4 Yip/Tuck Read Free Page B

the last of my Christmas decorations for the boutique. Darby’s sudden, excited whisper broke my concentration.
    “Oh, my gosh, Mel. Is that Dr. O’Doggle sitting on the bench in front of Bow Wow?”
    It sure wasn’t Bob, the homeless surfer dude who shows up most mornings. Bob lives out of his Volkswagen van. He has a thing for my dog treats. And before you ask, no, he doesn’t have a homeless dog. Bob just likes the treats. I manage to slip him some cash every once in a while just to make sure he’s eating real food too.
    Dr. O looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. His designer suit was wrinkled, silk tie askew, hair ruffled to the point it look uncombed, and his Wayfarer Ray-Bans sat cockeyed on his nose. He looked like an upscale bum. His head was tilted sideways, as if he were watching something interesting. One arm was propped on the back of the bench.
    Now, I don’t pretend to know Dr. O’Doggle all that well, but I have never seen him look unkempt. The man wears custom-tailored operating scrubs, for goodness sakes. He and Tova must have had one heck of a fight. I couldn’t come up with one good reason as to why he’d chosen to crash in front of my shop. Unless he needed a very big apology gift.
    “Good morning.”
    He didn’t respond. Was he asleep?
    Missy sniffed Dr. O’s shoes, and Fluffy sniffed his, uh, man parts.
    Darby’s faced turned fifty shades of embarrassed. She tugged Fluffy back. “Stop, girl. Sorry. Dr. O’Doggle?”
    He didn’t say a word. He just remained slouched on the bench staring at us. At least, I assumed his eyes were open. With his dark sunglasses, it was hard to know for certain.
    “So, are you here about the gift for Kiki?” I asked, relieved I hadn’t caved and handed it over to Tova. “Looks like you’ve had a rough night.”
    Fluffy whined and stretched her long neck toward Jack. Darby pulled on the leash at the same time Fluffy stepped back and sneezed.
    “Bless you,” we said.
    Dr. O continued to give us the silent treatment. Fluffy eyed him intently. I studied him too.
    Darby must have relaxed her grip on the leash. Fluffy took advantage. The big Afghan lunged toward Dr. O’Doggle and knocked him over.
    The doctor rolled off the bench and dropped with a thud at our feet.
    My stomach knotted. “No, no, no.” I shook my head. “Not again.”
    I shoved Missy’s leash in Darby’s hand then knelt down and shook his shoulders. “Dr. O’Doggle?” I grabbed his suit lapels and yelled, “Jack?”
    Nothing. No, “I’m fine.” No, “Stop yelling in my face.” No, “Get your hands off me.”
    No, no, no.
    I checked his throat for a pulse. Nothing. But he was still warm. My fingers brushed against something that felt familiar, and I’m not talking about his tie. I pulled back his shirt for a better look. I sucked in a breath, my nose filled with a light female perfume I didn’t recognize. A thin dog leash was wound tightly around his neck.
    This was not an accident.
    “Is he . . .?” Darby asked softly.
    I looked up at her. “Dead. No more late night walks for him.”

Chapter Four
     
    DARBY SHIVERED. “Maybe he had a heart attack.”
    I sighed and sat down by the body. The coldness from the cement quickly seeped through my jeans. I barely noticed. “That’d be nice.” But doubtful.
    Missy yawned. She sat and stared at the front door of the boutique. Fluffy looked at Darby, nose in the air, as if she was above such distasteful situations.
    “There’s something around his neck,” I said quietly.
    Darby patted her head absently. “You mean his tie?”
    I shook my head no. “A dog leash.” I immediately recalled how angry Tova had been last night that Dr. O wasn’t coming. Had she been angry enough to kill him? Tova was demanding and annoying, but a killer? I didn’t think so. “We need to call 9-1-1.”
    Darby did a double take, her blue eyes huge. “Detective Malone isn’t going to be happy to see us.”
    Darby was right. Calling the