It didn’t matter if people could see in the window if there was no inventory there to entice them to come in, and it would prevent any of the weather from coming through and making more of a mess.
“Why don’t I help you with that? Then we can go doublecheck the Humane Society for the dogs.”
I nodded. I didn’t expect us to just walk in and find the dogs, but it would at least be a good distraction. “Okay, that sounds like a plan.” I took a deep breath and tried to pull all my worries back into myself. Something didn’t sit right with me, though. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something about the scene looked off.
I shook it off and followed Trace out the door. We walked around the building and saw no sign of Moses still lurking about, which made me feel better about my encounter with him. Trace unlocked his truck and then opened the passenger door for me.
I climbed into the truck and shut the door. “So you’re hoping that whoever took the dogs just returned them to the pound?”
“Yeah, I’m hoping that word has spread, and they took the dogs to the Humane Society to get us off their tail.” He chuckled at his own pun, but I didn’t even crack a smile. “And if not, then we hope he hasn’t gotten word of us, and we can still find him.”
“Lovely. If he’s fled town, what then?”
He shrugged. “The family is prepared to offer a reward, and we hope that will entice them to bring the dogs back.”
Of course, we had to get a hold of them first. “Okay, hopefully it doesn’t come down to that.”
How did one get a message to a homeless person in the first place?
One trip to the hardware store and a drive later, we found ourselves standing in the Humane Society’s front office waiting for someone to check if the dogs were back there. The employee came back from the area and shook her head. “No, no dogs back there with that description.”
“I’d feel a lot better if I could take a look myself. I have a family who’s going through great lengths to find their animals. It wouldn’t be doing my due diligence if I didn’t look myself.”
The woman let out a huff. “Okay, fine, but know that this is not adoption time. If the dogs are back there, then the owner can come claim them, if not, there are no adoptions right now.”
I wasn’t aware that the office had specific adoption times, but I wasn’t going to argue if it got us a look at the dogs.
We walked through the swinging door to the back where we could hear the dogs barking. Dogs upon dogs lined the walls in their kennels. Some yapping, some barking, and some were very disinterested in us walking through the halls.
None of them looked like the dogs we were searching for. I felt defeated, but Trace didn’t seem to be bothered. He really was just covering his bases. It made me wonder if he had something up his sleeves.
He thanked the attendant and left his card. We went back to the truck, and I looked at him. “Another dead end.”
“No, not really. You see, the dogs weren’t there, so there’s still a chance that whoever took them still has them and is taking care of them. That being said, let’s go back to the floral shop. I have an idea.” He started the truck, but we both paused as we saw Moses walk into the Humane Society. He didn’t have any dogs with him, but we both still just watched.
Ten minutes he was in there, and he walked out, looking almost as defeated as we did. Interesting.
Trace waited until Moses disappeared down the road and then motioned to the building. “Let’s go see what he wanted.”
I climbed back out of the truck and then went back into the building. The woman looked at us. “What now?”
“The man who came in to speak to you, his name is Moses. He’s involved with the case we’re on. What did he want?”
“I know exactly who he is. Moses has been coming in for the last two months looking for his German Shepherd named Cairo. Cairo was taken from the camp that Moses lives in, and he just wants his dog back.” The lady sighed. “Cairo is his own companion.”
Interesting.
“He said he sleeps in a truck near a shopping center.”
“He does now, because he doesn’t have Cairo to help keep watch, and he managed to secure a truck. He’s working on moving out of the homeless position, but you know, it ain’t easy.”
I’m sure it wasn’t. I wasn’t sure what else to ask, but Trace seemed to be thinking.
“Does Moses have any friends that disappeared the same time as the dog?”
“He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.” She shrugged.
Trace nodded, and I was following what he was thinking. Maybe it was the same person that took Nana and Patches.
Trace walked out again, and I followed him. “We’re not getting anywhere on this. Isn’t there some sort of magic where you can pull the dogs out of a hat or something to bring them home?”
I snorted. “We all know what happens when I try to pull stuff out of a hat. We get color-changing animals and apparently cake.”
“Seriously, any magic at all?”
I shook my head. “Not that I can perform. Maybe if we found someone more practiced than me. I can look through my contacts.”
“Okay, let’s do that.”
My phone rang, and I pulled it out of my pocket as I climbed into the truck. “Hello?”
“Lacey,” my mother’s voice came across the receiver, and I sighed.
“Hey, mom.”
“Dad said you’re having a really rough time. Why don’t you come over for lunch and relax a little bit.” I looked at Trace, and he nodded. “Okay, I’ll be there soon. I want to drop the board off at the store first.”
“Okay, I’ll see you soon. Trace is welcome if he wants some lunch too.”
I chuckled as Trace seemed to think about it. “I’ll let him know.” I hung the phone up. “Up for lunch at my parents’?”
“Is there more cake involved? Because I don’t think I can take it.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but hopefully not, because I’m not sure if this is a peace offering or a trap.”
“I’ll go with you in case it’s a trap and you need a wittiness.”
I was going to argue, but seeing as the kind of day I had already had, I wasn’t going to test fate. “I like that plan.”
We got to the shop, and Trace helped me unload the plywood into his office so we could put it up when the officers were done with the shop.
I walked over to see Officer Brigs still standing in front of the shop, but now someone was putting crime scene tape over the window and my door.
“This looks like I’m not going to be able to go back in for a while.”
“We have a few more things we want to look into. We’ll leave an officer stationed here while we do some more investigating, and then you should have your shop back.”
I gave my shop one last look. “Okay, thank you. I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow.”
Trace stood in front of the shop, looking at it. I couldn’t read what was on his face, but I wondered if he’d pick up on something.
Of course, he had told me to leave it to the cops since it was a murder. He came away, shaking his head and saying nothing as he walked with me to the parking lot.
“I’ll meet you at my parents. I’m not coming back to the office tonight. I’m going to go home and start trying to hunt down some contacts with you. Maybe call Jenny and have her come over for the night. Just to make me feel better.”
He smiled. “No summoning wine?”
“I think I need more chocolate than wine, but I fear that would go very, very wrong.”
“You could accidentally summon your mom’s cake.”
We both laughed at that and then climbed into our vehicles.
CHAPTER FIVE
When I walked into the house, I knew it was no trick. I could smell my favorite pasta dish from the doorway. The smell of Italian sausage and alfredo sauce wafted through the air, and I took a deep breath.
Mom only made this dish when she k
new I was upset. It was welcoming and soothing to the soul. It almost made up for the crap day I had. Almost.
I walked in to see Mom standing by the table, placing a bowl of cut-up sausage on the table. “Oh good, you made it just in time. I was worried you weren’t going to come.”
“Look, about that conversation earlier…” I ran a hand through my hair.
Mom shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. You’re under stress, I’m under stress. Let’s just eat and have a good lunch.”
We sat down and started fixing our plates. “Where’s dad?”
“He went out to do some Christmas shopping. He said that he’d be back in a couple hours and not to look at the bank statement.”
That meant that he was probably buying something big. But dad wasn’t typically the one to go overboard for Christmas. “Hopefully he has fun.”
“How’s the shop?” She twirled some pasta on her fork.
Trace tensed next to me.
“Destroyed. It’ll take me a while to get everything back in stock and the store cleaned up.” I focused on my food. “It’ll keep me busy.”
She hesitated slightly. “Is there something I can do to help?”
“That’s sweet, but no. You focus on your cake bake-off. As soon as I can, I’ll start cleaning the store up and then see what needs to be reordered.” I wasn’t sure if I could handle my mom in the shop. “Thank you, though.”
She paused for a moment after she took a bite. When she was done chewing, she sighed. “I’m trying to find a way to support you in all this.”
“Honestly, this,” I motioned to the meal, “helps a lot.”
She smiled. “Okay, good. There’s dessert too.”
Trace cut me a glare, and I knew he had the same thought I did. Cake. She was going to have us try another cake.
“Oh?” I asked, trying to keep the hesitation out of my voice.
“Store-bought cupcakes.” She smiled. “I’m sure it’s better than the cake that’s in the oven now.”
Trace visibly relaxed, and I tried not to laugh. “That sounds wonderful.”
We finished eating, and mom brought out the cupcakes on a plate for us. We chatted idly about the weather and the crazy Christmas shoppers. It had to be the most normal conversation I’d ever had with my mother.
I licked the frosting off my fingers. “Thank you, this was much needed.”
“Good, I’m glad I could help out somehow. Now I have to get back to baking and trying out some recipes.” She stood and cleared the plate. “Would you like to stay and help?”
I cringed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, last time I touched one of you cakes a deck of cards came out of it.”
“That is true. Who knows what would come out this time?”
Trace stood. “Thank you for lunch, I need to get back to the office.”
“I should get home as well and start calling the insurance company to see what would be covered.” I grabbed my jacket and gave my mom a hug. “Thank you. This really meant a lot to me and helped my day.”
She squeezed me. “I know we don’t always understand each other, but I’m still your mama.” She gave me a big kiss on the cheek. “I still know how to make my baby smile.”
I snorted. “Love you, mom. I’ll check in later.”
Trace was chuckling as we walked out of the house. “Your mom had me scared there. I thought maybe she had moved on to cupcakes.”
“Luckily, we both survived.” I pulled my jacket around me. “Feels like it’s going to snow. I hope I can put my board in my window before that happens.”
“I’ll see if the officers will let me put it in tonight.”
I doubt they would since it seemed like the body probably went through the glass, but I didn’t say anything. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll see who I have for contacts that might be able to track the pooches.”
“Okay, be safe.” He gave me a wave as he got in his truck. I climbed into the car and called Jenny.
“Girl, you owe me a massive explanation. Your shop is all over the news, and you’re just now calling me?”
I let out a dramatic sigh. “I know. It’s been busy. Want to come over tonight? I could use some company, and I’ll fill you in on what happened at the shop.”
“All the details?”
“Yes, all the details.”
“I’ll bring the wine.” She disconnected the call.
She’d bring the wine.
This could be a very interesting night.
When I pulled up to the house, Jenny was already standing outside the door, holding a bottle of wine. I parked the car and walked through the snowflakes that were starting to fall. She smiled at me. “Come on, let’s relax a little bit.”
I unlocked the door. “You have a key.”
“I know, I just wanted to enjoy the quiet of the snow for a little bit.” She stood and dusted off her pants with one hand. “Besides, from the sound of your day, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to surprise you in the house.”
She was probably right. I wasn’t sure how I would react. “Okay, thanks for bringing the wine.”
“Wine is much needed in this situation.” She went straight for the kitchen to get the wine glasses. “And I didn’t think you were in much of a mood to conjure wine from a hat.” She glanced at the purple curtains that had been dyed from the last time I had attempted to summon wine.
“Nope, with my luck, we’d get cards or cake.”
She stroked her chin. “I could use some cake.”
“Not this cake. I’ve been trying my mother’s cakes, and no one wants that.”
Jenny faked a look of horror. “Your mother is trying to bake?”
“Yep, cakes for a charity thing. I’m not entirely sure why she decided to take this on, but really, she shouldn’t be allowed to bake.” I chuckled and watched Jenny pour the wine.
She handed me my glass, and we went to sit on the couch. “So, what happened at the shop?”
“Someone was murdered.”
“In the shop?” Her voice raised a little bit. “That results in haunted shops.”
I glared at her. “My shop is not going to be haunted. I don’t know if she was murdered there. I just know that’s where she ended up. I’m assuming she wasn’t murdered there since I’m ninety percent sure her body went through my window.”
“Through it?” She cringed. “What a thing to happen during the holidays. Do you know the victim?”
I shook my head. “Not personally. She might have visited the shop.” If the other PI was to be believed. I shook my head. “Something about the scene seemed off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’m not allowed back there until they clear the scene.”
“Do we know when that would be?”
“Hoping tomorrow.” I took a sip of wine. “And Trace and I are trying to find these two dogs that we think a homeless person took. But no one is really sure who the guy is. None of the homeless we’ve talked to will give us much information.” I thought back to Moses, maybe I could buy him a good meal and sit and talk with him. I didn’t really have enough questions to ask him right now, though. All we had was a shopping cart with a bag of dog food and the flower shop lady.
“Aww, poor puppies! Maybe the person who took them is lonely.”
“Yeah, well, the family the dogs belong to are missing the pups. Know anything about the homeless population?”
She shook her head. “Can’t say that I do. I know they are a mixed bag of people, veterans down on their luck, people on the run from the police, people who choose to be vagabonds for their own reasonings, who knows.”
That wasn’t a very helpful answer, but I guess there was no cookie-cutter answer. “Thanks.” I took another sip of wine before getting up and grabbing an old-fashioned address book.
“What are you doing?” Jenny raised a brow. “Calling in back up?”
“Something like that. I dated a guy a few years ago who was good at using his magic to track things.” Of course, i
t got awkward when he was using it to track me, but hey, he was good at it. “I’m wondering if I could ask him to track the dogs. Or if Trace can.”
Jenny nearly spit her wine out. “You mean Jackson? Oh no, no, you cannot invite that man back into your life.”
“That’s why I’m going to have Trace call him. Not me.”
“That is a bad idea.”
“Yeah, well, my magic sucks,” I muttered and flipped through the pages. I pulled out my phone and texted Trace Jackson’s number.
Jenny grabbed the phone and the book from my hand. “Sit down, drink your wine.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Okay fine. But tomorrow, I get back to work. We find the dogs, I clean the shop up, and maybe get back open in time for people to spend all their Christmas money.”
“That’s a good hope.” She sat back down with me. “Have you checked social media at all?”
“For the dogs? Yeah, the owners have stuff up all over it.”
“I meant for the homeless guy. Some of them still have access to social media.”
“I don’t have a name or even a face to go with it.” I shook my head. “Once I get those, I can try.” I sipped my wine and then leaned my head back against the couch.
She nodded. “The internet is an amazing place.”
“Yes, yes, I know.” I sat my glass down and reached for the remote. “We need some mindless television.”
“And some pizza. I’m ordering some now.”
“I just had lunch.”
“Trust me, we’ll want pizza later.” She pulled out her phone and called the pizza place.
I flipped through the channels on the television. There wasn’t a whole lot on with it being mid-afternoon, but the news did catch my eye. A woman standing on the corner of my shopping center was talking to the camera. What she was saying didn’t matter, because right behind her was the guy who had walked into my shop for a hat, and he had the dogs.
Walking Through Walls Page 5