ppp cove 06 - criminals on vacation Read online

  Somebody had taken the time to hire those guys to steal the dog. Why? Why didn’t they get the dog themselves? And what did they want the dog for? Did they simply want to remove the dog from the premise, or did they want the dog? Was it to hurt Carmella, to get back at her, maybe her ex-husband? Did her son hold a grudge? Was it another show dog owner trying to knock out the competition? She knew the police would consider the case pretty much closed, but she owed it to her friend to help her figure out what had been going on. After the dog napping, Poppy was more than certain her car had actually been taken and brought back. Somebody was messing with her, but who? And why only take her car for a few minutes? Did they want her to think she was losing her marbles?

  It seemed odd that somebody would post that kind of job on an ad. Weren’t they worried law enforcement might pick up on it? And they placed an ad on what, Craigslist, or something similar? Was there an underground version, a list where criminals went to list jobs? How do you even learn about places like that? She was speculating, obviously, but it opened an entire new world to Poppy. Stealing dogs didn’t seem like a thing, but apparently it was. Was it for the value of the dog or payback?

  Driving over to her friend’s house, she noted Carmella’s car in the driveway. The police car was just pulling away. She hoped her friend answered. She ran up to the door and pressed the bell, and waited for her friend. After what felt like forever, the door opened. “Anastasia’s home,” she squealed, holding her dog. “She’s back. Back where she belongs with Mommy. I’m not letting her out of my sight. And you can bet I won’t rest until I figure out who did this.”

  “Yeah, they have the guys that did the actual theft, but they wouldn’t talk to me when I asked who hired them. I was pretty sure they didn’t do it for themselves. They said it was based on some ad, they had a reputation, and the person, it sounds like a guy was going to pay them via a PO Box. I have no idea at what post office or what the terms were. I also have no idea where or when they were going to transfer the dog.” She filled her in on everything that had transpired. “Why don’t we make a list of possibilities? It has to be somebody you know.”

  “I’ll bet it was Peter. I know it was,” she grumbled. “He’s on the top of the list, but how do I prove it?”

  “Okay, let’s figure out who else is a possibility.” Poppy guided her along, so they didn’t narrow the scope too much. “What about your son?”

  Carmella gasped. “What? Why would you even say that?”

  “Didn’t you say he was jealous of how you treated Anastasia?” she quizzed.

  “But he’d never,” her jaw dropped. “He knows how much she means to me.”

  “Right, let’s forget him, though writing his name down wouldn’t hurt anything. It’s just a list of ideas. Who else? What about other dog show people? Do you have local competition?”

  “Harley Jettison,” she said with a groan. “He could be the answer. He’s always bitter when Anastasia outranks his own Buttercup, but it’s not my fault she’s not as pristine as my girl.”

  “Okay, let’s put his name down. Is there anybody else you can think of?” It was going to be a long road, and they might not find an answer, but at least it gave her some focus. If Carmella felt like she was in control of the situation, it might keep her out of trouble. The last thing they needed was for her to cause a scene, marching into her ex-husband’s face and threatening him or accusing him of something he might not have done.

  “I don’t know.” Her burst of adrenalin was stalling. “What if it happens again? She’s my baby.”

  “She’s here now. Just make sure you stay with her when you put her out, and hopefully we’ll find some answers.”

  “Oh, I’m going to get one answer very soon. I’ll demand Peter tell me everything! I’m going over as soon as he’s home from work. Do you want to come with me?” She looked over at Poppy.

  “Oh boy, I don’t think that’s a good idea. And tonight, I can’t. My brother is coming by, something about some news. I have to stop at the store. I just wanted to check in with you. If you learn anything, let me know,” Poppy said.

  “I’ll teach him to mess with me,” Carmella grumbled.

  Poppy pleaded. “Please, stay out of trouble. You’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

  A little more chatter, and then Poppy had to head out. She wanted to make sure she made it home in time for Panda’s news. She wondered what it was. A quick run into the market to pick up cocktail sauce, and oh, she forgot to call Reggie. She grabbed a bag of frozen shrimp while she was there. It wasn’t fresh shrimp, but the frozen would do just fine.

  She made it home with little time to spare. Panda was pulling up and hopped out of his car. He walked around to the passenger’s side and opened the door. A young, dark haired girl stepped out. She easily looked twelve or thirteen. Going inside, holding her hand, he introduced her. “Pops, Poppy, this is Stephanie. I didn’t want to say anything until I was certain, but I’ve just asked her to be my wife, and she agreed.”

  Poppy stared. She worded things carefully, before speaking. “Panda, Stephanie, congratulations. Umm, how old is she? Panda, are you okay?”

  “What are you thinking, she’s a kid,” Martin yelled out. “That’s illegal!”

  Stephanie froze. Panda stood next to her protectively. “She’s twenty-two, a legal adult, thank you very much. Who do you take me for? Really guys?”

  “She doesn’t look more than thirteen, tops,” Poppy spit out. “I’m sorry, how rude of me. You just look so…young.”

  “I’m told that often,” she said quietly, obviously embarrassed. Her gaze darted toward the floor. This was awkward.

  Panda cussed under his breath. “Now you see why I wanted to wait. Do you see why I didn’t want to introduce her to you until I was certain? Can’t you just welcome her to the family and not treat me like a criminal? I wouldn’t date someone underage. What do you take me for? Seriously - thirteen? She’s twenty-two. I met her at work.”

  Poppy scrambled. “Stephanie, I’m so sorry. I just…we didn’t know. Please, let’s start over. I’m Poppy, Panda’s sister, and this is our father Martin.”

  Panda rolled his eyes toward his father, waiting for the second apology.

  Martin looked away. “What she looks young. You sure she’s legal?”

  Stephanie opened her purse and pulled out her wallet. “I know I look young. I’ll appreciate it when I’m older, but right now, I’m carded constantly.” She was trying to help shred the awkwardness that lingered.

  “Right, put that away,” Panda said. “We don’t owe them anything. Really, Pops? I bring my future wife to meet you, and this is how you…”

  “Oh, for crying out loud, I was just making sure you weren’t, you know, getting desperate.” Martin shrugged, thinking it was no big deal.

  “Come on, Steph, we’re leaving.”

  “Panda, don’t go,” Poppy said, trying to stop them. “I feel awful. This is no way for us to start the evening. Why don’t we head outside and we can start the grill. Stay for dinner. I’d love to get to know Stephanie better. After all, she’s going to be my sister-in-law.”

  Panda let out a deep sigh. “Fine, whatever, just…never mind.”

  Twenty-two seemed young, but at least Panda was happy. It wasn’t her life to live, it was his. She needed to remind her father the same.

  Reggie pulled up and parked. “Hey, Panda, good to see you,” he said. “Who’s this pretty little girl?”

  Stephanie shook her head. It was going to be a long night.

  “She’s twenty-two, and my future wife,” he said with another groan. “And you wonder why I don’t bring dates around.”

  Chapter 8

  The following morning, Poppy called Carmella. “How are you doing today?”

  “I didn’t sleep well. I’m anxious someone will try to take her from me again. I need to figure this out,” she sighed into the phone.

  “I was thinking we could talk about each of the p
eople on the list, see if we can put pieces together, and maybe find a clue.” She knew Carmella had chased away most of her friends. The woman was getting impossible at times, but Poppy stuck by her side.

  “Fine,” she groaned. “I’ll go over stuff with you. Do you want me to drop by, or do you want to do it over the phone. When I find out who is responsible, I’m going to nail them to the wall and smother them with criminal charges.

  “Why don’t you come over around lunch time, I’ll make us a couple of sandwiches,” she offered.

  “Really? Why don’t I pick something up on the way over? It will be easier.”

  “It’s no trouble,” Poppy answered.

  Carmella drew a deep breath and then said the words she was dreading. “I think I’d prefer picking them up. Come on, we both know you aren’t the best cook.”

  Poppy gasped. “They’re sandwiches, how hard can they be?”

  “Do you remember the crab dip incident of 2013?” She hated to go there.

  “Fine, I’ll have roast beef. At least go to the good deli,” she suggested.

  “I’ll be there around one. I need to do a few things this morning.”

  Poppy quizzed. “One of those things wouldn’t be confronting your ex, would it?”

  There was silence.

  “Carmella?”

  She gave in. So maybe there was a slight possibility she had considered it. “I was just going to ask him a few questions.”

  “Do me a favor,” Poppy said. “Wait for me. I’ll go with you. That way, if you get into trouble, I can get you out of there before it escalates.”

  “Today? Promise you’ll do it today,” she nudged.

  “After lunch, or tonight, when he gets home from work. He’s probably not even there now anyway,” Poppy mentioned.

  “He seems to work from home more often, now that he has ‘the new girl’ waiting on him,” she spit out.

  Poppy gently scolded her friend. “Okay, just stay away from there until later.”

  A long, drawn out sigh filled the phone. “Fine, I’ll see you later.”

  Poppy ended her conversation and pondered over how she ended up in the middle of things, once again. She tossed around a couple of thoughts, trying to find a motive. Was it over money, attention, the dog show world, or to get back at Carmella?

  The morning went quickly enough, and before she knew it Carmella had pulled up and parked in front of the office. Poppy went out to greet her friend.

  “I hope you don’t mind, I brought Anastasia along,” she said. “I was afraid to leave her alone. It must have been traumatizing to her, you know.”

  Poppy got that her friend didn’t want to let her dog out of sight for fear of losing her again, but Anastasia wasn’t looking too traumatized. Not that she knew what was going on in the little white dog’s mind, but the way she was sniffing at the bag holding the sandwiches, she was pretty sure she knew what the dog was focused on.

  Carmella reached over and picked up the brown bag. The small dog hopped out of the car and followed her. “I almost went over there, but I didn’t. I held off. You have no idea how difficult that was.”

  “What if it wasn’t him? Let’s look at the other possibilities, just in case…” She trailed off.

  “Pointless, but I’ll play along.” Together the women went inside. They settled at the kitchen table. Poppy got them each a drink, napkins, and plates.

  “What if…what if it was this dog show person you spoke of? What can you tell me about them?” She needed to get Carmella thinking about other possibilities. Poppy didn’t want to get stuck at a dead end, and the more leads they had or people to check out, the better chance they had to find the answer of ‘who paid the guys to steal her dog’ and why.

  Carmella spit out a laugh. “Harley Jettison, the pompous man of mystery, or so he’d have you believe. For him, it’s all about keeping the illusion that he’s somebody special. Truth is, his star crashed when he retired his past Princess from the show ring. He’s been scratching to get back ever since, and Buttercup just isn’t the winner Princess was. He’d have you believe that dog was the next champion, but everyone knows the truth. He likes to keep up appearances though. It was hard for him to slide down. And my Anastasia just shows better, and he knows.”

  “When was the last time you spoke to him? Also, when is the next time you expect to see him?” Poppy wasn’t sure what she was after, but any details could help.

  “Oh, let’s see, in March, I saw him at the big show in Miami,” she said, thinking about the next time. “And the next time is probably the show up in Atlanta. That one is in May, right about the time my son graduates college.”

  “Wow, already. Time flies,” Poppy said. “You must be so excited to see him for his graduation, with him being out of state.”

  Carmella barely flinched. “Oh, about that, I’m going to miss his graduation. It’s such a shame. I couldn’t believe the timing myself. It falls the same time that the dog show does. Atlanta is a big deal, so I can’t miss that one. I told him that I’d see him the following week when he gets back home. He’s moving clear across the country in the fall. I only get him for the summer. I can’t believe how fast he’s grown. I still remember him when he was a little boy and would only eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches if they were cut into triangles, not squares.”

  Poppy’s stomach twisted. “You’re not going?”

  “Oh, he understands. In fact, he told me if I really wanted to go to the Atlanta show, he knows it’s a big one, and I should go. He said he’d be fine.” She looked flustered, realizing Poppy might have been judging her. “He knows I’m proud of him. I’ve told him numerous times. Besides, we’ll celebrate when he gets back home. I’ve got a big surprise for him.”

  Poppy watched Carmella fidget with her hands, trying to backtrack. “Really? Can I ask what it is? I love a good surprise.”

  “Well, shoot, I guess I can tell you. It won’t ruin the surprise for him.” She leaned in closer, as if her son who was states away might hear. “Well, I booked a spa vacation, you know the kind with the massage and fancy retreats. It will be a great way for us to unwind. He’s going to be thrilled!”

  “Sounds relaxing,” Poppy said.

  “The best part is that I found one that allows pets, so Anastasia can be pampered, too. Isn’t that right my sweet baby?” Her voice had shot up an octave as she turned her attention to the dog.

  “You’re bringing the dog to the spa vacation?” Poppy’s voice gave away her dismay.

  “You say it like…” Carmella said as she shook her head, “like it’s a bad thing. I just wanted some family time together. Anastasia misses her brother, don’t you baby?”

  “Her brother?” Poppy swallowed hard.

  “Well, you know…”

  Poppy redirected the conversation. “So, Harley, let’s get back to Harley Jettison. Where is he now? What’s his goal? And do you think he’s the kind of person that would steal a dog?”

  “I wouldn’t put it past him,” she said snippily.

  Poppy sat quietly for a minute, debating what to say next. She knew what she wanted to say, but thought better of it. Would her friend be angry with her? Would she flail about in anger? There was no delicate way to word things, so with a deep breath and an extended pause, she finally spilled what she was thinking. “Carmella, I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, but I think we should look closer at your son as a potential suspect.”

  Carmella flinched. “What? My son wouldn’t do that to me. That a ridiculous accusation. He loves me.”

  “You chose the dog show over his graduation.” She was trying not to sound judgmental, but if they were being realistic, maybe it was time to shine the spotlight on him. “You’re not the least bit worried that he’s feeling resentful?”

  “Well, no. I asked him. He would have told me if he had a problem,” she quipped.

  “Would he have? What was the tone of his voice like when you spoke to him?” Poppy was surprised Carm
ella hadn’t seen it earlier.

  Her eyes darted to the left. “Not my son, he wouldn’t do that to me. He knows Anastasia is the most important thing in the world to me…oh.” Her shoulders fell.

  Poppy spoke gently. “Maybe we should talk to him about what happened and see if he knows something?”

  “I can’t believe he would hurt me like that. We’ll talk to him to appease you, but my son is not a criminal.” She was adamant.

  Poppy wasn’t sure if he was behind this or not, but it couldn’t hurt to see what he had to say. It would either remove any suspicions, or maybe cast more upon him.

  Carmella sighed. “Fine, I’ll call him now. I’m not sure what his schedule is, but I can at least leave a message.”

  “The sooner we can remove him from the suspect list, the better,” Poppy added. She hated to point the finger at Carmella’s son, but it did make sense after hearing more details.

  She dialed his number and put her phone on speaker so Poppy could hear as well. His phone rang twice, but on the third ring he picked it up, right before it went to voicemail.

  “Hey, Mom,” he said, obviously noting the caller ID. “Before you say anything, it was Dad’s idea.”

  Carmella was confused and shook her head. “What was your father’s idea?”

  “I didn’t mean any harm, I just…” He stopped talking.

  “You just, what?” Carmella’s face drooped, realizing what he was saying.

  “I really didn’t want to have this conversation over the phone.”

  “For goodness sake, just say it. What’s going on? Did you have something to do with-”

  Silence on the other end. “Yeah, I did.”

  Her bottom lip was trembling. “You did?”

  “Dad said that he’d pay for it if I handled the details. I was going to tell you, honest. I wasn’t sure how to break the news to you. I mean, I love you both, I don’t want to pick sides.” He was rambling, afraid to continue.

  “How could you? You know what she means to me,” Carmella spat out.

  “She? What are you talking about?” He was confused.