Family Matters (A Gracie Andersen Mystery Book 1) Read online

  “Angus, sweetie—treat!” she called.

  Angus turned to her familiar voice. He stopped running and sat panting, looking obstinate.

  “Come on, Angus. Treat!” Gracie sweetly coaxed him.

  The independent Scotty cocked his head to one side and decided that it was time for a treat break. He trotted over to where Gracie had laid the liver-flavored biscuits next to her. He greedily chomped one and began wagging his tail.

  “You little tyrant, let’s get you bathed and back home before you think up something new.”

  Gracie stroked his head and scooped him into her lap. After scratching Angus’ ears and giving him a kiss, Gracie lifted the stocky Scottie up to Beth.

  “Give him the treats and get him back on the bath table, just like I showed you. This time, make sure he’s leashed.”

  “Right, uh, I’m sorry, Mrs. Andersen. He’s really quick, and he just took off.” She looked miserable.

  “Well, no harm done. Just get him bathed, dried, and brushed out. His mom is going to be here in an hour. I really need to change.”

  “OK.” She held the dog tightly and headed back to the grooming room.

  Gracie looked down at her once white blouse and black skirt. Angus had covered her with his inky hair, and paw prints were evident on her pantyhose and shirt.

  “Ugh. I hate dressing up, and here’s another reason not to,” she complained to herself.

  Her business partner Jim Taylor came around the corner as she got up from the cement floor, which had also left its mark on her skirt. He grabbed her hand as she struggled to balance on the uncomfortable high heels.

  “Glad you’re back,” he laughed, obviously enjoying her disheveled appearance. “The phone’s ringing off the hook, Alison lacks customer service skills, Beth seems to be afraid of dogs, and our shipment of dog food hasn’t been delivered yet.”

  “Great. I’ll be right back, as soon as I get out of these clothes. Oh, and you’d better check on Beth. She’s bathing Angus.”

  “Right, Chief. You really need to get the phone situation with Alison figured out when you’re changed.”

  Gracie scowled, mentally berating herself for hiring Alison. That’s what happened when you were desperate for a kennel helper. Whining and a bark from the backyard came from Haley, her black Labrador. Opening the gate, she stooped to scratch behind the dog’s silky ears. The dog raced to the kitchen door. She trotted inside and slurped water from the dish by the door while Gracie quickly stripped off the ruined shirt and skirt on the way to the bedroom. Haley with dripping jowls stood in front of the French doors to the patio.

  “All right. You can go back out.”

  The dog loped to the back of the fenced yard, sniffing the base of a white birch. Gracie shook her head, smiling. Continuing to the bedroom, she tossed the clothes into the wicker hamper, and ripped the shredded pantyhose off and tossed it into the wastebasket.

  The shower felt good, washing away the stress of dang-it-all family togetherness. Isabelle was at the top of her list for frustrating relatives. She could push Gracie’s buttons like no one else. However, she should cut her some slack. Her mother had died after all and they’d been really close, maybe closer than she was with her own mother. But Izzy was a perennial problem. It had been that way since they were small, playing in the sandbox. Somehow the grit had always ended up in Gracie’s underwear.

  Within minutes, she was zipping up her jeans and pulling on a T-shirt. The jeans were a bit tighter than she preferred, but it seemed that it was harder to lose any pounds lately. She wound her long curly red hair into a manageable damp twist and clipped it in place. She dabbed on a little green eye shadow and some mascara. Her reflection in the mirror looked fairly presentable. Attaching a small walkie-talkie to her jeans, she opened the French doors, calling for Haley. The big Lab bounded in, tail wagging dangerously close to a floor lamp.

  “Come on, let’s go back to work, girl.”

  Alison held the phone away from her ear, tossing brown bangs from her eyes, sighing as she absently thumbed through the reservation book. She finally put the phone back to her ear.

  “Mrs. Greene, I said we don’t have anything today. We’re really busy today and can’t…”

  The girl looked up as Gracie came through the doorway. Gracie motioned for the phone and grabbed the book.

  “Well, uh, I can have you talk with Mrs. Andersen. Here she is,” Alison said sullenly. She sat with arms folded in the black task chair while Gracie leaned over the desk studying the grooming schedule.

  “Sylvia, what can we do for you? Uh huh…a shampoo and nails clipped. No problem. We’ve had a cancellation at 4:00 today, so bring her on in. OK then, see you in a bit.” Sylvia Greene had four Silky Terriers and was already one of Milky Way’s best customers. One or two of Sylvia’s dogs always needed grooming.

  She handed the phone back to the teenager. “Alison, you forgot to cancel the Dunbar appointment at four. I told you about that before I left, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, I guess so. It’s been so crazy here, I can’t remember everything. Mrs. Greene was pretty mean. I shouldn’t have to take that.” She sported an unattractive pout for emphasis.

  “Well, could it be something you said?”

  “I don’t know.” Alison’s voice became whiny.

  “We’re here to accommodate our customers. We also need to be accurate with the appointment book. If you have a problem or a question, you ask. Understood?”

  “Yeah, I guess so. She talked like she was better than me and… ”

  “It doesn’t matter what she said. It matters what you said. Take a break from the phone and go help Jim clean out runs. I’ll handle the phone for a while.” Gracie’s jaw tightened to control her temper.

  “OK.”

  Alison stalked away, her jeans riding a little too low for Gracie’s taste. Alison also had flip flops again instead of sneakers. How had she missed that this morning? It was one more thing to take up with her later. Gracie sat down at the desk to scan the rest of the day’s appointments. Three more dogs were coming in, and two dogs were being picked up. Business was really beginning to…well, get busy.

  She was dialing the number of Hillside Feeds when she heard the growl of their old truck pull into the driveway. Another problem solved. She grabbed the portable phone as she headed out the door. Harry jumped down from his truck with his usual grumpy look and handed her the invoice.

  “I know I’m late. Your order’s all here,” he snapped. “Unload in the barn?”

  “Thanks, Harry. In the barn is fine. I’ll get Jim to help.”

  She heard Harry mumble something about Jim, but couldn’t quite make it out. Oh, well. Harry was always griping about something. He was cantankerous and knew all the farm gossip. He was glad to share it with anyone, so Gracie had learned years ago to be circumspect in what she said to him. The truck backed around to the storage barn, a 20 by 20 red metal building, with the façade of an old-fashioned barn, complete with white cross buckles on the doors. She slid the walkie-talkie off her waistband to call Jim.

  “Harry’s here.”

  “All right, I’m on my way.”

  “Thanks.”

  The gravel crunched under her sneakers on the way back to the reception area. Three cars were turning into the entrance. She recognized Angus’ mom, Susan Whitford, in her black Ford Taurus in the lead. She hoped that Beth had finished the bath in time. The phone rang as she waved to the cars and opened the Dutch door to reception. She was greeted with the stressed voice of Bill Stephens. He was freshly divorced and now the single dad of Bob and Buster. Canine parenting was a whole new experience for him.

  “Do you have room for the boys for a couple of days? I’ve got a business trip that just came up. Have to take red-eye to Chicago tonight.”

  “Tonight and tomorrow night?”

  “Yeah. I’ll pick them up on Friday morning.”

  “Let me check to make sure. Same run or separate?”

&nb
sp; “Same run is fine.”

  Gracie moved the mouse to get the screensaver off the monitor. She scanned the availability.

  “You’re in luck. We have one run left. Just be here before five.”

  “Thanks. I’m on my way right now.”

  Susan practically filled the doorway. Wearing a khaki blouse that strained against her girth, she buttoned the bottom button and then unbuttoned it again. Her short hair was slate gray, and she had a surprising bird-like voice.

  “Is Angus ready?” she chirped.

  “Let me check.”

  Gracie hurried to the grooming area to see how Beth and Angus had fared. Although Beth was soaking wet, Angus was clean, slightly damp, and smelled un-doggy for the moment.

  “Good job, Beth.” Gracie grinned at her. “His mom is here. I’ll take him up.”

  Angus acted like a perfect gentleman as he danced on his tiny terrier feet on the way to the front.

  “Here he is, ready to dig more holes.”

  “Don’t you know it! I can’t keep him clean for more than a day or two. I’m sure we’ll be back next week. Here’s the check.”

  Gracie tucked it in the cash drawer, while two other customers came in with their dogs, a Boxer and a Collie mix. She grabbed the walkie-talkie and called Alison to take the dogs to their runs.

  “Cody and Barney are looking good,” she said, glancing away from the computer screen.

  “Cody’s doing pretty well for an old guy,” Sharon Dean, mom of Cody, replied with a smile. Cody was a regular already since Sharon and her husband often traveled on business.

  “I wish Barney would just get calmer,” said Chris Bingel through gritted teeth, hauling the strong Boxer away from Cody.

  Barney was always anxious to make new friends, and his greetings were a little too enthusiastic. He was all boy and had to sniff everything in sight. At least he wasn’t lifting his leg, so far.

  Gracie finished checking out their vaccination records and declared them both legal.

  “Any changes in feeding, or do either one of them need medication?”

  Both women shook their heads.

  “How about a playtime?”

  “Cody could use one exercise time a day.”

  “OK, we can do that. What about Barney?”

  “He needs at least two a day. He’ll be bouncing off the walls without it.”

  “Got it.” Gracie entered the feeding and instructions into each dog’s record. “We’ll keep him occupied. I wonder where Alison is. Well, let me take them one at time.”

  Gracie took off Cody’s collar and slipped the light lasso lead over his head. Sharon handed her a plastic bag with chew toys and gave Cody a quick hug.

  “See ya, Gracie. We’ll pick him up Monday morning.”

  “Will do. Come on old guy, let’s get you settled. I’ll be right back, Chris.”

  Alison was still nowhere in sight. Where could that girl have gone to?

  She walked Cody, who was slightly arthritic, but a cheerful soul with a constantly wagging tail, past the line of barking and excited kennelmates.

  “Here’s the new guy,” she said as she opened the run near the back door. She slipped off the lead, locked the run, and headed back to get Buster. She looked through the window of the back door and saw that Jim and Harry had finished unloading the food and were now shooting the breeze. Alison wasn’t with them either. The girl was probably going to have to find a new career path. She didn’t have time for irresponsibility. Gracie prided herself on great customer service, and Alison wasn’t catching on to the corporate culture. Beth appeared from the grooming room as Gracie walked quickly back to get Barney.

  “Beth, I can’t find Alison. Help me get the next dog to run 22.”

  “Sure, Mrs. Andersen. Is it a big dog?”

  “He’s a nice big Boxer, very friendly.”

  “I don’t want him to get away. Maybe I should watch you take him.” A look of fear flashed over her young pretty face.

  “You’ll be fine. Just get him leashed properly. He’s pretty strong. Builds upper body strength.”

  “Well…”

  “You’ll be fine. You need to get used to handling all kinds and sizes of dogs. Barney’s a friendly guy, just strong and energetic.” Gracie was trying with all her might to be patient and encouraging. She was kicking herself for being so anxious to hire extra help when business had gotten hectic three weeks before.

  Barney sat panting with hind legs splayed out. Drool was running down both sides of his jowls from all the excitement of kennel smells. Gracie grabbed a more substantial leash from the desk drawer and handed it to Beth.

  “He’s a handful,” said Chris as she unclipped Barney’s collar, and Beth quickly slipped the thicker leash over his broad, fawn-colored head. Barney gave Beth’s hand a slobbery lick.

  “I’ve got him, run 22, right?” Beth said as Barney pulled her through the doorway.

  “That’s right. Thanks, Beth.”

  “New girl?”

  “Yeah. That’s Beth Simmons, Frank and Evie’s daughter.”

  “Wow, she’s all grown up now. Hard to believe. Well, I’ve gotta run. We’ll pick up Barney on Tuesday.”

  “See you then. Have a good trip.”

  “Thanks.” Chris waved as she closed the door and walked toward her shiny red Mustang convertible. Gracie remembered Chris saying that it was her mid-life crisis car, and she was enjoying every minute in it. She was surprised that Barney was an approved passenger. Maybe the thrill was past, as was her own enthusiasm about Alison. Now that the customer traffic had slowed down, she needed to find the girl. Gracie strode down the hallway on the office side of the kennel. She paged her again on the walkie-talkie.

  “Alison, my office right now.”

  Static crackled in reply. Gracie peered through the wooden blinds on her office window to check the back parking lot. No car. Great, she thought. Where had she gone?

  Jim was now standing in her doorway.

  “Looking for this?” He held up a walkie-talkie by the antenna.

  “Is that Alison’s?”

  “Sure is. She handed this to me about five minutes ago and said she couldn’t work in such an awful place. I wished her good luck in life.” His grin was infectious, and Gracie had to smile.

  “Well, this isn’t the place for her then. We’re pretty mean, but we’ve had all our shots. Her leaving saves me from having to fire her.”

  “She’s got a lot to learn about the real world.”

  “Don’t we all. I guess we had our moments.” Gracie’s dark brown eyes flashed with humor. “Especially in high school. What were we thinking?”

  “We were lucky we didn’t get thrown out of school. I still have a few deep dark secrets about pranks though.”

  “Whaddaya mean? I thought I was in on all those.”

  “Not the Limburger in the typewriter in Jarvis’ class. No one ever found out it was Michael and me. We were pretty lucky on that one.”

  “You’re kidding. Michael never said a word. That room reeked for a week. The janitor couldn’t even get the smell out with that awful disinfectant he used in the bathrooms. I think they ended up throwing out the typewriter.”

  “Yeah, we didn’t think they’d have to do that. Mr. Jarvis tried to scoop it out with his hands and ended up trashing his suit. It was great.” Jim’s eyes twinkled with fond remembrance.

  “Mr. Jarvis was a strange man. I think he developed a tic while I was in his class.” She smiled, momentarily lost in a high school daydream. “I guess we’ll be looking for another kennel helper. Any ideas?”

  “Nope. Well, wait a minute. What about your cousin’s son, Greg? Is he working this summer?”

  “I don’t know. He’s a pretty good kid. I’m not sure I want family around though. Isabelle will be pumping him for information every day. I don’t need that right now. I’ll ask Beth and see if she knows anyone. I’d better get back up front.” She sighed and shoved her hands into the tight poc
kets of her jeans. “We’ll talk about this after we close, OK?”

  He nodded and said, “Sure thing. We’ll get it figured out. I’m off to feed the inmates,” he teased.

  Gracie walked quickly to the reception area, where Beth was waiting for her.

  “I got the big dog in OK. He’s really strong.”

  “I knew you could. Just be confident. You’re the one with the leash. Let them know you’re in charge.”

  “Right. I think I’m getting the hang of it.” Her cheeks were flushed with exertion, but her eyes shone with new confidence. “Did you find Alison?”

  “Alison decided she wasn’t cut out to work here after all, so I guess it’s just us to finish up today. Do you have any friends looking for work?”

  “Gosh, I think everybody’s working now. Hmm, maybe Casey needs a job. She adjusted the limp ponytail still damp from the bathing adventure with Angus. She attempted to brush the dog hair stuck to her jeans and white T-shirt. “Let me check, I might know somebody.”

  “Have them call me or stop in. I’ll interview them right away. Same pay as you’re getting and every other Saturday.”

  “OK. I’ll ask around.”

  “Thanks.”

  Gracie looked up to see Bill Stephens pulling in with his two Cocker Spaniels. He was true to his word. Two other customers followed right behind him to pick up their canine children.

  “Get ready for some more transporting here. We’ve got a bunch at once. Let’s get the Cockers settled and then get the dogs from runs 1 and 6.”

  “Sure. Are they big dogs?”

  “Nope. These are all small guys.”

  The rest of the afternoon went without incident. It seemed that Beth was probably going to work out, maybe. Gracie locked the front door at exactly 5:30 and pulled the cash drawer out from the desk. She methodically rubber-banded credit card receipts, checks, and bills separately to count in her office. Jim came in the backdoor, whistling some unknown tune in a minor key.

  “Hey, Jim, I’m closing up here. Let’s talk, if you’ve got time.”

  “OK, I’ll meet you in the office.”

  Gracie put the cash drawer back in the desk and took the day’s receipts. Jim had put the coffeemaker on, and the aroma of her favorite coffee filled the small space. Haley opened one eye from her bed in the corner, scratched half-heartedly, and stood. She shook, jangling tags. Jim gave her a scratch under the chin.