Murder at the Art Gallery Read online

  “Tomorrow morning. She didn't seem to be in a rush, so possibly they're feeling out Roger see how he is in real life and go from there. I told her he's very mellow in his regular life, it's only when I'm threatened that he gets upset.” Mandy reminded her friend.

  “Yeah, once they see how he is in real life, they'll see how he can become a credit to their brand. And once you have the Facebook page and the blog, you can direct traffic to your Facebook page, with the commercial on the page, and from there, with any luck, sell some merchandise.”

  “That would be great. I would so love to be doing something I like rather than another job I may not be into 100 percent. This would be something I could do for years and years.” Mandy said.

  “Well, let's hope this all works out,” Jill said cheerfully.

  Mandy hung up with Jill, beyond super-excited at the prospects lying ahead.

  “Roger you're going to be all over the web. You're going to become a regular online superstar!” She gave Roger an affectionate pat as he contentedly purred.

  Sometime later, her phone rang again. At first she thought it could be Jill, but she didn't recognize the number on her caller ID.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  “Hi, is this Mandy Cummings?” said an unfamiliar voice.

  “Yes, this is she.”

  “Hi, my name is Loretta Gumble and I'm the owner of Fantastic Pets, a pet food and pet toys company.”

  “Oh, hi there, I think today must be my day to get calls from pet food companies.”

  “Have you spoken to others?” Loretta said, a little hesitantly.

  “Yes, earlier I spoke with Hedon foods about the possibility of a commercial.”

  “I see. Well, I was reaching out to you so you might also consider doing some work with us, but if you're already committed to Hedon, maybe we can talk later.”

  “Well, nothing is set in stone, so I would be happy to hear what you might have to offer,” Mandy said encouragingly.

  “Okay. We're a small pet company and we make commercials now and then for streaming TV and on the web. We're not as esoteric as Hedon; we just sell pet treats and toys, and we were considering Roger to model and photograph with some of our toys.”

  “Do you know Stacy Parks?” Mandy asked.

  “Oh yes, we've crossed paths in the past. Let's just say Stacy has a vision about her products, which is very elegant. Me, I'm happy to fill certain needs of customers with our toys and treats.”

  “Have you been doing this long?” Mandy didn't want to get involved with somebody's hobby business; on the other hand, perhaps she would be getting involved with an up-and-coming startup.

  “We've been around for a couple of years. I've always been a pet lover and I always wondered how I could make a living working with animals. When the internet came along, I started exploring what people wanted for their pets and started to figure out how to fill those needs. And that's how our company, Fantastic Pets, came to be.” Loretta said.

  “Well, that sounds encouraging. I didn't know you could actually make a living with animals, and now Roger may provide a way to do that for me. We'll see if his fame online can generate enough interest.”

  “Yes, Roger is quite a cat from what I've seen. I'd love the opportunity to work with him in the future,” Loretta said.

  “Well, why don't we do this? Let me speak with Hedon and hear them out and see how far it goes since they called me first. Depending on how it all goes, it's possible somewhere down the line, we could do business as well. It really all depends on how it goes with Hedon.” Mandy considered all the possibilities.

  “Ok, sounds like a plan. I was really calling to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about our business. Call me if the deal with Hedon is not what you thought or ends sooner rather than later.”

  “That's reasonable. Listen Loretta, thanks for calling, I truly appreciate all the attention Roger is getting.”

  “You're welcomed Mandy. Here's to working together in the future.”

  They ended the call. Very interesting, Mandy thought. This morning she didn't know if there would be any commercial work and now she had two offers. Loretta was very nice, not pushy, she asked and left it as a 'we'll see'. Mandy could tell she loved animals as well. Well, she had to keep her options open. Who knows how things would work out with Hedon. Or perhaps they just want to do one commercial. Whatever happens, she knew she'd have one more commercial later on in the future. And it sounded like she'd be working with nice people.

  By now, all this thinking about the future made her crazy. She thought maybe she'd get something to eat over at Joanie's and just relax. She'd done enough thinking about the future for now.

  “Come on Roger, we're going to Joanie's coffee shop!”

  Chapter Two

  The next day was one of those beautiful days where everything seemed to be going right. The skies were blue and clear; the temperature a pleasant number, a perfect day for anything. Mandy's excitement today stemmed from the fact that today might be the day she wins the first commercial for Roger. She dressed up in business casual attire, dressy but not crazy dressy. Roger rubbed himself around her feet, hoping to get fed.

  “C'mon Roger, it's breakfast time!”

  She laid out one of Roger's favorite foods, which he proceeded to eat as if he thought it was going to disappear from the bowl.

  Mandy thought about the conversations she'd had yesterday about cat commercials. First, Stacy Parks on the phone and then her super fancy video, obviously, this would be the job to win, because apparently Hedon Pet Nutrition was a niche brand, but respected in the industry. But she also felt good about receiving a call from Loretta Gumble. It made her feel as though this had more potential than a one-shot deal. Maybe this whole cat commercial thing was bigger than she thought, and she just didn't know what opportunities were waiting for her. There may be non-pet food commercials, where they need a cat. Again, something she would have to explore.

  Checking the clock, Mandy thought, well, it's time to meet Stacy Parks, and she put the collar on Roger. She headed to the car a little nervous but excited about this new prospect. Once she and Roger were securely strapped in, she headed off in the direction of Hedon Pet Nutrition. When she arrived, she realized she'd passed this building many times while driving down this road.

  She pulled in the parking lot, parked the car, and let Roger out. She locked the car and took the leash and went walking over to the building. Inside were two guards who let people into the building. Once she told them Hedon was her destination, they allowed her to go upstairs. She took the elevator to the third floor, a large office with glass walls belonging to Hedon.

  It was a very fancy office, with a full glass wall showing a very well-designed corporate space, elegant and at the same time modern. Many companies had moved their offices from New York City to New Jersey over the years, and because the rents were lower, they could decorate their corporate spaces better.

  As she walked into the reception area, the secretary asked Mandy who she was there to see. Mandy said she had an appointment with Stacy Parks. The secretary checked her appointment book and invited Mandy to enter, Ms. Parks expected her and she should go right in. Mandy walked into an elegant combination office/personal space. Although the reception area had transparent walls, this office had regular walls, giving privacy to the occupants. The poor receptionist remained exposed out in the main reception area for everybody to see as they walked by. Fortunately, there weren't many people visiting this floor.

  The elegant room seemed to be empty, which gave Mandy a chance to explore the area. She looked at different awards Hedon had won in the past, and there were corporate pictures of Stacy Parks and several other people, no doubt part of her staff. There were a couple of pictures of Stacy with a man, probably her husband. The whole place gave off an aura of success and glamour. Stacy Parks belonged to that class of people that when asked her what her dreams were, she would say she's just dreaming bigger.

/>   Roger sniffed around as well, and he leaned against a delicate table with a long thin vase perched on top. Trying to forestall a potential disaster, Mandy cried out “Roger, honey, don't!” But the warning didn't happen with enough time to keep the vase from falling. Mandy watched the very expensive-looking, blue long, thin-necked vase with a bulbous base fall, thinking about when it broke, how much it would cost to replace it.

  As the vase hit the floor, Mandy expected a crash, but because of the thick carpets, it landed with a soft thud and rolled to the other side of the room. Mandy heaved a sigh of relief and ran after the vase, planning to pick it up and put it back before Stacy Parks showed up. Where was she anyway? Maybe she had to go to the bathroom. As she reached the other end of the room and bent down to pick up the vase, she saw a pair of feet sticking out from behind a long bookcase which filled her with dread. The feet belonged to Stacy Parks, and she appeared quite dead.

  For a moment, Mandy stood frozen in time. She just stood there, holding the vase by the neck in one hand, looking down at the body with her mouth open. Right there and then, the secretary walked in and asked “What are you doing?” She saw Mandy holding the vase in an upraised arm and looked down and saw the feet of Stacy Parks. Staring at Mandy, she asked with horror in her voice “What did you do? Did you hit Ms. Parks? Is she all right? I'm calling security,” she cried as she ran out. Mandy tried to explain, “Wait, I didn't do anything, I just found her!” but the secretary had run out of the room in a panic.

  Mandy thought the first thing to do was to put the vase back on its table. She frantically petted Roger and said to herself, I have to get out of here! Wait, no, let me call Fred, her police chief friend, before this gets crazy. She thought, maybe the woman just fainted, who knows? Mandy's thoughts began to run wild. She didn't need this, she lamented. She just came here to do a commercial with Roger and this woman fainted on her or worse yet, died. Did somebody kill her? Who would kill Stacy Parks?

  In the middle of Mandy's madness, the two security guards showed up. The secretary yelled out, “There she is, I think she attacked Ms. Parks!”

  “I didn't do anything,” Mandy protested. “I just found her there, I had an appointment with her!”

  The secretary asked. “Yeah? Why were you holding the vase in your hand?”

  “My cat knocked it over. We're here to set up a commercial with him. Listen, I hope you called a doctor or an ambulance because I don't know if she fainted or something else has happened to her, but she needs medical help now.”

  “Oh, I called the police! They're on their way right now.” The secretary sneered. “I've never seen you before and all of a sudden something bad has happened to Ms. Parks. I say that's very fishy. You probably got into an argument with her and hit her over the head with the vase when you couldn't get your way.”

  “What? I did no such thing! I came into the room and sat there waiting for her and afterwards I found her lying there on the floor. I had nothing to do with this and it's as much of a surprise to me as it is to you.”

  The guards approached her, one saying, “Miss, we're going to cuff you until the police get here.”

  Mandy in an outraged tone said “Cuff me? I didn't do anything!”

  But as they got closer, Roger made a low guttural sound, warning the two security guards. Mandy tried to control him, telling Roger to keep calm and to not get excited; she held him by the leash but the guards kept walking toward Mandy, and now Roger started to hiss at the guards.

  Mandy warned them, saying “If you get any closer, he thinks you're threatening me and he will attack. He's already taken down two other men.”

  Suddenly, one of the guards said, “Wait, I've seen this cat on YouTube; I'm not messing with him!”

  The second guard scoffed at his partner and said, “I'm not scared of a cat!” and lunged at him. Roger jumped on his arm with such force he knocked the guard over and scratched up his whole arm. Mandy tried to get control of Roger, saying “Roger, enough!”

  She turned to the fallen guard. “I told you not to get closer. Once he goes berserk, I can't control him.”

  The guard decided to go for a second round when the police finally arrived, in the form of Chief Fred Stone and his deputy Jimmy.

  “Police,” announced Fred. “What's going on here?”

  “Mandy” he said. “Can you tell me what's going on here? I got a call claiming you had attacked somebody, a Stacy Parks.”

  “What? I did nothing! This woman here has a very active imagination and is making all sorts of unfounded accusations. I came for my appointment with Ms. Parks and I found her lying on the floor.”

  “What about the vase? What about the vase? You hit her on the head,” the secretary repeated her accusation.

  “I didn't hit anybody on the head! Roger knocked the vase over, I picked it up, and I found Ms. Parks. And I really hope someone has called a doctor because it's possible this woman has more than fainted. She might even be dead,” Mandy stated flatly.

  During this exchange, Stacy Parks' personal doctor arrived. Fred and Jimmy both recognized him and Fred said, “Doc, can you see what state Ms. Parks is in?”

  The secretary started to get hysterical again and kept saying, “She did it, she did it.”

  Exasperated, Fred said, “Okay, enough out of you.” Pointing to the guards, he said “Can you two get her out of here? Actually, one of you.”

  Pointing to the second guard, he said “You go take care of the arm; no doubt you had a run-in with the cat.” Fred gave Roger a long look; meanwhile Roger sat there calm as could be, as though nothing had happened.

  The doctor reported, “Ms. Parks is dead. It appears to be a heart attack, but there is a bump on her head and I'm going to take her to my office to do a thorough examination. I will inform you of the results as soon as I finish.”

  Fred said, “No, Doc, we gotta test the body for prints and do a complete examination of this room.” He took out his radio and called the crime lab technicians and said “Come on down here, we have a possible murder and I want to you examine this place from top to bottom.”

  Returning his attention to the group in the room, he laid down the law. “Meanwhile, nobody leaves here until I say so; this whole place is on lockdown.”

  He turned to Mandy. “Mandy, why does the secretary keep saying you did it?”

  “Because when I found Stacy Parks, I was standing over the body with the vase in my hand, and she thinks I hit her over the head. I mean, really Fred, I came to sign a contract to start a series of commercials with Roger.”

  Fred shook his head and said, “No matter, Mandy, you got to come down to the station and make a statement, and until we know more about this, you're also a suspect. Sorry, but that's the way it is. Not that I think you killed her, but I gotta do things by the book. You'll be able to go home, but right now, things are very murky.”

  Mandy was astonished. “You don't really think I killed her?” Mandy began to freak out.

  “No. Mandy, but like I said, there are certain procedures we have to go through and unfortunately, you gotta stay put. Later we'll go to the station, you make a statement, and then you can go home.”

  Mandy and Roger moved to a seat out in the reception area. The secretary was still beside herself with grief but calmer. She had heard something to the effect Ms. Parks had a heart attack and started to realize maybe Mandy didn't kill Ms. Parks after all. She was definitely the emotional type.

  Amazingly, Roger sat by Mandy and put his head on her lap. One wouldn't believe this was the same cat attacking the security guard earlier. Mandy thought about making small talk with the secretary, but decided against it, in case the woman started thinking again that somehow Mandy was responsible for what happened to Stacy Parks.

  Mandy just came here for a chance to make some money, to start something new in her life, and here she was, staring at another dead body through no fault of her own. She could think back on all the years of her life, and other than her
mother and husband, she had not had to face a dead body. And now here in the space of three weeks, she had had to face two: David Towsky and now Stacy Parks. Well, there goes a great opportunity. Of all things, this really took the dog biscuit.

  After the lab technicians performed all their tests, the doctor called an ambulance for the body. Two ambulance attendants arrived with a stretcher, placed Stacy Parks' body carefully on it and took her out of the room. The way they were taking their time, they obviously weren't trying to get anywhere in a hurry. Nobody needed to be saved. Ambulance drivers are all like that. Once they knew their passenger died, they took it easy, filled out all the paperwork and didn't go crazy trying to beat all the traffic. Only when there was a chance of saving someone that they got all crazy with traffic and with their sirens. The sooner they could get to the hospital, the greater the chance of the patient surviving.

  At one point, the manager of Hedon Pet Nutrition, Carol Stamis, arrived. She was a young brunette woman, in her late twenties, who had the look of a business school graduate - very well put together, attractive, confident and all business at all times.

  A little later, a second party arrived, Stacy Parks' husband, Thomas Parks. He was a man in his late fifties or early sixties, but you could tell he had been in business all his life. He wore a suit, was very well put together, and he still had most of his gray hair, which he wore fashionably cut and neatly combed.

  Thomas Parks asked a lot of questions: what had happened, when did this happen, was it an accident or was there the possibility of foul play - and if it was foul play, what were the police going to do about this murder?

  Fred said calmly “We don't know yet for sure if it is a murder, Mr. Parks, but we are taking this situation very seriously.”

  Just when Mandy thought she couldn't take another five minutes of waiting in this place, Fred motioned to her they could leave. “We'll take your car,” Fred said, “and I'll leave the police car for Jimmy; he's still filling in all the blanks and dealing with the various personalities.”