by Krista Davis
I sucked in a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Trixie ran ahead to her friend, Huey. Unfortunately, the three of us approached their table at the exact moment that Ben chose to feed Paige a spoonful of chocolate mousse. She was taking a little lick off his finger when they saw us.
In spite of the darkness, I could tell Paige was embarrassed. It bothered me that I felt for her. How could someone who spent her days rescuing animals possibly have murdered two men? It didn’t make sense to me.
Zelda launched into a panicked recitation of my imminent arrest because of a preliminary match to Hank’s blood type.
Ben listened to her, but I didn’t think he was convinced. I let her babble.
“I can’t represent both of you. What a mess. Excuse me, Paige.” Ben rose from his seat. “Holly, could I have a word, please?”
He walked to the other end of the terrace and whispered, “Zelda is making no sense at all. What’s up?”
“Paige is the killer.”
Ben frowned at me. “On what basis did you come to that crazy conclusion?”
I told him our logic.
Ben placed his hand on my shoulder. “Go home. You’ve got nothing. Not a single shred of evidence tying Paige to the murders. So she has a scarf. You had two of them.”
“I thought you liked Laura better.”
“Can’t a guy change his mind? Besides, Laura’s out with some guy Macon picked for her. If you don’t mind, I’m going to finish having dinner with Paige. We can discuss this in the morning.”
I had been dismissed. He returned to his table. I had half a mind to stick around just to be on the safe side. But Dave would be there soon. And she wouldn’t murder him in front of all these people.
Zelda and Axel couldn’t believe that Ben refused to leave his date. There wasn’t much we could do. I whistled for Trixie, and we left.
On the way back, when we neared Hair of the Dog and the karaoke blared, Zelda grinned. “Would you mind if Axel and I stayed here for a while?”
“Of course not. Have fun.”
Trixie and I continued in the direction of the inn. I couldn’t help thinking that I must be the only single person in town without a date. “What happened to John?” I asked Trixie.
She probably wondered where Cooper was.
“Yoo-hoo! Holly!” Macon waddled toward us with his peculiar little walk. “Are you headed to the inn?”
“We are,” I said.
“I’m glad you’re still speaking to me after that little stunt I pulled on you today. You and John just needed a big fat push. Where is he?”
“I haven’t seen him since then.”
“Really? I thought for sure the picnic would bring you together.”
“Macon, maybe it’s time to admit defeat on the John and Holly project.”
“I will not hear that kind of attitude.”
“I heard you set up Laura on a date tonight.”
“You heard wrong. Laura has never signed up to be matched. It’s not a requirement, of course. And she’s done fairly well for herself with Ben. I don’t much care for her interest in John, though.”
“They’re old friends.”
“Mmm-hmm. And she’d like them to be something more. That girl has had her eye on John since the day Animal Attraction began.”
“She lied to Ben.” I said my thought aloud.
“I imagine Ben isn’t the first man she’s ever lied to.”
Thirty-nine
No sooner had we stepped inside the inn than the in-house phone rang.
Macon waddled off, cooing to Marmalade, who was playing kitty hockey with a stuffed mouse.
I recognized Nessie’s voice immediately. “Sweetie, I know it’s not on the room service menu, but do you think someone could make me some scrambled eggs and bring them up here? Maybe some for Lulu, too?”
“Certainly. Would you like something with that? Toast? Bacon? Coffee?”
“Toast sounds lovely. And aspirin. I don’t want any caffeine. How about an herbal tea and some water?”
“I’ll bring them up shortly.”
I retrieved a room service cart and pushed it into the private kitchen, where I discovered Oma with John and Cooper.
John jumped to his feet. “Can I give you a hand with that?”
“Thanks, but I’ve got it. Nessie just ordered room service. I hope she’s not sick.”
Oma rose and prepared the cart while I started the eggs. “Liebchen, I’m so glad that you have returned. Dave said he cannot do anything without evidence. Did you find the Ben?”
“He was at the Alley Cat with Paige. I told him everything but he insisted on staying. They were being very romantic.”
“That’s odd,” John mused. “I ran into Laura on the way over here and she told me that you were getting back together with Ben.”
I stirred the eggs. “She lied to Ben too, and told him she was going out with someone Macon set her up with. But Macon says she never signed up to be matched.”
The three of us looked at one another.
“I’ll be right back,” I said.
I pushed the cart through the doorway and rolled it to the elevator. Nessie’s door was open when I arrived.
I knocked anyway.
“Thank you, darling. I just didn’t have the strength to go out and get a bite.”
“Do you feel ill?” I unloaded her food on the table.
“Oh no. Just exhausted. I’ve been sleeping on a desk chair in a tiny study in that house where Celeste is staying. And I’m worn-out. I had to give up my little secret early in the morning when a young man refused to leave the premises. He departed pretty darn fast once Mama Nessie showed him the door. I would have been appreciative. But, oh my, was there a stink. You’d think none of them had mothers. Celeste has all but disowned me. I give up. It’s out of my hands if that child marries poorly.”
“Maybe you should give Celeste some credit. She is her mama’s daughter.”
“You are sweet as honey. But the man she intended to marry made Hank look like a winner.”
I was about to leave but thought I’d take a stab. I fudged a little. “We found a business card for Randall Donovan. Was that yours, by any chance?”
“Did it have the strangest e-mail address you ever saw scribbled on the back of it?”
“Yes, it did.”
“It’s mine.”
So she had lied about not seeing him in Wagtail. “Who is Saurian Pail?” I asked.
“Isn’t that peculiar? It’s Randall’s private e-mail address. He might have been a shrink, but I believe he needed to see one.” Nessie frowned. “I suspect he gave me that address because he didn’t want his wife to know if I emailed him.”
“Why not?”
She sucked in a deep breath. “He was a slug. The man made a pass at me.”
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“Someone murdered him. I didn’t want anyone to think I did him in!”
I wished her a good night and closed the door. So Randall had been hiding e-mail. Probably from his wife. I hoped Ben was okay with Paige.
I took the elevator downstairs and stashed away the room service cart.
When I entered the kitchen, I could feel tension between Oma and John. “What’s going on?”
“Your grandmother thinks it would be unethical to enter Laura’s room for a quick look around.”
“It would be,” I agreed.
John’s expression of hopefulness vanished.
“Unless, of course, we were turning down the bed and leaving a cookie on her pillow.” I went to the pantry and found a box of wrapped sugar cookies. “Aha! Cat treats, too.”
Oma sighed. “I don’t approve of such sneakiness. But under the circumstances . . .”
Joh
n jumped to his feet.
We walked through the library to the cat wing. “Maybe you should hide in the library in case she’s here,” I whispered.
He nodded and retreated. I saw him peering around the corner.
Laura had hung a do not disturb sign on her door. That was a little dilemma. I whisked it off the door handle and hung it on the door behind me. I knocked on Laura’s door. “Turndown service!” At my feet, Marmalade mewed. I knocked again. “Turndown service!”
I unlocked the door, my blood pounding in my head. The door swung open. “Laura? Laura!” I didn’t see anyone except Marmalade, who strode inside.
John hustled down the hallway.
Laura was not the tidiest guest. Papers and clothes littered the bed. She did indulge Marmalade, though. He had plenty of cat toys to play with.
The sheets on the bed were a mess. Laura must have used the do not disturb sign since she’d arrived, because it looked to me as though the bed had not been made for a few days.
Marmalade pounced on the bed, sending papers flying to the floor. I picked up flyers for Animal Attraction events, coupons for local services, and a letter. I placed them on the bed, where there were lozenges, a tube of lip gloss, car keys, receipts, and a small mirror. It looked like she had dumped the contents of a purse on the bed.
Marmalade wanted to play. He batted the letter to me. I flicked it back, and he jumped on it.
“Do you see anything interesting?” I whispered to John.
“I’m kind of disappointed. Just regular stuff like makeup and clothes.”
Marmalade batted the letter to the floor again. This time I looked at it when I picked it up.
It was handwritten.
My dearest Vandoon,
Your continued blindness regarding this folly compels me to write. You cannot build a relationship on lies as they will eventually emerge and the foundation will crumble. You will live in fear of the day when the truth will destroy everything for which you have yearned. You must reveal your transgressions to him, painful as it may be to do so. Only then can you begin again and find peace in your heart.
You know how distressing it is for me to give you this advice. I would much rather keep you for myself. My life will be desolate without you.
However, bear this in mind. I give you up freely in the interest of your happiness. But if you do not confess the evil you have wreaked upon him, then I will be forced to disclose your maliciousness.
In love,
Saurian Pail
Randall Donovan was a weird guy. I read the letter again. Laura had wronged someone. Evil was a pretty strong word. Yet even though he knew she had done something terrible to a man, Randall had been in love with her?
I tried not to snicker. This confession of love was written by the guy who said love didn’t exist? What a phony. Macon had nailed him.
I gasped aloud. Randall had been looking for Laura, not Paige. It must have been Laura who’d killed Randall so he wouldn’t divulge her secret.
And the only man she knew in Wagtail was John.
Forty
“Quick,” I hissed. “Let’s go.”
“I’m not done yet,” John said.
“Yes, you are.” I picked up Marmalade so Laura wouldn’t notice immediately that we had entered her room. “Come on! Right now!”
John gave me a funny look but complied. I locked the door and raced to Oma’s kitchen with John on my heels.
Macon had joined Oma. “Marmalade!” he cried.
I set Marmalade on the floor. He walked straight to Macon and wound around his legs.
“What did you find?” asked Oma.
John shrugged.
I didn’t waste any time and dialed Dave’s number.
He sounded aggravated when he answered. “I gather your grandmother didn’t give you my message? I need evidence, not conjecture.”
“Wait! I have evidence in my hand.”
He groaned. “Holly, I have work to do. I’ll make my way over to the inn as soon as I can.” He hung up.
Macon’s forehead wrinkled. “Who are Vandoon and Saurian Pail?”
“Saurian Pail is Randall, and I would have to guess that Vandoon is Laura,” I said.
“What peculiar names.” Macon observed as Marmalade jumped onto his lap.
“Vandoon is an anagram for Donovan,” John pointed out.
I took a sheet of paper and wrote Laura Pisani on it. Directly underneath I wrote Saurian Pail. I crossed matching letters off. “So is Saurian Pail. They were using each other’s names in code. And he was using a superprivate e-mail account.”
“And he was in love with her.” Oma didn’t hide her smile. “He was—how do you say it—a horse’s patoot.”
Macon roared. “Well said, Liesel.”
“The letter is about you.” I gazed at John. “What was her huge transgression?”
“I don’t know. I can only think she must have known someone else in Wagtail.”
“Do you have a history with her?” asked Macon.
“We dated ten years ago when I worked at Douthier. I broke it off after a few months and, well, you know the rest. I left town and never heard from her again.”
I recalled Laura telling us about John breaking up with the student. Maybe she had been talking about herself. “Did you break it off abruptly?”
“I guess so. How do you break up otherwise?”
“Oh my!” Macon shook a finger at John. “You have to let the ladies down gently.”
“I told her it wasn’t working out, and then my life fell apart. Laura was not uppermost on my mind.”
“That girl was her student, too. Do you suppose Laura had anything to do with the accusations against you?” I asked.
John frowned at me. “I don’t think so. How would that be possible?”
“By paying the student.”
Oma’s eyebrows raised. “So Laura paid the student to say you had an affair. Years later she confesses this to Randall?”
“He was a shrink. What do you bet she was his patient?” I said.
“This is so interesting,” said Macon. “Laura came here looking for you”—he pointed at John—“and Randall came here looking for Laura.”
“If you haven’t seen her in ten years, how would she know where you are?” I asked.
John sheepishly said, “Facebook?”
“You have a public Facebook page?” I couldn’t believe it.
“That’s what they tell writers to do. I don’t have many friends yet, but I’m working on it. Other than pictures of Cooper and some cartoons, I don’t post very much. But I may have mentioned jokingly that I was going to Animal Attraction.”
“She killed Randall so he wouldn’t ruin her chances at getting you back,” I said. “She was in full-fledged frustration attraction. She never understood why you broke up. First she wanted to hurt you, then when she never met anyone else who lived up to her expectations, she came running back.”
“I don’t know. I feel a little sick about all this. She killed two men!” John took a deep breath.
“Holly, liebchen, would you put on coffee and black tea?” Oma asked. “I fear it will be a long night.”
“What’s taking Dave so long?” I complained.
John stretched his legs out in front of him and rubbed his face. “Laura must have been my stalker all along. She was the one I saw in your jacket the night Hank was killed. I’m so sorry, Holly. I really thought it was you.”
Ben pushed open the door, breathing heavily. “There you are! I lost Huey!”
That was all we needed at the moment. I dashed upstairs for my iPad, ran back down, and pulled up the tracking program. “Unit number four . . . Looks like he’s at Aunt Birdie’s house.”
Oma’s eyes grew large. She waved her forefinger in warning. “A dog i
n Birdie’s garden? This is very bad. She will not be happy.”
We had to go get him. There was simply no choice. I grabbed a flashlight. “Oma, you’re in charge of coffee and tea. Macon and John, stay here with Oma and explain everything to Dave when he gets here?”
Ben, Trixie, and I ran through the lobby and out to the golf carts.
We hopped in. Ben drove, and I kept an eye on the iPad in case Huey roamed or changed direction. “He’s still there. What happened?”
“Don’t yell at me,” he pleaded. “I had him on the leash. We were walking back to the inn when he jerked the leash out of my hand, tore down the street, and got away from me.”
As we drove up, I heard a bark. Trixie took a flying leap off the golf cart. I’d have to train her not to do that. But I did the same thing before Ben parked.
Huey was in Aunt Birdie’s backyard, standing on his hind legs and pawing at the latch on her garden shed. The crime scene tape lay on the ground. Huey managed to flip the clasp in the correct direction and nudge it open with his nose.
Behind me, Ben said, “I would never have believed it. What a smart dog.”
I patted Huey and grabbed his leash so he wouldn’t take off again. At least he wasn’t lost. “Good boy.”
I swung open the garden shed door, hoping I wouldn’t see another bloody garden implement.
Forty-one
The light of the moon cast just enough of a beam to see that a body lay on the floor of the shed, facedown. I flicked on my flashlight.
He groaned.
“Dave?”
Ben stepped inside and helped him sit up.
Dave rubbed the back of his head. He seemed woozy.
“Maybe I should call an ambulance.”
“No!” Dave held his hand up to block the light from my flashlight. “Put that thing away. Man! She clobbered me.”
