Get Fluffy

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Book: Read Get Fluffy for Free Online
Authors: Sparkle Abbey
surroundings. His short cropped brown hair reminded me of my cousin, Wyatt, on my daddy’s side. Wyatt didn’t think girls could do anything but cook, have babies, and look pretty. I didn’t like Wyatt.
    I had no idea what Cop Number One thought as he processed my typical attire of motorcycle boots, faded jeans, and t-shirt.
    He mumbled into the radio he wore like a tie. Someone squawked back something that only a fellow police officer, or a fast food employee, could decipher.
    “Is there anyone else in the house?” Cop Number Two, who couldn’t be a day over twenty-one asked. I pegged him as the “good cop.” Dark hair, dark eyes, strong jaw line and plenty of who-gives-a-crap-what-you-think attitude. To say he was “nice” was an exaggeration, but he didn’t look at me as if I was already the prime suspect.
    “No. She’s upstairs, to the right. I don’t remember which room but you can’t miss it. It’s a mess. I think I left the door open. Watch out for the dog. She’s standing guard.” Once I’d found my voice I rambled, offering random details.
    With a nod of acknowledgment, the third and fourth cops walked past us and headed upstairs.
    “What kind of dog?” Cop Number One was back.
    He had to be kidding. There was someone in Laguna who didn’t know Mona and her four-legged sidekick? “I thought everyone knew Mona and Fluffy.”
    “Which one’s the dog?” Cop Number One pulled out his black notebook.
    It wasn’t a completely brainless question. There were many women named “Fluffy” in Orange County. But the fact that he didn’t know who Mona Michaels or Fluffy were made him Dumbo Cop.
    “Fluffy.”
    “Call the vet,” Dumbo Cop said to his partner. “I’m not going to get bit by some diva dog.” He jammed his notebook in his front shirt pocket.
    “What are you going to do?” I hopped up from the stairs, slightly blocking his path.
    “Who are you?” he asked, clearly annoyed.
    “Melinda Langston. I’m the one who found Mona and called 9-1-1. Why do you need a vet?”
    “We may need to tranquilize the dog if he—”
    “She.”
    “What?” He pinned me down with a stare meant to shake my confidence.
    “Fluffy’s a she. And you can’t drug her. I’ll call my cousin, she’s a pet shrink.”
    “You,” he pointed at me, “won’t call anyone.”
    “Caro wouldn’t like being referred to as ‘anyone’.”
    The muscle in his cheek twitched. “Who’s your cousin?” His tone suggested he already knew the answer.
    “Carolina Lamont. She recently solved Kevin Blackstone’s murder. You’ve probably met her.”
    His face turned red, like he popped an artery. “Sit down.” He jabbed his finger at the bottom stair and then mumbled into his radio tie again. His words were incoherent, but his tone was unmistakably pissed off.
    Heck, I wasn’t happy I’d coughed up her name either, but she had solved Kevin’s murder and cleared Diana’s name in the process. More importantly, she knew dogs.
    That’s when Grey showed up, dressed in his dark-blue Tom Ford suit surrounded by his own air of authority. Our eyes met, and a spark of intense understanding flashed between us, striking me to the core.
    Feelings of reassurance and strength washed over me; I struggled to keep back the tears.
    “Are you okay?” he asked as I rushed across the foyer and into his open arms.
    I nodded into his chest, hiding my weakness from him. “Better than Mona. I forgot I wasn’t supposed to talk to anyone.”
    I felt his chest rumble with a strained laugh. “I’m not surprised.”
    I allowed myself to soak up everything he offered before I pulled away and led him to the French doors that opened to the sunroom.
    He squeezed my shoulders and quickly took in the scene. I knew he was doing his own assessment of the situation. He was on full alert, FBI stance, absorbing and analyzing details. My chest tightened with pride. This was why I had called him. If only it didn’t scare the bejeezus out of me

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