She looked down at him, sitting tall by her feet. Unfortunately, his sunglasses sat on the ground by his paws. Should she put them back on now or wait until it was their turn?
“And heeere’s Sheila!” Mayor Kensington announced like they were on a game show.
The dog in the tutu tugged to pull her owner forward. Sheila was kind of an unexpected name for a dog. Especially for a dog belonging to a government operative.
Shelia turned in a perfect circle. The guy tipped forward in a bow. The crowd applauded.
As he stood, his keys slipped from his pocket and clanged to the ground. He didn’t seem to notice over the noise, but Sheila did. She retrieved them and nudged his hand to give them back. The crowd went wild.
Tandy smirked. That seemed a little too rehearsed.
Too bad she and Cocoa hadn’t come up with something else to add to their performance. Oh, darn. She hadn’t even put his sunglasses back on yet.
Dropping into a squat, she readjusted Cocoa’s costume. “You ready, buddy?”
He licked her hand.
Mayor Kensington motioned her way. “Here we have Cocoa!”
Tandy stood and went through the motions. The crowd cheered but not as loudly as they had for Sheila. Where was Marissa’s cheerleading experience when Tandy needed it?
She returned to her spot and found Marissa at the back of the audience, not even looking their way when Connor stepped forward with Ranger. Rather, her arms gesticulated wildly as she spoke with Griffin. Was there a new development in the case or was Marissa simply upset over something silly like wedding flowers?
Connor returned to his spot, though he looked over his shoulder at Marissa, probably wondering the same thing. He finally glanced at Tandy, concern dampening his gaze.
“I wish I could read lips,” she said.
“I can read lips,” the man next to her volunteered with his Eastern European take on English, though if he could read lips, perhaps his accent was actually from being deaf. Had he also read her lips?
Tandy arched her eyebrows. Could she trust the guy? Might as well test him out while Mayor Kensington made a big deal of thanking their sponsors.
She pointed at Marissa and the Sheriff. “What are they saying?”
The guy eyed her, his expression cloudy as if maybe she was the one who couldn’t be trusted for spying on a police officer. But rather than question her intentions aloud, he looked across the crowd to Marissa.
Connor leaned around Tandy so the man could see his lips when he asked a question of his own. “Is she okay?”
The man didn’t seem to realize Connor was speaking to him, but his dog nudged his hand to let him know. The man looked down to find the dog looking at Connor. He followed the dog’s gaze.
Connor repeated his question. “Is she okay?”
The man glanced out at Marissa again. “I think she’s okay. But she’s upset to find out about an attempted murder at the hospital.”
Tandy gasped. She turned bulging eyes on Connor to see if they were thinking the same thing.
Connor lifted his chin, like he was ready for a fight.
The man eyed them both. “Do you guys know who she’s talking about? She seems to think it was random.”
“Not random.” Tandy’s heart hammered. “Randon.”
Connor charged off the end of the stage, Ranger leaping next to him.
Tandy followed, pounding down the stairs. If there was someone out there still trying to kill Randon, then Marissa wouldn’t be safe either.
“And now the results…” The booming voice over the loudspeaker broke off at their commotion. “Well, uh, it looks like two of our contestants are dropping out.”
Tandy would be getting publicity from the contest, but it wasn’t going to be the good kind. Not that a costume contest compared to Randon’s life. But if the deaf dude had read Marissa’s lips correctly, she’d said attempted murder. Which meant Randon was still alive. For now.
“This means…” Mayor Kensington proclaimed. “The winner is Sheila!”
Tandy scooped Cocoa into her arms so she could keep up with Connor and his larger dog’s strides. She looked back to see Sheila’s crowning moment only to find the dog’s owner staring after them as if wanting to read more lips and find out what was going on.
She waved him towards Mayor Kensington. If he didn’t know who Randon was, there was no reason for him to get involved. He’d be better off enjoying the Americana Festival, while the rest of them focused on finding a killer. Unless the guy was really CIA or something.
Marissa frantically scanned their surroundings. “Did your deputy release Cash Hudson?” she demanded.
Who else would have tried to murder Randon? If there was a second killer out there, she still wouldn’t be safe even with Cash in jail.
“Of course he didn’t release Cash,” Griffin argued.
“Did you ask him? Did you double check? The guy was creepily quiet at your station.”
“Creepily?”
Why was Griffin arguing with her? There was a murderer out there, and his job was to catch them, which would mean ruling out who he could.
If Cash wasn’t ruled out, he could be anywhere. He could be at the Americana Festival with them. He could be watching her. He could be the guy walking around in the bald eagle costume.
She narrowed her eyes at the eagle, ready to run if he took a step in her direction.
Griffin huffed. “You think Deputy Romero is in on this now?”
Marissa glared at the eagle. “You never know. That’s why you need to ask.”
“Fine.” Griffin pinched the walkie-talkie receiver attached to his lapel. “Griffin to Romero. Over.”
The eagle flapped a wing and headed her way.
Marissa pivoted on the ball of her foot and ran straight into a solid chest. The man grabbed her upper arms and held her in place.
Oh no. The eagle had an accomplice.
She took a deep breath, ready to scream fire! That’s what she’d always heard you were supposed to scream instead of help when you were getting attacked. Because people would look for fire.
But her inhale carried with it the scent of sawdust. She knew that smell. Her eyes shot up to Connor’s chiseled features and her muscles sagged with her exhale.
Ranger’s tongue slathered a wet patch along her calf.
She felt safer with him there, but Connor’s mom had been working on Ranger’s costume for a year. “Why are you not on stage?”
Tandy jogged up beside them, her little dog chillin’ in her arms. “We heard about Randon. Did they catch the killer?”
Marissa glanced over her shoulder at the bald eagle. He’d taken off the mascot head to reveal himself to be Troy, her ex from the fire department. That’s why he’d waved. Good thing she hadn’t yelled “fire!” Probably could have gotten her into real trouble.
At least now his wife and baby had shown up to distract him. Otherwise she’d be stuck explaining that she’d mistaken him for a hitman. His wife sent her a dirty look as if she knew.
Anyway… “I think the deputy let Cash out of jail. There was something I didn’t like about that guy.”
Connor hugged her close. “What didn’t you like about him, hon?”
Griffin joined their circle. “He’s creepily quiet.”
Tandy pursed her lips. “Creepily?”
“Yes. It’s a word.” Marissa pushed away from Connor’s chest to face the sheriff. “Did you find out if he released Cash?”
Griffin crossed his arms. “He didn’t.”
“Or so he says.”
Griffin rolled his eyes sideways to look at Connor and Tandy. “What I want to know is how you two heard about Randon.”
Marissa frowned at her friends. That was a good question.
Tandy pointed to the stage where the winning pet owner held a trophy overhead in victory. The guy’s dog looked a little like Lady from Lady and the Tramp except she was wearing a tutu. As much as Marissa liked tutus, she wouldn
’t have picked the costume over Ranger’s sheriff’s ensemble or even Cocoa’s crooked shades.
“He reads lips,” Tandy said. “We asked him to read yours.”
Marissa blinked. Speaking of creepily…
“Yeah. Well.” Griffin shot a curious but quick glance at the contest winner. “I’ve got to get to the hospital.”
Marissa grabbed Connor’s hand and pulled him after the sheriff. She needed to know what Griffin found out. Needed to know if she should still be worried someone might also come after her.
“We’re going too.”
Griffin turned around and marched right back to face her. “As much as I would love your opinions on which suspect is the creepiest…”
Tandy stepped between them. “We’re going to the hospital to support Susan.”
“That’s right.” Marissa nodded. It was both a good excuse as well as an important role. “She has nobody else.”
Marissa had tried to put herself in Susan’s shoes earlier, but now she didn’t even want to. She didn’t want to feel the emotions of having her boyfriend almost killed twice in one day. The important thing was that Randon was still alive. And they were going to help keep him that way.
Chapter Five
Tandy eyed the hospital. Memories of her own near-death experience at Valentine’s constricted her lungs, but she forced herself to breathe slowly and think about the current situation. The one where she wasn’t in any danger.
“Tandy,” Connor called from behind.
She glanced over her shoulder. She wanted to get this over with, and she didn’t like that he was slowing down the process. “What?”
He nodded toward her death grip on Cocoa. “I don’t think you’re supposed to take dogs inside the hospital.”
She looked down at the pup and registered his soft fur beneath her touch like a security blanket. He looked up at her with innocent and trusting eyes. If only all people were as honest as dogs.
Connor walked Ranger forward and held out a hand for her leash. “I’ll watch these guys out here.”
Tandy pouted for a moment. Of all the places where dogs should be allowed, hospitals should be at the top of the list. Animals were healing. “Okay. Thanks.” She nuzzled Cocoa one last time before setting him down.
Marissa had already made it to the glass doors but was peering around like she thought the killer could jump out any minute. Of the two of them, Marissa was the one who had been chased by a man with a gun earlier. She was the one who had the right to be fearful. Tandy would choose to be strong for her. And for Susan.
They found Randon’s pink-haired girlfriend seated in the tiny waiting room across from Sheriff Griffin. She had changed from her Little Bo Peep dress into a pair of jeans and a red shirt that clashed with her hair. She wasn’t as emotional as the last time Tandy had seen her, but she clenched a tissue and stared at the floor as if she had no more tears to shed.
Griffin looked up at the sound of their footsteps, met Tandy’s gaze, and motioned them to join Susan. Tandy took a spot on her far side on what might have been considered a sofa. She put an arm around Susan’s slumped shoulders, expecting Marissa to do the same, but Marissa hesitated, looking toward the hallway that lead to the ICU.
“Is someone watching Randon?”
Griffin flicked her a hard gaze. A challenge. “Deputy Romero.”
“Is that safe?”
Susan looked up then, eyes so puffy she almost resembled a goldfish. Or a “pinkfish,” if there was such a thing. “Why wouldn’t that be safe?”
Tandy closed her eyes. They were supposed to be helping here, not making things worse.
The Sheriff cleared his throat. “Randon is in good hands now, Marissa. Please sit down so Susan can tell us what happened.”
Marissa glanced down the hallway once more. “You’re going to question the nurses too, right? If it wasn’t Romero, then—”
“Yes, I’m going to question the nurses…” Griffin’s words came out clipped. “…while you stay with Susan, since you came here to comfort her.”
Tandy nodded toward the seat on the other side of Susan. Marissa’s concern about following procedure correctly was keeping them from getting started, and it could very well get them tossed out. Though Marissa’s fear about the new deputy was making Tandy curious. Exactly how creepy was he?
Marissa bit her lip but then quickly sank beside Susan and gripped her hand. “I’m so sorry, Susan. I want to get this killer as badly as you do.”
Susan trembled underneath Tandy’s touch. She sniffed. “Thank you.”
“Now, Susan.” Officer Griffin pulled out a stylus to use for writing on his phone screen. “I know this is hard, but I have to ask you some questions.”
She covered her face for a moment then sat up bravely. “I’ll try to remember as best I can.”
“That’s all I can ask. Let’s start by having you tell me what happened in your own words.”
The story came out choppy and shaky. Sometimes too quiet to discern. But it basically sounded something like, “I went to get a snack to eat from the vending machine, and when I came back there was a pillow over Randon’s face. I checked his pulse and screamed, and the doctors were able to resuscitate him, but they are unsure of how the loss of air has affected his brain.”
Tandy covered her mouth. So though Randon was technically alive, he could have severe brain damage. She swallowed. “Do you think you scared off the killer, or do you think they left believing their job was done?”
Susan shook her head, eyes shining. “Either way, it’s awful. What if he never wakes up? Or what if he wakes up and he’s…he’s…not the same?”
Tandy hugged the young woman, which said a lot since Tandy wasn’t a hugger. But she would never wish such pain on anyone. Randon had been brilliant. A millionaire…
Her eyes narrowed. “Does he have a will? Could someone be after his money?”
People in their 20s like Randon usually didn’t have wills. Especially if he didn’t have any heirs. But could he have an institute or a charity that would get his estate if he passed? Maybe even a fund that would benefit Cash. Like a scholarship for injured veterans. She’d have to look into it.
Susan shook her head. “I don’t know. You really think someone would do that?”
Tandy shrugged. She’d seen people do some pretty awful things in life. Including Randon. But she wouldn’t mention to Susan that the young woman’s own boss thought Randon was responsible for the ransomware attack at Cross Enterprises.
“It’s possible,” said Griffin. “It’s also possible someone was out for revenge because they thought he’d been scamming companies with ransomware.”
Tandy dropped her head backwards. So much for being discreet and respectful.
“What?” Susan glanced from Griffin to Marissa.
Griffin tilted his head in challenge. “You don’t know anything about the virus?”
Okay, now he was speculating. Playing good cop/bad cop by himself.
Susan’s knuckles turned white enough to match the tissues she clenched. “Randon would never do something like that. I mean, he could. But he wouldn’t.”
“Hm…” Griffin scribbled away. “You work for Cross Enterprises, do you not?”
“I do. You know I do. But what does that have to do with—”
“Their recent ransomware attack? Don’t tell me you don’t know about that.”
“Yes, but…”
“But it’s just a coincidence that you work there and your boyfriend, as you stated, has the ability to con companies out of big bucks?”
Susan’s mouth fell open. Her eyes looked from Marissa to Tandy, as innocent and trusting as Cocoa’s had been.
Tandy sighed. She’d been in Susan’s place, not so long ago. Accused of a crime she knew nothing about. It wasn’t fun. Especially when Griffin could be checking hospital surveillance videos and meeting with Cross’s private eye to figure out what had already been discovered, rather than harassing the victim�
��s girlfriend. Even if Susan did know something about Randon’s dirty deeds, that wasn’t the crime they were investigating.
“Susan,” she smoothed the woman’s cotton candy hair away from her damp forehead. “Griffin is looking for motives for attempted murder. Is there anyone you can think of who had issues with Randon? Anyone who might want him dead? This will help put the criminal in jail and give Randon the best chance to recover.”
“I…uh…” Susan stammered. “There’s a lot of people who don’t like Randon.”
Tandy scrunched her face at the bluntness of such a truth. If Susan knew how many people didn’t like Randon, what did she see in him? His money? Or did she see something nobody else did? They were both a little on the edgy/artsy side.
Tandy might doubt Susan’s sincerity if she hadn’t seen how Randon had wooed her. And it wasn’t like Susan was taking advantage of his wealth. She worked for a living and rented an apartment above Opal’s garage.
Susan shook her head. “But I can’t think of anyone who would kill him.”
Marissa patted Susan’s hand. It was a good thing she and Tandy were here with the way Griffin was interrogating her. Obviously, the whole ransomware thing had been just as big a shock to Susan as it had been to Marissa.
“Griffin, why don’t you give Susan a little break and see what the nurses know.”
“Romero is questioning the nurses.”
Of course, he was. The perfect way for him to hide evidence. “You probably should too.”
Griffin narrowed his eyes. “I’ll see what he’s found out and check security footage.” He pulled a card from his breast pocket and held it out. “Susan, if you think of anything else, I want you to call me immediately.”
Susan took the card but avoided eye contact as if ashamed for what her boyfriend might have done to bring this on himself. “I will.”
Griffin rose and headed down the hallway, his shoes squeaking.
Susan wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “Is Randon really responsible for the ransomware?”
A Latte Difficulty Page 4