Home is Where the Bark Is

by Stella St. Claire

  “Honestly, I wonder if jail might have been a less painful experience.”

  They both laughed.

  “Well, you certainly deserve a drink after an ordeal like that,” Willow said.

  “You deserve one too for listening.”

  They enjoyed their drinks, happy that they were making progress with the case. They had encountered some surprising twists but discovering whether Tiffany had an alibi or not would certainly be useful.

  Willow noticed her foot was tapping and then identified the reason. A song from her high school days was playing, and she was surprised that she still remembered all the words.

  She looked over at Griffin and saw that his feet were tapping too. He started moving his head in time with the music.

  “You remember this song?” Griffin asked.

  “Of course,” Willow said. “I used to rock out to this in my bedroom.”

  “Would you like to now?”

  “Pardon?” asked Willow.

  Griffin got to his feet and walked around the table. “Do you want to dance?”

  “Oh,” Willow said. “Here?”

  “I saw other people dancing before,” Griffin said. “There’s space over there.”

  “Sure,” Willow said, setting down her drink.

  It was a great song. They had been working hard fixing her house and trying to catch a killer. She could use a break and might as well make it a dance break.

  They made their way over to the open space that would serve as their dance floor and began moving to the rhythm. They tried to replicate some of the moves that had been cool when the song had originally come out and laughed as they tried. Then, they just danced in the way that felt natural.

  It was freeing and fun. She had a sense of nostalgia from her high school days but still felt in the moment. Griffin was a good dancer and seemed less tense than he had been since their troubles began. He seemed to have lost the chip on his shoulder.

  Willow moved closer to him, noticing again what beautiful blue eyes he had. She was just starting to wonder what it would feel like to have him pull her into those strong arms of his when the song ended.

  They headed back to their table but stayed in a good mood. Willow was glad to have a partner at her side – both in solving crime and on the dance floor.

  “Look,” Griffin said, indicating to the man behind the bar. “The bartender is back.”

  “Perfect timing,” Willow joked. “Because I just finished my beer.”

  They left their table and sat down at the bar. The bartender walked up to them with a smile on his face. He was a burly man with a bristly beard.

  “What can I get for you?” he asked.

  “Well,” Griffin started before trailing awkwardly off.

  “We’d like another round of beer,” Willow said. “But we’re actually here on other business as well. Our friend Tiffany got drunk here the other night, and she’s trying to piece together what happened.”

  “Blonde young lady?” the bartender asked.

  “That’s right,” Willow said, nodding.

  “I remember her,” he said.

  “But are you sure it was her?” Griffin asked. He looked at Willow. “We didn’t bring a picture or anything, did we?”

  “No,” Willow said, though her excuse was that she didn’t know why they were meeting at the bar when she set out. If he’d told her, she might have been more prepared.

  “I’m pretty sure this was your friend that I remember,” the bartender said. “Her name was definitely Tiffany. She came here alone and started ordering shots. Then she kept asking ‘when is it Tiffany’s turn?’”

  “That does sound like her,” Griffin agreed.

  “She also said that her man didn’t know what he was missing. And who fired who? Does that make sense?”

  “Actually, it does,” Willow said. “Do you know how late she was here?”

  “She was here most of my shift,” the bartender said. “She had a good time, dancing and drinking, but I made sure that she got into a taxi safely that night to head home.”

  “And she did,” Willow assured him. “She just doesn’t remember exactly what happened. Who she flirted with and that sort of thing.”

  The bartender handed them their replacement beers and looked down the bar at another man sitting there.

  “Since you’re trying to figure everything out, I might as well tell you that the man at the end of the bar was someone she was flirting with. He was actually a bit rough with her until I told him to back off. He left soon after that, actually.”

  Willow thanked him for his help. She peered over the bar to see who the man that had been rough with Tiffany was and was surprised to find that she knew him. It was the man she had talked to at the 5K about getting a vendor stall, Ronald Bray.

  “I think we should go talk to him,” Willow said.

  “But the bartender already confirmed the time Tiffany was here,” said Griffin.

  “That’s not just anyone from the bar,” Willow said. “He’s the man taking over the 5K from Lee Hunter. He’s an out-of-towner, but if he was here flirting with Tiffany, then it means that he was in the area the day of the murder.”

  “Do you think he has a motive for killing Lee?”

  “Let’s go find out,” Willow said, jumping off her barstool.

  She and Griffin walked to the end of the bar, and Ronald looked up from his drink.

  “Ronald, hello. How are you?” Willow asked brightly.

  Ronald stared at her, seeming to try and place her.

  “We met at the 5K setup. I’m Willow Wells.”

  “Right,” Ronald said. “Hello again.”

  “And this is my...” Willow struggled to find the right word to say. “Friend. Griffin.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Griffin said.

  Willow and Griffin each took a seat on either side of Ronald. He looked back and forth between them and then took a swig of his drink.

  “So, Ronald, what brings you to the Pineview area?” Griffin asked.

  “Just enjoying a drink,” Ronald replied.

  “But why are you here in general?” Griffin said, rephrasing the question.

  “You know,” Ronald said, fluttering his hands around. “Work.”

  “What kind of work do you do?” Griffin asked.

  “You ask a lot of questions,” Ronald said, eyeing them from side to side.

  “He’s just making conversation,” Willow said. “We like to talk to people at the bar. Meet new friends.”

  Griffin nodded, and Willow put a huge smile on her face.

  “So, what is it that you do?” Griffin asked again. “I’m a contractor myself, and you know that Willow is a dog trainer and is about to open a doggie gym.”

  “I’m involved in contract work,” Ronald finally muttered.

  “Oh, that’s so interesting,” Willow said, leaning towards him in a flirty manner. “Is that related to your work with the 5K? I think it’s such a noble cause.”

  “I’m working on the 5K now, but that wasn’t my original intention,” Ronald said. “I was actually in town because I wanted to break it off with my business partner. I needed to get rid of him.”

  When he didn’t say anything else, Willow asked, “Is he in contracts too?”

  “You know what?” Ronald said, getting up from his seat. “I think I’ve had enough to drink tonight. I better head out.”

  He waved to the bartender, indicating that he was going and left some bills on the bar. Griffin and Willow watched him leave.

  “Are we that annoying that he needed to head out? Or was he acting suspiciously?” Griffin asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Willow admitted. “It seemed odd that he didn’t want to tell us anything about his job. If he’s taking over the 5K, then his work might relate to Lee Hunter. Maybe he’s afraid that he’ll be linked to the murder.”

  Griffin nodded. “I can tell you that it’s not fun to be considered a suspect.”

 
; Willow took a sip of her beer and thought about it. If Tiffany and Ronald were both at the bar the night that Lee Hunter was killed, it made it more unlikely that either of them could be the one to have killed him in Pineview.

  However, Willow sensed that there was more to Ronald’s story than he was telling them. She wanted to know what it was and if it related to the murder.

  Griffin had been a big help in her investigation, but there was still a lot more work that they had to do.

  16

  Wednesday was three hours outside of town at a spa, but it felt like she was in another world. She had never felt so pampered in her life. She was touring with a group and getting a firsthand look at all the latest trends in beauty. If being an influencer meant that she got to attend more free events like this one at chic spas, then she was all for it.

  After one glass of free champagne, Wednesday was even willing to text her father to let him know about her desire to become a serious Instagram influencer. It wasn’t the champagne giving her the courage. It was enjoying this experience and wanting it to continue.

  Of course, they hadn’t been allowed to keep their phones on them while they were inside the building. She would have to see if her courage held out when she left the soothing spa.

  She was currently enjoying hot stones being placed on her feet as part of a pedicure. Relaxing music was playing, and Wednesday felt relaxed from head to warm toes.

  She mentally went through her checklist, deciding what shoes she could wear that would best show off the nail art she was about to have painted on her toes. Then she thought about what outfits she could use to match the shoes. She smiled. This was so much fun.

  The pedicurist finished with the stones and brought out the nail polish. Thinking that “spa” was just another word for “heaven,” Wednesday looked around at the other women. They looked as peaceful as she did. She wondered if you went to beauty events all the time if you would eventually grow bored with them, or if they would remain as magical as this experience was.

  It felt strange not to have her phone with her because she was there to learn techniques she could use for style on social media. She wanted to snap some pictures of herself in her velvety complimentary robe and with cucumbers over her eyes, but she was told that there were some secrets on the tour that were not allowed to be shared with followers. Well, if it meant she could continue to relax at the spa, she could follow their rules and bear to be separated from her phone for a few hours.

  She took a sip of her champagne and wondered if it really would be easy to tell her father about her influencer desires when she left. The Cops and Robbers campaign really did provide a nice opening for her to do so, but she also recognized that it would be soul-crushing if he told her that becoming an influencer was ridiculous. And that’s what he was going to say. Wasn’t it?

  Wednesday sighed. She was starting to think stressful thoughts when she was supposed to be relaxing. If she kept this up, she would need to schedule another massage. Though having another massage might not be such a bad thing... Massages were amazing, and she deserved having her knots worked out after such a hard week.

  Besides hiding the campaign from her dad weighing on her nerves, there was also the whole murder thing to consider. She hadn’t had much luck uncovering anything new at the station since accidentally overhearing the conversation when she hid in the jail cell with her sister. She did get confirmation that Griffin’s DNA had been found on Lee Hunter’s body, but that was hardly good news. However, she was still convinced that Griffin was innocent.

  Her cat was a good judge of character as she learned from a few experiences with dates she had brought home. Rover knew right away if they were not worthy of her. (Rover also hadn’t been a huge fan of Benjamin!) However, Rover had thought that Griffin was a good guy, and that was good enough for her.

  Her money was on Tiffany or Isla, but she alternated between which femme fatale it could have been. At the moment, she was leaning towards Isla. There was something about finding “her ring” at the crime scene that didn’t sit right with her.

  When the pedicurist finished with her nails, Wednesday thanked her, but the woman brushed off the praise, saying it was all part of the package. Wednesday smiled. She loved this spa package.

  The woman who had been leading them around the spa for their different treatments appeared and addressed the group.

  “I know everyone’s toes are drying, but I also know that you don’t want to miss out on any other activities.”

  Wednesday shrugged to herself. She certainly didn’t want to miss anything, but she would have been perfectly happy lounging in this comfortable chair while her nail polish dried.

  The woman explained how they would now be treated to some “before and after” photos from some of the more “intensive” clients. Wednesday could read between the lines. She was talking about the clients who had plastic surgery done.

  Wednesday wasn’t planning on getting any surgery herself, but she might as well flip through some of the pictures and see what other people were up to. Plus, they had been promised luxury chocolates, so the day would end on a high note.

  Wednesday followed the group as they were each led to a small table with a lounge chair and a book of pictures. She took a seat, finding it even more comfortable than the last chair.

  Glancing at the images, she realized this must be the real reason why they weren’t allowed to have their cell phones. The spa didn’t want anyone to take pictures of the “before and after” photos. The spa had done their best to remove identifying features that didn’t influence the procedure that was being highlighted in the photograph. However, it was still possible to identify someone if you knew what to look for.

  Wednesday was set to flip through the pictures when she saw one that made her stop dead in her tracks. She recognized the person in the photo. It was Isla.

  They had blacked the eyes out of the photo to disguise her identity, but they had left Isla’s jewelry in the picture. Big mistake. Wednesday knew her jewelry. She recognized the style and the distinctive engagement ring. Wednesday would recognize it anywhere. It had the same look as the one they found at the crime scene but held the cubic zirconium stone that they had seen on Isla’s band at the yoga studio.

  Wednesday felt like skipping. Even without trying, she had stumbled across a clue. Surely, this had to point to Isla as the killer. Maybe after hearing that her ex-husband was going to marry another woman and have a baby with him, Isla had been moved to desperate measures. One thing had been to get nipped and tucked so that she would look younger. The other might have been murdering Lee.

  She couldn’t wait to tell Willow. Maybe this could be the evidence that pushed their father towards believing Griffin’s innocence.

  She would have to be a good detective and tell him everything she could about Isla’s procedure. She examined the photograph, getting prepared to tell him all the details. Unfortunately, there was one detail that Wednesday found that undermined her enthusiasm.

  Wednesday looked at the time stamp and frowned. The time stamp on the photograph was for the evening that Lee Hunter was murdered. Since the spa was three hours away, there was no possible way that Isla could have had the picture taken and made it back to town to kill her ex-husband.

  It looked like Isla wasn’t the killer after all.

  Wednesday was a tad disappointed that she had proved someone’s (besides Griffin’s) innocence instead of finding proof of who the real killer was. However, every clue uncovered was useful. If Isla couldn’t be the killer, then it meant that they could focus on the other suspects – like Tiffany.

  Tiffany still had a motive, and Wednesday was pretty sure that she wasn’t also out of town getting plastic surgery at the time of the murder.

  Wednesday couldn’t wait to tell her sister what she had uncovered, but she supposed she would have to wait a little longer. After all, because of these photos, she still didn’t have her phone!

  17

 
; If things continued the way they were, Willow was going to have to become a morning person. This was another day of getting up early, but at least it was for a semi-fun event. She would much rather have set up a stall at the 5K, but she hadn’t gotten final approval for a booth. Maybe her gossip hadn’t been juicy enough for Cassy to find space for her at the crowded event. However, Wednesday had convinced her to still be a part of things and to run in the race.

  She wasn’t someone who ran for fun, preferring to do yoga instead, but Willow was happy with how she was keeping up with the other runners. Chasing greyhounds around during training must have prepared her for her own race.

  She was keeping pace with Wednesday and Griffin who were both at her side. Even though they had longer legs than her, she was able to “run with the big dogs.”

  She wouldn’t have followed Wednesday’s suggestion and ran if her sister wasn’t going to come too, but now she was glad that they did. They had convinced Griffin to ignore his former boycott of the event and to show that there were “no hard feelings.” Willow thought it was more important than ever that Griffin show the community that he bore no ill will towards Lee.

  Since Wednesday had eliminated Isla as a potential killer, it meant that they were down a suspect. Luckily, Tiffany was running in the race today, so they could keep an eye on her. Ronald was also running the 5K, and that meant that he would be around too. Even though they had both been at the bar the night of Lee’s murder, it might have been possible for one of them to meet Lee later and kill him. Tiffany was still a prime suspect. Ronald’s connection to Lee was still unclear, but he had been evasive at the bar and Willow didn’t think that it had anything to do with what he had been drinking.

  The race was also a good opportunity for Willow to scope out the rest of Lee’s co-workers and people in the community who interacted with him. Though most people who she’d talked to about Lee sang his praises, it was possible that the killer was amongst them.

  She ran past the stand, and people in the crowd waved and cheered. Despite it all, Willow had to admit that this was a nice event for the community. There were people from Pineview cheering for the runners and checking out all the booths. The area was decorated cheerfully, and she was happy to see the final setup.