Home is Where the Bark Is

by Stella St. Claire

  “I’m not sure what it looks like,” Willow said.

  Wednesday grabbed her phone. “Well, remember how I told you I wanted to be more serious about becoming an Instagram influencer?”

  Willow nodded. She moved closer so she could hear her sister over the construction noises.

  “Well, I’ve had an offer.”

  “What sort of offer?” Willow asked, thinking of the more risqué photos, and raising an eyebrow.

  Wednesday laughed. “It’s for a makeup campaign.”

  Willow joined in the laughter. “That’s great news!”

  “It would be for a Cops and Robbers theme, and I know I could make it look arresting.”

  Willow kept chuckling and hugged her sister. “I’m proud of you. This could be the break you were waiting for.”

  “Maybe,” Wednesday said, squeezing her back. “But I haven’t committed to it yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because of Dad.” She began wandering around the deck as she talked, releasing a floodgate of emotions that she had kept hidden. “He wouldn’t understand my wanting to pursue this. I know that. I’ve tried to bring it up before and I couldn’t. You know how he thinks using the internet for social media is a waste.”

  Willow nodded. “He likes using it for work, and that’s about it.”

  “He doesn’t even laugh at cat videos! If I told him I wanted to leave my job as the police secretary to be an influencer, he’d have a heart attack. And if I told him I was doing this campaign, I’d have to explain why. It’s a shame too because using the police station for the campaign would really make it incredible.”

  “But if this is what you really want to do, then you have to go for it,” Willow said. She was trying to achieve her business dreams (even if a murder was trying to derail those plans), and she wanted those she loved to live their dreams too.

  “Maybe I could do the campaign without telling him about it. At least not right away,” Wednesday said to herself.

  “Maybe,” Willow said, unconvinced. “Tell me some more details.”

  “Well, I need one perfect picture for the campaign that combines the makeup, the police theme, and, of course, photographic me. If I take multiple great shots, I can post them on my social media. But the campaign is only going to promote one on their end. I can take the shot on my phone but can play with the lighting and the props in the picture. Selfies are encouraged.”

  “This really does sound perfect for you.”

  Wednesday nodded but frowned at the same time. “Of course, the downside is that I took too much time deciding whether I wanted to commit to it or not, that I now only have less than a week to plan the perfect campaign picture instead of a full month.”

  Willow joined her in frowning

  “Would you help me with the campaign?” Wednesday asked, grabbing her sister’s hands and appealing to her. “Please.”

  “Of course,” Willow agreed, before getting an idea and adding, “I’ll help you with the Cops and Robbers campaign if you help me with something else police related.”

  “What?”

  “I want you to keep an ear out at the station and see what you can find out about Lee Hunter’s death.”

  “I thought you were going to ask for something hard,” Wednesday said happily. “They should be talking about that all the time because it’s the big case they’re working on.”

  Willow looked towards the house as she heard some grinding noises and heavy fixtures being moved.

  “Right now, they think that Griffin did it?”

  “I think so,” Wednesday said. “Apparently, he didn’t get along with Lee. They were suspicious of him when Lee Hunter’s case was a missing person, and they still like him as a suspect now that it’s murder.”

  “I think he’s innocent,” Willow said. “And I promised to help him as best I can.”

  “I don’t think he did it either,” Wednesday agreed. “Rover and Tele like him. That points to him being a good guy. And not a killer.”

  “Tele is a good judge of character. He was never especially warm to Benjamin.”

  “Smart dog,” Wednesday said with a wink. “Still, as much as we might think Griffin is on the up and up, the police aren’t as sure. And honestly, if there’s even a small chance that he’s a killer, you probably shouldn’t have him in your house.”

  “This case needs to get solved ASAP. Then I could work with him with a clear conscience, and we could continue our bigger projects that need his frozen accounts unfrozen.”

  “I wish it would get solved too,” Wednesday said. “But, unfortunately, it is going to take a little time. The case isn’t going to waltz up and solve itself.”

  Telescope barked, and they looked down as he and Rover rejoined them on the deck.

  “Oh, did they finally find the ball?” Wednesday asked. She knelt down to pet her cat and said, “Sorry I threw it so far.”

  She gasped, and Willow knew that Rover must be holding something besides the ball. Seeing something glimmer in Rover’s mouth, Willow bent down too. Telescope wagged his tail, seeming proud of their find. It was a diamond ring.

  “Where did she get that?” Willow asked.

  “It must have been from your yard.” Wednesday joked, “Maybe I should throw another ball.”

  Rover dropped the ring on the deck and sat proudly next to it. Willow scratched the cat’s ears in praise.

  “Don’t touch it. Just in case,” Willow said as an eerie thought popped into her head.

  “Wait a second,” Wednesday said, peering at it on the porch. “This ring looks familiar.”

  “Do you know who it belongs to?”

  “Well, it looks like Isla’s engagement ring, but the diamond is a lot bigger.”

  “Who?”

  “Isla Hunter,” Wednesday said, slowly. “Lee’s ex-wife.”

  Willow gave Rover and Telescope some more petting, praising them for their good work. The pair might have just fetched an important clue in a murder case.

  6

  Twenty minutes later, they were standing in their father’s office at the police station.

  “You said you found some evidence?” Frank asked.

  Willow proudly held up a sandwich bag containing the engagement ring they had found, and a small smile formed on his face. Willow figured that he was glad for two reasons: they had found a potential clue and that they had bagged it. Willow and Wednesday were daughters of a detective and knew how to treat evidence. They had picked up the ring with tweezers and placed it in a clear bag.

  Willow looked around the office as they sat across from his desk. She hadn’t been there in years. Her holiday visits had never called for a trip to the police station. However, it still looked exactly the same. Her dad’s office was neat and orderly. There were commendations on the wall and a few personal photos of Willow and her sister growing up and one stunning picture of their mother.

  “Where did you find the ring?” Frank asked as he accepted the bag.

  “It came from my backyard,” Willow said. “So, I’m pretty sure it’s related to the murder that took place there.”

  “You weren’t poking around the crime scene, were you?” Frank asked.

  Willow wasn’t sure if the concern in his voice was that of a father worried his daughter was starting something that could lead her into trouble, or of a police chief worried about his crime scene getting contaminated.

  “Actually, it was Tele and Rover who were digging for evidence,” Willow said.

  “Probably literally,” Wednesday added. “You know Rover thinks she’s a dog and likes to show off for Tele.”

  “It was in a cat’s mouth, so I’m not sure what chance we’ll have of recovering DNA from it, but we did everything we could to make sure that we didn’t add ours to it. And,” Willow said, gesturing to her sister, “Wednesday might have already realized who it belongs to.”

  “And who is that?” Frank asked.

  “The diamond is bigger, but th
e ring itself looks just like Isla Hunter’s.”

  “You can recognize an engagement ring just by sight?” Frank asked, skeptically.

  “Yes,” Wednesday said, trying not to sound huffy. “I know jewelry, and that looks just like Isla’s ring.”

  “It looks like every other engagement ring out there,” he replied.

  “No. Look,” Wednesday said, leaning over the desk to point at the ring. “It appears like standard fare at first, but there are some specifics that make the ring unique to her. The band is wider by the jewel instead of being a uniform width all the way around, and there’s a design on the prongs that hold the stone in place.”

  “That’s unusual?” Frank asked.

  “That’s why I know it’s Isla’s ring,” Wednesday said.

  Frank still looked skeptical. He drummed his fingers on the desk as he thought.

  “Look,” Willow said. “Why don’t you just check this out? I know that it seems odd to you that someone could recognize a ring on sight, but if anyone can, it’s Wednesday. And if she’s right about this, then you could have a new prime suspect.”

  “That’s right,” Wednesday said. “If her ring was there, then Isla was at the scene of the crime.”

  “And as his ex-wife, I suspect she’d have a motive to murder him.”

  “Two times the amount of motive,” Wednesday agreed. “Isla and Lee were married and divorced twice.”

  “Sounds like a suspect to me,” Willow said.

  Frank looked through the pages of a case file on his desk. “I do have Isla Hunter’s number here. I suppose I could give her a call.”

  “But don’t let her know that we find her suspicious,” Willow cautioned.

  “Wills, this isn’t my first rodeo. I am chief of police. I know what I’m doing.”

  Willow nodded, feeling silly that she had given her dad advice on how to do his job. There used to be a time when she would discuss tactics on hypothetical cases, back when he was grooming her to become a detective herself, but that was a long time ago.

  Frank dialed a number on his office phone. Willow listened to his half of the conversation, eager to find out that her sister was right.

  “Ms. Hunter, this is Chief Wells from the Pineview Police. I’m actually calling because a Good Samaritan turned in a piece of jewelry and someone thought it looked like your engagement ring.”

  Willow and Wednesday looked at him expectantly.

  “Your ring isn’t missing?” he asked. “You’re sure? All right. Thank you for your time. Yes, I hope we find the rightful owner too.”

  He hung up the phone as his daughters rose to their feet.

  “I don’t understand it,” Wednesday said.

  “Maybe she’s lying,” Willow suggested.

  “I think it’s more likely that the ring just looks similar,” Frank said. “All these sorts of rings do.”

  Wednesday shook her head. “I know jewelry.”

  “Why would she lie about something that could be easily checked up on?” Frank asked. He walked around his desk to be closer to them. “It was a good thought, but it didn’t pan out. When we do find out who it belongs to, we’ll see if this is a helpful piece of evidence. I’m appreciative that you found it and brought it in. I’ll handle the investigation from now on. I know that Willow has other things to focus on at the moment.”

  “True,” Willow said. “Though it would be easier to focus on them if my contractor’s accounts weren’t frozen.”

  Frank cast a stern glance her way.

  “Wills, I’m not going to apologize for conducting an investigation to the best of my ability to catch a killer,” he said firmly. “No matter the inconvenience.”

  “That wasn’t what I meant,” she said, looking at her toes.

  He patted her on the arm. “I will try to keep your inconvenience to a minimum, though. I feel this case might be solved soon, and then you’ll be free to continue with another contractor.”

  Willow knew he was trying to appease her, but this wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She wanted other suspects besides Griffin Maynard to be considered. While her dad would consider the ring they found as evidence, it didn’t look like it was doing anything to move Griffin out of the “prime suspect” spot at the moment.

  “Thanks,” Willow said, finally. “But I like the one I have now.”

  Frank returned to his desk. “I better get back to work. I’ll keep you informed about when your yard will be cleared as a crime scene.”

  “Thank you,” Willow said, as she and her sister headed to the door. “And we should all get together for a family dinner one night soon.”

  “I’d like that,” he said with a nod.

  Wednesday didn’t say anything as they left. When they were outside of the station, she finally let it all out. “I just don’t get it. I’m positive the ring band is identical to Isla’s.”

  “I believe you,” Willow assured her. “And I was thinking about something that Dad said.”

  “How I gave it a good shot?” Wednesday asked with venom.

  “That it’s something that is easy to check up on,” Willow said. “Is there some place where we could just happen to run into Isla?”

  “Actually, yes,” Wednesday said, grinning. “You said you wanted to join a yoga studio, right?”

  Willow was pleased. She had her temporary membership in hand and was looking forward to “killing two birds” with one yoga mat. There would be no hammering and sawing during this workout session, and Wednesday assured her that Isla always attended this Pilates class.

  Namaste A While was a studio with a few rooms for different classes, a locker room, a massage room and sauna, and a nutritious smoothie bar. The studio would have been worth recommending to Willow anyway because they offered drop-in classes that worked for her changing schedule. It didn’t hurt that the owner, Miranda, was a sweetheart. However, today the studio also came with the added perk of investigating a suspect.

  Willow and Wednesday chose spots and set up their mats for the Pilates class. Willow glanced around the room and smiled to herself. She was glad that there wasn’t anyone who she went to school with in the class that night, so she wouldn’t have to take part in any small talk. She could keep her attention on Isla’s arrival.

  “That’s her,” Willow said, subtly nodding towards a woman who entered the room.

  Isla had flaming red hair that didn’t look completely natural. She was dressed all in black, and Willow wondered whether it was because she was in mourning or because she thought the black workout clothes were slimming. If that was the desired effect, it didn’t entirely work.

  What Willow couldn’t see was whether there was a ring on her finger. Isla’s mat was covering her hand as she walked in and she chose a spot in the middle of the room.

  The sisters looked at one another and nodded. They switched places in the room, splitting up to get a better view. Neither could get right next to Isla, but they chose spots on opposite sides of the room to try and get a better view. Isla gave a small wave to the people she knew in the class, including Wednesday, and then closed her eyes as if in meditation.

  The instructor entered the room to begin the class and Willow pretended to be listening to what she said instead of sneaking peeks at her classmate’s hand.

  While not quite as obtrusive as the sounds of construction, Willow still found her ulterior motive in the class distracting. All the while that she practiced bicycles and boomerang poses, Willow kept an eye on Isla. There was definitely something shiny on her hand that was catching the light.

  When the class ended, Willow’s muscles were burning, and her curiosity was too. She hurried over to Isla, but Wednesday had already beaten her there.

  “This is my sister, Willow.”

  Willow smiled, hoping she wasn’t too sweaty for an introduction.

  “So nice to meet you,” Isla said, extending her right hand. Willow shook it, wishing it had been the left one. “I didn’t know police secretaries cou
ld be so caring, but your sister’s kind condolences a moment ago were so sweet. I knew her from class, of course, but I didn’t know about her profession until this sad experience.”

  “Well, of course, we’re caring,” Wednesday said. “What you’re going through must be so difficult.”

  “Why don’t you let us buy you a post-workout smoothie?” Willow suggested quickly. “It’s the least we can do.”

  Isla accepted the offer, and they all headed to the smoothie bar. They took seats on the barstools and ordered delicious combinations of fruit and veggies. When Isla raised her drink in a toast to the memory of Lee, Willow was finally able to see her ring. She wasn’t as adept at recognizing jewelry as her sister, but it certainly looked similar to what they had found in her yard. However, the jewel on this ring wasn’t just smaller, it also looked dirty.

  Isla looked wistful after her toast but then got down to business. “Let me get us a few napkins. Just in case there’s a spill.”

  She left her seat to get the napkins from another counter. Willow used the opportunity to lean in towards her sister and whisper about the ring.

  “It looks like the same ring to me,” Willow said.

  “It’s the exact same design on the band,” Wednesday said. “I knew it.”

  “And you were right about the stone too. Hers is smaller, and it almost looks dirty. Do you think it could be from soil?”

  “Like from your backyard?” Wednesday asked, tapping her nose. “Could be. I’ll bet anything that stone isn’t a real diamond. I think it’s a cubic zirconia. They lose most of their shine when they’re the slightest bit dirty.”

  “I wouldn’t want to bet against you when it comes to jewelry,” Willow said. She took a sip of her smoothie. “But what does this all mean? Why was a ring similar to hers there?”

  Isla sat back down and handed them napkins. “Did I hear you ladies talking about rings? Was it about my ring?”

  Willow and Wednesday stared at her like deer caught in headlights. Isla giggled and then sighed.

  “I don’t mind,” she said. “I know there’s some gossip going around. I might as well embrace it. You might be wondering why I wear his ring if he was technically my ex-husband?”