Now, after all this time, she’d finally have it. “Thank you Ma-ma,� she whispered. “Thank you.�
As she opened the pouch, she heard the familiar click of a cocked gun. “I knew you would find it,� a dark voice said. “All I had to do was wait. Hand it over, Rose.�
“You.�
“Olivia? Hello! Earth to Olivia!�
Annoyed at the interruption, Olivia paused her audiobook and couldn’t help glaring before she was able to compose her features into a neutral expression. “Mayor Henderson,� she said with a sigh. “How can I help you?� She was walking Lily and Goodwin through the town square that morning. The dachshund sniffed at Douglas and started attempting to climb up his leg.
“Off!� Douglas said with a shudder. “Control your beasts, Olivia.�
“Lily!� she chastised as she snapped her fingers and gently pulled the dog off. “Is there something that you needed?�
Douglas sniffed and reached up to straighten his toupee. “I would like to hire you.�
“Hire me?� Olivia repeated, confused. “Mayor, I’m a dog walker. You don’t have a dog.�
“I do now. I went into Lowell and adopted one yesterday. He’s called Bender or Fender or something. I’ll need you to walk him three times a day. Maybe four. I’m not certain how many times dogs should be walked.�
“You got a dog?� Unable to help herself, Olivia looked around to see if anyone else was witnessing the conversation. “I don’t mean offense, Mayor Henderson, but you don’t even like dogs. You certainly shouldn’t have one if you need to hire me to take care of it full time.�
“I like dogs,� Douglas snapped. “I love dogs, but I’m a busy man—so, are you going to help me or not?�
“You don’t love dogs,â€� Olivia laughed. “You love … Celeste.â€� Understanding dawned. “Of course you got a dog. Celeste loves dogs, and you wanted a chance to talk to her. Mayor Henderson, I can commend you on adopting a dog—but you’re better off just talking to Celeste.â€�
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have no such feelings toward Celeste,� Douglas denied. “And I can see that you’re not professional enough to help me. No worries. There are plenty of dog walkers in Lowell who would be more than happy to take me on as a client. I am the mayor, after all.�
Olivia fought against the urge to rub her temples. She had a headache. After they’d gotten home from Jacob’s the night before, Janelle had kept them up even later by fretting about what would happen if they got caught. She attempted to force Olivia and Jackie to take a blood oath, swearing their silence. But Olivia just poured her sister another couple of glasses of wine and convinced her that they’d already done it. Her sister was practically asleep when Olivia drove her to her house—and wouldn’t be able to say a single thing.
Too tired to try to get the mayor to see reason, Olivia just sighed. “I would be more than happy to take care of Fender Bender for you, Mayor Henderson. How about I stop by this afternoon and meet the dog, and we can work out a schedule.� Privately, she thought to herself that Douglas could stand to take the dog on a few walks himself and lose a couple of pounds, but she had a feeling that mentioning that wouldn’t go over well.
“Excellent! And since you brought up Celeste, please let her know that I’d like to include Fender in her sessions. For all I know, the poor dog was abused in his past. I’d like her to communicate with the dog and learn as much as she can about my new companion.�
“Of course you would,� she muttered with mock sympathy. “I’m sure that she’ll be thrilled.�
“I’ll see you this afternoon, then. Perhaps you could bring some of your sister’s cupcakes when you come. Perhaps a dozen of those Oreo ones. I’m fond of those.� Smacking his lips, Douglas rubbed his belly and started to whistle as he walked past her. Goodwin whined and looked up at her as if he understood how she was feeling.
“What do you think, Goodwin? Do you think the whole town would benefit if we just told Celeste how Douglas felt about her?�
Goodwin’s whine turned into a sharp bark. Olivia immediately recognized an alarm when she heard it and whirled around. A car was careening around the corner of Main Street and Seventh. Frowning, Olivia tugged Lily’s leash until the dachshund was back on the sidewalk, but rather than slowing down, the car seemed to pick up speed.
When it jumped the curb and came barreling straight for her, Olivia screamed and started to run with the dogs. If she ducked to the right, she’d get pinned against the buildings, and she wasn’t about to risk the lives of the dogs. Too terrified to look back to see how far away the car was, she dove headfirst behind the brick Welcome to Lexingburg sign and pulled the dogs up close to her. Luckily, the driver seemed to realize that he or she couldn’t drive over the sign and veered sharply back onto the street.
Ignoring the pain that lanced up her ankle, Olivia jumped up and craned to see the license plate of the fast-receding car. Black SUV. VLA6027.
Repeating the license plate over and over in her head, she slumped against the sign and took a deep, shuddering breath. Lily’s whole body trembled as she tried to climb up Olivia’s leg, and Goodwin whined and sniffed her as if to make sure that everyone was okay.
Did Jacob realize that she’d gone into his house yesterday? Had he just tried to kill her?
Andrew felt his heart jump in his chest when he saw Olivia sitting in the chair at the sheriff’s department. She had a long, ugly scrape down one arm, and she was holding a bag of ice on her ankle. Goodwin and Lily rested on the floor by her chair.
Sitting at his desk across from her, Nick was trying to talk calmly to her, but the mayor kept interrupting them loudly. “I’m telling you, that car just tried to run me over! I was just talking to Olivia, and the next thing I know, the car was heading straight for us!�
“Mayor Henderson,� Nick said with a sigh. “You were a couple of blocks away when the incident happened. I don’t think that you were the target.�
“How can you say that? Why would anyone want to run Olivia over?�
Nick trained a hard look at Olivia. “That’s an excellent question. Why would someone want to run you over?�
“They wouldn’t,� Douglas interjected. “I’m cracking down on crime in Lexingburg, and the criminals are clearly reacting out of fear. Where is the press? This is headline news!�
“Mayor Henderson, Lexingburg isn’t exactly teeming with crime,� Nick pointed out.
Douglas threw up his hands in disgust. “How can you say that? We just had a high-profile murder, and now someone tried to run me over! I expect you to find this driver and bring them to justice. This takes priority over your other cases, Nick. I’m going to talk to the reporters. Keep me updated!�
“I’m fine, thanks for asking,� Olivia called out as Douglas swept past Andrew. Her eyes landed on her boyfriend and widened. “Andrew! What are you doing here?�
“Nick called me,� Andrew said, fighting to find his calm center. “You were targeted in a hit-and-run. You could have seriously been hurt. You could have died, Olivia.�
“I know that, Andrew. I was there,� she pointed out as she reached down to stroke Goodwin’s head. “But I’m fine, so you can go back to work. If I wasn’t fine, I’d be at the hospital.�
Andrew narrowed his eyes and walked forward to kneel down next to her. When he reached for her, she gasped, and his hand stil
led briefly before he gently probed her ankle. “It could be sprained, sweetheart. I’d feel better if you went to the hospital and had it x-rayed.�
“It’s fine. I’ll try to stay off it for the rest of the day,� she muttered, avoiding his gaze.
“I’ll call Janelle and Jackie and see if they can’t cover your shifts for today and tomorrow. And I’ll pick up a brace and some crutches from the hospital,� Andrew said as he stood.
“That’s not necessary,� Olivia protested.
He ignored her. “Nick, who would do this?�
The sheriff shook his head. “With the mayor panicking, I haven’t been able to get much information from Olivia other than the vehicle description. It was reported stolen this morning, so that’s not very helpful. Olivia, is there a reason that someone would want to run you over?�
Olivia bit her bottom lip, and Andrew’s gaze sharpened. It was a telltale sign that she was about to lie. “I don’t know, Sheriff. As far as I know, all of my customers are happy.�
“I don’t think that you were nearly killed because someone is dissatisfied with your dog-walking capabilities,� Nick pointed out. “And the fact that you just called me Sheriff rather than Nick is disconcerting. What are you hiding?�
“I’m just trying to be respectful,� Olivia protested, and her fingers tightened on the arm of the chair. “And I don’t have any proof that someone would want to kill me.�
Andrew lifted an eyebrow. “I should think the car that came barreling at you on Main Street would be proof.�
Olivia’s eyes flickered up and then down again to the dogs as she averted her gaze. “What I mean to say is that I don’t know anyone specific who would want to kill me.�
“I’ll take generic,� Nick said. He leaned back and studied her. “Vague. A seedling of an idea. Damn it, Olivia, are you still meddling in this case with Yvette?�
“I did find the body. I’m fairly certain that means I’m already involved,� Olivia muttered, continuing to examine the dogs closely.
“What were you doing last night?� Nick asked with narrowed eyes. “Where did you go?�
“I was with Janelle and Jackie last night! We had dinner. We had a girls’ night!� she exclaimed.
“That’s true,� Andrew sighed. “I was with Patrick last night. Olivia had to drop Janelle off because she’d had too much to drink.�
Nick shook his head. “Maybe I should make you stay with Janelle until this whole thing is over. At least I know that she has some sense in her head and will keep you out of trouble.�
“Someone just tried to run me over—and yet I’m the one in trouble. How is that even fair?� Olivia argued. She wrapped the leashes around her undamaged arm and stood tentatively. Andrew could see the flash of pain in her eyes, but she was a trouper. “I’m sure I’ll be fine tomorrow if you want me to walk Tucker. You know, without your wife finding out.�
Andrew almost snorted at Olivia’s attempt to threaten Nick. “It’s okay,� he said to Nick. “I’ll take her home and make sure that she stays out of trouble for the rest of the day.�
“Fine,� Nick sighed. “Olivia, if you know something, you have to tell me.�
“Sure,� she squeaked. “Will do.�
Frustrated, Andrew took the leashes from her and put an arm around her as she hobbled out. He couldn’t even begin to explain to her how terrified he’d been when Nick had called him and told him that someone had tried to run Olivia down.
Run her down! He’d told her over and over again to stay away from this case because he was terrified that she’d get in too deep and get hurt. Now he was practically half-carrying her out of the sheriff’s office.
As he helped her into his car, she gave him a nervous look. “Andrew,� she said in a small voice. “Are you mad?�
Leaning over, he kissed her forehead. “You’re a victim, Olivia. Let’s get Lily dropped off so I can take you home.�
“Andrew,� she whispered. “Home first, babe.�
He turned on the radio, but she already pulling out her phone. He expected her to fit her ear buds in her ears, but instead, he followed her gaze to the huge crack in her screen. When she moaned, he knew it wasn’t in physical pain.
Mentally, he wrestled with what he should do now. The fastest way to push Olivia away was to put a leash on her and demand that she quit this infernal investigation—and that was the last thing that he wanted to do, but he also wanted to keep her safe.
After dropping the dachshund off, he helped Olivia into the house and got her settled on the couch. Grabbing a small stack of books from the top of her “want to read� pile, he laid them down next to her along with the remote to the television. “I’ll call Jackie and Janelle and get them to cover your dogs for this afternoon and tonight.�
“Thanks,� she murmured.
“Olivia, I hope that you realize what you’re doing is dangerous. Let Nick handle it.�
She flashed him a small smile. “Don’t worry. This is a wake-up call.�
Praying that it was true, he called in to work and told them he wasn’t coming in for the rest of the day, today or tomorrow. Then, he called Jackie and Janelle to cover Olivia’s shifts, but all he told them was that she wasn’t feeling well. There was no reason to get them roped in as well.
When he returned to Olivia, she was already asleep. Gently, he brushed her hair away from her cheek.
“What am I going to do with you, babe?�
16
Andrew was asleep next to Olivia when she woke up the next morning. She barely remembered moving from the couch to the bed in a haze of pain and exhaustion last night. At least, she thought it had been last night. Everything was a blur. As the sun filtered over his handsome face, she propped herself up on her good elbow and stared at him. She always loved waking up first. It was the only time she got to simply admire him without him asking her why she was staring.
Sometimes she thought it was impossible to express how much she loved him, and other times she knew it would be impossible to express how much she wanted to strangle him.
She’d had no idea that Nick would call him yesterday after Jacob had tried to run her down. Olivia had expected him to call Janelle. She’d even feared that he might call her mother—but Andrew? But it wasn’t horror she’d felt when she saw him. It was pleasure. Relief. She didn’t even realize, until she saw him, that he was the person that she most wanted to see.
He should have been furious. He knew that she’d put herself in danger because she hadn’t dropped Yvette’s case, and she’d expected him to yell and threaten, but he’d just kissed her and helped her home. What did that even mean?
She should have told Nick what she suspected about Jacob, but she couldn’t do it without admitting that she, Jackie, and Janelle had snuck into the man’s condo the night before. The only smart thing she could do now was to call in the tip anonymously and hope that Nick caught Jacob before he tried to kill her again. This was all her fault—she shouldn’t have kept digging. She should have just left it to Nick. But then she’d have to face the music with Andrew. She’d have to deal with a proposal.
She hated herself for not being able to deal with change.
She decided right then to drop any further meddling—Andrew was too important to lose.
She’d somehow get the final evidence to Nick, and then she’d stop.
A few things still didn’t add up. How did Jacob know? There hadn’t been any sign of Jacob or Samantha when they’d left the condo last night. Did Jacob have some sort of security that she hadn’t seen? If so, why hadn’t he turned them in?
When she’d thrown herself to the ground yesterday, she must have landed on her phone because the screen was cracked to bits. Careful not to disturb Andrew, she slowly reached across and snagged his phone from the nightstand. Slipping out of bed, she tested her weight on her ankle. It ached a little, but there was no sharp pain. Thankful that she could resume business as usual, she tiptoed out of the bedroom. Goodwin followed her, and Olivia quietly closed the door behind them.
Dialing Jackie’s number, she let Goodwin out and started a pot of coffee. Jackie answered almost on the first ring. “Olivia? I tried to text you, but you didn’t respond. Andrew called and said that you weren’t feeling well. Are you okay?�
“Nick didn’t call you?� Olivia asked in surprise.
“No, why would he? Olivia, what did you do now?�
Of course Jackie would assume that she’d done something. “I’m not to blame here! Someone tried to run me over yesterday morning, and I hurt my ankle. I’m fine now, so I’ll be able to do my rounds with the dogs today, but I wasn’t sure if you told Nick that we were at Jacob’s condo the other night.�
“No, he didn’t call. I’m sure if he asked Janelle, she would have called me, so our secret is safe. At least for now. Olivia, are you suggesting that Jacob just tried to murder you? We need to tell Nick!�
“I’m going to call the tip line today, so Nick should at least take a good hard look at Jacob. Listen, I broke my phone yesterday, so if you need to get a hold of me, call Andrew. I’m going to go into the city today and see if I can’t get a new one. I was this close to finishing my book, too.�
Barking up the Wrong Bakery (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 1) Page 14
