By the Book (A Gracie Andersen Mystery 2) by Laurinda Wallace Page B

thoroughly enjoyed a good roll in the gutters and currently stunk to high heaven from the unmistakable fragrance of bovine perfume.
    “New customers are always welcome,” Gracie chuckled at the terriers that were now tangled up in the leashes.
    “Good luck. See you later.” Catherine waved and was gone.
    Cheryl came back in, waving a pink message slip.
    “Terry called,” she said. “She’d like you to go to the trustees meeting at the library tonight.”
    “Tonight? Marc and I are going to Short Tract for pancakes.”
    “She sounded pretty upset.”
    “What time is the meeting?” She was quickly calculating drive times on snowy roads from Deer Creek to Short Tract. It wasn’t looking good.
    “Seven,” Cheryl answered glumly.
    “Jeez Louise. Well, I’d better support her. She’s had a heck of welcome to Deer Creek. Hold the stooges for a minute, and I’ll call Marc to let him know.” She sighed, wondering what could possibly warrant her appearance at a library board meeting. At least she didn’t have any overdue books in the house.
    With Cheryl helping, the bathing went smoothly, but the toenail clipping was a challenge. She ended up muzzling Moe, the alpha male. Curly, the lone female, was a little more sedate, but wiggly. Larry managed to slip away from her before she could get him on the grooming table. He ran as fast as his little legs would go around and around the room. He finally jumped up on a chair and started barking frenetically at Gracie. She could have sworn he was mocking her. She pulled a treat from her pocket and tricked him into coming to her. He chomped the bacon-filled treat and licked Gracie’s face, begging for more.
    “You’ll get another one when we’ve finished, my evil friend,” she told the little dog in her best German accent. Cheryl was giggling at the dog’s antics. Larry cocked his head to one side as if he understood. Quickly she lifted him to the table and managed to get his toenails clipped without cutting the quick. The last thing she wanted was blood all over a now sparkling white dog. It wouldn’t make points with his owner either. Larry’s good behavior was rewarded with another treat while Cheryl put the finishing touches on Moe and Curly. The trio looked adorable in the dark blue bandannas that were imprinted with stars and “Milky Way Kennels.” They sat in a row crunching treats, shiny-eyed and sparkling clean.
    “Let’s get them to the holding area until Catherine gets back,” Gracie told Cheryl.
    “Sure thing. They’re the last pick up of the day.” Cheryl escorted the excited and panting little dogs down the hallway.
    Gracie glanced at her watch. The afternoon was already gone. Closing time was in a half hour. Now she was going to have to sit in a stuffy meeting instead of stuffing her face with pancakes. Why had she been summoned anyway? Haley greeted her at the office door, stretching luxuriously. Then she sat down to scratch herself.
    “Well, girl, it’s been a long day for us.” Gracie sighed and sat down in front of the computer. The rhythm of kibble hitting metal bowls meant Jim was right on schedule for the last feeding. Haley trotted down the hallway to join him. Gracie knew the dog would get her supper using her superior mooching skills. The bell jingled at the entrance, and Gracie heard Cheryl greet Catherine Woodson. She left her desk and hurried to talk to the pert brunette.
    “I hope you’ll use us again, Catherine. We’re offering more services all the time. In fact, we should have our training facility up and running by the fall.”
    “I’m sure I will.” Catherine clapped her hands as the three Westies ran to their mistress with their leashes trailing behind. “Come here, little stooges.” She knelt down and they bounced around her, barking with excitement.
    “I think you’ll find that they smell a lot better.”
    “They sure do. Thanks, Gracie. Let me know when you have training available. They could use a good dose.