One Dog Too Many (A Mae December Mystery)

by Farrell, Lia

  “Thank you.” Wayne heaved an inward sigh of relief.

  “Do you and Mr. Connolly have children?”

  “Yes. We have two children. Our son Clayton is seven and Marie, our daughter, is three.”

  “Who took care of your children the night of March fifteenth?”

  “Nora Takichi sat for us that night.”

  “How did she get home?”

  There was a brief hesitation. “James drove Nora home. Nora had some trouble getting Marie to sleep so she put her down in our bed. I went in and slept with her. James slept in the guestroom after he got back from taking Nora home.”

  “Did your husband change his clothes before taking the babysitter home?”

  She hesitated again. “No, they left right away.”

  Emma returned with the clothing. Wayne thanked Laura Connolly and they departed.

  “I’m going to drive over to see Joe Dennis,” Wayne said. “Are you free to go along? We can get that cheek swab.”

  “That’s fine. I’m pretty much caught up with my lab work at present.”

  “At present.” He grinned at Emma. “But not for long. We’ll have plenty for you to analyze soon.” Emma was dressed casually, in a lab coat over tshirts and jeans. Very cute. Way too young for him though.

  They drove to the address that Dory had given them for Joe Dennis. Joe’s house was on the small side for a family with four kids, Wayne thought. It was a white, ranch-style home with dark red shutters and a three-car garage. Beside the house stood a dog run with a large black lab in it. Nichols rang the doorbell.

  A small-boned redhead with a baby in her arms answered the door. “Yes?”

  “Mrs. Dennis?”

  “That’s me.” She turned to look at a toddler, who was walking determinedly toward a nail polish bottle sitting on the kitchen counter. “Bobby, stop. Leave that alone.”

  “I’m Wayne Nichols, Sheriff Bradley’s Detective and this is Tech Peters. Is your husband home?”

  “Sorry, Detective. He’s on a job site.” She glanced back into the kitchen, took a step away from the door and scooped up the toddler in her other arm. “It’s over on Little Chapel Road, his mother’s place. The fourth house on the right from the River Road end.”

  “Thank you.” They went back to the car.

  “Busy woman,” Wayne said.

  “How many kids do they have?” Emma asked.

  “Four, all under the age of five, I think.”

  They drove in companionable silence to Little Chapel Road and found the property easily. Joe had parked his truck on the gravel verge by the driveway. He was unloading four-by-eight sheets of plywood. Was it Joe’s truck that Mrs. Ryan and Lucy had seen the night Ruby died? Joe looked up as they drove in.

  “Joe Dennis?”

  Joe was on the short side, tan with a wiry build. “Yes.”

  “I’m Wayne Nichols, Sheriff’s Detective. This is Emma Peters. She’s from the lab. I have some questions for you. Can we go inside?”

  Joe nodded and they walked up to the older home. As they passed through the entryway, Wayne noted all of the construction material stacked neatly on the floor in the kitchen. Despite the ongoing remodeling, there wasn’t a speck of sawdust in the room.

  Joe gestured to the kitchen table and they sat down. “Sorry I can’t offer you anything. The water’s turned off.”

  “No problem. We need to get a cheek swab and clarify some information you gave the sheriff. Can we get that now?”

  “Sure.”

  “Open your mouth please, sir,” Emma said.

  Joe did and she expertly obtained a cheek swab and placed it in a labeled envelope.

  “Thank you,” Emma said.

  “Joe, I know it’s been a while, but I need to take you back to your high school days,” Wayne said. “You and Ruby Mead-Allison were high school sweethearts, correct?”

  “Yes.” Joe looked pensive. Wayne saw both nostalgia and regret in his face.“We were a couple in high school. Ruby was a free spirit, always a lot of fun in those days. Toward the end of our senior year, she got pregnant. A few weeks later, she told me she had lost the baby, but I think she may have had an abortion.” Joe looked down, not meeting Wayne’s eyes.

  “Is that why you two broke up?”

  “In a way. She didn’t seem the same after that and when she left for college, I started dating another girl, a friend of Ruby’s.”

  “Have you stayed in touch since?”

  “On and off. She contacted me when she got engaged to David Allison. She thought I’d be upset about her marriage. Maybe she wanted me to be upset. I don’t know. Anyway, I told her I was also getting married. After that, every now and then Ruby would call or send me an email. Sometimes we would have coffee or lunch. My wife … didn’t know.”

  “So I’m thinking you resumed your sexual relationship at some point.” Wayne’s voice conveyed acceptance and understanding. Joe started to protest, but the detective held up his hand. “I know Ruby and her husband couldn’t get pregnant. She had conceived a child once with you. I imagine she thought she could again.”

  “Yes, that’s what she thought, that I could get her pregnant, but I’m married now and I love my wife. I didn’t want to jeopardize that.” Joe’s voice strengthened as he said this.

  “I imagine it’s pretty hard to turn down such a striking woman who’s determined to sleep with you.” Wayne raised his eyebrows inquisitively.

  “It was. Now she’s dead. And I …” His voice faltered. “I’ll miss her.”

  “Well, we’ll soon find out if you were the father of her child.”

  Joe looked as if he were about to protest but didn’t.

  “You knew she was pregnant, I assume.”

  “She called to give me the news when she got back from Hawaii.” Joe’s face was awash with confusion and remorse.

  “Ruby was pregnant and in the middle of a divorce. What did you think she really wanted when she called? For you to leave your wife and marry her?”

  “She didn’t say that outright, but I gathered that was the purpose of telling me.”

  “I’d like to believe you, Joe, but if Ruby was pregnant with your child, it could have destroyed your marriage, a marriage you obviously value. Did you go over to talk to her that night? Did things get out of hand? Is that what happened? Was it an accident?” He deliberately kept his voice low and supportive.

  “I didn’t kill Ruby.” Joe leaned forward. “It wasn’t my child she carried. I could tell she was in over her head, though. She seemed afraid and wanted me to save her.”

  “You were the white knight. You were supposed to waltz in and rescue her. Maybe there was someone she needed help with? Someone she was afraid of, perhaps? If it wasn’t her husband’s child, he would have been furious.”

  “Probably, but I told her I couldn’t get involved. Although I considered her a friend, she was a ticking time bomb. I didn’t need it. I never could save Ruby from herself.”

  Again, he saw the unhappiness writ plain on Joe’s face.

  “Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Dennis. We’ll show ourselves out.”

  They left him sitting in silence at his mother’s table.

  “I don’t think he did it,” Emma said, looking at Wayne over the roof of the car as they opened the doors to get inside.

  “We need to find out if Joe was the father of the child, and I also want to ask Mrs. Ryan if it was Joe’s pickup she saw the night Ruby died, but, at a gut level, I agree with you. He doesn’t look like the killer to me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  March 22

  Mae December

  Mae resolved to concentrate on her own life, since Ben clearly didn’t want her help with the case. She dialed Joe’s cell to check on the remodeling but got no answer, so she called his home number and spoke with his wife. Her name was Denise, but since the full name Denise Dennis was such a mouthful, everyone called her Neesy. She somehow managed to run Joe’s contracting business and ke
ep his books, while staying home with four small children. She gave Mae a quick run-down on the next phase of the remodeling. However, Joe was working on his mother’s house and wouldn’t be back at Mae’s for a while, she said. Mae asked Neesy to send her a bill. Their conversation was almost over when Mae asked, “Neesy, has Joe heard from Silas Mead lately?”

  “Ruby’s brother? Funny you should ask. They hadn’t talked in years, ever since Silas moved out west, but he called last week and left Joe a message. I think he may be back in town, because he left a local phone number on our machine.”

  “Could I have the number? I’d like to ask Silas something.”

  Neesy gave her the number and they said goodbye. Mae wondered if she should give Ben the number or if she should just try calling Silas herself. Although she was leery of making the sheriff angry again, she decided to call Silas and then tell him if she learned anything useful. Maybe she could get something relevant from Ruby’s brother and it would be her chance to get back in Ben’s good graces.

  Silas answered the phone on the second ring, in a shaky voice. Mae reminded herself to be tactful.

  “Hi Silas, it’s Mae December calling, Ruby’s neighbor. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about your loss.”

  “Thanks Mae, I appreciate that. How did you get this number, by the way?”

  “From Neesy Dennis. Did you know that I was the one who found Ruby?”

  “Her body? Yes, the grapevine’s still going strong around here.” Silas gave a short bark of a laugh. It was devoid of humor.

  “Anyway, when did you get back into town, Si? Did you get to see Ruby? Where are you staying?”

  “Well, aren’t you the inquisitive one?” Silas always had a sharp tongue. “I’ve only been here a few days. I came back at Ruby’s request. She said I could crash with her, but I preferred to stay at my friend Jon’s instead. My partner, Terry, is with me. Ruby said she needed to discuss something important, but I never got a chance to find out what.” He sounded close to tears. “We planned to meet the other day, but she never showed—I guess she couldn’t.”

  “Well, you take care, Silas. I am truly sorry for your loss. I’ll let you go.”

  “Goodbye, then.”

  Mae put the phone down and stood in her kitchen, deep in thought. Her reverie was interrupted by slamming car doors and scraping metallic sounds. She looked out the window to see the painters unloading their ladders. She let them in and double-checked the color of the paint. The soft gold should look beautiful in the dining room, particularly in the evening. After making sure they had everything they needed, she opened some windows and placed a fan in the laundry room doorway to blow any fumes away from Tallulah and her babies. Mae preferred to be out of the house when workers painted or stained so she decided to take her mother’s dogs with her and go to her parents’ house. Kudzu and Lil’bit, Suzanne’s Jack Russell terriers, were always happy to go for a ride. They jumped into the backseat of her Explorer when Mae opened the door, but as soon as they were inside, they leaped up into the driver’s seat.

  “You ride in the back, or you don’t ride at all,” Mae tried to convey this as sternly as she could. Kudzu obediently hopped in back, but his sister, Lil’bit, continued to sit in the driver’s seat, wearing her cutest expression.

  “Don’t give me that look.” Mae couldn’t help softening when she noticed the dog’s stumpy little tail wagging away. “Fine. You can ride shotgun. It’s the best I can do.”

  Lil’bit reluctantly moved to the passenger seat, where she assumed a hunched and dejected pose.

  “I think you were robbed of the Oscar for best actress, Lil’bit. Let’s go see Mama.”

  Her mother’s car wasn’t in the driveway so she walked back to the studio, a separate building at the back of the property, to see if Daddy was working at home. He was at his desk, reviewing the proofs for his new book, a retrospective of his photos of Country Music legends. He met Mae’s eyes with a smile. Mae’s breath caught for a minute. The lines on his face were highlighted by the sun. Her tall, handsome father was getting old. She had inherited his thick, wavy blond hair, but his now had a lot of silver mixed in with the gold.

  “Can we come in?” Mae tried to hold the dogs back with one foot. Lil’bit squeezed past her, followed by her brother.

  “Please do, sweetie. I’m sick of looking at this. I’d much rather see your pretty face. Let the dogs run out in the yard.”

  “Daddy, you know how Jack Russells are. They’ll smell the fresh dirt around the new fountain and start digging everything up.”

  “We may as well get it over with then. Sit down and tell me what’s new.”

  Mae shooed the dogs out and closed the door behind them. She sat down in one of his comfy old chairs and filled him in on the case, reminding him again of the confidentiality of the information.

  “Do you think it sounds suspicious that Ruby asked her brother to come home?”

  Her father sat back in his chair and swiveled back and forth a few times. “I don’t think Silas would get involved in anything shady. That man has always been honest to a fault. He fought with his father about being gay, but he didn’t lie, even though coming out cost him the property. Their dad left everything to Ruby, because of his contempt for homosexuals. After that, Silas moved away. If he says he came home at Ruby’s request, I’m sure it’s true.”

  Mae leaned forward in her chair. “Do you think you or Mama could pass all this along to the sheriff for me? He’s very upset with me for getting involved in this case.”

  “I think your mother is perfect for the job, sweetie. I’ll ask her as soon as she gets back. I’m glad you came by, though. I’m almost done with this book and I wanted to talk to you about my next project.” He stopped and looked at her.

  “What is it? Do you need my help with something?”

  He shook his head. “More like your permission, actually. I’ve been thinking about putting together some behind-the-scenes shots from the Opry and the Bluebird. You know, images of the songwriters and session musicians. Would you be all right with me including Noah in the book?”

  “Of course I would. Actually, I’d be pleased for him. Do you have any pictures of him working?”

  “Yes, I took several. Do you remember Uncle Phil’s friend with the recording studio in Rosedale, John Ayers?”

  Mae nodded. “Noah took me there a few times when he and Uncle Phil were co-writing. Mr. Ayers introduced Noah to a lot of industry people. He’s a nice man.”

  Her father tapped the photo. “Sure is. I was out at his place on a shoot for Artesian Records a while back, and Uncle Phil and Noah were in the barn. I could hear them laughing and I got curious so I went out there and they were goofing around, coming up with the worst lyrics you’ve ever heard. They were a little slaphappy and I started taking pictures.” He smiled at her. “Just looking at all the photos made me realize that the songwriters and musicians don’t get much of the glory in the end. It all seems to go to the singers. I’d like to pay them a tribute, but I don’t want this to be painful for you.”

  “It’s certainly bittersweet, but I’m happy Noah will be part of the project. You don’t really need my permission, but I’ll be fine.”

  “Good to hear.” He rose to his feet, patted her knee, and started to leaf through the stack of photos again. “I came across some pictures of you and Noah, but there was one person I don’t know.” He held the picture out to Mae. She took the photo from his hand and studied it.

  “Do you recognize this man?” he asked.

  The man in the photo was blond and heavyset, not fat but muscular, with a thick neck. He was standing beside the barn, looking out toward the open door.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  Dad handed her three more pictures. “Are you sure?” He tapped the top of the stack. “In this one he’s looking right at you.”

  Mae took a second look, but the man was a stranger. The picture had been taken almost three years earlier. She was young
er in the photos and quite obviously in love.

  “Sorry, Daddy. I have no idea who he is. I only had eyes for Noah back then.”

  He smiled and nodded. “It sounds like you might be moving on a little bit. This sheriff character could be interesting.” He tilted his head inquiringly.

  “I guess so. He read me the riot act last night, though.” Mae stood up. “I need to get going.”

  “Thanks for coming by, hon. Remember, sometimes a bad reaction from a man is better than no reaction at all.”

  They hugged and said goodbye. As she was backing out of the driveway, Mae saw dirt flung high in the air from two different areas around the new fountain. Mama would be peeved at Kudzu and Lil’bit’s antics, but given all the construction going on at Mae’s place and a crime scene down the road, Mama’s dogs needed to stay at home.

  Chapter Fourteen

  March 22

  Mae December

  On her return from her parent’s house, Mae picked up a turkey and cheese Panini from her favorite deli to take home for lunch. She sat down on the laundry room floor with Tallulah and her babies and ate the sandwich. Holding first one puppy and then another, Mae thought again about how much the dogs had helped her recover from Noah’s death. They were still a joy whenever she came home.

  But even the puppies couldn’t fully distract her from the thought that nagged at the edge of her mind. She called her father.

  “Hi, Daddy. I’ve been thinking about that guy from the photographs some more.”

  “Did you remember something?”

  “Not really, but maybe you should ask around. Mama might have seen him before, or Mr. Ayers may know him.”

  “Good idea, hon. I already asked your mother, but I’ll call John Ayers and Sheriff Bradley. Something about the guy reminds me of a case I did some police photos for.”

  “Let me know what you find out, will you?”

  “Will do, Mae. Bye.”

  After the call, she decided to take a run down the street and up the big hill behind her house to give Rusty some exercise. He was a big dog with high demands for activity and Mae wondered, not for the first time, why busy people who lived on small lots got such large dogs. She changed into sweats and an old t-shirt and got the Rhodesian Ridgeback out of his kennel.