Home is Where the Bark Is

by Stella St. Claire

  Griffin stopped moving forward and crossed his arms. “And you want me to get you into Isla’s house. How?”

  “You’re a great contractor, and you’re up on the renovations going on in town. You knew about Tiffany’s inquiries,” Willow pointed out.

  “I guess.”

  “I’m sure we can come up with a logical-sounding reason to have you look at Isla’s house,” said Willow. She crossed her fingers. “There’s no chance that you already did work for Isla already, did you?”

  “Actually, I have,” Griffin said, seeming to sense that he wouldn’t like what she would say next. “I just redid her bathroom. She was a good customer.”

  “Perfect,” Willow said, clapping her hands. “Tell her that your newest customer is demanding to see a bathroom you’ve redone to justify the quality of your work. Ask if she’d mind showing it off.”

  Griffin hesitated. “I don’t like this.”

  “Would you like being arrested any better?” Willow calmly retorted.

  Griffin sighed and took out his cell phone. She listened to Griffin’s side of the call as he asked if they could come over. He described Willow as a difficult client which she supposed was true at the moment. In case Isla had heard that he had already begun work at Willow’s house, Griffin came up with a cover story about how Willow was happy to have him work on things for the dogs, but that she needed to see proof of his work before he did any designs for humans.

  Willow wasn’t sure if she liked how she was being described on this call, but she did like the results. Griffin hung up and told them that Isla had agreed and they could come over anytime.

  “She said she was overjoyed to show off my work,” Griffin said, obviously enjoying the compliment despite the circumstances.

  “Perfect,” Willow said, heading to the car without missing a beat. “No time like the present.”

  “Willow, so nice to see you again,” Isla said, greeting them at the door. Willow couldn’t help noticing that Isla had ditched the black ensemble and had opted for a colorful dress. She was still wearing the ring she said was from Lee, but otherwise didn’t look like a widow. In fact, Willow thought, Isla was looking calm and relaxed.

  “I didn’t realize that you were the client that we were going to visit,” Willow said, and Griffin just managed to turn the snort of laughter into a cough. “But I am glad to see you again.”

  “You’ll have to excuse my behavior the last time we met,” Isla said. “I was emotional.”

  “I can understand,” Willow said. “How are you holding up now?”

  “Some days are harder than others,” Isla said. “Today is a good day.”

  “I just want to thank you for this again,” Griffin said, as she showed them inside. “I really appreciate it.”

  “No trouble at all. I like showing off my house.” Isla turned to Willow. “You’re in for a real treat. And I don’t often say that about bathrooms.”

  Willow laughed along with Isla, but something about the situation felt wrong. Isla had been willing to fight over Lee’s memory the other day and spoke about how wonderful he was, and yet she seemed cheerful. Tiffany was a mess, but Isla was acting normally. Were these just different manifestations of grief? Or was Isla not upset about Lee’s death because she had been the one to cause it?

  As they walked further into the house, Willow had to admit that it was a cool place. Salsa music was playing the background, and there were eclectic art pieces on the walls. However, Willow was paying special attention to the photos on display. There were several photos of a beach trip that showed Isla and Lee walking in the sand together.

  Isla noticed her looking at the pictures and said, “My little shrine to my lost love.”

  “Lost in more than one way?” Willow asked. “He was your ex-husband, wasn’t he?”

  “He was technically my ex-husband when he was taken from this world, but he wouldn’t have remained so,” Isla said, picking up a framed photo. “We’d been through this before, and what we had was special.”

  “You feel a lot more fondness towards your ex-husband than I do towards mine,” Willow said.

  Griffin looked at her with a curious expression on his face, but Willow ignored him.

  “Lee was my soulmate,” Isla said, setting the picture back down in its spot. “We were going to get back together. And you know what they say?”

  “What do they say?” Willow asked, guessing that she wasn’t referring to how people in town gossiped about Lee cheating on her.

  Isla had a joke in mind. “They say – third time’s a charm.”

  Willow and Griffin laughed along with her.

  “Well, come on,” Isla said. “You’re here to see the bathroom.”

  She led the way down the hall. She flung open the door as if there was a fabulous prize behind it, and Willow had to agree that it was a lovely bathroom. The floor was covered with small red and orange tiles that made it glow like a fire. It somehow made the room feel warmer too. Everything was coordinated, and Willow was impressed.

  As she made a show of ooh-ing and ah-ing at the room, Willow was actually looking for clues. While Lee might be on display in Isla’s hallway, there was no sign of him in the bathroom. There were no male effects in the room at all. There were no razors or manly deodorant. There was also only one toothbrush in the room.

  Willow doubted that Lee had been staying here. Despite all the poetic waxing about them reuniting, Willow didn’t see any evidence of it.

  She found herself siding with Tiffany in this ordeal. Tiffany had been sobbing with her over the loss of Lee, and she was carrying his child. It seemed like Isla was either just carrying a torch for a man that moved on from her, or she liked the attention of being thought of as an almost-widow.

  It also bothered her that Isla was wearing the copy-cat ring. What did that mean?

  “And now you know you’re in good hands,” Isla said with a smile after showing the room.

  “I’m sorry I doubted you,” Willow said to Griffin.

  “And I’m so pleased that you were able to stop by,” Isla said. “It’s so wonderful to have company during this trying time. I just don’t know what to do. Usually, when I feel lost, I could call Lee for advice, but I can’t do that now.”

  Despite these words, Isla still didn’t look upset to Willow. She was playing with the engagement ring, and Willow was annoyed.

  “I feel lonely so often,” Isla said. “Lee and I never had children.”

  “It’s a shame he was having one with his assistant,” Willow said, without really thinking.

  Isla snorted. “Tiffany having his baby? No. There’s no way. That’s ridiculous.”

  She began cracking her knuckles. Willow bit her lip. She might have overstepped.

  “Lee wouldn’t do that to me. And,” she said, trying to joke. “Lee always said that he never wanted to change diapers. He didn’t like dirty deals.”

  Despite her attempt to play it off, Willow could see real anger behind Isla’s eyes. She wasn’t surprised that Isla asked them to leave.

  “I just remembered an important engagement,” she said. “I’m going to have to insist you leave now.”

  Isla ushered them to the door, and Willow was disappointed because as she was being pushed out, she saw something important sitting on the countertop. She made sure to get a good look at the document over Isla’s shoulder as she was pushed.

  “I’m so sorry we bothered you,” Griffin said.

  “Don’t be silly,” Isla replied. “You didn’t bother me at all.”

  However, she promptly shut the door in their faces. Griffin wouldn’t look at Willow as they walked back to the car.

  “My business is failing in many other aspects,” Griffin said. “You don’t need to alienate one of my good customers.”

  “The bathroom really did look great.”

  “I’ll have to find a way to make this up to her,” Griffin said.

  “You can keep telling her I’m a difficult cus
tomer and you didn’t know I would be so rude.”

  “I’m not sure that’s so far off the mark,” Griffin said.

  “Of course, you might not have to apologize to her if she is the one who winds up in jail,” Willow said.

  Griffin stopped. “What do you mean? I didn’t think we found anything useful there.”

  “Not until we were being pushed out the door, unfortunately,” Willow said. “But I saw a document on her countertop that I’d love to hear her explanation for and to know what it was doing there It was a copy of the life insurance policy that Tiffany took out on Lee Hunter.”

  Griffin frowned. “That is weird.”

  “I know,” Willow said. “Why does she have it?”

  They were both quiet as they got into the car, absorbed in their own thoughts about the case. Then, Griffin turned to her.

  “You’re not really a difficult customer,” he said. “I know you’re trying to get me out of this jam.”

  “Trying,” Willow said, wishing that she had already succeeded.

  “You might be the best customer I’ve ever had,” Griffin said.

  He turned on the car and started driving them back to her house. Despite everything, Willow couldn’t help smiling. If she did clear him of murder, she would definitely be his best customer. One hundred percent.

  12

  Willow and Griffin arrived back at her house. Griffin had killed the engine, but Willow’s mind was still racing. She was sure that the clue she had stumbled upon was meaningful. She just needed to determine what that meaning was. Why would someone have a copy of a life insurance policy on their ex-husband that his mistress had taken out?

  She walked through the front door and bent down to greet Telescope but kept thinking about the insurance. When dismissing Tiffany as a suspect, her dad had said that Lee Hunter had approved the insurance policy. However, it would be unlikely that Lee would have told Isla about it. Why announce to someone that they weren’t the beneficiary of your policy? Could he have taken it out as a deterrent? Maybe he was afraid of Isla becoming emotionally violent and had given her a copy because he wanted her to know that if she killed him, she wouldn’t gain anything financially.

  Willow frowned. That didn’t quite make sense. Telescope licked her face, and she smiled again. She ruffled the dog’s fur.

  Maybe Isla had wanted to take out her own policy on Lee and had discovered this one, making her angry enough to kill. Maybe Tiffany was trying to frame Isla by putting the life insurance policy in her house. Maybe Tiffany and Isla were somehow in cahoots with this murder.

  She gave Telescope a final pat on the head and stood up to face Griffin, trying to articulate her thoughts and hoping they wouldn’t come out as a jumbled mess.

  “I can’t stop thinking about it. Why would Isla have a copy of Lee’s life insurance policy? Does it fuel Isla’s motive for murder? Does this somehow point back to Tiffany? What do you think?”

  “I think,” Griffin began. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

  Willow was confused. “What?”

  “I’ve already lost a whole morning of work, and there’s a lot to do,” he said, gesturing around the house. “If you stay here, you’re going to distract me with your theories on the case. I do appreciate that you’re trying to prove I’m not a killer. But I can’t let the accusation get me behind on any more work.”

  Willow held her hands up. “It sounds like you’re kicking me out of my own house.”

  “You do want the construction finished on time, don’t you?” Griffin asked, meeting her glare.

  Willow relented. “Fine. I’ll get out of your hair.”

  She picked up her purse that she had just set down and slowly headed back to the front door. Griffin was quicker and more definitive as he opened the door for her.

  Willow looked back at her dog.

  “You’re in charge, Tele.”

  Telescope barked and wagged his tail. She smirked at Griffin who was shaking his head, but she could tell that he was also trying not to laugh.

  Willow sat in the driver’s seat of her car, trying to decide where to go after getting kicked out of her house. When Wednesday called her phone, she smiled at the excellent timing.

  “What are you up to?” Wednesday asked.

  “Nothing,” Willow answered truthfully.

  “Then, come on over to the police station,” her sister said excitedly. “I have something I want to show you.”

  Willow agreed and revved up the car. Now that she had a destination, she didn’t mind being temporarily barred from her house. She was also eager to see what Wednesday had to show her. Could it be another clue about Lee Hunter’s killer?

  She hummed along with the radio on her ride to the station, absentmindedly wondering whether the murder weapon could have been found.

  However, when she entered the station and met Wednesday at her desk, she learned that it was a different sort of something that her sister wanted to share.

  Wednesday held up her phone and showed Willow images of robbery inspired art shoots with bullet holes in walls, cracked safes, and dollar bills falling around the thieves. Willow put a smile on her face and nodded, making the appropriate oohs and ahs.

  Distracted, Willow knocked a purple pencil holder off of Wednesday’s desk and hurried to collect its contents. As she placed it back, she realized that she hadn’t seen this desk up close in a while. This workspace was more ever-changing than their father’s. She was always adding different inspirational quote signs and trendy knickknacks to the area. Her picture frame was digital and flowed from picture to picture, showcasing fun moments of Wednesday’s life. Her desk also wasn’t as neat as their father’s, but Willow knew that her sister was organized and on top of things when it came to her job. She just liked to add some personality to her organization.

  “What’s wrong?” Wednesday asked. “You look disappointed.”

  “No,” Willow said, trying to reassure her sister. “It’s just when you said to come to the police station, I figured it had something to do with the case. But I did promise to help with the photo shoot. And discussing photography is happier than murder. What did you have in mind?”

  “I thought we could have some coffee in the jail cells.”

  Willow stared at her sister. “Working here has made you develop some odd quirks.”

  “It’s not like I do this regularly,” Wednesday said quickly.

  She handed Willow one of her personal mugs so she wouldn’t have to use the disposable cups. Willow smiled as she looked at the design on the mug. It was of a dog complaining how he didn’t do tricks until he had his morning kibble. Wednesday’s mug had a colorful mosaic design encircling it.

  The sisters walked over to the coffee station. Willow happily accepted a cup. Because Wednesday was in charge of making sure that the coffee area was stocked, it was always filled with delicious flavors. Willow stirred her favorite creamer into her steaming beverage.

  “Now, why do you want to have your coffee break in the jail cells?” Willow asked.

  “There’s a training seminar going on in the conference room. Most of the station is there, so there won’t be any officers to disturb us.”

  “What about the prisoners?” Willow asked, thinking that they were the people she was more worried about seeing.

  “Oh. There are no prisoners right now. It’s all empty,” Wednesday said happily as she finished preparing her own cup. “And the cells are all freshly cleaned, so they’re perfect.”

  “Wends, what am I missing?” Willow asked, taking a sip of coffee to see if the caffeine would help clarify things for her. It didn’t, but her sister soon explained.

  “We’re looking at it as a backdrop for the Instagram campaign picture.”

  Willow nodded in understanding. Now it made sense.

  “That would look great for a cops and robbers theme,” she agreed. “It’s nice that Dad said you could use them for the photo shoot.”

  “Yeah,�
�� Wednesday said, before quickly turning and heading down the hall.

  Willow followed, trying to determine if there was subtext to her sister’s short response or if she was just excited to begin the creative work. They tiptoed past the conference room, and she suspected that Wednesday hadn’t told everyone about her plans to look at the cells that day.

  They entered the room that housed the cells. There were six of them, with three on each side of a pathway. Pineview was such a safe town that Willow wasn’t aware of a time when all six cells were full. It felt strange to know that there was a murderer running free in town while the cells sat empty.

  Willow wished that the killer was locked up there right now, but she supposed there was work to be done before that could happen. She knew the police were working on the case even if they were reaching the wrong conclusion by suspecting Griffin. They might uncover a helpful clue that would shed light on the real killer, and she would continue to investigate to help move the process along more speedily.

  For the moment, though, she would enjoy her coffee and listen to her sister’s plans for the photo shoot. Wednesday led them to the last cell on the row.

  “Careful not to let the door close,” Wednesday said, as they walked in and sat on the cot. “We don’t want to get locked in here.

  “It’s more comfortable than I imagined,” Willow remarked. “But, now what are you imagining for your picture?”

  “I have a few ideas. I was playing with your idea of duality in being both the cop and robber and using the two-way mirror from the interrogation room, but then I thought that using the jail cell would make for a more dramatic picture.”

  Willow nodded, looking around her surroundings. “It will definitely carry the theme across, and not many other influencers would have access to a location like this. That’s why it’s so cool that Dad said you could use it.”

  Wednesday turned around to face the bars, so her back was to her sister. She ignored what Willow had just said and shook the bars while trying not to spill her coffee.