Murder Unleashed Read Online Free PDF Page A

check in the back,” Helen said.
    The dog beds were on the upper shelves, naturally. Helen was standing on a ladder in the back of the stockroom when she realized she wasn’t alone. Todd had slipped in. He was by the door, with his back to her, punching in numbers on his cell phone. Helen froze. Should she tell him she was here? But Todd was talking on the phone. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she didn’t want to interrupt. Then Todd raised his voice. It had a hard, nasty edge Helen had never heard before.
    “Listen,” Todd said. “I don’t care how you get the money, but I want it.” He paused, but the air was electric with his silent anger. “That’s your problem, not mine.” Todd snapped his cell phone shut. He stomped out of the stockroom. Helen was relieved he hadn’t seen her.
    Well, well, Helen thought. Pretty Todd could be quite ugly. Did someone owe him money? Or was he shaking down one of the women who gave him those expensive presents? Or one of the men? It wasn’t any of Helen’s business. She shoved the dog beds back on the shelf and went out front to Betty.
    “Sorry,” Helen said. “Nothing in red.”
    Betty added the brown corduroy bed to her other purchases. Helen rang them up and helped her carry them out to the car. Barney the bichon wheezed along beside them. The parking lot was a long walk for his short legs.
    Helen returned to find Jeff standing in his shop, wringing his hands. “I can’t find Todd and I can’t reach Jonathon on his cell phone. We have ten dogs waiting to be groomed, and Barkley is due in now.”
    Helen had never seen Jeff so upset. “They’ll be back,” she said. “It’s good that the groomers took a break. They needed to cool off, both of them.”
    “I guess you’re right,” Jeff said. “You’re friends with Jonathon. You know him.”
    Helen stopped herself before she said, “I’m not a friend, exactly.” She’d never spoken to the star away from the store. Even there, she rarely exchanged more than a polite, “How are you today?” They didn’t have much in common. Jonathon was wildly emotional. Helen was quiet and dull by his standards. But Jonathon didn’t slam her with the seething contempt he saved for Todd. There seemed to be some unspoken bond between them.
    Maybe it’s because we have the same attitude toward animals, Helen thought. We like them, but we don’t kiss them or do baby talk. They aren’t furry children. The bell rang and more customers poured into the shop, demanding bags of food, stainless-steel bowls, treats, and toys. She was too busy to consider her relationship with Jonathon.
    By three thirty the Pampered Pet was back to normal, if Helen could use that word to describe the Saturday chaos. Todd was in the cage room, kissing his dogs. Jonathon groomed his animals in solitary splendor. Six dogs were ready to go home. The others would be finished by closing, including the priceless Barkley.
    When there was a lull, Helen said, “Is Jonathon OK?”
    “Yes, thank goodness.” Jeff leaned against the counter. He looked tired.
    “He seems so . . . retro,” Helen said.
    “You mean he acts like an old queen,” Jeff said.
    Jeff was about as flamboyant as a button-down shirt. He loved khaki shorts, beer, pot roast—and a hunky interior decorator named Bill.
    “The seventies queen act is a little dated, but that’s how some groomers are,” Jeff said. “They can be very emotional. The temperament goes with the talent. I know Jonathon won’t stay here much longer. But I’ll enjoy the income while I can. I can handle the problems he creates, including the jealousy. Todd has been snippy lately, and I’m not talking about his scissors.”
    “I have noticed his sulks.”
    “Todd will be OK,” Jeff said. “He has his own following.”
    Helen wondered if Todd would take his customers to another salon. His ego was nearly as big as Jonathon’s. She didn’t envy Jeff the delicate task of dealing with temperamental