Mission Impawsible

by Krista Davis

  I bent to see better. I caught a glimpse of Twinkletoes and Marmalade before they scampered back up the stairs. “I think they were spying on us!”

  Trixie gave the pet door one last glance before she followed me out through the lobby and onto the porch. I sat down in a rocking chair.

  My mind went straight back to John. I wanted to think I was being overly sensitive. Maybe he had been writing and I had interrupted him. Or maybe he was moody. If that was the case, it was just as well that I knew it now.

  I tried to put him out of my mind and focus on Randall. Gingersnap left her cherished position by the stairs, came to me, and nuzzled my hands. “Hi, baby girl. Just because Sky was related to Randall doesn’t mean she murdered him. Does it?”

  Gingersnap wagged her tail slowly. She probably didn’t know either. As I stroked her silky head, it dawned on me that Randall might have been looking for Sky or her daughter, Maddie. His wife could have mentioned they would be in Wagtail. Maybe she’d even made fun of Sky for keeping tabs on Maddie. I hated that the scenario involving Sky was more logical than the one about Randall looking for a small-time crook.

  And where had Randall’s wife been the night of his murder? Was it possible that the two sisters had conspired to murder him? People did a lot of strange things for family.

  A man who didn’t believe in love had to have been a nightmare as a husband. In fact, I wondered why he would have married at all if he really believed that love was only a cultural delusion. What had Sky called him? Difficult. A very polite way of saying he was a problem.

  As I pondered the relationship between Sky and her brother-in-law, my gaze fell on a young blonde who marched toward the inn with a grim expression. Her little dog kept pace beside her.

  Maddie Stevens!

  I jumped to my feet and dashed inside to the concierge desk. Moving lightning fast, I picked up the house phone and called Sky’s room.

  The phone rang and rang. And was still ringing when Maddie Stevens entered the inn and walked up to me.

  “Excuse me, do you have a guest by the name of Sky Stevens?”

  I didn’t even have time to debate what to do before Maddie shouted, “Mother!” Half of Wagtail must have heard her.

  Sky stopped midstep on the grand staircase. To her credit, she didn’t turn tail and run back upstairs. Calmly, Sky walked to her daughter, placed a gentle hand on her arm, and said, “I’m glad you’re here. We need to talk.”

  Maddie scowled at her mother and the two of them ducked into the library with Atticus, Duchess, and Lulu.

  Nessie barreled down the stairs. The two of us bounded after them. We stopped at the open entrance to the library and lurked to hear their conversation.

  “What do you think you’re doing? Have you lost your mind?” Maddie was mad as a yellow jacket.

  “Honey, I was just looking out for you.”

  “Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize you on that pontoon boat today? And what was that? A boat full of dogs and two women in Indiana Jones hats, pretending to fish?”

  “We caught one. Did you see that? With just a hook. We didn’t even have bait. I didn’t know a fish would do that!”

  “Don’t change the subject. Aww. Who are these doggies?”

  “This one is Duchess. She’s a shelter dog. I’m going to adopt her. Isn’t she sweet?”

  “She’s beautiful. Okay, Mom, listen. You have to back off. I met a guy I really like.”

  “The one on the boat? Were you drinking? I’ve never seen you so inept on a boat.”

  “I was pretending that I didn’t know anything about boats. He doesn’t know who I am, and I don’t want him to know. But if you keep this up you’re going to give me away.”

  “Maddie, why would you do that? Honey, you’re such a lovely girl. Be yourself, and he’ll like you.”

  “Do you remember Kyle? Don’t look so worried. I’m not getting back together with him. But I don’t want someone like that. I want someone who likes me for me.”

  “Sweetheart, I understand that. But pretending to be different will only backfire on you.”

  “Mom. I’m not a kid. I’m mortified that you’re here at all. I may never forgive you for this. I’m an adult, Mom. You’re—you’re stalking me!”

  “Maddie, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What could it possibly be? You don’t know Chad.” Maddie gasped. “Oh no. You didn’t hire a private investigator to check him out, did you?”

  “No. It’s not about Chad.”

  “If you don’t stop spying on me, I swear I will never speak to you again.”

  Maddie stormed by us and backed up. “You!” She pointed at Nessie. “I knew you didn’t get my name off of Atticus’s collar.” She gestured toward me. “And you, too. My love life is none of your business. Come on, Atticus.”

  Sky emerged from the library. In a soft and patient voice, she said, “Randall is dead.”

  Seventeen

  Maddie stopped midstride. She swung around and looked at her mother. “Is Aunt Cate all right?”

  Maddie walked toward her daughter. “She’s fine. Quite shaken, as you might imagine.”

  Maddie hugged her mother. “What happened?”

  “Honey, he was murdered.”

  Maddie clapped a hand over her mouth. As she absorbed the information, her hand dropped. “We always said he would cross the wrong person someday.”

  Mother and daughter walked out to the porch together.

  “Do you get the feeling they didn’t like him very much?” I asked Nessie.

  “My mama brought me up never to speak ill of the dead, but it sounds to me like the wake might be a celebration,” Nessie said. “Pity that he won’t have a chance to mend his ways.” She called Lulu and went outside.

  I walked to the bay window in the library and watched the three of them stroll away from the inn.

  Sky and Maddie may not have been fond of Randall, but news of his death had caused Maddie to put aside her anger. Death always put things in perspective.

  For the next couple of hours, the inn was quiet as a tomb. I paid some of the inn’s bills. When the sun set, I hit the magic refrigerator for dinner. Trixie, Gingersnap, and I polished off leftover crab cakes and three-bean salad. I was washing dishes when the phone rang.

  “Holly!” Zelda cried. “I need a favor.”

  “Sure.” The word slipped out of my mouth before I considered the possibilities. Zelda was part of the Sugar Maple Inn family. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for her.

  “Hank has been a pill all day—”

  “Even when you were on the boat?”

  “Ugh. He rented a boat too, and was out there with a pretty date. The poor girl was much younger than us. She has no idea what she’s getting herself into with Hank.”

  “Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe he’s moving on.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m at my house, and Hank is outside right now, lurking in the shadows. I’m supposed to meet my date at Tequila Mockingbird, but I’m afraid Hank is going to follow me. Could you come over here and help me?”

  “I can as soon as Oma comes back. What do you want me to do?”

  “Wear a hat or a hood or something to cover your hair. You can leave through the front door while I sneak out the back. Hopefully, he’ll follow you and won’t know where I went.”

  I wasn’t excited about the prospect. Zelda didn’t live too far from the stores and restaurants on the green, though. If I headed in that direction, there would be loads of people around.

  “Please, Holly? I don’t know what else to do.”

  “Why don’t you just leave lights on so he’ll think you’re home and then sneak out the back?”

  “He’s circling around the house. I’ve seen him watching from the neighbor’s yard. I need you to distract
him. If he thinks you’re me, then he’ll follow you, and I can make a clean break.”

  “Okay. I’ll be over as soon as Oma returns.” I didn’t relish it, but we all did things for our girlfriends.

  It was past nine when Oma and Gustav walked into the private kitchen.

  “Did you have a nice dinner?” I asked.

  “It was delicious.” Gustav bestowed a fond smile on Oma.

  “Of course, we talked about the murder of this Randall Donovan.” Oma took out two wineglasses. “We have concluded there are two possibilities. Either Randall mugged Gustav or the person who mugged Gustav murdered Randall and planted the letter on him. These are the only two explanations for Randall having it in his possession.”

  Made sense to me, except for one thing. “Why would a psychiatrist mug someone? Aren’t most muggers after money?”

  Oma handed Gustav a bottle of wine. “We have considered this but have no satisfactory answer. Perhaps he was broke. Or maybe he wished to have identification other than his own.”

  “We believe that the murderer must be the person who mugged me,” said Gustav, “because there is no logical reason for planting the letter.”

  I considered telling Oma about Sky Stevens’s connection to Randall but decided not to say anything in Gustav’s presence. I wasn’t sure why I was hesitant. Because it all seemed to begin with him? Could Gustav somehow be at the root of Randall’s murder?

  I smiled at him and changed the subject. “Zelda’s obnoxious ex-husband is lurking around her house. She wants me to come over and distract him. I’m supposed to pretend to be Zelda and lure him away so she can leave the house without him following her.”

  “Ach. I do not like this man, Hank.” Oma looked at me and began to laugh. “Zelda is much more zaftig than you, and taller. And your hair is the wrong color. Even this stupid man Hank will not be fooled.”

  “Liesel, perhaps Holly can wear extra clothes to bulk her up,” suggested Gustav.

  “I think I have a blonde wig somewhere!” Oma said. “Come with me, Holly.”

  The three of us, Gingersnap, and Trixie walked to the office. Oma pulled a life vest out of a storage closet and then produced a blonde wig and a black coat. By the time she was through with me, I had more girth and blonde locks. We couldn’t change my height, of course, but in the dark, maybe I could pass for Zelda.

  I looked down at Trixie. “But you would give me away, sweetie pie.” I took her up to my apartment, closed the pet door, told her to behave, and locked the door.

  I approached Zelda’s quaint house from the rear by sneaking through the yard of the house that backed up to her lot. Dense pines and shrubs separated the homes. I crouched among the trees and watched for Hank.

  In the darkness, every shape seemed sinister. I had spent many happy hours on the brick patio in Zelda’s backyard, which seemed enchanted when the little fairy lights hanging from the trees sparkled. She had built special structures with hammocks and perches for her cats. Lavender, sage, rosemary, and catnip-filled giant pots around the patio. But the fairy lights weren’t on, and the kitty play structures were frightful blobs that could be stooped people.

  Lights glowed in Zelda’s windows. Quaint and old, her house featured diamond-paned windows and dormers on the second floor. But in the night, knowing that Hank lurked outside somewhere, her fairy-tale-style house seemed spooky.

  I wished I had night-vision glasses. As I scanned my surroundings, a figure sneaked along the side of the neighbor’s yard. What a jerk Hank was! I held my breath and remained as still as possible.

  I recoiled and drew in a sharp breath when Zelda’s big tabby, Leo, rubbed against my knees. My gaze snapped to Hank. Had he heard me? It didn’t look like it. He disappeared toward the street. I tickled Leo under his chin and made a mad dash for Zelda’s back door.

  It was unlocked. I let myself in and waited for Leo to amble inside. Crouching a bit, I hissed, “Zelda?”

  She emerged from the living room and gave me a big hug. “Oh my gosh! Who dressed you? I hope I don’t look like that.”

  “Oma was having fun. You’re going to have to move fast, because it won’t be long before he realizes that I’m the wrong height.”

  “Gotcha. Don’t worry too much, though. I’ve noticed that it’s sort of difficult to determine a person’s height at night. Especially when that person is creeping around. There’s a tendency to hunch over.”

  I could believe that. “So what’s the plan?”

  “You leave by the front door. Pretend you’re locking it. Then walk toward the center of town, keeping your face in the shadows. Okay? Do not look back. It’s only a couple of blocks. If you look back, he’s likely to get a glimpse of your face under a streetlamp. Meanwhile, I’ll hustle out the back way. I don’t need much lead time. He’ll probably recognize you by the time you reach the green.” Zelda grinned at me. “But by then, I’ll be long gone!”

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” I chuckled. “I hope the new guy is a winner.”

  “Trust me, Holly. Hank taught me not to assume good things are in pretty packages. I’m being very careful about who I date.”

  “I hope so. Have fun.” I walked to the door and looked back at her. “Tell me when he’s watching.”

  Zelda turned off the lights in the living room, and peered between the curtains. “Okay,” she whispered. “Go!”

  As I turned the knob, I decided I would make a lousy spy. This wasn’t a big deal, more of a game than anything else, but adrenaline pounded through me. Still, I hoped it would get Hank off Zelda’s trail, if only for a little bit. I stepped outside, pretended to lock the door, and headed for the street, taking care to keep my face down. In spite of that, I could see Hank’s shadowy figure lurking at the side of Zelda’s yard. I didn’t dare look back to see if he had taken the bait. I picked up my pace to move him farther away from Zelda’s house in case he figured out what was happening.

  In minutes I was at the green and turned right on the sidewalk that ran along it. Merchants were open late, and the dining tables on the sidewalk were swamped. People mingled with drinks in hand as though the restaurants had overflowed. Their dogs and cats roamed underfoot. It was a perfect setup for getting lost in a crowd.

  I dodged into Hot Hog, which was always packed with people. I slid the wig off my head as I wedged between patrons in the bar and worked my way over to a view of the sidewalk. I shed the hot coat and the life vest without taking my eyes off the window.

  But I didn’t see Hank. Time crawled by as I waited anxiously for a glimpse of him. The crowd was dense, though. I could have missed him. What if we hadn’t fooled him? What if he had turned back and caught Zelda sneaking out the back way? I pushed my way through the crowd again and leaned out the door, looking for Hank.

  But then I saw something I hadn’t expected at all.

  Eighteen

  Trixie trotted along the sidewalk with her nose to the ground. Without looking up, she walked straight to my sandals and wriggled with happiness end to end.

  “What are you doing here?” I scooped her up and was rewarded with a kiss on my nose.

  “You scamp. Who let you out? This was supposed to be a solo mission.” And then it dawned on me that if Hank had seen Trixie, he might have realized that he wasn’t tailing Zelda.

  Oh no. It wasn’t easy carrying the coat, life vest, wig, and Trixie, but there were so many people on the sidewalk that I feared she might be stepped on or get sidetracked.

  I turned right onto a quieter residential street and set Trixie on the ground. For a long moment, I considered returning to Zelda’s house to find out if she’d escaped from Hank. “Maybe we should stop by Tequila Mockingbird instead?”

  Trixie hummed at me. It wasn’t quite a growl, more like her version of speaking.

  I dug in my pocket for a mini-treat. “That way, if Zelda made it to
Tequila Mockingbird, but Hank is still hanging around her house, we won’t lead him to her.”

  We set off for the lake. It wasn’t far, just across the main road on the west side of Wagtail. We passed several couples walking hand in hand, their dogs and cats strolling with them. One poor man sobbed into the fur of a cat that he held tightly. I guessed his date hadn’t worked out well.

  We crossed the empty street and walked over to Tequila Mockingbird. It was made of post and beam construction, and its heavy timbers supported a charming rustic entrance. A wide peaked roof jutted out over double glass doors, and benches on both sides offered seating. The lights in the ceiling of the cedar plank roof illuminated the area and small canned up-lights showed off giant elephant ear plants and lush red geraniums.

  I held the door open for Trixie. The vaulted ceiling inside was supported by more beams, giving it an open and airy feeling. A wall of windows faced the lake, where boat lights bobbed in the distance.

  The restaurant and bar were full, as was the outdoor seating. I wondered if I would be able to find Zelda in the crowd.

  But my little sidekick, Trixie, led me straight to Zelda at a table in the corner. Zelda bent down to pet Trixie. When she looked up and saw me, she waved me over.

  “This is Axel, Holly.” Zelda smiled at him. “Would you like to join us?”

  He was as lean as she was robust. Yet they made a stunning pair. His hair was as fair as hers, and his blue eyes gave me the impression he was honest and sincere. I liked him right away. But I knew Zelda wanted to get to know him better, and I wouldn’t dream of interfering now that she had eluded Hank’s watchful eyes.

  “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I never saw Hank once I got to the green. I just wanted to be sure you made a clean getaway.”

  “No sign of him yet. I think our plan worked!” Zelda beamed at me.

  I wished them a good time, intending to leave, but Trixie had run off. I found her kissing up to Sky, who sat at an indoor table with Nessie and Macon Stotts. Duchess and Lulu lounged at their feet.