Did she know something about Oma’s health? “How is Oma?”
“She’s been such a dear friend. I was concerned about going into business together to buy and show Dolce.” At the sound of his name, the tall dog came over to us and reached his head out to me to stroke. “But it has worked out just fine. Liesel wasn’t upset with me about the gate, only Jerry.” Her mouth twitched into a scowl.
“Is this the gate in question?” I asked.
“Yes.” She demonstrated the latch as she spoke.
I peered at it. “There’s a hole for a padlock.”
“I’ve never used a padlock. Never had to. You have to pull up this part and scoot it back to release the gate. I chose this lock because it’s simple but unlikely to be opened by dog paws.” She scratched the back of her left hand. “In thirty years of living in this house, no dog has ever opened it. It’s not impossible, I guess, but it seems unlikely. Even if a dog pawed at it, that locking mechanism would move downward, latching it closed.”
I chose my words carefully so I wouldn’t put ideas in her head. “What do you think happened?”
“Oh, I can tell you what happened!” she said angrily. “Someone opened the gate!”
Twenty-two
It was anger that put color back into Ellie’s cheeks but I was glad to see she still had spunk. “Did someone visit you that night?”
“It should all be so clear to me, shouldn’t it? I haven’t gone daft yet, no matter what my darling son said, but part of me died with him. If it weren’t for the dogs forcing me to get up and out, I’d be hiding in my bed. Let’s see . . .” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “It was rainy and foggy that night. Jerry was supposed to come for dinner but an emergency arose. Such is the life of the mayor. I had made chicken and dumplings because it was such a rotten, cold day and,” she smiled wryly, “I was worried about how to keep it warm for him. Funny the things that were so important to me only a day or two ago. Shelley stopped by on her way home from the inn. Liesel likes to send leftover dog food, which is such a help with dogs this size. Shelley knows better than to leave the gate ajar. Other than that, I don’t remember anyone coming by. Actually, Dolce wouldn’t have been outside in the rain, but he got the zoomies after Shelley visited.”
“The zoomies?”
“He runs around like a crazed animal. Our trainer told us to always make him go outside when he gets the zoomies because—” she gestured toward him “—you can imagine the chaos and broken furniture if a big dog like this runs wild in the house. I shooed him outside so he could work off that energy. A little while later, I heard a scream, and when I ran outside, Sven and Liesel were laying in the road.”
It all sounded very plausible to me, except for one thing that set me on edge by its glaring omission. I pussyfooted around it. “Was the gate open when you ran outside?”
“Now let me think on that a minute.” She pulled off her garden gloves. “It was so misty but I could hear Liesel calling for help. There’s no mistaking that accent . . .” She concentrated. “Yes, of course the gate was open. At the time I was so focused on Liesel that I didn’t give it much thought.”
I held onto the picket fence to steady myself. The situation grew worse by the moment. “When did you realize that Dolce was missing?” The words escaped my mouth as a whisper.
Ellie Pierce’s eyes met mine. “Not until the ambulance left with Sven in it, and Liesel asked about him.”
I tried to rationalize. Maybe someone had seen Dolce running loose and had called the inn. It didn’t mean someone had tried to lure Oma down here. Only I wasn’t able to convince myself of that. “Who found Dolce?”
“He showed up at Hair of the Dog. Brewster walked him home.”
He probably had an alibi for the time of the accident. If he was working at his bar, dozens of people would have seen him. “Thank you, Mrs. Pierce. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“Not unless you find the heathen who took my Jerry’s life.”
“I’m sure Dave is working on that.”
“Dave.” She spoke his name like an exasperated schoolteacher. “He’s a very nice boy. Always was. He’s a big help when someone is hurt on a trail or loses a purse. But he doesn’t know anything about murder. Right now, as we speak, Jerry’s killer lurks somewhere among us, probably enjoying a hearty lunch and laughing to himself about Dave’s inexperience.”
I should have felt for Ellie, for her loss. But at that very moment, I sympathized with Dave. He was a nice guy. That didn’t mean he was incompetent.
“Maybe Wagtail is lucky to have him. I can’t imagine anyone who would try harder to find Jerry’s killer.”
A familiar voice accosted us. “As I live and breathe, Holly Miller! My second-closest living blood relative arrives in town, and I have to find out about it from strangers.”
That voice grated on my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard. I shivered. There was no point in defending myself. Aunt Birdie would only twist whatever I said. My mother’s older half sister never let me forget that I had brought great shame upon the family name by having the nerve to be conceived while my parents were still in their senior year of high school, thus necessitating their hasty marriage.
I pasted on a big smile and held my arms out for a hug.
High cheekbones jutted out of her bony face. The streak of silver in the part of her mahogany hair was new to me. Did she not realize that it was frighteningly reminiscent of Cruella De Vil?
She bent to embrace me. “Still short like your father’s side of the family, I see.”
Really? Did she really expect me to keep growing taller in my thirties? “It’s good to see you.”
“Obviously not good enough,” she said crisply, “or you would have had the decency to call on me.”
I faked distress. “You know I would have dropped by but these murders have just thrown everyone for a loop.”
“They don’t concern you.” She directed her attention to Ellie. “I’m very sorry for your loss.” She didn’t sound sorry. If her words had been any icier, they would have frozen in midair as they left her mouth.
“Thank you, Birdie.”
Birdie’s hawk-like gaze drifted down to Trixie, who backed away from her as far as her leash could go. “I certainly hope that’s one of Liesel’s beasts. She’s made quite a pigsty of this town with that ridiculous pet friendly business. I’ve a mind to move.”
Wagtail residents would probably take up a hefty collection to assist with moving expenses if she were serious. “This is my dog, Trixie.”
“Does your mother know about this? I swear Liesel is a bad influence on you. I’ve always thought so. I told your mother that no good would come of shipping you out here to Liesel every summer. You should have stayed with me, where you would have learned proper manners and decorum.”
Ellie made a production of looking at her watch. “My goodness, Holly! Didn’t you say that you promised Liesel you would be back at the inn by one? You’d better get going, honey.”
I fell in step with her game, flashing her a grateful smile. I owed her a big favor for this. “Oh dear! Must go. I’ll see you both later.” I turned quickly and hustled away before Aunt Birdie could demand I stay.
“Your mother is going to hear about this, young lady!” Birdie shouted.
The woman could not give up. I had never heard her utter a kind word. Everything that came out of her mouth dripped with dissatisfaction. Truth be told, she was an attractive woman. But bitterness pinched her face, and that wicked tongue of hers lashed out constantly. My mom insisted that Birdie hadn’t always been so caustic. Their parents had moved to California around the time my parents divorced. My mom packed us up and moved to be near them, but Birdie staunchly remained in Wagtail. Behind her back, my dad called her the wicked witch of Wagtail.
I should have called her yesterday, but with everything that had happened, I’d honestly forgotten all about her. Once I had everything with Oma straightened out, I’
d go by with a basket of muffins or a box of chocolates.
Oma’s situation weighed heavily on me. My instinct to sleep on her sofa the night I arrived had been on the mark, only for a different reason. My worst suspicions had been confirmed. If Ellie hadn’t realized that Dolce was running loose, then the person who called the inn to say she needed help had very likely done so to lure Oma to Ellie’s house. Otherwise, wouldn’t he or she have called Ellie? That person must have waited in the cover of darkness and the heavy fog and then unwittingly killed Sven.
We picked up speed and dodged visitors as we returned to the inn. Ben spotted me in the foyer and called out my name.
Rather rudely, I shouted, “Later!” and whipped along the corridor and down to the reception area. The door to Oma’s office was closed.
Zelda looked up at me. “Sorry, you can’t go in right now. She’s with Mr. Luciano.”
Twenty-three
I drifted over to the loveseat to wait. Was there a romance between Oma and Mr. Luciano? He was far too young for her! Why was she having so many meetings with him?
Trixie whined at me.
“I’ll take off the leash inside the inn, but you have to promise you won’t run away again.” I unlatched it, secure in the knowledge that she wore the inn collar with GPS. Trixie jumped up beside me and wedged her nose under my elbow so that my arm hugged her.
“That’s very cute. You’re a sweet girl.”
Ben barreled down the steps. “Holly! Where have you been? You keep running away from me.”
I motioned him over. “I have a problem.” I glanced up at Oma’s office door. I needed to speak to her about what was going on. But it might not hurt to hash it out with someone I could trust, like Ben.
“Take a little walk with me.” I debated whether to hook Trixie up to her leash. She probably needed some exercise. “Can I trust you?” I asked.
She wagged her tail, her ears perked, and her eyes looked hopeful.
We headed for the lake, Ben taking my hand as we walked down broad stone steps lined with giant pots of orange and gold chrysanthemums. I immediately second-guessed myself about removing Trixie’s leash. She ran just like the man in the woods had described—without her feet touching the ground. She zigged, she zagged, she flew across the lawn, chased a squirrel up a tree, and finally slowed to circle around the base of the tree with her nose to the ground.
We strolled down to the lake in silence. Sunlight caught the water in tiny stars, and a glimmer of orange kissed the sugar maples around the inn. A couple of fishing boats bobbed gently on the water, but we had the dock to ourselves. Lanterns with pine trees etched into the panels decorated posts around the dock. I rolled up my pant legs, took off my shoes, and sat down, dangling my feet in the cold water.
I patted the dock next to me, meaning that Ben should join me, but it was Trixie who arrived at my side and sniffed the water.
Ill at ease, Ben fetched a chair from the lawn. He sat down and crossed his legs. “Sorry that Casey wouldn’t put me through to you last night. I tried calling you, but my phone wouldn’t work.”
“Something about the mountains. Apparently there are a lot of dead spots and only one carrier.”
“Casey was amusing. I wanted to go up to your room, but he said, ‘You’re not planning to sleep with her in front of her grandmother, are you?’ He’s a funny guy.”
Ben uncrossed his legs, rubbed his hands together, and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Look, I know you’re worried about your job. I realize that I upset you when I said you wouldn’t find work in your field. Everyone wants players, you know? Nobody wants to hire a troublemaker.”
“But I’m right!”
“You’re so stubborn. But that’s not the point.” He studied his hands. “You could move in with me. We’ll sell your house, and your car, too, since I’m on the metro line. That way you won’t have a mortgage or car payments, and you won’t have to worry about finding a job. If things go like I hope they will, I’ll be moving up at the law firm, and we won’t need a second income.”
I splashed my hands in the water and rubbed my burning forehead. In a way, it was a generous gesture. But the thought of giving up everything that was me and becoming an appendage to Ben was too depressing to contemplate. Not to mention that there wasn’t enough room at his place for my shoes, let alone anything else.
Trixie lay down beside me and rested her head on my thigh.
Besides, I was pretty sure that dogs were not permitted in his building. I fought overwhelming sadness. Normally, I considered myself a fairly reasonable person with both feet planted firmly on the ground, not prone to flights of imagination or nonsense. I’d blown off Rose’s questions about Ben as silly. Yet here I was, totally crushed by Ben’s offer. I wasn’t even sure if it was meant to be a proposal of marriage. No declaration of love, undying or otherwise. No passionate kiss, no rose, no ring. I’d been through business deals that involved more romance. He didn’t need to get down on his knee or make a big production out of it, but he left me wondering if marriage to him would be . . . empty. Could Rose have been right? Or was I just being silly?
Maybe I wasn’t seeing things clearly because of the chaos with Oma. I’d give Ben and our relationship more thought when I went home and my life resembled normalcy.
I tried to make light of it. “Where would my shoes live?”
“We’ll rig up a pulley system for boxes on the ceiling.”
His joke broke the tension.
“Thanks for offering, Ben, but I’m not that desperate yet.”
“You have to be desperate before you’ll marry me?”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m not so desperate that I have to sell everything I own and give up on my life.”
“Oh.” He frowned at me. “I hadn’t thought about it like that. Well, um, the offer stands if things get rough.”
There was a marriage proposal no girl could turn down!
“Although my state of unemployment will have to be remedied, I have a bigger problem at the moment. I think someone is trying to kill Oma.”
Ben listened in horror while I explained my reasoning.
“You’re saying whoever was driving the car that was stolen from Mortie intended to kill your grandmother?”
“Whoever killed Sven probably meant to kill Oma.”
“Do you have any idea why? Is there something about your grandmother that I don’t know?”
“Probably plenty. She can be pretty hardheaded. She’s run this inn by herself for long time. She’s sure to have clashed with some people. I need to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with her.”
“So this Sven guy died because he was just being a nice guy, trying to help out a couple of old ladies and a dog?”
“Looks like that might be the case. I can’t bear to think that. Maybe I’m wrong about all of it. What did Dave say this morning?”
“Not much. He asked questions about the car. Where it was located when it was stolen, that kind of thing.”
I peered at him. Something was up. Those questions should have been answered by Mortie. “Why did you really come to Wagtail?”
“Mortie sent me to straighten out this business about his car.”
“What’s to straighten out? It was stolen. Mortie and his family were with us when Sven was killed. If it was his car that hit Sven, then it’s pretty clear that someone else was driving it.”
Something flickered in his expression. “I can’t talk to you about the details. Mortie needed somebody to watch over her.”
“Her? You’re babysitting Kim?”
“It’s not like that. He’s just a concerned father.”
Really? Concerned about what? Kim was a grown woman. Were her parents so determined to hitch their daughter to Ben’s wagon that they threw them together? Or was Kim somehow involved in this mess? “Where’s your ward now?”
“She’s not a ward, Holly. She went back to her cabin to do her nails.”
I burst out la
ughing. “She gave you the slip!”
“Did not.”
“Honey, a woman like Kim doesn’t do her own nails, and she sure wouldn’t go back to the cabin, where she doesn’t like to be alone.”
His eyes widened in alarm. “Why would she ditch me?”
“I don’t know. Why do you have to babysit her?”
Ben picked up the chair and returned it to the lawn. “Well, come on. Where’s my car?”
Eek! “A golf cart will get you there faster.” I had to get his car cleaned immediately!
We raced up to the inn. Trixie beat us to the door and waited impatiently, dancing in circles.
Zelda fixed up Ben with a golf cart.
The minute he left, I said, “You’ve got to help me. Who can detail a car around here?”
“Tiny does a lot of odd jobs like that.” She picked up a walkie-talkie. “Tiny, could you come to reception, please?”
“He’s here?”
“He keeps the grounds in shape and does handyman work for your grandmother.”
“You’re wonderful.” Relief and hope that the car could be cleaned surged through me.
Ten minutes later, Tiny was shampooing the carpets, and I breathed easier. Now to deal with Oma.
I braced myself and marched into her office. She worked at her desk. Trixie ran around the desk to Oma and placed her forepaws on Oma’s chair.
Oma smiled at Trixie and fussed over her, telling her what a smart dog she was to come home. “Your expression tells me that you are unhappy about something, Holly.”
Murder, She Barked: A Paws & Claws Mystery (A Paws and Claws Mystery) Page 14