Ring In the Year with Murder--An Otter Lake Mystery

by Auralee Wallace

  Oh! Okay, well, that was good too.

  Matthew had heard that the Arthurs were looking to sell their cottage. It had everything I could ever want in a place. It was on the water, right in the nook of a private inlet. It wasn’t too big, and rumor had it that the Arthurs had done a whole bunch of upgrades. Even better, according to Matthew, there was a good chance they’d sell to me. They were off-the-gridders. Very anticorporation. And I probably wouldn’t have a lot of other competition because the place was so small. Not great for a family, but perfect for me. “Thank you so much for doing that. I really appreciate it.”

  “It’s no problem,” he said, adjusting his shirt sleeves. “Really. I know how badly you want to find your own place.”

  And, not for the first time, I couldn’t help but think how awesome it would be to date a guy like Matthew. Easy. Drama-free. So unlike what I had with Grady. But … no, that wasn’t fair. Things hadn’t always been difficult between Grady and me. In fact, a year ago I had been the happiest I have ever been. Even if it had only been for a little while. In fact, I’d had that feeling everyone dreams about—that overwhelming sense of rightness in my soul. That what we had was it. We were it. That was a pretty hard feeling to get over.

  Of course, there was still that bit about Grady thinking we weren’t meant to be.

  Yup, even when I was thinking about other things, his words were still right there … strangling my heart in their icy grip.

  “Shall we?” Matthew asked, slipping on his jacket and gesturing toward the door. “Let me get you a coat.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s a short distance.”

  “Yeah,” he said with a bit of a twinkle in his eye. “But I kind of wanted to show you something on the way.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Wow.”

  “Spectacular, isn’t it?”

  Matthew couldn’t find a coat that would work for me, so he had offered the gray chenille throw from his bed to drape around my shoulders. And yes, it smelled like him. I couldn’t remember the last time I had done so much breathing through my nose. Then he had led me out onto the oversized porch around toward the side of the estate to show me his surprise.

  And what a surprise it was.

  “I thought the lights you had out front were nice,” I said, shaking my head. “But this … how did you even…?”

  “Mrs. Watson got the fire department to come out.”

  The front line of the trees leading to the forest had been covered top to bottom with twinkly lights. The effect was magical. It kind of made you believe there could be some winter wonderland or castle hiding in the woods.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it. At least not in Otter Lake.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got to say the historical society is a force to be reckoned with. Not that twinkly lights are a historical thing, but as Mrs. Watson put it, we are not just responsible for preserving Otter Lake history, we are also responsible for creating it.”

  “She’s intense,” I said. “And a little scary.”

  “You’re telling me. Never accept a fruit cordial from that woman. That’s how she gets you.”

  I walked to the railing to take in more of the sight. “Well, the effort was worth it.”

  “I’m glad you think so,” Matthew said, coming to my side so we were standing shoulder to shoulder.

  I met his smile and somehow got myself stuck in his eyes. Matthew had really pretty green eyes.

  Thankfully he was able to think of something to say. “So, is … was everything okay back there?”

  And … I take back the thankfully. Talking to Matthew about Grady always left me feeling kind of guilty. Like I was somehow betraying Grady and being unfair to Matthew. “Yup.”

  “I see.” He chuckled. “Isn’t there some warning about eavesdropping?”

  “That you might not like what you hear?” I nodded. “I think there’s some truth to that. But you know what? It’s fine. I’m fine. Whatever happens … I’m fine.”

  “That’s a lot of fines,” Matthew said with a smile.

  “It kind of goes with my theme for the new year. You know, even if things are not fine, I will be fine.” Huh, that sounded pretty good. I should give that to my mom for one of her retreats. It was a little too early to say for certain that it worked, but, hey, fake it till you make it. She could have that too. It wasn’t mine.

  “You know, I’ve been thinking about making some resolutions of my own.” Matthew said, tilting his head side to side. “Or maybe just … changes.”

  “Oh yeah? Like what?”

  He leaned his elbows on the railing. “Like I’m thinking I’m going to go back to New York for a couple of months. Maybe longer.”

  “What? How come? I thought you really liked being home.”

  “I do.” He met my eye for just a moment before looking back at the trees. “But most of my work is based in New York. I have a lot of friends there that I’ve missed, and this place,” he said, looking back at the house. “It’s just heavy with memories. A lot of them not very good.”

  “But you’re not thinking of selling?” I mean, I knew Matthew’s parents hadn’t exactly had a happy marriage, but this house was his family’s legacy.

  “I don’t know. It’s just so big for one person,” he said, gripping the railing before leaning back to take a deep breath. “It should be filled with people … kids.”

  We were getting into some sticky territory here. I wanted to choose my words carefully … mainly because there was a tiny voice in the back of my head screaming something about having a whole bunch of babies with Matthew. “I…” I swallowed hard. “It’s not my business, but can I just say…”

  He met my eyes again.

  “I think that’s a terrible idea.”

  Matthew laughed.

  “Seriously, Otter Lake wouldn’t feel right without you. We’d all miss you so much.”

  He looked at me with some pretty serious eyes. I wanted to follow that last bit up with how much I would miss him. But I couldn’t.

  After a moment, we both looked back out at the trees. “Well, I haven’t decided on anything. I’m just thinking about it.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe don’t jump into anything.” I shivered as the cold seeped through the blanket wrapped around my shoulders. “Rhonda brought her cousin tonight to meet you.”

  He laughed again. It was such a nice sound. “I heard. That may be part of the reason why I’m in no hurry to get back to the party.”

  I wrapped the Matthew-smelling throw more tightly around my shoulders. “No. No. She’s gorgeous. She’s smart. And she’s a hero to all horse-kind. You should go meet her and have like a million babies and then stand out on this porch every New Year’s Eve as a happy couple and talk about how lucky you are that you found each other.” I rolled my eyes. I still had a ways to go with the whole grown-up thing.

  “So that means you’ll come to the wedding?”

  I laughed and looked at him again. Wow, on top of being nice and funny, he really was handsome. In fact, he kind of looked like a young Robert Redford tonight. When we got the call to this party, Freddie made a joke about me kissing Matthew at midnight. He seemed to think Mr. Masterson—as he put it—would really be able to bring the fireworks. I mean, I wouldn’t know one way or the other. We’d certainly never kissed. Not even once. Huh, come to think of it, he’d probably kiss Jessica before he’d kiss me. Maybe even tonight. At midnight. A fact I was totally completely comfortable with because Matthew was a good man who deserved to be happy. Yup, happy … just like me, who’d be kissing no one at midnight because he’d be kissing Jessica and Grady and I weren’t meant to be. But I was still happy because I was going to grow as a person this year. Figure out what I really wanted out of life. Start the new year off right. With a mature mind-set. Yup, still happy.

  Happy. Happy. Happy.

  “Hey? You okay?” He bumped me with his shoulder. “Should we go back in?”

  “Oh yeah, I’m fine.
Great actually,” I said brightly, turning to resume our walk. “Oh, do you want me to run and put this blanket back in?”

  “No, leave it out here on the railing,” he said, taking it from me. “You’re going to want it for the surprise later.”

  “Another surprise? What is it?”

  Matthew just smiled.

  We headed around to the back of the estate. Again, wow. Evenly spaced outdoor fireplaces lined the entire length of the back porch. Nice touch for the guests who might need a moment outside. We walked in silence, stopping just a few steps back from the oversized glass doors. Muffled jazz found its way outside.

  Matthew touched my elbow. “Erica, I just wanted to say—”

  I raised my eyes to his, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking inside.

  I followed his gaze.

  There was definitely some sort of commotion going on. Well, maybe not a commotion, but a small group of people clustered in a circle.

  I touched Matthew’s arm. “Is someone hurt?”

  “I don’t know. We’d better—”

  Suddenly the glass door banged open a little ways down from where Matthew and I were standing on the terrace.

  “Erica! Come quick.”

  Rhonda.

  “Something’s wrong with Freddie’s dog.”

  Chapter Eleven

  About ten minutes later, Freddie and I were keeping watch over Matthew’s bed as Rhonda’s cousin Jessica examined Stanley, her stethoscope moving over his furry little rib cage. A moment later she leaned back, concerned-doctor expression on her face.

  Freddie chewed his thumbnail. “Just tell me what’s wrong with my dog.”

  “Well, it’s hard to say without blood tests, but my guess is that he got into something he shouldn’t have.” She frowned. “You said he threw up?”

  “Yeah, I just thought he was drunk because he licked up a bit of a spilled drink, but could a little alcohol have done all this?”

  Jessica didn’t say anything for a minute. I did not like the way she was considering her answer.

  When Matthew and I had got inside, a little group had formed around Stanley. Freddie was freaking out—like one step away from hand-wringing and wailing—but to be honest, Stanley didn’t seem all that different to me. Granted, he had thrown up—which was pretty exciting, you know, given Stanley’s general lack of movement—but it was the tiniest little barf ever. My mom’s cat Caesar had once managed to get my duvet, pants, and sweater all in one shot. So at first I’d figured this was nothing, but now, with that look on Jessica’s face, I wasn’t so sure.

  “When you say he was acting drunk,” she began, “do you mean he was having trouble walking?”

  Freddie nodded again.

  “He hasn’t been spending any time in your garage, has he?”

  “What? No,” Freddie snapped. “Why would I do that? It’s cold and lonely in there.”

  “I’m just trying to narrow down some possibilities,” she said, shaking her head. “It could have been the drink, but it also could have been the poinsettias.”

  “The poinsettias?” Freddie clutched his shirtfront, I guess at the horror of the poinsettias.

  “They’re toxic for animals,” she said. “Dogs sometimes nibble on the leaves when they’re hungry.”

  I gasped. I couldn’t help it. Freddie hadn’t fed him dinner!

  He whirled around to face me and hissed under his breath, “Not one word, Bloom. Not one.”

  “Well, the poinsettias would actually be good news. Compared to some of the things dogs can get into, they’re not that bad.” She scratched Stanley’s ear. “But I don’t like how lethargic he is.”

  “He’s always like that,” I said quickly.

  “Quiet,” Freddie snapped. “You’re not his mother.”

  Jessica took a step toward the door. “I think I should get my bag from the van. I’d like to give him something that blocks toxins from being absorbed into the bloodstream just in case. As luck would have it, I’ve been in process of moving offices. I should have everything I need.”

  “Do it,” Freddie said. “Spare no expense. Just save him, Doctor.”

  Jessica gave Freddie a sympathetic smile. “Let’s not worry overmuch just yet—although, if you agree, I think I’ll give him some fluids too. See if that perks him up.”

  Freddie nodded quickly.

  She took her stethoscope from her neck and turned to Matthew. “Given that it’s New Year’s, is it okay if I treat him here?”

  “Of course,” he replied, giving her a warm smile.

  She smiled back.

  Wow, they were halfway to the altar.

  It was just so easy for some people.

  “I think I have everything I need in the van. I’ll just go—”

  Matthew took a step to the door. “I’ll come with you.”

  “I’ll get Tyler to help,” Freddie said, whipping out his phone.

  “Oh, I’m sure we can manage,” Jessica said. “There’s not really that much—”

  “Already done,” Freddie said, texting like mad. “He’ll meet you out there. Anything you need, Doctor.”

  As Jessica passed by Freddie, she gave his arm a squeeze. “I know. They’re family.”

  He nodded.

  After they were gone, Freddie and I stood in silence watching Stanley’s rib cage rise and fall.

  Finally I said, “Freddie—”

  “I know I was acting like I didn’t care about the dog, but I care about the dog, okay?” His face was tight, like he was holding on to his emotions for dear life. “I didn’t want to care about the dog. But I care about the dog.”

  “Of course you do.”

  “But that doesn’t mean I’m keeping him.”

  “Okay,” I said carefully.

  “And I did feed him dinner. Steak. I prepared it myself. I was just trying to be funny earlier.”

  I nodded. “Sure.”

  “I’m not heartless, you know?”

  “I know you’re not heartless,” I said. “I caught you crying watching Elf just last week.”

  Freddie gasped. “We agreed we would never speak of that.”

  “It’s not a big deal, Freddie. Lots of people cry watching movies. I mean, I doubt it’s the first film people think of when asked for a Christmas tearjerker—”

  “The misfit elf is a classic archetype! You’d have to have a heart of stone not to—”

  “Freddie,” I said as gently as I could. The time had come. We needed to address the elephant in the room. Or golden retriever as the case may be. “Do you … want to talk about Daisy?”

  “Oh my God, no!” he shouted, eyes going terribly wide.

  I shrugged. “It might help.”

  “I hate you!”

  I nodded. “I don’t think you hate me. I think it’s—”

  He stomped on my toe.

  “Ow!” I mean, he didn’t stomp so hard as to do any damage, but enough to cause a good amount of pain. “Fine! We won’t talk about Daisy.”

  “Good,” he said tightly. “Besides, we don’t have time for this.”

  “We don’t?”

  “Of course we don’t. What is the matter with you?”

  “What exactly is it you think we should be doing? I mean, I am fine hanging out in Matthew’s bedroom playing nursemaid to the dog all night if you want to—”

  Freddie whacked me.

  “Again, ow!”

  “We’re not staying here either.”

  I rubbed my arm. “Well, if we’re not staying then—”

  Freddie moved to hit me again.

  I whipped a finger up. “Okay, you need to stop that now.”

  He dropped his whacking hand. “We’re going back to the party.”

  “Why? I think the historical society will understand if—”

  “Not to work! Although I guess it is kind of related…”

  Uh-oh. I had a feeling I knew where this was going. I shot him a sideways look. “Why do we need to go
back to the party, Freddie?”

  “Because we have to figure out who did this to my dog.”

  Oh boy. I met Freddie’s super intense gaze. Things never turned out well when he was showing that much white around his irises. “Freddie, you heard what Jessica said. Nobody did anything to your dog. He just got into something he shouldn’t have.”

  “Um, I beg to differ,” he said, gesturing to Stanley. “Someone has clearly poisoned him.”

  I let out a frustrated sigh. “What possible motive would anyone have to poison your dog?”

  “They weren’t trying to poison my dog, Erica.”

  “Oh God.” I put my hands over my face.

  “They were trying to poison Candace.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “I knew you were going to stay that,” I said from underneath my hands. “As soon as I said the thing about the motive—” I cut myself off and dropped my arms to my sides. “Freddie, you are just upset and—”

  “Don’t you just upset me Freddie anything!”

  I cocked my head. “What?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I get that you feel responsible, but—”

  “I don’t feel responsible for anything!” Freddie shouted. “Because I didn’t do anything except bring that poor innocent dog into this murderous town!”

  “Freddie…”

  “So help me, if you say my name one more time like you’re about to offer me a tissue to wipe my tears I will…” His face twitched as he struggled to find the right words. “Cut off all of your hair!”

  I blinked a few times as my hand rose of its own accord to pat what was left of the bumps of my finger waves.

  “Would you please just think about it for a minute?” Freddie asked.

  I stared off into the flames flickering in the fireplace. “What is there to think about?”

  “Well, for one thing, we’ve been with Stanley the entire time. Except for when you lost him. We would have noticed if he was chewing on the decorations.”

  “Fr—” I caught myself just in time. I liked my hair. Most days. “I don’t think I would have noticed.” I looked over my shoulder. “Sorry, Stanley.” The dog groaned. “You were right. His name’s definitely Stanley.”