Murder at the Dog Training Academy

by Cindy Bell

  “Sorry isn’t good enough. I want you out of here!” Charles jabbed his thumb over his shoulder.

  “Grandpa, don’t you think you’re being a little extreme?” Briana stepped out of the car parked on the other side of the gate.

  “Briana, you stay out of this,” Charles snapped at her as harshly as he spoke to Vick. “Get back in the car before someone sees you.”

  “Sir, if you give me the opportunity, I’ll prove to you that I won’t ever make that mistake again.” Vick’s voice softened. “Please.”

  “Absolutely not. I surround myself with people I can trust, and you have proven to me that I can’t trust you, Vick. I want you out of here within the hour or I’ll call the police myself to remove you. Oh, and I expect the agency to send me a replacement before the next shift.”

  “Yes, sir.” Vick stepped back into the guardhouse and began to gather a few things together. Nikki kept her head down as she urged the dogs past the house. She was curious about the argument, but she didn’t think confronting Charles and Briana in that moment would be a good idea. Instead she waited down the street. When she saw Vick’s car drive down the street, she waved him down.

  “What is it?” He frowned as he rolled down his window.

  “I couldn’t help but overhear what happened there. Is everything okay?” Nikki met his eyes.

  “Fine. I just have to find a new job.” Vick started to roll his window up.

  “Wait.” Nikki stepped up to the side of the car. “I’m sorry he treated you that way. I’m sure that you didn’t deserve it.”

  “Actually, I did. I didn’t follow their rules, and I didn’t protect their home the way that they wanted me to. Now, I have to get going.” Vick rolled his window up and drove off.

  Nikki stared after the car. Vick wasn’t interested in talking. Even if he did talk, she didn’t think she would get much information from him. As she began to walk each of the dogs home, she thought about Charles’ strong reaction to Vick allowing the police through the gate. What did he have to hide that he didn’t want the police to see? Maybe he was just used to being in control. She also recalled the way he spoke to his granddaughter. It didn’t seem as if there was any love lost there. By the time she made it back to Sonia’s. she decided she was ready to sit down.

  “You’re back.” Sonia smiled as she greeted Princess. Then she looked up at Nikki. “Are you all right? You look exhausted.”

  “I’m fine, just running through some ideas in my head.” Nikki sat down on one of the patio chairs and explained what she had just witnessed. “I wish I knew more about Matt and Briana’s relationship. The Murrows seemed so against it.”

  “I don’t think they, especially Charles, thought Matt was good enough for Briana. Maybe he was being protective of her?” Sonia nodded as she began to walk the length of the patio.

  “I’m not sure about that. From what I just saw, Charles didn’t seem very protective. Maybe possessive, but I wouldn’t say protective.” Nikki frowned. “The problem is, the one person that would be able to tell us the truth about everyone in his life isn’t around to tell us.”

  “Maybe he’s not, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still speak.” Sonia paused in front of Nikki. “Maybe what he left behind can tell us a little bit more about the people in his life.”

  “What do you mean, what he left behind?” Nikki met her eyes. She sensed that Sonia had made a decision, and she knew from experience that once she did, there would be no talking her out of it.

  “I mean, there’s a huge house on the bay that he lived in, right?” Sonia waved one hand through the air. “Maybe it’s time we had a good look at what’s still there. He could have pointed a finger at his killer, even before he knew that he was destined to die.” She sat down beside Nikki. “We could sort through whatever the police left behind.”

  “We could.” Nikki drew a slow breath. “But it would mean breaking in.”

  “Breaking into an empty house.” Sonia shrugged. “A victimless crime.”

  “It’s risky.” Nikki rubbed her hands together.

  “Which is why we should go at night. It’s settled then.” Sonia smiled as she gave the patio table a light swat. “I’ll be ready by eight. That way you’ll have your evening walks done. Right?” She stood up again. “Oh, and we’ll take my car. You can just drop Princess off after her walk, and we can head out from here.” She grinned. “Look at me, planning things out so well.”

  “Very well.” Nikki looked at her with a hesitant smile. She knew better than to try to talk Sonia out of anything. However, she couldn’t help but wonder if Sonia’s brilliant plan would end in disaster.

  When Nikki returned to her apartment, she sat down on her couch, and closed her eyes. For the first time, she began to feel calm. Maybe the investigation wasn’t progressing as she hoped it would, but it was still progressing. She stretched out on the couch for a short nap. However, sleep evaded her. Even after she took the dogs on their evening walk, she still felt wound up. Perhaps it was adrenaline as she anticipated exploring Matt’s house. She walked Princess up the driveway of Sonia’s home and spotted her friend already waiting by the front door.

  “I’ve already set up Princess’ food and water inside and put her favorite show on the television.” Sonia picked up Princess and gave her a cuddle and kiss on the top of her head. Then she took her inside, put her on the floor and gave her another kiss. “Don’t worry, we won’t be gone long.”

  Chapter 14

  Sonia parked her compact car towards the end of the street, then stepped out.

  “It’s a few houses down.” Nikki led the way towards Matt’s house.

  “You weren’t kidding about this place being huge.” Sonia looked it over and frowned. “I’m not sure that we’ll have enough time to search it.”

  “I want to see if we can find out anything about what was really going on between him and Briana, and just how much financial trouble he was in.” Nikki took Sonia’s hand and turned to face her. “You really don’t need to do this with me. I can handle it myself.”

  “I’m doing it because I want to. It was my idea, remember? With two of us, we’ll be able to cover more area. Besides, you can’t have all of the adventure you know.” Sonia smiled as she gave Nikki’s hand a light pat. “Now, how are we getting in?”

  “I noticed a window on the side of the house was slightly open the other day when I walked the dogs through this area. Hopefully, it still is.” Nikki led the way towards the window. “Yes, it’s still open.” She tugged the screen free of the window and set it carefully against the exterior wall of the house. Then she curved her hands around the bottom of the window and shoved her palms against it. “Ugh, it won’t budge.” She pushed harder, then shook her head. “I guess we know why it was open. It’s stuck.” She sighed. “It looks like our breaking and entering plans are over before they had a chance to get to breaking or entering.”

  “You’re going to give up that easily?” Sonia laughed. “Nikki, that surprises me. There is always a way in.”

  “What are you thinking?” Nikki narrowed her eyes as she looked at her.

  “Watch, and learn.” Sonia winked at Nikki, then walked around to the back of the house.

  Nikki followed after her. She glanced at the neighboring house and hoped that no one had spied their movement through the window.

  Sonia walked up to the back door and tried the knob. When it didn’t turn, she began to look under everything. She looked under the mat, nearby flowerpots, and even inside a bucket near the back door.

  “You think he had a key somewhere?” Nikki scanned the area. “There aren’t too many hiding places.”

  “It’s here somewhere. I’m sure of it.” Sonia ran her fingertips under the windowsill of the window beside the back door. “Aha!” She smiled as she pried free a key that had been taped beneath it. “See?” She held it up for Nikki to see. “Matt had more enemies than friends, especially in this neighborhood, which means that he didn’t
have a neighbor he could leave a spare key with. I’m sure he didn’t want to get locked out of his palace.” She slid the key into the lock and turned it. “Yes, it fits.”

  “Great job, Sonia.” Nikki grinned. “I never would have thought to look here. I never would have found it.”

  “Let’s see what we can find.” Sonia stepped into the house, and waved Nikki in behind her.

  Nikki followed her inside. The moment she crossed through the door her heartbeat quickened. This was a crime, wasn’t it? They hadn’t exactly broken in, they had found a key, but still, they had no right to be there. It wasn’t as if Matt could complain. She turned on the flashlight on her phone and began to shine it through the kitchen. It looked as if Matt had spared no expense. The counter tops appeared to be fine granite, and the fixtures looked expensive. She pulled open a few drawers in the kitchen and began to sort through them. Then she continued on into the living room. A massive television took up most of one wall. Plush furniture occupied the rest of the large space. She noticed a few pictures placed on the side tables. Briana’s smiling face stared out at her from behind the glass. Each frame contained a different picture of her.

  “Nothing so far.” Sonia closed the door to a closet near the front door.

  “That might be his office.” Nikki pointed her flashlight towards a door in the hallway.

  “I’m going to check upstairs and see what I can find.” Sonia started for the stairs.

  “Be careful, Sonia.” Nikki shined her flashlight towards the stairs. “We don’t know much about Matt or what he might have been involved in.”

  “I will be.” Sonia pointed her own flashlight at the stairs and began to climb them.

  Nikki pulled open the door in the hallway and found a large office beyond it. Nothing appeared out of place throughout the office, but she noticed piles of papers on the desk. A laptop sat closed in the center of the desk. She opened it. As the screen blinked on, a request for a password greeted her. She doubted that she could guess it. Instead, she turned her attention to the piles of papers. As she sorted through them, she found several with bright red letters warning Matt that he was overdue with a payment. She also found some that threatened him with legal action if he didn’t make a payment immediately. She pursed her lips as she took a few pictures of the papers she found. It seemed to her that Matt had faced quite a bit of financial trouble.

  In another pile of papers Nikki found what appeared to be a recent payroll statement. Some of the checks had bounced. She winced at the thought of a paycheck bouncing. Most of Matt’s employees were low income workers. If they weren’t able to get their checks, it could really cause them trouble. Nikki recalled Theo’s demand for gas money. Was that because his paycheck had bounced?

  Nikki guessed that Matt had upset a lot of people with his lack of finances. She picked up another piece of paper. The letterhead matched the Patrick Kirk Building letterhead. The text included in the letter matched the text she’d read in other letters that had been left under her door. So, Matt had received a letter as well. But clearly he hadn’t listened. He had still offered Tom a lower price than Patrick did, to do the same job. Had that made Patrick angry enough to kill? She found another bill from a supplier that indicated it was Matt’s final warning to make a payment. She recalled Tom’s mention of an angry supplier showing up at Happy Dogs.

  “Matt, you had a lot of people upset.” Nikki sighed as she snapped a picture of the bill. As she stepped out of the office, she heard Sonia’s voice.

  “Nikki, you should come up here.”

  “On my way.” Nikki ignored the rest of the house and took the stairs to the second floor. She followed the glow of Sonia’s flashlight to the master bedroom. “Wow!” Three of the four walls were covered in shelves full of baseball memorabilia. “I think we know what Matt was spending all of his money on.”

  “That, and this house.” Sonia pointed her flashlight at the wall over the large bed. A huge portrait of Briana hung on the wall. Beside it, a love letter was painted, complete with promises of a lifetime together, and that he had built her a castle.

  “He did all of this for Briana?” Nikki took a slight step back. “He must have really been in love with her.”

  “Or obsessed.” Sonia looked over the portrait. “She wasn’t even living with him, yet. He created this home for her, filled it with pictures of her. I’d say that his love for her was possibly a little unhealthy.”

  “Maybe so.” Nikki stood back as she looked at the portrait and writing on the wall. “The question is, did she love him back? Maybe things got a little too intense for her and when she tried to break things off, it didn’t go well. Maybe she felt the only way to get away from him was to kill him.”

  “Maybe.” Sonia sighed. “There are plenty more places to search.” She opened a drawer.

  A bang from downstairs made them both jump.

  “What was that?” Nikki hissed. She walked up to the large window that overlooked the driveway of the home. She took a sharp breath as she saw a patrol car. The bang must have been the slam of the car door as the police officer closed it. “Sonia, the police are here. We have to get out of here!”

  “How?” Sonia clasped her hands into fists. “The front door, or the back?”

  “I don’t know.” Nikki winced as she heard a door open and close. “He’s already in the house,” she whispered.

  “It’s all right, we’ll find our way out of this.” Sonia frowned as she glanced around. “I’m just not sure how.”

  “The window.” Nikki looked back at the large window. “He’s in the house, he won’t see us if we climb out through the window.”

  “The window? Are you kidding me?” Sonia shook her head. “I don’t think I can do that.”

  “Look, the roof from the porch is only a short distance from the ledge of the roof outside the window. We can do it.” Nikki pulled open the window. She looked back at Sonia, in the mostly dark room. Only the beam of her flashlight illuminated her face. The garish light across her fine features reminded Nikki of just how thin and small Sonia was. What if she fell? It was one thing for Nikki to have a broken leg, quite another for Sonia to have one. “I have a better idea.” Nikki took a deep breath. “I’m going to climb down, and then distract the officer. When he comes to the door, you go out the back. Okay?”

  “I don’t know, Nikki.” Sonia frowned. “You could get hurt!”

  “I’ll take hurt over jail time. Listen for me to bang on the door, when you hear me, get down the stairs and out the back door.” Nikki swung one foot out through the window.

  “Nikki, what are you going to say to the officer?” Sonia edged closer to the door of the bedroom.

  “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.” Nikki swung her other leg through the window then eased herself down onto the ledge outside of it. She glanced back once at Sonia, then turned her attention to the roof of the porch. It was a bit farther down than she had first estimated. She grabbed the edge of the ledge and hung her body down between the two spaces. As she stretched out her legs in an attempt to grasp the roof of the porch with the toes of her shoes, a bright light flooded over her. Her breath caught in her throat.

  “Nikki?”

  Quinn’s sharp voice made her flinch. She dug her fingertips against the ledge and willed her feet to find the roof.

  “Just let go, Nikki. You won’t fall.” Quinn’s tone shifted as he coaxed her. “The roof is right under your feet.” He continued to shine the large flashlight on her.

  “Okay.” Nikki’s voice trembled as she wondered if she could let go. Once she did, she would likely end up in handcuffs. Could she really trust that her feet were just above the roof?

  “Nikki, let go.”

  Quinn’s stern command rippled through her. How would she explain this to him? Was it even worth it to try? She held her breath as she let go of the ledge. An instant later her feet landed on the roof of the porch.

  Quinn extended his hand to her. “Let me hel
p you.” His eyes locked to hers.

  “Thanks.” Nikki took his hand, then jumped down from the roof of the porch. Her ankles ached as her feet struck the ground. She clung to his hand until she had her balance, then pulled it free.

  “I knew it.” The officer who had entered the house walked over to Quinn. “I knew someone was up there.”

  “Yes, I was.” Nikki glanced between the two men. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.” She took a quick look at the front door, then shifted her position to make sure that the two men kept their focus on her and not the door.

  “The neighbor across the street called it in.” The officer gestured to the house. “He said he saw flashlights going through the house. Flashlights.” He narrowed his eyes. “Who else is in there?”

  “No one.” Nikki’s heart skipped a beat. Heat flooded her skin. “It was just me.”

  “He said he saw two flashlights.” The officer shifted closer to her.

  “It must have been a reflection.” Nikki shrugged. “I was moving around a lot.”

  “Why?” Quinn cleared his throat. “What were you doing in there?”

  Nikki’s mind raced as she tried to come up with an answer to that question. She preferred to tell Quinn the truth, but she didn’t think that would end well.

  “I was just curious.” Nikki met his eyes, then quickly looked away.

  “I’ll handle this, Neil.” Quinn looked over at the officer. “You can go.”

  “What am I supposed to put in my report?” Neil frowned.

  “I said, I’ll handle it.” Quinn met the officer’s eyes.

  “Yes sir.” Neil nodded to Quinn then strolled off towards his patrol car.

  Nikki searched the area around the house for any sign of Sonia. If her friend was there, she couldn’t spot her. As the patrol car pulled away, she turned back to face Quinn.

  “I know that you have your job to do, Quinn. I don’t expect any special treatment.” Nikki met his eyes.

  “It’s good that you don’t expect it.” Quinn slid his hands into his pockets as he gazed at her. “Why don’t you tell me why you were really in there?”