by Katie Hagen
“Thanks, Frannie,” I smiled. “But I don’t think I have a choice. I have to figure out what happened, or Kitty’s will end up closed for good. I just can’t stand the idea of that.”
“I understand,” she sighed. “I can’t imagine if I had to close Paint N’ Tings. That place is like another child to me.”
“I’m glad you understand. Well, if you hear anything…” I walked her to the door.
“Of course,” she smiled.
I closed the door behind her and went back to sit on the couch.
“So, have you heard about Vic having a girlfriend? Have you seen him at the bar with anyone?"
"Vic," she practically snorted. “Never. He comes in every once in a while, but he never even tries to talk to anyone. He just sits there drinking rum and Coke’s and goes home alone.”
“Well I know he was seeing someone. He couldn’t help mentioning it when it was over there. Maybe he met someone online?”
“That would make more sense.”
I started to pull up a dating app on my phone. “Do you like catfish?”
Carlie wrinkled her nose. “Gross. No.”
“Not like the food, but like the tv show. We could set up a fake profile and see who in this town is looking for love online.”
“Fun!” Carlie laughed. “Let’s be Gavin. I’ve always loved that name.”
I went to work and in a few minutes, we’d set up an email address for Gavin, found him a couple pictures online and made a profile on a popular dating app. “I guess now we just have to wait.”
We both stared at my phone until it suddenly rang. I answered quickly.
“Kit! I got some information for you, dear.” Bev purred at me. A man’s laugh came from somewhere entirely too close.
“Um, ok. What is it, Bev?”
Carlie went to the kitchen and began rifling through the fridge while I listened to the most uncomfortable phone call of my life. By the time I hung up, I was sure my face was green. One look from Carlie proved I was right.
“Woah, what did she say?”
“Basically, that Ashley never did anything on her own in high school. Her dad was always paying her way into everything.”
“Well, I guess you were right about that then.”
“I know, I love it. But here’s the best part. I guess the nepotism didn’t stop there. Mayor Trull paid her way through the academy too. She’s completely under his thumb! I just knew it,” I gushed. “Henry heard that they were going to make an arrest soon too. Vic Perring. He also thinks we need to talk to Ashley and see what she really knows. There’s no evidence saying Vic did anything, I guess. Sounds more like someone had a reason to see Vic go down for this.”
“So why do you look so green?”
“It’s not what they were saying, but how they said it. Carlie. I’m pretty sure they were about to…do it.”
“Gross!” Carlie laughed. “Why would she call in the middle of that?”
I started to laugh with her. “I don’t know!”
We both started rolling around in our seats and grabbing our stomachs.
“I’m trying so hard not to pee right now!” Carlie coughed out.
“Don’t pee on Kitty’s chair!” I wheezed at her and clenched my own legs together.
When we’d managed to calm down and dry our eyes, we decided that the only thing to do was to go talk to Ashley Trull and hope she would tell us something useful.
Ashley lived in a two-story home on the west side of town where a little neighborhood looked down over the bay, just a few blocks below the courthouse and the mayor’s office. Instead of gardens in front, Ashley had big patches of scattered river rock. The home looked clean but cold. I hadn’t expected anything more.
“This better be worth it,” I said as we pulled up outside of her house. “You knock,” I instructed Carlie when we got to the door. Picklepuss sat in the car and stared at us and I wished I could have stayed too. Carlie told me I could, but I couldn’t do that to her.
When Ashley answered she looked startled to see us. Her hair was loose and fell over the shoulders of a grey sweatshirt. She had on skinny jeans that showed her tiny thighs and was holding a quart of ice cream. A spoon hung out of the front of her mouth that she snatched out as soon as she saw us.
“What do you want?” She growled.
“We just need to ask you a couple questions.” Carlie’s tone was delicate and to my surprise Ashley moved aside so we could enter. She told us to go to the living room while she headed to the kitchen.
“Was she crying?” I whispered to Carlie who shrugged. We both sat on one of three floral couches.
The living room was huge and filled with windows. Sheer yellow curtains covered each one but didn’t keep the light from filtering through. A huge leather ottoman sat in the center of the couch formation and on it was a shallow wooden box filled with magazines, tissues, and various remote controls.
A huge flatscreen television was mounted on the wall across from us and even though it was paused I recognized a scene from one of my favorite movies, Love Actually, immediately.
“Wow. She’s really working hard on the case,” I sneered but Carlie hushed me as Ashley walked back into the room.
Her hair was pulled back and her face looked freshly washed. I still noticed a drop of chocolate on her sweatshirt though. She sat on the couch and pulled her bony legs up beneath her.
“So?”
Carlie looked at me expectantly. I guess now I was allowed to talk.
“We heard that you were going to arrest Vic.”
Ashley squinted her tiny eyes at me. “And how did you hear that?”
“Oh, I don’t know, word travels fast in the criminal world. I did spend time behind bars you know.”
We both glared at each other before Carlie interrupted.
“Ashley, do you really think Vic did this?”
Ashley sighed and untucked her legs. “It seems that way.”
“But do YOU really think that?”
She looked at Carlie and then at me. “He has motive.”
“And?” I questioned. “I mean, half the town has motive from what I hear? Is there any evidence?”
“No. There’s nothing, ok? Is that what you want to hear? There’s no fingerprints, no DNA, no forced entry. But we have to arrest someone. This whole town is coming down on me, but no one will say a word. I’m getting crickets.”
“Well they sure are talking to me,” I smiled.
“Great.”
Carlie cleared her throat and gave me a look that said, play nice.
“We heard that Vicki had a boyfriend. Do you know anything about that?” She asked Ashley patiently. I didn’t know my sister had it in her to play the good cop, but it was fun to watch. We were going to laugh so hard about this later.
“I heard it, yeah. But no one seems to know anything.” She pushed a wayward hair behind her ear. “Except maybe Roberta Frond. But she’s about as closed lip as a catholic nun.”
I tried so hard not to smile. I would not let Ashley get a joke in that actually made me laugh.
“How long have you been dating Jordan?” I spat out instead. I hadn’t even seen it coming myself and it was clear by Ashley’s face that she was just as surprised.
“Why do you care?” she said coldly.
“She doesn’t,” Carlie interjected. “She just saw you together earlier.”
Ashley picked at her manicure. “I’m not talking to you about Jordan. Like I said before, he finally saw through you. I knew it would happen eventually.”
“Wow,” I sighed. “You sure played the long game there, didn’t you? I guess it took me leaving town for him to finally be desperate enough to give you a shot. The Glaney well is only so deep, after all.”
“Kit!” Carlie hissed. “That’s not fair and you know it.” She then nodded in Ashley’s direction and I saw something I thought I never would but had wished for most of my life. Ashley was crying. It wasn’t as satisfying as I thoug
ht it would be.
Ashley wiped her eyes. “I think that’s enough. You can go now.”
Carlie went to sit next to her and put her hand on Ashley’s shoulder, but she shrugged it away.
“Fine!” I stood and waited for Carlie. “Let’s get out of here.”
Carlie looked between us then finally stood up. “Ok, Kit. Let’s go.”
We drove home in silence.
When we got to Kitty’s, Carlie said she was going out. She didn’t invite me. I wouldn’t have said yes if she had. What I really wanted was time to myself. To be fair though, I didn’t know what I wanted.
Chapter 10
I woke up to a pounding headache and ran to the bathroom, nearly falling into the toilet as I gripped the sides and expelled the contents of my stomach. The night before I’d made the crucial mistake of mixing alcohols while trying to drink and eat my feelings.
If only I hadn’t found that bottle of gin in Kitty’s cupboards. Now my mouth tasted like pine-needle vomit and cheese.
Carlie came to lean against the doorframe. I hadn’t even heard her come home. I was too focused on the toilet to look at her but after a second I felt her gathering my hair. When I finished, I leaned back and wiped my mouth with some tissue. Carlie was sitting on the edge of the bathtub.
“I’m not even mad,” she smirked. “Just disappointed.”
We both laughed and I grabbed my head. “Sorry, Mom,” I croaked out.
“Come on,” she sighed and helped me get up. I used her as a crutch as we walked to the kitchen where the coffee was already brewing.
“I hate her,” I groaned into my arms with my face pressed against the counter.
“I know.” Carlie poured two mugs of coffee and sat down. “So, boss. What’s the plan for today?”
Picklepuss burped loudly and I looked over to find her finishing her breakfast. “I need to let her out.”
“Did it. You’re a really bad dog owner by the way.”
“Hey, she’s my first dog. Give me a break.”
“Well you’re welcome but start taking care of her yourself. You know I’m not a dog person.”
“You love her,” I lifted my head enough to take a sip of coffee.
“She’s alright,” Carlie smiled down at Picklepuss. “So?”
“So what? Oh, right, today’s plans.”
I sat up on my stool and took a bigger drink of coffee. I then downed the aspirin that magically appeared in front of me. Slowly, my head began to clear. I tried to remember what Ashley had said before the conversation turned so sharply to Jordan Parker.
“Roberta Frond. That’s our first stop. Do you know where to find her?”
Carlie looked into her coffee cup for the answer. “Wait! I think I do.”
She went down the inner door to the shop and I waited on my stool. I wasn’t in the chasing mood. Picklepuss went to the doorway and stood wagging her tail then darted out of the way when Carlie came back through holding a business card in her hand. She flipped it onto the counter, and I clapped my hand over it to keep it from sliding away.
“Hey look! I still have reflexes.”
“You’re not paralyzed. Just hung over,” Carlie laughed. “What a lightweight!”
“Sorry I don’t spend every night at the bar like some people. Where were you last night anyway?”
“At the…”
“Bar. Exactly.”
Carlie took a drink of coffee. “So, are you going to look at that or did I just run up stairs for nothing?
I flipped over the card and read what was printed neatly on the front. Roberta Frond – Dog Walking and Pet Sitting Services.
“Huh. Well I guess that’s convenient.” I picked up my phone and dialed. Roberta answered and I told her the truth.
“I have Picklepuss and she needs to be walked sometimes.”
Carlie looked at me like I was an alien. I whispered to her, “I think I’m still a little drunk!” It was then that I realized I was still in no condition to string coherent words together. Luckily Roberta knew Picklepuss and latched on to that part. She got my address and said she’d be over shortly to talk. Before setting down my phone I noticed that our dating app profile, or Gavin’s profile, had been approved.
“Food?” I said as I moved to the couch.
Carlie went to the fridge then closed the door. “I think you ate it all.”
I groaned my disapproval from the couch.
“Fine. I’ll go to the store but I’m taking your wallet.”
“Mmmhhhph,” I replied eloquently.
Picklepuss jumped up to lay in the crook of my legs and I heard the door close behind Carlie.
Keeping as still as possible I scrolled through the available women in my area and felt more and more creepy with every swipe. Most of them I didn’t recognize but finally one face seemed familiar. I couldn’t remember where I’d seen her before. Maybe at one of the salons? Or at the bar?
Someone knocked on the door and Picklepuss jumped on my stomach in her path to the door. I nearly threw up again but managed to throw myself together and answer it.
I opened it to find a middle-aged woman with short blue hair, piercing green eyes and pale eyebrows. She cocked her head to the side; her bird-like expression illuminated by her fluffy yellow coat, black sweatpants, and running shoes. Picklepuss peed on the floor.
“Oh! Wow. Ok, just step over that. I’ll get it. I think she knows you though.” I grabbed some paper towels and tried not to fall over while I cleaned up the mess.
“Ay, she does. This one’s one of my best clients.” Her voice was raspy, and she spoke with a slight accent. Scottish maybe, or Russian? I was never good with accents and the pounding in my head certainly didn’t help with that.
“So, you’re Roberta,” I said in more of a statement than a question. When I heard she was Vicki’s best friend, I had expected someone more rigid. Roberta took off her coat and I saw that both of her arms were covered in tattoos. This had to be the wrong Roberta Frond.
“So, I notice ya’ starin.” She said awkwardly and sat on a kitchen stool facing me.
“I’m sorry! It’s just…you look so cool.”
Roberta smiled. “Thank you? Are dog walkers not cool?”
“Oh, they are. I didn’t mean…” I took a breath and tried my best to start over. “I’m a dog groomer. I get it. But I heard that you were friends with Vicki? I just didn’t expect you to be, well, you I guess.”
Roberta nodded sadly. “That I was. She was a good woman.”
“Oh totally,” I said and sat down next to her. “It’s just that she came across as a bit harsh to a lot of people. Or so I heard.”
“Oh, that’s just Vicki. She didn’t mean any harm by it. Just trying to make people better. She reminded me of my mother. Tough love she called it,” Roberta laughed. “So how did you end up with Picklepuss?”
I could tell she wanted to get back to business, but I needed to hear more about Vicki. I got the feeling, however, that lying to her wouldn’t work. “I’m the one that found Vicki’s body. Picklepuss was just running loose and the police didn’t seem to care so I took her home. It’s only temporary,” I added.
Roberta nodded. “That’s the same story I heard.”
I felt like I passed some kind of test and breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, it was right in Roberta’s face.
“Rough night?” she said fanning her face.
“Oh crap, I’m sorry. That was rude.”
Roberta waved off my apology. “I like you,” she said. “So, when do you want to start?”
“I’m sorry, start what?”
“The dog walks. Do you want daily? A couple times a week? Just for emergencies?”
I’d totally forgotten why she’d come over in the first place. “Um, I guess just for emergencies? I can’t always take her with me everywhere and she destroys the house if I leave her alone. Maybe I could set it up that I could bring her to you instead?”
Roberta nodded. “Th
at works for me. You have my card.” She stood up suddenly and I knew I was about to lose her. Ashley said she wouldn’t talk to the police, but I really needed to hear what she knew about Vicki’s secret boyfriend.
“Roberta! Hold on, can I ask you a couple questions about Vicki?”
Roberta sat down slowly. “Why?”
“I want to help. I’m trying to figure out who killed her, and it seems that this whole town is depending on me to do just that.”
Roberta smiled at me. “This town means a lot to me, and Vicki wasn’t what everyone thought she was. You want to help find the bastard then start with her boyfriend.”
“Perfect. Who is that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Great.”
“But I have a feeling.”
I sighed. “Well, let’s start there.”
I poured us some more water before she continued. “Well Vicki never talked about her boyfriends. I know she was dating a man named Henry because I saw him there once when I was picking up Pickles.”
“I know about him, but I don’t think he had anything to do with it.”
“Neither do I. But there was another man. He always came by late at night. Every once in a while, I’d be doin’ a walk for another client at about the same time and I’d see ‘im creeping along the back. No car in the driveway. It was all real shady. I told her that she shouldn’t let a man treat her that way, but she said it wasn’t like that. He was just a friend.” Roberta leaned in and raised one pale eyebrow. “But do friends bring flowers and chocolate?”
“Not mine,” I agreed.
“Well the day she died I went there to see if Picklepuss needed me. I didn’t know that you’d already scooped her up. Well, I saw the flowers and the brownies on the table.”
I nodded. I’d seen them too.
“And you know what? Just the day before I’d been in the flower shop and guess who I saw buying those same flowers and some of those brownies?”
“Who?” I asked breathlessly. I was hooked.
She leaned back. A move designed, I decided, to torture me with suspense. Just when I was about to scream, she answered.
