exchanged a complicated series of slaps. “Was that smart, or what?”
“It was smart,” Quill said. “It was brilliant. But now we have to dismantle my beautiful beach.”
“I’ll get Mike on it,” Dina said. “Although we could go ahead and get the permits. If you want, I can get a couple of guys from the grad school in to do an engineering report for you. The whole thing will take a while, but I bet you anything by next year we can have the beach back again.”
“That would be wonderful. I mean, not only has it been a real draw for us, but it’s one in the eye for that fat little Frenchman.”
“You mean LeVasque?” Clare asked.
“Who else?” Quill jumped out of the chair and began to pace around the kitchen. “Spreading rumors about swine flu. Having Meg arrested. And now this! Turning us in to the DEC, for Pete’s sake! That little weasel thinks he can harass me out of business, does he? Well, he’s got another think coming.”
“This is all my fault,” Clare muttered. “I’m so sorry.”
“It isn’t your fault at all,” Quill said warmly. “He and Meg had locked horns long before you came to work for us. Well, a couple of hours, anyhow. What I can’t figure out is why? What did we ever do to him?”
“He doesn’t need a reason,” Elizabeth said. She adjusted her chef’s hat on her sleek black hair with a defiant hand. “He’s just a vindictive creep.”
“But why now?” Quill said. “The academy’s been up and operating successfully for several months. Goodness knows he could have come by long before this. We aren’t taking any business away from him. He’s taking business away from us.”
“Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of men?” Dina said. “I’m going to go put all those names for the Welcome Dinner in a hat, now, Quill.”
“Good. And you’ll talk to Mike about our beach?”
“I’m right on it.” She pushed open the door to the dining room and then let it swing shut. “Uh-oh.”
“Uh-oh?” Quill walked up behind her, opened the door a crack, and peered out. Then she let fly a word she almost never used and pulled Dina backward.
“What is it?” Clare asked, alarmed. “Is the DEC guy back?”
“I wish,” Dina said. “It’s Carol Ann. Quick! Everybody out the back!”
“Too late,” Quill said, as the doors swung wide.
“So here’s where you all are.” Carol Ann Spinoza marched in, chin thrust out and with a militant glitter in her eye. “You’ve been ducking me all morning.” As always, she was surrounded by the aroma of fabric softener and soap.
“Can’t imagine why,” Dina muttered.
Carol Ann swiveled slowly, like the turret guns on the top of a tank. “You talking to me, Dina?” she asked sweetly.
The office of Hemlock Falls Animal Control did not require its officers to wear a uniform, which hadn’t fazed Carol Ann a bit. She wore starched black jeans, thigh-high motorcycle boots, and a perfectly ironed black T-shirt with Hemlock Falls Animal Control Officer in large white letters on the front.
Despite the ominous outfit, Carol Ann at first glance looked like the winning candidate for the Strawberry Queen contest held every year in July. Her bouncy blond hair was drawn up into a billed hat lettered HFACO . Her bright white teeth flashed in a sticky-sweet smirk. Her peachy complexion was free of any sort of blemish (other than a deceptively kind expression). She chimed when she walked, primarily due to the equipment hanging from her narrow waist. A brown leather belt punched with grommets held a pair of handcuffs (for belligerent pet owners), a choke chain, a metal leash, the top half of a catch pole, a billy club, a can of Mace, and a hypodermic with acepromazine capsules in a plastic case. A .38 police special sat in a holster at the small of her back.
“Oh my God,” Clare Sparrow said. She darted a nervous glance at the storeroom, which was closed.
“Let me guess,” Quill said. “You have a report of a
“It was smart,” Quill said. “It was brilliant. But now we have to dismantle my beautiful beach.”
“I’ll get Mike on it,” Dina said. “Although we could go ahead and get the permits. If you want, I can get a couple of guys from the grad school in to do an engineering report for you. The whole thing will take a while, but I bet you anything by next year we can have the beach back again.”
“That would be wonderful. I mean, not only has it been a real draw for us, but it’s one in the eye for that fat little Frenchman.”
“You mean LeVasque?” Clare asked.
“Who else?” Quill jumped out of the chair and began to pace around the kitchen. “Spreading rumors about swine flu. Having Meg arrested. And now this! Turning us in to the DEC, for Pete’s sake! That little weasel thinks he can harass me out of business, does he? Well, he’s got another think coming.”
“This is all my fault,” Clare muttered. “I’m so sorry.”
“It isn’t your fault at all,” Quill said warmly. “He and Meg had locked horns long before you came to work for us. Well, a couple of hours, anyhow. What I can’t figure out is why? What did we ever do to him?”
“He doesn’t need a reason,” Elizabeth said. She adjusted her chef’s hat on her sleek black hair with a defiant hand. “He’s just a vindictive creep.”
“But why now?” Quill said. “The academy’s been up and operating successfully for several months. Goodness knows he could have come by long before this. We aren’t taking any business away from him. He’s taking business away from us.”
“Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of men?” Dina said. “I’m going to go put all those names for the Welcome Dinner in a hat, now, Quill.”
“Good. And you’ll talk to Mike about our beach?”
“I’m right on it.” She pushed open the door to the dining room and then let it swing shut. “Uh-oh.”
“Uh-oh?” Quill walked up behind her, opened the door a crack, and peered out. Then she let fly a word she almost never used and pulled Dina backward.
“What is it?” Clare asked, alarmed. “Is the DEC guy back?”
“I wish,” Dina said. “It’s Carol Ann. Quick! Everybody out the back!”
“Too late,” Quill said, as the doors swung wide.
“So here’s where you all are.” Carol Ann Spinoza marched in, chin thrust out and with a militant glitter in her eye. “You’ve been ducking me all morning.” As always, she was surrounded by the aroma of fabric softener and soap.
“Can’t imagine why,” Dina muttered.
Carol Ann swiveled slowly, like the turret guns on the top of a tank. “You talking to me, Dina?” she asked sweetly.
The office of Hemlock Falls Animal Control did not require its officers to wear a uniform, which hadn’t fazed Carol Ann a bit. She wore starched black jeans, thigh-high motorcycle boots, and a perfectly ironed black T-shirt with Hemlock Falls Animal Control Officer in large white letters on the front.
Despite the ominous outfit, Carol Ann at first glance looked like the winning candidate for the Strawberry Queen contest held every year in July. Her bouncy blond hair was drawn up into a billed hat lettered HFACO . Her bright white teeth flashed in a sticky-sweet smirk. Her peachy complexion was free of any sort of blemish (other than a deceptively kind expression). She chimed when she walked, primarily due to the equipment hanging from her narrow waist. A brown leather belt punched with grommets held a pair of handcuffs (for belligerent pet owners), a choke chain, a metal leash, the top half of a catch pole, a billy club, a can of Mace, and a hypodermic with acepromazine capsules in a plastic case. A .38 police special sat in a holster at the small of her back.
“Oh my God,” Clare Sparrow said. She darted a nervous glance at the storeroom, which was closed.
“Let me guess,” Quill said. “You have a report of a
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