Free 6 Beach Blanket Barbie by Kathi Daley

say that she did. Why do you ask?”
    “No reason. I’m just trying to pull together some random pieces of information I’ve come across. Although Levi broke up with Barbie and apparently broke her heart, he did care for her. I’m trying to help figure out who might have wanted to hurt her. Can you think of anything that might help us narrow things down?”
    Serenity stared out of the window as she appeared to be considering my question. It was a beautiful day, but as I watched the second hand on the old wall clock begin its fourth revolution, the silence between us made me want to jump out of my chair. Serenity, on the other hand, seemed quite content to sit quietly as the minutes ticked away. I suppose the ability to sit in complete silence and feel comfort in that silence is something that speaks of emotional control and being in the moment. I, on the other hand, have never been known for my emotional control.
    “There is one thing,” she finally s aid. “Barbie mentioned that she’d met a man. She said he was a total babe and they had a lot of fun together, but I got a weird vibe.”
    “Weird how?”
    “I don’t know. Just weird.”
    “Do you remember a name?”
    “No,” Serenity answered. “I’m pretty sure Barbie never mentioned it.”
    “And do you remember when you had this conversation?”
    “I guess about two months ago.”
    “Okay; thank you for your time.” I got up to leave and started toward the door. “Oh, by the way . . .” I turned. “What can you tell me about Barbie’s relationship with Phillip Hayes?”
    Serenity laughed. “I’d say that any relationship that existed between Barbie and Phillip is wishful thinking on Phillip’s part. Barbie had a type and he isn’t it.”
    “I’d heard rumors.”
    “Most likely started by Phillip. Trust me, there was nothing going on between the two, other than a little harmless flirting when Phillip delivered the water. Barbie had this way about her. She used to love to get guys worked up and then shut them down. In my opinion, it was cruel, but I guess most guys realized Barbie was out of their league and let it go.”
     
    After I showered and changed into my street clothes, I headed home to pick up Charlie before going to the Zoo. Now that Jeremy had Morgan to care for and I’d started to travel more often with Zak, we’d turned more responsibility over to our new full-time employee, twenty-three-year-old Tiffany Middleton. Tiffany was mature, energetic, friendly, and quickly becoming a favorite among the town’s residents.
    “Hey , Tiff,” I greeted her as Charlie and I strolled in through the front door. “Jeremy around?”
    “ He responded to an aggressive-dog call. He should be back anytime. How was your yoga class?”
    “Torture.”
    Tiffany laughed. “Serenity can be tough. I’ve taken a few of her classes. I could barely walk after the first one.”
    “Tell me about it. I seriously doubted my ability to get up off the floor after the class was finished. Did the family who applied to adopt Shep show up?”
    “Yeah, they came in first thing. I think they’ll be a good match. Shep is such a mellow dog , and they have two small children to consider. They said they might know of a family for Polly as well.” Tiffany’s brown eyes lit up as she spoke.
    “I hope it’s not a family with small kids.” Polly was a very active lab who was sweet but needed a living situation where she could expend some of her energy in a constructive way.
    “No, they said they had in mind a middle -aged couple who are suffering from empty nest syndrome now that their youngest has gone off to college. The man is a runner and woman likes to mountain bike.”
    “Sounds promising .”
    “They took an application with them and planned to speak to the c ouple within the next few days. Oh, by the way, Jeremy told me to let you know that the four dogs we’re expecting from Bryton Lake should be here later this afternoon.”
    “D o we have pens