Sherry was working on her computer when Kat walked into Cherry Hills Veterinary. “Hi, Kat,” she said. “You find another lost dog?”
“Not today.” Kat stepped up to the reception counter, grateful to see the lobby was empty. “But I did find something else.”
Sherry tilted her head. “What?”
“I’ll get to that. But first I have a few questions.”
“What kind of questions?”
“For starters, what was your relationship with Jeff Parr?”
Sherry’s hands slid off of the keyboard and into her lap. From the way her face had paled, Kat gathered the question wasn’t a welcome one.
“I know you didn’t like him,” Kat said. “I could tell by the way you were acting when we were talking about him yesterday.”
Sherry worked her jaw, but she didn’t say anything. Her whole body had gone rigid.
“It’s okay if you didn’t get along,” Kat went on. “I mean, just because he’s dead now doesn’t mean he was a saint.”
Sherry exhaled. “Okay, so I didn’t like him.”
A smile tugged at the corners of Kat’s lips. She had finally gotten Sherry to open up a little. With a bit more coaxing, perhaps she’d spill everything.
“What did he do to make you dislike him?” Kat asked.
Sherry twisted her hands in her lap. “We dated, you know. We kinda knew each other already through some of our mutual friends, but I didn’t really get to know him well until he asked me out.”
“How long ago was this?”
“A little over a month. We broke up last week.” Sherry’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with one hand. “But I didn’t kill him.”
“So you broke up on good terms?”
Sherry let her hand drop back to her lap. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Then how did you part?”
Sherry looked down at her finger as she traced the edge of the desk.
“Sherry?” Kat prompted.
She sighed. “Okay, so, we fought.”
“About what?”
“About his dog-walking ‘business,’ for one thing,” Sherry said, making air quotes with her fingers.
“Because he only started it to be around dogs instead of for the money?” Kat guessed.
“Oh, I don’t think he did that to be around dogs. He wasn’t an animal person.”
Sherry’s statement took Kat aback. “Why else would he choose to walk dogs?”
Sherry worried her lip. “I don’t know anything for sure.”
“But you have a theory.”
Sherry’s nose twitched, then she nodded.
Kat set her elbow on the counter and propped her chin in her hand. “What’s your theory?”
“I believe,” Sherry said, drawing out the words, “he was walking dogs to gain access to people’s houses. That way he could, you know, take things.”
“He was stealing from his clients?” The notion made Kat’s stomach clench.
Sherry crossed then uncrossed her legs, seemingly unable to get comfortable. “Like I said, I don’t know anything for sure. But see, once or twice when we were going out something of mine turned up missing.”
“Like what?”
“Certain valuables.”
Kat thought about the bracelet in her pocket. “You mean jewelry?”
Sherry nodded. “A couple weeks ago I couldn’t find the diamond earrings my father gave me for my twenty-first birthday. I asked Jeff if he’d seen them, and he got all defensive. That’s when I started thinking he might have taken them.”
“How can you be sure one of your other friends didn’t swipe them?”
“Jeff was the only person I’d left alone in my bedroom since I last saw those earrings.” Sherry tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “See, Jeff didn’t really have any concept of time. We’d have a date, and he would show up early. So I’d duck into the bathroom to finish getting ready while he waited.” She peered up at Kat. “It sounds pretty stupid of me, huh? To leave him alone in my bedroom where I keep my jewelry.”
“It doesn’t sound stupid,” Kat said, her heart hurting a little for Sherry. “You trusted him.”
Sherry slumped against the back of her chair. “Yeah, well, I shouldn’t have. Now I’ve lost every piece of jewelry my dad ever gave me.”
“You might not have lost everything.” Kat pulled the bracelet out of her pocket and slid it over to Sherry.
Sherry gasped. “Oh, my gosh!” She plucked the bracelet off of the counter, her fingers running over it as if to verify it was still intact. “You found my bracelet. My father gave me this when I graduated high school. I thought it was gone forever.” She looked at Kat, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Where was it?”
“Outside,” Kat said, not wanting to reveal that it had been only yards from where Jeff had died.
Before they could say anything else, the door opened. Lady Fairchild walked in with a huge handbag hooked over one shoulder. Muffin’s head hung over the top of the bag.
“Kat,” Lady Fairchild said, joining her at the reception counter. “So nice to see you again.”
“You too.” Kat nodded at Muffin. “Is he okay?”
“I’m afraid not.” Lady Fairchild rubbed the dachshund’s head. “Ever since yesterday he just hasn’t been himself. That Jeffrey business has traumatized him.”
Kat remembered how the dog had trembled the day before and felt a pinch of sympathy for him.
Lady Fairchild placed the handbag on the counter. “I really don’t know what to do.” She looked at Sherry. “I was hoping Dr. Harry might be able to help him.”
Sherry stood up and smiled, but the expression looked strained. “I’ll let him know you’re here.”
“Thank you.”
Sherry glanced at Kat before disappearing into the back. Kat wondered if she were scuttling away merely to avoid any more talk of Jeff Parr.
Lady Fairchild eyed Muffin as he wriggled out of the confines of the handbag. “Kat, be honest with me. Does he look traumatized to you?”
Kat watched as Muffin kicked the handbag away and toddled over to Sherry’s computer. He sniffed the back of the monitor, his tail wagging. “He looks okay.”
Lady Fairchild bit her lip. “Well, yes. Right now he does.” She hunched closer. “But I’ll tell you, when he’s at home he’s just not himself.”
“How so?”
“Take last night, for instance. My gentleman companion came over with dog treats, and Muffin wouldn’t even touch them. And these are Muffy’s favorite brand!” Lady Fairchild’s eyes opened wide as if a dog spurning treats was the strangest phenomenon she’d ever witnessed in her life. “He wouldn’t even look at them. He just hunkered under my chair and refused to come out until bedtime. It’s as though he can no longer derive any pleasure from life now that he witnessed somebody else losing theirs.”
Kat frowned. “Maybe he just wasn’t hungry.”
Lady Fairchild flapped her hand. “Oh, that’s no excuse. Before this Jeffrey business he wolfed those things down, hungry or not. You’d think he had a second stomach reserved for treats.”
“Huh.” Kat didn’t know what to say to that.
Lady Fairchild sighed, concern reflected in her eyes as she gazed at Muffin. “I do hope Dr. Harry can help him. If he’s depressed, perhaps there’s something he can take.”
“Like an antidepressant?”
Muffin had grown bored with the computer and was now attempting to jump down to the desk.
“Perhaps.” Lady Fairchild picked up the dog and gave him a kiss. “If they can make them for humans they should have a variation for dogs, don’t you agree?”
“I really don’t know.”
Sherry returned. “Dr. Harry will be a couple minutes. You can have a seat in the lobby.”
Lady Fairchild grabbed her handbag. “Thank you, Sherry. And, Kat, you take care of yourself, you hear me? I know stumbling across Jeffrey like that had to have taken its toll on you too. I’d hate to see you turning as gloomy as my Muffy.”
Muffin tilted his face up to lick his human’s chin. His tail was wagging so hard Lady Fairchild couldn’t get a good hold on his rear end.
Kat couldn’t help but think he looked awfully cheerful for a dog that was supposedly depressed. Right now, the only thing that would bring her that much joy would be to see Jeff’s killer behind bars.