Shards of Murder

by Cheryl Hollon

“I’m sorry, guys.” Savannah looked around the table. “I didn’t want to worry you. That was a mistake.”

  “Damn straight it was a mistake.” Amanda frowned. “We’re your friends. We’ve been through a lot these past few months. We deserve better.”

  “She’s right.” Keith looked at Edward. “Family deserves better.”

  Savannah pressed her lips tight and lowered her head. “I agree. I have difficulty with trust. I apologize.”

  Jacob pulled Suzy into his lap. “What happened?”

  Bless the directness of youth.

  “Yesterday morning, I was running with Rooney along the seawall very near where I discovered Megan’s body. Someone tore out of the trees and tried to throw me into Tampa Bay.”

  “Holy moly,” Amanda blurted. “Do you think it was the killer?”

  “Can you identify him?” Keith asked.

  “I didn’t even get a tiny glance at his face. I thought it was a mugger.” She looked over at Edward, who was sitting straight up, his face flushed from throat to cheeks. “He was dressed in black with a hoodie pulled low, but I still felt that it was a man.”

  “How did you know?”

  “It was his scent. I recall a musky cologne. I know I’ve come across it before, but that must be the reason I think it was a man. I really didn’t get a sense of height, but definitely strong enough to pitch me off the seawall.”

  “Why didn’t you fall into the water?” Jacob asked.

  “My recovery balance is excellent and Rooney was heroic. He launched at the man, bowled him over, and was able to rip off a piece of his pants. I’ve never heard a more frightening growl. The attacker scrambled up and ran for his life.”

  Amanda downed the last of her drink. “Did you call nine-one-one?”

  “No, I wasn’t badly hurt, and I didn’t want to be whisked away to an emergency room for such a small scrape.” She looked down at her leg.

  Amanda looked down at her leg and then back up to stare pointedly.

  “Okay, given the trouble I’m having, that’s what I should have done. On the other hand, I called Detective Parker, but really had nothing to tell him. He came out himself rather than sending Officer Boulli.”

  Edward stood and began collecting their empty glasses. “Savannah, this is important. We care about you very much. You are fiercely independent and we love that about you, but it is frustrating when you hide things from us.”

  “It’s hurtful,” said Amanda. “It’s like you really don’t see us as your friends.”

  Jacob held Suzy tighter. “You should always tell us the truth. We need the truth.”

  “We need your word of honor that you will be open and unstinting with the full and absolute truth from now on.” Edward stood at the end of their table.

  “I promise and please forgive me.” She felt a warm, cozy flush start from her stomach and settle deep in her chest.

  Why am I feeling so good about being chewed out? Oh, it’s because they care. That’s good.

  Savannah looked each of her posse in the eye and said. “I promise, I promise, I promise, I promise” to each of them. Now can we review the case?”

  “Nope, not yet.” Edward opened the door to the pub. “I’ll ask Nicole to get us another round of drinks and then we’ll try to figure out how to manage the threat to Savannah.”

  They each were silent and looked at each other with owl eyes. In a flash, Edward was back and sat down. He placed his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers. “I propose that we take turns protecting Savannah. Who’s willing to do what this weekend?”

  “I can go to the agility meeting tomorrow morning,” Jacob said. “Suzy will be welcome.”

  “Since that is such a public event, I think we should all be there.” Edward looked at Savannah. “What time does it start?”

  “We have to sign in at eight. Don’t forget about Rooney.” Savannah bent down and scratched his blue-gray ears. “He did a good job at the park.”

  Amanda looked from Edward to Savannah. “What about until the meet starts? Who’s going to stay with you tonight?”

  “I really don’t think—”

  Keith interrupted, “Obviously, but we think it’s vital.”

  Savannah’s shoulders slumped and she looked down. “Right. You’re right.” She looked at Amanda. “I would love for you to stay over, Amanda. I’ve got the guest room cleared out and I even have business-speed Internet for you.”

  Edward sighed deeply and smiled. “Fine, then we’ll all meet you at the agility trial tomorrow morning and then I’ll take over after that. We’ll use Jacob and Suzy for crowd scanning at public events and continue this level of protection until the killer is captured. Agreed?”

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  Edward smiled with great satisfaction. “Now, we can review our investigation.”

  Nicole walked out with another tray of drinks. “Hey, guys, why so serious?”

  “Just enjoying the evening,” said Amanda with appalling faked innocence.

  After Nicole dropped off the drinks and left the table, Savannah reached into her backpack and pulled out a small tan notebook and a pencil. “I wrote out a copy of our whiteboard.” She flipped a few pages and looked at the sheet. “First, Jacob. Anything else in the applications?”

  “Not yet, Miss Savannah. I’m almost done with my analysis. I will come back after Rooney’s competition tomorrow morning to finish.”

  “Is your mom still good with that?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s good,” Savannah said, “but I would expect you’ll run out of ways to shuffle the applications, soon.”

  “Sorry, Keith, I forgot to ask about your knee.”

  “I’ve got it slathered in Ben-Gay, but I’m still gimpy,” said Keith.

  Savannah looked at her notes and shook her head from side to side. “You know what?” She closed the little notebook. “I’m really sick of this. We’re down to either Wanda or Vincent for Megan’s murder—maybe it’s even Leon. But honestly, for tomorrow, I don’t even want to think about it. I need a break and Rooney needs to have his day.”

  Her posse smiled in agreement.

  Chapter 26

  Saturday Morning

  It was a beautiful, refreshingly cool morning at Vinoy Park. Perfect for the agility meet—not too hot, not too cool. It was Goldilocks perfect.

  Amanda and Savannah parked near the public pool a little north of the park and lugged their mountain of stuff down to the registration table, where a keen teenager checked them off his list and handed back a bag of materials. Most of the participants had already arrived and staked out the best spots to chill while other events were held.

  They walked over to the outer edge of the encampment and settled themselves and Rooney for an anxious morning waiting for the puppy trials to begin.

  “This is nice.” Amanda looked around the park from the comfort of her folding chair. She saw a stuffed picnic basket, and an ice chest tightly filled with water for dogs, water and beverages for humans, along with snacks for dogs and snacks for humans. “What’s next?”

  Sitting down for the first time since the alarm went off at 5:00 A.M. for a short run to calm Rooney before the competition, Savannah answered, “I’m not exactly sure. This is my first meet. I think the organizers announce when the owners can walk the course. I’ll need you to keep Rooney here.”

  “Why?”

  “The dogs aren’t allowed in the ring before they run the course.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “Yep, that makes it fair for—”

  A loudspeaker blared, “Owners of the small puppy category, report to the judges’ table.”

  “That’s the group in front of us. Rooney is in the large puppy class.” Rooney lifted his ice blue eyes her way. She bent down and snuggled his head. “You don’t act like a puppy, do you?”

  “Puppy talk is weird.” Amanda opened the ice chest. “How long until your turn?”

  “I think
it’s ten minutes for each class.”

  Savannah relaxed in the folding chair and looked around at the crowd. She recognized one of the couples that were members of her training class. She waved a hello and they returned in kind. The entire area resonated with a tailgate party ambiance and the kind of excitement she imagined came before a stag or fox hunt in times past.

  Before she knew it, her group was called to the judges’ table. They checked her credentials and she signed in. The registrant pointed to the ring and Savannah walked toward the enclosure.

  Rats, I’ve been an idiot. What was I thinking? Instead of lollygagging, I should have watched the other owners. What should I do?

  She entered the ring and moved away from the entrance and waited quietly until several more owners arrived. She watched as they stood in the center of the course sizing up the obstacles. Then some of them began running the course as if they were coaching their dog.

  Getting the gist of it, Savannah ran the course several times so that under the pressure of competition she wouldn’t make a wrong turn. She was about to run it again when a whistle signaled the end of the walk-around.

  When she returned to their little nest, Rooney wiggled a warm welcome.

  “How was it?” Amanda handed her a steaming cup of coffee poured from an ancient thermos bottle.

  “I’m so feeling like a rube. You know, I might have taken a little time to figure out what these meets were like. I’m not sure Rooney will have a chance.”

  “Sure, sure,” smirked Amanda. “You’ve had loads of time lately. Plenty of time between running a business, creating new classes, handling your dad’s final affairs, training a gorgeous puppy, and running down clues for a murder case. Yep, plenty of time.”

  “I hate it when you’re right.” Savannah looked across the park and sighed deeply. A motley pair was making its way onto the grass and looking bewildered. “There are the guys. Lost, as usual.”

  Edward and Jacob were obviously scanning the crowd for them. Jacob pointed directly to them after spotting them. He picked up Suzy and started toward their encampment.

  Rooney was delighted to see Suzy and they said hello like the buddies they were. Savannah looked up. “Where’s Edward? I saw him with you a second ago.”

  Jacob made a short scan of the area, then pointed. “He wanted to scan the perimeter. There he is.”

  “He doesn’t need to do that.” Savannah reached into her backpack and pulled out a red bandana. Waving it wildly, she got Edward’s attention. He waved to Savannah and began picking his way through the waiting contestants.

  After the guys set up their chairs and everyone finally settled, Savannah moved her chair over slightly toward Edward.

  Savannah spoke quite softly. “Thanks for coming. I appreciate the support. Rooney and I will be in the second trial. First up will be the small puppies; then we follow them.”

  “Where’s Keith?”

  “I don’t know. I think he gave me the wrong hotel. I knocked on the room number and disturbed a young couple. They were quite irritated.”

  Savannah frowned. “I hope he shows up soon.”

  Edward stood. “I think I’ll take a stroll and see if I can spot anyone suspicious. How long do you think this round will last?”

  “No clue. I need to stay for the awards ceremony. It shouldn’t be too long. Probably a couple of hours?”

  “Is he acting weird or what?” Amanda huffed. “He’s coming off all possessive like a jealous lover.”

  “Amanda! That’s not true at all—that’s ridiculous.”

  “He’s a healthy male animal and a prime, mating-ready female is within sniffing distance. You are blind if you can’t see it. I can see it. What does that tell you?”

  Savannah wobbled her head. “I’m not ready for any of this. You know that.”

  The sound system screeched and the organizers announced the start of the large puppy category.

  Savannah, Amanda, and Rooney, who was remarkably calm, walked to the judges’ table. Savannah and Rooney presented themselves and checked in. The judge pointed toward the course. “You’ll be the third contestant. Stand by the entrance.”

  Before they reached the holding area, Amanda took Savannah by the arm then stood on her tippy-toes and looked in each nautical direction in turn. “What are you doing?” Savannah asked, then turned to Rooney, who began to growl in a low grumble.

  “Rooney? What’s wrong, buddy?” As she bent down to pet Rooney, she said, “Amanda, what in heaven’s name are you doing?”

  “I’m searching for your attacker. That’s what we’re all here for, remember? Although even if your life wasn’t threatened, we would all be here for Rooney. This is awesome.”

  Rooney growled low again and then looked up at Savannah and whined with a questioning look. “What’s wrong, Rooney?” She knelt on one knee and took his face in her hands. “You know how to do this. You’re very well trained. Be calm, Rooney, be calm.”

  Finally, the announcer said, “Savannah Webb with Rooney King, please report to the starting mark.”

  Savannah led Rooney into the ring and he hopped onto the pause platform with no hesitation. She commanded him to stay with a hand signal and moved to the first obstacle, the hurdle, anticipating the starting whistle. Under her breath she repeated, “Stay, Rooney.”

  The whistle blew and Rooney exploded over the hurdle and turned right to jump through the tire hoop. Savannah ran beside him as he deftly zoomed over the catwalk. She signaled him around the marker and they headed toward the brush jump, which he cleared with huge air and hopped onto the platform.

  “Stay, Rooney.” This was a five-second pause, which was particularly challenging for puppies.

  Wow! This is amazing. I love it.

  Rooney was virtually wiggling from head to tail awaiting her command.

  When she finally commanded, “Go,” Rooney tore through the weaving flags like a firefighter and scrambled over the seesaw with only a little balance bobble at the center. The next obstacle was the window jump and he whisked through the opening clean and clear.

  He is amazing. If I can just get him through the tunnel, we could win this.

  She stationed herself at the tunnel entrance and prepared herself to signal him through the opening.

  As soon as Rooney hit the ground after the window jump, everything changed.

  He stopped dead in his tracks and stiffened on all fours. He put his head in the air and howled like an angry wolf.

  Savannah ran back to him from the tunnel entrance. “Come on, Rooney. You can do this.” She ran a few feet toward the tunnel. Rooney did not follow.

  “Rooney, don’t do this. Remember your training.” His head was pointed to the crowd and he barked twice in a voice Savannah had never heard. “Rooney! Calm, Rooney!” She could hear the shrill panic in her voice.

  Rooney looked at her with pleading eyes, barked again, then jumped over the barrier to the course in one smooth, spectacular leap and dove into the crowd, baying like a hunter.

  Savannah screamed, “Rooney!” then tore through the entrance to the course and ran around the outside to the spot where he had jumped. The disruption of the crowd showed her where he had gone and she quickly followed.

  Halfway down the park she could see that he was chasing a man dressed in black. The man shoved over a young man and hopped onto his plain black motorcycle, then revved the engine high. Rooney slid to a halt and crouched low. The rider pulled out into traffic and sped down Beach Drive.

  What is he doing? Who is that?

  Just as she caught up to a wildly barking Rooney and clipped the leash onto his harness, another roar came from behind. It was Edward on his vintage Indian motorcycle giving chase. As he sped by, he hollered, “Call Detective Parker! I think Rooney has picked out the person who attacked you!”

  “Who is it?!” she yelled.

  “I can’t tell!” he yelled back and then began to expertly weave through the heavy traffic. He was only a short block be
hind the black bike.

  Savannah pulled her cell from her back pocket and dialed Detective Parker’s direct office number. Luckily, he answered immediately. “Detective Parker, we’ve got my attacker on the run, and I think he’s Megan’s killer. Rooney sniffed him out. We don’t know who yet, but he’s speeding out of town on a black motorcycle. Edward should have him cornered in a few minutes. He’s sure to overtake him quickly.”

  She listened to a string of muffled swearing.

  “Rooney picked him out of the crowd. He had the scent when I was attacked. He’s the one true witness.”

  “Stay where you are, Savannah. I’ll have a cruiser over there immediately.”

  “He’ll get away. I’ll call when we have him.”

  “Listen to—”

  Savannah stowed her phone, then started running at top speed with Rooney toward her car. Amanda and Jacob came running up from the other side of the park. Savannah shouted, “I saw Edward take off. We need to help.”

  They piled into the Mini and drove after them. She didn’t think it would take very much distance for Edward to overtake the killer.

  Be careful, be careful. Please be careful.

  As she drove up the brick street on the waterfront, she saw the Indian motorcycle parked by the curb and the black motorcycle was lying on its side less than a quarter mile up Beach Drive. It was almost exactly where Savannah had been attacked. She could see Edward chasing the hooded man on foot. She parked behind them and let Rooney out of the car. “Get him, boy. Get that bad man.”

  Rooney took off like a gray rocket and in seconds overtook Edward to grab the hooded man by the seat of his pants. Tugging mightily, Rooney pulled the man to the ground and sat on him. Edward stood with his head down, hands on his knees, panting like a steam engine. A police siren sounded in the background and was getting closer. Savannah caught up to them as Edward grabbed the man’s hood and pulled it away from his face.

  “Keith?” Savannah’s voice was shaking. “You killed Megan? Why?”

  Chapter 27

  Saturday Noon

  “So this is what pandemonium means,” Savannah whispered under her breath, which really wasn’t necessary for all the yelling. Detective Parker had ordered the posse downtown to the police department and they were stuffed into a conference room waiting for him to return.