by Krista Davis
“Did you see him here in Wagtail?”
Her eyes shifted to the left, and I wondered if she was looking for an answer. “No. He looks much older in the picture in the newspaper. Sky would have recognized him. Unless, of course, she didn’t want anyone to know about their connection.”
“I’m glad things worked out between you and Sky.”
“She’s a lovely woman. Very kind and thoughtful. It’s obvious that she’s on her last dime with that sad old leather bag she carries. Not to mention the way she dresses. She hasn’t got a single good piece of jewelry. It’s all costume.”
Nessie glanced around. “But the way she talks about Randall! I know it’s all true because I know what an absolutist he was. It would not surprise me one bit if she and her sister cooked up a way to get rid of Randall. I mean, seriously, what would a married man be doing in Wagtail by himself during a matchmaking event?” She waggled her finger. “There’s something suspicious about that. You just watch. Randall was a miscreant. When they figure out what happened to him, I guarantee it will turn out to have been his own fault.”
Nessie glanced at her watch. “Look at the time! Do you think it’s too early for me to spy on Celeste at the rematch?”
It wasn’t my place to interfere, but I said what I was thinking anyway. “Do you really want to do that when she’s not speaking with you as it is?”
Nessie thought for a moment. “Yes! I do. It was nice talking with you, Holly. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”
If my mother had been as overbearing as Nessie, it would have driven me nuts. I liked her, though. Nessie had spunk and character to spare. But that didn’t erase the fact that she had hated both Randall and Hank. Could she have strangled one and slaughtered the other with a garden hoe? She was clearly clever enough to have enticed them to places where she wouldn’t be seen. I feared she could have killed them if she’d wanted to.
Nessie had also had the opportunity to murder them. Her first night here, she’d been looking for Sky when John and I had returned from finding Randall’s body. Which also begged the question—where had Sky been?
“C’mon, Trixie, we’re going to take a walk.”
At the mere mention of the W word, Trixie jumped to her feet and danced in an excited circle.
“Let’s make sure Oma doesn’t need us. Okay?”
We found Oma enjoying the beautiful day on the front porch of the inn. Gustav sat on a rocking chair next to Oma, and Gingersnap lay at their feet.
“Do you need me for anything? I thought I would take a little W-A-L-K.” This time I spelled it out, but that didn’t stop Gingersnap from understanding the word and pricking her ears.
“Where is your young man?” asked Oma.
“I think he has found someone else.”
Oma tsked. “If he is so silly, then he does not deserve you.”
It was sweet of her to say.
“You go right ahead.” She glanced at Gustav. “We’re not going anywhere.”
It looked to me like Gustav was on the verge of a nap. I pointed at Oma and made a little walking motion with my forefinger and middle finger.
Oma winked at me and shook her head. “But I think Gingersnap would like to go.”
“Walkies?” I whispered to the dogs. They were down the porch steps before I hit the top one.
I walked across the plaza and along a small residential street. The car-accessible road on the east side of Wagtail dead-ended at the Wagtail Animal Guardians facility.
Happily, WAG provided a new start to many dogs and cats. Located on an old farm, the facility had space for cows and horses as well as smaller animals. I opened the door of the main building and stepped inside to a chorus of high-pitched barking.
That was odd. Hadn’t they told Ben that they were out of small dogs? I strolled along a line of empty kennels until I spied two Chihuahuas and a Pekingese.
“Hi, Holly!” Paige, the woman who had handed Huey over to me, came running. She adjusted the lightweight blue scarf dotted with paw prints that she wore.
“We don’t need a bell on the door around here,” she joked.
“Cute scarf,” I said.
“Thanks. It was a gift. I’m so glad to see you. I’ve been wanting to talk with you about Ben.”
Aha. She had realized her mistake in pairing Ben with Huey. “He’s not right for Huey,” I said.
“Ben?” She knelt to greet Gingersnap and Trixie. Standing again, she wiped outgrown bangs to the side of her face. “Actually, he’s adorable with Huey. We went for a walk and Ben did great. But the one who is truly amazing is my cat. I’ve never seen him gravitate to anyone like he does to Ben. It’s incredible.”
Ben was friendly with a cat? I didn’t want to disappoint her, but I found that hard to believe.
“So are you okay with this?” Paige asked. “I would never want to do anything to hurt you.”
“I appreciate that, I’m sure. But I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ben didn’t tell you?”
“I don’t think so. But I have to admit that I haven’t seen much of him in the last couple of days.”
“He didn’t tell you that we were matched by Macon?”
“I had no idea.”
“Oh gosh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to step on your toes.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “Ben and I are friends, and to be honest, I would be very happy if he found someone special.”
“That’s so nice of you. And very mature.”
She didn’t need to know the details. It was only fair to let her get to know Ben on her own terms. Besides, the things that bothered me might not irritate her. I was still confused, though. This seemed to be a new Ben—one who liked dogs and cats? I wondered if she knew he was also seeing Laura. I opted for the safest course and changed the subject. “Actually, I wanted to ask you about Duchess.”
“Is there a problem? I thought she was the perfect match for Sky. They’re both so elegant. And I know Sky would give her a great home. Talk about a lucky dog.”
“They seem to be getting along very well. I wanted to ask you about matching them. Did Sky call ahead about participating in the If the Dog Fits program?”
“No. I’m a little bit embarrassed to admit this, but like most of the other single people in this town”—her tone dipped showing her disapproval—“and a few married ones, I went out the first night of Animal Attraction. You understand. I wanted to check it out and see if there were any men I might find interesting. When I was at Hair of the Dog, I happened to strike up a conversation with Sky.”
I was shocked. WAG was well-known for its thorough investigation of potential adopters. I should have chosen my words better. “You met someone in a bar and handed over a dog? How did you know she would take care of it?”
“She came up here the next morning to fill out all the forms. I don’t know why you’re making such a fuss.”
I didn’t know a nice way to ask and blurted, “Are you in the habit of turning dogs over to just anyone?”
“Of course not! But she’s not just anyone. She’s Sky Stevens.”
“That’s a relief. So you knew her? That’s different.”
“I had never actually met her before. I just knew about her. She’s in a lot of the society rags, and when she said her name was Sky I recognized her.”
I used to work in fund-raising, but I had never heard her name before. “Who is she?”
“Oh, Holly!” Paige chuckled at me. “Stevens Leather? Really? I thought everyone knew about them. Sky’s great-grandfather started out making halters and saddles for horses. Then they branched into luggage, and now they make some of the most expensive purses. They’re so beautiful. I have one that I bought secondhand. No one does leather better.”
I had met unbelievably wealthy women like Sky who chose to li
ve simply. They didn’t fuss with their hair or appearance, and usually drove old cars or trucks that had seen better days. I hadn’t had a clue.
“I have to admit that I’m partial to Duchess,” Paige said. “And when I realized who Sky was, I couldn’t help doing some doggy matchmaking of my own. I’ve seen magazine spreads of her home. She lives in a historic family mansion not far from Charlottesville. It’s on a sprawling farm that you would not believe.”
Things clicked into place. That was what Sky’s daughter, Maddie, must have meant when she said she didn’t want her Animal Attraction match to know who she was. The wealthy always seemed to have it so good, but money presented a whole new set of problems for people, like friends who were only interested in their money. “So Sky has an alibi,” I murmured.
“Alibi? You mean for Randall’s murder? I’m sure you’re way off suspecting her. Sky is high society.”
I didn’t think that disqualified anyone from murder. But there was one bigger issue. “It doesn’t sound like she would have had enough time to knock him off if she was at Hair of the Dog that night.”
“I don’t know exactly what time he died, but I met Sky in the bar around ten, and then we came up here to get Duchess,” Paige said. “The Shire is close by, but”—her brow wrinkled, and she shook her head in the negative—“I don’t see how she could have done it unless she had everything arranged very precisely ahead of time.”
“She could have planned the murder and suggested that they meet there.”
“But she couldn’t have planned on meeting me. And she took the time to come up here to see Duchess.”
“I guess it’s too far-fetched to think she might have been looking for something to do so she would have an alibi.”
“I don’t know why you think she could be a murderer anyway. She lives such a glamorous life. Why would she murder him?”
“He was her brother-in-law,” I told her.
“Ohh. I know all about that kind of problem. There are times when I wouldn’t mind knocking off my brother-in-law. He went to Dr. Donovan for depression and wound up hooked on horrible drugs, which has made my sister’s life a nightmare. She’s always worried about him, he doesn’t come home for days, and he steals money from everyone they know. It’s awful. I wouldn’t wish anyone an awful death like Randall’s, but he brought pain and misery to a lot of people. I never went to him as a doctor, but what he did to my brother-in-law impacted my entire family.” She motioned to me with her forefinger. “Come outside with me.”
I followed her out the door, and the dogs tagged along.
She pointed to the east side of the street. “The river runs through this farm. It’s not very far to where the body was found.”
“Did you walk back to the bar with her?”
“No. I live in the house right behind the kennel. There didn’t seem to be any point in going back.”
I thanked her and walked down the empty road, reeling from Paige’s words. She had uttered them so innocently. But I couldn’t help wondering if she’d sought out someone who might be interested in Duchess so she would have an alibi. No one would have noticed her slipping quietly back to her house behind the shelter in the dark of night.
What if Paige was the person Randall had been looking for? It was possible.
Two things seemed to be key. Randall had been looking for someone when Oma and I met him. He had come to Wagtail to meet somebody. And the spot where he was murdered was sufficiently isolated that his killer must have followed him there, or talked him into going there.
Whistling for the dogs, I crossed back into historic Wagtail. I paused at Hair of the Dog, the pub located on the corner of the road and a residential street. The entrance to the Shire was within sight. Someone could have been sitting at one of the outdoor tables that night, watching people cross over to the Shire. But it may have been such a zoo that no one paid any attention to the Shire.
I made a mental note to bring Zelda or Ben with me at night for a test. I bet the lack of lighting made it impossible to see much more than the shadowy outlines of people. But it was worth checking out.
Deep in thought, I turned back toward Hair of the Dog when the creepy sensation of someone watching me caused me to take a look at the people seated outside.
Twenty-five
John Adele stared at me.
I couldn’t tell if he was scared or sad or some combination of the two. Either way, it appeared to be an odd reaction at seeing me there. Was he going to accuse me of following him again? Marmalade’s mom, Laura, sat at the table with him and appeared to be flirting.
Trixie, who evidently had not received the message that we had been dumped, ran over to John and placed her paws on his thigh. Cooper and Gingersnap wagged their tails and politely sniffed each other.
It was way too late to pretend I hadn’t seen them. There was nothing I could do but give a gracious wave, lift my chin, and walk by on the sidewalk, ever so conscious of their presence. I whistled for Trixie and fervently hoped she would not make me go get her.
A few steps past the outdoor dining tables, Trixie and Gingersnap caught up to me. I breathed a sigh of relief and slipped each one of them a mini-treat as a reward. But a third nose wanted one, too. Cooper! I fed him one and stroked his broad head.
When I continued on my way, Cooper loped along with the other dogs. He also hadn’t gotten the message that John wasn’t interested in us. I heard John call him, but I didn’t look back or stop.
I could hear footsteps hitting the sidewalk behind me.
John caught up to me and called Cooper. “Sorry about that, Holly.”
I faced him. Why did he have to be so cute? “John, this is silly. You’re going to be in town awhile longer, and we’re going to run into each other. Let’s just get over the awkwardness and be friends. Okay?” I held out my hand to shake in a gesture of peace.
He took my hand and said, “You’ll quit stalking me now?”
I could feel my face and ears getting hot. I yanked my hand out of his. “I have never stalked you!”
There was nothing to do but turn and walk away as fast as I possibly could. After all, I had some dignity left. To my amusement, though, Cooper continued to walk with me. I couldn’t help grinning and slipped him another treat as we walked. It was bad of me, of course.
John called his dog, and I noted a pause in Cooper’s stride, but he stayed with me.
“Holly!” John jogged up to us and snagged Cooper’s collar.
“Bye-bye, Cooper,” I said. And then I added, “I couldn’t be stalking you because Cooper would have given me away.” With that, I continued on my way.
John shouted after me, “It wasn’t Cooper who gave you away.”
I kept going. The last thing I wanted to do was have a shouting match on the sidewalk. I turned left as soon as I hit the green and walked down to Heal! for a soothing calorie-rich treat. I deserved it. I hadn’t murdered anyone, or stalked anyone. Why were people accusing me of things?
The drugstore bustled with customers, but I found empty seats at the end of the soda counter and jumped up on the last one.
Bob wiped the counter in front of me. “I hear it’s hot out there today.”
“It is. Could I have a bowl of water for the dogs, please?” I looked down at them. “They’ll pick out their own biscuits. And I need an indulgence because nothing is going my way.”
“How about my special? It’s guaranteed to make you feel better about whatever ails you.”
“Okay. Surprise me.”
While he worked, I watched Gingersnap chose a hard beef-flavored cookie that would take her a while to eat and would probably be good for her teeth. Little Trixie, on the other hand, opted for an iced cookie in the shape of a squirrel. The drugstore had placed cookies near the floor, where dogs could choose their own. The clear bins had lift-up lids that Gingersnap and Tr
ixie had learned to open with their noses. I kept an eye on them so they wouldn’t be piggy and help themselves to more.
John brought me a chocolate milk shake. The icy concoction cooled me right away. “Mmm. This is delicious!”
“One of our bestsellers. Once people try it, they forget about their troubles.”
“Looks like business is good.”
“Animal Attraction has been phenomenal. We’ve had a lot of people come in and get to know one another over ice cream, milk shakes, and just plain old coffee. The merchants are talking about making this an annual event. You know, I think we might even see one or two marriages come out of it.”
“Really! That’s hard to imagine. But maybe so. Macon said we make up our minds about people in minutes.”
With his sculptured good looks, I imagined Bob had had more than his share of admirers over the years. “How about you? Did you participate?”
He pointed at his graying hair. “Those days have passed me by. No one is interested in an old coot who has been single all his life. I’m a nightmare,” he laughed.
“Never wanted to get married?”
Bob rubbed the back of his head. “There were a few ladies along the way who interested me. But one of them spoiled me for the others. I connected with her in a way that I never did with anyone else. It was a little weird, actually. Like we were synced up. We would order the same dishes in restaurants. We read the same books. Liked the same movies. Just little things, but we meshed. Never met anyone who could compare.”
“What happened to her?”
“I thought I was too young to marry at the time, and I wanted to go to pharmacy school. She married someone else.” He swiped his hand through the air. “Ah, but that was all years ago. I’ve been alone too long to change my ways. But that’s okay. Louis and I manage just fine.” He gazed lovingly at his papillon. “Hey, Holly.” He leaned toward me and lowered his voice. “I heard about Hank. You’re usually in the know about these things. Have they got any suspects?”
