Even though Interstate-94 was a busy highway, my drive from Lighthouse Dunes, Indiana to the Southwestern Michigan town of Buchanan was short and uneventful with very little traffic, for which I was thankful. If I had to guess, I’d say the ease of my drive was largely due to the ungodly time of day rather than anything else. Before six in the morning, the few vehicles on the highway consisted of semis and truckers. However, a large thermos of coffee gave me the fuel I needed to motor along. I glanced in the rearview mirror at my travelling companion.

My black toy poodle, Aggie, was sprawled out on the backseat, however she must have sensed my glance in her direction because the moment I looked in the mirror, her eye lids opened and she gazed back at me.

“We’re almost there.” I spoke to the reflection in the mirror.

Aggie closed her eyes, released a sigh and went back to sleep. She wasn’t fond of mornings, but she’d perk up. At least, that’s what I told myself.

I pulled off the interstate and followed the colorful signs posted that advertised the dog show. My best friend, Dixie, was judging the show and Aggie and I were going up to watch and cheer, if cheering was allowed. This was my first dog show and I wasn’t familiar with the rules.

I pulled into the gravel parking lot in between RVs and SUVs and parked. I wasn’t sure what the etiquette was, so I sat in the car for several moments and watched.

There were tents setup around the outskirts of a large field which was cordoned off with plastic boundary netting. People sat in lawn chairs and watched. Inside the fenced boundary, I saw Dixie. She looked very confident as she examined a small group of poodles.

I got out of the car and opened the back to get Aggie. I had to hunt to find her leash, which I always kept on the backseat. Just as I was about to connect Aggie’s leash, I heard someone behind me and a deep bark.

I whipped my head around to make sure the dog that produced such a deep, penetrating bark wasn’t about to take me out. A quick glance told me the owner of what looked like a small shaggy pony had the dog under control. From the corner of my eye, I saw a flash. When I turned back to the car, it was empty.

I looked around, puzzled. Where could she be. That’s when I heard someone yell. “Loose dog.”

I spun around and tried to find the person yelling. All of the people, previously sitting comfortably had tightened their holds on their dogs. Inside the ring, that’s where the commotion was. I stared in shock as Aggie ran in circles around the ring as fast as her little legs could carry her. Several brave souls tried to catch her, but she zipped and zoomed and darted from one part of the ring to the other.

Reality hit and I ran into the ring to join the fray and try to corral my dog. “Aggie. Stop.” For one brief moment, as she made a sharp turn and avoided one of those sent to corral her, we made eye contact. To my utter amazement, she stopped. I hurried to scoop her up. Just as I reached down to get her, she darted away. I turned quickly, but my feet didn’t get the message. I hit the ground with a thud! Face first, I hit the lush grass hard. The force of the fall knocked the breath out of my lungs. Instead of trying to catch Aggie, everyone hurried to make sure I was okay.

“Oh My God, Lillie Ann, are you okay?” Dixie was the first person to reach me.

I struggled to get my breath, but nodded. I pushed myself up to my knees. There were grass stains, mud and blood down the front of my shirt.

“Don’t try to get up. Just sit and catch your breath.” Dixie helped me slide over into a sitting position.

“I’m fine.” I spit a wad of dirt and grass out of my mouth.

Dixie’s lips twitched as she reached up and picked a four by four square of sod off the top of my head.

“Don’t you dare laugh,” I warned, but apparently, temptation was too much to resist. She burst out laughing. She stood up and extended a hand to help me up.

Just as I stood, Aggie raced toward me and took a flying leap into my arms. I looked up at Dixie who was still laughing.

“You two really know how to make an entrance. Welcome to your first dog show.”

Giveaway: Have you ever attended a dog show?  Leave a comment below for your chance to win a digital copy (Kindle or Nook) of In The Dog House. The giveaway will end August 23, 2018. Good luck everyone!

You can read more about Lillie Echosby and Aggie in In The Dog House, the first book in the NEW “Dog Club” mystery series.

A killer wants Lilly Echosby to roll over and play dead . . .

Lilly may be losing a husband but she’s gaining a toy poodle. That could be seen as a win-win, since her new adopted pooch Aggie (named after Agatha Christie) is cute and adorable, and Lilly’s dirty dog of a spouse is cheating on her with a blond bimbo—except for one problem: Albert Echosby’s just been murdered, and Lilly is the number-one suspect.

With the cops barking up the wrong tree, it’s a good thing her best friend Scarlett “Dixie” Jefferson from Chattanooga, Tennessee, decided to take a break from the dog club circuit to pay a visit, along with her own prize pair of poodles. With help from Dixie, her defense attorney daughter, and a blue-eyed man in blue with a K-9 partner, Lilly is determined to collar the real killer. But when a second murder occurs, it’s clear they’re dealing with one sick puppy . . .

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About the author
V. M. (Valerie) Burns was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. She lives in Eastern Tennessee with her two poodles. V.M. Burns is also the Agatha Award nominated author of The Plot is Murder, the first book in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series; and the RJ Franklin Mystery series. Visit Valerie at vmburns.com.

All comments are welcomed.