“Yes, Mia. She’s behind the counter next door with a red-and-white striped apron on most days.”
I tapped my foot. “She’s up to something. It’s not like her to be helpful, or nice, unless she’s getting something out of it.”
“She needs a new car, right? Maybe she’s saving money.”
“That’s even less likely, but I guess maybe she’s doing a good deed for a friend.” Although I was highly skeptical. “Who runs Nelson’s Knitting Needles while Elaina’s at the Soda Pop Shop?”
Brenda laughed. “Elaina hasn’t sold so much as a ball of yarn for as long as I can remember. Her husband left her a nice bank account and she stocks the store like it was still Metamora’s heyday. Then she gives her friends whatever they want. Johnna hasn’t paid for yarn or needles there for years.”
“Why does she keep it open?”
“Because it’s what she knows, and the list of things she knows gets smaller and smaller every day.”
An idea hit me. “Do you think she’d lease the building, or share it?” Monica would need a space if she went forward with Dog Diggity.
“I think she could be convinced, as long as she keeps the pretense of the yarn shop. Elaina used to love an adventure, and it’s hard to find something exciting in this town. Other than murder, I guess. Why? Are you looking to open a shop?”
“Not for me. I think my sister might be sticking around.” I could picture it now. A polka dotted awning, polka dotted lettering, polka dotted dog treats. It could be worse.
“Wow, another Cripps to give Irene a run for her money.” Brenda laughed. “Better get that house repainted white. The Daughter’s fines are no joke. She once charged me fifty dollars because I left a trash can outside the shop for two days.”
“Fifty? She’s an evil overlord and she must be stopped. What does she do with the money she gets from these fines?”
“I wish I could say she was buying Botox treatments or throwing lavish parties, but she gives it to Reverend Stroup for the food pantry.”
To say I was shocked would be an understatement. “Oh, Irene, you have a human side after all.”
Brenda laughed again. “Except I hear she’s not going to fine you money. She wants a pair of wall sconces from Ellsworth House.”
“I take it back. She’s the devil.”
When I got back to Ellsworth House, Ben was sitting on the front porch step waiting for me. He patted the spot beside him. “In the last four years we’ve lived here,” he said, “never once have you stepped foot outside this door before eight a.m. What’s got you out of bed so early today?”
I would not be trapped by a man who interviewed criminals for a living. “Couldn’t sleep,” I said, “so I thought I’d take a walk.”
“Isn’t it strange that someone who owns four dogs wouldn’t take even one with her?”
“Five,” I said, and instantly wanted to staple my lips together.
“Five?” He stood up and brushed off his pants. “Where did you stumble on another dog?”
I was confused. Didn’t we talk about the puppy and the kennel on the phone? “The puppy, remember? It was at the kennel.”
He stepped up to me, and I swear there was smoke coming out his ears. Ben was flaming mad. His hands hit his hips and his forehead crinkled up, making his eyes harsh slits. “Let me get this straight. You took evidence from a crime scene where a man was barely hanging on to life and didn’t hand it over or report it?”
“It’s a puppy, not a murder weapon. He needed food and water. Somebody had to take care of him. I couldn’t leave him there. I thought I told you.”
“Cameron! You told me Jenn Berg owed Cory Bantum money for that dog, not that you found it at his kennel. She ends up dead and he ends up with the dog. You don’t see the connection there?”
“Of course I do. I’m not stupid, Ben! I thought Nick Valentine would’ve explained it to you when you questioned him.”
“Nick doesn’t seem to be around anywhere. I talked to his neighbors, I talked to his parents, and I talked to his parole officer. You were the last person to speak with him, so why don’t you tell me everything you know.”
“I have no problem telling you everything I know. Let’s go inside.”
That wasn’t entirely true; I did have a problem telling him everything, because he’d get even angrier with me for not going right to him with the information.
The dogs pounced on Ben, jumping and barking and licking, while I stalled, making coffee and setting out a plate of Betty’s cookies to try to sweeten him up. “First of all,” I said, “Nick didn’t do it. Neither did Cory.”
“Is that right?” He sat at his spot at our table, stretching his long legs out. It was like déjà vu seeing him there in the morning with coffee brewing.
“Yes,” I said, and told him the story as Nick had told it to me. How they got the puppy back, how there were no paw prints in the mud with Jenn Berg’s, and how Dennis Stoddard had just arrived when Nick and Cory were leaving. “So that proves it,” I said. “Stoddard can confirm they didn’t do it.”
Ben started laughing. Then he started rubbing his head, like he was in pain. “Okay, let’s go back to first of all. First of all, we don’t know the man at the gate was Stoddard. Second of all, how does a witness placing Nick Valentine and Cory Bantum at the scene clear them of committing the crime? And third, Nick—a man who has a record of assault—flees after Cory Bantum is attacked and dies from the inflicted injuries. Not the actions of an innocent man, Cameron. If anything, it makes me more convinced than ever that one or both of them murdered Jenn.”
I lifted my coffee mug, trying to hide behind it. “When you say it like that … ”
He pounded his fist on the table. “For the love of all that’s holy, Cameron, why couldn’t you do what I asked and stay out of this?”
My coffee wasn’t sitting well in my stomach. Arguing with Ben always made me nauseous. “I wanted to make sure the puppy was okay,” I said.
“You wanted to prove that you could solve this case.” He stood from the table. “I know you too well to believe you accidentally stumbled into information while searching for a missing puppy.”
He was right, of course, but I was determined to keep my big mouth shut and not get him more riled.
“I’ll be back at five for Mia. Reins and his team are doing another sweep of the gatehouse. Whoever broke in must be looking for something that belonged to Jenn. I’ll make sure to tell him all about Nick Valentine and Cory Bantum’s involvement.”
I nodded, figuring silence was the best response.
The day went on with the Action Agency arriving and setting up all over my house. I made sure Anna was in my bedroom and Johnna was in the kitchen, where I could keep an eye on my belongings. Roy spent the first hour and a half coaching Logan on how to schmooze with ladies over the phone. Since he’d landed a big reservation, he deemed himself the expert.
“I don’t like that old guy being in the spare room upstairs,” Mia said, making kissy faces at Liam, the puppy.
“How do you think I feel?” Monica said, pointing a vegetable peeler at Mia. “It’s my room.”
“I’m going to sort this out soon enough,” I said. “The best solution is that the murderer is found, I’m no longer a suspect, and Reverend Stroup lets us back into the church basement. In the meantime, we have to make calls from here. The town needs as many visitors as possible for this weekend.”
Remembering what Brenda had told me about Mia that morning, I pulled her aside. “I want to talk to you about something.”
I got an eye roll, of course, but no smart-mouthed retort as we stepped into the dining room.
“I heard you’ve been working at the Soda Pop Shop, helping out Stephanie.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “And?”
“And I think it’s great that you’re pit
ching in to help out a friend.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Are you getting paid or volunteering your time? Either way is fine, I’m just curious.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Steph said she’d get her mom to give me something, so I guess I’ll get money.”
“Do you like it? It’s your first job, isn’t it? Does your dad know?”
She ticked off her answers on her fingers. “It’s okay. Yes. No. Anything else?”
“No, I guess not. Your dad said he’s picking you up at five to take you back home. I hope you had a nice visit.”
“Yeah.” She bit the side of her cheek. “I guess I better get over to Steph’s, since it’s my last day.”
Liam bounced around her feet, looking up at her with his round, black eyes. They’d miss each other for sure. “Would your mom let you keep him?”
“No way.” She shook her head and frowned. “Mom’s not an animal lover.”
“Well, I’ll take good care of him for you.”
“Don’t let the other dogs use him as a toy.” She knelt down and picked him up, cuddling him under her chin. He licked her and she laughed, making him bark his tiny puppy yip.
“I think Liam will be just fine,” Monica said, coming up beside Mia. “Isobel seems to think she’s his mama, or maybe his grandma. She won’t let those other dogs harm him.”
“Good,” I said, hoping it made Mia feel better. “Oh, Mon, if you decide you want to stay and give Dog Diggity a go, you might want to talk to Elaina Nelson about sharing her shop. Brenda says she doesn’t actually sell anything anymore.”
“She’s batty,” Mia said. “Steph says her mom wants her grandma to sell the knitting shop. She’s too senile to run it.”
Monica pursed her lips in thought. “Huh. I’ll have to think about that. It’s a great location.”
“One of the best.” I could imagine it now, my sister and I having coffee every morning before she opened her shop. It would be like old times.
The phone in the kitchen rang, and I heard Johnna answer it. “Cameron?” she bellowed. “It’s Ben. He says it’s an emergency.”
I ran in with Mia right behind me and grabbed the cordless house phone from Johnna. “Ben? What’s wrong?”
“I get one phone call,” he said, “so I figured it better be to you.”
“One phone call? What are you talking about?”
“Sheriff Reins arrested me, Cameron. I’m in jail.”
• Twenty-Two •
What do you mean you’re in jail?”
Beside me, Mia whimpered and covered her mouth with both hands. Monica came around the end of the kitchen counter and put her hands on Mia’s shoulders. Johnna was in all her glory. This was the best gossip she’d gotten first hand for a long time.
“They found a pair of shoes in the closet that match the imprint of the mens shoes at the crime scene.”
“The footprints in the mud match the soles of your shoes? Why? How?” My heart was going to break my ribs and jump right out of my chest. It pounded so hard, I felt it in the back of my throat.
“I don’t know. The only shoes I own are my black dress shoes and my work boots. Neither have the type of tread the shoes that made those prints would have.”
“So how can they arrest you?”
“They say they found the shoes with the matching prints in my closet at the gatehouse.”
“What are you saying Ben? The shoes aren’t yours, so how did they get there? Were they there when you moved in?”
“No. The house was cleaned out. Finch hired someone in to clear it out and take all Jenn’s belongings over to her mom.”
“Well then, if they aren’t yours, what were they doing there?”
“I didn’t check the closet after the break-in,” he said, like he was gifting me a clue.
“Are you telling me someone planted them there?”
“Makes sense.”
I figured Reins or one of his deputies was standing nearby, listening to Ben’s conversation. “I know you don’t want me involved in this, but now you can’t keep me out of it. I’m going to get you out of there.”
“Finch will need someone at the gatehouse,” he said. “He’s expecting Mr. Stoddard tonight.” I took that as Ben’s approval to snoop. “Be careful,” he said, and after a longer than needed pause, added, “Brutus bites.”
“I understand. I’ll be careful, and not just with Brutus. I won’t do anything stupid.”
His only answer was the sigh of annoyance. He knew me too well. Stupid followed me around like planets circled the sun.
“Finch has the key. Can you do me a favor and run Mia home?”
I looked at Mia, standing beside me, stricken. “Of course, I can run her home.”
“I’m not going anywhere!” she said. “I’m staying here until my dad’s released!”
“Okay. Okay,” I said. “Stay calm. It won’t help him if we lose our cool. You can stay as long as you want, as long as your mom’s okay with it.”
“Do not let her go to the gatehouse, Cam,” Ben said. “I mean it.”
“I already told you, I won’t do anything stupid.” And having Mia around would be stupid. “Monica’s here. Mia can stay with her while I go over there.”
Monica nodded and patted Mia’s shoulder. “Everything will be fine,” she told her. “Don’t worry.”
By this time, the commotion had lured the rest of the Action Agency—and all the dogs—into the kitchen to find out what was going on. Johnna was giving them the lowdown while keeping one ear on my phone call for updates.
“There will be a hearing to decide if I can be out on bail,” he said, “but it might not be until Monday.”
“Do you need anything? Books or magazines?”
“No. Don’t worry about me. Tell Mia I love her, and this will all be over soon.”
“Okay.” I didn’t know how to end our call. I wanted to tell him I was sorry. I should’ve let him move back home, then he wouldn’t have been at the gatehouse in the first place. I wanted to tell him everything would be okay, but would it be?
“Okay,” he said.
“Ben?”
“Cam, you don’t have to say anything.”
“I’m going to get you out of there.”
“All I want is for you to stay safe. You and Mia.”
We hung up, and half of me wanted to charge through town on a mission to find whoever planted those shoes in the gatehouse. The other half of me wanted to curl up in a ball in bed and cry under my blankets. I took the middle road and went to the pantry for cookies.
“Sounds like the Metamora Action Agency has a job to do, Cameron Cripps-Hayman,” Roy said, tugging on the lapels of his grungy navy blue sports coat.
“No,” I said. “There’s no job. This is serious business. Two people are dead and one skipped town. Ben’s been framed and falsely arrested. I won’t have any of you harmed. Our job is to get ticket reservations, not to solve murders.”
“That’s not what I was led to believe,” Logan said. “I broke out into hives because we were suddenly crime fighters. Now that I’ve gotten used to the idea and found a place for myself as the Agency’s tech guy, we’re not following up on this?”
“I think you’re right to be apprehensive,” Anna said. “At the same time, the four of us have reach in the community where you don’t. Johnna and Roy have relationships with the older members of the community. Logan and I have an in with the younger people. Between us, we can ask a lot of questions to a lot of people in a short amount of time.”
“Don’t forget me,” Mia said. “I’m Irene Hayman’s granddaughter. I have some pull in this town.”
“You will stay in this house and not leave it,” I said. “I promised your father I’d keep you safe.”
“I’m helping!”
she said and stomped her foot. “At least let me go to the Soda Pop Shop and talk to Steph and Lianne. They might know something.”
Lianne, who’d been cruising around in her dead sister’s car with her dead sister’s ex-boyfriend. Even if she and Zach didn’t strike me as guilty, there was something going on that I couldn’t put my finger on. “Okay,” I said. “But if you suspect anything at all, call and tell me. Don’t try to free your dad on your own.”
“If she’s helping, we’re helping,” Anna said. “Logan and I are older than her.”
“He’s my dad,” Mia said, indignant.
“Fine! Fine. You can all help. Let’s report back here at five, then I’ll have to go to the gatehouse.”
“What is all the commotion?” Andy asked, bustling in through the back door. He took a look at all of our faces and stopped in his tracks. “Something bad happened, didn’t it?”
“Ben’s been arrested for Jenn Berg’s murder,” I told him, filling him in on all the details with the shoes and suspected setup at the gatehouse.
“That’s serious business,” he said. “What are we going to do about it?”
“We’re going to find out who framed him.”
Andy glanced around again. “How do we know it wasn’t someone in this room?”
Johnna let out a hoarse rattle of a laugh. “You caught me. I usually do all my murderin’ with a knitting needle through the eye, but went for something a little different this time around.”
Anna jabbed a thumb toward Roy. “This one’s too drunk every night to do anything that productive.”
“Hey!” Roy said and then shrugged. “You’re right.”
“Nobody in this room did anything,” I said, ending it. “But if we want to find out who did, we should get started.”
“I’ll head over and talk to Finch,” Roy said. “Pick his brain a bit.”
“I figure Elaina might know something she doesn’t know she knows,” Johnna said. “People talk around her, think she doesn’t have any sense left anyway. She doesn’t, but if you know how to fish for information, you can get it out of her.”
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