Dogs, Dalliances, and Death: A Dog Detective Series Novel, #4

By Sandra Baublitz

The adorable duo is back!
Cold as Death.
Paw, canine detective, sniffs out a dead man in the shop fridge of Jac Weldon, his owner's friend. Worse, Jac's dad knew the man from his past.
Now it's up to his owner, Clarissa, to save her friend's dad from a murder charge. With Paw sniffing out the clues, the trail leads from the local garden center to the town's award-winning vineyard to a neighboring diner.
Could it be the playboy vintner? One of his friends? Or is it local realtor Tammy Williams, a suspect in one of Clarissa's former cases?
With this pair nosing into things, anything can happen. Even murder.
Dogs, Dalliances, and Death is the fourth novel in A Dog Detective Series. If you love a furry sleuth and a barking good cozy mystery, then this entertaining whodunnit is for you.
Buy Dogs, Dalliances, and Death and solve the mystery with Paw.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sandra Baublitz
• Release date: May 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223700272

Sandra Baublitz

Sandra Baublitz is a lover of all animals. She has always loved dogs and cats. A Dog Detective series originally began as a contest entry. Paw’s creation was influenced by the Beethoven movies and the author’s desire to own a Saint Bernard. The author never got the opportunity to own a St. Bernard and her current cats will not allow a new edition. Ms. Baublitz expresses her love of the breed by continuing to write about Clarissa and Paw and their mystery adventures. She hopes her readers enjoy reading them as much as she enjoys writing them.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The key rattled in the lock, but the door didn’t budge.

Rats! Another thing I’m going to have to fix, Jac grumbled.

Shelbee reached around her and lifted the door handle. With a shove, the door swung inward. Colin had that problem too.

Paw, Samuel, and Bitsy rushed in with noses to the floor and headed straight to the kitchen door.

Now, what’s gotten into them? Jac asked.

I shrugged. I don’t know. They didn’t act that way the last time we were here.

My friend, Jacqueline Weldon, a.k.a. Jac, had recently purchased the storefront that had once been Collin’s Comics. Shelbee van Vight, our friend, lived above the shop and had an entrance to it through a back door but had opted to come in the front with us as we had just returned from a flea market.

Clarissa, Shelbee said to me, Paw is scratching at the door.

Clarissa Hayes, Jac said, I just painted that door. Get him away from there. Jac usually exhibited a very tolerant temper, but since she had lost her job and put all her plans into this store, her nerves were frayed. I had to admit my St. Bernard could cause a considerable amount of trouble.

I’ll stop him. I walked over and pulled Paw back from the door.

He looked up at me sadly with his big soulful eyes as though to say he was disappointed in me.

I caressed his ears. What’s wrong, boy?

Bitsy jumped and turned in circles. The little Pomeranian wanted through the door too. As she pranced, her buddy, Samuel, threw his considerable mastiff weight against the door, rattling it in its frame.

Shelbee, Jac warned.

Shelbee grabbed her mastiff’s collar and scooped up Bitsy in her arms. Hush, sweeties, calm down.

As I held Paw’s collar, I turned back to Jac. Did you leave any food in the kitchen?

That may have sounded like a strange question, but Jac was still in the process of refinishing the store, and as far as I knew, she hadn’t stocked any food. She was planning to open a bookstore/coffee and bakery that would serve both humans and dogs. Our town, Tranquil Valley, was very forward-thinking, and several establishments had permission to serve their canine and feline customers as well as their human ones. Jac had been given similar approval. Her dad, who was an amateur handyman, was helping her to refit the store for that purpose. We had just been to a flea market to find items to furnish the store.

No, Jac said. I simply cleaned it thoroughly and haven’t started stocking yet.

I turned the doorknob, and as I pushed the door inward, Paw jerked from my grasp and hurried forward. Samuel and Bitsy lunged at the same time, surprising Shelbee as Bitsy jumped from her arms and distracted her from her grip on Samuel. This was unusual for Shelbee as she was a pet sitter and was trained to keep control of her charges.

All three dogs ran straight to the walk-in freezer that Jac had recently installed. They sniffed the door, and Paw stood up, scrabbling to open the door.

Hey, hey, stop that! Jac yelled as she hurried past us to the dogs.

Paw ignored her as did the others.

Shelbee and I caught up, and between Jac and I, we pulled Paw down while Shelbee once again picked up Bitsy and clasped Samuel’s collar.

You’re sure there’s nothing in there? I asked Jac.

Jac’s brow furrowed. No.

She pulled at the handle and grunted as the door opened with a hiss, its seal releasing. Cold air wafted out, and Paw stuck his head around the door.

Woof!

Samuel shoved his head around too. Ruff.

Yip. Bitsy lunged from Shelbee’s arms, but this time Shelbee held tightly onto the little Pom.

Jac stuck her head in and gasped. No.

What? Shelbee and I said in unison.

Not again, Jac said. She turned to us. There’s a dead guy in my freezer.

Shelbee sat Bitsy down.

We pulled the freezer door open wider and stepped in. When Jac said not again, she hadn’t been referring to having a dead man in her freezer before. She meant that we often found ourselves investigating murders.

Maybe he’s not dead? Shelbee said.

The dogs milled around the body, sniffing and nudging with their noses.

I bent over and felt for a pulse. There was none. He’s dead.

How did he get in my freezer? Jac asked.

I don’t know, I said as I felt the man’s arms. He had apparently been here a while for he was frozen stiff. I stood up. Let’s get the dogs out of here and I’ll call Harry.

I pulled Paw out of the freezer as Shelbee and Jac got Samuel and Bitsy out and Jac closed the door. I would have liked to have turned the man over to determine what had killed him, but I knew Uncle Harry would admonish me for disturbing the scene. We returned to the main room of the store, and I phoned my uncle who was chief of police for our small town.

Before long, his squad car screeched to a halt by the curb in front of Jac’s store. Directly behind him, Officer Heldman pulled in, slamming on the brakes. Both men got out and stepped inside. Harry shook his head at me and said, Where?

We pointed to the open kitchen door.

I said, He’s in the freezer.

You sure nobody else is here?

I hesitated briefly, and that was all it took for Harry to order Heldman to check Shelbee’s apartment upstairs.

I’m sure no one is there, Shelbee said. The dogs would’ve alerted us.

Harry waved this aside and headed into the kitchen. Over his shoulder, he said, Stay there.

Loud musical notes from a horn made me jump. I turned to look out the front door in time to see Hal McFarlane double park by Harry’s cruiser. Our local coroner, who was a good friend to my uncle, threw open his car door and hopped out, leaving the door open as he rounded his car to the honk of an outraged driver behind him.

Ah, stuff it, Hal said, waving the driver on.

The driver veered around Hal’s car and sped on as Officer Barnes pulled up, parking behind Heldman’s cruiser.

Hal stomped his way up to the shop entrance.

I noted that Barnes quietly got out of his car, closed his door, and then closed Hal’s. He directed traffic away from the scene.

Hal stomped into the store, grumbling under his breath. No consideration for a man trying to do his job.

Hi, Hal, I said. Harry call you already?

Hal shook his head. No. I saw the commotion and thought I’d stop to see what Harry was into this time. Are you telling me that there is another dead body?

Before I could answer, Harry called from the freezer, Hal, get in here.

Hal smirked. Ah, the dulcet tones of my favorite police chief. He winked at me then yelled back at Harry, Hold your horses. He headed for the freezer, his small frame easily fitting through the door.

I could hear them conferring in the freezer and was edging towards the kitchen door when Heldman returned from upstairs.

All clear, he said with a pointed look at me. He passed me, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to indicate I should stay out of the kitchen and went in to confer with Harry and Hal.

Jac sat slumped in one of the few chairs in the store, resting her head in her hands. This is not good, she moaned to herself. Who’s going to want to come to my shop after a murder?

Shelbee laid a hand on her shoulder. We don’t know the guy was murdered. And even if he was, there’ll be plenty of looky-loos coming to be nosy.

But this was to be a peaceful, relaxing place, Jac wailed.

From the doorway, a voice said, What’s wrong, Buttercup?

We turned at the sound of Jac’s dad’s voice. Sam Weldon was a tall man with broad shoulders and brown hair and eyes. He stood just inside the shop doorway, wearing old jeans and a work shirt with rolled-up sleeves that displayed his tanned, strong forearms. He was a handsome man in his mid-fifties who had a warm smile.

Jac stood up and rushed over to hug her dad. Oh, it’s just awful, Dad. We found a body in the freezer.

Her dad edged back, holding her by the shoulders, and looked down into his daughter’s face. Body?

From behind Sam, a woman’s voice shrieked, Body?

I leaned to the side to see around Sam. A tall woman in her fifties stood with a hand on her chest. Tammy Williams. She was the local real estate agent and owned the building Jac was leasing for her store. Of course, she was also Shelbee’s landlord, but more importantly, she was not too fond of me as I had investigated her in the recent murder of one of our fellow town residents. Tammy still held a grudge against me for suspecting her.

Jac nodded. We came back from a flea market to drop off our finds, and the dogs led us to the freezer where we found a man on the floor. He’s dead. So we call— Jac trailed off when she saw Tammy’s expression.

Tammy looked ready to explode.

I stepped forward for I saw Paw edge closer to Jac, his hair standing on end when he sensed Tammy’s anger. Beside him, Samuel stood on alert. I stepped in front of both dogs and said, I called Harry and he is in the freezer now.

Tammy glared at me. Seems to me you find dead bodies frequently.

Sam half-turned, placing one arm around Jac and his other hand on Tammy’s shoulder. Now, calm down, Tammy. The girls didn’t put that body in the freezer. My daughter’s trying to start a business here, which will be good for you, so don’t go flying into the boughs until we know what happened.

I expected Tammy to explode in anger at Sam, but instead she deflated and nodded mutely.

Sam raised his hand from Tammy’s shoulder and squeezed Jac reassuringly. Then he stepped between the two women and passed me on his way to speak to Harry and Hal.

Through the door to the kitchen, I could just glimpse Officer Heldman place a palm out to stop Sam when he reached the freezer, but Harry called through and motioned for Sam to come inside. That seemed odd to me, but perhaps Harry wanted to ask Sam something.

Raised voices out front drew my attention to where Officer Barnes was controlling the crowd of townspeople who had gathered to see the activity. Police cars often drew a crowd of onlookers and Barnes was dealing with about twenty people. Most stood calmly on the sidewalk peering through the windows and door, but one man had raised his voice and was demanding to know what was going on. I had no doubt Barnes could handle him.

I noticed that as he turned to the man to deal with him, Mark Carter slipped around and strode up the sidewalk and in the front door. Mark was our local reporter and owner of the newspaper. He had formerly been a crime reporter in another state but had moved to Tranquil Valley and bought the local newspaper from its elderly editor.

Mark stopped in the doorway and gazed at the four of us standing in the middle of the room.

Tammy Williams turned at Mark’s arrival and scowled. I see our nosy reporter hasn’t missed a chance to snoop.

Mark ignored her for he was used to uncooperative people. He easily handled our elderly friend and sleuth Lillian Hardcastle, so Tammy was no obstacle. Ms. Williams. I see you are here to find out what happened as well.

Tammy bristled. I own this building. Of course, I’m interested in what happened.

Mark smiled. You wouldn’t happen to know what did happen then, do you?

Tammy clamped her mouth shut and crossed her arms.

Jac, who Shelbee and I had noticed had developed a close friendship with Mark on our previous investigations, stepped over to him and began to explain what happened. The dogs led us to the freezer—

I turned from her explanation when I heard Harry’s voice drawing closer. He walked with Sam and Heldman towards the connecting kitchen door. Hal must have remained in the freezer for I didn’t see him. Harry lay a hand on Sam’s shoulder and said, Come down to the station so we can take your statement.

Jac stopped in mid-explanation to Mark and turned toward her father. Statement? Dad, why do you need to make a statement?

Harry nodded to Sam, and he walked over and put his arms around Jac. Turns out I know the guy in the freezer. I need to make a statement to Harry. No need to worry, Buttercup.

Harry jerked his head to Jac’s dad.

Heldman stepped up to Sam and motioned for him to proceed him.

No, Jac said. I’m going with you.

Sam protested, but Harry interrupted. That’s fine. You can ride with him in the cruiser.

Jac followed her dad and Heldman out of the store, glancing back at me. Will you wait and lock up when they’re done?

I nodded.

Mark swiveled his head between Jac and her dad and Harry.

Before he acted, Harry said, You might as well stay here, Mark. I’ll make a statement about the crime.

Mark nodded.

I knew Harry had interpreted Mark’s indecision as a reporter wanting to follow the news, but I wondered if Mark was also worried about Jac and thought he should be there for her.

Harry motioned for Mark to come back to the freezer. Perhaps you have seen this guy before too? As they turned, Harry glanced back over his shoulder. You might as well come too, Ms. Williams.

Tammy paled and said, I don’t know the dead man.

How do you know that if you don’t know who’s dead? Harry asked.

Tammy hesitated but then followed the men back through the kitchen.

I looked at Shelbee. What was that all about? I mean with Jac’s dad?

Shelbee shrugged and looked down at the dogs, who were busily chewing on biscuits.

While I had been watching Harry, Shelbee had pulled out a bag of biscuits for the dogs to keep them entertained. She zipped the bag closed and returned it to her backpack.

I turned toward the kitchen at the sound of high-heeled footsteps.

Tammy Williams walked briskly out of the kitchen, ignoring us. She headed for the front door and left without a word to anyone.

I overheard Harry making a statement to Mark in the kitchen and drifted into the room and around the men toward the freezer. Harry glanced at me sharply but didn’t stop me.

Hal knelt next to the man’s body, and I took a moment to fully observe the dead man. He was of medium build with sandy brown hair and was a little overweight. He wore a dark blue workman’s pants but pristine white tennis shoes and a long-sleeved blue Henley-style shirt. No injuries were visible.

Paw pushed past me and nosed at the man’s right-hand pants pocket.

Hal pushed at Paw with one hand, leaning across the body so far, I was afraid he would topple. Here, now, Paw. No disturbing the scene. He looked up at me. Get him out of here, Clarissa.

I hurried over to Paw, throwing out a hand to steady Hal as he started to teeter. Once Hal regained his balance, he stood up, and I reached for Paw’s collar just as he stuck his paw in the man’s pocket and