Murder Can Confuse Your Chihuahua

by Rose Pressey

  And she thought I was nosy?

  “I am not nosy,” I said defensively.

  Her left eyebrow remained tilted up. My brothers and my father crossed their arms in front of their chests.

  “Okay, I’m a little nosy.”

  They still watched me.

  “Okay, I’m a lot nosy. Are you happy now?”

  “I won’t be happy until you’re out of there.” My father punctuated the sentence by pointing his fork at me.

  My mother lifted an eyebrow, and I knew she wouldn’t let the question go without an answer from me.

  “Well, they’ve been interviewing a guy at the craft fair. He’s a painter. He does a lot of dark, spooky art,” I said.

  “He sounds like a creep,” Hank said.

  “Pretty much,” I said.

  “I don’t want you to have any dealings with this guy,” my mother said.

  “I don’t,” I said, studying my plate.

  I knew if my mother saw my face, she’d read my expression. She’d know that I was keeping something from her. Silence fell over the room. Even the sound of my brothers scarfing down food had stopped. I knew they all had suspicions about my involvement with the investigation.

  “Are you going to tell us the truth now?” my mother asked.

  “What about the truth?”

  “Have you been snooping around the investigation?” my mother asked.

  They seemed to forget that I had been an adult for a number of years now.

  “I’m just there trying to sell paintings,” I said. “Now, can we change the subject?”

  My mother quirked an eyebrow. My father scowled. My brothers continued eating.

  “So what do you plan on setting on fire next?” I asked, changing the subject to my brothers’ shenanigans.

  CHAPTER 13

  Don’t be afraid to ask for help with customers if you need it. Also, maybe they can help with the ghosts and locating a killer.

  The craft fair got another sunny start this morning, and I’d convinced my best friend, Sammie, to watch the booth for me while I went to the library.

  “You want me to sit here like a sitting duck and wait for the killer to show up?” she’d asked with wide eyes.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “It’s daylight, and there are a bunch of people around. Nothing will happen to you. Just don’t go into that wooded area over there.”

  “If I’m murdered, I will come back to haunt you. I will be relentless.”

  “I have no doubt,” I said.

  Sammie had been reluctant to stay but finally agreed. I took off for the library, leaving her there with Van. I was confident that she would be just fine. I knew Caleb was around, although I hadn’t seen Danny this morning, which was kind of odd. Usually, I caught him staring at me. Karla had been at her booth, keeping an eye on my movements as usual.

  I pulled my truck up to the library and parked next to the entrance. I hopped out and headed inside, excited for what I might find. Sure, if I didn’t find anything, I would be disappointed, but I kept positive thoughts in mind that I would have success. I felt positive thinking worked. No doubt, the thought of finding a clue was exciting.

  The first things I wanted to check were newspaper articles. I wasn’t sure how, but something was telling me that I should check for similar crimes. It was a nagging thought in the back of my mind.

  Only a few patrons sat around the tables in the middle of the room. The librarian wasn’t around. I sat down at the table and sorted through some articles. I checked recent news, but nothing was showing up as suspicious or remotely connected. I wanted to find out if there was anything in the area or to possibly see a mention of Erica’s name.

  A couple of minutes later, I’d found more articles about the horrible car accident. Erica had been involved in about a year ago. I remembered hearing about this on the news at the time.

  Maybe it was my imagination, but the photo of the surviving crash victim looked a lot like the Karla who was in the booth nearby to mine. I leaned closer to the screen for better scrutiny. Yes, it had to be Karla. Why had she not mentioned this to me? Right away I became suspicious. Was she trying to hide this? Did Pierce and Caleb know about this? I stopped myself from picking up my phone and calling them right away. I had to make sure it was Karla first.

  When I scrolled down the screen and saw the other name that had been involved in the accident, I almost fell out of my chair. Erica’s car had been the one who’d hit someone else’s car. And unfortunately, someone in that car had died. But the driver of the car that Erica hit was Karla Dean. I was right. It had been her, and she’d never spoken a word about it. This would be a huge deal, considering she’d acted as if she didn’t know Erica.

  Should I confront her with this information? Why not? Yes, I should just come right out and ask her. I’d tell her that I saw it in the newspaper. No, that wouldn’t work since it had happened over a year ago. I’d just tell her that my memory had been triggered and I’d remembered seeing her picture in the paper. Though if she was the killer, that might trigger her and she might try to kill me too. I’d just play it by ear and see what happened.

  I stood up from the computer and spun around to leave. A flash of someone as they walked behind a bookshelf caught my attention, stopping me in my tracks. I thought for sure I’d spotted Danny. Had he followed me here? That thought sent a shiver down my spine. Nevertheless, I had to see if it was him. Why was he following me?

  I walked over to the aisle where I’d just seen him. When I peeked around the side, he wasn’t there. He must have walked down the other side. My heart beat a little faster as I spun around to see if he was now behind me.

  Thank goodness, he wasn’t there. Had I imagined this? No, I knew for sure I’d seen him. Though maybe it was just someone who looked like him. After all, I’d only gotten a glimpse of the man. I hoped it really wasn’t Danny. The thought that he was following me gave me the creeps.

  I walked around the other shelves but still didn’t see him. I released a breath of relief. It must have just been someone else, and now the person had left the library. Or it really was Danny and he’d left in a hurry once he knew I’d seen him. I needed to get out of here. If he was following me, I’d have to be on guard as I left the building. When I stepped out of the library, I surveyed all around for any sign of Danny.

  He was nowhere in sight, so I hurried to my truck. If he had been searching for me, it would certainly be easy to track me down with my pink truck. It stuck out like a neon sign. Perhaps I should borrow someone else’s car for a while. Could I afford to get a rental car until all of this was settled?

  After jumping in the truck, I pulled out of the library parking lot. As I cruised down the road, I caught a glimpse of a car behind me. It was close, and I recognized it right away. Now I had my answer for sure. Danny was behind the steering wheel and was trailing close to my bumper. My adrenaline pumped. What would I do now? It was too dangerous to reach for my phone in my purse. I would have to drive somewhere safe. I’d watched a program about a woman who’d been run off the road and kidnapped. I didn’t want to meet that same fate.

  I was still a good distance from the police station, and I wasn’t sure I could make it there before Danny tried something crazy. Up ahead was a traffic light, and I prayed that it wouldn’t change to red. Would he get out of his car and approach my truck? Did I have anything to use as a weapon if he attacked me? How dare he follow me like this? Not only was I scared, but now I was angry too.

  Thank goodness, the red light didn’t catch me. I cruised through under the green light, but soon realized that Danny had made a right. Relief washed over me, though I was still cautious and reeling from the experience. Maybe he hadn’t been following me after all. No. I felt sure he’d done that on purpose. Maybe he was just trying to scare me. It had worked, but I wouldn’t let on to him that I was scared.

  My phone alerted me that I had a text message. I’d have to wait to read it, though, because
I didn’t want to take a chance and pull over. Danny could reappear at any time. Now what would I do? Should I tell Caleb and Pierce about my encounter with Danny? Or was it really nothing to worry about? At the least, I had to tell them what I’d discovered about Karla and Erica. Though they probably already knew. Why didn’t they tell me these things?

  I really wanted to confirm that Karla was the same person listed in the newspaper article. Though since the photo had looked just like Karla Dean, I was almost certain. I’d have to think of a sly way to ask her. If I came right out and asked, she’d be suspicious. She probably already questioned my motives.

  Thank goodness, I safely pulled up to the craft fair and parked the truck. As I walked back toward the booths, I kept my eye out for anything or anyone acting suspiciously. At this point, I couldn’t trust anyone. When I reached the edge of Karla’s trailer, I paused. She was probably around at the front working on her leather bags. Standing at the edge of the trailer, I released a deep breath.

  Working up my courage, I peeked around the side. I hoped she didn’t see me doing this. Karla was nowhere in sight. Thank goodness, she wasn’t standing right behind me. That would have given me a heart attack. She wasn’t beside me either. Thank goodness. Now I wasn’t sure what to do next. I had no plan.

  After a few more seconds, I stepped out from around Karla’s trailer. She’d left all her items out. There were no customers around; it was kind of a slow time right now. I spotted Sammie at my booth. She was talking with a customer and had no idea that I was anywhere around.

  I peered down and spotted a black wallet on the ground by Karla’s trailer door. Moving closer, I reached down and picked it up. I opened it to check for identification. Someone had obviously lost their wallet. When I saw the picture and name, I realized this was Karla’s wallet. I peered around again to see if I spotted Karla. Still she was nowhere around. Now at least I had confirmed that she was the woman who had been in the accident.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” the female voice yelled.

  I spun around to see Karla approaching me. Uh oh. I was in trouble now.

  “Are you stealing from me?” She closed the distance between us quickly.

  Before I had a chance to answer, she yanked the wallet from my hands.

  “Of course, I’m not stealing from you. I happened to walk by and saw the wallet on the ground. I didn’t want anyone to take it, so I picked it up,” I said defensively.

  How dare she accuse me of stealing?

  “I saw you rifling through it. You were trying to take the money out.”

  “If I was trying to do that, do you really think I’d stand right here to do it?” I placed my hands on my hips.

  She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not sure what you’re capable of.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  “You found the murdered woman.” Karla raised an eyebrow. “What’s to say that you didn’t kill her?”

  “Is that right? What’s to say you didn’t kill her?” I tossed it back to her.

  She scoffed. “That’s preposterous. Why would I do that? I can’t believe you have the audacity to accuse me of something like that.”

  “You knew Erica, and you’re acting as if you didn’t,” I said.

  I hadn’t planned on confronting her with this, but she’d left me no choice. I wasn’t going to let her accuse me of something so horrendous.

  She eyed me up and down, seemingly growing nervous. “What makes you say that?”

  Karla’s voice cracked. There was no way she could get out of this one. I’d confront her with the newspaper article if I had to.

  “I know you had a car accident with Erica last year. I’m sorry your sister died in the wreck, but I know that Erica was the one driving the car that hit yours.”

  Her face reddened. “You don’t know anything.”

  Without waiting for another response from me, she stormed past me and walked into her trailer. She slammed the door shut, leaving me standing alone. This had caught the attention of several people, including Sammie. She held her arms up as if to ask what I was doing. I hated that I might have upset Karla by mentioning her sister’s death. Maybe I should have kept quiet. I hurried over to my booth, where Sammie was waiting for me.

  “What was that all about?” she asked.

  I blew the hair out of my eyes. “Where do I start? Number one, Karla accused me of trying to steal her wallet.”

  Sammie scowled. “Why would she do that?”

  “Well, I was holding her wallet when she walked up to her booth,” I said.

  Sammie raised an eyebrow. “I have to admit that’s not good, Celeste. Why were you holding her wallet?”

  “I found it on the ground by her trailer. I thought someone had lost it, and I was just trying to be helpful,” I said.

  “That makes sense, but why were you by her trailer?” Sammie asked.

  “Snooping around, of course.”

  “That could be dangerous. What are you snooping for?”

  So far there was no sign of Karla. Thank goodness, she hadn’t come back out of her trailer yet.

  “This is something bad, isn’t it?” Sammie asked.

  “I did some research, and you’re not going to believe what I discovered at the library.”

  Sammie’s eyes widened. “What did you discover?”

  “About a year ago, Karla was involved in a car accident with Erica.”

  “Erica? The woman who was murdered?” Sammie asked.

  “Yes, that Erica. According to the report, Erica hit Karla’s car. It was a horrific crash, and Karla’s sister died. The police said it was just a horrible accident because of wet roads.”

  “That is awful,” Sammie said. “But you think that Karla might have been out for revenge, don’t you?”

  “I’m certainly not ruling it out as a possibility,” I said.

  “Did you ask her about it?”

  “She left me no choice really. She accused me of killing Erica.”

  “How did that happen?” Sammie asked.

  “She basically implied that, if I was capable of stealing her wallet, I was capable of killing someone too.”

  “That could just be a distraction to throw you off her trail,” Sammie said.

  “That’s what I thought,” I said.

  “Have you told Caleb or Pierce about this?” Sammie asked.

  “No, but I’m definitely going to tell them now,” I said.

  “They won’t like your snooping around,” Sammie said in a singsong voice.

  CHAPTER 14

  Watch your body language. People might misinterpret your actions. Don’t shout or be too quiet either. It’s best not to arouse suspicions.

  Darkness had fallen over the craft fair. Instead of hiding out in my trailer because there was a killer on the loose, I decided to go out into the scary world and hunt for him. At least, I didn’t go to the river. I wasn’t that crazy. However, I had decided to visit Madame Gerard. I knew that she accepted customers until nine-thirty. It was nine now. If I hurried, I could get there before she closed. Somehow, I’d convinced Sammie to tag along. I hadn’t wanted to go alone, and having Ama with me wasn’t enough. Everyone else would still think I was alone. I felt safer if people saw me with someone.

  Sammie had left the craft fair this afternoon, but she had agreed to come back, picking me up in the church’s parking lot. As I walked toward the lot, every rustle of a leaf or chirp of a cricket made me antsy. As I hurried toward the spot where Sammie was supposed to meet me, I held Van in my arms. He’d walked on his leash for a short distance, but he’d decided he’d rather I carry him.

  Unfortunately, Sammie’s car wasn’t there when I arrived. I hoped I didn’t have to wait long for her. A few cars were parked around the lot, but there were no people. It felt as if someone watched me as I stood there. I peered around to see if maybe I was missing someone, but I still saw no one around. I pulled out my phone and sent Sammie a text message. />
  Where are you? It’s scary out here.

  I’d barely hit SEND when I spotted her car pull into the parking lot. I released a deep breath. Thank goodness, she’d shown up. When she pulled up, I hopped in right away.

  She checked her phone and read my text. “It’s scary out here? Maybe you should think about that before you decide to play detective and get me involved too.”

  “I took that into consideration,” I said.

  “Yet it didn’t stop you,” Sammie said as she took off across the lot.

  “You’d think it would, but it didn’t.”

  Sammie still hadn’t seen Ama, which surprised me a bit since I knew Sammie had seen a ghost before. Ama sat in the middle of the back seat and leaned forward so she could hear our conversation. I checked the time on my phone. It was now eight minutes after nine, and we still had a five-minute drive.

  “We have to hurry if we want to get there before she closes,” I said.

  “What made you decide to see the psychic tonight?” Sammie asked as she pulled out onto the street.

  “Just a feeling, I guess. Something was drawing me to her,” I said.

  “You’d better hope she feels the same way or she won’t be happy with this last-minute visit,” Sammie said as she sped through a yellow light.

  “You’re telling me. Have you noticed how her dark eyes penetrate right through you?”

  “It sends a shiver down my spine.” Sammie shook.

  “I don’t have to worry about that since she can’t even see me,” Ama said. “Are you sure she’s even gifted with the spirit world?”

  I wasn’t sure if I should answer Ama and tell Sammie about her now. Maybe I should wait until after we’d seen the psychic, though Madame Gerard would likely mention sensing that Ama was around. I’d might as well come clean now.

  “What are you inspecting back there?” Sammie asked. “I know I need to clean my car, but you don’t need to criticize.”

  “It’s not that,” I said.

  “Well, what is it?” Sammie asked, taking her eyes off the road for just a second.