she’s with says something heated to her before taking off. I try prying into her mind, but there’s just white noise—a good indicator of excitement on many levels.

  The man Siena is with glances my way. He’s about my age, perhaps a little older. His skin is pocked; his eyes are hard. I glance away, but my mind is like a heat-seeking missile as I try my best to pry into his thoughts and—

  “Oh God.” I nearly jump right out of my skin as I take off into the crowd for shelter.

  I don’t examine myself in the nude often, but when I do, I prefer it not to be in the recesses of someone’s dirty mind.

  My phone pings and it’s a text from Jasper.

  I can’t help but smile just seeing his name at the top of my screen. Okay, fine. Jasper has seen me sans a stitch of clothing plenty of times in his mind’s eyes—just not in person as of yet.

  Here. Just parked in Timbuktu. It might take me an hour to walk up there. Judging by the sea of cars out here, this is the place to be. See you soon!

  My heart soars at the thought.

  Hopefully, his ex-Camila won’t accost him on the way up. She’s proving to be quite the proficient stalker. Not that she’s at the Chadwick mansion tonight. Camila Ryder’s smug smile bounces through my mind, and I bounce her right back out.

  I step out of the ballroom and back out into the foyer where the air is cooler. I should probably head back to my car and bring in the rest of those trays loaded down with those delicious rocky road brownies. I’m sure Jasper won’t mind helping me out, and that way I can sneak a few chocolaty kisses his way.

  There is nothing better than kissing Jasper Wilder in the snow with a full moon overhead. Come to think of it, it’s not so bad kissing him in my cottage, cozy on the sofa with the fireplace going and a half dozen empty boxes of takeout strewn over my coffee table. Oh heck, there’s not a single bad place to make out with that man. And boy does Jasper know how to plant one on me. He puts the smooch in smoocher. In fact—

  My thoughts stop cold as I step deeper into the foyer and spot a familiar face across the way.

  The sound of escalating voices grows from somewhere up above, but I’m tuning those out at the moment because I happen to be looking at what I’m hoping is an apparition related to this haunted house. The reality isn’t quite as appealing.

  “Camila?” I shake my head as she strides this way. Her long brown hair is perfectly coiled in obedient curls. Her amber eyes glow like angry jewels and she looks arresting in a red satin gown that accentuates her curves in all the right places.

  My mouth opens to say something just as a shrill scream breaks out from above and I look up in time to see a body falling to the floor and landing smack between Camila and me.

  That long, curly red hair, that pale as paper face. The woman lies motionless with her limbs splayed out.

  My hand presses to my chest as a scream of my own locks in my throat.

  It’s her.

  Siena won’t have to worry about hosting another fundraiser.

  Siena Thompson is dead.

  Chapter 3

  A choir of screams goes off around us as Siena Thomson lies motionless with her limbs extended, her long auburn hair fanned out over the pale stone floor like a dark, stormy sea.

  Camila brings her fingers to her mouth. “What did you do?” she hisses my way. “My God, it’s like the dead magnetize to your feet.”

  “What?” I rasp the word out like a threat.

  “Bizzy?” a familiar male voice rings out my name and I look over to find Jasper dashing this way, his dark coat flying behind him like a cape. His eyes quickly scan the scene before he drops to Siena’s side and checks her vitals. He looks to Camila and me and shakes his head. “What the hell happened?”

  “I don’t know,” I pant, suddenly unable to catch my breath. “I walked into the foyer and I saw Camila—and the next thing I knew, Siena fell to our feet.”

  In an instant a crowd presses around us and Jasper pulls his badge from his pocket, holding it high in the air.

  “Seaview Sheriff’s Department,” he shouts. “Everyone needs to head back into the ballroom. I’ll have a team here shortly to question you all. Nobody leaves until I say so.”

  The crowd begins to migrate back that way, their voices lost in a jumble of cries and gasps.

  “What’s happening?” The woman I saw speaking to Siena earlier in the evening comes up, Winnie—the exact one that almost took the bow off the back of my dress. Her long, dark hair looks mussed and her copper-colored dress slightly askew. “I’m Winnie Capris, the manager at the Bow Wow Rescue House.” She shakes her head as her eyes begin to swell with tears. “I’m Siena’s right hand.” She glances over at the poor woman lying on her back, her head is tweaked hard in this direction, and it’s an unnerving sight.

  Jasper’s eyes are still darting around the scene, searching for clues, for anything that might lead to the killer, his fingers absentmindedly clicking into his phone as he calls for help.

  No sooner does he hang up than he steps over to Winnie.

  “Do you think she could have fallen?” he asks, and I’m floored he even bothered to go there.

  “Of course.” Winnie blinks back as if the thought caught her off guard. “She’s been drinking all day. She’s been in a real mood, too.” Winnie does her best to warm herself with her hands. Leave it to Siena to turn my life into a nightmare.

  I lift a finger toward Jasper, but he’s still scanning the vicinity as if he were recording the events in his mind’s eye.

  “I think she might have been pushed,” I say, incredulous that we’re not already discussing who could have done this.

  Camila huffs at the thought, “Oh, Bizzy. Not every great tragedy is a homicide. The girl just said the poor woman was drinking. Plus, look at those heels. Anyone would have been disoriented in them.”

  Jasper frowns over at her. “And what are you doing here?”

  I’m so glad he asked it first. And I’m not at all sorry his tone was curt and rather unfrie
ndly. Camila may have spent the last few months stalking him, but it feels as if she’s added me to her psychotic list of obsessions.

  Camila glowers my way as if it were my fault he’s at his wits’ end with her.

  “I’m here for the fundraiser.” She nods to Winnie as if looking for an ally. “I’m a big proponent of rescue centers looking to find good homes for animals in need.”

  Winnie looks slightly baffled by Camila’s spontaneous declaration, and I’m not buying that declaration in the least.

  Winnie glances to Jasper. That man has a badge. I need to get out of here.

  I sling an arm around Winnie’s shoulder. “Why don’t you lead Camila to the ballroom and make sure everyone is calm? I’ll be there in a second.”

  Winnie takes a breath. “Sure thing. Come on.” She takes Camila by the hand. “It’s best we don’t see any more of this.”

  They take off, and Camila turns to shoot a look my way.

  You always seem to step into trouble, don’t you, Bizzy? I’m starting to think your ability to read other people’s private thoughts is just the tip of the disturbing iceberg with you.

  “Jasper”—I rush over and he pulls me in tight with his arms—“I heard people arguing upstairs just before this happened. And if Camila didn’t catch me off guard, I would have looked up to see who it was. It was obviously Siena and someone else.”

  Jasper sinks those silver-gray eyes into mine. Jasper Wilder is a six-foot-two wall of muscles, with jet-black hair and eyes the color of stars. He’s unfairly handsome and demands the attention of just about every woman he’s in the same state with.

  “Bizzy, did the other person sound like a man or a woman?”