by Cindy Bell
“You’re right.” Tom drew a deep breath. “I’m going to need a lawyer.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, then walked away.
Nikki watched as a pale green balloon floated across the grass towards her. Not that long ago she had carried those balloons from the party shop. Now, there was no celebration to use them for. It stunned her how everything could change so fast. As she returned to the bench, Quinn walked over to it as well.
“I just have a few quick questions for both of you.” Quinn glanced between them. “I know this has already been a lot for the both of you, but it’s important that I have all of the information that I can get.”
“I understand.” Nikki sat down next to Sonia.
“Mrs. Whitter, did you know Matthew Leaner?” Quinn crouched down in front of her. He reached out and lightly stroked Princess’ fur.
“Not really, no. I knew of him, but not on a personal level.” Sonia avoided looking in the direction of the back door. The bags had been moved, and although there were many people standing around Matt’s body, now and then, his body was not blocked from view. “Do you know what happened to him, Quinn? How was he killed?”
“Ah, no not exactly yet.” Quinn frowned, then lowered his voice. “It’s likely blunt force trauma. One hit, to the back of the head. But that hasn’t been confirmed by the medical examiner.” He turned his attention to Nikki. “You were here on the day he first went missing, right?”
“Yes. I was here that morning. I helped Tom in the garden.” Nikki did her best to imagine herself back in that moment. “Matt had just told Tom that there was a problem with the plumbing, and that he would have to get some parts in order to fix it. Tom was upset, because he was already worried about getting the building completed in time for the grand opening.”
“How upset was he?” Quinn looked into her eyes. “Angry? Frustrated? Enraged?”
“Quinn, it’s pretty clear that Tom didn’t do this. Why would he sabotage the progress of the building? Once Matt disappeared, he had to pay twice as much to another builder to get the job done.” Nikki frowned.
“I’m just gathering information, that’s all, Nikki.” Quinn’s tone hardened as he looked down at his tablet. “I need to know how upset he was.”
“Frustrated, I guess. It wasn’t like he was going to throw a punch or something.” Nikki shrugged. “Then Matt got into it with one of his employees. I forget his name.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t remember.”
“He got into it with an employee? Can you explain that for me?” Quinn made a note on his tablet.
“I guess. They were arguing over who would pay for the gas for the van. The employee wanted cash from Matt to cover it, but Matt refused.”
“Interesting. Thank you.” Quinn made another note. “If you happen to remember the employee’s name, please let me know.”
“Theo!” Nikki snapped her fingers. “That’s it. His name is Theo.”
“Great. Thanks.” Quinn looked up at her. “So, you’ve worked here throughout the week, right?”
“Yes, I did.” Nikki glanced over at Sonia and noticed that she seemed dazed. “Quinn, I really need to get Sonia home.”
“I just need to know, did anyone tell you to stay away from this back area? Did Tom explain why the patio wasn’t being poured?” Quinn gestured behind him.
“No, actually Tom asked me to clean it up to prepare for the concrete to be poured. But they ran out of time before it could be done.” Nikki winced as she recalled cleaning up the area. Was Matt hidden there all that time? It made her feel terrible to think that she had been so close to his body and didn’t even realize it.
“Okay.” Quinn stood up, then offered his hand to Sonia. “We can touch base later, Mrs. Whitter. I want you to get some rest.”
“Your wish is my command,” Sonia mumbled as she took his hand and stood up. She still held Princess in her other arm.
“I don’t have my car, otherwise I could drive you home.” Nikki grimaced.
“You can drive my car.”
“But I have to take Coco home, too.” Nikki glanced at her watch.
“It’s all right, you can put him in the back of the car.” Sonia tipped her head towards the parking lot.
“Are you sure?” Nikki frowned. “I can’t guarantee that his paws aren’t muddy.”
“Don’t worry about it, Nikki. Let’s just get out of here.” Sonia shot a look in the direction of the crime scene.
“Okay, I’ll get Coco.” Nikki hurried into the building to collect Coco. As she walked towards the kennel area, she passed Tom’s office. As she peered around the office door, she noticed Tom inside, behind his desk. He had his head in his hands as his shoulders shook. She fought her instinct to go inside and comfort him. In all the time she had known Tom, she had never seen him cry, or so much as sniffle. She knew he might be embarrassed for her to see him crying, so she decided that she would give him a few minutes as she collected Coco and then go back to him. Maybe he would have composed himself by then. Nikki continued to the kennel and retrieved Coco. When she walked by the office again, Tom was no longer there. She wanted to try and find him, but there wasn’t time, she needed to get Sonia, Princess and Coco home.
Chapter 6
After Nikki dropped Coco off at home, she drove Sonia back to her house. With her head spinning, she had to focus on driving. Sonia seemed content to sit in silence. Princess barked now and then, but was more subdued than usual as well. Nikki parked in the semi-circle driveway in front of the house, then led Sonia inside. Once she had her settled on the couch she headed for the kitchen.
“I’ll make us some tea.”
“There are still some cookies in the cabinet as well.” Sonia finally let Princess out of her arms. The little dog followed Nikki into the kitchen.
As Nikki prepared the tea, she couldn’t get the memory of Tom’s tears out of her mind. Was he crying because he thought he would lose his business? Or because a man he worked with had been murdered? Or out of guilt? The thought hit her so hard that she took a sharp breath. Did she really suspect her own friend of the murder? She pushed the thought from her mind as she returned from the kitchen with a platter that contained two teacups and a stack of cookies.
“You should eat something, Sonia.” Nikki sat down on the couch beside her. “You might not feel hungry, but the shock will wear off soon enough, and you’re going to need something in your belly to keep you from getting too shaky.”
“You know me well.” Sonia took a bite of a cookie, then set it down. “I certainly never expected anything like this to happen.” She lifted the teacup from the saucer she held, but as she drew it to her lips, her hand trembled. A bit of tea splashed over the rim of the cup. “Oh dear, look at me. I’m making a mess.” She sighed. Nikki was worried about her. Although Sonia appeared frail, she was one of the strongest women Nikki had ever met and she had never seen her like this before.
“It’s all right.” Nikki handed her a napkin and smiled slightly. “You’ve been through a lot.”
“I’ve been through a lot?” Sonia shook her head, then took a tentative sip of her tea. “I’d say that Matt has been through worse than me.”
“Well, that’s true.” Nikki shifted in her chair. “Sonia, are you sure you didn’t see anyone else around while you were chasing after Princess?”
“Not a soul.” Sonia sighed. “I was so upset with Princess for running off like that.” Sonia set her teacup and saucer down on the table, then reached her hand down to Princess. “But you knew the whole time, didn’t you, my little detective?” She glanced up at Nikki. “She seems to have a knack for finding dead bodies. She went straight to Matt’s body. I’m not sure how she knew he was there, but she did.”
“She’s the smartest dog I know.” Nikki watched as Princess licked Sonia’s hand. “And very stubborn.”
“That’s for sure.” Sonia scooped the dog up into her arms. “Now, what are we going to do about finding Matt’s killer?”
“Princess wanted me to find Matt. We can’t just leave it to the police. They have their skills and resources of course, but there’s no harm in helping a little.” Sonia met Nikki’s eyes. “Don’t you think?”
“I guess.” Nikki patted her hand. “The longer this investigation drags on, the more likely it is that Tom will lose his business. I don’t think it could hurt to help the police out a little bit.”
“Exactly.” Sonia nodded as she settled Princess in her lap. “You mentioned that Matt had an argument with one of his employees.”
“Yes, about who would pay for putting gas in a van. I’m not sure that a simple argument like that could lead to murder, though.” Nikki frowned.
“No, but it might indicate there was quite a bit of tension there. Do you remember his name?” Sonia placed her phone on the table.
“Theo.” Nikki nodded. “He worked with Matt on the building until Matt disappeared. At least, we thought he had disappeared. I guess, he must have been killed the day he went missing. That was on Wednesday. As we know his fiancée Briana went missing, too.”
“Interesting. So, Briana went missing at the same time as Matt.” Sonia typed on her phone as she spoke. “There’s a good chance she might be involved in his death then.”
“Briana?” Nikki’s eyes widened. “I didn’t even think of that. I’ve been more worried that whoever killed Matt might have killed her, too. She was supposed to marry Matt. Why would she kill him?”
“Oh sweetheart.” Sonia smiled. “You don’t know how stressful relationships can be, do you? Trust me, she might have had a reason. Besides, that wedding was never going to happen.”
“I know the running theory was that the pair eloped, since the Murrows didn’t approve of Matt.” Nikki shook her head. “But that’s obviously not the case.”
“For that marriage to happen they would have had to elope.” Sonia sighed. “Although, I’m not sure there could have been a place far enough that the Murrows wouldn’t have found a way to stop it. Matt doesn’t fit any of the standards the Murrows have for marrying into their family.”
“He certainly wasn’t wealthy. He was struggling for money. As far as I know he didn’t have any higher education, and according to Quinn he had a few petty thefts on his record from when he was younger.” Nikki pursed her lips. “No, I don’t think he would meet the Murrows’ standards. Perhaps that’s why Briana wanted to marry him. Maybe she fell in love with him because he was so different.”
“Or maybe she just wanted to upset her family.” Sonia added her name to the list of suspects on her phone. “Preston’s father, Charles Murrow is a force. He is the head of the family business and still controls the majority of the family wealth. Most people don’t question him. But Briana has always been a bit of a rebel. Her older sister Tory did everything her parents and grandparents asked, even married the man they chose, but Briana has given them quite a bit of trouble. My guess is that she just wants attention, but she might have taken things too far this time. Either way I think we’ll need to speak to the Murrows. Luckily, I have a weekly card game that meets tomorrow, and Natalie Murrow is part of it. She never misses a week.”
“Do you think she’ll still show up, even after her future son-in-law has been murdered and her own daughter has gone missing?” Nikki picked up her cup of tea. “I would think she might take the week off.”
“I doubt it. She is there every week. Even when the weather is bad, even when she’s not feeling well, even when her husband was in hospital. She still showed up.” Sonia scratched behind Princess’ ear. “She loves to gossip, too. So, she might have something to say about Matt. Or maybe she’ll let it slip where Briana has run off to.”
“I just hope that Briana is okay. I hate to think that she might be involved in Matt’s murder, but I also don’t want to believe that she was a target as well. Maybe the killer hid her body somewhere else.” Nikki winced. “It’s a terrible thing to imagine.”
“Yes, it is.” Sonia took another sip of her tea.
“It’s almost time to take the dogs for their afternoon walks. Do you want Princess to join in?” Nikki watched as the dog sprawled out on the couch.
“No, I’d rather keep her close today. I think she’s had plenty of excitement.” Sonia set down her cup, then looked straight at Nikki. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.” Nikki smiled as she leaned across the couch to hug Sonia. “I’ll check in with you later, all right? Make sure you eat more than cookies.”
“You too.” Sonia pointed at Nikki’s slim waist. “You need to make sure you get some food in that belly.”
“I will.” Nikki flashed her a smile then headed out the door.
On her way to pick up Chomper, a Golden Retriever, Nikki felt a rumble in her stomach. Sonia was right, that cookie hadn’t been enough. She stopped by the café.
“Hi Gina.”
“Nikki, good to see you.” Gina smiled. “What can I get you?”
Nikki ordered a sandwich to go. Gina was rushed off her feet, so Nikki stood to the side to wait for her sandwich.
As Nikki waited for her food to be ready, she listened to the conversations that flowed through the café.
“I heard that Tom is the one that did it. They had some kind of fight.”
“Nonsense. It was Briana’s ex. Of course it was. He was jealous. He never got over her.”
“I can’t imagine what would drive anyone to kill Matt.”
“I can, he didn’t pay his employees properly.”
Nikki turned her attention to the man who made that comment. He sat across from a woman who had a tissue clutched in one hand.
“Don’t talk like that, Gerald, it’s not right. The man is dead.” She dabbed at her eyes. “I was so excited for Speedy to get some training, but now I’m not sure that I could stand to go back there again.”
“Don’t get hung up on it.” Gerald shrugged and picked up a fry from his plate. “It’s just something that happened.”
“It’s not just something that happened. Matt was murdered.” She leaned across the table towards him. “The killer could have been right there with me at Happy Dogs. How terrifying is that?”
“The killer could be right here, with us in this café.” Gerald locked his eyes to hers. “Isn’t that just as terrifying?”
“Oh, why did you have to say that.” She groaned and dabbed at her eyes again. “I just want to go home. Would you finish up please?”
“Sure.” He picked up another fry. “The thing is, Dawn, you can’t just assume it was a random murder. I mean sure, someone killed the guy, but it’s not like there’s a serial killer running around town. Whoever did this, did it for a reason, and Matt gave people plenty of reasons. When I worked for him, he would short my check at least once a month, but usually more than that. If I complained he would tell me to walk, that he didn’t care, there were plenty of other people that needed a job.”
“Ugh, that does sound terrible. I’m glad you didn’t work for him anymore.” Dawn narrowed her eyes. “Still, that doesn’t excuse killing someone.”
“No, it doesn’t. But his attitude is the reason why I think someone lost it on him. He could apologize, he could offer to make it up to people, but instead he always had that chip on his shoulder, as if the world owed him something, even when he was the one stealing from other people.” Gerald ate his last fry. “Let’s go, I’ll get you home and settled. We can watch some television and forget all about this. That show about your favorite dog trainer will be on.”
“Yes, that sounds good.” Dawn took a deep breath, then stood up from the table.
Nikki lowered her eyes as the pair walked past. She hoped that neither would recognize her from Happy Dogs. She didn’t want to get involved in a conversation about what happened, as she still hadn’t figured out what she believed. Knowing that Matt didn’t pay his employees well made her focus shif
t back to Theo. Maybe the argument over gas really had escalated. If so, he likely hid Matt in the first place he thought he could. He probably thought he’d have plenty of time to hide Matt’s body when he poured the concrete for the patio. Then Tom had hired a different crew, and he didn’t have the access to get rid of the body. She pulled up the website for Matt’s construction company. Then she skimmed through the list of employees. Once she found Theo, she searched his full name, Theo Lambert, and found his most recent address. It wouldn’t be hard to just happen to walk by with the dogs.
“Here you go.” Gina handed her a folded paper bag. “I threw some extra fries in there for you.”
“Thanks.” Nikki grinned. “I’m starving.”
As Nikki walked towards Chomper’s house she ate her sandwich as quickly as she could. Chomper’s family was very particular about what he could and could not eat and she didn’t want to tease him with food that was on the ‘not allowed’ list. She tossed the trash in a trashcan she passed, then headed down the sidewalk to Chomper’s house. Toys had been left scattered across the lawn and a recent chalk drawing on the driveway featured a dog with a superhero cape around his neck. She smiled to herself as she thought of just how loved Chomper must be.
“Chomper!” She called out as she unlocked the door. “Ready for a walk, pal?”
Chomper ran straight for her with his leash in his mouth.
“Oh, you certainly are.” Nikki laughed as she clipped on his leash. “Let’s get you running, huh?”
Chomper barked and blew past her through the door. She paused long enough to lock the door behind her then let Chomper take the lead. As he plowed down the sidewalk, she watched for the street she needed to turn down. She doubted that Theo would be too eager to speak to her, but she wanted to get an idea of whether he was even still there. It was possible that if he had been the one to kill Matt, he had already taken off for another state.