Nonstop Spaniels (Novella) by Linda O. Johnston Read Free Book Online Page A

been on. Right now, Ricki sat on the floor of Ivo’s kennel and hugged the medium-sized Brittany spaniel mix.
    I, in turn, was playing with one of the dogs who was even a little older. Unger was a wirehaired dachshund mix, and he just loved to be cuddled. I had a lot of fun obliging. In a few minutes, we’d each switch, since there were two more dogs from PetForYou who needed attention.
    We’d already been in to check on, and play with, the two cats, and Itsy and Bitsy looked fine, too. Those were names given to them at PetForYou. I suspected that the two tortoiseshell siblings, who were normal sized kitties, weren’t overly fond of their names.
    “She is cute,” I agreed. “So are the others. I just hope . . .” I let my words trail off. Ricki didn’t need to hear me worrying about what would happen with the remaining PetForYou animals now.
    “Me, too,” she said anyway. I glanced through the chain-link fencing separating us as we played with the dogs. Her tone had suggested that her concern mirrored mine. “And not just about the animals. Lauren, I know you’ve solved other murders. Do you think you’ll figure out who killed Dr. Ideman? Oh, and believe me,” she said before I could respond. “In case you have any concerns, no matter what I thought about his policies, or lack thereof, at PetForYou, it honestly wasn’t me.”
    “I know.” I wished I didn’t sound so grim. “And I did talk with Antonio about possible suspects. I’m not sure who did do it. Not yet.”
    “But you’re not giving up?” she said hopefully.
    “No, I’m not giving up.”
    • • • 
    I’d kept in contact with Ellie Hankley, dangling before her the temptation of a possible donation from Dante if she let me know when her emergency board of directors meeting would occur.
    It was now scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
    And as the designated representative of HotPets and Dante, I was invited to attend.
    Would I get any further insight into Ideman’s murder there?
    Unlikely. But I also remained concerned about what would happen to PetForYou and all its current inhabitants. That, at least, might approach some kind of resolution at the board meeting.
    A decision to join NKLA? We’d see.
    The next day, after doing my usual walk-throughs at HotRescues, I sat down and made notes on the computer and prepared the approach I’d take at the meeting.
    When the time came, I left Zoey in Nina’s loving care and headed to PetForYou. This time, I didn’t enter through the veterinary clinic but from the shelter’s own parking lot, directly into the facility. It still hadn’t opened for visitations by the general public, which seemed a shame. Everything remained on hold.
    That included the lives of the animals who were there. That part made sense. They had to stay alive. I’d make that clear at the meeting, in case there was any doubt.
    I hadn’t counted the inhabitants, but if necessary I’d make sure that HotRescues took in as many as possible. I’d find shelters for the rest, too.
    I felt certain that members of Southern California Rescuers would help. They all belonged to NKLA.
    Ellie, dressed in a white PetForYou T-shirt beneath an open frilly blouse and nice slacks, met me in the building that housed the shelter’s office. “We don’t have a conference room, but the kitchen is large enough, and there’s a table there for people to sit around when they’re on a break—or having a meeting.”
    She led me out of the office building and to a much nicer looking structure down a path that eventually merged into the kennel area. This building looked like a fairy-tale cottage from the outside, with decorative yellow shutters and a sloping roof covered in fancy red tiles. It wasn’t visible from the veterinary clinic below since it was set into the hillside beneath the property’s main house.
    I didn’t understand why it wasn’t closer to the metal shed where food was apparently kept—when there was any. But maybe no