by Krista Davis
“Did Macon post a list of participants online?” I asked.
“No, darlin’.” Nessie winked at me.
Sky looked over her shoulder. “Who did Macon match her to?”
“Oh, good grief. First it was an artist. I guess Maddie was smart enough to bail on him. Oh no! Her second match was a writer!”
“What’s wrong with that?” I asked, thinking of John.
Nessie shook her head and tsked at me. “Darlin’, listen and learn. When they put down writer, actor, or musician as a career, it means they have no money and no prospects. They’re probably waiting tables while they hope for their big break. Always walk away from them.”
“But the musician or writer could be a very nice guy,” I protested.
Nessie gave me a look over her reading glasses. “Nice won’t pay the bills, sugar.”
“Where are you getting all this information? Did Macon give you access?” I asked.
“You might say that.” Nessie focused on the computer screen and groaned. “Sky, is your daughter really a dog walker?”
“Let me see.” Sky turned the computer so she could view the screen. “That’s odd. Maybe he confused her with someone else. Maddie sells real estate.”
Nessie took control of the laptop again. Her fingers clicked the keys rapidly. “There, that’s better. Maddie is now set up with the dot-com guy. A far better match for her, don’t you think?”
Sky’s eyebrows dipped in worry. “I don’t know. The writer might be a really terrific and interesting fellow.”
The chef waved at me from the open window. I rose to collect our lunches. Behind me, I heard the whooshing sound of e-mails being sent.
Trixie and Huey wasted no time scarfing up their lunches as soon as I set them on the floor.
Nessie flipped the laptop shut. “I’m sure the writer is nice. But there’s no reason the dot-com guy isn’t every bit as wonderful, and he’s probably a lot better off. Now let me get this back before Macon notices it’s gone.”
“What?” I ignored the rosy slices of steak on a bed of greens. “That’s Macon’s laptop? You stole his computer?”
“Borrowed. And you can see why. I’m not letting Celeste end up with an unemployed musician of some kind. She can just as easily fall for a lovely doctor.” Nessie stood up and scurried away.
“I don’t believe you two. How did you get his password?”
Sky blushed. “Matchmaker wasn’t too hard to guess. Nessie doesn’t mean any harm. And we didn’t steal it. Macon left it outside on a rocking chair. She’s returning it to him.”
I was supposed to be nice to the guests no matter what. No matter what, I reminded myself. They had done something so wrong!
Sky leaned toward me across the table. In a low voice that I could barely hear, she said, “When my husband died in a car accident, I was devastated. He’d had too much to drink and ran off the road. Everyone said, ‘Sky, he was coming home to you. He loved you.’ But you know who showed up at the funeral? The mistress he was drinking with before he got into his car and drove off the road. I don’t want Maddie to go through that.”
She sat up straight. “I’m not a total loony, Holly. I just want to spare Maddie the pain I went through.”
“Does Maddie know that about her father?”
“I’ve never told her. It was certainly public knowledge when that woman turned up, though. I expect someone could have mentioned it to Maddie. Or maybe people are decent enough not to tell a young woman that kind of thing about the father she lost. It’s probably hopeless to wish that she’ll never know.”
“Is that why you never remarried?”
Nessie hurried up to the table, panting. “Did you know someone was mugged and murdered last night?” She showed us her hands. “And me with expensive jewelry! That could have been me! Holly, is there a safe in this inn?”
“Yes, there’s one in Oma’s office.”
“Did you know about this?” Nessie fixed a stern glare on me.
“I did. But I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Officer Dave is very good. He’s on it already.” They didn’t need to know that Dave had no idea who the victim was.
“Officer Dave? You call the investigating officer Dave? Good grief. I think I should hire a bodyguard to follow Celeste.”
Sky turned sympathetic eyes on her new friend. “Nessie, we’re already following them.”
Nessie’s eyes grew large. “Not right now we’re not!”
“Then let’s go.” Sky pulled a schedule out of her pocket. “Umm, looks like there’s an ice cream social at two o’clock. Sounds like something Maddie would like.”
“Celeste, too.”
“Sorry to leave you alone, Holly.” Sky glanced at Nessie, who stared at the rings on her fingers.
“Where do men carry everything without a purse?” asked Nessie.
“Just put them in your fanny pack.” Sky winked at me.
“I’ll never forgive myself if I lose them.”
“Come on, already!”
The two of them left, squabbling good-naturedly like old friends.
I noticed, though, that Duchess seemed reluctant to go with them. She had such a pretty face, with sweet eyes and perky ears that flopped forward. The fur on her ears darkened to a light caramel at the base. She looked back at us as if she didn’t want to go when Sky called her. Ultimately, she went anyway.
I was just finishing my lunch when Cooper bounded in. He wiggled from end to end with excitement. I patted him and even received a few sloppy dog kisses in return.
John pulled out a chair, leaned toward me, and whispered, “Is it wrong of me to want to go back to see the scene of the crime in daylight?”
Thirteen
“I feel kind of guilty for wanting to go back at all.” John paused and waved his hand slightly. “Not guilty like I had anything to do with Gustav’s murder.” His eyes grew wide. “They always say the criminal returns to the scene of the crime!”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I hardly slept last night. I couldn’t get Gustav out of my head. I just saw his face over and over again. The way he was laying there, and the mark on his neck.”
I had to break it to him. He was already so agitated that I hoped John could take the news. I spoke in a low tone so no one else would hear. “He’s not Gustav. The real Gustav Vogel showed up this morning.”
“What? But he had that letter. How did he get a letter that was written to Gustav?”
“Good question. Gustav was mugged on his way here. Maybe the victim was Gustav’s mugger?” I wondered if I should call Dave to tell him about that possibility, but decided it was too obvious. Dave would have already considered that.
John sat back in his chair. “This blows my mind. But I still want to see it in daylight. Will you go with me?”
I had to admit that I was a little bit curious, too. “Don’t be disappointed if it’s roped off.”
“I guess that’s to be expected. So, who is the victim? Do they know?”
I told John about the man recognizing Macon.
On the way out, I let Mr. Huckle know where I was going in case Oma needed me. “I have my cell phone.” Though I knew that wouldn’t do much good.
Although we issued an invitation to join us, Gingersnap declined. That didn’t surprise me because there wasn’t a single empty rocking chair on the porch. She knew where she would get the most attention.
Dave was allowing Cooper to run off leash, which made me feel sorry for Huey. He turned those heart-melting brown eyes toward me, and I reluctantly unsnapped his leash. After all, he still wore his Sugar Maple Inn GPS collar.
The crowds thinned as we walked toward the road on the east side of Wagtail. Once again, it was quiet. Not surprising since most cars parked outside of Wagtail.
We crossed the stre
et, and as we walked deeper into the Shire, John exclaimed over the quaint architecture. “It’s like a country village. I couldn’t see all the flowers and blooming bushes last night. But the houses look small.”
“They are. No mansions allowed in the shire.”
We turned off onto the trail that led down to the river and the location where we had discovered the body. In daylight, it didn’t look one bit sinister. Bright yellow buttercups waved in a soft breeze, and hundreds of big, orange clusters of butterfly weeds dotted the green grass.
“There’s no tape keeping us out,” John whispered.
“It wouldn’t have been difficult to drive in a few stakes and swing it around that tree.”
“Must mean they’re confident that they got everything. Where do you think he was?”
“From the way all three dogs are sniffing right there, I’d bet that’s where he was lying.”
John sucked in air and let it out slowly. “This is really awful of me, but I feel like it never happened. I thought it might be hard to come out here, but the sun is shining, and the flowers are blooming, I’m with a really pretty girl, and I’m not feeling shock at all.”
A couple holding hands passed us on their way back from the river with their two dogs.
We nodded in greeting. “I understand what you mean. Something sinister and vile took place right here. But today, life goes on like nothing ever happened. If we hadn’t seen him, we might never have known about it.”
“I’m glad you understand. I was afraid it was just me. There’s something very sad about the fact that people who walk by here will never have any idea of the horror that took place in this spot.”
We took a stroll down to the river, where Cooper and Huey jumped in for a swim. Trixie declined and barked at them from the safety of the riverbank.
John grabbed two sticks and threw them for Cooper and Huey to fetch in the water. “Trixie didn’t even watch. Doesn’t she fetch?”
I told him the story of finding her. “She was a sad mess. She likes toys, but I guess she never learned to fetch as a puppy.”
John sat down on the big, flat rock beside me. “You know what I did last night?”
I looked at him.
“It was too late to call anyone, so I e-mailed my parents and told them I would check in with them every day. If I didn’t, they should come looking for me.”
“Don’t they know where you are?” I asked.
“Not really. Now that everyone has cell phones and e-mail, you can stay in touch without knowing a physical location. I had simply said I was writing in a cabin in the mountains. Finding a corpse really shook me up. That could have been me! Even worse, nobody knows who the guy is. It could be days or weeks until somebody notices that he never came home. I wonder if he told anyone he was coming here. He might end up being labeled a John Doe. One of those faces you see on the Internet with the word Missing in huge letters.”
“I would have looked for you.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. You would have assumed that I’d left town. You wouldn’t have given me another thought.”
“I would have thought about you, but you’re probably right about me believing that you had left town. Poor Cooper! He would have been all alone.”
Cooper and Huey bounded up to the rock and shook like crazy, splashing both of us with droplets of water and breaking the gloomy feeling that hung over us.
“How about some ice cream?” asked John.
We headed back, skirting the spot where we thought the body had been.
Huey stayed with us and joined in the fun, romping with the other dogs when we reached the ice cream social.
We loaded up our bowls with chocolate, peppermint, and sea salt–caramel ice creams and drizzled them with butterscotch. That was enough for me, but John sprinkled his with chopped peanut butter cups. I handed John my bowl and fixed three bowls of peanut butter ice cream made especially for dogs.
We settled on a bench near the big gazebo and dug into our rapidly melting, sinfully delicious treats. Huey and Cooper finished theirs first. Trixie nosed her bowl under the bench, where it would be harder for the big dogs to steal her ice cream.
Macon Stotts spied us and toddled over. “You can’t imagine where I’ve been. At the morgue! There’s something I never thought I would do in my life. They took me in to see if I recognized the man who died.”
“And did you?” I licked butterscotch off my spoon.
“I did! And I’m not one bit sorry he’s dead. Isn’t that just awful of me? I wish I had never seen the man dead, but I can’t say I’m sorry he’s gone.”
“Who is he?” John stopped eating.
“Randall Donovan. A highly disreputable psychiatrist prone to writing hogwash and pretending like it’s fact.”
So they had known each other. As casually as I could, I asked, “Was he one of your matchmaking customers?”
“Good Lord, no! I wouldn’t dream of matching some innocent unsuspecting person with a crosspatch cynic like Randall.”
“I get the feeling you didn’t like him,” joked John.
“I certainly will not miss him. I guess he ran his mouth one too many times. He must have really ticked somebody off this time. His vile nature finally caught up with him.” Macon dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief. “It was a good thing he was dead. He’d have croaked for sure at the thought that I might be the one identifying his remains. Oh my! He was a prophet of doom intent on sucking the joy out of everyone’s lives. Seriously, if there were no love and no appreciation of the pleasures in life”—he bent to stroke Trixie’s head—“then the world would be gray and without laughter. Except perhaps for his contemptuous cackle.”
I didn’t know Randall, but from what I had seen, Macon described him well.
“Where’s Huey?” asked John.
Fourteen
I looked around. Trixie and Cooper lay side by side, but Huey was nowhere to be seen. “Oh no!”
In a panic, I excused myself, called Trixie, and ran for the inn. John caught up to me. We were breathless, and the dogs were panting by the time we reached the reception area.
“What’s wrong? Is it my ex-husband?” Zelda ducked partway down behind the registration counter.
“No,” I gasped. “I lost Huey.”
Zelda pulled out the iPad and brought up a map. “Okay. Catch your breath. Unit number four? There he is. I love this gadget. Saves so much worry.”
I staggered toward her. “Where? Where is he?”
Zelda bit back a smile. “Looks like he’s out on the lake side of the inn.”
I barged through the office and out the French doors onto the immaculate lawn. Zelda, John, and the dogs followed me. I did a panoramic sweep in search of Huey. “Do you see him anywhere?”
They both said no.
Desperation welled up inside me. I couldn’t lose that sweet dog. I walked forward, toward the lake.
“There he is!” John pointed at the dock, downhill from where we stood.
“Thank goodness.” Zelda patted me on the back and walked inside.
Huey jumped into a boat with two men.
I ran down the hill. “Stop! Huey! Stop! That’s my dog!”
But as I neared them, I recognized Lulu and Duchess. Huey was with Nessie and Sky. I arrived at the dock seconds after they cast off. The pontoon boat was only a couple of feet away. Huey’s tail wagged like crazy, and he lifted his nose in the air to catch scents.
Sky waved at me. “Hope you don’t mind Huey tagging along.”
I guessed it was okay. He certainly seemed happy. As long as he didn’t jump off and swim to shore, he should be fine. “Don’t lose him!”
Nessie waved and gunned the boat forward, crying, “Yeehaw!”
John wrapped his arm around me. “He’ll be all right. They seem like nice women. A litt
le crazy, but nice.”
“It’s a shame Ben isn’t interested in Huey.”
John’s arm dropped, and he turned toward me. “You know, most people would have taken him back to the shelter by now.”
“Look how much fun he’s having. I can’t bring myself to take him back to a cage. WAG is amazing, but he’d still be in a cage.”
“Maybe someone will meet him this weekend and want to adopt him.”
I sighed. “I wish.”
We walked back up to the inn on broad stone steps. Masses of red geraniums and giant daisies mingled with cascades of purple-blue petunias lining the stairs. A few guests in bathing suits were carrying towels on their way to the lake for a swim. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t known it was summertime, but except for our ice cream outing today, I’d spent so much time working that I hadn’t taken advantage of all summer had to offer yet.
“Dinner tonight at six?” asked John.
I hated to say it, but I had to. “Can I give you a call? I’ll have to check to be sure the inn is covered. Oma may have plans with Gustav.”
“Sure.” John wrote down his number and handed it to me.
Officer Dave arrived at the door to the inn at the same time we did. He nodded a greeting to John, who said, “See you later,” to me.
When we were inside, Dave turned around to watch John walk away with Cooper. “So, you like this John Adele guy?”
Hadn’t Oma asked me the same thing? “He’s kind of sweet.”
“He tell you where he works?”
I frowned at Dave. “For himself, I think. He edits history textbooks. What are you getting at?”
“Nothing.”
I didn’t like the way he said that. “Are you here to see Oma?”
He nodded. “Need to update her a little.”
He didn’t ask me to join them, but I followed him anyway. He must have called ahead, because he said hi to Zelda and walked through the inn to Oma’s private kitchen.
I couldn’t believe the transformation in my beloved Oma. The worried expression was gone. She hummed as she poured hot water into a teacup.