Young walked around behind his desk and sat down. “So they were smart thieves. Not much use in robbing a house that doesn’t have valuables, is there?”
I refused to give up. “What about this? Each of the couples who were robbed had recently used the services of a pet-sitter who was recommended to them by Jasmine Crane.”
“Now you’ve got my attention,” Detective Young said.
Finally.
He didn’t even give me a minute to bask in what I’d accomplished. Now that the detective was engaged in the conversation, he had questions of his own.
“Suppose you’re right. Suppose Jasmine Crane was the brains behind this rash of robberies. How did she end up dead?”
That query brought me back around to Amanda—Aunt Peg’s dog-sitter and Jasmine’s disciple. I posited that she was the one who’d introduced her boyfriend to this crooked crew. The boyfriend, Rick Fanelli, who appeared to have a larcenous streak of his own. Making that connection must have seemed quite fortuitous to him.
Next thing everyone knew, Rick was in business with Jasmine. But whatever kind of business that was, nobody wanted to talk about it. In fact, they didn’t want to talk about Rick at all. Probably because he had a bad temper and a tendency to lose it. I told Detective Young that Amanda had gone missing on the day that Jasmine was killed.
“Still missing?” he asked curiously.
“Yes and no.”
That required yet another explanation. But thankfully Detective Young was no longer bored. Now he was with me every step of the way.
“The way the robberies were set up was ingenious,” I said at the end. “As long as Jasmine continued to pick houses that were spread out all over the place, each burglary looked like a one-time job. She was probably counting on no one ever making the dog-sitter/dog show connection and putting it all together. But Rick must have. I think he tried to muscle in on her business and when she resisted, he killed her.”
“Your idea may have merit.” Young steepled his fingers in front of his face thoughtfully. “But I’m not sure what you expect me to do about it. We’re in Greenwich, and none of the things we’re talking about happened here.”
“Not yet,” I told him. Suddenly it occurred to me that Amanda had dog sat for Aunt Peg too. Perhaps her house had been another intended target?
“Still . . . I guess I find myself wondering why you’re telling me all this.”
Good question. The only thing I could do was opt for honesty. “Because I had to give this information to someone who would know what to do with it. And I know you.”
“It’s true that we’re acquainted,” Detective Young conceded. “But you don’t like me.”
I’d always been aware that the man sitting across from me was too perceptive for my own good.
“You don’t like me either,” I pointed out.
He shook his head. “What I don’t enjoy is your tendency to get involved in things that are better left to the authorities whose job it is to deal with them.”
“It just happens,” I said. It wasn’t much of an excuse.
“Trouble follows you around?”
“You might say that. I’m kind of like a bad luck charm.”
Detective Young’s lips quirked. “I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I’m impressed by the way you put all those different pieces together.”
“Thank you.”
“Will you agree with me that it’s now up to law enforcement to proceed with the investigation?”
“Absolutely.” Especially since he hadn’t made me promise to discontinue my own poking around.
“In that case, I’m sure I can find a way to make sure this information gets put in the proper channels.” Detective Young opened a drawer. He pulled out a small recorder. “I’d like you to tell me your story again. I want to make sure we get every detail right. Start at the beginning.”
* * *
When I got home late that afternoon, Sam was outside cleaning the grill. Every fall, he lovingly covered his oversize barbecue with a plastic tarp, then stored it in the garage for the winter. As soon as the weather started to get warm again, he couldn’t wait to get the thing back out.
The first robin was supposed to herald the coming of spring. But at our house, the first sign was the return of that big, shiny barbeque. Sam liked his SUV, but he didn’t treat it with nearly as much tender care as he lavished on his grill. There had to be something about cooking meat outdoors that fueled testosterone—and made men feel like they’d returned to their primitive roots.
“I see we’re grilling tonight,” I said.
“Steaks,” Sam told me. Manly food. His voice had even dropped to a lower register. The grill had that effect on him. “How did things go with Detective Young?”
“Just like I’d hoped.”
Along with the grill, Sam and the boys had also brought the deck furniture outside. I sat down on a nearby chaise longue.
Davey and Kevin were out in the middle of the yard. Davey was helping Kev climb the ladder that led to the tree house. Now that both boys were older, they were allowed to visit their hangout without adult supervision. Five Standard Poodles were milling around the base of the tree watching the activity. One small, spotted dog was suspiciously missing.
“Bud?” I said.
Busy scraping the cooking grid clean with a stiff brush, Sam glanced at me over his shoulder. “In the kitchen. He watched me unpack the rib eyes. Now I’m pretty sure he’s parked in front of the refrigerator hoping those steaks find a way to jump out and land in his mouth.”
I swiveled to one side, pulled my feet up, and lay down on the plump cushion. I rolled my shoulders and closed my eyes. This was bliss.
“He hasn’t figured out a way to open the refrigerator door yet, has he?” I asked amiably.
“Not that I’m aware of. That’s Faith’s trick. If she decides to teach it to the boys we’re all in trouble. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you changed the subject. Detective Young?”
“Right,” I said, eyes still closed. “Nice man.”
I heard Sam chuckle. “I take it that means he agreed with you?”
“For the most part. We talked about Jasmine and Amanda, and pet-sitters. And of course Rick Fanelli. I told him about the dog show participants whose houses were being robbed while they were away at shows. He did point out that all those things seemed to be happening everywhere but in his jurisdiction.”
“But he agreed to work on getting the police involved anyway?”
“Yup. Mission accomplished. Detective Young also praised my powers of deduction.”
I raised my head slightly and slitted one eye to see how that went over.
Sam had one brow cocked sardonically. “No wonder you think he’s a nice man.”
“You know me,” I said with a happy sigh. “I’m easy.”
“Kudos always cheers you up,” he agreed. “Food works too.”
Especially food I didn’t have to cook. “Are you making dinner tonight?”
“Of course.” Sam gestured toward the grill, indicating the absurdity of my question. How could there be any doubt?
“Perfect,” I said.
* * *
Well, of course I knew that wouldn’t last. But I had expected to be able to coast along on a tide of well-being for more than a couple of hours. That was how long it took Aunt Peg to call.
She wanted an update about my visit with Detective Young. But even more than that, she wanted to deliver news of her own. Aunt Peg was nearly crowing with satisfaction.
“You’ll never guess what happened,” she said.
No, I probably wouldn’t. In Aunt Peg’s world that could mean anything from a new judging assignment to a rebel uprising she’d instigated in some small third world nation.
Aunt Peg probably realized that herself. She didn’t even wait for me to guess.
“I texted Amanda and she answered back right away. Apparently she was growing quite tired of not seeing or talking to anyb
ody. When I extended an invitation for her to come in out of the cold”—Aunt Peg tossed out her espionage analogy with relish—“she accepted gratefully.”
“Good work. Is she going to come and stay with you until everything gets sorted out?”
“Even better,” Aunt Peg replied. “She’s already here.”
“Now?”
“Yes, of course now. What else would I mean?”
“You might have started with that news.” Yes, I sounded huffy.
“First I wanted to hear whether you’d managed to move things along with the police. And luckily you have. But now you need to come here.”
“Now?” I said again.
“What’s the matter with that? It’s barely eight o’clock.”
“I was about to put Kevin to bed.”
“Sam can do that.” Aunt Peg brushed off my excuse. “He’s good at it.”
Yes he was, but that wasn’t the point.
“Amanda’s unpacking a bag in my guest room and she appears to be in a talkative mood,” Aunt Peg told me. “I know you have questions and so do I. I would hate for you to miss anything.”
Put like that, how could I resist?
“I’ll be there in half an hour,” I said. “Don’t start without me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Aunt Peg replied. “As long as you hurry.”
Chapter 22
Aunt Peg had her front door open before I’d even turned off my car. Her canine early warning system must have alerted her to my arrival. Either that or she’d been staring out the window since we’d hung up.
Usually I stopped to greet the Poodle welcoming committee. Not tonight. Aunt Peg rushed me inside the house as if she was afraid Amanda would disappear if she left her alone for too long.
“Where is she?” I asked. I was whispering. I had no idea why.
“In the kitchen. We’re having dessert.”
Of course they were.
“Amanda arrived an hour ago and I haven’t asked a single question. I figured she would be more comfortable, and perhaps more forthcoming, if she only had to tell her story once.”
No wonder Aunt Peg had been in such a hurry for me to arrive. The suspense must have been killing her.
Amanda stood up when I entered the room. If Abby hadn’t told me they were twins, I never would have guessed. Abby had fair hair and blue eyes. Amanda had a honey-colored complexion and brown hair that curled around her ears. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her smile was shaky.
“I’m glad you could join us,” she said politely. “Peg is making me eat cake.”
“She does that,” I replied, taking a seat. The empty cake plate in the center of the table indicated that I’d arrived a few minutes too late to take part.
The five Poodles had followed us into the kitchen. As they chose their spots and lay down on the hardwood floor, it was obvious that the dogs were every bit as comfortable with Amanda as they were with Aunt Peg and me. Right off the bat, that earned Amanda some bonus points.
“I’m happy to see you’re well,” I said when everyone was settled. “Your sister has been very worried about you.”
Amanda sighed. “Abby’s like a mother hen. You’d think she was three years older than me rather than three minutes. She worries about everything.”
“In this case, it sounds as though she had good reason to be concerned,” Aunt Peg said. “You’ve been missing for two weeks.”
“That’s Abby’s version of events. I’ve always known where I was. Just because I wanted to get away for a few days didn’t mean I was missing.”
“Where were you?” I asked.
“Staying with a friend in the city. Sleeping on a roll-up futon on the floor in a studio apartment.” She wrinkled her nose. “An apartment with cockroaches. Yuck.”
“That doesn’t sound like much of a treat,” Aunt Peg said. “And surely you can understand how the timing of your abrupt departure was bound to raise questions.”
“We know that Jasmine was involved in some shady dealings,” I told her. “And that you and Rick were at the dog show together on the day that she died. But we’d like to hear your story. Why don’t you tell us what happened?”
“I really don’t know much of anything,” Amanda replied.
Aunt Peg and I shared a look. Nobody in the room believed that lie. Even the Poodles looked skeptical.
“I can’t protect you if I don’t know what I’m protecting you from,” Aunt Peg said firmly. “Now start at the beginning, and tell us what you do know. It was the day of the dog show. You were there helping Rick. . . .”
Amanda didn’t pick up the thread of the story right away. Aunt Peg and I both waited. Neither of us said a word. Finally Amanda spoke.
“I was there helping Rick,” she repeated quietly. “He’d asked me to go to the show with him. He said he had too many dogs to manage on his own. We left together from his place that morning. On the way, I found out that he only had five dogs entered.”
Amanda frowned. “Five dogs. That’s nothing. My parents would have had that many in the ring by nine a.m. on a show day. Even Abby could have managed easily. But not Rick. He’s always too lazy to buckle down and do the work.”
I was happy to hear Amanda speak about her boyfriend with a notable lack of affection in her tone. It would make things much easier if we were all on the same page where Rick Fanelli was concerned.
“As you can probably imagine, I’ve had a lot of time to think recently,” she said. “When I met Rick, he pursued me like I was the most interesting girl in the world. He told me I was special and I believed him. At the time, he was trying to get his handling business off the ground. Looking back now, I wonder if he didn’t hook up with me because he thought my knowledge and connections could be useful to him.”
“Not that you don’t have many other wonderful qualities,” Aunt Peg said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Rick Fanelli is not a good person,” I added firmly.
“I guess I know that now.” She sighed. “I just wish I’d realized it sooner.”
“Tell us about the show,” Aunt Peg prodded.
“For me it was just another boring dog show day. I was at Rick’s setup the whole time, grooming his dogs and prepping them for the ring. Rick was in and out of the tent all day. When he wasn’t in the ring, he’d be off schmoozing potential clients. Stuff like that made him feel important.”
Amanda stopped and grimaced. “Meanwhile he was treating me like the hired help.”
“I’d have been pissed at that,” I said.
“I know, right?”
Aunt Peg got us back on topic. “So even though you went with Rick, you were unaware of where he was, or what he was doing, for much of the day?”
“That’s right. At shows, he was always running around like that, so it wasn’t anything unusual. It never crossed my mind that there would be a reason to keep tabs on him that day.”
I didn’t know if the police had narrowed down the time of Jasmine’s death. But even if they had, it sounded as though Rick probably didn’t have an alibi.
“When did you find out that Jasmine had been killed?” Aunt Peg asked.
She and I had been among the first to know. But I was sure the news must have traveled around the showground like wildfire shortly thereafter.
“Not until midafternoon,” Amanda replied. “At first, all I knew was that there was a definite buzz in the tent. People were talking about something. But I was busy, you know? Rick was slacking off, and that made me feel like I should work harder. I felt a responsibility to try to do right by his clients.”
Another point in Amanda’s favor.
“Then what happened?” I asked.
“When I finally heard the news, I didn’t believe it.” Her voice wavered. “I mean . . . it just seemed impossible. Jasmine wasn’t just my landlady. She was my friend too.”
A friend who’d been using her, I thought. Just like Rick. “I put the dogs in their crates an
d went to see for myself,” she said softly. “The police were there. I couldn’t even get near Jasmine’s booth. But I managed to see enough to know that the rumors were true.”
“You must have been in shock,” Aunt Peg said.
“I guess I was. I just stood there for a long time. It was like I couldn’t figure out what to do next. Or even where to go. Nothing seemed real to me. Not the police. Not the dog show. And certainly not the fact that I would never see Jasmine again. It was all unimaginable.” A tear slid down Amanda’s face. She sniffled loudly. “I didn’t know what to think.”
I knew what I thought. Amanda was protesting entirely too much.
“You were that surprised,” I said. “Even though you were aware of Jasmine’s illegal activities?”
Amanda’s shoulders stiffened. She lifted a hand and swiped it across her cheek. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do,” I replied. “And you’ll only make things worse for yourself if you lie to us. I’ve been in touch with the authorities and they’re going to be looking into all the circumstances surrounding Jasmine’s death. You’ll save everybody a lot of time and trouble if you just tell us what you know.”
“I don’t know anything,” Amanda protested.
There was no way this girl was as stupid as she wanted us to believe. Even Aunt Peg, who was on Amanda’s side, was beginning to look annoyed.
“Do you want my help?” she asked.
Amanda hesitated briefly, then nodded.
“Then let me tell you how this is going to work. Melanie and I will begin by telling you what we’ve already learned. Then I’m sure you will find yourself motivated to fill in any gaps in our knowledge. Is that understood?”
You had to hand it to Aunt Peg. Nobody did a wake-up call better.
I didn’t wait for Amanda to agree. Instead, I said, “We know about the robberies.”
“You do?” The girl looked shocked. She gazed back and forth between us. “How did you find out?”
“We put two and two together,” Aunt Peg snapped. She’d probably picked up her interrogation technique by watching old reruns of Dragnet.
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