by Jenn Cowan
I shake my head to clear my mind and stare up at the two-story colonial office building. Lindy owned the entire building, but leased the upper level to the town dentist, Dr. Mitchell Puckett. He’s a friendly guy in his mid-forties with a receding hairline, but he keeps himself in shape. Everyone in town likes him, but he’s always seemed a little off to me. “What do you know about Dr. Puckett and Lindy’s relationship? Were there any rifts in regard to the building?”
Travis pauses and stares up at the second floor. “I think Dr. Puckett was trying to get out of his lease, but Lindy was making him stick to his contract and wait until the end of the year.”
“Why was he trying to get out of his lease?”
“He needed more space with the town growing. Sounds like he was bringing in another dentist to help him keep up with the demand.”
I nod. “Makes sense. Why wouldn’t Lindy let him out of his lease?”
“Guess that’s a question for Raphael.”
7
“If he knows anything about it.”
“Oh, Raphael knows everything about everyone. It’s his super power,” Travis says with a wink. “Come on, we’re burning daylight and Raphael only has so long before he has to be at the next party.” Travis holds the door open for me and we step inside the cool building. It smells like fruity wine mixed with lilies. Barking starts up behind the glass door to Lindy’s office and the cutest black nose presses against the glass.
“Get off that door! I just washed it for the hundredth time today. Sit. Stay. No barking. Good boy,” Raphael appears in the door way. He’s wearing all black with his dark hair spiked up in all directions. His olive skin gleams in the fluorescent light as he scoops up the sweetest black and brown cocker spaniel puppy I’ve ever seen. “Oh, detective. Autumn. I knew you’d be by sooner or later. Come in. Come in. Let me just put this little guy away.”
At those words, the ‘little guy’ wiggles out of Raphael’s arms and onto the floor to dance around mine and Travis’s feet.
I bend down to pet him and he licks my hand. “He’s so cute. What’s his name?”
“Oh, he doesn’t have one.”
I blink, wondering if I heard him wrong. “What do you mean he doesn’t have one? Isn’t he your dog?”
Raphael snorts. “Me? With a dog? You have to be joking. They’re so messy and loud. Nope. No way. Never in a million years.”
“If he’s not yours, then who does he belong to?”
“I’m not sure. He showed up earlier at a birthday party and the mom insisted I take him to the pound. I haven’t had a chance with trying to do mine and Lindy’s job all day. It’s been a crazy and emotional day.” Raphael sniffles and wipes his eyes with an embroidered handkerchief. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”
I pick up the puppy, who keeps jumping up on my scrubs, and say, “I’m so sorry for your loss. I know you and Lindy were close.”
He sniffles again. “She was my best friend. I’m not sure how I’ll go on without her.”
“I’m surprised you’re working after such a tragic loss. Why didn’t you take the weekend off?”
Raphael gasps. “Lindy would throw a fit if I cancelled an event. She’s never cancelled one in her entire career and she would be appalled if I cancelled due to her death. She lived and breathed this job. This is the best way to honor her. Being here in this place she loved and ensuring parties run smoothly. It was her life’s work.”
Travis shoots me an amused expression.
I ignore him and stroke the puppy’s head. His brown eyes are getting droopy and before I can even ask another question, he’s snoring softly in my arms.
“He likes you. Want him?” Raphael inquires, looking excited at the possibility of not having to deal with the animal anymore.
“Oh, no. He’s sweet, but…” I pause because Josh and I were just talking about getting a pet last night. Josh wants a dog and this guy is pretty sweet. “Maybe.”
“At least, take him with you. Drop him at the pound if you don’t want him. He’s not microchipped, I stopped by the vet’s office to be sure, and I even checked Daysville’s and the surrounding cities missing pets web pages. No one’s looking for the guy.”
I bite my lip, my belly flipping in excitement at surprising Josh with a puppy. I shake my head and focus back on the case. “Do you know of anyone who would want to harm Lindy or even want her dead?”
Raphael heads to his desk and shuffles through some papers. “I was here all night collecting this information for you. Ah, here it is.” He holds up a pack of papers that has to be about ten pages long.
“What’s all this?” Travis inquires, taking the papers from Raphael.
“A list of everyone who had a beef with Lindy.”
My eyes nearly bulge out of my head. “That’s a pretty big list. Can you narrow it down at all?”
“Oh, honey you should see your face.” Raphael laughs. “That is narrowed down.”
I try to school my expression, but it’s a long list.
He waves a hand at me. “Lindy made a lot of enemies. Most of the people on that list are ones who’ve threatened to hurt her or kill her... there’s a lot of wives and/or girlfriends, who were scorned by Lindy’s flirtatious ways with their significant others. Some are dissatisfied clients and some were scorned lovers.”
“Was everyone on this list at the party?” Travis inquires, flipping through the pages.
“I starred those, but didn’t want to leave anyone else out. Anyone could have slipped into the gym and back out without being noticed. Especially since everyone was wearing a costume.”
“What about Dr. Puckett upstairs? Was there any bad blood there?” I ask, scanning the list and not seeing his name.
Raphael makes a face. “Dr. Puckett is the sweetest guy I know. There’s no way he would hurt Lindy.”
“Word around town is Lindy wouldn’t let him out of his lease.”
“That’s true. She wouldn’t, but only because she was looking out for him.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“The dentist he was going to bring in, Trent Thatcher, was a crook. Lindy was collecting dirt on him to show to Dr. Puckett.”
“How was he a crook?” Travis asks, crossing his arms over his chest while eyeing the puppy in my arms.
“Supposedly, he was a con-artist. He’d start working at a clinic then steal from the owner and skip town. He’s made quite a name for himself.”
“How did Lindy get access to this information? Was it one of her ‘visions’?”
“Lindy made it her business to know everything about everyone in town, especially those moving in and no, this was plain research.”
“And what about Bobby?” I ask, continuing to pet the sleeping puppy.
“Bobby wasn’t anything more than a way to stick it to Nikki. Lindy was dating someone.”
My eyebrows shoot to my hairline in surprise. “Who?”
“She wouldn’t tell me. It seemed pretty serious though. He’d send flowers every week, expensive jewelry, even dinners on nights when she was working late. I about choked on my gum when I saw her kiss Bobby. That girl was wicked when it came to working up Nikki. It was like a sport to her.” Raphael shakes his head then he sighs and says, “I’m sure you can find out whatever you need to know in her journals.”
I perk up at his words and so does Travis.
“Her journals?” We ask in unison.
“Yeah, they’re at her house. She was big on meditating and journaling. It was her stress reliever.”
“Where will we find these journals?”
“She hid them all over her house. Sometimes even in plain sight. You could probably write a pretty juicy book with all the information in those babies. I’ll see if I can find them for you.”
The phone rings and Raphael holds up a finger for us to wait a minute.
I turn around to give him some privacy.
Travis steps up beside me and pets the dog softly on head. “I thought yo
u always wanted a bunny.”
“I did. I do, but Josh wants a dog. I like dogs and this guy doesn’t have a home.” I hold the sweet puppy up to my face so Travis can see his big brown eyes.
Travis rolls his eyes with a smirk. “You sure you’re not using this dog as a distraction?”
I furrow my brow. “What do you mean?”
His smirk grows bigger. “Just like you can read me, I can read you. You’re getting this dog for Josh so he doesn’t think about you not being pregnant. This little guy will distract you both from thinking about a baby.”
“That’s not true,” I argue and wave him off as I coo to the puppy. A tiny part of me wonders if he’s right though. Regardless, this puppy needs a home and Josh and I can give him one.
“Sorry about that,” Raphael says, hanging up the phone. “Everyone’s calling to give their condolences then also ensuring their parties are still going to happen.”
“What will happen to the business?”
“I’m going to take over, of course. Lindy’s been grooming me for years to help lighten the load. It should be a seamless transition.” Raphael smiles as the phone rings again. “I’m sorry, but I really do have to take these and get to an event. If you need anything else don’t hesitate to call me.” He waves to us before answering the phone again.
Travis holds open the door for me as I switch the puppy to my other arm. I forgot how heavy puppies can be. His phone beeps and he stops beside the building to check it. “We’d better go,” he says, striding toward his SUV.
I pick up my pace to keep up with him. “Why? What’s going on?”
“There’s a domestic disturbance.”
“A domestic disturbance? Where?” My phone beeps and I see it’s Josh.
Get to Pete’s Pizza Palace. ASAP. It’s Nikki.
8
“What’s going on?” I ask Travis, scanning the dining room of Pete’s Pizza Palace. I spot Josh over in the private section of the dining room and head his way. The main dining room is empty, which is strange for a Saturday night. Usually the place is packed and no one can get in.
Pete waves from the kitchen window then gets back to work. A couple of waitresses are milling around the hostess booth, but don’t make eye contact with me. Everyone acts like they’re minding their own business when obviously something big is happening in the private dining room.
Travis follows me as we work our way through the maze of tables and chairs and up the stairs to the private dining area on the landing. I’m still holding the yet to have a name puppy in my arms. He’s squirming slightly, but otherwise seems content in my arms. This isn’t the way I wanted to surprise Josh with a puppy, but I didn’t want to leave the little guy in the car either. Luckily, Pete lets dogs in his restaurant, but they have to be well behaved and stay out of the kitchen. Hopefully, this guy will mind his manners so we don’t get kicked out.
I step up the stairs to find Josh watching the interaction between our two friends. When he sees me, he smiles then notices the puppy in my arms. “Who’s this?” He reaches out to scratch the puppy behind the ears.
“Our new dog.”
His eyebrows shoot to his hairline in surprise. “Wh-what? I thought you wanted a bunny?”
I shrug. “Raphael found this dog at one of his parties. He was going to take him to the pound so I thought we could give him a home.” I hoist the dog up to my face and he licks it. I laugh then look at Josh. “He’s pretty cute, isn’t he?”
Josh grins. “Absolutely. Here let me hold him so you can deal with this.” He lifts the dog from my arms and nods toward Nikki and Bobby.
“What’s going on? Why is this place empty?”
“Nikki rented it out so she could tell Bobby she’s pregnant. She even had Pete write, ‘You’re going to be a daddy’ on a pizza.”
I smile. “That’s so sweet! What did he say? Is he excited? I bet he’s so excited. Is that what all the fuss is about?”
“Um, not exactly… he’s not taking it well.”
I jerk back in surprise. “What? Why not? He’s wanted a baby for years. He and April tried forever.”
“That’s the problem.”
“I don’t understand.” I look toward the table where Bobby’s gripping the back of the chair so hard, it looks about ready to break under his hands. He’s glaring at the pizza while Nikki’s standing across from him sobbing and pleading with him to believe that this is his baby.
Bobby stands up and runs a hand down his face. “It’s not mine, Nikki. I can’t have kids.”
I step toward him and inquire, “Why not?”
“Because April and I tried for years and we never had a baby. The doctor said I was basically sterile.”
“The doctor said or April said?”
Bobby opens his mouth then closes it. His brown eyes grow dark and his face gets red. “April told me. She said I was the problem. I was the reason we couldn’t have a baby. That’s why Cat was Travis’s and not mine.”
I scowl. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. April manipulated Travis and you… it looks like she’s doing it from the grave. Come one, let’s go.” I tug on Bobby’s arm.
“What? Where are we going?”
“To the hospital.”
“Why?”
“So, you can do a test and find out if you’re shooting blanks or not.” I tug on his arm again, but he doesn’t budge.
“No, Autumn.”
I frown. “What? Why not?”
“Because…”
“He hates hospitals and all things medical,” Nikki spats, rolling her eyes. “April made him do all sorts of tests and had him poked and prodded for years so he has PTSD.”
“It’s not just that…”
“Then what is it?”
“My football career ended at the hospital. I blew my knee out and life as I knew it… all my plans, everything was gone.”
Nikki steps over to him cautiously and reaches out slowly like she’s afraid he might bite her then rubs his back. “I’ll go with you. It won’t take long. You have to know I would never cheat on you.” Her eyes fill with tears. “Even though we were having problems, I’d never be unfaithful to you. I love you.”
Bobby blinks back tears of his own. “I know… I just… being with April all those years. She was unfaithful. I have trust issues. I want to believe this baby is mine,” he reaches out and rubs Nikki’s flat stomach before clearing his throat. “She told me I couldn’t have kids. I never thought I’d be a father. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around all of this.”
Suddenly, I get an idea and grab my phone out of my scrubs pocket. I dial the number, put the call on speaker phone and wait for him to answer.
“Hello? Autumn? Is everything ok?”
“Dr. Gregory. How are you?”
“Um, fine. How are you?”
“I’m fine, but we have a situation we could use your help with if you’re willing and of course, if Bobby gives his permission to discuss his medical history.”
“Um, ok. What’s this about?”
“Nikki’s pregnant.”
“That’s great! Congratulations, you two.”
Bobby frowns. “So, this baby is mine?”
Dr. Gregory chuckles. “Well I sure hope so. You two are still together, right?”
“Yes,” Bobby says then takes a deep breath and continues, “April told me I couldn’t have kids.”
Dr. Gregory doesn’t respond right away. “Are you ok discussing your medical history in front of everyone, Bobby?”
Bobby looks about ready to faint or explode, I’m not sure which. The back of the wooden chair is practically bowing under his grip. “It’s fine,” he grunts out.
“Your sperm as of a couple years ago were above average. You were not the reason why you and April couldn’t have kids.”
“I wasn’t? But we tried for years. She told me it was me.”
Dr. Gregory clears his throat. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but s
ince April signed a document releasing her medical information to you when she was alive, I guess it’s alright,” He pauses then says, “April had her tubes tied after Cat was born.”
“What?!” Bobby cries, his face turning red. “I would have known about that.”
“April had a C-section, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Did you leave the room at any time after Cat was born?”
Bobby purses his lips and doesn’t respond for a moment. “I left when I saw all the red hair and knew the baby wasn’t mine. I went to get some air.”
“During that time, April had the doctor tie her tubes. It’s not usually something they do for a woman that young, but she insisted she didn’t want any more children.”
“Then why did we try all those years?” Bobby asks more to himself than anyone. “Why would she do that without talking to me first? I wanted a baby. Several actually.”
“Well now you are and you can. With the right person. A better person,” Dr. Gregory states with vigor.
Bobby lets go of the chair and takes Nikki into his arms. “Can you ever forgive me? I shouldn’t have doubted you. I’m sorry.” He leans down to kiss her.
“You’re already forgiven,” she whispers against his lips.
I turn my back and give the parents-to-be some privacy as I step down into the main dining room. “Thank you, Dr. Gregory.”
“My pleasure, Autumn. Take care.”
I smile at Josh, who is sitting at a table talking to the puppy.
“I can’t believe April would do that to him,” Travis says, stepping up next to me.
“Really? It was April. Look what she did to us. Nothing surprises me when it comes to that woman. It’s amazing Cat turned out as well as she did. I tip my hat to you on that.”
Travis blushes and rubs the back of his neck. “I can’t take all the credit. Aunt Regina had a hand in a lot of it and so did you.”
I wave him off. “She was already a great kid before I even met her.”
“But without you supporting her and taking her under you wing this past year, who knows where she’d be. You saved her, Autumn.”