While She Slumbered: The Murder Blog Mysteries #5

by Pamela Frost Dennis

  “Sounds more like an order to me,” I said.

  “Anyhoo, I have a comfy guest room, and I want you to stay with me.”

  “I can’t impose on you like that,” said Nina.

  “It is not an imposition. I’ve seen the outside of your house and can’t begin to imagine the mess inside. You can’t possibly stay there.”

  “I was going to offer the same thing,” I said. “But I bet you’d be more comfortable at my grandmother’s. Especially since you’ll be moving to Shady Acres one of these days.”

  Ruby went on, “Speaking of that, I have some good news that I think you will like. There’s a lovely ground-level apartment in the complex that will be available in ten days. The current occupant is moving in with her daughter’s family in El Paso. The apartment has a nice master and a guest room. A perfect size kitchen with a newer stove and refrigerator and a private patio surrounded by lovely flowering shrubbery. There’s been a lot of interest in it, but I took the liberty of submitting your name for it just now, and was told it’s yours if you want it.”

  Nina burst into tears. Happy tears. “Oh, I do. I really do.”

  “Then it’s settled. Tomorrow, we’ll pick you up and take you to my place. Katy? Can you go to her house in the morning and pack some things so Nina has something to wear when they release her?”

  “I’m sure the house is locked,” said Nina.

  “I’ll figure something out,” I said. Dog door.

  Ruby had read my mind and winked. “We should get going. Let our friend rest.”

  We were leaving the room when Nina said, “Oh! Katy, will you feed Mr. Snickers and check his water?”

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Sunday • July 26

  Posted by Katy McKenna

  Saturday, July 18

  Part One

  In the late morning, the hospital released Nina. Ben gave us a ride to Ruby’s house. On the way, I told her that Baby Girl is now living with my grandmother. I didn’t tell Nina that I had dognapped the mutt because I’d seen Donna mistreating her. Didn’t matter now anyway, since Donna is in custody.

  “That is so kind of Ruby to give her a home, instead of the poor thing winding up at the pound. You know what? I think Baby Girl will be much happier with your grandmother. Donna smothered that dog.”

  “We changed Baby Girl’s name, though. It’s now BeeGee.”

  “I like that so much better,” she said. “That name annoyed me to no end. Every time she called her, it set my teeth on edge.” She imitated Donna’s doggy-baby-talk voice. “Baby Girl! Baby Girl!” She snorted. “So annoying. I shouldn’t make fun, though. Donna is going to miss that dog so much. And she certainly does not belong in prison.”

  “If she does time, I don’t think it will be a long sentence,” said Ben. “Given the circumstances.”

  He parked in Ruby’s driveway, and we held Nina’s arms as we escorted her to the front door. Ruby opened it before we knocked.

  “Welcome to Shady Acres, Nina!” said Ruby. “I have the dog in my bedroom until we get you settled. I was afraid she might be too rambunctious and knock you over in her excitement.”

  Nina sat on the couch, and I laid the blue chenille throw over her lap. “I’m ready. Release the hound!”

  Ruby opened her bedroom door. BeeGee tore out and practically flew through the air to get to Nina.

  “Baby Girl, I mean BeeGee!” Nina cuddled the excited, wriggly pup. “I’m so happy to see you. Yes, I am!”

  Ruby doesn’t want the chaos that would ensue by adding Mr. Snickers to her household, so I’ll keep the cat until Nina is moved into her new apartment. However, we did want Nina to have a little reunion with Snickers, so Ben drove me home to get him. I tucked Snickers into Tabitha’s carrier, and told him he was about to be the happiest kitty in the world. He didn’t believe me and yowled in hissy protest when I snapped the door shut. “Maybe not so much right now, but just you wait.”

  At the Shady Acres entrance, Gatekeeper George saw me coming and raised the gate with a salute for the second time that day. Nina’s rescue had been on the evening and morning news, and now he thinks I’m a hero.

  Ruby was waiting on the porch. “I put BeeGee on the patio with the dog door closed.” She led the way into the living room. “Nina? We have a surprise guest here to see you.”

  I set the carrier on the floor, pulled the cat out, and set him in his mother’s lap.

  Nina burst into joyful tears, cuddling him close. “Mr. Snickers! I am so sorry about everything. You must’ve wondered why I wasn’t taking care of you.”

  “I have a confession to make,” I said. “Mr. Snickers got lose one day. Daisy and I were walking by the house and when Daisy saw him in the front yard, she barked and he ran off. I nearly lost my mind trying to find him. Finally, I found him in Josh’s house when I went over to complain about the late night party noise. You know his cousin Dillon is staying there now. Anyway, I knew Donna would not keep him safe for you, so he’s been staying with me. My plan was to keep him until Donna left town.”

  “I wasn’t aware he was gone. I think I would’ve lost my mind if I’d known. That’s one thing I can be thankful I missed out on.”

  “I have one more surprise for you.” I opened the photos on my phone. “When you get settled in your apartment, I have some plants for your patio that I think you’ll like.”

  She gazed at the picture of the red, pink, and peach colored roses that I had potted for her. “Oh my. Are those my roses?”

  “They are. I couldn’t save them all, but think I got the best.”

  She wrapped me in a warm embrace. “Katy. You are the best.”

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Sunday • July 26

  Posted by Katy McKenna

  Saturday, July 18

  Part Two

  Last Saturday, after the happy pet reunion at Ruby’s, I loaded up Snickers and went home. Oh, how I wished I hadn’t.

  I rounded the corner onto Sycamore Lane and discovered a giant RV parked in front of Josh’s house. I knew he’d bought a fancy home-on-wheels, and he and Nicole had recently embarked on an extended road trip since getting remarried—so my first thought was, Did Nicole die?

  As I passed by the house, it relieved me to see her sitting on the porch steps. Josh was standing, facing her, and he glanced over his shoulder when she waved at me. I waved back and continued to my driveway clicking the garage door opener as I made the turn. Halfway in, I hit it again to close the door.

  I turned off the engine and sat there feeling sick. “What should I do?”

  You know what you have to do, said the exasperating voice in my head. Walk over there and act pleased to see them.

  “No. I’m going to my bedroom and hide under the covers.”

  You have to face them. Sooner or later.

  “Later works for me. In fact, I just remembered I forgot something at Ruby’s. Yeah, that’s it. I forgot something.”

  Really? What did you forget? asked my conscience.

  “Nothing.” I crawled out of the car. My legs felt like lead weights. My heart was twisted into a knot, and I felt close to losing the snickerdoodles I’d enjoyed at Ruby’s. I opened the back door, picked up the cat carrier, and went inside.

  Daisy knew I wasn’t in good shape when I walked through the garage door into the laundry room. I closed the dog door, let the cat loose, then sat on the floor leaning against the dryer while my girl whined and kissed my face.

  “I can’t go out there, Daisy. They’re married now. How am I supposed to be all, yay—I’m so happy to see you two! How’s married life treating you?”

  She tilted her head, gazing at me with her big brown eyes.

  “Okay, I don’t have to say anything like that. But I have to be friendly.”

  The doorbell rang, and Daisy dashed for it, barking her head off.

  “I can’t deal with this.” I shuffled to the foyer. “Daisy, sit.” I sucked in a deep breath of air, and opened the d
oor.

  “Hello, Katy,” he said in a solemn tone. “How are you?”

  “I, uh… Not so good at the moment to be honest.”

  Clad in jeans and a black t-shirt, he reached down and patted Daisy’s head. “Knowing your history with your neighbor, I thought you might need a little moral support. Am I overstepping?”

  Pressing my lips tight, trying to hold back threatening tears, I shook my head.

  “How about we walk over together, and you can introduce me?”

  I grimaced, feeling like I was about to get a booster shot in the butt.

  Simon gave me a brotherly smile. “You can do this.” He took my hand, pulled me onto the porch, told Daisy to stay, and shut the door. “I know how you feel. Someday, I’ll tell you about my broken heart.”

  At the bottom of the steps, I said, “I look awful.”

  “You look fine—”

  I made a “yuck” face at that. Fine is not good. Fine is average, mediocre, meh.

  “I meant to say you look very nice.”

  Yeah, right.

  He released my hand, and we headed next door. Josh saw us coming and met us halfway on the sidewalk.

  “Hi, Josh.”

  “Hey.” He took a tentative step towards me as if to embrace me, and I subconsciously stepped back.

  Simon threw an arm around my shoulders and held his hand out to shake Josh’s. “I’m your new neighbor. Simon Prichard. I live on the other side of Katy.”

  Josh’s brows furrowed briefly, and he half-smiled. “Nice to meet you. I didn’t know the Millers moved.”

  Simon grinned at me. “Lucky for me they did.”

  “Katy, what happened to your cheek?” said Josh.

  “It’s a long story,” I said.

  “Our neighbor is the town hero.” Simon hugged me closer. “The story is online, Josh. You should check it out. It’s on all the local news sites.”

  Nicole strolled over with a tiny Yorkie tucked under one arm. She looked healthy and way too much like a blushing bride. “Hi, Katy.”

  I forced what I hoped looked like a friendly smile. “Hello. Cute dog.”

  “Thank you. This is our new baby.” She waved one of the dog’s tiny paws. “Snookie, say hello to Katy.”

  “She’s adorable,” I said.

  I wasn’t sure if I was happy with Simon’s arm around me. I thought it might be sending the wrong message. Then Nicole slipped her left arm through Josh’s, resting her hand on his forearm. The sun glinted off her diamond wedding ring. Suddenly, I was grateful for Simon’s supportive arm, and decided they could read into it whatever they wanted.

  “Hello,” said Nicole to Simon. “I’m Nicole. Josh’s wife. You look familiar. Have we met?”

  “No. I’m Simon Prichard. Nice to meet you, Nicole.”

  Her eyes widened, and I knew she knew exactly who he is. “Didn’t I see an article about you in People magazine?” she asked.

  Simon said, “I don’t know if you saw it, but yes, there was an article not too long ago.”

  Josh looked baffled. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ll tell you later,” said Nicole.

  “What brings you to the neighborhood, Josh?” I said, feeling Simon’s fingers squeeze my shoulder.

  “We were heading back to Los Angeles. Nickie has decided to resume chemo.”

  “I thought you were done with that, Nicole,” I said.

  “I’m sure not looking forward to it.” She patted Josh’s arm. “But I have a lot to live for now.”

  “Anyway,” said Josh. “Devin called when we were on the I-5 passing through Fresno and said the water heater is on the fritz. So we cut over to see if I need to get a new one.”

  “And do you?” asked Simon.

  “Yeah. I’m heading to Home Depot in a few minutes.”

  “We better get going, Josh,” said Nicole. “Good seeing you, Katy.”

  “Yes, same here. You look great.” I swallowed hard. “Really happy for you.”

  When we reached my steps, Simon reclaimed his arm, and we sat on the porch swing. “You want a glass of wine?” he asked.

  “Huh?”

  “Wine?”

  I nodded.

  “Be right back.”

  I was deep into moping mode and wasn’t aware he’d left and returned until he handed me a goblet of red. He set the bottle on the table, sat beside me, and we gently swung in silence for a while.

  “This is hard.” I sighed.

  “Seems like a nice guy,” said Simon.

  “He is. Maybe too nice.” I pivoted to face him. “Thank you for the moral support.”

  “I hope putting my arm around you wasn’t too much. I knew you were hurting, and it just happened. I don’t want your friend to get the wrong impression.”

  “You mean my ex. I know how guilty Josh feels about leaving me. So if he got the wrong impression and thinks I’m dating—then good. It’ll probably make him feel better thinking I’ve moved on.” I shrugged with a little snort. “At least one of us will feel better. Clearly, I have not moved on. And I’m not ready to date. Not even close, even though my grandmother keeps pushing me to get out there. I’ll probably become the old neighborhood busybody spinster living with a houseful of cats.”

  “Poor Daisy.” Simon topped off our glasses, then leaned back, and we returned to congenial swinging. A few minutes later, he tapped his glass against mine. “Here’s to good neighbors and crazy cat ladies.”

  Dinner time

  I was in the kitchen making a salad that I didn’t want, but figured if I ate something healthy, then I could justify finishing off the ice cream in the freezer.

  The doorbell rang, and Daisy beat me to the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and prayed it wasn’t Josh. I considered not answering, but then Nicole called out, “Katy? Can we talk?”

  I opened the door and didn’t invite her in.

  “I wanted to tell you how happy I am that you’ve found someone. Simon Prichard is quite the catch. The man is a billionaire.”

  “We’re…” I was about to say we’re not a couple. “He’s a wonderful guy, however, I’m not interested in his money.” I wanted to add that I’m not a gold digger, but kept my mouth shut and let her talk.

  “But still. It is nice. I mean, who knows? Maybe you’ll wind up living in New York on the family estate. Wouldn’t that be something?”

  “That would certainly be something.”

  “Katy. I just want you to be as happy as I am. I feel like a have a new lease on life.” Her narrowed eyes drilled into mine. “A very long life. With Josh. I finally have back what I lost when we broke up, and I will never let him go again. One of these days, Josh and I will be living next door, and I know that might be hard for you. You know, seeing how happy we are.”

  “Well, as you say, maybe I’ll be living in New York, although I think I’d prefer his country estate in England.”

  She reached down to pet Daisy, and my loyal dog backed away. “If things go as I expect them to, I plan to have a baby.”

  “I’m sure Josh would be a good father.”

  “Yes. A very loving father, and a devoted, loyal, loving husband.” She turned to leave, then stopped. “I’m glad we had this little chat.”

  Lucky for Nicole that I didn’t have a pair of Donna’s granny panties in my hands.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Saturday • August 8

  Posted by Katy McKenna

  The fundraiser trail ride was scheduled at ten a.m. at the Beaver Lake Ranger Station, about fifteen miles out of town.

  On the drive to the lake, Sam said, “I haven’t been horseback riding since your twelfth birthday.”

  “Best birthday ever! I wonder if the “Little Cowpokes Dude Ranch” is still in operation. It’d be fun to take Casey and Chelsea.”

  “We should check it out—but sooner rather than later.” She patted her belly. “Won’t be long before this little cowpoke is too big for Mommy to sit on a saddle.�
��

  “There’s the turn! Watch out for the turkeys!”

  About a dozen turkeys were milling around on the narrow road, totally oblivious of us.

  “Look how cute they are. I love turkeys.”

  “Me, too,” said Samantha. “On a plate with lots of gravy. Gobble! Gobble!”

  I gave her the expected scowl and Sam tapped the horn. The gobblers cleared out, and we continued to the ranger station.

  We lined up on our assigned horses in a big corral. Our tall, dark, and drop-dead handsome ranger stood in the dirt, gripping the reins of a magnificent shiny palomino. He was the ultimate rugged, hunky cowboy of my daydreams. A total Hollywood heartthrob.

  Sam leaned towards me and whispered, “Oh, my God. Be still my heart.”

  And then he spoke. I expected a commanding voice that would leave me weak-kneed. A Sam Elliott—Morgan Freeman—George Clooney mashup with a dash of Clint Eastwood—Go ahead, make my day.

  Nope. Our sexy heartthrob sounded like a falsetto version of Roseanne Barr with a dash of Gilbert Gottfried.

  Sam leaned towards me again. “Oh, my God.”

  “Hello! I’m Ranger Kyle Cruise,” he screeched. “No relation. Ha, ha, ha. Thank you for coming out today for our fundraiser. It’s going to be a fun day.” He petted two black short-haired Labrador-mix mutts standing next to him. “And these two handsome fellas are Ranger Tippy and Ranger Toby.”

  Tippy was about thirty pounds and Toby around seventy. A couple of goofy cuties.

  “They live at the station and are a big help around here. They keep our beds warm, chase pesky squirrels, and go on rounds with us. Today, they will act as tour guides.”

  I raised my hand. “Uh, just to be clear. You’ll be with us too, right?” My lame attempt at humor.

  Ranger Kyle brayed a hearty, honking laugh that ended with a snort. “Yep. But these guys are the bosses. Everyone ready to hit the trail?”