Bold and Blue in Dog Town: (Dog Town 9) Read online

  Bold and Blue

  in Dog Town

  Sandy Rideout

  Bold and Blue in Dog Town

  Copyright © 2019 Sandy Rideout

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN 978-1-989303-41-2 eBook

  ISBN 978-1-989303-40-5 Book

  ASIN TBD Kindle

  ASIN TBD Paperback

  Publisher: Sandy Rideout

  www.sandyrideout.com

  Cover designer: Elizabeth Mackey

  Editor: Serena Clarke

  1911171437

  Dedication

  For Riggs and Mabel, my best pals and a constant inspiration for Dog Town …

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Contents

  Welcome to Dog Town!

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Dog Town Books

  Welcome to Dog Town!

  Dear Reader,

  I used to be a diehard cat lady. Then I got my first dog ever and I was a goner! A journalist by training, I interviewed every expert I could find: trainers, breeders, groomers, walkers and more. The journey ultimately brought me here, to Dog Town.

  Dorset Hills, better known as Dog Town, is famous for being the most dog-friendly place in all of North America. People come from near and far to enjoy its beautiful landscape and unique charms. Naturally, when so many dogs and dog-lovers unite in one town, mischief and mayhem ensue.

  The dogs are the real stars of this new romantic comedy series. They’re at the center of every love story… every mystery… every town scandal. They expose people’s foibles and help them grow. If some scenery gets chewed up along the way, so be it!

  What I can promise with these books is a rollicking good time. They allow me to celebrate what I love most in the world: adorable pets, intriguing men, devoted friends, quirky families, holidays, and above all true love. There will be hair-raising moments along the way to keep you guessing, but count on a glorious happily-ever-after for pets and humans.

  You can read the books in any order, but it’s more fun to work your way through the seasons in Dog Town:

  Ready or Not in Dog Town Prequel

  Bitter and Sweet in Dog Town Labor Day

  A Match Made in Dog Town Thanksgiving

  Lost and Found in Dog Town Christmas

  Calm and Bright in Dog Town Christmas

  Tried and True in Dog Town New Year’s

  Yours and Mine in Dog Town Valentine’s Day

  Nine Lives in Dog Town Easter

  Great and Small in Dog Town Memorial Day

  Bold and Blue in Dog Town Independence Day

  Better or Worse in Dog Town Coming Soon

  You can learn more about my work at sandyrideout.com.

  Take care,

  Sandy

  Chapter 1

  Dorset Hills lost much of its legendary charm at sundown. Everything that made it delightful and unique by day simply switched off at dusk. The dog-themed shops closed. The tasteful gardens and displays faded to grey. And the streets and lakeside promenade lost their constant parades of dogs, which were, after all, the main attraction for the city known as the best place in all of North America for dogs and dog lovers.

  The other main attraction, at least according to City Council, was the collection of massive bronze statues fashioned after various purebred dogs. After nightfall, these eight-foot creatures became monstrous. Parents complained of needing to map their evening travels to avoid terrifying their children near bedtime. This had become complicated now that nearly every street had a statue somewhere. Council seemed to have a constant stream of wealthy donors to fund these installations but they were running out of space, not to mention popular breeds.

  Kinney Butterfield took her foot off the gas of the government-owned Prius as she passed a new addition to the City’s bronze pack. It was standing in the parking lot outside the Riverdale community center, basking in the last rays of a lovely late May day.

  “Check that out,” she told her friend Evie Springdale, who was riding shotgun on Kinney’s evening shift as a canine corrections officer.

  Evie pressed her pale, freckled face to the passenger window. “Is that a mastiff?”

  “Dogue de Bordeaux.” Kinney slowed even more to let Evie get as good a look as possible in the fading light. “Parents started a petition to have it moved because kids leaving late swimming classes are having nightmares.”

  “Leave it to Dog Town to take a good thing straight over the top,” Evie said, bracing herself on the dash. “Wait a second... What are those smaller figures beside the statue?”

  “Puppies.” Kinney laughed at Evie’s expression. “Instead of moving the statue, Council decided to add a litter to make it kid-friendly. They’re our first official bronze puppies.”

  “Why didn’t I know about this?” As the City’s former public relations rep, Evie prided herself on knowing everything before it happened. But the halo effect of her short-lived stint seemed to be wearing off. It was hard to keep a high-profile job for long in politics anywhere, but especially in the prickly climate of Dorset Hills.

  “Just happened today. The birth announcement hasn’t gone out.”

  Evie craned her neck. “Circle back. I need to take a closer look.”

  “No can do. I’m on duty, remember? You wanted a ride-along, not a scenic tour.”

  “But puppies are more important than whatever you have planned.”

  “More important than a stakeout?” Kinney asked. “I think you underestimate the excitement of my job. I have something big planned for you. Enormous.”

  Evie sighed and patted the video camera in her lap. “Fine. I’ll come back and get some shots of the puppies in daylight.”

  “You know you can’t use that thing tonight, right? This is official City business, and I’m already in Cliff’s bad books for getting involved with your show.”

  “Don’t give me all the credit,” Evie said. “You had a rep long before I moved here.”

  Evie was the creative genius behind a new online show called The Princess and the Pig, which profiled Hannah Pemberton, an heiress who had returned to Dorset Hills to rescue a derelict hobby farm. The show had become a viral sensation, much to the dismay of Mayor Bill Bradshaw, who wanted to plow Runaway Farm under and develop the land. He’d lost the war of public opinion, but in the end had managed to save face once again by redrawing the county line so the farm was no longer in his jurisdiction. It seemed like the man had more lives than the cats he was gradually banning from Dorset Hills.

  Kinney wasn’t so lucky. She’d been caught on camera helping out at the fa
rm, and while her contributions technically didn’t cross any professional lines, they put her in the bad books of her boss, Cliff Whorley, the current head of the Canine Corrections Department, or CCD.

  “True,” she said. “This is just my highest-rated misdemeanor yet.”

  She continued to drive slowly along the streets of the Riverdale neighborhood, head swivelling left and right. There was always something to see if you looked hard enough. When the town’s charm switched off, fascinating mischief turned on.

  “Cliff’s not the one you need to worry about,” Evie said. “You were already on the mayor’s hit list when I worked in his office.”

  “Seriously?” Kinney turned to stare at her. “I should be so far beneath his notice.”

  “Anyone who so much as smiles at the Rescue Mafia is blackballed,” Evie said. “Especially anyone who’s friends with Cori Hogan.”

  The Rescue Mafia was a not-so-secret group of pet rescuers who’d gained notoriety from their daring—and sometimes foolhardy—ploys to protect dogs and embarrass City Council.

  “I’d better be more careful,” Kinney said. “I really need this job. My head’s barely above water after paying down my vet bills from Kali’s illness.” Her breath caught in her throat as she said the dog’s name aloud. Her much-loved golden retriever had died six months earlier from cancer, at the age of six. Kinney had quit her job in the social services department to care for Kali. Afterwards she applied to the CCD to feel like she was working for dogs without actually risking her heart by owning another one. The only good thing that had come of the job so far was that she was temporarily living nearly rent-free in the home of the ousted dog court judge. Marti Forrester had left Dog Town after a political showdown, and was still touring the country with her husband Oliver, and irrepressible dog, Hank.

  “Don’t worry, the mayor’s not paying attention to you right now,” Evie said. “He has much bigger challenges than a dog cop with dubious loyalties.”

  “I do my job well, and it’s not easy,” Kinney said. She took pride in walking the fine line between obeying the City’s increasingly silly policies around pet citizens and doing the right thing for the animals. If she stepped over that line sometimes, it was always in favor of the animals, and she could sleep at night because of that. But she still needed the job. Without a good reference from the City for her last two jobs, she’d be screwed. “Cori and I are not exactly friends,” she added. “Not anymore.”

  There was an edge of bitterness in her voice. She and Cori had been close friends for years, and had many rescue stories in common. When she accepted the job as a dog cop, however, Cori had practically excommunicated her. Kinney had already backed away from the Mafia when she signed on with municipal social services, but the move to dog cop had destroyed her credibility in Cori’s eyes. There was no convincing Cori that there was merit in having someone with the right sentiments inside the CCD.

  Evie waved away Kinney’s protests. “Cori respects you. She was just hurt when you stepped back from the Mafia, and the dog cop role gave her somewhere to focus her rage.”

  “You know this how?” Kinney asked. “I’m quite sure Cori didn’t crack open her hard heart for The Princess and the Pig.”

  Cori was Dorset Hills’ most admired—and feared—dog trainer, and she hadn’t achieved that status by oversharing.

  “It’s in your dossier,” Evie said, shrugging.

  “My what?”

  “The Mafia all have files in the mayor’s office,” Evie said. “Cori, Bridget, Maisie, Nika and Duff. I was assigned to handle you guys, so I made sure to read well.”

  “I—I don’t know what to say.” Kinney was actually less embarrassed by having a file than by not knowing about it. She prided herself on her research and observation skills, and they’d won her the respect of the past judge. But they hadn’t kept her out of the dossier of disrespect.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Evie said, pressing her nose to the glass again. She was observant too, and now at liberty to snoop without worrying about her rep. After exposing an exotic pet ring and protecting the mayor from scandal, Evie had escaped relatively unscathed from her stint working for the City, unless you counted a severe concussion. “Like I said, the mayor’s focus is elsewhere.”

  Kinney turned right at the schnauzer statue and left at the vizsla. These days most people navigated the City by the bronze dogs, but that was harder to do with them springing up all over. It seemed like the dogs were becoming less distinctive, too. The artist who had made a killing casting them was probably too exhausted for precision. Now there were three terriers in Riverdale that looked pretty much identical. She’d recently broken up a fistfight between two men over whether the Bedlington terrier was actually a lamb. Next, the wealthy donors who funded these installations would start a petition, too.

  “How’s your service dog project going?” Kinney asked, just to change the subject.

  The glass on Evie’s window fogged as she let out a big sigh. “It’s not. The mayor’s stonewalling because I created the online show. Can’t say as I blame him.”

  “You must be disappointed. It was a great idea.”

  Evie nodded and then shook her head, summing up her feelings without words. “I made my bed and I don’t regret it. Hopefully the next mayor will agree it’s a great idea.”

  “Yeah, but Bill Bradshaw still has three years left in office.”

  “Maybe,” Evie said, fiddling with the controls on her camera.

  “Maybe?” Kinney asked.

  Evie turned on the video camera and aimed it directly at Kinney. “How’s it going between you and James Pemberton?”

  “How’s what going? And turn that thing off. I can’t get us to our destination safely if I’m being accosted by paparazzi.”

  “Nice evasion. It’s one of your superpowers.” A blazing smile shone out from under the camera. “But it’s common knowledge among our viewership that James has the hots for you. Everyone wants to know if you feel the same way.”

  Kinney checked her mirrors and pulled over so abruptly that Evie’s camera wobbled. “Out,” she said, putting the car in park. “I can’t do my job under these conditions.”

  Evie lowered the camera. “Oooh, touchy. Someone’s got a tragic romantic past she doesn’t want to tell the world about.”

  “Bye-bye, Evie. Hitchhike home if you need to.”

  Settling back in her seat, Evie crossed her legs. “I know you’d never dump me near the American bulldog bronze. It’s a known magnet for Dog Town riffraff.”

  “Sadly, you’re right.” Kinney put the car in gear and merged back into traffic. “But I’m a private person and I don’t need your viewers speculating on my love life. Not that there’s been one for some time.” She changed lanes and then changed again. “So there, I said it.”

  “Well, James would like to do something about that. And if you don’t want the sweet, handsome billionaire, I have so many viewers who do.”

  Slicing an index finger across her throat, Kinney said, “Can we rewind to where you were suggesting the mayor may not last out his term?”

  Evie turned, her green eyes gleaming eerily in the light from oncoming cars. “This thing isn’t bugged, is it?”

  “The Prius? Not that I know of. I guess I should check, given my big fat dossier at City Hall.”

  Taking a deep breath, Evie said, “Here goes: I want to take the mayor down. And I need you to help me do it.”

  Kinney pressed the gas instead of the brake and ended up running an amber light. “What? Are you kidding me?”

  “Not at all.” Evie turned again, leaving Kinney to stare at a mass of red curls. “He’s making a mockery of all this wonderful town has become. Good people are leaving and those who stay are revolting over his dog policies. One day the place is going to erupt and everything people have worked for 10 years to build will end.”

  “Evie.” Kinney summoned the calm tone she’d used to talk down hysterical clients when she was in
social work. “We can’t ‘take down’ the mayor.”

  “Why not? Where’s your sense of adventure?”

  “I think it died with my dog,” Kinney said, turning onto a wide street with large, pretty houses. She parked the car along the curb and pushed the seat back. “Like I said, I want to keep my job. I can’t be part of any plot to oust the mayor. I’m sorry.”

  Evie crossed her arms over the camera. “Well, that’s a shame, because you’re probably in the very best position to help the puppies.”

  “Puppies? What puppies?”

  “Classified. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”

  “Not taking the bait.” Kinney reached into the back seat and pulled a set of small binoculars out of her bag. “Whatever you’re doing, it’s better I don’t know about it.”

  She scanned the dimming street and Evie’s head swivelled too. “What are we looking for?”

  “You’ll know it when you see it. There’ve been reports of a serious and repeated infraction. I need to catch the perp in the act and then issue a fine.”

  “Cool,” Evie said. “Just when I thought your job was dull.”

  “It is pretty dull these days. I’ve been taken off all the high-profile initiatives. Mostly I get grunt work now.”