by Rosie Sams
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Six
“My money’s on Harriet Vickers.”” Alvin said as he along with Wilbur and Melody munched on some pizza from the late-night delivery joint open on Court Street.
Smudge sat near their feet, chewing on a toy.
“I’m not quite sure I agree,” Melody said. “Something isn’t adding up, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“Harriet has a motive. We heard her threaten Francine. We witnessed it.”
“Al, I know it seems like it makes sense, but I’m just not convinced yet. Smudge didn’t even flinch at her when we were in the shop. She usually picks up on those things.”
“I love Smudge, but she’s not always right,” Alvin said.
Smudge dropped her chew toy and covered her eyes with her paw.
“Sorry, Smudge, none of us can get them all right 100% of the time.”
Melody scowled at him. When was the little dog ever wrong? Melody couldn’t think of one time. Maybe Alvin was still mad at her for giving him a hard time about Kelshaw.
Alvin caught sight of the scowl and said, “Either way, we’ll figure it out. I’m confident one of those leather samples from either the shop will turn out to be the murder weapon, or maybe it will be the torn sleeve from Tara’s jacket or the handle from her purse. Wilbur, did you talk with Otto?”
“Yes, he’s on his way down. He should be here any second. The poor guy is going to be devastated. It’s one thing to lose one love of your life, but to lose two? I couldn’t imagine that.”
Alvin glanced at Melody. Even though their marriage was new, she knew Alvin and could tell he was thinking about his own “what if.”
After about fifteen minutes, Otto walked into the station. Melody noticed two things. He looked like he was worried sick, and he was wearing that same jacket proving the man was nothing if not consistent.
“Thank you so much for coming down,” Alvin said as he ushered Otto into Interrogation Room A. “It’s quiet in here, let’s go talk.”
“Hey Mel, I’ll take Smudge for a walk if you want to head on in with Alvin,” Wilbur said.
Melody thanked him and ducked into Room A with Alvin and Otto. She glanced at Alvin, questioning with her eyes as to whether or not he was alright with her presence. He nodded approvingly.
“Is this about Francine? I’ve been so worried about her. She never came home from the party, then Wilbur called and asked me to come down. I was a Sheriff. I know this can’t be good.” Otto ran his hands through his hair. “Just break it to me. Is she dead? Alvin be straight with me.”
Melody bit back a groan. Wilbur was supposed to break the news, not just call him to come in.
“Unfortunately, Otto, her body, was found by Hiram Green behind the restaurant near the dumpster. I’m so sorry for your loss,” Alvin said.
“I never should have left her alone! Never! It’s all my fault. Such a stupid thing for me to do.”
“Can you tell us what happened? Why did you leave her alone?” Alvin asked.
Otto started to sob. “She was so argumentative all night, with everyone. She started on Tara, then she was picking on Harriet, and then finally me. The bitchiness just kept going around in circles. You could see the guests wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, and frankly, so did I.”
Alvin rose from the table and got the man a glass of water. He let him continue without interruption.
“She was belligerent, and the more she drank, the worse it got. We had an argument about Tara. She was always treating the kid poorly, and after seeing all the hard work Tara put into the party, I’d had enough of Francine ragging on her. She’s a good kid, that Little Tara. I threatened to leave Francine at the restaurant if she didn’t apologize to Tara, and she refused, so I thought I was teaching her a lesson by leaving.” His shoulders shook with grief.
“I’m so sorry, Otto. I’m sure it must be devastating to lose the love of your life.” Alvin tried to console the man.
Otto nodded mournfully. “She wasn’t really like that, she just couldn’t show her true feelings. It was as if she couldn’t let people like her.”
Melody watched Alvin interact with his mentor, but she had questions. “Mr. Kelshaw, I’m terribly sorry for your loss. How long did you know Francine?” The question seemed harmless enough.
“I met her about six months ago. I fell in love with her at first sight. I never expected to find love again, but I found a different kind of love with Francine. We were making big plans. We were going to take a cruise around the world once she sold the shop.”
“I can only imagine how hard this is on you, Otto,” Alvin said.
“Francine seemed like she had a tight grip on her store. Do you know why she suddenly decided to retire? Did you encourage her to retire?” Melody asked. She avoided looking at Alvin, but still, she could feel him glaring at her.
“Sure, I may have told her that she deserved to retire and enjoy life. We weren’t getting any younger. After tonight, I regret not having convinced her sooner. If she had, we would have been halfway around the world by now instead of discussing… her… her de… the end of her life.”
“I see. It’s a sad way to go, especially after having dedicated her life to creating a successful business like she did,” Melody said. She sensed Alvin wasn’t happy with her right now, but she wasn’t quite done just yet. “Just one more question, Mr. Kelshaw.” Alvin kicked Melody under the table. He knew his wife and could predict what was about to come out of her mouth. “Where did you go after you left the restaurant, and why did it take you so long to track down Francine?”
Otto’s expression changed dramatically. He glared at Alvin, who flushed from the neck up. Regardless, he answered Melody’s question. “I went directly home, and no, there’s no one to verify that fact. But, once I did get home, I tried to contact Francine all night. I thought she was ignoring my calls. She’s done that before. It’s the only reason why I didn’t go back to get her. We’ve had fights like this before, and it’s usually best if we go to our respective corners for a while. That we sleep on it and then start again.” Then, he narrowed his eyes at Alvin. “Is she interrogating me?”
“No, Sheriff… I mean, Otto, no. We’re just trying to clear everyone that should be cleared, obviously.” Alvin glared at Melody.
“Do you know who I am?” Otto asked Melody. “Do you understand that I am well respected around here?”
Melody assured him with a confirming nod. “Yes, sir. Of course, and in knowing that, I’m sure you’d want it on record so no one could suggest you had any involvement which we both trust to be the truth – you being a man of your stature.” Melody suspected Alvin was going to divorce her after this interrogation.
“Excuse us for one moment, Otto.” Alvin grabbed Melody by the arm and guided her outside Interrogation Room A. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.
“I’m just asking the most basic questions that you’re, for some reason, not.”
“Mel, the man, is an upstanding and honored member of the force,” Alvin said a little too defensively.
“These are basic questions you would normally ask anyone. Is it possible you could be letting your emotional connection to this man get in the way of your job?”
Wilbur approached them to get caught up, but hearing the tone of the conversation, he immediately excused himself, obviously, sensing a storm.
“Melody Hennessey — don’t ever take that tone with me again in this station house again. This is my station, do you understand?” He kept his tone low, not wanting to embarrass his wife in front of others despite his frustration with her.
“Al, it wasn’t my intention to embarrass you in front of your subordinates or even Otto.”
Smudge had followed them out, she dropped her toy frog on Melody’s foot and whined softly.
“But we are hours into this investigation, and you haven’t asked him one important question.”
For probably, the first time in thei
r relationship, Alvin was furious with her, but she had a point. Smudge left her toy to rub against Alvin’s legs. Then, she stood on her hind legs and pawed his shin.
“Ok, Smudge. It’s alright. Mommy and Daddy aren’t fighting.”
Melody lifted her brow at his use of the term “mommy” and “daddy.” “Oh, I think we are.”
“Otto Kelshaw is a solid guy. His position, what he’s done for this town, deserves a little respect. His version of the events is good enough for me, and that should be good enough for you. Now, drop it.”
Melody turned on her heels. She grabbed Smudge’s leash, clipped it, and went for a walk to let cooler heads prevail.
Alvin frowned as she turned her back on him and left the building. In his state of frustration, he kicked a small trash pail across the room.
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Seven
After interviewing Saint Otto, Melody needed a break from the case and Alvin. She hated the thought of fighting with him. As she tried to lead Smudge away from the station, the little Frenchie whined and tried to pull her back.
“C’mon, Smudge. I need this walk to clear my mind, so I don’t keep arguing with Alvin. We’ll just do a short one around the block and back.”
Smudge whined and twisted in a circle. When she was finished, she looked up at Melody as if she’d completed the task.
Melody chuckled. “No, you little nut. C’mon, once around the block, not once around your tail.”
Smudge acquiesced and followed her lead.
“So, tell me Detective Smudge, whodunnit?” Melody asked playfully. She wasn’t expecting an answer, but Smudge whined. “I don’t know either. Do you think it could be Harriet?”
Smudge walked faster. Melody suspected she wanted to get back to the station.
“How about Tara?”
Smudge stopped and tried to go back the other way.
“Just a little farther. C’mon, girl. You can do it.” Melody tugged her leash gently, encouraging her to keep moving forward and not backward. Melody needed to do the same with Alvin. “Alvin was pretty mad at me.”
Smudge whined as they walked.
“I shouldn’t have given him such a hard time. He is the Sheriff, after all. He knows what he’s doing.” They were coming around full circle now; the station was in view again. “Do you think he’ll still be mad?”
Smudge yipped happily.
Melody took her sweet little sound as a word of encouragement.
Back at the station, Alvin waited for them outside. He toed the ground sheepishly while he watched them approach. Melody locked her eyes with his and sighed. She shrugged her shoulders as she searched for the right words to form an apology, but they didn’t come right away.
“What are you doing out here? Did you crack the case?” she asked. That wasn’t quite the apology she was going for.
“I’m waiting for the lab results to come in — I needed a breath of fresh air.” He didn’t look away from her. He didn’t want to.
“Al, I’m sorry,” she said finally. “I didn’t mean to make you look bad in front of your team or even Kelshaw.” She touched his hand, hoping he wouldn’t flinch or pull away. He didn’t. He curled his fingers around hers, but then pulled her close and held her tightly.
“Seeing Otto’s grief made me realize how fragile life is. I know you have the best intentions. I know you’re trying to help me, and I love you for it.” He pulled back enough so that his nose was nearly touching hers. “I don’t want to fight with you, Mel. I need you by my side. I love your mind. I love how you and Smudge assist with these cases. We have this crazy little crime-fighting, puzzle-solving team thing going on, but Melody, you have to remember that this is my job. Maybe I’m making a mistake with Otto, maybe not, but in the end, it’s my job. Do you understand?”
She nodded, then rested her chin on his shoulder. She missed feeling him close even if their tiff lasted for only a short while. She didn’t like it when they weren’t in perfect sync with each other. “Yes, of course, and you are brilliant at it. I’m just trying to help, but I should have waited until we were alone to discuss it.”
He leaned back, creating some distance, but just enough to kiss her lips.
Smudge sat tucked in between their legs. When they kissed, the bulldog covered her eyes with her paw.
“The man did seem genuinely upset,” she said after breaking the kiss. “And, I guess the evidence does point more toward the girls. You’re probably right about Harriet.”
“I’ve got a history with Otto. The man I knew is not a murderer. Besides, he’s locked up so many guys, the last place he’d want to risk going is to prison.” Melody nodded, but still, her instincts were needling her.
“Which test results are you waiting for?”
“The lab is testing the leather samples and Tara’s Jacket for Francine’s DNA. They are also going to try to match the samples to the evidence Smudge pulled from Francine’s fingernails.”
“When do you expect them back?”
“Sometime tomorrow.”
“We could have a look ourselves, tonight.”
“You think you can detect DNA on leather?” he teased.
“No, but I think she can.”
They both looked down at Smudge, who was staring back up at them with a goofy look on her face. One of her ears flopped forward while the other stood up alert. She was one cute little detective.
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Eight
“They say the nose, knows,” Alvin said as he lined up the relevant evidence bags containing the leather straps from the craft store. They were individually contained. Then, he lined up Tara’s leather bag, jacket, and her detached sleeve, also individually bagged. Lastly, he retrieved the evidence discovered in Francine’s hand. “Shall we let her do her thing?”
Smudge was already sniffing the air before Alvin lifted her up and put her on the table. Systematically, she appeared to inspect every piece of evidence.
“Are you feeling lucky?” Alvin asked with a grin.
“You’re on,” Melody said.
“If she picks evidence incriminating Harriet, I win. Prize to be named at a later date.” Alin smiled, sure he had this.
“That works for me, but if she picks any other evidence whatsoever, I win.”
They shook hands on it.
Smudge sniffed the line-up again and again. Finally, she stopped, sniffing one bag, in particular. Alvin picked it up, examining it.
“It looks like we have a winner.” Alvin read the description on the bag. “It’s a strip of leather from the craft shop. It looks like it was dusted for prints.”
“Well, go on. Whose are they?”
“Harriet Vickers.” Alvin gloated as he put the bag down.
Melody grabbed the bag from him in disbelief.
“This isn’t even the same color. It’s a shade off!”
“Don’t be a sore loser. The nose, knows! Now, let’s go see if Otto needs a ride home, then get home ourselves.” He put back the evidence as he found it. “I want to collect my winnings. We’ll come back in the morning.” Then, as an afterthought, he said, “Look on the Brightside, Tara is off the hook.”
“I think you should wait for the results before you collect. Like you said earlier, Smudge isn’t always right.” Melody grinned, teasing him.
Back in Interrogation Room A, Alvin spoke with Otto privately before offering him a lift home.
“It’s alright, really. No hard feelings, and thanks for the offer, but I can get myself home just fine. Don’t you worry about me. You know I’ve been through this before.” Otto patted Alvin on the shoulder. “I just really need to be alone right now.”
Alvin nodded. “I’ll check in on you tomorrow. We should have some results back tomorrow, too. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thanks, Alvin. You always were a good investigator. I’m proud of you.”
They shook hands, then Otto turned to leave.
Wilbur called after him. “That’s a sweet ride
you have, Otto.” Wilbur was a car buff.
“The Mustang? I love that car. It’s a classic, 1966. Francine bought it for me. Now, at least I have that to remember her by.” He offered Wilbur a bittersweet smile. As he headed for the door, he passed Melody and Smudge, but he only offered them a quiet nod, perhaps he hadn’t forgiven Melody yet for her line of questioning. But, Smudge barked at him repeatedly as if trying to stop him. She tugged at her leash, trying to reach Otto.
Melody hid a sly grin as she let the leash “accidentally” slip from her fingers, allowing Smudge to run up to Otto and jump on his legs. Otto bent down and picked her up.
“She must know how upset I am,” Otto said, trying to cuddle her, but she squirmed in his arms in protest, barking and growling lowly.
“Yes, she likes to give comfort to those in need,” Melody said as she and Alvin walked up to them. Otto handed the wriggling dog back to Melody as Alvin offered to walk him out.
As she watched them go, she whispered, “Good girl, Smudge. It looks like I win.”
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Nine
“Good morning, Mrs. Hennessey,” Alvin said as he handed Melody a cup of coffee.
“Are you sure it’s not the afternoon, Sheriff Hennessey? My head is killing me.”
“Well, we were running on empty by the time we got home from the lab. You slept like a rock.”
Melody sat at the table, sipping her coffee. She noticed Smudge’s bowl was dirty. “Did Smudge eat already?”
Smudge, hearing her name, came trotting toward Melody from her cozy bed in the Living Room. She nuzzled Melody’s legs affectionately.
“Hey girl, is your belly full?”
“It is, and she did.” Alvin dried a dish as he leaned in the kitchen doorway. “I also took her for a nice long walk this morning. She earned it.”
