Free The Fashion Hound Murders by Elaine Viets

simple tonsillectomies. You never know—
    A yellow fur ball came hurtling across the brown winter grass and collided with Amelia, knocking her to the ground. A golden-haired puppy trailing a red leash sat on Amelia, licking her face. A small dog wearing a blue sweater bounced up and yapped by her foot.
    “Chloe!” a despairing male voice said.
    “Bruiser!” an angry woman cried.
    Bruiser? My child was attacked by Bruiser? Josie thought. Let me at him.
    It took a few minutes to sort out the fur and people. Bruiser turned out to be a scrawny brown Chihuahua. Chloe was the fat yellow lab mix who’d knocked Amelia to the ground. Her owner grabbed the red leash, then said to Amelia, “Are you okay, honey? Are you hurt?” He looked worried.
    “I’m fine,” Amelia said, brushing off her jacket. She scratched the pup’s ears. Chloe did a full-body wag and gave Amelia another slurp.
    “That’s a relief,” the man said. “I’m sorry. Chloe is still learning her manners. My name is Jerry.”
    Jerry looked rather like a puppy himself, with soft brown eyes, unruly blond hair, and big feet. He offered a huge paw and pulled Amelia up off the ground.
    Behind Jerry, a pale young woman in a long dark dress and navy wool coat clutched Bruiser. Her drab brown hair was tied back and her face was grim. Josie thought she looked like a member of a religious cult. “I’m terribly sorry,” she said in a soft voice. “Bruiser is small, but strong. Are you okay, little girl?”
    Amelia’s mouth tightened. She thought she was too old be a “little girl.”
    “My name is Nedra.” Bruiser’s owner stuck out her hand.
    “I’m fine, really,” Amelia said, ignoring the handshake.
    “Are you here with Jerry?” Josie asked Nedra.
    “No, I live nearby. I was walking Bruiser when he saw the yellow pup and went running up to play. Bruiser is adopted from this shelter. I like Chihuahuas, but I was afraid I’d get a puppy mill pet if I bought one at a pet store. A pound puppy is the only way to end the cruelty.” Nedra kissed her little dog on its round dome.
    “People who run puppy mills should get the death penalty for what they do to innocent doggies, shouldn’t they, Bruiser?” Nedra smooched the dog again. “I’m trying to leash train Bruiser, but he still makes some mistakes.”
    Amelia gave Bruiser an ear scratch while Chloe begged for more attention. She tried to pet both dogs at once, but her arms weren’t long enough.
    Nedra? Where had Josie heard that name before? “Did you know Edna, a saleswoman at Pets 4 Luv?” Josie asked.
    “She’s the woman who was murdered last night,” Nedra said. “I saw that terrible video on the news this morning.”
    “I talked with her yesterday,” Josie said. “Edna thought you were one of the good guys. She said you were investigating her store for puppy mill dogs.”
    “I belong to People Are Animals, Too,” Nedra said.
    “I’ve never heard of that organization,” Josie said.
    “They’re headquartered in New Mexico,” Nedra said. “Near Santa Fe. If you ever vacation in that area, you should stop in at PAT. They do good work. PAT is more forceful than most pro-animal agencies. They haven’t compromised their ideals.”
    Josie wondered if those ideals—and some clumsy investigation on Nedra’s part—had made Dave suspicious and led to Edna’s death.
    “We just got a cat,” Amelia said. “He’s at the vet’s here, getting fixed.”
    Josie was relieved that Amelia didn’t go into details. She suspected Nedra would disapprove of declawing.
    Nedra handed Josie a couple of business cards and said, “If you need a veterinarian again, let me recommend this one. He loves animals. His office is near Maplewood. He works weekends and he’ll even come to your house. I’d better get Bruiser home. He’s shivering from the cold, aren’t you, sweetie?”
    She left, kissing and cuddling Bruiser.
    “May I buy you a hot chocolate or a cupcake?” Jerry asked.
    “No,