The Magic Library Mysteries Collection: The Complete Series, Books 1-3

by Hillary Avis

  “Maybe.” Kara shrugged. “Maybe someone was skulking around and Willow ran them off.”

  “Sure, go ahead.” Allison watched as Kara stood and began a careful inspection of the dirt in the flower beds along the foundation. Who knew, maybe she would find Elaine’s footprints. It was possible some good old-fashioned police work would put Elaine away—if not for good, then for a while.

  Kara reached the side of the house and doubled back. “I don’t see anything, but I’ll head down the side yard.”

  Allison nodded, then waited until Kara was out of view. “I’m just going to pop this in the trash,” she said to Myra apologetically, waving the empty takeout dish. Then she darted inside, dropping the Feast and Flower bag at the bottom of the stairs as she sprinted up the stairs, keeping her footsteps as light as possible so they wouldn’t echo out to the porch.

  In the bathroom, she turned the laundry hamper upside down and spilled the dirty clothes onto the floor, pawing through them until she found the wrap skirt she’d worn the evening she found Taylor’s bike at the end of the river path. She held her breath and searched the pocket, her fingers closing on the tiny gem she’d found pressed into the dirt.

  Elaine’s red gem. Evidence. Real, solid evidence.

  She palmed the stone and hurried back down the stairs and out into the back yard just as Kara rounded the corner. Swiftly, Allison hid her hand behind her back. “Any luck?”

  “Nothing so far.” Kara crouched to examine a patch of earth under the kitchen window. Allison took advantage of the moment and opened her palm, dropping the red gem next to the door. Then she moved to stand behind Kara, pretending to be interested in watching her investigation.

  “I don’t see any obvious disturbance.” Kara scooted along the house until she reached the patio, then looked up at Allison. “If someone was creeping around, all the grass and hardscape back here masked any footprints. Hopefully that just means nobody was here and she was barking at a bat or something.”

  Allison nodded, doing her best not to look at the spot where she’d dropped the stone. “I’m sure it was nothing.”

  Kara sized up the set of doors that led into the dining room. “You know, you might want to install a camera back here. These aren’t very secure. Someone could just—” She broke off and dropped down into a squat again, like it was nothing. Allison felt sore just watching her.

  Kara pulled a glove out of her belt pouch and snapped it on her right hand, then pinched something off the patio. She held it up to the light, and the gem flashed red between her gloved finger and thumb. “Is this yours?”

  Allison’s heart thudded and she stepped closer, pretending to look. She shook her head and muttered the truth, even though it felt like a lie. “No.”

  Kara unsnapped another pouch on her belt and fumbled for a small baggie with her free hand, dropping the gem inside it. “It might be nothing, but you never know. I’ll fill out a report for a possible trespass.”

  Allison nodded. It wasn’t much, but it was something. She walked with Kara back down the side yard and out to the front, where Myra was scratching Willow’s belly. The dog had managed to pick up even more bits and pieces in her fur, which was now partly dry and puffing up to epic proportions.

  “Catch any crooks?” Myra asked, giving Willow a final pat.

  Kara held up the bag with the red stone in it. “Could be. Somebody dropped this, whether it was a criminal or a crow.”

  Myra froze, staring at the bag. She shook her head and then said, almost to herself, “No, don’t be silly.”

  Kara raised an eyebrow. “You recognize it?”

  Myra bit her lip and shot Allison a guilty look. “I hate to say it. I’m sure it’s a coincidence.”

  “What?” Kara frowned impatiently.

  “Well, I noticed when Elaine visited Golden Gardens yesterday—she had on a bracelet with stones like that, and one was missing. I’m sure a lot of people have bracelets like that,” Myra rushed to add. “Or maybe she lost it when she lived here.”

  “Slow down.” Kara had taken out a small notebook and was scribbling in it. “Who is this Elaine person?”

  “My daughter is engaged to her son,” Allison said quietly. And she’s trying to destroy my life, so I might as well try to destroy hers. “And she rented this house a few years ago, before Myra did. I didn’t know her then, though. It’s all sort of a...coincidence.”

  “I see.” Kara frowned into her notebook. “You say her bracelet was missing a stone yesterday, Myra? So she probably didn’t drop it here last night.”

  Myra let out a relieved breath. “That’s true! See, I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned it. She probably lost it way back when she lived here.”

  “I doubt it was just sitting there on the patio for two or three years,” Allison said darkly. She knew it hadn’t even been sitting there for two or three minutes.

  Kara nodded, musing aloud as she tapped her pen against her paper. “The gem wasn’t even lodged in a crack, it was just loose on the surface. It couldn’t have been there more than a few days, maybe a week.”

  “Maybe Willow dug it up!” Myra offered helpfully. At the sound of her name, Willow’s ears perked up.

  Kara wrinkled her nose skeptically. “Maybe. I’d like to get a couple of the county guys to come poke around in the yard and see if there’s anything else, if you don’t mind.” This was directed to Allison.

  “Um—sure. I guess,” she stammered. Guys in the yard weren’t forbidden, at least not as far as she knew.

  “Just routine.” Kara smiled reassuringly. “I’ll need the contact info for your landlord so we can get permission to dig, too.”

  “Oh.” Allison glanced at Myra, who of course didn’t know why the question was difficult to answer. Myra didn’t remember anything about the guardianship arrangement. She probably didn’t even remember that she hadn’t paid rent. “Right. The landlord. Maybe I should have gotten permission to dig before I let Willow in the back yard,” she cracked, trying to stall while she came up with a good answer.

  “Michelle manages the property,” Myra said smoothly, nodding to the yellow house next door. Allison relaxed. Of course, Michelle. Thank you, Myra, for the easy answer.

  But Kara seemed taken aback. “Michelle Robinson is the landlord?”

  Allison nodded.

  “The same Michelle who had the break-in a week ago?”

  Myra’s brow furrowed. “Why, do you think it might be connected?”

  “It sure seems like more than just a coincidence. The landlord has a break-in, Allison has a nighttime prowler, and I find a piece of a bracelet belonging to a former tenant? I’m thinking those pieces add up.” Kara pressed her lips into a thin line. “Maybe this Elaine person had a beef with the landlord. Then when she was in town, she figured she’d—”

  “Get revenge?” Myra laughed. “Elaine is a sweetheart. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”

  Well, obviously that wasn’t true.

  “Maybe not revenge,” Kara conceded. “Maybe she thought she left something behind and just came back to get it. Figured nobody was home because there were no cars parked outside. Tried the back door and found it locked, then got scared off by the dog barking because she realized someone was home.” She looked to Myra for a reaction to her theory, but Myra just shrugged.

  “I guess. But I don’t see Elaine sneaking around in the dark when she could just ask Michelle to let her in.”

  Allison gritted her teeth. It took every ounce of her willpower not to blurt out that not only was Elaine extremely adept at sneaking around in the dark, she’d actually killed Michelle’s son and daughter-in-law while doing so. Michelle was the last person Elaine would beg a favor from because she was more likely to strangle her than help her.

  Not to mention, Elaine wasn’t scared off—she’d opened the door and helped herself to not only Allison’s possessions, but also her memories.

  “I don’t have time to stand around and speculate,” she
snapped. “I have to wash this stupid dog again.”

  Myra’s face fell. She was clearly stung by Allison’s tone. But Kara just nodded matter-of-factly. “We’ll get out of your hair.” She held up the little baggie with the gem and added, “I’ll let you know what comes of this. Might have to swing by so you can sign the prowler report.”

  Allison nodded, shame creeping up her throat as Myra silently turned and stiffly made her way through the garden and out the gate to the sidewalk. It wasn’t Myra’s fault that she only knew the best of Elaine. Elaine had made sure of that.

  “Thanks for brunch,” she called awkwardly at Myra’s back as she stepped into the street, headed for the driver’s side of her truck. Willow came up beside her and leaned against her leg comfortingly. Allison stroked the dog’s head, grateful for the gesture of kindness. “And I’m sorry for flaking. Really.”

  Myra nodded at her across the hood, her face slack and sad. She started to get in, then paused. “Baby girl?”

  Hope surged to replace the shame. “What?” she croaked.

  “You don’t have to wash her again. Just wait for her to dry and brush her out. You’ll see—the dirt just doesn’t stick.” Myra ducked into her truck and drove away before Allison could thank her.

  Chapter 29

  Myra was right—as usual. Willow brushed out beautifully into a fluffy cloud, pure white except for her gray mask. Allison tied a big bow to her collar and walked her over to the feed store, feeling like she was in some kind of parade judging by the number of people who recognized Willow and honked as they drove by. Some dogs might get nervous if cars blared their horns at them every fifteen seconds, but Willow seemed to eat it up, barking joyfully at each car in response.

  Rachael met her in the gravel parking lot and began cooing immediately as she ruffled Willow’s fur in greeting. “Oh, you did such a nice job with her. Too good, maybe. We don’t want people thinking she’s a show dog. She’s a farm dog. If she’s too clean, they might—”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Allison chuckled as she watched Willow flop over and roll on the rocky ground. When she stood up again, the right side of her body was tinged gray by the dusty gravel.

  Rachael clapped her hands and laughed, her cute blond ponytail swinging. “Perfect! Miss Willow has five families in line already, so let’s get her inside.”

  “Only five?” Allison asked as they headed inside.

  “There were fifty applications.” Rachael widened her eyes as though she herself didn’t believe it. “I just picked the best ones. At least I hope they’re the best. You never can tell on paper, can you? I mean, you can weed out some loonies and some looky-loos, but there are some things you just need to see for yourself. Keep an eye on these folks while they interact with her and let me know at the end who you think would be the best fit.”

  “I have to choose?!” Allison had assumed Rachael would do the choosing.

  “Who better? You rescued her, you tracked her down in the woods, you’ve helped her gain a few pounds.”

  Allison grinned. “It’s all the peanut butter.” She’d gained a couple pounds from eating peanut butter lately, too.

  Rachael gave Willow’s rump a few firm pats, making Willow swish her huge, feathery tail with happiness as they headed to the front corner that had been roped off for the meet-and-greet. Three folding chairs were set up on the polished concrete with a bamboo screen around them.

  On the other side of the screen, a line of nervous-looking people stretched along the shelves that were piled high with bags of dog food. Allison spotted some familiar faces among them, although they all were too distracted by Willow to notice that she was the one holding the other end of the leash. Willow recognized someone, too—she strained on the end of the leash, panting and whining, toward Julio where he stood in line.

  “Hey, Julio!” Allison said, pausing so he could give Willow a scratch behind the ears.

  He looked up in surprise and adjusted the collar of his lavender, button-down shirt. “Oh, hi, Allison. I hardly recognized you outside of work.”

  “I could say the same. You’re looking so sharp!” She grinned at him. Julio always looked nice—he was the kind of guy who always had a fresh haircut and a neat shave, even when he grew the occasional goatee—but he always wore scrubs to Golden Gardens. Carefully ironed scrubs, but still. It was a little shocking to see him in a shirt with buttons and trousers that didn’t have an elastic waist—trousers that Willow had already coated in a layer of fur, she noticed.

  He flushed. “Thanks. I can’t really take the credit.”

  The man standing beside him, a thirty-something guy a head shorter than Julio, with olive skin and dyed-silver hair, butted in. “He’s not allowed to make wardrobe decisions alone. You know he wears Crocs five days a week.”

  “I have to for work!”

  Allison giggled. “Is this a friend of yours?” she asked Julio.

  He flushed slightly and grabbed the man’s hand. “Boyfriend, actually.”

  “Fiancé,” the man corrected.

  Julio rolled his eyes. “Until I get a proposal and a ring on this finger, it’s boyfriend. Allison, this is Brandon. Brandon—Allison.”

  Brandon’s eyes widened. “Ooh. Is this the one with the husband who can’t—” he broke off when Julio elbowed him in the ribs. He grimaced at Allison. “Sorry, I just thought you were going to be older. You know, like really old. But you’re what, thirty-two at most?”

  Allison couldn’t help giggling at the compliment. “Marry this one. Ring or not. I’m serious.” She winked at them over her shoulder as she led Willow behind the screen and found her seat.

  Once she and Willow were settled, Rachael brought in the first potential adopter—not Julio and Brandon, but Leroy Gauss of all people. Rachael consulted the paper on her clipboard, presumably Leroy’s application to adopt Willow. “You have some acreage, right, Sheriff?”

  Leroy nodded as he ran his hands through Willow’s fur, feeling along her spine to her hips. “Fifty acres to be exact, plus I manage a few other parcels for out-of-town folks. I run sheep on ’em mostly.”

  “So they’re fenced, then?” Allison asked. She didn’t like how rough he was being with Willow as he manipulated her rear legs, drawing each one back as far as it would go as he assessed her physical health. “She’s a bit of a runner, so she needs a fenced yard.”

  He frowned at her, pausing his examination. Willow tucked her tail and leaned away from him. “Fenced for sheep. I guess a dog could hop it if it had a mind.”

  “I think she’ll stay with her flock once she learns where home is,” Rachael said reassuringly. “It’s in her blood.”

  Leroy squinted at Willow. “She purebred Pyrenees? Don’t look it.”

  Allison snorted. “You want a purebred dog, you go to a breeder.”

  “Not interested in paying purebred prices, though,” Leroy said, smirking. “I just want a dog who’ll do the job.”

  Rachael bit her lip and took the end of Willow’s leash from Allison’s hand, then offered it to Leroy. “Why don’t you take her on a spin around the store?”

  He shook his head. “No need. I don’t care one way or another how she walks on a leash.”

  “She’s great on a leash,” Allison said defensively, even though she already knew she didn’t want Willow anywhere near the sheriff and his sheep.

  “We’ll get back to you when we reach a decision, Leroy,” Rachael said politely.

  “I can pick her up tomorrow,” he said on his way out, pointing at the dog.

  Willow slunk behind Allison’s chair and Allison reached back to rub her chest. “Don’t worry. I won’t let him have you,” she murmured, forgetting for a moment that Rachael was standing there.

  Rachael took a deep breath and let it out again. “I know he’s rough around the edges but keep an open mind. This is about the best fit for Willow, not us. We don’t have to like the person. If I only adopted dogs to folks I liked, I wouldn’t be in the busine
ss of dog rescue. I’d just be a dog owner!”

  Allison grinned at her. “Point taken. Leroy’s sheep would be good company even if he’s a miserable old—”

  Rachael cleared her throat and inclined her head toward the screen, reminding Allison that the other adoption prospects were just on the other side. “I’ll grab the next family.”

  She returned a second later with an older couple who doted on Willow for a few minutes and then took her out to the parking lot on the leash for a walk around the building.

  Rachel scanned their application while they were gone. “These two look good. Both retired. They have a nice fenced backyard and a handful of grandchildren for Willow to tend.”

  “She does like children,” Allison said, thinking of how Willow let Taylor hang out with her even while she was enjoying a fresh butcher bone. “And someone home all day would keep her from just barking her head off.”

  “Or digging her head off.” Rachael giggled. When the couple returned, she gave them the spiel about when they’d choose a family and then came back with Julio and Brandon.

  Willow lit up when she saw Julio, whimpering and bouncing. Rachael raised her eyebrows. “Wow, she likes you. She hasn’t done that for anyone else.”

  Julio shot Brandon a look as he stroked Willow’s ears. “See? I told you she loves me.”

  Brandon tilted his head, pursing his lips slightly. “Baby, sometimes love just ain’t enough,” he said. “I don’t know about all this fur. We’ll need some way to keep it out of the shop.”

  “At least the fur is white,” Julio said defensively. Then at Allison’s quizzical expression, he explained, “Brandon owns a bridal business. Gowns, floral design, photography, the works.”

  “You didn’t fill out the part about the fenced yard,” Rachael said, frowning at her clipboard as she scanned Julio’s paperwork. She seemed puzzled that she hadn’t already discovered the gap in the application.

  “I emailed you about it, remember?” Julio said quickly. “Right now I’m in an apartment, but Brandon has a yard. Once I move in—”