“Sure is. But if you’re also in bed with developers who will pay kickbacks, it could be very lucrative.”
“I wonder which developers?” I mused aloud.
“Which onesaren’tfriends with Tyler?” He ticked off a few well-known housing construction builders in the region. “And he’s also tight with that guy who bought the Covington property recently.”
Prickles of awareness flowed through me. “The Covington property?”
He waved his hand in the air. “You probably wouldn’t know the location, it’s basically a swamp on the edge of town. But it’s home to a lot of biodiversity. Well, itwashome to biodiversity. Pretty soon, once the council takes its final vote, it’s going to be a hundred and twenty-five three-bedroom, two-bath homes.”
“Disgusting.” I couldn’t hide my ire.
Dave jabbed his index finger in my direction. “That’s right, sister. The developer’s a guy from New Jersey. Just moved down here with his family in one of those new houses. Several months ago, before the campaign, he flew down here and tried to bribe me to vote for the rezoning. When I didn’t, it wasn’t long before Tyler and David H. Smith got into the race. Rumor has it that he’s tied up with the Mafia.”
“What’s his name?” Jack said.
Dave frowned. “It’s unimportant. I didn’t want to take up a bunch of your time. You’re here for a dog consultation.”
“It’s totally fine,” I piped up. “We love hearing local gossip. What did the developer look like, anyway?”
“Broad-shouldered, probably around forty-five or fifty. Had a thick accent. Oh, and he was bald.”
My eyes widened. It sounded like the same guy who’d called me to catch that baby gator. What were the odds? “Oh my,” I whispered.
Dave glanced at me in a funny way, probably wondering why I was muttering to myself. “Let’s get back to your dog. That’s more important, and it’ll bring my blood pressure down. Don’t want to have a heart attack.” Dave chuckled sadly and clicked his pen twice. “I’ve been so stressed for months about all this.”
“I’m sure. About that developer—” We needed Dave to tell us the name so I could confirm it was the same guy I’d visited the day of the gator call. But how? It had to be the same guy—it was just too coincidental in a town as small as Wahoo.
He cut me off. “So that’s why I want to focus only on the positive. Tell me about your dog.”
I looked to Jack helplessly. The amount of information in my brain made it impossible to think up a lie about a fake dog. “Catsy’s not quite—”
“Well, she’s not actually a dog,” Jack stammered.
“Excuse me?” Dave looked to Jack, then to me. “What is she?”
“Catsy’s a cat, and a girl. But we were hoping to take her out on a leash and were wondering if you trained cats.” Jack winced.
I turned to him, while an image of trying to wrangle Catsy into a harness popped into my head. If I tried that, my arms would look like ground chuck roast, and I laughed out loud. “Sweetie, I thought you told Dave on the phone that Catsy is a feline.”
Jack scratched his cheek. “I swear I thought I did. You’re sure I didn’t mention that? It’s a hard detail to overlook.”
Dave pressed his hand to his chest. “You didn’t tell me Catsy was a cat. I don’t train cats. I despise felines. Dogs are obedient.”
That was a strike against Dave, but I was hardly in a position to hold anything against him at this point.
“Oh,” Jack and I said in tandem.
“She’s a very smart kitten,” I added. “You should see how she tears apart a catnip mouse.”
“Sorry I can’t help you.” Dave stood up, a look of disgust on his face. “It was nice meeting you folks.”
We stood, and I giggled because the situation was so awkward and absurd. “If we ever get a dog, we’ll know who to come to, right, honey bun?”
Jack put his hand on the small of my back. “Absolutely, sweet cheeks.”
I barked out a laugh, and Dave stared at me.
“She laughs when she’s nervous,” Jack said, sotto voce.