Murder at Corgi Country Club

by Cindy Bell

  When Nikki had almost reached the café, her phone buzzed again. She pulled it out of her purse and read the message from Quinn.

  Are you on your way?

  Nikki sent a quick text back.

  I’m here.

  As Nikki looked up at the front door of Gina’s, it swung open. Quinn stepped out with two coffee cups and strode over to her.

  “I’m glad you’re here.” Quinn gestured to the sidewalk. “Let’s take a quick walk.” He handed her a coffee.

  “Thank you.” Nikki smiled. “Don’t you want to go inside?” She looked past him at the door.

  “I don’t want to discuss this inside. I have news and questions. And I feel like a walk.” Quinn caught her hand and led her down the sidewalk. “That name you gave me, Ava Dunn? How did you come across that?”

  “Oh, I found it when I was doing some research on Daniel.” Nikki shrugged.

  “Research? Why doesn’t that surprise me!” Quinn shook his head. “Well, it was a good lead. I looked into it, and it turns out that Ava Dunn, isn’t who she says she is.” His voice tightened.

  Nikki glanced over at him. Was he nervous, too? Or upset? She couldn’t tell.

  “What do you mean? She was using a fake name?” Nikki looked at her phone as it rang. “Sorry Quinn, it’s a client.” She grimaced. “I have to take this.”

  Quinn smiled and nodded as she answered the call.

  “Vera.” Nikki held the phone to her ear.

  “Nikki.” Vera’s panicked voice replied. “I’m so glad I managed to reach you.”

  “Why?” Nikki’s heartbeat raced from the urgency in her voice. “Is Sassy okay?”

  “Yes, she’s okay.” Vera spoke quickly. “But I tripped down my stairs and I hurt my ankle.”

  “Oh no. Are you okay?” Nikki cringed.

  “I am, but Sassy is at the groomers in Magnolia and I can’t pick her up. I’m at the hospital, getting an X-ray.” Vera’s voice wavered. “Sassy hates the groomers and I have no one else I can ask. She needs to be picked up before they close. They are only open until two today.”

  “Oh Vera.” Nikki sighed. “My car is in the shop.”

  “Oh no.” The woman burst into tears.

  Nikki knew that Vera could be very high strung, especially when it came to Sassy.

  “It’s going to be okay.” Nikki grimaced. “Let me see what I can do, and I’ll call you back.”

  “Thank you.” Vera’s voice lightened slightly. Nikki ended the call.

  “What’s wrong?” Quinn squeezed Nikki’s hand. Nikki explained the situation.

  “I’ll have to see if I can borrow Sonia’s car.” Nikki frowned.

  “I’ll give you a lift.” Quinn offered.

  “You don’t have to do that.” Nikki smiled slightly. “You have to work.”

  “I want to, that way I can update you on the way. I could use a break.” Quinn turned towards the car park. “I am waiting for some information to come through anyway.”

  “Thank you.” Nikki followed Quinn towards his car as she informed a very relieved Vera that she was going to pick up Sassy. After they had settled in, she turned towards him.

  “So, Ava Dunn is a fake name?”

  “Not just a fake name. A fake gender and persona. Ava Dunn, is a man, named Malcolm Hera. We’re still looking into his motive, but apparently he’s been stalking Daniel on more than one platform.” Quinn narrowed his eyes as he studied her. “We came across Ava’s profile on a dating app.”

  “Wow. I never even considered that possibility.” Stunned, Nikki’s mind swam with the knowledge that Ava was a man. “Do you think Daniel knew she was a man?”

  “I have no idea.” Quinn started the car.

  “But if Ava is actually Malcolm, then you need to find him. Do you know where he is?” Nikki turned towards him.

  “No, we are tracking him down.” Quinn frowned as he pulled into traffic. “We tracked Ava Dunn’s online activity. That’s how we were able to trace it back to Malcolm. But I’m still waiting for his address to come through.”

  “Okay? That’s great that you got a lead from it. That’s why I gave you the names, I knew with your resources you’d be able to find out much more than I could. Oh, by the way, we happened to drive past Martha’s house. It looked like it hadn’t been lived in for a long time. Did you find anything out about her?” Nikki frowned.

  “Happened to drive past?” Quinn raised his eyebrows as he turned on his turn signal and pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the groomers. “No, we haven’t found any information, yet.” He turned towards her. “Nikki, I need to ask you something?”

  “Of course.” Nikki smiled.

  “I thought you and I were going to see where this relationship was going. I guess, I never really asked you if you were seeing other people.” Quinn sighed, then met her eyes and took her hand.

  “What?” Nikki’s heart jumped into her throat. “What are you talking about? Of course, I’m not seeing other people.”

  “So, you can imagine why I was surprised when Ava Dunn wasn’t the only person that had been looking at Daniel’s profile on the app. Another member was, you.” Quinn narrowed his eyes.

  “Sure, I was looking at it, how else do you think I found Ava?” Nikki’s eyes widened as she looked at him. “Oh! Oh no!” She laughed and groaned at the same time. “Quinn, did you think it was a real profile? I mean, that I was on a dating app?”

  “Well I—” He frowned. “I wasn’t sure what to think.”

  “Quinn.” Nikki took his hand and held it firmly. “I only made the profile to find out information about Daniel. It wouldn’t let me surf the site without creating a profile. That’s how I found out about Ava. She left a comment in the ratings section.”

  “Wow.” Quinn winced. “I guess I look pretty foolish right now.”

  “Not at all.” Nikki smiled as she swept her fingertips along the curve of his cheek. “You’re adorable when you’re jealous.”

  “I wasn’t exactly jealous.” Quinn caught her hand.

  “No?” Nikki smiled as he looked into her eyes.

  “Yes, madly.” Quinn kissed the back of her hand then sighed. “I’m sorry. I’ve been asking you to trust me, and I just jumped to a ridiculous conclusion, didn’t I?”

  “It’s all right.” Nikki laughed.

  “You better get Sassy before she gets too upset.” Quinn blushed. Nikki leaned over and kissed his cheek.

  “I won’t be long.”

  Chapter 11

  After a few minutes, Nikki returned to the car with a very happy Sassy in tow. Sassy was a medium-sized dog with big, floppy ears and curly, white fur. Her fur looked especially shiny because she had just been freshly groomed. Nikki popped open the back door and Sassy hopped up on the back seat. Before Nikki could stop her, Sassy leaned through the gap between the front seats and gave Quinn a lick on his cheek. Nikki cringed when she realized Quinn was on the phone.

  “Sorry about that.” She grimaced as she got in the car after he ended the call.

  “It’s okay. She’s a sweet girl.” Quinn leaned back and patted Sassy’s head. “I am going to have to take you back quickly.” He frowned.

  “Okay. Why?”

  “I just found out where Malcolm lives.” Quinn started the car.

  “You did?”

  “He lives in a remote cabin just about an hour and a half from here. About two hours from Dahlia.” Quinn backed the car up. “He runs a campground there.”

  “Oh?” Nikki stared at him. “Well, why don’t we come with you?”

  “You can’t.” Quinn shook his head.

  “Why not?” Nikki smiled. “It will save you time.”

  “Are you sure?” Quinn asked. “What about Sassy? It’s a long drive.”

  “Absolutely. She’s great in the car.” Nikki nodded. “I just have to tell Vera.”

  “But you can’t come in to see Malcolm, of course.” Quinn pulled the car to a stop and looked at her.


  “Of course.” Nikki smiled as she sent Vera a text. “It will be fun. A road trip.”

  “Okay.” Quinn smiled as he pulled the car onto the road.

  “Great.” Nikki nodded then reached for the radio.

  “No wait, I like that song.” Quinn waved her hand away from the buttons on the radio as he kept his eyes on the road.

  “Really? This song?” Nikki tried not to laugh as the pop song blasted through his speakers.

  “Nothing wrong with a little pick-me-up music.” Quinn glanced over at Nikki and smiled. “You don’t like it?”

  “I like that it makes you smile.” Nikki grinned, then settled back in her seat. “You know, I keep thinking about that empty house that belonged to Martha, and the flowers that Daniel had delivered to her. Something just doesn’t feel right about it?”

  “I think you’re right. My guys are on it, but they haven’t been able to locate Martha yet.” Quinn turned off the highway onto a smaller road.

  “Do you think she is dead?” Nikki frowned. “Maybe he didn’t know.”

  “There weren’t any death records for her, but it’s still possible. Sometimes things happen, and deaths aren’t recorded.” Quinn turned on the windshield wipers as a spate of rain struck the windshield.

  “That’s so sad, the thought that she could have died, and no one reported it.” Nikki sighed. “Maybe we have another mystery to unravel.”

  “We?” Quinn shot a look over at her.

  “Maybe I should join the police academy.” Nikki grinned.

  “No.” Quinn turned off onto another even smaller road, and the buildings they had been driving past were replaced by open fields.

  “No?” Nikki laughed. “Just no?”

  “I mean, you can do whatever you want, of course.” Quinn licked his lips, then shook his head. “But no.”

  “That’s not a full sentence you know, it’s just a word.” Nikki raised an eyebrow.

  “I just wouldn’t want you to be in danger.” As the speed limit lowered, Quinn slowed the car and began to scan the road signs they passed.

  “That’s sweet.” Nikki smiled as she looked at him.

  “Now, where is that road?” Quinn cleared his throat as he leaned forward and squinted through the windshield. “There’s his road.” He turned the wheel hard to make the turn in time.

  Nikki slid in her seat and braced herself against the dashboard. When they were safely on the new road, Nikki looked over at him.

  “Here it is.” Quinn turned down a narrow dirt road that led up to several rows of cabins. He parked in a small parking lot off to the side of one of the larger cabins. “You stay in the car.”

  “I need to take Sassy out for a bit.”

  “Okay, but you can’t come into the cabin, you need to stay quiet and out of sight.”

  “Of course.”

  “I mean it, Nikki.” Quinn glanced back at her as he stepped out of the car.

  “Of course, quiet.” Nikki made a zipping gesture across her lips. “And out of sight.”

  Quinn nodded, then strode towards the door of the cabin. As he reached it, he brushed his suit jacket back, and adjusted his gun in its holster, then he let the jacket fall forward again. He opened the door of the cabin and stepped inside.

  Nikki watched him, then turned her attention to Sassy. She grabbed Sassy’s leash and the dog jumped down off the back seat. She pulled a bottle of water and a collapsible bowl out of her backpack and poured some water in the bowl for her to drink.

  After Sassy had a few sips, the eager dog started sniffing and led Nikki around the side of the cabin. Nikki let Sassy guide her. As Sassy stopped to sniff a tree, Nikki looked in a window of the cabin that was slightly open. She noticed Quinn walk up to the desk just as a man stepped into the room. She presumed that the man must be Malcolm. She stood to the side of the window so she was out of view but could still see through the window.

  The cabin was set up as a main office for the campground. There were several displays around the room featuring local animal life and flora. A large desk took up one side of the cabin, and the man stepped behind it.

  “Welcome.” He smiled at Quinn. “Is there anything I can help you with? Were you interested in renting a cabin?”

  Nikki held her breath. She had a full view of everything, but if Quinn caught her, he would be furious. The man’s mop of dark curls, and warm smile, didn’t exactly make him look like a threat.

  “Actually, I have a few questions for you.” Quinn revealed his badge and introduced himself, then looked straight at the man. “Malcolm Hera?”

  “Yes.” Malcolm’s eyes widened.

  “Do you know a man named Daniel Barclay?”

  “Oh, uh.” Malcolm took a step back. “Why?”

  “Just answer the question please.” Quinn rested his hands on the desk that separated the two of them.

  “Yes, I know him.” Malcolm frowned. “What is all of this about?”

  “Could you tell me why you were stalking Daniel under the name, Ava Dunn?”

  “I’m not stalking him. Not exactly.” Malcolm shifted from one foot to the other as he stared at Quinn.

  “But you admit to using a false name in an attempt to contact him?” Quinn locked his eyes to Malcolm’s. “Why did you do that, Malcolm?”

  “Why are you asking me these questions?” Malcolm shook his head. “Is Daniel in some kind of trouble or something?”

  “I’d like you to answer my question, Malcolm. What is your connection to Daniel Barclay?” Quinn’s voice hardened.

  Nikki held tightly to Sassy’s leash as the dog eagerly sniffed. Nikki sensed the tension growing between the two men. Would Malcolm bolt? Would he try to fight Quinn? Her heart pounded.

  “The truth is, Daniel is my father.” Malcolm frowned. “I made up Ava Dunn as a way to try to reach out to him, without him knowing who I was. That’s not against the law is it?”

  Chapter 12

  Malcolm’s confession knocked the wind from Nikki’s body. She stared at him through the window, her eyes wide, and her teeth clenched. If Daniel was his father, and he had no idea why Quinn was there, that meant he had no idea that his father had been killed. In his remote cabin, she guessed that he didn’t keep up with the latest news.

  “You’re sure he’s your father?” Quinn’s voice remained steady.

  “Yes, we had a paternity test done.” Malcolm sighed. “Look, when I was a kid, I had no idea who my father was. My mother always told me that he was a nobody, and that I needed to forget about him. So, I did. But as I got older, I got more and more curious. Finally, she told me his name. When she did, I started looking into him.” He rolled his eyes. “Imagine my surprise when I discovered how wealthy he was. Then of course, you’ll probably think I wanted some of his money. But I didn’t. I’m happy here. I have everything I need. I have everything I want.” He shook his head. “I can’t expect you to understand. I just wanted to know who I looked like, why I have a tendency to avoid relationships. I just wanted to see if he was anything like me.”

  “And did you?” Quinn pulled out his notepad and began to jot down a few notes. “Were you able to make contact with him?”

  “Yes, I was. Of course, he wanted the DNA test first, so we did that. Then he got more friendly.” Malcolm shrugged and glanced down at the desk. “I thought he was happy to hear from me. He seemed to want to meet up. Then all of a sudden, he stopped taking my calls. I haven’t been able to reach him. I figured he’d just changed his mind.” He squinted at Quinn. “Are you ever going to tell me what this is all about? I mean, am I in some kind of trouble?”

  “That depends. Where were you yesterday between ten and twelve?” Quinn’s shoulders straightened.

  Nikki studied Malcolm’s reaction to the question.

  “Where was I?” Malcolm’s eyes widened. “I was here. I’m always here.”

  “Any witnesses to prove that?” Quinn’s pen hovered over his notepad.

  “Squirrels. Maybe a
few deer.” Malcolm chuckled, then his laughter faded. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I am.” Quinn set the notepad down. “Did you see or speak to anyone during those times?”

  “Uh, ten to twelve. Well, I usually do a walk of the campsites around ten. But we didn’t have too many campers yesterday. I don’t know, maybe?” Malcolm ran his hand back through his hair.

  “Maybe? You can’t tell me if you spoke to anyone yesterday?” Quinn narrowed his eyes.

  “I think I did. I mean, I know I did, I’m just not sure what time it was. Around here, we don’t exactly keep track of time.” Malcolm stepped around the side of the desk. “Now you need to tell me what this is about. Why does it matter where I was?”

  “I’m a homicide detective, investigating the murder of Daniel Barclay.” Quinn took a step closer to him. “He was killed yesterday in Dahlia.”

  “What?” Malcolm stumbled back.

  Nikki held her hand over her mouth to hide a gasp. She wanted to help him.

  “I’m sorry for your loss.” Quinn looked at him.

  “This can’t be true.” Malcolm looked at Quinn. “It can’t be!”

  “I’m afraid it is.” Quinn shifted closer. “I’ll need a detailed statement about your whereabouts and activities yesterday. Would you like to give that to me here, or would you like for me to arrange for you to come to Dahlia?”

  “What?” Malcolm stared at him.

  “I need to know where you would like to give me a statement?” Quinn’s voice sharpened.

  “What?” Malcolm repeated.

  “I know it’s a shock.” Quinn’s voice softened slightly. “Here, Malcolm, why don’t you sit down.” He pulled a stool from one of the displays over and guided Malcolm down onto it. “Would you like a drink of water?”

  “No.” Malcolm’s shoulders jerked as he shivered. “He’s dead? You’re sure?” He met Quinn’s eyes.