Fleeced at Yappy Hour (Roundup Crew Mystery Series Book 3)
From Fleeced at Yappy Hour
Chapter One Part One…
“Where on earth is Yolanda?” I balanced a tray of wine glasses with my right hand, pivoted on my left heel, and then… there was a flash of black fur and a tiny beast flew at my feet, barking and snarling like a demon.
“Now,” I scolded the dog. “Don’t trip me up.”
The dog, a tiny chihuahua, flared his teeth at me.
“Really?” I challenged, showing him my teeth. That seemed to do the trick. The dog growled and then shook. Retreating to his owner, he chanced a sideways glance at me. I giggled.
The dog scooted under his owner’s chair,trembling, and yapped at me. Strange little creatures always growling or shaking.
My thoughts returned to my friend Yolanda. She was MIA, while I was here, playing server at the Wine and Bark. I was currently cursing her and my sister, Rachel, for thinking it would be a fantastic idea to host a fundraiser for Bogden Elementary School tonight, hoping it would drive some business while simultaneously helping the elementary school.
Rachel wouldn’t have confirmed it if I asked, but I had a feeling this was more about the bar than the school, at least on her end. Ever since Kitty Corner had opened a few weeks ago, her business had been suffering. The Kitty Corner was a nearby shop that catered to cats. Basically, it was Wine and Bark’s number-onecompetitionfor cool pet hangouts. I could see the stress on Rachel’s face whenever she looked over the cash drawer at the end of the night.
“Can I have another sticker, please?” I was torn from ruminating on Rachel and the circumstances of the Wine and Bark by a high-pitched, innocent-sounding voice.
“Of course,” Officer Brad Brooks replied to the kid with a grin, pulling another shiny silver sticker from his pocket and handing it to the little seven-year-old. “Now, you guys have to get out of this bar and onto the patio. Section 25665 of the California Alcoholic Beverage Control statute states that minors may not enter or remain within a bar.”
All the moms around the kids thought that line was an absolute hoot, and they chuckled delightedly as he turned, his pressed police uniform rustling with the movement, and herded a group of about ten kids out of the bar. A few feet away, I watched the Roundup Crew collectively sigh at him in gratitude, clearly annoyed with the sudden presence of children in a place made solely for their pooches.
Seeing Brad with kids warmed my heart and kicked butterflies up into my stomach. I wasn’t the sort of woman to swoon over a man being sweet to children, but somehow, seeing Brad with the little munchkins brought a smile to my face.
Brad and I had started dating a few weeks back, and although I knew we weren’t serious, there were definitely moments I wish we were.
To my left, my beloved Roundup Crew and all of their pups were gathered in the very center of the restaurant. The dogs were basking in the glow of the children’s affection, while their parents stood by, watching every single child like they thought their dogs were in mortal danger.
Frankly, I didn’t blame the parents. I hadn’t been much of a doggie person until this summer, and they were growing on mequickly. When I’d first arrived in Pacific Cove, I’d thought all of this (aka take your dog with you to the local tavern!) was absolute insanity. But, in the last few months, I’d slowly grown to love not only the craziness of my doggie friends but much of the quirky town too.
I wandered up to Rachel, sweating behind the bar as she poured yet another glass of red wine for a demanding elementary mom.
“This is a success, don’t you think?” Rachel asked, grinning at me, her cheeks nearly as red as the wine. I could still see the bags under her eyes, the product of a nasty bout with salmonella and a very long stay in the hospital a few weeks ago. But, thankfully, she was much better, and mostly back to being my loving, sometimes closed-off little sister.
“I agree.” I nodded, glancing around. “We are missing someone, though.”
Rachel looked up, concern crossing her face, then she glanced at the waiting mom, who barely registered me.
“I don’t mean anything nefarious,” I clarified quickly. Here in Pacific Cove, an ominous sentence like that normally meant that someone had been murdered, kidnapped, or a combination of both. I’d walked in on a few too many bodies thanks to that.
Rachel sighed gratefully, then offered the mom an awkward smile as she slid the glass across the bar. “What do you mean then?” she asked me.
“Yolanda!” I replied, shocked that Rachel hadn’t noticed. “Our perky blonde friend is suspiciously absent.”
“Oh, yeah,” Rachel shrugged, turning around to pour whiskey on the rocks. “She said she couldn’t make it tonight.”
“Yolanda told you she was missing a social function and you didn’t question it?”
“Uhhhh, well, when you put it like that,” Rachel grimaced, plopping her hands on her hips in typical Rachel fashion. “That’s, um, a little strange.”
“A lot strange,” I replied, trying to quell the sinking fear in my gut.
As I said, when unusual things happened in Pacific Cove, in my experience someone had usually found themself on the wrong end of a grudge and was lying on the floor with blood seeping out of them like juice from a fruit Gusher.
”I couldn’t stop reading!”
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Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com
