by Cindy Bell
“I can’t say that for sure.” Hannah pressed her hand against her chest and gazed out at the dogs playing in the park. “I’d hate to think that about anyone here. But I do believe that it’s possible. If this drought goes on much longer a lot of people around here are going to lose everything.”
“I’d say that’s a pretty good motive for murder.” Nikki opened her hands to the pugs as they came running over to her. “How are you doing, little ones? Thirsty?” She pulled out a small bowl from her bag and a bottle of water.
“I have some for you, too, Daisy.” Hannah laughed as Daisy stuck a paw in the pugs’ water bowl and tried to knock it over. “She loves her water.” Hannah opened a bottle of water and poured it in for Daisy.
“She’s a beautiful dog. I’m so glad I finally got to meet her.” Nikki smiled as she watched Daisy lap up the water.
“Me, too. I just wish it had been at a better time. Hopefully, the police will figure all of this out fast and we can put it all behind us.” Hannah pursed her lips, then looked over at the police cars again. “But I have a feeling it may be a bit more complicated than that.”
“Murder always is.” Nikki frowned as she followed her friend’s gaze. “Do you think they are capable?” Nikki looked over at Hannah. “I know a lot of small towns don’t have the most up-to-date investigative equipment or training.”
“I don’t know for sure. The local detective is Detective Spade. He lives here, and I’ve met him a few times. He’s often at the farmers market, and other events. He seems like a nice enough guy, but I can’t say if he knows how to handle this. I mean, this is the first murder here in years. How could he have any experience?” Hannah bit into her bottom lip. “Honestly, I’m worried, Nikki.”
“You are?” Nikki wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “About what?”
“Well, when I say that it doesn’t surprise me that Rocky’s the one who was killed, it’s because the locals, my friends and neighbors, all despised him. Who do you think the police are going to point the finger at first?” Hannah sighed. “I can’t even imagine who would do something like this. Except for Rocky, everyone I’ve met here has been nice to me, and seemed like a decent person. But I know that so many of them hated him.”
“I can’t blame them for that, if he was ruining their lives. I would have been angry at him, too.” Nikki called the pugs to her. “I’d better get them home for something to eat. Are you going to be okay, Hannah?”
“I’ll be fine.” Hannah stood up to hug her. “I’m sorry your first day here is so tough.”
“It’s all right, I’m still glad to see you.” Nikki gave her a warm hug. “If you want to talk, let me know. This has to be so rough on you. I’m here to listen.”
“Thanks.” Hannah smiled, then slapped her knee. “Let’s go, Daisy.” She clipped the dog’s leash back on. “If you have any trouble at Jackson’s just give me a call.”
“I will.” Nikki got the pugs back on their leashes. When she straightened up she caught sight of Hannah disappearing down the sidewalk towards her place.
Once Nikki got the pugs back home, she decided she needed to take a break from all of the tension of the morning. Part of the reason she’d come to Pawprint Creek was to get a change of scenery and a breath of fresh air. She felt a little restless, as if there was some new direction she needed to go in, but she had no idea what. She had hoped that being in the new environment would open her mind to a few things. That was what she wanted to focus on. She popped in her ear buds and turned her favorite song on as loud as she could get it to go. Then she set about cleaning the house for Jackson. If he had to come back to this chaos, his house could at least be clean. Within minutes she was singing and dancing as she swept the kitchen. It was her favorite way to clean. It wasn’t until one of the dogs jumped up on her leg to get her attention that she realized both of them were barking. She pulled her ear buds out, and heard heavy pounding on the door. The force of the pounding caused her to jump. Was it safe to answer the door? She realized she probably wouldn’t have thought twice about it before visiting the town square that morning.
Hesitant, Nikki walked towards the door. “Who is it?”
“Detective Spade! I need to speak with you, please open the door.” He sounded frustrated.
Nikki winced as she wondered how long he might have been knocking. Still nervous, she opened the door.
“I’m sorry, I had my ear buds in.”
“I guessed. I could hear you singing.” He looked to be in his late thirties. He wore a simple, gray suit, and was tall with broad shoulders, as well as determined brown eyes.
“You could?” Nikki felt her whole face grow hot.
“Where is Jackson Nule? I need to speak with him.” The detective glanced past her into the house.
The pugs ran in circles around her feet, very excited to have a visitor.
“He’s not here. I’m his dog sitter, Nikki. He’s away on a trip.” She crouched down and tried to calm the dogs. “Sorry.”
“When did he leave?” The detective eyed the dogs, but didn’t smile.
“First thing this morning. I arrived at about eight o’clock, and he took off right away. He was running late for his flight.” Nikki frowned as she wondered how he could be immune to the adorable pugs who continued to try to get his attention.
“Interesting.” He narrowed his eyes as he swept his gaze along the length of her. “You’re not from around here?”
“No, I came from out of town to dog sit. My friend, Hannah, lives here.” Nikki stared at him nervously. Did being an outsider automatically make her a suspect?
“Hannah, the one who makes the weird soap?” He smiled some.
“Natural, not weird.” She found herself returning his smile, despite the tension of the moment.
“Ah yes, that’s what I meant. Have you heard from Jackson?” His tone shifted right back to serious. The switch was so sudden that it sent her heart racing again.
“No, I haven’t.”
“He hasn’t confirmed that he landed, he hasn’t reached out to check on the pups?” He finally looked down at the dogs who were thrilled when he made eye contact. A smile threatened his lips, but didn’t fully form.
“No, not yet.” She shooed the dogs away from jumping up on his legs. “Sorry, I think they are a bit excited to have a guest.”
“I can see that.” He looked back up at her, and the sudden collision of his eyes to hers caused her to take a step back. “Do you know Jackson personally? Are you friends?”
“No.” Nikki cleared her throat. “I met him for the first time today.”
“You’re sure about that?” The detective slid his hands into his pockets.
“Yes.” She raised an eyebrow. “How could I not be?”
“I just want to be clear with you, Nikki was it?” He continued when she nodded. “If you hear from him, you are to contact me right away. Understand?” He pulled a business card from his wallet and handed it over to her. “No matter what time of day or night. Got it?”
“Yes.” Nikki took the card, though she wanted to say much more. She wanted to point out that she did not have to call him at all, but she decided against it. They were on the same side after all. They both wanted the murder solved. But as he left the house, it seemed to her that he suspected Jackson was involved. Just what had she gotten herself into?
Chapter 3
Nikki sank down on the couch as she processed the visit from the detective. She’d never had such close contact with a law enforcement official before. Despite some of the ups and downs she’d had in her youth, none were enough to get the police involved. It was a bit unnerving to have a man with a gun speak to her so sternly. As the dogs jumped up onto the couch to lick her hands and crawl in her lap she started to feel a little calmer. Animals always did that for her. Most of the time she found herself much more relaxed around them than she was around people.
“All right, guys, try not to worry. Daddy is going to be just fine.”
Nikki rubbed their ears and stroked their backs. But would he be? If Jackson was considered a suspect, would his sudden departure seem like him taking flight? Her stomach twisted with a terrible thought. What if that was why he was in a rush that morning? What if he did it and that was why he had to get out of town right away? She gazed down at the dogs and wondered if he would really be willing to leave them behind. Could a murderer also be a loving dog owner? She had no idea. But she was certain that she had to find out. Not only for the dogs’ sake, but for her own, as well as Hannah’s. What if her friend was wrapped up in a friendship with a murderer and didn’t even know it? What if she was living in a murderer’s house? She shuddered at the thought. After she put together some lunch for the dogs she decided to tidy up the house some more.
With the dogs occupied, she began to tidy up the papers on the end of the kitchen counter. She noticed that most of them were bills from different companies, some were junk mail, and others had to do with the dogs. She could tell that Jackson did care about them as much as he said. There were many receipts for their care, and products for them. As she put a piece of paper on top of the pile she came across something that caught and held her attention. It was a petition to the city to have Rocky’s Farm Kitchen evaluated by the health inspector.
As Nikki stared at the piece of paper in her hand her mind began to make the connections. Jackson didn’t like Rocky any more than his other neighbors, but he had taken things a step further. He was asking for an inspection of Rocky’s restaurant, which was sure to ruffle Rocky’s feathers. The two probably had quite a feud going on. That would explain why Detective Spade was so interested in speaking to Jackson. She skimmed over the request, then put it back right where she found it. If Jackson was going to get into trouble it wasn’t going to be because of her. She was sure that Detective Spade already knew about the petition.
The next piece of paper was a copy of his airline ticket receipt. She was startled again. The flight listed on the receipt was for several hours after she had arrived. Yet he said he was in danger of missing his flight when she got there. Although the weather had been clear, she knew that it was possible that the flight had been changed for some reason. Though some flights could be delayed, the departure time was not usually brought forward. Curious, she sat down with her phone and checked on the flight record based on the flight number on his receipt. It said that it had left on time, at the same time that was listed on the receipt.
Confused, she looked over the receipt again. It showed that Jackson had purchased it a couple of weeks before. He had flown a few states over. She realized she didn’t even know why he’d gone on the trip, or the location of where he would be staying. For someone who left a three-page list about how to take care of his dogs, it surprised her that he wouldn’t want her to know exactly where he was and how to reach him just in case his cell phone wasn’t working. She snapped a picture of the receipt, then put it back carefully in the pile of paperwork. She turned to the sound of a few yelps at the back door. She realized the dogs wanted to go out and get some fresh air. She left the pile of paperwork and greeted the dogs.
“Sorry guys, I got a little distracted. Let’s head out.” Nikki smiled as she clipped their leashes on. “I’m sure we could all use a little exercise.”
Both dogs lunged for the door. Nikki laughed as she attempted to keep up with them. Her hand ran across the kitchen counter that led to the back door. She knocked an old coffee tin off the side of the counter while she wrestled with the leashes.
“Oops. Just a second, please.” Nikki tugged the dogs back away from the door, then picked up the coffee tin. She had expected it to be empty, it looked as if it hadn’t been used in years. But as she picked it up a bundle of paper fell out of it. The dogs tugged and whined as they tried to get to the door, but Nikki couldn’t take her eyes off the bundle. She bent down to pick up the notes and as she put them back into the container she glanced at a few of them.
Nikki discovered that Jackson had been documenting Rocky’s every move. When he left the house in the morning, when he returned, when his sprinklers turned on. He had written down the fact that Rocky had no visitors to his home and was often up into the late hours of the night. He also listed calls he made to his own lawyer about the dam being built and Rocky’s responses in any conversations they had. As she tucked the notes back in the can she realized that Jackson’s animosity towards Rocky went far deeper than just a petition for a health inspection. He was at war with his neighbor. If Detective Spade knew about this, then she could understand why he suspected Jackson so strongly. Should she?
The dogs yelped and stretched their leashes to their limit. Finally, she turned her attention back to them. What would happen to them if Jackson went to prison? There certainly was reason to suspect him, but what if those suspicions were wrong, and an innocent man ended up behind bars?
Nikki sighed as she pushed open the back door. If only she could find some kind of proof that Jackson wasn’t involved, maybe she could protect him from what he would face when he finally did return to Pawprint Creek.
Thrilled to be outside, the dogs rushed forward. With their tiny bodies they might appear too small to drag her around, but they were strong, and determined. She laughed as they tugged her along towards the back of the property. She guessed they had a usual path that they followed along the property and allowed them to take the lead. It was nice to feel the wind brush across her face as she sped up to keep up with the dogs. However, it couldn’t distract her from the information she’d just discovered. Why would Jackson lie about the time his flight left? It just didn’t make sense to her.
Nikki smiled as the dogs pounced on a few dried leaves that somersaulted across the ground. She couldn’t be in a bad mood around the two beautiful pups. That was what she liked best about animals, no matter the situation unfolding around them, they tended to be happy and enjoy life. In an attempt to take a lesson from her wise canine friends, she broke into a full run, which allowed the dogs to run as well. They were thrilled, and let her know with loud barks and random hops mid-run. She laughed as they bounded straight for the creek. She realized they had run quite some distance as she could no longer see the house over her shoulder. The creek was quite big. It was wide, and though the water was low, she could see the waterline on the edge where it had once been much higher.
The subtle sound of it running past was beyond soothing. She slowed to a stop, and the dogs seemed to agree with her decision. They began to sniff around the flowers and grass that grew at the edge of the creek. She noticed that even they were a bit brown from the bright summer sun and the lack of rain. As she stepped close to the edge of the creek, the hot sun beat down on her. Sweat began to trickle down her back. The water in the creek looked so tempting. Without another thought she kicked off her shoes and dipped one set of toes into the creek. The refreshing sensation rippled its way up from her foot through her entire body.
“Ah, this is exactly what I needed.” Nikki smiled as she eased her other foot into the water. With the cool liquid swirling around her ankles she began to feel the tension leave her body. She wanted to be able to control everything, to know exactly what happened to Rocky, to smooth things over for Hannah, so that she would never have that worried look in her eyes again. But she didn’t have any real control. Life swirled around her, just like the shallow water in the creek around her ankles. Somewhere, someone knew what happened to Rocky, someone remembered the exact moment that he died. Unfortunately, she had no idea who that person was. She took another breath of the fresh air and let her body relax once more. If she couldn’t figure it out, the least she could do was find a state of peace, and remain clearheaded.
Lost in her own thoughts, Nikki didn’t hear the snap of a twig, or the rumble of the dogs beginning to growl. She didn’t sense the darker clouds that had begun to roll towards the sun. The cool water grew a bit more icy and the next breath she took was laced with a hint of moisture. The thought excited her, as she knew h
ow much the area needed it. She turned her face upward, hoping to feel the first few drops of rain.
Chapter 4
A moment later Nikki’s eyes fluttered open and the peace that had soothed her just seconds before seemed to disappear. What was that prickling sensation along the back of her neck? It made her feel as if someone was staring right at her. But there was no one else out there with her, was there? The dogs stood beside the creek, their heads low, and their eyes fixated on something on the other side. The sight made her heart skip a beat. She looked up and discovered a figure standing on the other side of the creek. The sudden presence caused an icy shock to carry through her, as she couldn’t be certain how long the person had been there. However, that shock faded a second later as she recognized the woman who walked along the edge of the creek. It was Jean, the woman she’d met earlier in the day.
“Hey there.” Jean waved to her and paused to look across the creek. “Enjoying the water?”
“It’s wonderful.” Nikki nodded as she smiled. “So calming, it’s just what I needed.”
“Yes, I wanted to come out here for a walk for that same reason.” Jean frowned, then waved her hand. “Hang on, I’ll be right over.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” Nikki laughed. “I don’t think you want to go for a swim.”
“No need!” Jean walked a few feet down to where a large tree had fallen across the creek. She climbed up and strode right across it.
Nikki was amazed by the woman’s agility. She seemed more spry than most people half her age. As she approached, Nikki stepped out of the creek with a smile.
“It’s good to see you again.”
“You, too.” Jean placed her hands on her hips and glanced up at the sky.
“I think rain might be coming in.” Nikki took a deep breath of the moist air again.
