Yappy Hour Read Online Free Page B

crossed the length of the bar toward the body.
    â€œI’m going to cordon off the bar,” Officer Brooks said as he motioned to Yolanda and me to follow him out the door.
    â€œWait! What do you mean cordon off the bar? I’m supposed to open in—” I glanced at my watch.
    Crap! Almost 5:00 P.M . Yappy Hour!
    â€œNo, no. Bar is closed for tonight.” Officer Brooks held open the front door and peered out into the street. “Oh, good. Backup.” He turned to us. “Ladies, I’ll need you to give your statements to Officer Ellington.”
    I couldn’t leave. I still had to the get the paper out of his pocket.
    Yolanda picked up Beepo and marched toward the front door.
    â€œRemember, please don’t say anything about Dan yet,” Officer Brooks warned Yolanda. “We need to notify the next of kin first.”
    â€œMum’s the word,” Yolanda said, making a dramatic gesture of covering her mouth with her forefinger, then waggling it at Officer Hottie-Pants.
    Henry was getting busy with the body, taking pictures and measurements and all sorts of things.
    Officer Brooks quirked an eyebrow at me, no doubt wondering why I wasn’t beating feet right out the door.
    â€œHow long do I have to stay closed for?” I asked, stalling for time.
    â€œWe’ll be out of here tonight. You should be able to open tomorrow. Leave me your number.” He smiled slowly. “I’ll call you.”
    Just hearing the words, “I’ll call you,” coming out of his sexy mouth gave me a thrill, but I reminded myself that he wasn’t inviting me out to dinner.
    I grabbed a Post-it pad from near the cash register, carefully avoiding the bowl of Bark Bites that was nestled next to it, and scribbled my cell phone number down. As I shuffled around the bar, a clamoring ruckus sounded from the street.
    Officer Brooks stepped into the doorway and peered out. His back was to me, his attention momentarily distracted, and the dreaded paper was poking right out of his back pocket!
    Now was the time for action!
    I practically dove toward his pants, but restrained myself at the last moment. I gingerly plucked the paper out of his pocket and replaced it with the Post-it. He stiffened as he felt me brush against him.
    I patted his back pocket and winked. “Yeah, call me.”

 
    Chapter Four
    I squeezed past Officer Brooks’s hulking frame, which was partially blocking the doorway, and instantly regretted it.
    The cacophony on the street was coming from a group of people with small yapping dogs.
    Yolanda was waving at me furiously. “Maggie, Maggie! Come meet the Roundup Crew. We round each other up each week and walk on the beach. They’re some of the regulars at Yappy Hour!”
    I involuntarily took a step back, right into Officer Muscular. The warmth of his hand on the small of my back shot heat right through my belly as he nudged me onto the street.
    â€œSorry lady,” he chuckled. “Bar’s closed.”
    The door banged behind me and I stuffed the paper I’d wrangled out of his pocket into my shirt.
    Two women and a man were huddled around Yolanda. Each of them clutching a small dog on the end of a Day-Glo-green leash with the logo of The Wine and Bark on it. Across the cobblestone path was the doorway to DelVecchio’s. The door was partially open, and a dark figure seemed to be hovering beyond the entrance. In the front window, next to what seemed to be the menu, was a prominently displayed N O D OGS A LLOWED sign.
    No dogs? Could it be that I’d just found a place after my own heart?
    Suddenly I felt hungry.
    The woman next to Yolanda, an attractive brunette wearing short shorts and cuddling a Chihuahua, said, “Hi, I’m Brenda.” She stroked the dog’s head. “And this is Pee Wee.”
    I nodded at her.
    â€œYou’re Rachel’s sister?” she asked.
    I nodded again, while the other woman said,