Chow Down (A Melanie Travis Mystery)

leaned down, opened a crate, and let the medium-sized black bitch hop out into my arms.
    “He did a great job.” Bertie stopped brushing. She reached over and poked my shoulder until I turned around and she could consider the cut from all angles. “I’ve been thinking about going shorter myself. Ever since Maggie was born, I just don’t have the time—”
    Aunt Peg yelped. We all turned to look at her. Even the Standard Poodle, who’d been snoozing on the grooming table, opened his eyes and lifted his head.
    “Is that why?” she asked.
    It took me a minute to figure out what she was talking about. Then I sighed. “No.”
    “No what?” asked Sam.
    “No, we’re not pregnant.”
    “Oh.” He looked nonplussed by the sudden switch in topic. “Good to know . . . I guess.”
    “Trust me.” I patted his arm. “When there’s news, you’ll be the first to hear.”
    “And I’ll be second,” Aunt Peg said firmly.
    I might have been tempted to make a rude reply. Fortunately for the sake of family harmony, Sam answered first. “I think Davey might be the second person we tell. But you can be third.”
    Aunt Peg looked ready to argue. Quickly I turned to Bertie and changed the subject again. “Have you heard anything more from Sue about Lisa’s whereabouts?”
    “All I know is that as of last night, she’s still among the missing. Since it’s been three days, Sue was finally able to file a police report. I don’t think it’s going to help much though.”
    “The police still don’t think that Lisa’s disappearance might be related to Larry’s murder?”
    Bertie shook her head. “Not that they’ve let on. The detective Sue dealt with told her it seemed likely that Lisa might have gone home for a while to stay with her family.” “Leaving ten dogs behind in her basement?” No matter what Terry had said, that still sounded crazy to me.
    “Technically she arranged for their care,” said Bertie. “She left them with Sue.”
    “But only for one day,” said Aunt Peg. She’d been following the saga from the start.
    “I know. I’m not saying I think they’re right, I’m just repeating what I was told. And by the way, the Yorkies are no longer in Lisa’s basement.”
    “Where are they now?” asked Sam.
    “Sue was at her wit’s end so I told her I’d help out. As of Wednesday afternoon, Lisa’s dogs have been sitting in my kennel. So now I guess we’re all waiting to see what happens next.”
    “I hope you’re charging board,” I said.
    “In theory, yes. But that only helps if Lisa shows up to claim them. Otherwise I’m going to be the one who’s stuck finding ten new homes.”
    “If Lisa did go off somewhere to be with her family,” said Aunt Peg, “does anybody know where that might be?”
    “Sue thought maybe Florida. Apparently there was an address book that had some information. She took it with her and left it with the Southport police when she filed the report.”
    “I hope they’re following up,” I said but, based on my past experiences with the police, I tended to doubt it.
    If the authorities didn’t believe that Lisa had met with foul play, they probably weren’t concerned about where she was. Of course they weren’t the only ones. Terry hadn’t been worried either. Even Sue had seemed more upset about the inconvenience Lisa’s unexpected absence was causing her than about any dire possibilities.
    So maybe I was the one who was overreacting. That seemed like a shame considering that I barely knew the woman. If I ever dropped off the face of the earth, I hoped people would pay more attention than this.
    I looked over at Sam. “If I disappeared, would you look for me?”
    His hands went still. His expression was pained. “Am I on Candid Camera or is this just my day for really weird questions?”
    “I’m serious.”
    “Yes, I would look for you. Forever, if that’s what it took.”
    “That’s so sweet,” said Bertie.
    “A husband ought to know where his wife is,” Aunt Peg said crisply. “The main problem with Lisa’s disappearance is that her husband is gone, too. For all we know, this might be nothing unusual. Lisa might make a habit of disappearing.”
    “Her husband isn’t just gone,” I pointed out. “He was murdered. Which is pretty unusual, too.”
    “Maybe Lisa ran away,” said Bertie. “Maybe she was frightened.”
    “Of what?” asked Sam.
    “Her husband’s murderer?” I guessed.
    “But if she knew who that was,” said