by Carol Cox
“There’s what?” Livvy asked.
Kate smiled and shook her head. “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking out loud.”
Livvy leaned forward and spoke in a quiet tone. “Hmm. How long do you wait before giving up the search for a missing dog? And the bigger question: what will it do to Renee if he doesn’t turn up?”
There it was, the question Kate had been trying to avoid for days. Renee was in bad enough shape with Kisses only listed as missing. Kate couldn’t bear thinking about what would happen if Renee found out he was gone forever.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I haven’t wanted to think that far ahead.”
“I know what you mean,” Livvy said. “She absolutely lives for that bug-eyed little dog. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Keep your ears and eyes open. If anybody local was involved, someone around here has to know about it. See if anyone lets something slip.” Kate rose to leave. “In the meantime, just keep praying.”
Livvy got up and stepped around the desk to give Kate a warm squeeze. “You know I will.”
Kate glanced at her watch as she walked down the library steps to her car. Just enough time to make a quick stop at the Mercantile for some lettuce before heading home to put together a chef’s salad for lunch. Something filling but cool, perfect for a sultry summer day.
OVER LUNCH, Kate told Paul about her talk with Skip and his request that she be there when he interviewed Brenna later that day.
“That’s probably a good idea,” Paul agreed. “Having you there will make it seem less official.”
Together they tried to brainstorm further ideas for finding some trace of Kisses, but Kate felt they were striking out at every turn.
“What about the man who stopped by the church the other day?” Kate asked, more than ready to switch to a subject that didn’t involve a missing canine. “Did he come back again?”
“Daniel? No, I haven’t seen him. Maybe he finally landed a new job. I hope that’s the case. He has a lot of potential, though he doesn’t seem to realize it. I believe he’ll be able to make a success of things if he’ll just give himself a chance.”
He got up, then bent over to give Kate a kiss. “I’d better head back to the office now. I’ll see you this evening after work. I left my day planner here in the study, and I’ve been at a loss without it all morning. I’d better grab it before I leave.”
Paul headed for his study, and Kate began cleaning up from lunch. She had just filled the sink with hot, soapy water when the doorbell rang. Kate answered the door and found Renee standing on the porch holding a stack of pastel-colored sheets of paper.
Kate blinked at Renee’s appearance. Her bleached-blonde hair, usually impeccably groomed, looked as if she’d barely bothered to comb it that morning. Her makeup had been hastily applied, and she wore a bright pink top with olive slacks, a combination Renee would never have chosen in a million years under normal circumstances.
But things were far from normal for Renee at the moment, Kate reminded herself. She suppressed a groan as she glanced at the pile of papers in Renee’s hands. “More flyers?”
Without waiting for an invitation, Renee breezed past her into the living room just as Paul emerged from his study. “Oh, Paul, I’m glad you’re home. I want you to see these too.”
Paul flashed a questioning look at Kate, who shrugged her shoulders. Together they followed Renee to the coffee table. Kate noticed that this stack was far smaller than the one she’d been handed two days before.
“I don’t intend for you to replace all of the flyers you put up the other day,” Renee said, as if reading Kate’s thoughts. “But I do want you to swap out some of the old flyers in the most strategic locations with these new ones. Now that we’ve passed that critical forty-eight-hour period, I feel we need to step things up a notch.
“It was important to get the other flyers up right away. But they show Kisses from only one angle. I want to put these up as well so the public will see Kisses in his different moods.”
The flyers in this new batch were larger than the others, Kate noted, and were printed on heavier paper. The sheet on the top of the stack showed Kisses posed against a royal blue background, wearing a jeweled collar. Soft lighting feathered the focus, reminding Kate of a glamour shot.
“It’s a beautiful photo,” she began.
“I had all of them professionally done,” Renee said with a catch in her voice. “I intend to put together a calendar with a different picture of Kisses each month as a special Christmas gift. I plan to call it A Year of Kisses.”
Kate heard a muffled chuckle from Paul’s direction and hoped Renee hadn’t noticed. “What a lovely idea. I’m sure it will be much appreciated.”
“You and Paul are getting one,” Renee told her. “Two actually, one for your house and one for Paul’s office at the church. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I thought it was more important to get these out to help further the search.”
“What else do you have?” Kate asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Renee pulled the top flyer aside and gestured toward the one beneath. “This is Kisses in February.”
Kate wouldn’t have had any trouble figuring that out for herself, since the little dog sported a pink sweater with red hearts. An open box of chocolates sat beside him. Renee had even taken the time to glue ruffled lace around the edges of the flyer.
Renee looked at the picture and sighed. “My little valentine.” She slid that one aside to reveal a shot of Kisses dressed in kelly green this time, perched atop a large rock.
Kate drew her eyebrows together. “I’m not sure—”
“Let me guess,” Paul cut in. “It’s Kisses on the Blarney stone, right?”
Kate elbowed him, but Renee’s face lit up. “You figured it out! I wondered if my little joke would be too subtle. Yes, this is the photo for March.”
Kate looked at Paul, then immediately glanced away, knowing that if their gazes met, they would both burst out laughing.
She tried to keep the mirth out of her voice. “Do you have all twelve months of the year here?”
“Yes.” Renee proceeded to shuffle through the stack, pointing out one pose after another.
There was some holiday or seasonal connection with each one: Kisses dressed as Uncle Sam for July and in a Pilgrim hat for November. Renee had even put him in a little red suit and attached a tiny white beard to his chin for December. “I call that one Kisses Claus,” she said with a tender smile.
She pulled the diagram of Copper Mill from under the last photo and spread it open on the table.
“I’ve amended the map to indicate where these new posters will go. Since there are only twelve of them, I wanted to pick the most effective spots around town.” She pointed to various spots on the diagram where the new locations were marked with red X’s.
“Well, they’ll surely draw attention,” Paul said.
“Good, I’m glad you approve.” Renee turned to Kate. “You still have the tape and the staple gun, right?”
“Yes, let me go get them. I should have returned them before now.” Kate took one step toward the study, but Renee laid a restraining hand on her arm.
“Oh no, not yet. You’ll need them when you put these up this afternoon.”
“But Renee, I—”
It was too late. Renee had already released Kate’s arm and was on her way to the front door. She stopped long enough to call back, “I’m off now to get an update on the investigation from Deputy Spencer...if he’s in his office. If not, I’ll track him down. I do believe that young man has been avoiding me.”
Renee toodled her fingers at them before heading out the door. After the door had closed behind her, Kate sagged against Paul’s chest, and they both dissolved into helpless laughter.
Paul recovered first. “It really isn’t funny, but those photos! Only Renee would come up with something like that.”
“I know.” Kate wiped tears from her eyes.
“You have to give her credit for doing her best, though. And I guess I know how I’ll be spending my afternoon before I meet Skip at Brenna’s house.”
Chapter Nine
Having put up the last of Renee’s new flyers—Kisses wearing Hawaiian swim trunks for June—Kate pulled her Honda alongside the curb in front of the Phillips’ house at two minutes to five. When Skip pulled up behind her a moment later, she got out of the car and walked over to him.
“Is she home yet?” he asked.
“I assume so, but I didn’t check,” Kate told him. “I was waiting for you.” She felt a flutter of nervousness as they followed the cracked concrete walk up to the rundown blue house.
From a closer perspective, Kate could see peeling paint on the white shutters and mesh that had pulled away from one corner of the screen door—signs that Lisa didn’t have the time or resources for these minor repairs.
With a car that was continually falling apart and a house that didn’t look too far behind, Lisa certainly had more than her share of stressors on her plate. Kate wondered if she and Skip were about to add another.
Skip gave a series of sharp raps on the screen door and stepped back behind Kate. Kate could hear the sound of footsteps crossing the hardwood floor.
Brenna pulled the front door open a crack and peered outside. She grinned when she saw Kate. “Hi, Mrs. Hanlon. What’s up?”
Her gaze shifted past Kate to Skip, and the grin slid from her face. Her eyes grew round, and her hand clutched the door frame. She looked back at Kate, the color draining from her face. “What’s going on? Did something happen to my mom?”
“Oh, honey, no,” Kate was quick to assure her. If not for the screen door between them, Kate would have reached out and folded the frightened girl in her arms.
She gave Brenna an encouraging smile. “It’s nothing like that. We just wanted to talk with you for a minute, if that’s all right.”
“Okay.” Brenna’s gaze swung from Kate to Skip, then back again as if she wasn’t completely sure about Kate’s answer. “You’d better come in then.” She pushed open the screen door, which creaked loudly, and ushered them into a small living room.
“Have a seat.” Brenna gestured toward the couch, then hurried to snatch up a red-and-white-striped apron that lay draped across the arm of a chair. Kate could see “Emma’s Ice Cream” embroidered on the bib in bright blue letters.
“Sorry,” Brenna said. “I just got home from work a few minutes ago. I’ll be back in a second.”
She trotted down a short hallway and tossed the apron through an open doorway into what Kate assumed was her bedroom, then the teen came back and perched on a chair opposite the couch.
Kate sat on the edge of the couch and smiled. “Are you enjoying your job?”
“Yeah. I wanted to prove to my mom that I’m more responsible than she thinks I am, and it seems to be working.” She paused and shifted nervously in her chair. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”
Skip leaned forward with his arms on his knees. Kate appreciated his efforts not to frighten Brenna by looking overly official. “We just need to ask you a couple of questions about something Mrs. Hanlon saw the other day.”
Brenna tilted her head and looked at Kate, obviously puzzled.
Kate pressed the palms of her hands together in her lap and took a deep breath. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner everything could be cleared up.
“Well, I was taking a walk along the creek on Monday afternoon.”
Brenna nodded, still looking mystified.
“I was up near the bridge when I heard voices. It sounded like people arguing.”
Something flickered in Brenna’s eyes. She drew her feet back under her chair and laced her fingers together in her lap.
Kate went on, watching the girl closely. “I didn’t get close enough to hear what was said, and I didn’t want to intrude, so I turned away to go back to my car. But as I did, I saw something that made me curious.”
Brenna pulled back farther into her chair, looking as though she wished she were anywhere but there. Her lips tightened, and she swallowed hard.
Kate sighed. This wasn’t getting any easier. She looked the dark-haired girl straight in the eyes. “While I didn’t hear what was being said, I was able to see one of the people on the bridge. I recognized you, Brenna.”
“You were spying on me, Mrs. Hanlon?”
“Of course not.” Kate’s eyes widened in surprise. “I had no idea you were there until I overheard the voices and saw you through some branches.”
Brenna drew a long, shaky breath. “Yeah, that was me on the bridge, but I don’t see—”
“Mrs. Hanlon saw something fall off the bridge into the creek,” Skip said. “What we need to know is, who was with you and what was tossed into the water?”
“But why is that anybody else’s business?”
Skip’s voice held a note of authority that impressed Kate. “You see, we’re investigating the disappearance of Renee Lambert’s dog, and we’re trying to determine whether you know anything about it.”
Brenna shook her head, as if trying to clear it. “You think I had something to do with that?”
The wounded look in her eyes stung Kate’s heart, but she steeled herself. A crime had been committed, and it was important to get to the bottom of it.
“We’re not saying you did,” Kate said. “It’s just that whatever was dropped into the water was white, and the tote Mrs. Lambert carried Kisses in was white, and—”
Brenna sprang to her feet. “You think I’d drop a dog into the creek? No way, Mrs. Hanlon! You should know me better than that.”
Kate heard footsteps hurrying up the walk. The next instant, the screen door screeched open, and Lisa Phillips rushed into the room.
“Brenna, what’s wrong? Are you all right? I saw the deputy’s SUV outside.”
She skidded to a halt and stared at the scene before her. She looked at Brenna, who was red-faced and clearly upset, then she glared at Kate and Skip.
Lisa rushed over to her Brenna and put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “What’s going on here?”
Skip stood. “We just wanted to ask your daughter a few questions.”
“Without me here? What about her legal rights?”
“There weren’t any accusations made, ma’am. We were just trying to find out if she had any information about an incident we’re looking into.”
Lisa looked from Skip to Kate. “If this isn’t some kind of emergency, I don’t understand what the preacher’s wife is doing here.”
Kate got to her feet, praying that her knees would hold her up. “Like Skip said, we aren’t accusing Brenna of anything. We were just asking about a conversation she had with someone on the bridge at Copper Mill Creek this past Monday.”
“That and what they threw off the bridge,” Skip added.
Lisa tightened her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “Okay, Brenna, who were you talking to?”
“It doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with Mrs. Lambert’s dog being stolen.”
Lisa’s eyes widened. “You’re saying that you think my daughter was involved in some kind of—”
“No, no. Nothing like that.” Kate’s heart sank. “We only wanted to know—”
“Let’s get this straightened out once and for all,” Lisa broke in. “Brenna, did you have anything to do with Mrs. Lambert’s dog being stolen?”
Brenna shook her head. “No, Mom. You know I wouldn’t do anything like that.”
Lisa’s eyes misted, and she gave Brenna a hug. “I know, honey, but apparently they don’t. So who were you talking to, and what’s all this about you throwing something off the bridge?”
Brenna shook her head, making her dark curls dance. “It doesn’t have anything to do with this. Trust me, okay?”
Lisa gave her daughter a long look, then turned back to Kate and Skip. “You heard my daughter. She can’t help you. I think it’s time for you to l
eave.”
Skip gave a polite nod and started toward the door.
Kate held back a moment, then she stepped toward the agitated woman. “Lisa, please believe me. I would never—”
Lisa cut her off with an upraised hand. “You’ve already said enough.”
Kate followed Skip, feeling heartsick.
Lisa’s voice carried through the screen door. “Now do you believe me, baby? Didn’t I tell you, you can’t trust church people?”
Skip waited, leaning against Kate’s black Honda with his arms folded across his chest. “Well, that didn’t do us much good.”
“No,” Kate agreed. “I think we stirred up more problems than we solved.”
“You’ve got that right,” Skip said mournfully. “I should have thought harder about coming out to talk to Brenna without her mother around. Sheriff Roberts is going to have my hide when he hears about that. It seems like the harder I try to prove to him that I’m a good investigator, the more trouble I get into.”
He raked his fingers through his red hair. “For being such a little thing, that Chihuahua sure has created a big mess. If I don’t find some way to get Miz Lambert off my back, I’ll go crazy.”
Kate managed a weak smile. “I’m sorry she’s still putting pressure on you.”
“And not just her, either. She sicced my mom on me the other day.”
The radio on Skip’s duty belt squawked, and he keyed the mic. “Spencer here.”
The dispatcher’s voice crackled over the airwaves. “Deputy, you’d better get over to the Philpotts’ place. Lester just phoned in a report about a prowler.”
Skip keyed the mic again. “I’m responding.” He shook his head. “I’ll talk to you later, Missus Hanlon. I’ve got to go.”
“HERE WE’VE BEEN PRAYING that Lisa would draw closer to the Lord, and all I’ve managed to do is drive her farther away.”
Kate reached for Paul’s hand, and his fingers tightened around hers as they sauntered along Smoky Mountain Road. The evening was far too warm to do anything in a hurry.
