by Krista Davis
* * *
The next couple of hours passed quickly. Holmes, Ben, and I delivered rollaway beds to Fetch and to my apartment. I gave my bedroom to Birdie, despite her protests. As we worked, I notified everyone to keep an eye out for Geof’s money clip.
We brought the lanterns and candles back to all the public areas, just in case we lost power, and stashed a variety of board games in the Dogwood Room to entertain guests who didn’t care to venture out if another storm hit.
Just after five o’clock, the moment I had dreaded arrived. Shadow marched through the door and headed straight toward me. His father followed, right behind him.
Twenty-two
Hollis Hobbs was a bear of a man. Tall and robust, he reminded me of a mountain man who could probably live off the land, hunt, track, and defend his women. He had always been very nice to me and had been an enthusiastic participant in the planning of Murder Most Howl. But the scowl on his face told me this wasn’t a social call.
Shadow appeared to be sad and, true to his name, was but a mere shadow in his father’s presence. I expected Shadow to quit his new job now that we had caught him with the shamrock necklace. I still had mixed feelings. I wanted to follow my gut instinct and hire him but didn’t know if I should risk it.
He held the necklace out to me. “You didn’t have to pretend a necklace was missing and then plant it at my house. I would have understood if you had just asked me to quit. I know no one wants to hire me. My dad says the best thing for me would be to leave Wagtail and go someplace like Washington, where no one will know what happened at The Doggy Bag.”
I could feel my face flushing. Why was my first instinct to apologize? What was it about him that made me want to believe him? I should be turning the tables on him. After all, he must have taken the necklace. How else could it have gotten to his cabin? Unless someone planted it there. But that was unlikely. Not impossible, but I feared it was wishful thinking on my part.
Hollis stood behind him. For moral support?
“Shadow,” I said gently, “one of the dogs found the necklace under a bush at your house. You must have dropped it.”
A crease formed between his eyebrows. “I don’t understand how that could be. I didn’t take it.” His head turned down like he felt the weight of the world.
Why, oh why, did I want to hug him and make him feel better?
Hollis spoke softly. “I realize that Shadow had a problem in his past, but he isn’t a liar, Holly. If he says he didn’t take it, then he didn’t.”
I glanced back as I felt Holmes move in behind me, like it was a standoff between the Hobbses and the two of us.
“Then how did it end up at his house, Hollis?” asked Holmes.
“If you found it, why’d you leave it there?” Hollis replied.
He didn’t answer the big question but he threw the ball back in our court.
“Look, Hollis,” I said. “I want Shadow to work here. We need a handyman, and Shadow did a great job for us today. I was very pleased. Holmes and I left the necklace as a test. We figured Shadow would know he had been caught and his reaction would prove . . . something . . .” My voice faded since I wasn’t exactly sure anymore what it would have proven.
Hollis sighed. “Seems to me it’s not a very good test. How do you pass? No matter what, you’re still going to ask how it got to his house. He can’t win.”
“That’s because it shouldn’t have been there. It should have been upstairs in a guest room with the rightful owner.” As I spoke, it dawned on me that I ought to check to be one hundred percent sure that it was the missing necklace.
Hollis started to speak, but Shadow stopped him. “I don’t know how it got to my house. I’ve heard of crows stealing shiny things. Maybe it fell off the lady’s neck, and a crow picked it up. But I know one thing. If I was a thief, and I got caught like this, I probably would have tried to sneak it back into the room it came from. ’Cause then, you’d have to think I never took it in the first place. You wouldn’t know if it was the same necklace or not, or how it got back there. That would be a sneaky thing to do. I can’t do it because I don’t know which room it came from, ’cause I didn’t take it. I’ve done the right thing by coming here and returning it. I can’t do no more than that.” He looked me straight in the eyes. “I didn’t take that necklace, and I didn’t kill Juliana. I don’t know what happened to her. But now that Norm has gone to his maker, he knows the truth.”
Twenty-three
I swear Hollis growled. “Good riddance to that man. If it wasn’t for him—”
Shadow jerked around and held up his hand like a cop. “Dad, stop it! I knew it was a bad idea for you to come with me. I’m not a kid anymore, and I can stand up for myself. Norm is gone, Dad. He had nothing to do with that stupid necklace. You can’t keep blaming him for every bad thing that happens to me.”
Ben edged up behind me and whispered, “He’s right, you know. You set him up in a no-win situation. No matter what he did, you would still think he took the necklace.”
“I don’t think it was delivered to his house by a crow,” I said with irritation.
“Maybe not, but where’s your evidence that he took it?”
“Ben,” I muttered, “he was in the guest rooms.”
“Holly,” he muttered back, “who else has access to them? The housekeeper? Casey? Zelda? Mr. Huckle? Friends of the guests?”
“Which one of them would have dropped it off at his house?” I hissed.
“The one that doesn’t like him.”
I hated it when Ben played his lawyer games with me. I hated it even more when he had a point.
It made no sense. None. The necklace had magically vanished and flown to Shadow’s house. I considered asking about Geof’s money clip, but in my mind, I heard Ben saying, You have no evidence. His own wife thinks he left it somewhere else. For that matter, Char might have swiped it for some reason.
I winced. I was my own worst enemy. A stronger person would have fired him and that would have put an end to the mess. Why did I believe Shadow? And then, Oma proved just how much she influenced my life. “Truth gives a single reason,” she’d told me many times, “while a lie offers many.” If he had stolen the necklace and got caught, wouldn’t he make up a better story?
“Shadow, how about we wipe the slate clean?” I asked. “We’ll go back to hiring you for a trial period and see how it works out. Okay?”
The smile on his face was like a ray of sunshine. Shadow stuck his hand out to me to shake. “Deal. I’ll make you proud. They say wicked winds and more snow are coming tonight. I’ll go home and catch a nap, then I’ll be back with nontoxic ice melter, and a snow blower so your guests won’t have trouble getting back after dinner.”
He turned to his father and said, “I told you I didn’t need your help.”
Hollis gave me quick nod, and I knew he was grateful to me for giving his son a chance. Deep in my heart, I wanted to believe Shadow. The way he spoke and acted, it was hard for me to imagine that he was lying about the necklace. But the core question hadn’t been answered. How did it get to his house?
Relieved to have that behind me, I walked upstairs to Fetch and knocked on the door.
Ella Mae charged down the hallway toward me. The second Weegie opened the door, Ella Mae shot inside.
I handed Weegie the necklace.
“You found it! I can’t believe it. I thought it was gone for good.” She clasped it on her neck. “The member of our book club who gave it to me died a few months ago. I know it’s not worth anything, but I’m sentimental about it. It makes me feel like she’s with me in a way. Isn’t that silly of me?”
“Not at all,” I assured her.
“I’m not taking it off until I’m home. Thank you so much. Where was it?”
“Let’s just say it took a trip across town and back.”
“This is turning out to be a pretty good day. Maybe I should have another look at the Murder Most Howl clues now that I have my luc
ky necklace back.” She leaned toward me and whispered, “When I moved my stuff, I stole two of Myrtle’s clues!” She tittered like a kid. “Listen to these. I think they’re key, or she wouldn’t have hidden them.”
The Baron von Rottweiler’s mistress is having a secret affair with the owner of the bookstore.
The Baron von Rottweiler’s third wife’s older brother owns a bookstore.
Ella Mae dashed out of the room with a large toy of some kind in her mouth and Puddin’ running behind her.
“Aren’t they adorable playing together?” gushed Weegie. “I was worried that Puddin’ wouldn’t have fun, or that I would end up having to leave her in my room but she’s had a blast. I love that I can take her to restaurants. It should be like that everywhere. Which restaurant do you recommend for dinner? We want to dress up, go someplace classy, and toast the book club members we lost last year.”
“Then it’s The Blue Boar that you want. Very elegant and the food is superb. Tell them I sent you. It’s a short walk from the registration entrance.”
“Thanks!” She called Puddin’, who tried to wrestle the toy from Ella Mae but tiny Ella Mae was determined to keep her prize.
Puddin’ was obviously well trained because she came running when called.
I walked down the hallway to see what Ella Mae was carrying. She shot me a wild look, as though she was afraid I would take it from her. The little rascal had the candlestick weapon in her mouth. The tiny dog could barely carry it. Someone must have opened the door to Stay because she raced inside, half dragging the candlestick along with her.
I paused for a moment. Wasn’t that curious? Geof and Myrtle both claimed someone had stolen the candlestick from them. I couldn’t help wondering how Weegie ended up with it. Was she the one who stole it from Geof? Or had she stolen it from Myrtle when she moved? Val had said the game participants would lie and trick one another. It looked like she was right.
I walked down the grand staircase, and Ben called out to me. He and Holmes sat at a table with Mr. Huckle and Aunt Birdie in the otherwise empty dining area.
Ever the perfect butler, Mr. Huckle asked, “May I pour you a cup of tea?”
I sank into a chair. “Yes, please!”
Gingersnap and Trixie still snoozed by the fire with Twinkletoes. Leo had left for parts unknown. Maybe he had followed Zelda home.
Holmes held the list of clues in his hand. “Remember how you said the Baron von Rottweiler was beginning to sound a lot like Norm?”
I nodded and smiled gratefully at Mr. Huckle, who handed me an oversized cup of steaming tea. “Thank you.”
“Something bothered me about the wives. When Shadow was here, I realized that it was the time period between Blanche and Savannah. I don’t know exactly when Blanche divorced Norm, but it seemed like there was a long gap. Now we know that he was married to Juliana in between.”
He excitedly pointed at the page of clues.
Aunt Birdie stiffened. “I hope those are clues about the game and not lies about local people.”
I wasn’t following Holmes, but I’d had a thought of my own. “You think Hollis murdered Norm?”
All four of them blinked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Didn’t you notice? Hollis seems to blame Norm for Shadow’s problems.”
Ben sat back and contemplated me. “Shadow cut him off. Too bad. I’d have liked to have heard more.”
Holmes flipped the page and wrote something on the back. “That fits right in. You were right, Holly. Listen to this.” He read aloud.
The Baron von Rottweiler left his first wife for a younger woman.
“Norm probably left Blanche for Juliana.”
The Baron von Rottweiler left his first wife so destitute that she had to live in her car.
“You said that happened to Blanche.”
The Baron von Rottweiler poisoned his second wife.
“Juliana was poisoned.”
The Baron von Rottweiler accused an innocent man of murder.
“Shadow was accused in Juliana’s death.”
Val! Val had written the clues. I had heard of a person’s blood running cold and felt like it just happened to me.
I sat up straight. “What about the other clues?”
Holmes scanned the list. “There have to be a lot of red herrings in here. Like the ones about the baron’s many children. Here’s one I don’t know about.”
The Baron von Rottweiler kept a mistress.
“Mr. Huckle,” I said, “would you know anything about that?”
“Please, Miss Holly, I’m not in the habit of gossiping, but if I were, I wouldn’t be aware of any romantic dalliances outside of marriage on Norm’s part.”
I tried to bite back my grin. The man gossiped plenty. I’d heard him talking with Oma and Rose.
“Aunt Birdie?” I asked.
“You know I don’t stoop to gossiping. But at Pawsitively Decadent today, I saw two of your guests who are not married to each other purchasing some items together.”
Really? To her that wasn’t gossip?
“Who?” asked Mr. Huckle. “Miss Robin and Geof?”
“How did you know?” Aunt Birdie leaned toward him, her eyes bright with anticipation.
“They have caught my attention. I fear a bit of hanky-panky there.”
I rubbed my face with my hands. I hated to imagine that Robin and Geof were up to no good while Char doted on little Ella Mae, but that wasn’t my problem.
“Why would Val do that? Why would she structure the entire game around Norm’s life?” I asked. “I know she didn’t like him but this is a little scary.”
“He made a pretty good villain.” Ben stretched his arms. “She never names him, of course, very shrewd on her part. I wonder if he could make a case for libel? Probably not.”
“He’s dead, Ben.”
Mr. Huckle raised one eyebrow. “I believe we can thank Miss Val. She has done a rather remarkable job of laying out Norm’s potential murderers, hasn’t she?”
“I think you’d better call Dave.” Holmes sat back. “He needs to know about this.”
I knew Holmes was right. I knew that was what we had to do. But Val was my friend. The clues didn’t mean she had killed Norm. Did they? Had she made up the game as an elaborate cover for murdering Norm?
Silence fell upon us. I looked from face to face but found no help for my position on the matter. Moving slower than molasses, I headed for the telephone on the desk, and with a heavy heart, I changed my mind. “I’m going to talk to Val face-to-face. This isn’t something I want to discuss on the phone.”
Trixie awoke and ran to my side, looking up at me and whimpering as though she understood my distress. She probably did.
I wasn’t in the habit of turning friends in to the police. Maybe this was all coincidence. Maybe Val just dreamed up nasty things the baron might have done and didn’t even realize that she had painted the picture of Norm’s life. That part about his first wife having to live in her car couldn’t be a coincidence, though.
I bundled up Trixie and donned my jacket, leaving the others to handle whatever came along while I was gone. They offered to come with me, but I thought Val would be more forthcoming if it was just me.
In the darkness, snow had started to drift down again. Leo sat on the front porch, watching something.
Just beyond the little plaza in front of the inn, I could make out a woman alone, holding her arms out, her face turned up to the sky. She twirled slowly, like a child enchanted by the snow.
I watched her carefree enjoyment of the weather. She wobbled a bit and fell backward, landing on the soft cushion of snow.
Trixie shot down the stairs, wagging her little tail.
I hurried after her. “Trixie!” I ran as well as I could through the snow. To my utter horror, Trixie playfully pounced on the woman.
Twenty-four
Making matters even worse, Leo jumped on top of them. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” I lifted Leo and reached out a
hand to none other than Blanche.
She laughed so hard that tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m fine. Just clumsy.” She grasped Trixie’s little head between her hands and planted a kiss on her forehead. “You’re such a cutie pie!”
Leo squirmed. When I set him down, he stepped into her lap as though he was demanding equal time. “You too, Leo!”
I could hear him purring. Blanche gently lifted him and deposited him in the snow.
“Leo seems to like you.” I helped Blanche get up on her feet.
“He was waiting on the steps of our rental house when we arrived, like he was the official welcome committee. When we unlocked the door, he walked in as though he owned the place!”
“Wagtail friendliness. It even extends to the cats and dogs.”
“I love Wagtail. I love everyone!” she shouted.
Maybe she’d been drinking.
I tried to find the right words. Ones that wouldn’t be construed as offensive. “Can I help you get somewhere?”
“No. Thanks for offering. I like being outside. The snow has started again. Everything is so crisp and clean. I feel . . . I feel like . . . No. I know that my troubles are over. I never have to be afraid again. You can’t imagine what a liberating feeling it is to be free of torment.” Blanche gazed at me. “I hope you never have to know.”
“Does this have something to do with Norm?”
“It has everything to do with Norm. I’m sorry, you were probably under his spell like most people are. You only saw the candy-coated outside and never knew what he was really like.”
“I didn’t know him well at all.” What a remarkable difference from the sad Blanche I’d seen the day before. It was as though she was glad to be alive. “I have to walk over to Hair of the Dog for a minute. Feel like walking with Trixie and me?”
“Sure! It’s probably better than twirling in the snow and getting dizzy anyway. Though I still want to make a snow angel. Did you do that when you were a kid?”