B R Snow [Snow - The Case of the Mellow Maltese

A Thousand Islands Doggy Inn Mystery

B.R. Snow

Other Books by B.R. Snow

The Thousand Islands Doggy Inn Mysteries

• The Case of the Abandoned Aussie
• The Case of the Brokenhearted Bulldog
• The Case of the Caged Cockers
• The Case of the Dapper Dandie Dinmont
• The Case of the Eccentric Elkhound
• The Case of the Faithful Frenchie
• The Case of the Graceful Goldens
• The Case of the Hurricane Hounds
• The Case of the Itinerant Ibizan
• The Case of the Jaded Jack Russell
• The Case of the Klutzy King Charles
• The Case of the Lovable Labs

The Whiskey Run Chronicles

• Episode 1 The Dry Season Approaches
• Episode 2 Friends and Enemies
• Episode 3 Let the Games Begin
• Episode 4 Enter the Revenuer
• Episode 5 A Changing Landscape
• Episode 6 Entrepreneurial Spirits
• Episode 7 All Hands On Deck
• The Whiskey Run Chronicles The Complete Volume 1

The Damaged Posse

• American Midnight
• Larrikin Gene
• Sneaker World
• Summerman
• The Duplicates

Other Books

• Divorce Hotel
• Either Ore

I watched Chef Claire work her way across the surface of the water and shook my head. It was a headshake comprised of two parts; one in amazement, the other in disbelief. I was amazed by how easy she was making her paddleboard journey look. Standing tall and pulling the long paddle she held with both hands through the water, her concentration unbroken despite the streams of sweat pouring down her face and shoulders, the board gliding forward despite the headwind she was fighting. My disbelief stemmed from the still unanswered question of why any sane individual would choose to stand on a piece of fiberglass in the middle of the St. Lawrence and paddle like crazy just to see how fast and far they could travel.

Shes getting good on that thing, Josie said, offering me the bag of bite-sized Snickers.

I grabbed a couple and stretched my legs out on the bench seat that ran across the stern and nodded as I adjusted my sunglasses.

Yes, she certainly is, I said, popping a bite-sized without taking my eyes off Chef Claire. But that doesnt mean she hasnt lost her mind.

I know, Josie said, unwrapping a bite-sized. If she was older, I might even consider her a bit of a dotard.

Dotard?

An older person who has pretty much lost the plot.

Really? Ive never heard the term before.

Its been in the news lately, Josie said, tossing back another bite-sized.

Im trying to cut back on the amount of news I watch, I said, motioning for her to hold the bag closer. Every time I do watch it, I always end up thinking that losing the plot might not be a bad way to go.

Josie laughed and made room for her massive Newfie, Captain, whod decided he wanted to use her lap as a pillow.

But since Chef Claire is still young, Im gonna go with nuts.

It looks brutal, I said, staring out at the water as Chef Claire turned the paddleboard around and headed back toward the boat. But shes an athlete, and thats the sort of thing athletes do, right?

Yeah, Im sure it is. But all the energy shes using probably equals what three people would go through in a workout, Josie said, staring out at her.

Thats a good point, I said, glancing over at Josie. Im gonna count it.

Well, we are watching her, Josie said, laughing. That must burn some calories.

Exactly.

Chef Claire was training for an event called the 147. It was the brainchild of my mother and her latest project designed to fill one of the late summer weekends with an activity that would attract large numbers of visitors and extend the tourist season a little longer past Labor Day. Ostensibly, it was a triathlon, but all three events would take place on the water and consisted of swimming, paddleboarding, and kayaking. My mother had hit on the idea during one of our Monday night family dinners, and wed spent the next hour trying to come up with a good name for it. Waterthon, Wet and Wild, SplashFest, and a host of others were discussed then discarded, but we continued our search until Josie had suggested the 147 to designate the distance each of the three events would cover. I thought that a mile swim, a four-mile paddleboard journey through a winding course, followed by a brutal seven-mile kayak trip should be called something more befitting the event and suggested the Insanity Invitational, but I got outvoted.