Derby Divas (Zoe Donovan Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page A

called him directly. I didn’t realize he was out of town, though. Winnie’s son wants Bella picked up by three o’clock today. Zak said he was going to call you about taking delivery.”
    I looked at my phone. I’d turned it off during the meeting. I powered on and saw that I had both a text and a voice mail from Zak. “Yeah, he did call, but I had my phone turned off,” I answered. “I’ll head over and pick Bella up in a little while. I’m sure Charlie will be thrilled to have the company.”
    Charlie lifted his head at the sound of his name.
    “By the way, excellent job with the inspection. The woman from the county seemed quite taken with your knowledge and level of expertise.”
    Jeremy smiled. “That’s not all she was taken wi th. We’re going out this weekend.”
    Terrific. The last thing I needed was a messy love affair between Jeremy and a county representative who could shut us down with a single stroke of her pen.
    Jeremy must have noticed the look of despair on my face.
    “Don’t worry. We aren’t dating,” he assured me. “I know the rule about mixing business and pleasure. Vivian is a nice woman my mother’s age who happens to like classic cars. Morgan and I are going to show her around. I assure you that I’ll be on my best behavior. By the way, I wanted to let you know that the mysterious animal deaths we were dealing with while you were away have stopped completely since they isolated the water supply your dad told Salinger about.”
    “That’s good. Did they find the source of the contamination?” I wondered. While I’d been in Hawaii , several animals had died or become sick as a result of contaminated groundwater. My dad and Jeremy had helped track down the source of the toxins.
    “Not yet , but Salinger assures me he’s working on it. My guess is that one of the cabins in the area is being used as a meth lab, but it will be hard to figure out which one without searching each and every one unless someone slips up and brings attention to themselves. Guess we’ll just have to keep an eye out for any more deaths.”
    “I’m going to call Zak and then head over to Winnie ’s to pick up Bella. My phone is on now, so call me if anything comes up.”
     
     

Chapter 3
     
    I felt bad for Winnie. I understood why her children were concerned about her living alone in a house that required shovel ing snow in the winter and yard work in the summer, but Winnie was an independent soul who probably wouldn’t love living in a structured community. I was glad that Jeremy had thought of asking Zak whether he was interested in being Bella’s new human. They really would be perfect for each other and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it myself. Zak hadn’t answered his cell when I called, but I’d left a voice mail letting him know that I was picking up Bella and would be happy to keep her at my place until he returned.
    “I guess you ’re here for Bella.” Winnie had tears running down her cheeks when she opened the door. I had to bite my lip to keep from shedding a few tears of my own.
    “I can come back later if you need more time to say good -bye,” I offered. I love my job, but situations like this are the worst.
    “Now is good .” Her son walked up behind Winnie with Bella on a leash.
    “Let’s talk on the porch,” Winnie suggested.
    I stepped aside as Winnie and Bella joined me outdoors. It felt like my heart was breaking as Winnie hugged Bella, but I couldn’t think of anything I could do or say that would make this easier for her. Saying good-bye to a beloved pet was never easy.
    “Zak is excited to have Bella come to live with him,” I tried. “He’s going to take good care of her.”
    “I know he will .” Winnie smiled through her tears. “I can’t bear saying good-bye, but Bella is a large dog who needs a big yard and someone to walk her. My new condo doesn’t have much of a yard at all.”
    “Jeremy said you could have a small dog. Have you