Free The Telltale Turtle (The Pet Psychic Mysteries) by Jim Lavene;Joyce Lavene

wake him. He obviously needed some sleep.
    Before she left him, she covered him with a washable blanket, then went downstairs to figure out what to do with the goat and his friend.
    Jenny met her at the foot of the stairs. "Have you lost your mind? Are you trying to make my day even worse?"
    Mary Catherine avoided both questions. "What's wrong?"
    "You sent Danny back there with me, knowing he thinks every woman is in love with him."
    "Surely not you." Mary Catherine tried not to laugh. "Where's Danny?"
    "I don't know." Jenny stalked away from the stairs. "I hope he's outside with the goat man. Maybe that way he won't bother me again."
    Danny came back into the clinic and Jenny walked into her office and closed the door. He and Mary Catherine heard the distinct sound of a dead bolt sliding into place. "Has everyone gone crazy around here? I was talking to the goat man. How are you going to help him, MC?"
     
    "I'm not sure yet. Colin passed out on my sofa upstairs. I'm not sure what to do for him either. I was wondering if you would take a look at my Mini Cooper. I had trouble with it starting earlier."
    "Sure thing. What are you planning to do to help Colin?"
    "I suppose I'll have to follow whatever clues I can get from Tommy." She went outside and told him about Charlene while he checked out her car. "Have you ever heard of a man named Charlie Dowd?"
    Danny shook his head under the Cooper's hood. "Nope. This looks bueno under here, MC. Try to start it."
    Mary Catherine got in the car and turned the key. The engine purred without so much as a sputter. She got out and stared at the car. "Is there something someone could've done to the engine that would make it not start this morning, but then it would start now?"
    "I don't know since I'm not sure what you're asking. Does this have anything to do with this Dowd guy?"
    "He offered me a ride when the car wouldn't start." Her eyes narrowed as she explained.
    "Si. That sounds bad. No wonder you're suspicious. I don't trust anyone who offers me a ride when my car breaks down. I mean, what's the world coming to?"
    "Never mind. You had to be here to understand. He was very threatening."
    Danny stopped smiling. "Hey, you didn't say he threatened you. You want me to go and rough him up some?"
    "No. But if you could ask around about him, maybe you could find out what I'm up against."
     
    "I could do that." He pushed his dark hair out of his face. "This hombre gives you any more trouble, you say the word. Okay?"
    "Thanks. Would you do me one more favor?"
    He shut the hood on the Mini Cooper. "Que?"
    "Don't tell anyone Colin's here. If Tommy's right and it wasn't Colin that killed Ferndelle Jamison, he could be a target for the person who killed her."
    Danny leaned toward her, crossing his arms over his muscular chest. "Who does the turtle think killed the old lady?"
    "He isn't sure about that," she confided. "But I think we may be on our way to finding out."

SEVEN

    COLIN WAS AWAKE WHEN Mary Catherine went back upstairs to check on him. She'd used the exercise as an excuse to get out of helping feed the growing pet population at the clinic. She was going to have to find people to adopt the animals that were brought to them. She didn't mind supporting them so much as running out of space to help other animals.
    "Mary Catherine?" Colin glanced up at her and adjusted his broken glasses. "I thought I dreamed about coming here. I'm sorry. I didn't realize what I was doing."
    "Don't worry about it. I think this is one of the safest places you could be right now. I'm going to send Danny over to your place to get you some clean clothes and toiletries, then we can-"
    "No!" Colin jumped to his feet. "I can't take that risk. Someone might mistake Danny for me and kill him instead."
    "Kill him?" Mary Catherine sat down in her red velvet chair and picked up her knitting. Baylor jumped on her lap. "What are you talking about? Do you have a head injury?"
     
    "You don't understand." Colin sat down