Once Bitten (A Melanie Travis Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page B

sacrifices that Bertie had made, and I knew how much of her life she’d dedicated to succeeding in the sport of dogs. But until she’d mentioned it just now, I hadn’t realized that her string had grown so large. Bertie must have been running from the moment she arrived at the show hours earlier.
    “Come on,” I said. “Give me a dog to do. It will be good for me to learn something besides how to brush a Poodle.”
    “Well . . . I’ve got two Shar Peis, a class dog and bitch, going in about fifteen minutes. I’ve been wondering how I was going to juggle that.”
    “Extra hands.” I held mine up and wiggled my fingers. “At your service.”
    “We’ll bring you back something,” Peg promised as she and Davey left. Actually, considering the caliber of most dog show food, missing lunch wasn’t a hardship.
    “I had no idea you had so many dogs now,” I said, leaning back against the edge of a grooming table as Bertie sorted through her tack box, looking for the Shar Peis’ leashes. “You ought to think about hiring an assistant.”
    “I’ve considered it. And of course, Kate worked out great for a while.”
    Kate Russo was one of my former students at Howard Academy. The teenager’s love for dogs and her boundless energy had combined to make her seem like the perfect helper. I’d introduced her to Bertie a year earlier, and Bertie had taken Kate on as an unpaid apprentice.
    “How come she’s not still working for you? Did she quit?”
    Bertie nodded. “This fall when she started high school. Her mother really wanted her to concentrate on her studies and I could understand that. Besides, Kate wanted to sign up for the debating team and try out for JV basketball, so her time was really limited.
    “Having her around was great while it lasted. This many dogs is a lot for one person to handle, but you know how these things go. I’m half afraid that as soon as I hire someone, all my clients will disappear and I’ll be overextended financially. Working around the clock isn’t my idea of fun, but it seems like less of a gamble.”
    Bertie handed me a show leash and pointed to two medium-sized wooden crates, each at the bottom of a stack. Chinese Shar Peis, the breed famous for their loose, wrinkled skin, are not terribly tall, but they’re heavy for their size. Bending down, I braced myself as I opened the crate and the Shar Pei came bounding out into the aisle.
    “You’ve got the bitch,” said Bertie. “Her name is Ping. Mine’s the litter brother.”
    “Don’t tell me. Pong?”
    “How’d you guess?” She smiled. “They’re both in Open. Pong’s the only male, so with any luck I can pick up two points by beating the bitch for Best of Winners. Ping’s going to have a harder time of it, but if she does win, I’ll need you to show her for me in the breed.”
    Things went pretty much just as Bertie had predicted. Though Ping had to settle for Reserve Winners Bitch, Pong did indeed get two points. Not only was he Best of Winners, but he also won the red-and-white ribbon for Best of Opposite Sex.
    Making the win even more gratifying, the litter mates’ breeder-owner was standing ringside to watch her Shar Peis compete. Judging by the woman’s jubilant expression, this was one client Bertie wouldn’t be losing any time soon.
    On our way back to the setup, Bertie suggested that we detour past the obedience rings. “I looked at the schedule,” she said. “Open A was supposed to start at noon, so I’m pretty sure that Sara and Titus will be hanging out. With so little time before the wedding, I just want to make sure she’s on top of everything.”
    “It’s only been three days since we got together at my house,” I pointed out.
    “And I’ve only got six weeks to pull this whole thing together. Let’s hope Sara’s been busy.”
    Like the rest of the show, the obedience area was crowded. Inevitably, casual spectators are drawn to these arenas. It takes years of study and a skilled eye to