Nina Wright - Whiskey with a Twist

She was right. Suddenly I regretted wolfing down the chili dog. But not nearly as much as I regretted coming to this event. I turned to Perry.

“Any suggestions?”

“Well, I’d recommend going into town. Based on what I learned during the Amish Country tour, everybody knows everybody for miles around. Find out who deals in long-haired goats.”

“And who has a rogue Amish teen,” Odette said.

“Oh, they all have one of those,” Perry said.

I moaned again, as much from my bellyache as from my brand-new headache over Abra. The Two L’s made their excuses and turned their dogs toward the ring.

“The judge is about to decide ‘best in show,’” Perry informed me.

“One quick question,” I said. “You were going to tell me about Ramona’s issues with Mitchell Slater…?”

“Only that she threw herself at him and was summarily rejected. Ramona doesn’t like it when she doesn’t get her way.”

“Who does?” I said.

Perry glanced about. “Not Susan, as you already know. Whatever you do, don’t miss the next round. Kori expects to be back in the ring with Silverado. But I imagine that Susan has other ideas.”

After he excused himself, Odette made a suggestion.

“I’ve thought of a way to simplify your search for Abra.”

“How about amnesia? If I forget I have a dog, I can go home. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.”

“I was thinking of your ex-husband. Jeb could come in very handy about now.”

“These dogs are calm,” I said. “They don’t need Animal Lullabies.”

“I was thinking of a search party. Jeb could be here to help organize one in thirty minutes or less.”

“It takes three times that long to get here from Magnet Springs!”

“By car, yes. But I’m going to ask Liam to fly him here. He has a second helicopter at the construction site and a pilot on call. If Jeb’s ready, so is his ride!”

I said, “Liam would do that for me?”

“No,” Odette said. “But he’ll do it for me.”

My eyes locked on hers.

Coolly she said, “Liam will do it for me because I’m going to make him lots of money. And I’ll make money faster if you’re working with me instead of running around Indiana looking for goats and teenagers!”

She had a point.

“Where is Liam?” I said.

“Sorting out something with Susan and Kori. Not my business.” Odette yawned. “You call Jeb, and I’ll call Liam.”

We speed-dialed simultaneously. Jeb was expecting me to call him back, anyway, just not about this. He listened without comment to my brief account of Abra, the Amish, and the long-haired goats. When I said that Odette could get him a helicopter ride here right away, he asked what I wanted him to bring.

“Besides a camera,” he said. “I gotta bring my camera.”

“You want pictures of Amish Country?“

“I want pictures of you and Abra at a dog show. Or nobody’s going to believe it.”

“We’re here as Bad Examples,” I reminded him.

“I only hope they put it on a trophy.”

Odette, who had finished her call, reached for my phone. “Let me talk to Jeb.”

She told him where to go and when to be there. I was sure he would obey; Odette had that effect on people. It explained why she sold almost every property she showed.

To me she said, “You need to make an effort to find Abra.”

“I always do!”

“Let me finish. Make an effort so that no one can accuse you of animal neglect. Or whatever the term is for repeatedly letting your dog run away. Between the breeders and Fleggers, this is a high-profile event.”

“I know, I know. But this time Dr. David can’t help me. He’s here in an official capacity, advocating ‘canine freedom.’ And the breeders don’t seem to like me. Plus they’re kind of busy with the show.”

“Exactly why I’m bringing in Liam’s other helicopter-and Jeb!” Odette said. “Whether you find Abra or not is irrelevant. Just make it look like you’re looking and then get the hell out of Amish Country. We have Big and Little Houses to sell!”

Liam Davies was our ticket to ride the real estate market all the way up again. He was also Jeb’s ticket to ride in a helicopter from Magnet Springs to Amish Country to help me find Abra. Odette was right, however; my real objective was real estate. I needed to get back to business.

“What’s this rumor I heard about somebody claiming Yoda?” Odette said.

I summarized Perry’s story about Boomgarden escaping from his rented cabin on the beach.

Odette asked, “Does Peg Goh know she’s got to give up the cat she tattooed on her arm?”

“Not yet.”

That was when I realized I should probably be the one to tell her. Or at least alert her to the fact that someone named Perry Stiles would soon be calling.

“You might as well get that nasty job out of the way,” Odette said.

I’d had plenty of experience delivering unpleasant news by telephone but never on the subject of cats. Although this wouldn’t be fun, fortunately for me Peg was one of the most stable people in town. Sure, she’d be disappointed, but I expected her to take it in stride.

I was wrong.

When I called her at the Goh Cup, Peg launched her part of the conversation with a litany of Yoda’s latest “hilarious” antics, most of which sounded just plain appalling to me.

“You know what he especially loves to do?” Peg enthused. “Ride around on my shoulder-like a parrot!”

I saw no charm in that. But I seized upon her remark as a clever transition.

“That does sound like something a parrot would do. Maybe that’s what your next pet should be, Peg. A parrot!”

Silence greeted my suggestion. Apparently, I was going to have to make myself clearer.

“Peg, I’m at this dog show in Indiana, and I met this guy-“

“You did? But I thought you and Jeb were back together. He’s on his way to help you right now, you know. Oh, Whiskey, how could you go and fall for somebody else?”

“I didn’t ‘fall for’ anybody!”

I glanced at Odette for guidance, but she merely gave me the “wrap-it-up-fast” sign.

“Trust me, Peg,” I continued, “I’m not this other guy’s type. The thing is, well, we got to talking… about Magnet Springs. It turns out he was there last spring, in a cabin on the beach-“

“And he visited the Goh Cup? Is that what you’re calling to tell me? I bet he liked the big cookies! Most men do. Let me guess which flavor he liked best…”

I took a breath and plunged ahead.

“I’m sorry, Peg, but that’s not what I’m trying to tell you. What I’m trying to tell you is that this guy-his name is Perry Stiles-was there with his cat-his friend’s cat, actually-and the cat got lost, and the cat is Yoda! That’s right, Peg, the cat you tattooed on your arm is somebody else’s cat, and that somebody else wants his cat back. His real name is Boomgarden, by the way. The cat, not the somebody else. I’m sure this is shocking, and I’m really sorry it happened, but I’m just trying to do the right thing by giving you a heads up.”

Her reply: silence as deep as the snow on Mount Everest and as long as a bored yawn from Odette.

“Peg? Did you hear me?”

More silence. And then, just as I was about to check our connection, she wailed.

“But I love my cat! Yoda is my family-the only thing in my life that gives me joy! You don’t think I love slinging coffee and cookies, do you? Let alone selling tattoos! And as for being mayor of this little town, what’s to love? It’s high risk, low income. I don’t have to tell you what happened to the last guy in that job!”

She was referring to the fact that I had discovered the previous mayor’s dead body. Before I could think of a soothing reply, or any reply at all for that matter, Odette grabbed my phone.