by J. L. Farey
“They found one thing back at his office. A printout of an email I sent him.” Rye looked at his hands. “I wrote that if he didn’t leave my artists alone, including my daughter, I’d rip his heart out.”
Wade groaned. “Please tell me that’s not how he died.”
“No, he was stabbed.”
“In the heart,” Aiden added.
“Close enough.” Wade held his palms up like the scales of justice. “Rip his heart out. Cut his heart out. It’s semantics, really.”
Rayne shot him an angry look. “You’re not helping.”
“Just interpreting the facts ma’am,” Wade answered.
Aiden was wishing they’d left Wade and Aurora back home. “Back up a minute. Vance was stabbed. Did they find the knife?’
“No,” Rye said.
“Okay.” Aiden needed to move. He got up and paced around the furniture while he worked out what they knew so far. “It’s common knowledge you and Vance had an antagonistic relationship. He was stabbed in the heart. The murder weapon wasn’t found. The only physical evidence that points to you is the email, and that’s flimsy. Everybody has said or written something in the heat of the moment they regret. If you had an alibi, you’d be in the clear. And you do have an alibi, but you can’t use it.” He stopped pacing. “What is your alibi? You never told us.”
“I was leading a Brotherhood meeting.”
“What’s that?” Laurel asked.
“The Brotherhood of Bears. It’s a gathering of all the other ursine shifters in the area. Gives us a chance to spend time together in our other form, share information. Mostly, it’s a social club. But you can see why it’s useless as an alibi.”
Aiden rubbed the back of his neck. “And it wouldn’t do any good to get in touch with anybody else in the group because eventually, you’d have to prove where you had your meeting. Short of lying, which I am not suggesting, there’s no way for us to prove where you were when the crime occurred.”
“What are you saying, son?” Danielle’s voice shook. “That it’s hopeless?”
“No. I’m saying that we have to find the murderer.”
As a bombardment of shouts and questions flew around the room, Wade went to Aiden and put the back of his wrist against his forehead.
Aiden jerked back. “What are you doing?”
“Seeing if you have a fever. But you don’t. So you must be crazy.”
“What’s crazy about it? You and I are trained law enforcement officers. And almost everybody in this room has unique abilities.”
“What if the person we’re looking for also has unique abilities?”
Aiden got Rye’s attention. “Was Vance a shifter? Or any kind of supernatural?”
Rye shook his head. “No. And he didn’t know I was, either.”
“There you go,” Aiden said to Wade. “The chances of a super being the perp are almost zero.”
Bailey and Lola chose that moment to run through the living room, right past Wade. “Hey, look, there go Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo now. And we’ve got the Mystery Machine parked outside. What was I worried about? Everything will be fine.”
Yeah, they definitely should have left him at home. “Calm down. You haven’t even heard the plan yet.”
It took a few minutes, but Aiden finally got everyone quiet and settled so he could go on.
“We need to identify who had the most to gain from Vance’s death. I think the best place to start is with the singers he managed.”
“Do you think one of them could be responsible?” Rye looked pained at the thought.
“It’s possible. But it’s more likely one of them may have overheard or seen something that we can follow up on. We could go right to them and ask questions, but it’s been my experience that people start acting squirrely when murder’s involved. Doesn’t matter if they’re guilty or not, they’ll clam up or lie right to your face.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Rye asked.
“That we go in undercover. Who better to get information out of a singer than another singer?” He looked at Laurel. “That’s where you come in.”
Before she could answer, Aurora stood up in a huff. “I should be the one who goes in. I’m a much better singer than Laurel.”
Aiden shook his head. “Nope. If you get on the stage and start singing every animal in earshot will come running. It’ll turn into a night at the Enchanted Tiki Room.”
“Excuse me.” Rayne walked up to Aiden, hands on hips. “I should be the one to do it. I am a singer.”
“No way,” Rye bellowed. “You’re my daughter and everybody around here knows you.”
“I’ll wear a disguise.”
“You can’t disguise your voice.”
Rayne huffed out a petulant breath. “Fine.”
“Then it’s settled,” Aiden said. “I’ll pose as Laurel’s manager, and hopefully I’ll be able to dig for information, too.”
“I’ll need something to sing,” Laurel said.
Finally, Rayne seemed happy about something. “I can take care of that. I’ve got some original songs we can work on, and you can do some covers.”
“I liked your idea of a disguise,” Aiden said to Rayne. “I doubt anybody noticed us driving through the city, but why take chances? Can you get Laurel a wig and whatever clothes are right to perform in?”
“Leave it to me,” Rayne said with a smirk and a wave of her hand. “I’ve got the perfect thing for her.”
6
“Your sister is out of her ever-loving mind!” Laurel stalked out of the bathroom and turned in a circle, giving Aiden a 360-degree view of the insane outfit Rayne had chosen for her.
Aiden put down the book he’d been reading and laughed so hard he almost choked.
“Oh yes. It’s hilarious.” It had been bad enough in the bathroom, when all Laurel could see was the white-blond curls of the Lady Godiva wig, and the halter top of the purple leather jumpsuit. But now, looking in the full-length mirror behind the door, she got to see the enormous bell bottoms, and how the rhinestones lined every edge of the outfit.
“Maybe she got confused and thought we were time travelling to the ‘70s.” Aiden came to her and put his hands on her hips. “Sorry. Honestly, you look pretty hot.”
“Oh, I’m hot all right.” She pushed his hands away. “This thing is like those rubber suits people wear to sweat off the pounds. And wait till you see the rest of it.”
“There’s more?”
She held up a finger, signaling for him to stay put and went back into the bathroom. When she came back, she wore a bright red Stetson with a purple and silver rhinestone band. “The cherry on top.”
Aiden tried to hide his grin behind his hand, but it was no use. “Babe, you’re a real trouper.”
“I guess. But are you sure this is the right thing to wear? None of the other singers will speak to me if I go in there looking like Disco Tramp Barbie.”
“Good point. We’ve got one more day before we hit the club. I’ll ask Rye what he thinks.” He moved a wet strand of wig hair off her forehead. “You’d better get out of this before you keel over from heat stroke.”
“Thank you.”
Laurel was half undressed and relishing the cool air on her skin when Aiden stuck his head in the bathroom door.
“I wouldn’t mind if you kept the wig on.”
She threw a towel at him.
~ ~ ~
That afternoon, Laurel found herself with a chunk of free time and no one to spend it with. Aiden, Dani, and Rye were having their family talk, and Wade and Aurora had borrowed the SUV to go on a combination sightseeing/reconnaissance trip.
She could lounge by the pool with a good book. Or watch a movie in the media room. There were any number of things she could do alone. But there was somebody she wanted to spend time with.
It didn’t take long to find Bailey soaking up sun on the grass in front of the house. She sat beside him and scratched behind his ears.
“Hey buddy
,” she said. “I want you to know, I’m listening. If you never want to say anything to me again, that’s your choice and I won't be upset. But if you want to, I’m here.”
From the silence, Laurel was certain Bailey had made up his mind. Then, she heard something.
“Do you remember how we met?”
Her heart jumped. He was talking to her again. “Of course. I was living in a duplex in Washington state. One morning I opened the front door and there you were, a little puppy in a big cardboard box. It was love at first sight.”
“Did you ever wonder who put me there?”
Laurel watched him while he talked. The way his mouth moved wasn’t human, but it wasn’t canine, either. Most of all, it looked uncomfortable. She shook her head and answered his question. “I always thought somebody couldn’t take care of you, so they left you there hoping you’d have a good home.”
“Sweet thought, but wrong. It was your brother.”
“Larry?” He was the one they never talked about, and for good reason. If he did leave Bailey on her doorstep, it was the first good thing he’d done for her. “Why?”
“He was playing with enchantments, seeing what mischief he could cause. He thought it would be funny to make a dog talk. Even funnier if it had an English accent. But he couldn’t undo it.”
“Bailey. That’s terrible.” Laurel hugged him and pressed her cheek against the top of his head. “Why did he leave you with me?”
“I’m not sure. He was tired of me and irritated that he couldn’t make me stop talking. One day he put me in the box and I was sure I’d end up in the ocean. But he took me to you.”
“I’m so glad he did.” She kneaded the skin on the back of his neck. “Why didn’t you talk to me sooner?”
“When Larry left me, he said I’d have a better life if I kept my mouth shut. It made sense, so I did.”
“Then, other than talking, you’re not a magical creature at all?”
“No. Just a dog.” With a sigh, Bailey lay all the way down, resting his head on top of his front paws. He looked so tired.
“You’re not just a dog. You’re the best dog friend I could hope for.”
He grunted in response.
“Talking takes a lot out of you, doesn’t it?”
“Indeed. For a long time, I wished the ability to talk would go away.”
Laurel ran her hand down his back. “And now?”
“Now, I’m glad I can talk when it’s important. Otherwise, I couldn’t have helped you.”
“You saved my life.”
“See, that was important. The same way it’s important that I may be able to tell yo who killed Vance.”
“What?” Laurel pivoted in front of Bailey and got down on her elbows in the grass, their noses inches from each other. “How could you know that?”
“Lola told me. She was Vance’s dog. After he died, Rye took her in.”
Laurel’s mind was spinning. “Lola can talk, too?”
Bailey lifted his head and made one of his doggy grins. “Like this? No. But dogs do talk to each other, in our own way. Just because we don’t communicate the way you do, doesn’t mean we aren’t.”
“I stand corrected.” Laurel pushed herself up and sat back on her heels. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
His forehead wrinkled. “If I had, you would have run off to your people friends. I wanted to spend time with you. I miss you.”
He was right. She wouldn’t have spent this time with him if she’d known about Lola. Now, waiting a few more minutes for the information wouldn’t hurt. “You do have to tell me what Lola said, but first, let’s talk about something really important.”
His ears went up. She had his attention.
“Am I feeding you enough steak?”
Bailey flopped on his side and rolled over, doing an amusing grunt-laugh-pant combination. Then he looked at her. “My dear, there’s never enough steak.”
~ ~ ~
Somehow, Laurel managed to keep what she’d learned to herself until dinner time, the first time they all came together that day. It was appropriate that steak was the star of the menu, since Bailey deserved one now more than ever.
After everyone had filled their plates, Laurel picked up her water glass and tapped it with the dull side of her knife.
“Attention, attention. I have news to share. There’s been a break in the case, and we have Bailey to thank.” Every eye shifted to Bailey who was at the end of the dining room, with Lola beside him, enjoying a sumptuous T-bone.
“Your dog?” Rayne asked. “How could he help?”
Laurel speared a Brussels sprout with her fork. “Bailey can talk. He told me what Lola told him.”
Rayne shook her head. “Lola can’t talk.”
“Sure she can. She talked like a dog to Bailey, then Bailey told me in human words.”
Across the table, Aurora held up her glass in a toast to Laurel. “Makes perfect sense to me.”
“But how does Lola know anything about the case?” Aiden asked.
Rye smacked his palm against his forehead. “She was Vance’s dog. It never occurred to me that might be important.”
Aiden’s eyes gleamed with pride. “Good job, Babe. Is Bailey going to share what he knows with us?”
“No. I am. He’s not keen on talking and it wears him out. But he’s going to stay and make sure I don’t miss anything.”
Wade, who had been following the conversation, swinging his head back and forth like he was watching a ping pong game, couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “You people sure know how to keep life interesting. I can’t believe I’m saying this but...What did the dog tell us to prove that the bear didn’t do it?”
They took a minute to laugh at Wade, then waited anxiously for Lauren to start talking.
She dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin and set it beside her plate. “Vance worked from home a lot and usually took phone calls using speaker phone. Several times, Lola overheard him talking to someone he called Chief. They yelled a lot. The last time they talked was the day of the murder. They arranged to meet at the Hanson Building.”
Rayne gasped. “That’s where they found Vance. In the alley behind the Hanson Building.”
“Do you know what they were arguing about?” Rye asked.
“It was about contracts. Chief was upset that his kid got a raw deal. He was convinced Vance was cheating them out of royalties, so he wanted to break the contract and manage the kid himself. It looks like Aiden’s hunch about talking to the singers was on the mark.”
“It’s good information, but how does it help my dad?” Rayne asked. “Chief can’t be his real name and we don’t even know if the kid is a guy or a girl. We still have no idea who we’re looking for.”
Wade wagged his finger in her direction. “But we’ve narrowed it down substantially. A man who uses the nickname Chief has a kid who was managed by Vance. Which means, now that Vance is gone, this guy is out there trying to make him or her a star That’s what he wants the most, so that’s how we’ll catch him.”
“I see where you’re going.” Aiden turned to Rye. “I know it’s short notice, but can you put together a talent search at your bar for tomorrow night?”
“Not a problem.”
“And try to spread the word with artists who used to be with Vance or are represented by an individual, not an agency.” Aiden looked at Laurel. “You’ll still be singing, but we’ll all be there, including the dogs. Between the nine of us, we’ll find our man.”
7
Word that Rye Randall was holding an open mic night at his Golden Bear Saloon spread like butter on a hot griddle. Talent filled the backstage area and spilled out into the street, while the saloon was standing room only.
For the umpteenth time, Laurel peeked through a gap in the curtains to check on the rest of the crew. Rayne was behind the bar. Aurora worked the room, talking to anybody she thought might prove useful. Wade sat at a table, sunglasses on, and guide dog Lola besid
e him. Laurel just hoped no one looked too closely at the harness they’d MacGyvered for her out of PVC pipe and scraps of leather. And sitting at a table up front were Rye and Danielle, playing themselves.
A hand touched her waist and she spun around, ready to scream. But it was Aiden.
“A little jumpy?” He spoke close to her ear.
“A little. At least I look presentable now.”
Laurel had been beyond happy when Rayne admitted the first outfit was a joke and brought her something else. Now she wore knee-high black leather boots, brown suede shorts with laces crisscrossing the sides, and a white peasant blouse that was short in the front and flowy in the back. It had a hippy vibe that Laurel felt far more comfortable in than the disco look.
“Are you kidding? You’re gorgeous.”
Laurel grinned. “And you’re biased. But that’s okay.”
Aiden took his cell phone out of his pocket and checked the texts. “Rayne is bored.”
“What else is new?”
He nodded. “I know. Oh, and Wade wants to know if he’s supposed to be completely blind, or just a little blind.”
“It’s probably inhibiting his ability to flirt with the waitresses. I–” Something caught her eye. She scanned the crowd. Where was it? “Aiden.” She grabbed his arm. “Look. That man in the leather jacket. The bald guy walking to the bar.”
“What about him?”
“When he turns...there. Look at the back of his jacket.” It was an inordinately embroidered, brightly colored Native American headdress. “Could that be Chief?”
“Definitely could be.”
“We need to follow him and see if he’s got a singer here tonight.”
Before she could move, the MC came on stage and announced the next artist.
“Sorry, Babe,” Aiden said. “That’s you. I’ll follow Chief. You sing.” He kissed her and smiled down into her eyes. “Even if you can’t see me, I’m listening. Knock em dead.”