by Krista Davis
“Good morning,” we chimed simultaneously.
At that moment, Jim and Pippin joined us on the porch.
Pippin immediately bowed to Trixie in the canine gesture to play. A second later, Gingersnap joined in and the three dogs galloped down the front steps and onto the plaza in front of the inn.
“This is exactly what Pippin needed,” said Jim. “I love watching him play with other dogs. He never gets a chance to do that.”
“It’s nice to see him having fun. I guess days are long when he’s shooting a television program.”
“They can be. And no one wants a wild and crazy dog on a set.” Jim laughed in delight as Pippin ran like he had the zoomies. There was no denying that the goofy smile Pippin wore meant he loved prancing and playing with the other dogs.
“Are you ready for your treasure hunt?” I asked.
Jim groaned. “Marlee complained about it nonstop during dinner last night.” He gazed around. “She really ought to be getting photos of this for social media. Honestly, Camille is the only one with any energy. Finch hasn’t even made an appearance this morning.” He glanced at his watch and heaved a great sigh. “I guess I’d better go bang on Finch’s and Marlee’s doors and get them out of bed. Would you mind keeping an eye on Pippin? He’s having such a good time with his buddies that I hate to bust up the fun. I should be back in five minutes.”
“No problem.” While Jim went inside to wake Finch, I chatted with a few guests on the porch.
Jim returned with a look of dismay. “Either those two are dead to the world or they’re very good at hiding their heads under their pillows. Neither of them had the decency to get up and open the door. Guess we’ll have to go without them. This is exactly why I didn’t want to be in charge. They’re adults. Right? No one should have to chase them down to do what’s expected of them.”
We started walking toward the gathering site at the foot of the mountain.
Camille caught up to us wearing a bright pink sleeveless top and blue jean shorts. She had swapped her hiking boots for plain white sneakers but still wore ample makeup. She probably had to be ready for photos, even on a treasure hunt. “You look great,” I said.
“No sign of Marlee or Finch yet?” she asked.
Jim gave her an unabashedly admiring glance.
Uh-oh. I suspected the wrong people might bond on this trip.
“I tried. If they can’t be bothered to get up and do their jobs, well, that’s just too bad,” said Jim. “They know what the plan is, and they’re old enough to be responsible. I’m neither their dad nor their boss. We’ll just do this without them.”
Camille grinned. “Finch is living up to his character on the show. He’s supposed to be kind of a slouch. Besides, it’s Pippin who is the star attraction, not Finch. Right, Pippin?” she asked, holding out her hand to him.
He gazed up at her and swished his tail. I could have sworn he was smiling.
We walked to the starting point, where Clara Dorsey sat in a lawn chair handing out cold drinks for the hike.
“Holly!” she called.
I excused myself and walked over to her. Closing in on seventy, plump Clara could be a little scatterbrained. Her husband had died the previous year. Unfortunately, he had handled everything from finances to roof repair on their cottage. After his death, Clara had been overwhelmed until Shadow, Augie, and a few neighbors stepped up to help her. They had painted her cottage recently and repaired the gate on her fence. She handed me a bottle of water. “Any news on Diane?”
“Not yet.”
Clara moaned. “I hope nothing bad happened to her. I wanted to join the search for her, but they said I would be more helpful filling in here.” She glanced at her cane with annoyance. “I can’t wait until my foot heals and I can get around better. Diane has been such a dear to me. Do you think she got a lead on who took my sweet Tavish?”
I had no idea. “Why would you think that?”
“She stopped by my house yesterday with a basket of fresh blueberry muffins because she heard Tavish had disappeared. She promised to do her best to find him.”
“Did she have any idea what might have happened to him?”
“I don’t know. She brought Stella with her and let her sniff around.”
“You must miss Tavish.”
“I don’t know what to do without him. I haven’t slept a wink since he disappeared.” Tears filled her eyes. “It was so unbearably quiet in my house last night that I drove the streets in my golf cart looking for him. I can’t stand to think of what might have happened. He was in our yard! I miss the little guy so much.” A tear rolled down her round cheek. “And now everyone is out looking for Diane. What’s happening around here? I always felt so safe in Wagtail.”
“You’re still safe here. I’m sure Diane will turn up.” I stopped short of reassuring her about her beloved Tavish, though. I honestly didn’t know if we would be able to find the dognapper. I thanked her for the bottle of water. “And if you’re ever feeling lonely, come on over to the inn and visit with Oma and me.”
Clara smiled and pointed at someone. “Thank you, honey. Is Liesel joining the hunt today?”
I looked in the direction she indicated, and to my surprise I saw Oma. I wandered over to her. “I didn’t know you were planning to hike.”
Oma shook her head. “I would like to, but there will be no hiking for me today with everyone looking for Diane and the three missing dogs. It wouldn’t be right if I were having fun. Not to mention that I would be miserable because I would be thinking of Diane constantly.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“They asked me to blow the start whistle. It was Diane’s job . . .”
“Liesel!” A young man ran up to her. I backed away to give them some privacy to speak.
Vendors were doing a bang-up business selling stuffed Pippins from mouse-sized to life-sized. While Jim kept a watchful eye on the real Pippin, children and adults alike cooed and posed with him for selfies. Marlee should have been there to manage the social media aspect of things. She was missing some wonderful moments that would have made terrific photos.
Pippin was a good sport, wagging his tail and taking all the attention in stride as people patted him.
Jim sidled up to me. “This is a great crowd. But doggone it! Where’s Marlee? This happens to me all the time. What’s wrong with people? Why does everyone expect me to do their jobs? Marlee ought to be out here taking care of the social media stuff and dealing with all the people who want their pictures taken with Pippin.” He heaved a sigh. “First Howard and now Marlee. I should have just brought Pippin here by himself. The two of us could have had a great time.” He shook his head. “Seems like I always end up doing all the work.”
I understood where he was coming from. It wasn’t right for the others to be lounging around while Jim handled everything for them.
I gazed at the leashes and harnesses in my hands and wondered if I should put them on Trixie and Gingersnap.
They had wandered away from the crowd of people and sniffed the trail with excitement. Pippin finally had enough of posing for pictures and raced to see what interested his canine friends.
I gazed around. There was no sign of the man with gray eyes. And the dogs would have a ball mingling with other dogs and hunting for treasure. It didn’t seem fair to not let them join in the fun. Could I take a chance and allow them to run loose like I would have two days ago? There were so many people participating in the hike. Surely, he wouldn’t try to snatch Trixie in front of a crowd.
Pippin zipped by Gingersnap and Trixie, who chased after him. I smiled as I watched them enjoy themselves. I didn’t want to deny them that. I would just have to keep a close eye on them.
From a small podium, Oma announced, “The great Treasure Hunt with Pippin begins! Don’t forget that the person who finds a five-inch
-tall statue of Pippin will win the coveted grand prize—a picnic at Dogwood Lake with Pippin, America’s favorite dog!” She blew the whistle.
As if they understood, dogs yapped and yowled and headed up the path. Children ran after them. The adults moved a little bit slower, but everyone began hiking up the hill.
Trixie, Gingersnap, and Pippin ran ahead, taking the lead. I rushed to catch up to them. We hadn’t gone far before I heard children exclaiming about the treasures they had found.
Personally, I was looking forward to the Pippin party at the top of the mountain.
The woods on each side of us were dark. The emerging leaves blocked the sun from filtering down. New growth on the ground was beginning to fill the forest so that it was more difficult to see deep into the woods.
I chuckled when I spotted a leash that glowed in the dark as a prize. It hung from a branch that looked to be about three feet off the ground. I didn’t think anyone would miss seeing that.
Everyone seemed to be in good cheer. Rae Rae caught up to me. “This is such fun! But it appears that two of our crew are still missing. Roscoe will not be pleased that there are no photos of Pippin going viral.”
“A lot of people took selfies. Maybe one of them will be popular.”
“Wouldn’t you think that they would get up and participate? After all, this is a paid vacation for them. And that Marlee! She should be working, not sleeping off a hangover! Roscoe will be quite put out.”
I agreed with Rae Rae. “Was Marlee out late last night?”
Rae Rae threw me a wicked glance. “Let’s just say she didn’t go back to the inn with the rest of us.”
I glanced at her sideways. Clearly, Rae Rae didn’t realize that I had seen her out and about after midnight.
Rae Rae paused to chat with someone, but I kept walking. I searched for Trixie’s white fur among the dogs romping around, but I didn’t see her.
“Trixie? Gingersnap?” I started to panic. “Trixie, come!”
Seconds later, I heard Jim calling Pippin in a fearful voice.
We were a little over halfway up the trail when I heard the thing I had come to dread—Trixie’s howling bark.
Eight
It wasn’t her ordinary cheerful bark. Not the one that meant she wanted a treat or the bark that indicated she heard someone outside our door. It was Trixie’s way of setting up an alarm. Surely, I had heard wrong. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We had been up and down the path only the day before. Wouldn’t we have noticed something then? It couldn’t be . . .
I could hear her off in the woods, wailing.
Jim ran over to me, his brow creased. “Pippin followed Trixie, but I don’t see them anywhere.”
Rae Rae huffed and puffed to catch up to us. “Why are they barking? Where’s Pippin?”
Jim paled. “Do you think they ran into a bear or something?”
“Or something,” I muttered, fearful that they had found a corpse. Jim and Rae Rae wouldn’t know about Trixie’s nose for murder unless they had read the article about her. “I’ll check on them.” Following the sound of Trixie’s barking, I veered off the trail onto a smaller path that was probably used more by deer than by humans.
Rae Rae and Jim were right behind me, calling Pippin’s name.
“Pippin always comes when I call. I’m getting very worried. Has Trixie ever run off like this before?”
I didn’t want to admit that she had, but I thought I’d better warn him. “Trixie has a knack for . . .” I stopped in the middle of my sentence. We were well off the path and had reached a point where the woods plunged into a hollow. “This looks like an animal trail. See how there’s a little alley here?”
I stepped toward the edge and looked down.
And there it was. The thing I had feared. Trixie, Gingersnap, and Pippin sniffed at a figure who lay among the briars at the bottom of the ravine. I couldn’t tell much from the clothing. The person lay facedown with their legs pointing toward me, as though he or she had stood over the hollow and tried to dive headfirst. My heart sank when I saw the woeful face of a boxer lying alongside the person, her head resting on the person’s back. It had to be Diane Blushner who lay there, because that was Stella, faithfully staying by her side.
“Is that a body?” Jim whispered.
“I’m afraid so.” Blood pounded in my ears. There were two options. I could phone for help, but that would probably mean walking most of the way back, or I could try climbing down to Diane. What if she was alive? I knew what I would have wanted if it were me lying there. I would have been grateful if someone had comforted me. “Diane?” I called. “Diane? Can you hear me?”
“Diane?” asked Jim. “How can you tell who it is?”
“Just a guess. The dog with her looks like her dog, Stella.”
I handed my phone to Jim. “Try calling 911.” The dogs had managed to reach the body. Surely, I could, too. I wished I had gloves, but that wasn’t the case. I also wished I had worn jeans, but I hadn’t anticipated venturing into overgrown areas. I took my time placing my feet into piles of dead leaves and testing the strength of rotting trees that lay on the ground. I could only hope that the dogs running through the area had caused snakes to slither away. It was steep but not as treacherous as I had thought. If it hadn’t been for the new growth of briars grabbing at me from all directions, it might not have been that bad.
The angle was such that if I made a misstep I would probably land on my bottom and slide, not careen, downward. At least I hoped so. Moving slowly, I sat down to be on the safe side and scooted carefully lest I dislodge something and slip. I scooched along, dodging briars until I reached the person’s head. “Diane? It’s Holly Miller. We’re going to get you out of here. Okay?”
There was no response. Not even a twitch.
But Stella seemed very glad to see me. Her tail beat against the dead leaves. She didn’t leave Diane’s side, but she stretched her broad head toward me and I stroked it. “You’re such a good girl to stay with your mama.”
I reached out to touch Diane’s neck. Maybe she was unconscious? But up close she was solid deadweight and frighteningly still. Brushing away the leaves that cushioned her face like a pillow, I finally confirmed that it was indeed Diane.
I didn’t know a lot about corpses, but I felt fairly sure that she was dead and had been out there for a while.
“I can’t get a signal!” Jim shouted.
I looked up at him. He was desperately punching his finger on the screen of his cell phone.
“Try mine. There’s only one carrier that works in Wagtail, and it’s spotty at best.”
“Still nothing. Not a single bar. Do you think we can pull her up here?”
Diane’s eyes were closed, and I didn’t like the way her head had been buried in the leaves. Although I thought it hopeless, I asked, “Diane, can you hear me? Diane?”
Above me, Rae Rae shrieked, “She’s dead! Oh, dear heaven, she’s dead!”
Trixie sniffed Diane’s head and yowled mournfully as if she was trying to tell me what she knew but I didn’t want to accept. I didn’t move Diane in case she had spinal cord injuries, but I slid my fingers around her throat in search of a pulse.
I didn’t feel one. I tried her wrist. Still nothing. It was probably too late . . .
I raised my voice so they could hear and said as calmly as I could, “I think she’s dead. We’re going to have to walk down to report this to the police. Jim, you better catch up to everyone since Pippin is the star attraction and he’ll be missed. Rae Rae, you take my phone and walk down until you can reach the police. If you see any children coming this way, shoo them up the trail, please. We don’t need any kids to be scarred for life.”
“Shouldn’t I remain here with you?” asked Jim.
I shook my head. “I don’t think we have much choice. Everyone will be waiting for Pippin.”<
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Jim handed my phone to Rae Rae. He called Pippin, who clearly didn’t want to leave. But after some coaxing and promises of cookies, Pippin hopped his way up to Jim and Rae Rae.
I tried not to disturb the area too much because it was probably a crime scene. I couldn’t imagine why Diane would be up here with Stella. It was remotely possible that they had gone for a hike and gotten lost. Maybe Diane had fallen. But as I considered the possibilities, it dawned on me that Trixie had never barked mournfully around someone who died of natural causes. Maybe I was reading too much into Trixie’s talent for discovering corpses, but so far, she had only barked like that when she found the body of someone who had been murdered.
With all the leaves on the ground, almost any kind of evidence could be hidden. And I had most likely already kicked the leaves around too much. Given the location, I was certain they would be moved around a lot more when rescuers came to haul Diane out of there. Over the next hour, I sought a pulse several more times without luck. The peculiar thing was that I didn’t observe any obvious cause of death. She wasn’t bleeding anywhere that I could see. It didn’t appear that her head had hit a rock. I did think her limbs seemed stiff, which suggested to me that she had been out there several hours at least.
Trixie’s ears perked up, and she uttered a muffled bark. Seconds later, I could hear voices as Dave and Rae Rae arrived on the scene.
Dave clambered down to us. Much as I had, he sat beside Diane. After a cursory examination, he let out a long breath and patted Stella. “I wish you could tell us how you came to be here.”
Stella gazed at him sadly as if she understood.
“Holly, I give you a lot of credit for climbing down here. But we’ve got to get you out. This is a crime scene.”
“You think she was murdered.”
“Diane was a strong and competent person. Even if she had come up here last night or at the crack of dawn this morning for some reason, even if there had been an injured dog down here and she slid down to get it and fell, she would most likely be alive. There’s always the slim possibility that she hit her head or broke her neck, but you and I managed to get down here with nothing more than a few scratches, so I think that’s unlikely.”