Butchered After Bark

sit in front of my husband’s office eight hours a day. Well played, Camila. Well played.
Oh, wipe that sour look off your face, Bizzy. You look as if you’re sucking on a sour piece of candy. Camilla winks as she says it.
Camila Ryder is a stunning woman with long chestnut brown hair that seems to have a life of its own. It dances down her shoulders in perfect perky waves, and her large dark eyes add that much more to her beauty. She has olive skin, perfect plucked brows, perfect bowtie lips, and I want to puke each time I see her perfect little self. She’s dressed in a short blue frilly dress and is holding a staff taller than she is in her left hand. I’m assuming she’s a slutty version of Bo Peep. More like a wolf in Peep’s clothing—so basically, she’s herself.
For reasons beyond my understanding, Leo shared his supernatural secret with her during the dark days when they were dating, and about a year ago she started to suspect I shared his strange gift, too. I’ve never come out and admitted it to her, but that hasn’t stopped her from speaking to me telepathically either.
Camila clears her throat. “Bizzy, Leo, this is my good friend, Blair Bates. Blair, you’ve already met Emmie, the woman in charge. Bizzy is her underling and Leo is my ex.”
Blair gives a gentle laugh. “Actually, Sprinkles and I met Bizzy a few minutes ago.” She holds up that dark furry cutie in her arms. “This is some party. Thank you for the invite, Camila. And you’re right, this will be the perfect venue.”
“Venue?” I ask as I look from Camila to Blair. Normally, I would let the comment fly, but Camila is never up to any good, and the words perfect venue practically begged the question.
Camila nods. “Blair is a prominent realtor, and she’s also somewhat of a socialite.”
Blair shakes her head. “I’m no such thing.” I might be, but it’s the wrong image, and I’m smart enough to know my image is everything at an event like this. “I’ve simply invited a few of my good friends to join us this evening.” She gives Camila a stern look, and not one of us misses the fact it was more or less a threat to keep her mouth shut.
Camila sniffs. “That’s right. Just a little girls’ night out with all the thrills and chills a scary month like this has to offer. We’ll see you around.”
They start to take off, and without hesitation, I block their path as I look to Blair.
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to let you know we have a full service pet daycare in the back of the inn called Critter Corner. And you’re more than welcome to leave Sprinkles there any time you like. It’s open every day of the week.”
I try my best to scan her thoughts on why she might be needing a venue but come up empty. And sadly, I’m guessing that’s the status quo with her—seeing that she’s Camila’s friend.
She smirks my way. “Thank you, but Sprinkles is fine with me tonight. She doesn’t scare easily.” Someone in the distance garners her attention, and a silent laugh bucks from her at the sight. And lucky for me, neither do I. “Excuse me.”
She takes off, leaving Camila in her wake.
So much for being good friends.
Emmie’s phone buzzes in her hand. “I need to get back to the front desk. I’m still on the clock, Bizzy. And don’t you worry. I’m going to be working side by side with you all through the month. There is no way I’m saddling you with all of this. This is my doing, and I’m going to see it through to the end. Nothing will go wrong, I promise.” She takes off just as a shard of lightning lights up the sky overhead.
“It seems someone upstairs begs to differ,” I say, scowling over at Camila.
Be nice. Leo nods my way. “I’m going to see if I can help her out. Don’t kill anyone while I’m gone.” He motions to Camila with his head. I’d hate to end the night with a homicide.
I’m not entirely opposed to it, I tell him as he trots into the crowd.
I step in a touch closer to Camila. “What’s really going on with your friend? Is she scouting this haunted venue for a wedding?”
She scoffs at the thought. “No, Bizzy. Only you have wedding bells on your brain.” She makes a face at the doll in my hand. “It looks as if you and Jasper got right to work and made a lovechild. And she looks just as I suspected she would.”
“Very funny,” I say as Fish lets out a sharp yowl.
Please tell me that’s not my sister. I don’t think I can sleep on her head at night. She looks as if she eats kittens for breakfast.
“She’s not mine,” I say it more for Fish’s benefit than for Camila’s. Fish was so relieved I was back, she must not have noticed Georgie wielding the doll like the haunted amulet it is. “She’s a part of Georgie’s newly acquired haunted doll collection.” I hold her out to the malfeasance in front of me. “Care for an early Christmas gift?”
“No, thank you.” Camila shudders at the thought. Now where did Blair go? She cranes her neck past me.
“So how do you know this woman, Blair?” I get the feeling something funny is going on, and my feelings are rarely wrong. That’s exactly why I’ve been able to solve so many homicide cases over the last year. Of course, Jasper isn’t too thrilled about my involvement. But I say if a person stumbles upon a body, solving the crime becomes fair game to them—or me as my steady stream of bad luck would have it.
“I told you.” Camila’s voice grows snippy. “We’re old friends.”
Just past her, I spot Blair standing in a dark clearing way out where the meadow meets the woods. But she’s not