by Cindy Bell
“That may be,” Brian said slowly as he continued to eye her purse. “Wendy, you don't have what I think you have inside there, do you?” he asked with a worried look.
“Don't worry, it's not going to escape,” Wendy said sweetly. She recalled how terrified Brian had been when he had been surprised by the mice. He claimed to have only been startled, but Wendy suspected an underlying phobia. “Shall we?” she asked and reached for the door of the pet shop.
“Let's,” he agreed nervously and walked in behind her. The clerk behind the counter was peering into a fish tank with fascination. When the bell over the door drew his attention he looked up.
“Hello,” he said. “Welcome, anything you need for your pet, we've got it for 'em,” he smiled proudly. Wendy smiled back. She always admired someone who had enthusiasm for their job, and that was just what she needed. Someone who worked at a pet store because they wanted to, not because they had to.
“Hi, I was wondering if you could help me with something,” Wendy said. She set her purse down on the counter.
“Uh, I think maybe you're in the wrong store,” the clerk said slowly. Then Wendy's purse began to wiggle and squeak.
“Oh, maybe not,” he laughed. “What do you have in there?” he looked up at Wendy curiously.
“It's a mouse,” Wendy explained.
“Well, we don't buy mice,” the clerk shook his head, puzzled.
“I know that, but you do sell them, right?” she asked.
“Sure,” he nodded and frowned as the purse moved a few inches.
“I was wondering if you could tell the difference between a wild mouse and a bred mouse,” Wendy explained.
“Oh, absolutely,” he nodded. “There's a big difference between the two. Mice that weren't born in the wild are easy to spot.”
Wendy picked up her purse and carefully unzipped it. She noticed that Brian took a slight step back, and she did her best not to laugh. She held the sides of her purse open so the clerk could see inside.
“Here he is,” she said proudly.
The clerk peered inside her purse skeptically. “We'll have to take him out so I can see how he behaves.”
“Is that okay with you, Brian?” Wendy asked and glanced over at him.
“What? Of course it is,” Brian sputtered out and shrugged as if it made no difference to him. But when Wendy tilted her purse to let the mouse out, she heard the scuff of Brian's shoe taking another step back. The clerk blocked the mouse from escaping from the counter.
“See, he doesn't run from my hand,” the clerk said. “He expects me to feed him. This is definitely a bred mouse.”
“How interesting,” Wendy said with a small smile. “Have you by any chance sold a large quantity of bred mice recently?”
“Well, to be honest we sell a lot,” he said with a shrug. “Most people use them as feeder mice, if they have a snake or something like that.”
“I see,” Wendy nodded. “But no one bought more than usual?”
“I don't think so,” he shook his head. “I can check with my co-worker if you like.”
“Just let us know if anyone has purchased more than the normal amount,” Brian said. His voice wavered slightly as the mouse began running towards him.
“What about this guy?” the clerk asked as he started to turn away.
“Oh, can't you keep him?” Brian asked.
“I'm afraid I can't, if it's not one of our bred mice then we can't tell if it has any diseases. One sick mouse can wipe out an entire group of them,” the clerk shook his head.
“Aw, we can't let this little guy be snake food, can we?” Wendy asked warmly. “Do you have a cage of some kind?”
“Wendy? Seriously?” Brian grimaced.
“I'm sure we can find a home for him,” Wendy said confidently. She did her best to hide a grin at Brian's squeamish behavior. She had actually grown a little fond of the mouse. “After all, he is helping us solve a murder,” she reminded Brian.
“How?” Brian asked. The clerk walked away to get Wendy the food and supplies she would need so the mouse could be kept as a pet.
“If all the mice from Handley’s are like this one, then they didn't get there because of an unsanitary kitchen. They got there because someone let them loose inside of Handley’s,” she smiled. “Someone set up Oliver to have his business shut down.”
“Someone,” Brian agreed. “But who?”
“The person who made the report to the health department,” Wendy suggested. “Whoever made the report is likely the one who set the mice free in Handley’s.”
“Hmm, maybe,” Brian nodded.
“The first person that comes to mind is Nathan,” Wendy said thoughtfully. The clerk returned with the cage, as well as some food. He raised an eyebrow at Wendy.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked.
“How much trouble could a little mouse be?” Wendy asked with a slight laugh.
“Okay, well if you need any tips or advice feel free to call the shop. I'll be sure to call you if I find any unusual purchases of mice,” he added and pushed the cage with the mouse in it towards Wendy.
“Hi, little guy,” she said through the bars of the cage. Now that it couldn't scamper across her feet, it really wasn't frightening at all. “What are we going to name you?” she asked as she and Brian walked out of the pet shop together.
“Maybe you should drop him off in the woods,” Brian suggested.
“Brian,” Wendy said reproachfully as she opened her passenger side door. “This is not a wild mouse, it will never survive alone out there.”
“All right,” he sighed reluctantly as she put the mouse cage on the passenger seat.
“I just wish we could solve this murder,” Wendy sighed as she walked around to the driver’s side door and Brian followed. “Once the murder is solved I can concentrate on the wedding.”
Brian wrapped an arm around her and gave her a light hug. “Hey don't worry, we'll figure this out,” he promised her. “Why don't we grab some lunch later? Sometimes all it takes is relaxing and taking a break to get a new perspective on things.” He held her car door open as she sat inside.
“Sure,” Wendy smiled at him. “I'll drop off my friend here and finalize some of the plans, and then we can meet at Mulligans in a couple of hours.”
“Perfect,” Brian nodded, and then paused. “Just make sure you actually leave the mouse at home.”
“I will, I promise,” Wendy laughed as she started her car. She glanced in the rearview mirror at Brian as she drove away from the pet store. She was sorting through her thoughts as she made her way back to her condo which faced the beach. The moment she saw the open water, she felt a little more relaxed. She usually enjoyed a nice walk or run through the sand to clear her mind, but she didn't have time for that.
Wendy parked and carrying the mouse cage hurried towards her condo. She found the perfect spot for the mouse on top of her desk, and set up his cage. He looked perfectly content inside the cage, but Wendy had every intention of getting him toys as soon as possible.
Chapter Five
As Wendy watched the mouse in its cage she thought about the phone call to the health department. She began to formulate a theory about George's death. If Nathan had been the one to call in the tip against Oliver, it might not have just been for the purpose of shutting him down. Instead, Nathan might have taken things a step further. Her heart began to race as she realized just how devious Nathan might be. She felt a sudden urgency to call Brian.
“Brian, I think I know exactly why Nathan was at Oliver's this week, and why he requested George to investigate,” she said with pride. She was excited to have solved the crime already.
“Wait, Wendy…” Brian began to say. Wendy interrupted him by plowing forward with her theory.
“Nathan planted the mice when he was there, then he called in the tip and requested George,” she explained rapidly. “Then when George showed up, Nathan killed him, and left the body for Oliver to find
. He knew that Oliver would be a prime suspect in George's death. So, he intended to have his revenge on George by killing him, and against Oliver by sending him to prison for the rest of his life. It makes sense, doesn't it?” Wendy asked.
“Wendy, just a minute,” Brian attempted.
“We should call Polson and have Nathan picked up right away!” she said urgently.
“Let's not rush into anything,” Brian warned. “Nathan is very influential in the business community, we can't just accuse him of a crime he might not have committed.”
“But if we wait he has more time to cover up,” Wendy pointed out impatiently. “If we confront him now, he won't be expecting it.”
“Just give me a little more time,” Brian requested. “I'm sure that my contacts will come through with the name of the tipster soon.”
“Okay,” she said as she hung up the phone. She stood in her kitchen knowing that she shouldn’t do what she was about to do, but the more she thought about it the more she justified it to herself. She didn’t want someone getting away with murder because she didn’t take action straight away.
Wendy sorted through her contacts and dialed Nathan's cell phone number. It rang a few times before he answered.
“Nathan Dawls,” he said in a crisp voice. He did not sound the least bit troubled.
“Nathan, hi, I'm not sure if you remember me, but my name is Wendy and I worked with you…”
“Wendy, the wedding planner, right?” he said cheerfully. “Of course I remember you. All I ever hear about around town is you and the beautiful weddings you organize.”
Wendy was surprised, but she did her best to ignore the flattery. “Well, I am in a bit of a tough situation right now. I just had my wedding venue fall through and I need a new location as soon as possible. Your resort wouldn't have anything available, would it?”
“I'll have to check, but I'm sure we can work something out,” Nathan replied.
“I'd like to meet with you as soon as possible,” Wendy explained. “It's really last minute and there are a lot of requirements I need to go over. Do you have any time available?”
“Why don't you come over now?” he suggested. “I’ll make some time for you.”
“Okay,” Wendy replied. She gritted her teeth. “I'll be there soon.”
“Great. I'm looking forward to working with you again, Wendy,” he said before hanging up. Wendy felt a little nervous. She had sworn to herself that she would never work with Nathan again after what he had done to Oliver. Making nice with him, even to solve the mystery, didn’t feel right. Wendy quickly waved goodbye to her new friend, she opened the door and headed for her car. As she drove to Nathan’s she thought about how she would get the truth out of him.
She parked and walked up to the front door of the sprawling mansion. She took a deep breath and then rang the doorbell. A moment later the door swung open. Wendy was a little startled to find Nathan opening his own door. She had expected a butler, or a maid. Instead she was face to face with the man that she believed had possibly killed George and framed Oliver.
“Wendy, it's good to see you,” Nathan said.
“You as well, Nathan,” she said with a smile.
“Welcome,” Nathan replied. “I don't usually talk business at home,” he explained as Wendy walked passed him and into the house.
“It'll only take a minute,” Wendy said warmly. “I can't tell you how grateful I am that you were able to give me a few minutes of your time.”
“Wendy, you have quite a reputation you know,” he said. “And it's growing.”
“Oh, thank you,” Wendy said. She tried to hide her excitement, but it was nice to hear. An instant later she was sobered by the realization that she was possibly accepting a compliment from a killer. “Did you hear about what happened to poor Oliver Handley?” she asked.
“Oliver got himself into trouble yet again,” Nathan shook his head dismissively. “I keep trying to help him, but he refuses me every step of the way.”
“How did you offer to help?” Wendy asked curiously.
“Well, I wanted to get back into business with him. In fact we met about it just a few days ago. He was unreasonable,” he shook his head.
“Can you really blame him?” Wendy said. There was some force in her voice but she tried to hide it. “After everything that happened?”
“About that,” Nathan cleared his throat. “I'll admit it was not my finest hour.”
“Why did you do it? Why did you blame Oliver for everything?” Wendy asked.
“It wasn't personal, that's what Oliver can't seem to comprehend. It was business. I couldn't very well take the blame myself, could I?” he chuckled.
“It was your fault though, wasn't it?” Wendy pressed.
“I thought you wanted to discuss a wedding,” Nathan stated sternly. Just then Nathan’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. “I have to take this,” he scowled at Wendy as he left the room.
Wendy took the opportunity to call Brian to see if he had any news from the health department.
“Wendy,” he said quickly. “I was just about to call you. It couldn’t have been Nathan. He has a solid alibi. Polson just let me know that Nathan was in a planning meeting with his management team all morning. There were numerous witnesses that verified his alibi.”
“Really?” Wendy said. “I was sure it was him.”
“Well, it doesn’t look like it is,” he said. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything else,” he added as he hung up the phone. Wendy stared at the phone for a moment wondering what she should do next. She looked up to see Nathan walking back into the room.
“I'm sorry it looks like one of our other venues just confirmed. Thank you for your time,” she said quickly. She could not wait to get out of there and was relieved that she hadn’t accused Nathan of anything.
“Anytime,” Nathan replied but his voice was cold
Nathan was still looking annoyed as she left. She quickly walked to her car.
When Wendy started her car her cell phone rang and she looked at the display to see it was Brian and answered straight away.
“Good news,” Brian said. “I didn't think he’d call with the details so quickly, but apparently the news about George's death has loosened everyone's lips. I have the name of the tipster who called up the health department.”
Wendy could hear the pride in his voice.
“That's fantastic, Brian. So, who was it that called in the tip?” she asked eagerly.
“A woman named Alisha Baker,” he replied. “I don’t know if the police have the name yet, but I'm running her name through the system now to see if she has any connections with either Oliver or George.”
“Don't bother,” Wendy said breathlessly. “She has a connection to both of them, and to me as well.”
“What do you mean?” Brian asked. “Is she a friend of yours?”
“A former bride,” Wendy explained. “From about a year ago. We were using the resort and restaurant that Oliver worked for as the venue for her wedding. When the restaurant was shut down just before her wedding, she was devastated.”
“The same restaurant that George shut down?” Brian asked incredulously. “What a coincidence.”
“I find it hard to believe that it could be,” she said grimly. “None of this makes sense. Oliver, Nathan, and Alisha are all connected by George.”
“And you,” Brian said.
Wendy's eyes widened at his comment. “I didn't think about that.”
“Wendy, you need to be careful, if Alisha killed George she may have something against not just Oliver, but you as well,” he explained. “Where are you?”
Wendy hesitated before answering. She knew that Brian would be upset with her for going to Nathan’s but she didn’t want to lie to him. “Don’t be mad,” she said quickly so he couldn’t interrupt. “I’m just leaving Nathan’s house, but I made up a good excuse about wanting to see him and I was never in danger. Besides we know it wasn’t him,
now. He has an alibi.”
“Wendy,” he said with a sigh. “Why doesn’t it surprise me that you went see him?”
“The most important thing is that I’m fine,” Wendy said.
“Okay, but I wish you wouldn’t do things like that,” he said. “Just make sure you watch out for Alisha, it looks like she is most likely the murderer.”
“I can’t believe that she could be,” she said grimly. “Brain, I have to go but I'll tell you more about Alisha over lunch.”
“Okay,” Brian said. “But if this person has something against people involved in her wedding, you need to be very careful.”
“I'll be fine,” Wendy promised him. When she hung up the phone, her heart was racing. She didn't want to think that Alisha could be capable of something like this. But why else would she call in a tip and request George by name? Was it possible that Alisha and Nathan were somehow working together? Or was Nathan attempting to somehow pin the phone call on her, when it was him all along? But then how did that explain his alibi? The murder that she thought had been solved only minutes before, had just become quite a bit more complicated.
Chapter Six
Wendy paused a moment before pulling out of Nathan’s driveway. She knew that she should let someone know where she was headed next, but she didn't want to. She wanted to hear the truth from Alisha before anyone else had the chance to alert her to their suspicions.
Luckily, she rarely lost track of her brides. She still had Alisha's contact information, including her address, stored in her phone. Wendy could only hope that Alisha would still be living there. She drove in the direction of the address.
Her mind was filled with a mixture of disgust and guilt. She knew that Alisha was a little stranger than most brides. She had been a little more obsessed than other women that Wendy was used to working with. But she had decided that she was just a little highly strung.
