Murder Most Howl: A Paws & Claws Mystery

by Krista Davis

  I watched the members of The Thursday Night Cloak and Dagger Club eat lunch. They were a noisy and happy bunch. The unlikeliest group of killers that I could imagine.

  But I was reminded that Myrtle wasn’t with them, and that I had to pack up her belongings.

  Ben walked toward me, putting his phone away. “My car is now at the parking lot outside of Wagtail. I’m going to take a Wagtail taxi over to see the damage. I’ll be back soon, though, if that’s okay.”

  I assured him it was.

  He headed out, and I walked upstairs to Myrtle’s room.

  I left the door wide open, as was our practice when working in an occupied guest room. It wasn’t as though Myrtle would come running in and be shocked to find me there, but it also indicated that I wasn’t doing anything that I needed to hide.

  It was eerily still. Like a life interrupted. I told myself that was only my imagination because Myrtle had been attacked. I pulled open the drapes. Sun flooded in, dispelling some of the creepiness in the pretty room. Myrtle hadn’t been the tidiest of guests. Her luggage lay on the floor, half-open. Clothes were strewn around, hanging on chairs and covering the bed previously occupied by Weegie. I set her suitcase on a luggage rack and lay sweaters, blouses, and pants inside as I folded them. I collected three books she had brought along and inserted them along the sides of the suitcase.

  I scooted into the bathroom and collected her toiletries. There weren’t many. She wasn’t heavily into makeup. I placed them in the suitcase and noticed a thick gray sweater tucked behind an armchair. When I picked it up, a cell phone fell out.

  Aha! Maybe she had contact information for her sister on the phone. I examined it. It wasn’t quite like mine. I managed to turn it on and an e-mail came up. On the chance that it was from her sister, I read it.

  You’re going to Wagtail? I’m so jealous. Mike and I dream of moving back there. I wonder if the stigma will ever go away? If people will ever forget? I can’t forget. It will haunt me to the day I die. I still cry when I think of my wonderful Leo. He would hate it here, though. Look up Shadow for me? I hope life turned out okay for him and that he didn’t have to flee, too.

  Hugs and kisses,

  Michelle

  I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to put everything together. Michelle and Mike. Hadn’t Shadow said they owned The Doggy Bag? That made sense since she was asking about Shadow. Zelda would know if Leo’s previous owner was named Michelle.

  But how were they connected to Myrtle? Was Michelle her daughter? Her sister? A friend? I scrolled back and found the addressee, SylvieP.

  Sylvie Porter’s phone? Had Myrtle swiped it from her or was it more of Ella Mae the Klepto Dog’s handiwork? I had some trouble imagining that Ella Mae could have wrapped it in the sweater and stuck it behind the chair, but then who’d have thought she would steal things and hide them under the bed? So Sylvie knew the people who had owned Randolph Hall and The Doggy Bag. I’d thought Zelda was being silly when she said Leo recognized Sylvie and that was why he brought her gifts of mice. Hadn’t Zelda said that Leo had brought them to the mother of his previous owner? Could Sylvie be Mike or Michelle’s mother?

  I heard a scuffle and looked around but I didn’t see anyone. An impatient whine came from under the bed. The voice Trixie used when she wanted something from me.

  Not again. I placed the phone on the bed and looked under it. The frame holding the mattress must have been higher than in the other room because Trixie had managed to wedge herself underneath it, squashed flat on her belly. There was another broom in the housekeeping closet. I retrieved it along with a flashlight, lay on the floor, and aimed the beam under the bed.

  Trixie didn’t take her eyes off—Leo? “How did you get up here?” Someone must have opened the door to the office. Leo’s tail twitched back and forth, and sure enough, in the far corner was the poor mouse.

  The door to the room closed, and I heard footsteps.

  Thirty-seven

  I raised myself up to see who it was. Sylvie! I debated hiding or saying something. She would see me in a minute. At that moment, she was looking at the top of the dresser. She swung around.

  “Hi.” I stood up.

  Sylvie gasped and clutched her chest. “You scared me! I, uh, lent Myrtle a book and wanted it back.”

  I played along, even though I suspected she really wanted her phone. “I’ve been packing her things. There are a few books in her suitcase.” I pointed at it, hoping she would look in it, and I could open the door.

  We heard a commotion under the bed.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  The mouse! She hated mice. Perfect timing. My heart pounded but I tried to sound casual. “I’m so sorry, but it seems Leo has trapped another mouse.”

  She winced and stepped back, but then her gaze fell on the bed, and her phone. Her eyes met mine. “Nice try, Holly.” The sweet dimples were gone. Her eyes seemed to change in front of me, to a viciousness born of desperation.

  She pulled a hunting knife from her pocket and flicked the wicked blade open. “I brought this along thinking I might need it if Norm didn’t succumb to the insulin fast enough. I’m sorry to do this to you, Holly. You were a lovely hostess, and you remind me a little bit of my daughter. I don’t know how you managed to put up with Myrtle. Honestly, it felt good to swing that board at her.”

  She flew around the bed at me. Was she kidding? I had played this game with Holmes and my cousin for years. She didn’t know she was dealing with a pro at dodge-the-bed. I climbed on top of the bed, vaguely aware of more scrambling underneath it. Leo shot out from under the bed with Trixie right behind him. But in the moment that I spied them, Sylvie grasped my ankle and yanked.

  I let out a shriek as I fell to the bed. “Help!” I tried screaming louder but it wasn’t easy what with kicking at her face.

  She pulled herself forward, almost over top of me. Where did she get so much strength? I saw the knife in her hand, raised and ready to plunge. With all my might, I shoved her toward the pillows and rolled away in the other direction.

  I leaped off the bed and opened the door.

  Sylvie was faster than she looked. She raced toward me, holding up the pillow. All I could see were her wild eyes, the mouse clinging to the pillow for dear life, and the savage blade that had pierced the pillow.

  I stepped into the hallway, out of her path. “Help! Dave! Zelda!”

  Gingersnap, Puddin’, and Rooster, the adoptable yellow dog that Char hadn’t wanted, barreled down the corridor.

  Sylvie dashed through the doorway, tripped over Rooster, and landed flat on her face. The mouse climbed into her hair. She moaned and rose slightly. It appeared her shoulder had landed on the handle of the knife. Ouch!

  “Game over, Sylvie,” I said.

  “Not by a long shot.” She tried to dislodge the blade of the knife but it had wedged in the hardwood floor. She twisted, grabbed my ankle, and pulled.

  I bent over slightly. “There’s a mouse in your hair.” I said it as calmly as I could.

  The mouse took that moment to crawl on her forehead and between her eyes. Sylvie passed out cold.

  Dave, Zelda, Shadow, and the Tredwells bounded toward me from the back stairs.

  The rest of The Thursday Night Cloak and Dagger Club ran toward me from the grand staircase.

  Dave kneeled beside Sylvie and brought her around.

  Shadow said, “Mrs. Porter?”

  The two of them helped her to her feet. “Where’s the mouse?” she asked.

  They assisted her down the stairs to the office and the rest of us followed. Zelda closed the door.

  Sylvie’s book club friends gathered in the reception lobby, buzzing with speculation.

  Charlotte Tredwell glared at Geof. “What is that yellow dog doing here?”

  I jumped to Rooster’s aid. “Thank goodness he was here. Sylvie fell over him.”

  Geof ran his hand over Rooster’s head. “Did you hear that, Char? He’s a hero. He
literally tripped up a murderer.”

  “Geof,” she warned.

  “We’re adopting him. Robin and I have been running with him and taking him for walks.”

  Robin flushed. “He’s such a great dog. You know I can’t have a dog with all the traveling I do. And Geof loves him.”

  “Your dog stole my money clip,” said Geof. “And she cost Ian and me the Murder Most Howl game. She hoarded all the weapons under our bed.”

  Char clutched Ella Mae tighter as if she feared he might take her away. “Well, your dog has . . . a stupid name and a really cute face.” She smiled at her husband.

  Geof high-fived Robin. “Hey, Zelda,” he called. “How does Rooster feel about the name Duke?”

  Zelda raised her chin and rotated her hand underneath it. “He loves it. He says he always suspected he was royalty. Um, and he wants you to know that he’s particularly partial to big crunchy peanut butter cookies and pig’s ears.”

  Duke wagged his tail and licked Geof’s hand. Duke was going to have a ball living with Ella Mae the Klepto Dog.

  Dave emerged from the office. “She’d like a word with Shadow and Holly.”

  Geof asked, “Are we free to go then? You have your killer, right?”

  “Not so fast. It seems there are a few contradictions and unanswered questions. Why don’t you folks have a cup of coffee in the dining area?” He raised his voice. “All of you!”

  Shadow and I ventured into the office.

  Shadow tilted his head like a puppy. “You are Mrs. Porter. Right? Michelle’s mom?”

  Sylvie sat on the sofa, her hair a mess, and her hands on her lap in handcuffs. “Michelle wanted to know how you’re doing, Shadow. She still thinks of you.”

  “I’ll never forget her or Mike. I wish everything had worked out for them. You tell Michelle that I’ll be okay.”

  Sylvie stared down at her hands. “I’m the one who stole the shamrock necklace.” She looked up. “I’m so sorry, Shadow. I knew you would recognize me.”

  Shadow scowled at her. “I don’t understand.”

  “I didn’t want you here. I . . . I was trying to get you fired so I wouldn’t have to dodge you around the inn.”

  “So that’s how the necklace got across town,” I said. “You took the necklace to his house to incriminate him.”

  She nodded. “I didn’t come here to hurt Shadow. It was Norm who had to be killed. Shadow will tell you that. He ruined our lives. If it wasn’t for him, my daughter and her husband would be living the high life in that big mansion with a huge national business. Instead, they’re stuck in a tiny apartment a world away.”

  As she spoke, her sweet dimpled face twisted with rage. “Norm sued The Doggy Bag corporation. They had to close. The publicity about Juliana dying as a result of eating their food sealed that deal. They had taken personal loans to expand the business. My husband and I co-signed some of the loans. The Doggy Bag was going to be a really big thing. But when Juliana died, no one wanted to eat there anymore and the money dried up fast. None of us had the funds to repay all the debts and the massive attorney’s fees.”

  Sylvie covered her face with her hands and sobbed. “My husband and I had to sell our house, and the kids lost Randolph Hall. We all filed for bankruptcy. The stress caused my husband to have a massive heart attack. And the kids couldn’t get jobs. Juliana’s ghost followed them everywhere they went. It was all Norm’s fault. I knew he murdered his beautiful wife. For five years, I have lain in my bed every night and thought about how I could get revenge on him.”

  “But Sylvie,” I protested, “the police didn’t suspect Norm. Shadow was convicted.”

  The dimples had disappeared and Sylvie looked like a despondent old woman. “Don’t you think we talked about that? Don’t you imagine that the kids, my husband, and I examined every little detail inside out and upside down to consider all the possibilities? Shadow, Norm stopped by The Doggy Bag that day to pick up Juliana’s order, didn’t he?”

  Shadow nodded. “Yes, ma’am. But Juliana had already picked it up.”

  “My husband and I think Norm spied the package of laundry detergent on the counter and recognized an opportunity. He probably distracted Shadow, stole some of the laundry packets, and slid them into his pocket. No one would have been the wiser.”

  “But he went to a football game that night,” said Shadow.

  “There wasn’t a thing in the world to prevent him from stopping by his house to poison Juliana’s dinner on the way to the game. He left her there to die. My family lost everything they worked so hard to attain. Everything! All because that jerk Norm got away with murdering his wife and pinning it on Shadow. He didn’t care about them. I figured if he could get away with murder, so could I.”

  “You almost did. But why did you leave him on the bench with the poison bottle? Were you trying to point the finger at someone else?”

  Her eyes grew large. “I didn’t. I don’t know how he got there.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I left him at Randolph Hall and figured his wife would find him dead.”

  Shadow looked at me. “I don’t get it.”

  “I knew he bought the place with the money he got from suing my daughter! I thought he was living there. The idiot never changed the lock to the back door, so I just let myself in. The power was out, which was a stroke of good luck. I waited for him, and when he showed up creeping into the kitchen—” she raised her hands and brought them down “—BAM!”

  “Where did you get the insulin?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “No biggie. It was my husband’s. He’s diabetic and has plenty. It didn’t take long for Norm to succumb. He was so weak. I had expected to have to stab him but he couldn’t stand. I sat him down in a chair and told him what I thought of him. Said I knew he murdered Juliana.”

  I thought Shadow might have stopped breathing. “Did he confess?”

  “Not at first. I wanted him to know why he was dying. He begged me to call for help. I asked him how he thought his lovely Juliana felt all alone and dying. And that was when he broke down and confessed that he was the one who poisoned her. When I thought he was dead, I left.”

  “Then how did he get to the park bench?” asked Shadow.

  “Beats me!”

  Was she lying? Did she think that little detail would somehow save her?

  “What about Myrtle? I thought she was your friend.”

  “That wicked malcontent? Hah. I had to stick to her like glue to be sure she didn’t figure out who killed Norm. And then I realized she stole my phone. She read the e-mail from my daughter just like you did. She had put it all together.”

  “Why did you leave the gun with her?”

  Sylvie cringed. “It’s not as easy as you’d think to kill someone. It was icy and slippery. The gun must have fallen out of my pocket when I hit her. I didn’t realize it until I got back to the inn.”

  Dave appeared in the doorway. “The cruiser is here.” He walked over to Sylvie and helped her stand.

  I expected her to look beaten and tired, but she held her head high and walked through the empty lobby like she was proud of herself. It scared me. The woman looked so sweet with those dimples, but underneath, something wasn’t right in her head.

  Dave returned. “Did she tell you she left Norm at Randolph Hall?”

  “She did. That’s so weird,” I said. “Do you think Blanche and Ian moved him?”

  “That’s my guess.”

  At that exact moment, Shadow opened the door, and Blanche rushed past him into the inn. “Was that Robin in the squad car? She didn’t kill Norm. I won’t let her take the blame.”

  Thirty-eight

  Without looking at me, Dave reached sideways and held his palm toward me as if he didn’t want me to speak.

  “I can’t let Robin go to jail over this.” Blanche smoothed her hair and caught her breath. “I found Norm in the kitchen at Randolph Hall. He was already dead. I thought he came to kill me and ha
d a coronary. Ian had been out walking the dog, and when he came home, bless that sweet man, he thought I murdered Norm. He called Geof and the two of them put Norm on a sled and pulled him to the bench where he was found. Honest. Robin had nothing to do with it.”

  Dave scratched his ear but didn’t say a word.

  “You believe me, don’t you?” Blanche breathed in giant shudders.

  “How did the poison bottle get there?” asked Dave.

  “Geof had it. They hoped it would distract anyone from thinking I murdered Norm. They were just trying to protect me.”

  Dave’s cheek twitched a little. “It’s a felony to move a corpse.”

  Blanche blinked rapidly. “But they didn’t hurt him. They didn’t mean any harm. And Robin had nothing to do with any of it.”

  “We have the murderer in custody. But I’d like to speak with Ian and Geof. Would you mind stepping into the office? I’ll be right with you.”

  Zelda showed Blanche where to go.

  Dave patted Shadow on the back. “I hear Savannah is going to be staying with you.”

  Shadow beamed. “Now we just need to get those loan sharks off her back.”

  “We’ll help you with that. Don’t go doing anything stupid.”

  “Yessir!”

  “I’m going to interview the Tredwells, then I’ll talk with the book club members.”

  “Fine. You know where to find me,” I said.

  Shadow looked at his watch. “Would you mind if I took a little break? I’ll come back and shave down that door that sticks. Assuming I’m still hired.”

  I nodded at him. “You sure are.”

  Ben and Holmes clattered down the stairs. Ben carried his suitcase.

  “Are you taking off?”

  Ben nodded. “The car’s okay. Not as pretty as it used to be but it’s running fine.”

  “He’s giving me a lift to the airport. Mr. Huckle told us about Sylvie. Who’d have thought it? She seemed so sweet.” Holmes reached down for a hug and kissed me on the cheek. “No more getting into trouble.”