Barking up the Wrong Bakery (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 1)
Page 17
“Are you suggesting that I’m a bad dog walker?�
“I’m suggesting that a woman who can’t even keep her own dog contained has no business walking anyone else’s,� Janelle pointed out.
“No dog-walking business, no need for an office upstairs,� Olivia teased. “No, we found this ring this morning by Yvette’s. Stanley’s daughter just identified it as Yvette’s, so I’m taking it to Nick. It’s awful. Jacob must have either demanded the ring back or taken it back after he killed her. Maybe that was what set him off to begin with. I’m sure it wasn’t easy seeing her with the ring after what she did to him.�
Janelle shuddered. “I just never could imagine Jacob with a temper. Even after the whole wedding scandal, Jacob never had a bad word to say about Yvette.�
“Get this. So I found Yvette’s ring in the display book at Stanley’s, and the very next ring showcased? It’s the ring that Samantha was flashing around the other day. Stanley’s daughter said that Samantha loved it. I’ve never thought that I would feel bad for Samantha, but she has no idea what kind of man she’s promised to marry.� Olivia repositioned the ice on her ankle and winced.
Janelle frowned. “You shouldn’t be alone until this whole thing is over. Where’s Andrew?�
Olivia gingerly massaged her ankle. “He went to get me a new phone. He’s so sweet, and we don’t have anything to worry about. Nick was going to pick up Jacob this morning after Andrew spoke to him. There’s no way that Jacob is out walking free, but it’s nice that you’re worrying about me.�
“Of course I worry about you, Olivia. You’re my baby sister, and I love you.� Janelle hugged her. “I know that things haven’t been easy between us, but I think that things are going to be different now. And despite all the changes that you’re facing, you need to remember that Andrew loves you. You should appreciate that more,� Janelle warned.
Olivia just stared at her. It had been a long time since she heard Janelle try to give her some sisterly advice rather than just steamroll over her with opinions.
Janelle continued to cluck at her. Her older sister didn’t seem to understand the significance of this moment between them.
Then Olivia looked out the window and gasped. “Oh dear. Here comes Samantha. I wonder how she’s dealing with all of this? To think that after all this time, she and Jacob are finally engaged, and he’s a murderer!�
The bell rang as the door swung open, and Samantha popped in. She was dressed in a gorgeous dark gray skirt with a baby blue blouse. She was wearing the diamond ring on a fine chain around her neck and immediately pulled it out and fiddled with it as she walked in the store. The gem caught the sunlight and sparkled. It was hard to miss. “Hello, ladies!�
Janelle shook her head. “Samantha, darling. I am so sorry.�
If Olivia could have reached, she would have kicked her older sister. It wasn’t their business to tell Samantha the truth about her fiancée. Samantha looked at them in puzzlement. “Why are you sorry?�
“Janelle is out of those muffins that you like so much,� Olivia said hurriedly. She gave her sister a pointed look. The last thing she wanted to deal with today was a hysterical Samantha.
The woman bought the excuse and frowned. “Oh, Jacob will be so disappointed. He said he had something big to tell me, so I thought I’d get him one of those muffins that he likes so much. I certainly don’t eat them. Too many carbs.�
Janelle looked offended, but Olivia opened her mouth before her sister could speak. “He has something big to tell you?�
“Yes, although I can’t imagine what that could be. After all, he’s already popped the question. That’s supposed to be a secret, but I’m sure you two won’t spill the beans. I’ll be so happy when I can finally wear the ring on my finger rather than hanging it around my neck. He called me a few minutes ago. He’s going to meet me here.�
Worried, Olivia stared at her. “Wait, he called you a few minutes ago? Where was he?�
“He didn’t say. Does it matter? You’re not about to close, are you?�
“Samantha, sweetheart,� Janelle said softly. “Maybe you should sit down.� She exchanged a worried look with Olivia, and Olivia knew exactly what her sister was thinking. Samantha had no idea what Jacob had done. She was about to be crushed.
But Olivia wasn’t thinking about Samantha’s feelings. She was listening to the voice of alarm inside her head. Something wasn’t fitting together. It shouldn’t have been possible for Jacob to call her. Jacob should have been in custody. What was going on?
“Why? It’s okay if you don’t have the muffins. Some chocolate chip cookies will be just as nice,� Samantha said as she pulled out a chair.
Slowly, Olivia pushed the emerald ring toward the sunlight so that the sun would catch it. Her mind raced. The only reason that Nick would let Jacob go was if he were innocent. A solid alibi? And if Jacob hadn’t murdered Yvette in vengeance, there was only one other explanation.
Samantha’s eyes swept over Olivia’s table, and her whole body went rigid.
Olivia saw the woman’s demeanor change, and the answer to the mystery finally slammed into place. Gone was the happily engaged woman. In its place sat a cold-blooded killer.
“Janelle, why don’t you go check on the goods that you have in the oven,� Olivia said quietly.
“I don’t have anything in the oven,� Janelle said with a puzzled look.
“Janelle’s not going anywhere, and neither are you,� Samantha said icily, her eyes fixed on the ring. She reached into her purse and slowly pulled out a gun. “I guess I didn’t throw it far enough.�
“You were the one who tried to run me over,� Olivia whispered. “How did you know that we were in the condo?�
Samantha’s eyes were terrifyingly cold as she dropped all pretense of pleasantries. As she pointed the weapon at Olivia, there was no hesitation, nor remorse, in her face. “There was a dusting of flour in the kitchen. Jacob doesn’t bake, and your sister is always covered in the stuff. Plus, the tablet has a safety feature that takes a picture of whoever wakes it up from sleep mode. I’m just lucky that I used it before Jacob.�
“Samantha?� Janelle gasped. “What are you doing? Why are you carrying a gun?�
Samantha kept her eyes trained on Olivia. “When I didn’t get the job done the first time around, I knew that I needed to be ready. I don’t know what you found in that condo to link to me, but I knew if you were there, you were getting close,� she said nastily.
“But we weren’t there for you,� Olivia said, slowly standing to her feet. The bag of ice fell to the floor. Her ankle throbbed, but if she was to face a deranged killer, she wasn’t going to do it sitting down. “We thought it was Jacob. I already turned the evidence over to Nick. Jacob’s in custody for Yvette’s murder.�
The pain on Samantha’s face was evident, and Olivia knew that no matter what Samantha did—or had done—her love for Jacob was true. “No.� The gun stayed steady as the woman shook her head. “Nick won’t arrest Jacob. Everyone knows that Jacob is a good man. It’ll be fine. Nick will let Jacob go, and we’ll finally be together. We’ll finally get married like we’re supposed to.�
Olivia took a deep breath. Her eyes darted to the movement behind Samantha, but the woman just stared straight at her. She needed to get a full confession out of Samantha. “You wanted everyone to
think that you and Jacob were back together after Yvette left him, but that wasn’t true, was it? He turned to you because you were friends, but it wasn’t anything more than that. And when you found out that Jacob and Yvette were back together, you lost control.�
“They were not back together!� Samantha screamed. “You’re lying! Jacob wouldn’t do that to me. Not again—but I knew what was happening. I knew that she was using her business to lure Jacob back. She was trying to steal him away from me again, trying to destroy him. Jacob and I are the heart of this town, we’re the Lexingburg Sweethearts, and I was not going to let her ruin that again.�
“But they were together,� Olivia said carefully as she tried to put herself between Samantha and Janelle. She would never forgive herself if she got her sister hurt because she couldn’t leave well enough alone. “There were pictures to prove that Jacob was with Yvette just a few weeks ago. They were in love, and Yvette just didn’t know how to take that last step.�
“It doesn’t matter,� Samantha hissed. “She’s dead, and I sent him a text from her phone that morning. He knows they’re over. Now we’re together. I have his ring. I have it—and not her!�
“But that’s not his ring, is it?� Olivia asked quietly, her eyes steady on the other woman’s face. She needed to ground Samantha to reality and pull her out of this fantasy. “You bought that ring yourself. That’s why you don’t want anyone to see it. Jacob hasn’t proposed to you yet.�
“Shut up!� Samantha screamed. “He doesn’t have to tell me that he loves me. He doesn’t have to ask me to marry him. I know what’s in his heart! I know what he wants.�
“The dinner at L’Amore,� Olivia continued. “The big night on the town. You’re playing on Jacob’s vulnerability in order to win him back. You want to be the shoulder that he cries on.�
“I was there when she walked away from him,� Samantha spat. “I would never leave him. She would only have broken his heart again, but not me. I’ll be there forever, and he’ll see that. We’re going to be happy together, now that Yvette isn’t in the picture anymore. I did what I had to do.�
She was so lost in her own rage that she hadn’t heard the door open. Jacob stood behind her, a look of horror on his face. “Samantha, what did you do?�
“She has a gun!� Olivia cried out in warning.
Samantha whirled around. “Jacob!� she gasped in surprise. “Baby. Don’t listen to them. They’re just spreading lies. They’re trying to break us up because they’re jealous. They’re jealous of my happy ending.�
“What happy ending? What are you talking about?�
Samantha pointed to her ring. “Our happy ending. See? We’re going to be so happy, baby. Isn’t that why you asked me here today? You were going to tell me that you love me, right?�
“No, I wasn’t. I was going to tell you that I took your advice and sold the condo. I’m buying a house,� Jacob said tonelessly, as if in shock. “A fresh start, just like you suggested.� He paused. “You killed Yvette?� he asked her, his voice suddenly hoarse. “I don’t understand. We weren’t even together.�
“You bought a house?� Samantha asked wildly. “That’s great, honey. I love that house. We’re going to be so happy living there. You realize that, right? Yvette was a mistake. We should have gotten married as soon as we turned eighteen, but you wanted to wait until after we went to college. So I waited, and then you came back and said that you weren’t sure about us. So I gave you space, and you ran to her! She was a nobody. A drifter, and you gave her my ring!�
“Samantha,� Jacob said calmly, but the woman kept going.
“You gave her my wedding, and when she didn’t show up, you still couldn’t get over her! I have been here for you. I’ve always been here for you, baby. I saw what she was doing to you. I just went to talk to her. I just wanted to convince her to leave town, but she said these horrible things, and I just had to protect you. I had to protect us. This is our chance to correct that mistake. That’s what you want, right?�
Jacob shook his head. “There is no us, Samantha. I had no idea what our friendship was doing to you. I’m sorry—I’m so sorry.�
“No!� Samantha screamed in rage and raised the gun again. This time, Olivia was ready. She threw herself at the woman; they both hit the ground, hard, and the gun flew across the floor. Pain lanced up her leg, and Olivia groaned as Samantha scrambled away from her.
Samantha, no longer concerned with Olivia or Janelle, launched herself at Jacob with a banshee scream, but he caught her easily as she crumpled. She was still on the floor, sobbing, when Nick pulled up.
“Jacob!� he gasped when he burst through the door. “Let her go.�
When Jacob released Samantha, she crumpled to the floor in tears, a sobbing heap of misery.
Janelle reached down and gingerly picked up the gun. “She’s insane,� she murmured as she handed the weapon to Nick.
“Are you okay?� he asked Olivia as he handcuffed Samantha. Janelle reached down and helped her sister up.
“Yeah,� Olivia said slowly, leaning on Janelle as she stared at the mascara trekking down Samantha’s tear-streaked face. “I was on my way to give you this ring that I found. What are you doing here? How did you know it was Samantha?�
“I didn’t,� the sheriff admitted. “Andrew put it together. He called me to see if you’d gotten the ring to me. When we realized that Jacob wasn’t the killer, he put two and two together. Your boyfriend has a knack for this kind of thing.�
“Of course he does,� Olivia muttered, but she smiled. She was proud of Andrew.
Samantha looked as if she was in a trance as Nick pulled her to her feet. “I did it for you, baby,� she whispered, over and over again.
Jacob didn’t say anything as he followed Nick out of the bakery, but Olivia could see the pain in his face. In less than a week, Jacob had lost the woman that he loved—and his best friend. It would take a long time before he healed.
“After all this, and Andrew solved the case before I did,� Olivia muttered. “I am seriously the worst detective ever.�
Janelle patted her on the shoulder sympathetically. “That’s what we’ve all been trying to tell you.�
20
Olivia figured the news of Samantha’s arrest would destroy Lexingburg, but Andrew predicted that the town would bounce back in no time.
As usual, he was right.
For the first couple of days, the murder was all anyone could talk about. Franklin Kennedy returned from Florida. Apparently, he’d tried to convince Jacob to move with them, but Jacob wasn’t running, although no one had seen much of him. Olivia knew that he was trying to assemble a team of lawyers and doctors to help Samantha. She was clearly mentally imbalanced, and guilt rested heavily on Jacob’s shoulders. Although everyone tried to tell him that it wasn’t his fault, he privately told Nick and Olivia that he’d always known something was off with Samantha. It was the reason he’d broken up with her in the first place. He insisted that he should have gotten her some help to begin with, and maybe none of this would have happened.
In light of everything, he wasn’t entirely sure if he was going to go through with the Jump Start coffee truck expansion or not. He told Olivia that he had some soul-searching to do.
Although he’d complained about her meddling, Franklin agreed th
at Olivia’s actions had saved his son, As a thank-you, he agreed to make the necessary repairs to the brownstone before starting the sales process. It would give them more time and meant that Janelle would stop pressuring her, and they could finally do some research and see if it really was the best move. Olivia explained the risk of such an impulsive buy, and Janelle grudgingly agreed to wait and see how Franklin handled the repairs.
Celeste was having an excellent time with her pet psychic sideline. Olivia found her missing socks under Goodwin’s bed, and even though Andrew tried to remind her that there weren’t many other places they could have been, she privately wondered if Celeste might have found her true calling. Not only were Olivia’s previous clients asking for Olivia to take their pets to Celeste, the news managed to increase Olivia’s business, also. She had so many people calling her that she even began to wonder if she should hire an employee or two to help her out.
When Fender didn’t immediately prove to be the declaration of love that Douglas had hoped he would be, he shoved the poor dog at Olivia. Andrew balked at adding another dog to the mix, but Olivia didn’t have the heart to take the poor old thing to the adoption agency. She promised Andrew that if she found a good home for him, she’d give him up, but privately, she was certain that Fender wouldn’t live longer than a week. How the old dog had managed to make it this long was beyond her.
She finished her audiobook (Rose’s grandmother’s loving gardener was the mastermind) and decided to give the Rose Palmer mysteries a rest. Maybe she’d try one of Jackie’s romance books and see what all the fuss was about.
It was a full week after the arrest before everything started to feel more normal. Nick was still lying to his wife about Tucker, but he was looking much better now that the case was closed. Snowball was still happy in his tiaras and tutus, and Lily still wanted to dig into everything. The canine crew didn’t mind having Fender along, and the more the old dog walked, the faster he became. He even started to pick up some bad habits from Goodwin. Soon Olivia would have two thieves to contend with.