Home is Where the Bark Is

by Stella St. Claire

  She didn’t expect to be relaxed surrounded by pregnant women and following a potential killer, but the movements of the class made Willow feel soothed and strong. And who knew? Maybe these were exercises that she could use someday for their intended purpose?

  The class ended with everyone bowing their heads and repeating “Namaste.” Then, everyone began rolling up their yoga mats and chatting as they left the room – everyone except Tiffany. Even as the instructor left, Tiffany stayed behind to continue her practice.

  Willow stayed too.

  “It’s nice that we can still use the space,” Willow said, hoping that would explain her presence. In reality, she was trying to figure out a way to begin a meaningful conversation with Tiffany. She had never really met her and wasn’t sure how to get her talking. She hoped Tiffany didn’t remember seeing her talking to Isla at the smoothie bar. She also didn’t want to scare her away by making her think that she was being accused of murder.

  She wasn’t sure bringing up the baby immediately was the best plan either. Willow didn’t want to be caught in her own lie for why she was there. She didn’t know much about pregnancy and wasn’t sure what she would be asked. She knew more about raising puppies than babies.

  Willow began repeating some of the moves they had done during the class, making sure to keep her body centered. She flexed a hip and then looked over to see what pose Tiffany had opted to do. Willow was surprised. Tiffany wasn’t doing any of the poses from the class and was instead going for some more advanced poses.

  In a way, it made sense. If the class was doing simpler poses than you were used to, then you might want to finish your workout with some more intense moves. However, Willow wouldn’t have thought moves that caused you to be upside down were good for a baby. Maybe different moves were okay at different times during pregnancy.

  Willow followed suit and began her own inversion practice. She also came to a headstand and let it flow into Crow Pose. She maintained her balance and felt the heat from the workout.

  She looked over at Tiffany who had finished her inversions and was sitting cross-legged on her mat. Instead of having her eyes closed and breathing deeply, she was staring at Willow.

  Willow finished her move and began to casually roll up her mat.

  Tiffany stood up suddenly and hurried over to her. Willow was afraid that her purpose had been found out, but she stood her ground.

  “I saw you with Isla yesterday,” she said.

  Willow held her mat in front of her body. She didn’t want Tiffany to have the same fighting reaction with her that she’d had with Isla.

  “She probably wanted to ask you the same thing that I do,” Tiffany said.

  “What’s that?”

  “You found his body, didn’t you?”

  Willow nodded.

  “It didn’t look like he suffered, did he?” Tiffany asked. She was looking down at her feet, but Willow could see that her eyes were filling with tears.

  Knowing she should comfort the woman, she responded, “No. I think it was all over pretty quick.”

  Tiffany nodded. She turned away as the tears began flowing down her cheeks. Willow hurried over to where clean towels were kept. They were usually used for wiping sweat away, but they could be used for tears too.

  Tiffany accepted the towel from her and began to sob harder. Willow put an arm around her. She couldn’t help thinking that between fighting and crying, Tiffany really wasn’t having a peaceful time at the yoga studio.

  “I’m sorry,” Tiffany said. “We don’t know each other. I don’t mean to carry on like this. I just can’t believe he’s gone.”

  “You were close?” Willow asked, inviting her to talk more.

  “We’ve been together a really long time. He wasn’t just a boss to me. We were in love.” After saying the word “love,” Tiffany let out a cry of despair. Willow wondered if she should grab another towel.

  “Who would want to kill him?” Tiffany asked.

  “I don’t know,” Willow answered.

  “I don’t know either. He was such a wonderful man. I can’t imagine anyone doing this to him.”

  “Did everyone think he was wonderful?” Willow asked gently.

  “Yes,” Tiffany said. “Because he was.”

  She seemed to have cried herself out and took a deep breath. She sat down on her mat, looking small and sad. Willow knelt down next to her.

  “I know you just moved back to town, so you didn’t get a chance to know him. And that’s such a shame, because he really was a great man.”

  “He was good to you?” Willow asked.

  “Not just to me,” Tiffany said. “But for the community. He did so much for the community!”

  “I heard that,” Willow assured her.

  “Whatever you heard, I’m sure it doesn’t half compare with the truth. Because he did so much. No one knew how much he did for the town like I did. I was his assistant. And I know how much he helped. Everyone is worse off with him gone.”

  Willow placed her hand on Tiffany’s shoulder. “I’m sure some of his events will continue, like the 5K. And his memory will live on in the community.”

  “It won’t be the same without him. Nothing will be the same.”

  Tiffany stared at the ground and cradled her head in her hands. She was done crying, but she wasn’t done with her sorrow. Willow looked at her sad form and bit her tongue. She didn’t have the heart to ask her about the baby now. It would be like adding insult to injury.

  Willow sighed inwardly. She picked up the dirty towel by the corner and threw it into the wash bin. She recognized that she was throwing the towel in on her mission today too, but she just couldn’t make Tiffany cry anymore.

  Tiffany got to her feet as Willow returned to her.

  “I should really get going,” Tiffany said, collecting her things. “I’m sorry I bothered you.”

  “It was no bother at all,” Willow assured her. “And if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”

  Tiffany nodded and hurried out of the room. Willow was slower collecting her things and putting her shoes back on. She was lost in thought. All Tiffany talked about was how wonderful Lee Hunter was. She seemed genuine about it. There were an awful lot of tears to fake if it hadn’t been true.

  So far, the only person who wasn’t singing Lee’s praises was Griffin. Was it possible that Griffin could have done it? Griffin seemed to really hate the man, but everyone else seemed to think that Lee Hunter was a saint. Even his ex-wife and mistress couldn’t say enough nice things about him, and he had cheated on both of them!

  After collecting her phone, Willow texted her sister and asked her to look into some pregnancy facts. Tiffany’s baby bump wasn’t showing, but she appeared to be preparing for motherhood. Wednesday was a whiz with online research, and maybe what Willow learned about Tiffany’s yoga routine could shed some light on how far along she was with the pregnancy.

  The baby was still a strong motive for murder. Maybe Tiffany did love Lee but had still murdered him. Maybe her regret over the murder was what was making her so upset.

  Or maybe Willow was letting the real murderer run around her house with power tools.

  9

  The next morning, Willow swung open her front door to admit her contractor.

  “Where have you been?” she asked.

  She didn’t mean to sound accusatory. In fact, Willow had been worried. However, Griffin bristled at the remark. He clenched his jaw as if to restrain himself from saying something snarky.

  Willow tried to turn it into a joke. “You’d been so early every day. I thought my clock was broken when you weren’t here.”

  He laughed half-heartedly. “Unfortunately, we can’t do everything we’d like to do even when I am here.”

  Willow left the doorway and headed to the kitchen with Griffin following. She offered him coffee, but he shook his head. She put the mugs away and tried to sound cheerful. “Well, as soon as the police dismiss you as a suspect, things can g
o back to normal.”

  “I get the feeling that’s not going to happen anytime soon. They called me in for questioning again.”

  “They brought you in again?” Willow asked, frowning. This was getting even more serious. The police were still focusing on Griffin instead of looking for other suspects.

  “That’s why I was late,” he said. “I should probably get to work. I don’t want the day to be a total waste.”

  He headed towards the backyard with his tools and Willow followed. Telescope was already in the yard, exploring his territory. He ran over to greet them, wagging his tail.

  Willow watched as Griffin bent down, petting the dog’s back and accepting his licks. Telescope seemed happy to see him. The dog really liked Griffin, and if Telescope thought he was a good guy, then Willow had to agree. She still didn’t really think that Griffin was a killer, but why was he the only one who openly disliked the victim so much? And why did the police keep questioning him?

  “What did they ask you this time?” Willow asked.

  “More of the same,” Griffin said, straightening up.

  “So, they’ve been asking you for your alibi? And you won’t give it to them?”

  “That’s right,” he said, trying to walk away from her.

  “Have you explained why you’ve been so mad at Lee Hunter? Could it be dismissed as a motive for murder?”

  “No. I haven’t been able to explain it fully. That’s tied in with my legal troubles too.”

  “They’re legal troubles now?” Willow asked, moving in front of him and blocking his path. “That doesn’t sound good. It sounds like a motive.”

  “I was going to start replacing some boards on the deck’s railing, so no one falls if they lean on them. And I’m already behind,” he said, gesturing to a pile of wood. “You can either help me with this or, please, leave me alone so I can get some work done.”

  “If it’s just replacing rails, I can help,” Willow said.

  Griffin looked as if he wished that she had chosen the other offer. However, he grabbed some tools and handed them to her. They started in the center of the deck, checking the rails by wiggling them to see if they were loose.

  “Can’t you tell the police something, so they’ll stop bothering you?” Willow asked.

  Griffin pointed the other way, indicating that they should walk in opposite directions while checking the railing. Willow tested the rails while waiting for an answer.

  “No,” Griffin said. “I already told you that I’m bound by a non-disclosure agreement.”

  “Can’t you ask the other person in the agreement to let you talk? These are extenuating circumstances.”

  “If it was that easy, don’t you think I would do it?”

  He found a loose rail and pried it off with a crowbar, perhaps a little more roughly than he would have under other circumstances.

  “I don’t know,” Willow said, finding her own loose rail. “You don’t seem to be doing much to help your cause.”

  She headed to the pile of replacement railings at the same time that Griffin did.

  “Why?” he asked, as he handed her a rail. “Because I won’t violate a contract? I already explained why I can’t do that.”

  “Because you’re not explaining anything to me or the police about why you did the things you did. And you’re acting suspicious.”

  “How am I acting suspicious? I’m doing exactly what I do every day.” For emphasis, he began hammering the new rail into place.

  “You’re doing things like boycotting the 5K and saying how Lee Hunter wasn’t a great guy. I’m pretty sure you’re the only one in town who thinks that.”

  “Isn’t that swell?” Griffin asked, ripping another loose rail off of the deck. “Even after he’s dead, he’s still misleading people.”

  “See? It’s saying things like this that make you sound suspicious,” Willow said, hammering in her own rail.

  “I’m not saying anything,” Griffin said, punctuating his words with hits of the hammer. “I can’t say anything.”

  “If you can’t say anything, then do something.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know, but something to prove your innocence. I’ve already been trying to help.”

  “What have you done so far?” Griffin asked, starting a discard pile of faulty rails. “Because your father still hauled me in for questioning this morning.”

  “I went to a prenatal yoga class for you!” Willow yelled in frustration.

  “That doesn’t make any sense!” Griffin yelled back.

  Deep down, Willow knew that she hadn’t explained things properly, but she was too angry to explain it any further. It was obvious that he didn’t appreciate her efforts. Maybe he wanted to get arrested. Maybe she should just let him get thrown in jail. She would just do the repairs herself.

  She hit the nails with extra force while putting the new rails in place. Griffin was doing the same thing on his side of the deck. Their angry pounding of hammers echoed across the yard.

  Willow was so involved in repairing the deck and trying to out hammer Griffin that she didn’t hear Telescope barking at first.

  When she finally heard it and turned around, Telescope and Wednesday were already right behind her. Griffin noticed that Willow had stopped hammering and paused too.

  Wednesday looked back and forth at the two of them. Willow saw that Griffin’s face was red and figured hers must be too. It was a combination of frustration and exertion.

  “It’s looking a little tense back here,” Wednesday said. “I’m sure it’s because of all the hard work you’ve been doing.”

  She looked pointedly at the pile of discarded wood. Willow felt a tad embarrassed as she saw how haphazard the old rails were positioned in her yard. They’d been flung in frustration around the general area of the pile.

  “Well,” Willow said, trying to cover with a smile. “The yard will look great when it’s all done.”

  “I’m going to declare a water break,” Wednesday said. “Some nice ice water to cool the two of you down.”

  Willow and Griffin both grumbled about how they didn’t need to cool off but maybe the other person did. Realizing that they had done the same thing, they chuckled and put down their tools.

  Willow hoped that this case would get solved soon. Besides the obvious reasons of getting a dangerous killer off the streets and saving her business, it might also allow her and Griffin to become friends again. When they didn’t have to worry about a dead body or getting arrested for a crime Griffin didn’t commit, they could focus on more lighthearted things.

  “I’m going to get the water,” Wednesday said. Telescope followed her inside the house, looking happy to receive some attention from his “aunt” while the cat wasn’t there.

  “I guess we both do need to cool down a bit,” Willow admitted as she walked onto the deck.

  Griffin joined her. “Yeah. I’m sorry I yelled. I’m frustrated at the situation. Not at you. I know you’re trying to help.”

  “And I do understand why you can’t tell us everything. Of course, it does make things more complicated.”

  “Since you came back things have been complicated,” he said, looking away.

  Willow sensed his words held a deeper meaning, but she couldn’t tell what it was. It must have something to do with the crime. Motives for the murder were becoming ever increasingly complicated.

  “Don’t worry,” Willow said. “We’ll get this figured out.”

  Griffin nodded and looked back at her. “Thanks for going to – prenatal yoga for me?”

  Willow laughed. She was going to explain why she had been there and how it related to the case when Wednesday and Telescope returned.

  “You’re both looking better at just the mention of water,” Wednesday teased. “Imagine how you’ll feel after you drink it.”

  She handed them each a glass of cucumber-infused water. Griffin drained his and then smiled.

  “That did hit the
spot.”

  Telescope wagged his tail as if he’d personally prepared the water. Griffin gave him a pat on the head and then said, “I better get back to work.”

  He returned to the woodpile to get another rail. Wednesday put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “I’d like to keep you for a minute if you don’t need to get right back to hammering.”

  “No problem,” Willow said, grabbing a lawn chair that she had moved out of the way of the construction. She set up two of them, and she sat down with her sister. Telescope jumped onto her lap to be a part of the conversation.

  “I made a Pinterest board for inspiration for the Instagram campaign,” Wednesday said, handing her phone over to Willow to look at. Willow scrolled through it, first looking at pictures of female officers in uniform and then at famous bank robbers through the years.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you’d look incredible as either the cop or the robber.”

  “That’s interesting,” Wednesday said. “Maybe I could work with that and be a cop and a robber. I could play with duality. Both within a person and what can be expressed with the makeup.”

  “That sounds good,” Willow said, and Telescope barked in agreement.

  “Keep looking through the board and see if you have any other ideas. I also have some Instagram accounts for you to look over. We need to have the photo shoot soon, and I want to settle on the right idea.”

  “I promise I will look at it all, but I have something else I want to talk about while you’re here,” Willow said, handing back the phone. “Have you heard anything new about the case?”

  “Another motive for Tiffany,” Wednesday said, excitedly. “I heard Dad talking about it with another detective. Apparently, Tiffany was fired right before Lee disappeared.”

  Willow was about to jump to her feet, but Telescope on her lap prevented her. She was still enthusiastic when she said, “That sounds like a solid motive. Why was she fired?”

  “I don’t know that part,” Wednesday admitted. “But they found out the firing was official when they started going through the paperwork in Lee’s office.”