Читать книгу What Not to Wear to a Graveyard - Debra Sennefelder - Страница 8

Chapter 2

Kelly took off her plaid blanket scarf and covered Billy. She then cranked up the heat inside the Jeep, because the pup was shivering when she’d placed him on the back seat.

The poor little guy had been missing for two days, left out in the elements with no shelter to keep him warm or food to keep his belly full. She glanced in the rear-view mirror and caught a peek at him. He was cute. He’d look adorable in a tartan plaid sweater.

Before pulling out of the space, she called Pepper.

“What’s up, Kelly?” Pepper knew practically everyone in Lucky Cove and was the one to call for an address.

“You won’t believe what happened. I was just at the Colonial Cemetery…”

“For the photoshoot.” Pepper hadn’t bothered to hide the disapproval in her voice. But Kelly let it go, because Pepper hadn’t approved of most of the ideas for revitalizing the boutique. Pepper was of the mindset if it wasn’t broken don’t fix it.

“I found Constance Lane’s missing dog! He was right there in the cemetery.”

“Are you sure it’s him?”

“I think so. How many lost white dogs are there in Lucky Cove?” Her gaze flicked up to the rear-view mirror for another quick look. The dog was curled up, and his eyes closed. He must have been exhausted from his ordeal. “I want to take him home. Do you know the address?”

“Yes, everybody in town knows where Constance lives.”

Everyone except Kelly. That’s what happened when you stayed away for a decade and visited only on holidays. She’d become an expert at breezing into town and disappearing just as swiftly. After Kelly got the address, she told Pepper she’d be back to the boutique as soon as she could.

Driving back to town, she kept her excitement for the reward money contained.

Her granny had an old saying, don’t count your chickens before they hatched. There was a chance she found Billy’s doppelganger.

Twenty minutes later, Kelly arrived on Willow Road. She navigated her Jeep through the decorative front gate of the gracious property, complete with a manicured lawn and an impressive white Colonial house. Billy had a lovely home.

She opened the passenger door and reached in for Billy. Underneath the scarf, he was toasty warm. He was probably starving too.

“How the heck did you end up at the cemetery?” With the dog held close to her chest, Kelly tucked him under her teddy coat, and he snuggled. She made her way along the fieldstone walkway to the red-painted front door. She jabbed the doorbell and waited. Billy’s head lifted. He must have known he was finally home.

The door opened, and a petite dark-haired woman appeared.

“May I help you?” Her pale blue eyes narrowed when she saw the dog, and she stretched out her arms. “Billy. You found him.”

Kelly released him to the woman, and suddenly her chest felt very cold.

“I found him at the Colonial Cemetery.”

Billy licked the woman’s chin. “Mrs. Lane will be so…so relieved.”

“I’m sorry, I thought you were her.”

“Oh, no. I’m Greta Upton, the housekeeper. Mrs. Lane is unavailable now. Please, come in. Let me take your name and information. I’m certain she’ll want to thank you personally and give you the reward.”

Greta stepped back and opened the door wider. She hugged Billy before setting him on the floor. “Don’t go running off again.”

“How did he get away, if you don’t mind me asking?” Kelly entered and from the foyer she could see into the two rooms on either side of the elegantly decorated space. Filled with predominantly white and blue furnishings along with white painted woodwork, the rooms had a coastal vibe. From her limited view, she could tell Constance Lane had good taste.

Greta’s lips pursed. “Billy escaped from his pen somehow.” She pulled out a pad of paper and pen from the lowboy chest and handed them to Kelly. “Please write your information.”

Kelly did as requested, though with a little less enthusiasm than she had on the drive over. She expected to be greeted by an ecstatic dog owner gushing over the return of her beloved pet, not a housekeeper and a pad of paper. But the important thing was Billy was home. She glanced at the source of her windfall, and he looked up at her. Now, she could have sworn she saw a sadness in his dark eyes. He should have been happy. He was home.

“It broke my heart when I discovered he’d taken off. I came inside for a moment to answer the house phone. And poof he was gone when I returned to the yard.”

“It surprised me to see it made the newspaper so quickly.”

“Well, Mrs. Lane is a friend of the paper’s owner, and he made sure the story got printed in the newspaper.” Greta looked down at the dog. Her gaze came back up to meet Kelly’s. “Bless him. If he hadn’t, Billy might not have been found.”

Kelly smiled. She was happy to return the dog to his home and even happier to know she’d be receiving the reward money soon. “I guess I should go now.”

“Mrs. Lane will be in touch. She will be so grateful and happy when she gets home to find Billy is here.”

Kelly left the house, but before getting back into the Jeep, she gave a once-over to the Lane house. Everything looked perfect. Too bad it was probably an illusion. After spending eight years working in fashion retail, she knew darn well perfection was like a magic trick. It was all show, flashy to divert your attention from what was really happening. She shook her head. Maybe she was too cynical for her own good. Maybe Constance’s life was perfect, and maybe Kelly just made her an even more happy woman.

When Kelly arrived back at the boutique, she immediately started making lunch. Thanks to her unexpectedly busy morning, she’d worked up an appetite, so she didn’t notice the note on her desk right away. A name, address, and a key. Nothing else.

The swinging door to the staff room, aka kitchen, office and storage area, swung open and Pepper appeared. In her sixties, she’d been working at the boutique for twenty years. Side-by-side with Kelly’s granny, she’d weathered the bad times and celebrated the good times. Retail was like that—unpredictable waves, nearly impossible to forecast no matter how good your spreadsheet was. Her shoulder-length blond hair was styled sleek and, in her hands, she held her reading glasses.

“Did you get the reward?” Pepper looked expectantly at Kelly. She knew an infusion of five thousand dollars would be a godsend to their struggling boutique.

Kelly shook her head and Pepper’s excited look faded. “What happened?”

“Constance Lane was unavailable.” Kelly couldn’t help but add a bit of haughtiness to her voice. “Her housekeeper, Greta Upton, took my information and said her boss would contact me.”

“Oh.” Pepper walked to the counter and filled a coffee cup. She was deflated and disappointed.

The silence that fell between them agitated Kelly. Maybe she should have insisted on the money before leaving. No, that would have been tacky. Constance was a prominent member of Lucky Cove, and she’d make good on her promise of the reward.

“Whose address is this?” Kelly gestured to the note on her desk.

“That’s where you’ll find inventory for the shop, sorry, boutique.” Pepper added cream to her coffee.

“A consignment client? Great!” Kelly joined Pepper at the small counter. When her granny purchased the building, this room had been the original kitchen. But after her husband passed away, Martha Blake turned the first floor into a consignment shop and the upstairs into an apartment. As a young widow, she had to earn an income yet be able to stay home and raise her children. The retail store was a good fit for her.

“His name is Alan Hart.” Pepper leaned against the counter and sipped her coffee. “He purchased a piece of property to develop, but it has a farmhouse he’s going to tear down. The house came with a lot of personal items such as clothes and fashion jewelry left by the previous owner. She was an older woman who passed away a few months ago.”

“He’s a developer?” Kelly checked on her cheese and tomato panini. When she moved back to her hometown, she gave up conveniences she took for granted in the city, like fancy coffee drinks and over-priced sandwiches. Now she couldn’t afford such indulgences. Her little nest egg was dwindling fast. Being saddled with an under-performing business and an old house, she was struggling to cover just the bare necessities.

“He’s nothing like your uncle.” Pepper laughed. “He’s a nice man. Been buying and selling properties all along the island for years.” She settled at the round table where they ate lunch and had staff meetings. She leaned forward and studied the Lucky Cove Weekly. “I still can’t believe you found this dog.”

“Neither can I. Looks like it was a good idea to choose the cemetery to photograph the outfits.” Kelly slipped her sandwich from the countertop grill to a plate and poured a cup of coffee.

Pepper grumped. She’d admit no such thing.

“I guess all we can do is wait for Constance to contact me.” Kelly grabbed her plate and cup and then joined her employee at the table. She still hadn’t gotten used to having someone working for her or having to be financially responsible for someone else. Up until she was handed the keys to the building by her granny’s attorney, Kelly hadn’t been in charge of a staff.

She had only worked her way up to assistant fashion buyer. Having someone report to her rather than the other way around still blew her mind.

“Where do people get this kind of money to throw around?” Pepper asked after her attention returned to the article.

“I doubt Cassandra sees it as throwing away money. She obviously loves her dog.”

Pepper snorted. “Gotta be true love then. Heck, I wouldn’t offer that kind of money if Clive went missing.”

“He would never run off. He’s a good husband.”

“A gal can dream, can’t she?” Pepper looked up and winked.

“You would offer a reward for Gabe if he ever disappeared.” Kelly took a bite of her panini. She was getting better at cooking, but it wasn’t anywhere near as delicious as the restaurant she ordered from in the city.

“Darn tootin’ I would. He’s my boy.” Motherly pride for her police officer son filled her voice.

“That’s probably how Constance feels about Billy. He is charming and sweet.” Kelly wouldn’t judge the wealthy woman’s decision to offer an extravagant reward for a dog, just like she hoped others wouldn’t judge her for her choices. After she swallowed another bite of the sandwich, she wondered who she would offer a ridiculous amount of money to find. While sipping her coffee, she realized it would be Liv. They’d been best friends since elementary school. She would somehow scrape up a reward for Liv if it were ever necessary. She’d even sell her small designer purse collection.

Pepper pushed aside the newspaper and then sipped her coffee. “If you want to head out to the farmhouse after you eat, I can watch the boutique. Clive is out with his buddies and won’t be home until supper.”

Kelly considered the suggestion as she finished her lunch. She popped up and grabbed a napkin off the counter to wipe her mouth.

“Sounds good. I shouldn’t be too long. Who knows? I may find something to add to the photoshoot.”

“You’re still going through with that?”

“Of course. Why not? It’s going to be cool; you wait and see. But before I head out, I need to change boots.” Nearly breaking her neck earlier in the day was a clear sign those boots were more decorative than functional. Digging through an old farmhouse required more functional footwear. She saw a doubtful look on Pepper’s face. “Please try to trust me. I may not know a lot of things, but I do know how to merchandise clothing.”

Pepper’s face softened, and she gave a small smile. “I do trust you. I’m sure you’ll do a fabulous job.”

“Thank you.” Having Pepper’s vote of confidence was the icing on the cake of the best day Kelly had in a long time. Halloween costumes. Agreed on. Photo shoot. Confirmed. Found a lost dog with a huge reward. Done. New consignment. Done.

She couldn’t imagine how her day could get any better.