by J A Whiting
“Kyle must have been drugged like Jennifer was,” Nell guessed. “He’s a strong guy. He would have put up a fight. Maybe he did fight when he was back at his house … until the drug kicked in.”
Violet nodded. “That’s when the killer forced Kyle from his house and drove him here. Or the killer had a gun and didn’t need to bother with the drug.” She looked at her sister. “Can you sense who did it? Can you sense if the killer is a man or a woman?”
“I can’t tell.”
The two young women walked closer to the entrance to the trail, but they had to stay back away from the police car that was blocking the road. The crime tape that stretched across the road between a few trees fluttered in the breeze. Several members of the media stood behind the tape waiting for the crime scene investigators to emerge from the trail.
When they spotted Nell and Violet, they called out to them with questions.
“Did you see anything?”
“Do you know the identity of the deceased?”
“Did you find the body?”
“Is this related to the murder of Jennifer Harding?”
Nell shook her head and took Violet’s arm, and they walked away from the questioning reporters.
Leaning close to her sister, Nell whispered, “I have an idea.”
23
Nell and Violet sat on their deck drinking tea with Iris and Oscar sitting near the steps watching the people strolling by.
“Okay. I’m not waiting another minute. Tell me your idea.” Violet sipped her iced tea through the straw.
“Oscar and Iris took off on the morning we found Jennifer at the base of the cliff,” Nell said.
The dogs looked over at her and woofed when they heard her say their names.
“They seemed to be following someone’s scent,” Violet nodded.
“The killer’s scent. Remember how we thought Oscar might have been trained to follow a person’s scent? His previous owner was in witness protection. I bet he taught Oscar how to find him if they ever got separated by locating his smell.”
“You think Oscar can find the killer through smell?” Violet questioned. “But it’s been almost two weeks since Jennifer was killed.”
Nell made eye contact with her sister. “The killer was in our house. I threw out the paintbrush he used to make that awful picture of us dead, but the trash hasn’t been picked up yet. I’ll pull it out and have him sniff it. Oscar was barking and going crazy when we came inside to find there’d been an intruder in the house. I bet he remembered the smell of the killer from the day at the cliffs and he recognized the scent the intruder left behind.”
“This is a great idea. What will we do to get Oscar near the suspects? Just show up on their doorsteps?”
“We could bring the dogs to the state park. We know some of the trails the suspects train on.” Nell winked. “It could be an impromptu meeting.”
“We could try,” Violet agreed. “Are you going to tell Peter your idea?”
“I will. There isn’t any need for him to come with us when we introduce Oscar to the suspects. We’ll take note of Oscar’s reactions to them and report to Peter, and if he thinks the dogs might be on to something, then he can act on the information.”
“Okay. Who’s first?” Violet smiled.
“Joel is often at the middle school getting his classroom ready to open in a few days,” Nell said. “He’s an easy one to find so why don’t we make a visit to the school?”
Violet checked the time. “Now?”
“No time like the present,” Nell smiled and called to the dogs.
“Will they let the dogs in?” Violet snapped the leashes on Iris and Oscar’s collars.
“Why don’t I go in first and talk to Joel for a while. In about fifteen minutes, text me and say you’re finished walking the dogs in the field and I’ll go to the side door and let you and the dogs in. Then we can see if Oscar recognizes Joel’s scent.”
While Violet headed to the field behind the school to play with the dogs for a while, Nell went inside to speak with Joel. The news about Kyle’s death had not yet made the news, so Joel would be unaware that his friend and colleague had been killed.
Nell knocked on the doorjamb of Joel’s classroom and when he looked up, he smiled and told her to come in.
“Hi. Where’s Peter?” Joel sat at his desk going through a pile of folders.
“He’s been called out to a case.” Nell glanced around. “Your room looks terrific. Ready for the first day?”
“I’m never ready.” Joel chuckled. “I can’t believe it’s almost time to start again.” The man lost his smile and his mood flattened. “The principal hired someone on a temporary basis to cover for Kyle. I don’t think he’ll be back for the first day.” Joel seemed to be thinking something over. “Do you think he will?”
“Maybe not.” Nell moved towards a hardback chair. “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
“Sure. Have a seat.”
“My sister and I came out this way to walk our dogs and let them play in the field. I decided to come in and talk with you.”
“Where’s your sister now?”
“She’s still out with the dogs. She’ll be back in a bit.”
“Is there something new on the case?” Joel asked hopefully.
“Not really. Just still trying to chase down the killer.” Nell watched Joel’s face for any reaction. “Can I ask you a blunt question?”
Joel’s expression was thoughtful and serious. “Go ahead. It can’t be any more blunt than Jen’s murder was. I think we’re all past being shocked by anything.”
“Do you think Lindsey Horn is capable of murder?”
Joel’s eyes practically bugged and he was so surprised that he didn’t say anything for a half-minute. “Well. Your question was indeed blunt. Thanks for the warning.” He slowly shook his head. “You know my first reaction is to deny the possibility that Lindsey could do such a thing. But I had to catch myself. I never would have believed it was possible for Jen to be murdered, not in a million years. It was a sucker-punch to the gut. Honestly, I was sent reeling. That’s the kind of thing that happens in other places, to other people, not to anyone we know.” Joel sadly shook his head. “I learned how wrong you can be.”
Nell nodded at the man wondering if he was sincere in his feelings or if he was putting it on for her. The colors coming off of him could be interpreted in several ways.
“I don’t know anything anymore,” Joel said. “My first reaction is to tell you there’s no way Lindsey would hurt anyone, but in my new reality, I have to say I have no idea if she could kill or not. Is there something that would push us to do such a thing? Does everyone have a button that once it’s pushed will send us into a realm where any monstrous thing we decide to do will get done? My answer in all honesty is … I don’t know.”
“It’s not a fair question for me to ask,” Nell said. She didn’t tell Joel that when working on an investigation, a shocking question can lead to an unexpected, and sometimes, very helpful answer. “Can you tell me if Lindsey has a temper?”
“I’m not sure if I’d call it a temper. Lindsey is opinionated, she’s outspoken, she’s fiery, she wants things done in a certain way. If you do something she doesn’t like, she’ll let you know. Lindsey’s assertive. She’s not afraid to take the lead. I can’t really characterize any of that as her having a temper.”
“Do you have a temper?” Again, Nell tried to throw Joel off.
“Me? No, I really don’t. I get hurt. I get angry sometimes, but I don’t lash out. I don’t yell. I don’t go straight to social media and post things I’d later regret. I guess I’m more measured in how I respond.”
Nell asked the next question. “Does Lindsey have any enemies?”
Joel’s eyebrows went up. “There are people who don’t like her, people who think she’s abrasive, too pushy, too concerned about her looks, but enemies? I sure don’t think so. I hope not.”
“What about you? Wo
uld you say you had any enemies?”
“No. Definitely not.”
“Did Jen have any?”
“She must have.” Joel gave a sorry shrug. “Is there any news about Kyle? Have the police found out where he went?”
Nell’s heart dropped. “I’m not sure. I only assist. They don’t tell me everything.”
Nell’s phone buzzed. “It’s my sister. She’s done walking the dogs. I’ll go let her in by the side door. I’d like you to meet her.” Nell didn’t share with Joel that Violet also texted saying she’d removed the paintbrush from the bag and let the dogs sniff it.
In a couple of minutes, Nell led Violet and the dogs into the classroom. Iris and Oscar had their noses to the floor, sniffing and sniffing.
Holding her breath waiting for Oscar’s reaction, Nell introduced Joel and Violet and the two made small talk while Nell held the leashes and let the dogs wander around the room.
Oscar stopped and turned around. He watched Violet and Joel for a few seconds, then he tugged slightly on the leash and headed towards the two people.
When he was three feet from them, he wagged his tail. Joel tapped his thigh in a friendly way and then held his hand out to the dog who trotted over and sniffed.
Joel patted Iris and Oscar as the dogs wiggled in a happy dance.
“What nice dogs. Such great personalities. I’d love to have a dog someday.”
Nell and Violet exchanged quick looks. Clearly, Joel was not related to the killer’s scent.
The man asked the sisters where they got such fine dogs and they gave him condensed versions about how Iris and Oscar came to them.
Joel asked Violet about her design and jewelry business, and he listened with sincere interest.
Nell was secretly glad that Oscar hadn’t pointed his paw at Joel for the murder of Jennifer Harding. The teacher seemed like a genuinely nice person. “Do you know if Lindsey is in the building today?” she asked the man.
“She isn’t. She told me she wouldn’t be in until Monday.” Joel continued to pat the dogs, and then he glanced back to Nell. “Do you want to continue with the interview?”
“No, I don’t think so. Thanks for talking with me.” Nell took a look at Oscar before returning her attention to Joel. “I think I have what I need.”
On the way to the car, Violet said, “I guess we can cross Joel off the suspect list.”
“I guess so.”
“Who’s next? Do you want to go to Lindsey Horn’s house or Mari Harding’s?” Violet opened the door so the dogs could jump onto the backseat.
“How about Mari Harding?”
“Okay, let’s go see.” Violet grinned. “Or should I say sniff?”
24
Nell didn’t want to contact Mari Harding before showing up at her house. She wanted surprise to be on their side.
When Violet turned onto Mari’s street, pulled to the curb in front of the house, and she and Nell got out, a neighbor who was working in the flower bed in her yard waved and walked over.
“Hi. Are you looking for Mari? I saw her about thirty minutes ago. She was heading to the park to run.”
“Did she take her car or did she run to the park?” Nell asked.
“I didn’t see her leave, but I bet she took the car,” the neighbor told them. “She’ll back in a couple of hours. Mari is a creature of habit. She has the same routine.”
“Do you know which trails she runs on?” Violet questioned.
“Oh, sure. When Mari takes the car, she parks in the northwest lot.” The woman told the sisters which trails Mari ran on from there. “I used to run with her, but I hurt my knee. No more running for me, only walking.” The neighbor gave a shrug. “Mari was too fast for me anyway.”
The sisters got back in the car.
“Do you want to go to the state park to look for Mari?” Violet asked.
“We could wait for her in the parking lot,” Nell said. “There’s no point in going on the trails looking for her. The chance of finding her is too low.”
When they arrived at the lot, Mari’s car wasn’t there.
“Now what?” Violet asked.
Nell said, “If Mari planned to do her usual route through the park, there’s no way she’d be done already.” A thought popped into her head. “Let’s go back to her house. Something doesn’t feel right. Let’s park on the next street over. I don’t want her to see our car.”
“You think she’s in the house?”
“I feel like she is.”
“So what was the reason for telling the neighbor she was going running?” Violet asked.
“Maybe so the neighbor would tell anyone who came by looking for Mari that she wasn’t at home.”
“What’s she doing inside?”
“Who knows?” Nell watched the houses go by as they followed the roads back to Mari’s neighborhood where they parked on a wooded side street.
“I think this section of woods lines up behind Mari’s house. We could walk through the woods until we reach Mari’s rear yard. Then she won’t know we’re there.”
Violet gave her sister a wary look, but agreed it was a good way to see if Mari was at home without her seeing them.
The sisters and the dogs walked along the skinny trail until they arrived at the back of Mari’s place. Nell and Violet watched the windows to see if anyone was looking out at them.
“She’s not in the yard,” Violet said.
“Let’s see if we can look into the garage.” Nell emerged from their hiding place behind some trees and walked along the edge of the property.
When they reached the side of the garage, Nell paused to look in through the window. “The car’s in the garage.”
“Is she inside the house or what?” Violet asked. “Why did she pretend she was going to the park to run.”
Oscar and Iris sniffed at the edge of the garage wall until Oscar stopped, looked slightly agitated, stared at Nell, and whined. Nell hurried to them and praised both of the dogs and told them to go to the edge of the woods and sit quietly there to wait.
“If Mari happens to come out, I don’t want the dogs around. If Oscar gets excited when he sees her, I don’t want Mari to get spooked.”
Then Nell texted Peter.
We think Mari is guilty. Oscar seems to recognize the scent that’s near the garage. Can you come? I’d like Oscar to see Mari, but we don’t want to approach her on our own.
Nell looked up from her phone and gasped. Mari stood right behind Violet.
She was holding a gun.
Translucent ribbons of red and black molecules wrapped around the woman like a snake.
“What do you want?” Mari growled.
Violet jumped, whirled around, and took three steps backwards to move close to her sister.
“We want to talk to you about Jennifer’s death,” Nell said in a shaky voice.
“Then you must have forgotten to ring the doorbell,” Mari sneered. “I don’t like people who trespass on my property and sneak around the outside of my house.”
“We weren’t sneaking. We came around back to see if you were in the yard,” Violet said softly. “We were going to ring the back doorbell.”
Mari gestured with her gun indicating the sisters should head inside the garage through the side door that was partially opened. “If you want to talk, let’s go in the house. We can have a cold drink.”
Nell felt a cold shiver move down her spine when Mari mentioned a drink. Was she going to spike their drinks with the same medication she put into Jennifer’s water bottle? Was her plan to make them dizzy and tired so she could more easily kill both of them?
“Why don’t we sit on the deck?” Nell suggested.
Mari’s eyes darkened with hate. “Where’s your detective friend? Didn’t he want to join our little party?”
“Peter had to go to Boston this afternoon,” Violet lied.
“Why did you do it, Mari?” Nell asked hoping to buy time. “Why did you kill your sister?”
&
nbsp; Mari’s lips twisted with hate. “Jennifer was the little golden girl. Everything went right for Jen. No matter what I did, Jen was always the one my parents preferred.” The knuckles on the hand holding the gun turned white.
“But you’re the Olympic-level athlete,” Nell said.
“My parents don’t care about athletics. They never cared about me. They always favored Jen. My parents only care about Jen and their precious business. The company is everything to them. It’s their true baby.”
“But Jen didn’t have anything to do with your parents’ favoritism,” Nell tried to point out. “It wasn’t her fault.”
Mari’s eyes narrowed. “She lapped it up. She pandered to them. That way, she could get everything she wanted.”
“What did Jen want from them?”
Mari’s face took on a confused expression. “Jen was going to get everything. I put a stop to it. I won’t let my parents cut me out.” The woman’s shoulders began to shake in fury. “I lost my job. My husband cheated on me. I got kicked off the company’s board of directors. I don’t have any money. I don’t have any savings. I was going to lose my house. But then I remembered the life insurance policy I have on Jen.”
“You spiked Jen’s water? You met her on the cliff?” Nell asked taking a glance out to the road hoping Peter would pull up to the house.
“It was my only hope.” Mari’s eyes looked far away. “We fought. I pushed her. Jen should have been weaker from the drug, but she fought me hard. She clung to that little branch and got a toe-hold in the ledge. For a second, I almost wanted to pull her back up, but I panicked. If she lived, it would be the end of me. I couldn’t change my mind. She had to fall. I needed her to fall.” Mari’s bottom lip quivered for a moment, and then she swallowed and nodded her head. “I had to hit her hands to make her fall. Jen will forgive me. Jen will understand.”
Violet took a quick glance at her sister.
“Was Kyle in on it with you? Did he have a hand in killing Jen?” Nell asked.
Mari’s head snapped to attention. “Kyle?” She let out a cackle. “Mr. Incompetent? Mr.-I-only know-how-to-hike? No, he wasn’t involved. He would have messed everything up,” she said forcefully, then lowered her voice. “But he was figuring it out.” Mari sighed. “I had to stop him. He was going to tell your detective friend that I was responsible for Jen’s death. He couldn’t mind his own business. Now, he’ll never get a second chance to mind his business.”