“Look at this email.� Olivia pointed to the subject line. Monthly checkup. “Monthly checkups seem really excessive. Was Hattie sick?� She opened the email, but it only added to the confusion. The email simply said All Good. It was signed with an X.
Pulling out her phone, she called Andrew. “Hey, darling, we’re going through the emails now. Can you check something? Did she receive prior emails from [email protected]? What a strange email account.�
There was some clicking on the other side. “There’s only one email from that account. Give me a second. Who’s we?�
“Huh?�
“You said that we’re going through the emails now.�
“Oh, Jackie and Janelle are with me. We’re making a girls’ night out of it.� She winked at the other two. “I’m wearing that red negligee.�
The typing stopped immediately. “I was just about to ask for details, but I’m guessing that you’re wearing your hotdog robe.�
Olivia laughed. “Close. Paw prints.�
“Sexy. Okay, so there was only one email from that particular account, but every month, like clockwork, she gets a similar email. I think they’re designed to look like junk mail, but they’re all signed by X, but they’re all from different accounts. Hang on, I’ll send them to you.�
Within minutes, over fifty emails were sent her way. Olivia inhaled sharply. “Wow, these emails go back almost five years.�
“She responds every time,� Andrew pointed out. “All good. Y. Why would she sign emails as Y?�
“Can you trace any of those email accounts?�
“It’ll take me some time, but I have a feeling that the accounts are all deleted. It looks like Hattie made a mistake a few months ago and tried to respond to an old email account. It came back to her saying that the email no longer existed.�
Curiouser and curiouser. “Okay, thanks, Andrew. I appreciate your help.�
“I’ll keep digging. Tell the girls that I say hi!�
Olivia hung up and stared at the email. “So this was sent yesterday, and it wasn’t answered. What do you think is going to happen?�
“I’d say that X might get a little concerned,� Janelle said slowly.
“Exactly. Like someone who wants to cover their tracks but still make sure that Hattie is okay. But this can’t have had anything to do with MegaStore. These emails go back years.�
“The mystery deepens.� Jackie leaned over and grabbed her glass of wine. “I never knew that Hattie lived such an exciting life. Monthly checkup. Corporate espionage. Online romances. Suddenly, my life seems very boring.�
Olivia looked over and grinned at her friend. “You’ve had someone trying to vandalize you. That’s not boring.�
“True, but that just means that teenagers see me as this old person who’s an easy target. Not very exciting. Oh, click on that email! Click on that email!�
Jackie almost spilled at her wine as she bounced on the seat cushion. Olivia peered at the message that her friend was talking about. It was between Andrew and Hattie, but the subject line wasn’t all that professional. Are you still up?
Olivia stared at it uneasily. “Maybe I shouldn’t. It’s probably something personal.�
“Yes, involving Andrew.� Janelle leaned over and tapped her nail on the screen. “Do it. Open it!�
“No.� Olivia reached up and snapped the laptop shut. “My boyfriend put a lot of faith in me by sending me these. I have no reason to suspect Andrew in Hattie’s disappearance, so I don’t need to look at it. Andrew obviously needed someone to talk to late in the evening. I don’t need to invade his privacy.�
Jackie scowled. “New You is kind of boring.�
“Haha. All right, I’ve got to go to bed soon. I have a meeting early in the morning, and I don’t want to be hungover. Does the popcorn accompany a movie, or are we really just eating this for dinner?�
“No, we’re just eating this for dinner, but I can add a movie if you want. Zombie Spiders?�
Janelle groaned, but Olivia nodded her head. “Sounds perfect.�
14
Caroline Myers looked familiar. Olivia waited quietly outside the prosecutor’s office, but she could see the woman through the window. It wasn’t just her looks, although there was something about the cut of her jaw and the slope of her nose. It was more how she carried herself. She had that small-town look, but she kept her head held high as though she was important.
Based on the case that she was prosecuting, she probably was important.
It wasn’t until Henderson leaned across the table that Olivia saw the resemblance. Maybe Caroline wasn’t all that important after all. Maybe she was just using her family member to get her hands on a big case.
That had the potential to be bad. What if Caroline was a bad lawyer? She’d never stand a chance against someone like Matthias.
Finally, Caroline opened the door and waved Olivia in. “Ms. Rickard. I’m Caroline Meyers. Mayor Henderson has wonderful things to say about you. I hear that you’re looking into the disappearance of Hattie Dominick?�
“Unofficially, but Sheriff Limperos is looking into it, as well.�
Henderson waved his hands impatiently. “Nick is a good man, but you were the one who solved the last few mysteries in this town. I need sharp eyes on this.�
Olivia arched an eyebrow. “Mayor Henderson, correct me if I’m wrong, but you gave the MegaStore the green light. You wanted them in, so why the sudden urge to block their construction? You’ve been working on this project for almost a year!�
“I made a mistake. I wanted to bring big businesses to Lexingburg and turn it into something real, but recent friendships have shown me the value of a small town. We’re fortunate that Hattie came to us with the information needed to stop those soul suckers.�
Friendships? Was he talking about Lady Celeste? “I understand making mistakes,� Olivia acknowledged softly. “But I’m not sure that I can be much help. I can’t even prove that Hattie disappeared under duress, much less figure out where she is.� She focused her gaze on Caroline. “I do know that you’re going to have to turn over whatever documents Hattie gave you to Matthias. He subpoenaed Hattie for them, but since she’s gone, she can’t turn them in. He’s threatening to arrest or fine her.�
Caroline exchanged an uneasy look with Henderson. “We’re aware of the situation, and we’re working on it.�
“Working on it?� Olivia narrowed her eyes. “Please tell me that doesn’t include withholding those documents on purpose. I know that if you win this case, it’ll be big for you, but the win is not worth the price of a woman’s freedom. I don’t want to find Hattie, only to have to tell her that there’s a warrant out for her arrest.�
“Olivia,� Henderson hissed. “Watch your tone!�
“It’s all right,� Caroline said soothingly. “Ms. Rickard, I promise that we’re not trying to put Hattie in danger. We’ve filed paperwork with the courts to explain the situation. We can give Matthias copies of our documents, but he wants a look at the originals, and we’re not ready to produce those just yet. I promise that we’re looking out for Hattie’s interest.�
“Really?� Olivia sat back and shook her head. “Because I started looking into this days ago because my boyfriend was concerned, but it looks like Hattie’s been gone for al
most a week. How could you not notice that your star witness had disappeared? How come you didn’t offer her protection when you saw who was defending MegaStore?�
“Olivia!�
“No, Mayor Henderson.� Olivia shook her head and stood. “I won’t apologize. It’s obvious that Caroline is a relative of yours, and she’s way out of her element. Hattie’s safety was in her hands, and she screwed up!�
The mayor turned almost purple with rage, but Caroline reached over and squeezed his hand. “It’s okay, Uncle. She’s not wrong. I know you have every faith in me, but I should have pushed harder.�
Olivia saw the regret in Caroline’s eyes. “You think something happened to her, don’t you?�
Caroline jutted out her chin as she met Olivia’s gaze. A strand of hair fell over her eyes, and she nervously tucked it behind her ear. “I did offer Hattie some protection. I even went so far as ask Lowell City to let us borrow a few of their officers since Lexingburg is spread so thin. She dismissed my fears and said that she would be fine. She rarely left her house, anyway. I knew how she was in public, and I believed her. However, that apparently didn’t stop someone from entering her house and snagging her. Do you have any leads? I’m happy to have my office help in any way that you need.�
Olivia didn’t feel comfortable telling Caroline that Andrew had hacked into Hattie’s personal files. If Andrew didn’t come up with anything, then she’d ask Caroline for help. “I’m following a couple of leads. I’ll let you know if I find anything.� She paused. “I’m sorry about my accusations. I shouldn’t have insinuated that you cared more about your career than a woman’s life.�
Caroline smiled sadly. “Lawyers don’t have a great reputation, and people like Matthias make my life all that much harder. But as long as Hattie shows up, this is a slam-dunk case. The documents alone might be enough, but I need Hattie to verify under oath the details of her discovering the documents.�
“Sometimes I’m happy that I just have to work with dogs.� Olivia glanced at the clock. “Speaking of which, I need to get back to work. Let me know if you discover anything, and I’ll do the same.�
“Sure thing.� Caroline stood and shook Olivia’s hand. “Be honest. Do you think that Matthias had anything to do with this?�
“I have a couple of suspects. Matthias obviously has the strongest motive, but he was at Hattie’s house after she disappeared. He could have been doing that to throw suspicion off of himself or verify that Hattie was gone, but he also may not have been involved. Her neighbor, Bethany, has a motive, too, and there are other players that I’m looking into. Nothing really concrete yet.�
“Right. Here’s my business card. Call me anytime, day or night, if you have any questions or need anything. I care about this town, Olivia. I hope you know that.�
Olivia accepted the card and nodded her head. She felt bad for making negative assumptions about Caroline, but she still couldn’t forgive the mayor. His need to turn Lexingburg into a big city was now getting people into trouble. Without bothering to acknowledge him, she stormed out of the office.
Natalie was working for Lady Celeste today, so Olivia was on her own. She had doggy daycare all day and three different scheduled walks, so her day was hectic. Lily managed to grab hold of the tutu that Snowball sported, ripping it free. Clyde and Fender broke into the food closet and tore open a brand-new bag of food. Goodwin took an extreme liking to Duchess and followed the poodle around all day like a lovesick puppy.
By the time she made it back up to her apartment, Olivia was exhausted. Torn between needing a shower and desperately wanting to eat, she contemplated eating a cold, leftover slice of pizza while in the shower.
Nick and Derek had painted over the scribbled graffiti. The wall looked as good as new although there was a still a lingering paint odor. It would probably give her a headache soon, but she was too tired to care. She couldn’t spend another night with Jackie. Fender had spent all night obsessed with the cat, and all of them—dogs, cat, and humans—barely got any sleep at all. It had been exhausting.
Throwing the leftover pizza slices in the microwave, she had started to undress when Goodwin raced to the door and barked sharply.
Olivia’s heart caught in her throat. Someone was breaking in again!
Racing to her bag, she pulled out the Taser and pepper spray that Janelle had given her. “Who is it, Goodwin?� she whispered as she crept to the door. “Are you ready to attack?�
He barked again in high-pitched excitement, and Olivia took a deep breath. Wrenching open the door, she let out a loud shriek and sprayed the pepper spray in the air.
There was a string of horrible expletives, followed by a low moan of pain as the man who had been standing before the door covered his eyes and crumpled on the floor.
Getting a good look at him, horror washed over her. “Andrew! Oh my gosh, are you okay? I’m so sorry! Let me call 911. We’ll get an ambulance to take you to the hospital. I thought you were the vandal. You’re not due back for two more days! Oh, baby!�
“Shower,� Andrew moaned. “No ambulance. Shower. Can’t see.�
“I’ve got you.� Reaching down, she helped pull her boyfriend up and guided him into the living room. Guilt settled deep in her chest. If she had told Andrew that someone had broken into her apartment, he wouldn’t have snuck up on her, and she wouldn’t have sprayed him.
Thank goodness, she hadn’t gone with the Taser.
She continued to babble apologies as she got him into the shower. At first, the water was freezing cold, and Andrew, still fully clothed, shouted and jumped back.
“Sorry. Here, let me warm it up. Why don’t you sit under the water so you don’t hurt yourself? Okay, just try to wash it out, and let me look up some tips. Don’t move, okay?�
“Sure,� he rasped. “Take your time.�
Panicked, she did a quick search on her phone for help with pepper spray. Grabbing a gallon of milk from the fridge, she ran back to the shower and poured some on his eyes.
He shouted and jerked away. “Olivia, what is that?�
“Milk. It’s supposed to take away the pain. Oh, sorry. Small amounts are probably helpful. Let me try again.�
She slowly poured the milk onto his closed eyes while she searched for something else that she could do. “It looks like laundry detergent might help take the pepper spray off your skin. Give me just a second.�
“Please tell me that you’re not going to pour that into my eyes, too,� Andrew moaned.
“Of course not!� Exchanging the milk for the detergent, she poured some on a wash cloth and started wiping it on the skin around his eyes.
He leaned against her and sighed a little.
“How is that? Better?� she whispered.
“Yeah. Let’s rinse it off, and I’ll see if I can see.�
Rinsing the soap off the cloth, she gently wiped his eyes clean and rinsed them thoroughly under the water.
Finally, he slowly opened bloodshot eyes and focused on her. “Nice to see you,� he joked weakly.
“I am so sorry. Janelle gave me some weapons after someone broke into the apartment. You’re lucky that I used the pepper spray instead of the Taser. She was even talking about getting me a gun!�
A dark expression infused Andrew’s face, and Olivia bit her lower lip. “I promise that I was going to tell you, but I didn’t want to ruin your conference.�
“Oh, baby. Open conversation means talking about the bad stuff, too.
I would have come home early, and it would have been fine. That’s what boyfriends do. We come home when our girlfriends are in danger. Come here.� He pulled her under the shower and hugged her.
“I’m sorry. I guess I still have a ways to go.�
“It’s okay. Now we have two choices. We can either get out of the shower, and you can tell me what happened. Or we can get out of these wet clothes, finish our shower, and then talk about it later.�
Olivia wound her arms around Andrew’s neck. “I am all for door number two, but your eyes are really red and puffy. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the doctor?�
“When I have you to play nurse? Why would I want that?� As he pulled her all the way into the shower, she shrieked in delight.
It was so nice to have him in her arms again.
15
After Andrew had settled down from the pepper spray fiasco, Olivia opened a bottle of wine, and they curled up on the couch together.
“So your mystery woman used the name Jane Brown to open her email.�
Olivia frowned. “Is that her real name?�
“No. Everything about the account is fake, but she did link her real account to the email, and I was able to dig into that information. Her name is Amanda Finkle, and I have her address. She lives in Buffalo, but I also have her phone number.� Leaning over, he rifled through his briefcase and pulled out a piece of paper.
“You are amazing!� She gave him a peck on the cheek before taking the number. Fingering the paper nervously, she sighed. “This woman changed her email every few weeks just to get in touch with Hattie. How do we know that she’ll talk to me on the phone?�
Andrew sipped at his wine and regarded her closely. “You’re forgetting that she had a strong motive to stay connected with Hattie even though she made an effort to hide her identity. She probably cares about Hattie very much. She’d want to know if Hattie was in trouble.�
Kept in the Bark (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 5) Page 13