Strangled in Cherry Hills

by Paige Sleuth

  “Matty!”

  Matty didn’t stop to turn around. She slipped through the door right before the latch clicked into place, narrowly avoiding getting smushed.

  Kat pushed open the door and raced after the feline. Matty stayed in the lead, but Kat could tell she was no longer running full force. Matty could have easily lost her if she wanted to.

  Matty navigated through a couple backyards before turning right. Kat felt an eerie sense of déjà vu as she took in their surroundings. Matty was following the same route they’d traveled yesterday, when the dachshund had guided them to the dog park.

  “Please don’t lead me to another dead body,” she mumbled.

  Once they reached the park, Matty slowed to a trot. Kat’s breath hitched when the tortoiseshell headed right for the tree where Jeff had been found.

  Matty paused to sniff at the base of the tree before she wandered about twenty feet away. When she found a spot where the grass was more sparse, she flopped onto her side and started rolling from side to side. Dirt and leaves clung to her fur, but Matty didn’t stop. For an animal that took such care in keeping herself clean, she didn’t seem bothered by how filthy she was getting.

  Or maybe Matty just assumed her filth would prevent Kat from touching her and dragging her back home.

  “It’s not going to work, Matty,” Kat said. “And now you won’t be getting any treats for at least a week.”

  Matty tossed and turned with more gusto.

  Kat pursed her lips. She really needed to find a more meaningful punishment than cutting off treats.

  A couple of dark clouds floated overhead. Kat wondered if rain would make Matty more likely to return home on her own. Given how determined she’d been to get out here in the first place, Kat didn’t think anything as harmless as a little moisture would drive her back inside.

  Just when Kat was working out the best strategy to pluck the feline from the dirt, Matty stood up on her own. She circled around to the other side of the tree, out of Kat’s reach. Kat groaned, deciding it wasn’t worth the effort to catch her. Matty clearly didn’t intend to leave the park until she was ready.

  Matty darted back around the tree. She inspected the dirt again before sinking her claws into the soil and starting to dig.

  When Kat saw that Matty had unearthed a worm, she almost gagged.

  But Matty didn’t seem the least bit grossed out. She batted at the worm before leaping into the air and pouncing on it. She scooped it up with her paw and brought it up to her mouth.

  Watching her, Kat’s stomach roiled. She was torn between separating Matty from her worm and waiting for the feline to grow bored with her new toy. Her flesh crawled just thinking about touching a worm, but she did feel a little bad for the creature.

  Before she could come to a decision, Matty let the worm drop back to the ground so she could play the game all over again. It wasn’t until she lifted it up a second time that Kat saw it wasn’t a worm at all but a bracelet.

  Her muscles relaxed. She bent over and brushed some of the dirt off of Matty’s ears. “Okay, so you might not be as bad of a kitty as I thought.”

  Matty pressed her head against Kat’s palm, her eyes slipping closed.

  Kat smirked. “But if you think leading me to jewelry is going to get you out of trouble, you are sorely mistaken.”

  Matty didn’t look concerned. She had probably realized Kat was softening.

  Kat plucked the bracelet from the grass. It was a simple design, just a band lined with diamonds. Assuming the metal was sterling silver and the diamonds were real, it had to be worth a decent amount. Whoever had lost it must be itching to get it back.

  Kat’s fingers stilled as she considered how it had ended up here. Jeff’s body was found only a few steps away. It was entirely possible his killer had dropped this while making their getaway.

  Her hands starting to shake, Kat turned the bracelet over. The underside wasn’t as smooth as she would have expected. She held it closer, realizing there was an inscription inside the band.

  She stopped breathing when she read it.

  To Sherry, the most amazing daughter a father could wish for.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sherry was working on her computer when Kat walked into Cherry Hills Veterinary. “Hi, Kat,” she said. “You find another lost dog?”

  “Not today.” Kat stepped up to the reception counter, grateful to see the lobby was empty. “But I did find something else.”

  Sherry tilted her head. “What?”

  “I’ll get to that. But first I have a few questions.”

  “What kind of questions?”

  “For starters, what was your relationship with Jeff Parr?”

  Sherry’s hands slid off of the keyboard and into her lap. From the way her face had paled, Kat gathered the question wasn’t a welcome one.

  “I know you didn’t like him,” Kat said. “I could tell by the way you were acting when we were talking about him yesterday.”

  Sherry worked her jaw, but she didn’t say anything. Her whole body had gone rigid.

  “It’s okay if you didn’t get along,” Kat went on. “I mean, just because he’s dead now doesn’t mean he was a saint.”

  Sherry exhaled. “Okay, so I didn’t like him.”

  A smile tugged at the corners of Kat’s lips. She had finally gotten Sherry to open up a little. With a bit more coaxing, perhaps she’d spill everything.

  “What did he do to make you dislike him?” Kat asked.

  Sherry twisted her hands in her lap. “We dated, you know. We kinda knew each other already through some of our mutual friends, but I didn’t really get to know him well until he asked me out.”

  “How long ago was this?”

  “A little over a month. We broke up last week.” Sherry’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with one hand. “But I didn’t kill him.”

  “So you broke up on good terms?”

  Sherry let her hand drop back to her lap. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

  “Then how did you part?”

  Sherry looked down at her finger as she traced the edge of the desk.

  “Sherry?” Kat prompted.

  She sighed. “Okay, so, we fought.”

  “About what?”

  “About his dog-walking ‘business,’ for one thing,” Sherry said, making air quotes with her fingers.

  “Because he only started it to be around dogs instead of for the money?” Kat guessed.

  “Oh, I don’t think he did that to be around dogs. He wasn’t an animal person.”

  Sherry’s statement took Kat aback. “Why else would he choose to walk dogs?”

  Sherry worried her lip. “I don’t know anything for sure.”

  “But you have a theory.”

  Sherry’s nose twitched, then she nodded.

  Kat set her elbow on the counter and propped her chin in her hand. “What’s your theory?”

  “I believe,” Sherry said, drawing out the words, “he was walking dogs to gain access to people’s houses. That way he could, you know, take things.”

  “He was stealing from his clients?” The notion made Kat’s stomach clench.

  Sherry crossed then uncrossed her legs, seemingly unable to get comfortable. “Like I said, I don’t know anything for sure. But see, once or twice when we were going out something of mine turned up missing.”

  “Like what?”

  “Certain valuables.”

  Kat thought about the bracelet in her pocket. “You mean jewelry?”

  Sherry nodded. “A couple weeks ago I couldn’t find the diamond earrings my father gave me for my twenty-first birthday. I asked Jeff if he’d seen them, and he got all defensive. That’s when I started thinking he might have taken them.”

  “How can you be sure one of your other friends didn’t swipe them?”

  “Jeff was the only person I’d left alone in my bedroom since I last saw those earrings.” Sherry tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “See, Jeff
didn’t really have any concept of time. We’d have a date, and he would show up early. So I’d duck into the bathroom to finish getting ready while he waited.” She peered up at Kat. “It sounds pretty stupid of me, huh? To leave him alone in my bedroom where I keep my jewelry.”

  “It doesn’t sound stupid,” Kat said, her heart hurting a little for Sherry. “You trusted him.”

  Sherry slumped against the back of her chair. “Yeah, well, I shouldn’t have. Now I’ve lost every piece of jewelry my dad ever gave me.”

  “You might not have lost everything.” Kat pulled the bracelet out of her pocket and slid it over to Sherry.

  Sherry gasped. “Oh, my gosh!” She plucked the bracelet off of the counter, her fingers running over it as if to verify it was still intact. “You found my bracelet. My father gave me this when I graduated high school. I thought it was gone forever.” She looked at Kat, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Where was it?”

  “Outside,” Kat said, not wanting to reveal that it had been only yards from where Jeff had died.

  Before they could say anything else, the door opened. Lady Fairchild walked in with a huge handbag hooked over one shoulder. Muffin’s head hung over the top of the bag.

  “Kat,” Lady Fairchild said, joining her at the reception counter. “So nice to see you again.”

  “You too.” Kat nodded at Muffin. “Is he okay?”

  “I’m afraid not.” Lady Fairchild rubbed the dachshund’s head. “Ever since yesterday he just hasn’t been himself. That Jeffrey business has traumatized him.”

  Kat remembered how the dog had trembled the day before and felt a pinch of sympathy for him.

  Lady Fairchild placed the handbag on the counter. “I really don’t know what to do.” She looked at Sherry. “I was hoping Dr. Harry might be able to help him.”

  Sherry stood up and smiled, but the expression looked strained. “I’ll let him know you’re here.”

  “Thank you.”

  Sherry glanced at Kat before disappearing into the back. Kat wondered if she were scuttling away merely to avoid any more talk of Jeff Parr.

  Lady Fairchild eyed Muffin as he wriggled out of the confines of the handbag. “Kat, be honest with me. Does he look traumatized to you?”

  Kat watched as Muffin kicked the handbag away and toddled over to Sherry’s computer. He sniffed the back of the monitor, his tail wagging. “He looks okay.”

  Lady Fairchild bit her lip. “Well, yes. Right now he does.” She hunched closer. “But I’ll tell you, when he’s at home he’s just not himself.”

  “How so?”

  “Take last night, for instance. My gentleman companion came over with dog treats, and Muffin wouldn’t even touch them. And these are Muffy’s favorite brand!” Lady Fairchild’s eyes opened wide as if a dog spurning treats was the strangest phenomenon she’d ever witnessed in her life. “He wouldn’t even look at them. He just hunkered under my chair and refused to come out until bedtime. It’s as though he can no longer derive any pleasure from life now that he witnessed somebody else losing theirs.”

  Kat frowned. “Maybe he just wasn’t hungry.”

  Lady Fairchild flapped her hand. “Oh, that’s no excuse. Before this Jeffrey business he wolfed those things down, hungry or not. You’d think he had a second stomach reserved for treats.”

  “Huh.” Kat didn’t know what to say to that.

  Lady Fairchild sighed, concern reflected in her eyes as she gazed at Muffin. “I do hope Dr. Harry can help him. If he’s depressed, perhaps there’s something he can take.”

  “Like an antidepressant?”

  Muffin had grown bored with the computer and was now attempting to jump down to the desk.

  “Perhaps.” Lady Fairchild picked up the dog and gave him a kiss. “If they can make them for humans they should have a variation for dogs, don’t you agree?”

  “I really don’t know.”

  Sherry returned. “Dr. Harry will be a couple minutes. You can have a seat in the lobby.”

  Lady Fairchild grabbed her handbag. “Thank you, Sherry. And, Kat, you take care of yourself, you hear me? I know stumbling across Jeffrey like that had to have taken its toll on you too. I’d hate to see you turning as gloomy as my Muffy.”

  Muffin tilted his face up to lick his human’s chin. His tail was wagging so hard Lady Fairchild couldn’t get a good hold on his rear end.

  Kat couldn’t help but think he looked awfully cheerful for a dog that was supposedly depressed. Right now, the only thing that would bring her that much joy would be to see Jeff’s killer behind bars.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Kat’s mind was whirling when she left Cherry Hills Veterinary.

  Although she originally thought finding Sherry’s bracelet where Jeff had been murdered placed her at the scene, now she was considering another option. What if Jeff had stolen the bracelet and had it with him when he died? Maybe he had arranged to meet a buyer in the dog park while he was walking Muffin. Perhaps something had gone wrong with the deal, and the buyer had ended up killing Jeff instead.

  She was also starting to regret returning the bracelet. After finding it she had raced over to Cherry Hills Veterinary on impulse. If she had thought through everything she would have realized that turning the bracelet over to Andrew would have been the smarter thing to do. After all, it might help lead him to Jeff’s killer.

  She would call him when she got upstairs, she decided, pulling into the parking lot outside her apartment building.

  It had started to drizzle. She kept her head down as she stepped out of the car, and her hair was damp by the time she made it to the lobby.

  “Hey. It’s Kat, right?”

  Kat looked up. Janice stood in front of her, the Irish setter by her side. The dog eyed Kat with a lopsided grin.

  “Janice,” Kat said. “Hi.”

  “I didn’t know you lived here. I just moved in a little over a week ago.”

  “I’m on the third floor.”

  “Oh, good.” Janice smiled. “It’s so nice to see a familiar face.”

  The Irish setter barked his concurrence.

  Kat finger-combed some of the moisture out of her hair. She itched to ask Janice if Jeff had visited her since she’d moved in but didn’t want to arouse her suspicions if she’d had something to do with his death. She would have to find a way to ease into the topic.

  “Where are you headed?” Kat asked, hoping she sounded conversational rather than nosy.

  “I’m taking Bubbles for a walk.” Janice grimaced. “We had been going to that dog park, but now I don’t know. I don’t feel safe there anymore after what happened.”

  The Irish setter looked at her, his tail wagging.

  Kat grinned. That was just the opening she had been hoping for.

  “I know what you mean.” She leaned her shoulder against the bank of mailboxes built into one wall. “Did you know Jeff?”

  Janice shook her head, and the Irish setter barked as if to confirm he’d never met Jeff Parr either.

  The front door opened. Kat swiveled around to see who had come in, her insides knotting when she spotted Mr. Peterson.

  He halted next to them, his eyes flashing. “What is that ugly mutt doing in the lobby?”

  Janice rested her palm on the Irish setter’s head. “This is my dog, Bubbles.”

  Mr. Peterson planted his hands on his hips. “Dogs are not allowed to loiter in the common areas. Didn’t Larry tell you that when you signed a lease?”

  Kat cleared her throat. “Mr. Peterson, she was only passing through the lobby to take him outside. There’s no rule against that.”

  “You don’t fool me. You’re both clearly stationary.” His eyes darted around. “Don’t tell me that fleabag cat of yours is around here too.”

  Kat gritted her teeth. “She doesn’t have fleas. And she’s upstairs.”

  “Thank goodness for small miracles.”

  Janice squinted at him. “Have we met before?”

  Mr
. Peterson pursed his lips, looking her up and down. “I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

  “Huh.” Janice tapped her foot on the floor as she studied him. “I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

  Mr. Peterson squared his shoulders and brushed by her. “You’re mistaken, young lady.” He stopped walking to pivot around. “And may I suggest you review the rules you agreed to when signing your lease. I pay enough to live here that I shouldn’t have to share the common areas with dogs.”

  Janice snapped her fingers. “The dog park. That’s where I’ve seen you before.”

  Kat almost wanted to laugh. She couldn’t picture Mr. Peterson going anyplace where there might be dogs unless someone forced him against his will.

  Mr. Peterson looked at Bubbles. “I wouldn’t be caught dead seeking out the company of a filthy cur.”

  The Irish setter flattened his front legs on the floor and growled.

  Janice frowned. “You weren’t there about a week ago?”

  “I was not.”

  Janice lifted one shoulder. “Well, the guy sure looked like you. Same hair, same build. I remember seeing him carrying this unusual tote bag. It had a picture of a romance novel cover on one side.”

  Mr. Peterson’s face reddened. “Why on earth would I carry around something like that?”

  The hair on the back of Kat’s neck prickled. She flashed back to when she’d seen that same tote bag in his arms yesterday. She hadn’t realized the picture was a romance novel cover, perhaps because she never would have pegged the crusty curmudgeon as the type to read bodice-rippers.

  If Janice were right, Kat could think of only two reasons for Mr. Peterson to lie about being in the dog park. Either he was embarrassed about being spotted with that bag, or Janice’s ability to place him in that park implicated him in Jeff’s death somehow.

  The second possibility caused sweat to break out on Kat’s forehead. Although Janice hadn’t seen him on the day Jeff had died, the fact that he’d been there once was suspicious in itself. Not owning his own dog or enjoying their company, the only reason she could think of for him to go to a dog park would be to meet someone else—someone like Jeff.