by Timms, Marc
Deanna had been right. Their home was not in the neighborhood of Jessica. Northside was a neighborhood of stately homes that had not received the care they needed. The turrets, the bay windows, and the richly decorated fireplaces had seen better days, as they now sported mold and cracked plaster.
When she saw the family at the door to the apartment building, Johanna texted Marnie to get into action.
“Welcome, welcome.” Carolyn had already helped herself to the libations. She was quite the lively hostess, when the family came into the apartment.
Deanna looked around the apartment, likely to assess the wealth of her hostess. “Nice place. Is Arthur here?” she asked. She strode to the kitchen and looked in, as though the two women might be hiding a man in the refrigerator or pantry.
“No, I’ve not met him,” Johanna said honestly. “I thought maybe you knew where he was.”
“Not hardly. He’s not going to tell me a thing about what he’s up to.” She laughed as she said this.
Zoe sat down with a drink she’d poured. Johanna only saw ice and what appeared to be bourbon, so she hoped that the liquids would make her guests more accommodating.
“We thought you would know more about Arthur, given the fact that he’s your boyfriend’s dad,” Zoe said.
Steven smiled too. “I’m sure that Carolyn will tell you that no one in the family trusts Arthur. Thomas runs a close second on that count.”
Johanna watched as Steven poured himself a tall glass of vodka, with two ice cubes.
“So none of you have any idea where Arthur could be?” Johanna asked.
Thomas’s wallet was lifted, and one of the nurses recognized a temp worker resembling his father. Carolyn piped up. “I’m sure he was at the hospital. We just don’t know where he is at the moment.”
All this subterfuge and conversation was mind-boggling. Johanna hadn’t planned on telling the cousins about Arthur’s presence in town, but now it was out in the open.
She had all but forgotten Marnie when the phone chirped, and she looked at the screen. Marnie had sent a dog emoji and a shaking head emoji. Penny wasn’t in their home. So she guessed that these people were right in suspecting Arthur, but that seemed so easy—too easy. In a scheme like this, it seemed likely that Arthur could be caught with the dog in his possession, which would get him in trouble. The person who had killed Jessica seemed far too savvy for such blatant missteps.
Were they dealing with two different people, one who was savvy and planned ahead, and another who acted on the spur of the moment? That would explain this situation, but why had the person killed Jessica if only to watch over the money left to a dog?
With Marnie’s message, the main point of the happy hour was gone. This branch of the family was not hiding Penny. That meant she was either at a kennel or with a friend. Much as she didn’t want to do it, Johanna would have to start calling kennels tomorrow and asking around about a Scottish terrier who came in.
She knew that she’d need more information about the dog before she made those calls. So she would have to pay a visit to Lilly first and see what she could share.
Chapter 3
The following day, Johanna went to see Lilly by herself. She immediately felt sorry for the older woman. The house was silent without the dog’s presence, and of course, Lilly was taking the blame for the disappearance.
“It’s just so horrible,” the woman said. “I miss her so much, and of course, I worry what will happen to her. She’s such a fussy eater, and she loves her routine. I can easily see her not eating because things are out of sorts.”
“Don’t worry,” Johanna said, “we’ll find her.” She wasn’t sure that she believed those words, but the idea had struck her yesterday that the dognapper was not as wily as Jessica’s killer. Perhaps they did stand a chance in finding the dog.
“I’m going to look around, but I need to know a bit more about Penny to do that. I can’t just bring home any Scottish terrier.”
The woman laughed, a little tinkle of a sound. Lilly stopped abruptly as though she realized that the dog was still missing.
“She’s six years old. They would classify her as brindle, which is when there’s a mix of black and brown. She has a white spot on her chest, which is not common, but it’s not unheard of. She loves peanut butter, so take some with you. If she smells it, she’ll bark or be at your feet in seconds.”
“Do you think that the person who took her knew about the peanut butter?” Johanna asked, wondering how she had been taken so quickly.
“It’s possible, but that would mean that the person who took her knew her well. That’s frightening. It would mean that I would know them too. I don’t want to think that anyone I know would hurt that poor little dog.”
Johanna patted the woman’s arm. “Don’t worry. We’re going to find her and bring her back. I promise.”
The other woman looked less convinced, which was how Johanna felt. However, she wasn’t going to make Lilly feel any more guilty for what had happened. She was putting herself through misery, thinking she’d let her friend and the dog down.
Lilly sent her off with several photos of the dog in hopes of identifying her at one of the kennels.
Johanna had only made it halfway home when she got a call from Carolyn. “You need to go to the hospital,” she said, without explanation. The line went dead before she could ask any questions.
She turned around the car and was at the hospital in just over ten minutes. Without a clear message from Carolyn, Johanna went into the room, expecting the worst.
However, Thomas was sitting up in the bed, looking rather chipper. “Well, hello. It’s good to see you, but I hope that you left your car at home.” He gave her a quick smile at his attempt at humor.
Johanna felt the stress leave her neck and shoulders. She hadn’t realized just how stressed she’d been at the vague news from Carolyn. She approached him and gave him a slight hug. She didn’t want to hurt him in any way, and she still wasn’t sure of the exact amount of damage that had been done to him.
“The car is totaled. You did a number on it,” she said, trying to keep the tone light.
“I’m glad that they didn’t do that to me,” he said. “Though I feel a bit totaled at the moment.”
“What did the doctors say?” Johanna asked, wanting to know how close to death he’d been. She had played around with the idea that the accident had been staged to make it seem as though he was innocent. Carolyn’s comments about her ex-husband and family had made her skeptical.
“Concussion, broken foot, broken ribs. They were concerned about me not waking up, but the tests have come back fine. Maybe I just needed a rest.” He shrugged. “I did want to thank you for all you did. The nurses said that you took care of all the details with the insurance and next-of-kin, that sort of thing. I guess my wallet must have been knocked out of my pocket when I was struck.”
Johanna must have made a face because Thomas continued in just a second. “What? I’ve never seen anyone make a face like that?”
Johanna went through the story of the missing wallet and his father’s role in its disappearance.
“My father’s here?” Thomas’s face dropped, as he heard that bit of news. “That’s not a good sign.”
“Carolyn told me,” Johanna replied, before remembering that the other woman was not just a member of the family, but his ex-wife. “There have been sightings, but I have yet to meet him.”
“She’s here too?” Thomas sighed loudly. “That’s never a good sign. What does she want?”
Johanna told him that whole story, even the part where she was staying at Johanna’s apartment.
“She didn’t waste any time, did she? Moves in on my estate and sets up camp with you, which means you can’t see me without her knowing it.”
“I thought I was being helpful,” Johanna protested.
“You were, and she took advantage of it.”
“Do you think that one of them—your father or Caroly
n—was behind the hit-and-run?” she asked, now worried that she was harboring an attempted killer.
“Not Carolyn. She’s manipulative, but she’s never that sneaky about it. You can see her motivations. She’s here because she wants to make sure that I get my share of the estate. After all, that means she can hit me up for a loan from time to time, if I become rich.”
“And your father?” Johanna asked, feeling that the answer was not going to be so benign.
“He’s another story. Could he have hit me with the car? Definitely, but he’d make sure I wasn’t alive, so he could get his hands on my money. He’ll be the hard one to find, though.”
“Carolyn thinks that he has Penny.”
Thomas nodded. “That’s quite possible. He’d just dress himself up as a vet tech or a dog walker, and he’d snatch her in a second. He’s good with disguises, so it’s hard to pinpoint him at times. He tends to represent people at the bottom rung of the employment ladder. Nothing is expected of him, and few people actually pay close attention to his appearance.”
“Like the contract aide here,” Johanna suggested. “What does he really look like?”
Thomas gave her an outline of what he would look like without the disguises. Johanna felt her stomach lurch, and for a moment, she thought she was going to pass out.
“What’s the matter?” Thomas said, leaning forward and guiding her to the edge of the bed. Johanna rested on the edge of the bed until she could think clearly again.
“So care to tell me what that was about? Though I have a good guess.”
“I think I’ve seen him before. Maybe twice,” Johanna said softly. “The man you described sounds very similar to the man I saw at the park.”
Johanna left and went home after getting Thomas settled again. He had admitted that his father could have killed someone—if the need was great enough. She agreed not to tell the police yet. The description was vague enough that many people could fit the description. Plus, Thomas worried that if the police were after his father, he might be tempted to dispose of the dog, which was well within the realm of his possible crimes.
That had left Johanna with the realization that it was even more imperative that they find Penny. Johanna needed help in getting through all the kennels in the area. She called Marnie from the car and asked her to meet at the apartment.
Johanna was feeling a bit hemmed in at the moment. She almost dreaded going home. Carolyn would be there, listening to every conversation and offering her advice, whether it was wanted or not. She felt as if Thomas’s family had adopted her. She was friends with the ex-wife, caretaker, all to a casual boyfriend. She met the rest of the family, who either had accepted her or called her names.
Under normal circumstances, it would be awkward, but these circumstances were anything but routine. Most of them had some criminal activity or crime planned. Right now, Johanna felt as though she was playing catch up to all of the crimes and potential ones.
She didn’t know where Penny was, which impacted the will and the inheritance of all the family members. She had no idea of the man's identity who had killed two women in the park, but now she had a sinking feeling that it might be Thomas’s father. And finally, she had no clue who had killed Jessica in a locked room, of all places.
She looked again at all of the crimes and determined that Penny was the key to solving the first and last crimes. She had to find the dog so that the most recent will would stay in effect. Learning who would fight her on that matter would probably give her clues to who killed Jessica. She had to believe the heiress and the people who benefited from a particular version of the will were related.
The phone rang, and Johanna looked at the screen. The police were calling. She answered on the second ring, just if they were calling to accuse her of any crimes. She wasn’t up for another round of questioning.
Detective Dempsey’s voice was clear and recognizable when she answered. “I’d heard you were looking for the dog,” he said. “We’ve found it.”
“That’s wonderful,” Johanna squealed, not caring that she sounded less mature with her behavior.
“You’re not going to think so when I tell you she’s dead.”
Chapter 4
Johanna had called Lilly after hanging up. The police had notified her as well. The little black dog had been rescued by the side of the road that morning. She’d been in bad shape without food and a flesh wound on her side. From what the vets could determine, an animal had attacked and bitten her.
However, even after the ministrations of the police and the vets, they had been unsuccessful. The little dog had died at the animal shelter. She’d had no tags or ID. It was only when they put the dog’s picture and description online that the police had noticed the animal’s profile.
Lilly wanted to collect the remains and give the dog a proper burial. She’d cried while talking to Johanna. She wanted a ride to the animal shelter because she was too emotional to drive. Johanna had thought about letting Carolyn or Marnie do it, but she wanted to say her goodbyes to the little dog as well.
Lilly was on her sixth tissue by the time they arrived at the shelter. The shelter employee tried to make small talk while he led the two women to the lab room. They’d made room for the dog in a quiet place so they could view her in peace.
Lilly was the first to notice the discrepancy. “There’s no white on her chest. Penny had a white mark that looked something like a star.” She made a sobbing sound.
“Then this isn’t your dog?” the man asked. He looked more puzzled than upset. “Whose dog is this?”
Lilly sniffled but didn’t use a tissue this time. She pulled a wad of cash from her pocket and handed several bills to the man. “I don’t know who that dog belonged to, but I know they’d want that poor little girl to be remembered properly. Can you do all the things that need to be done? I’m happy to pay, and I’m sure that when you find the owners, they’ll be consoled to know she was loved at the end.”
Lilly walked back toward the entrance without waiting for an escort. She didn’t stop until she got to the passenger side of the car. “That poor dog. I’m so sad for it and for the owners. That still doesn’t tell us where Penny is or who has her.”
“Not at all. Penny could be anywhere,” Johanna said, trying to think again where the dog might be.
“Not anywhere,” Lilly said. “Penny is quite the talker. She’s bossy, and she’ll tell you what to do. So you want to look for someplace where they allow dogs that bark frequently.”
“What if they don’t allow dogs that bark often?” Johanna asked, feeling an idea work up in her brain.
“Then they’d call the police, wouldn’t they? I never minded Penny barking when she was next door. It’s just a fact of life: dogs bark.”
“I have an idea,” Johanna said, feeling somewhat confident for the first time that she might actually be able to thwart one of the crimes being committed here.
When Johanna returned home, she stayed in the car and began to make plans. She called Detective Dempsey first.
“What’s the chance that I could get a list of recent noise complaints in the city?” Johanna asked without preamble.
“I take it that the dog was not a match?” he said calmly. Johanna was sure that he’d had his own share of clues that didn’t work out.
“Nope, but Lilly told me that Penny is very bossy and will make her displeasure known. I thought that Jessica was home with the dog almost all the time, so Penny would likely get used to having someone there with her. When she was alone, she’d likely get fussy and bark. Unless it’s a very secluded place, someone might have gotten tired of the barking and called the police.”
“It’s a good idea. We tried it already. The homicide squad went down the list and tried to find any dog that might match the missing Scottie, but no luck.”
Johanna cleared her throat. “I actually had a different idea. I was hoping to get the noise complaints for the last three months, and I’d cross out any addresses wh
ere the complaints started before this week. I was hoping that I could narrow it down to a few and try those.”
The detective paused for a moment. “That could work. We certainly didn’t go that deep into the search. Some of the higher-ups wanted us to look into this. The deceased had a great deal of money, and those cases always get attention. You wouldn’t believe the number of suggestions and eyes we have looking over our shoulders.”
“Is it okay if I stop by and pick it up?” Johanna asked. She was shocked by how easily the request had been accepted. She had expected far more pushback from the police.
“Sure. I’ll have it ready for you.”
When Johanna got to the station, she was met by Detective Dempsey. In the bright sun, she almost thought it was Thomas. She blushed for a second, to think that she had a type, since she found both men attractive. “Do you have a minute?” he asked. He really didn’t wait for an answer, but he led her to one of the interview rooms again.
“What is this?” Johanna said. She had no desire to go back into one of the claustrophobic, industrial rooms again. She’d spent three hours there the last time. Standing in the doorway, she debated on whether or not to enter.
“Look, we just want to show you a few photos and see if you recognized anyone. We’re still trying to find the guy who you say killed those women at the park.”
Johanna didn’t like the way that he put the onus on her. She had seen the killer, and he’d chased her nearly the entire way to the police station.
She sat down and waited for the photo array. Dempsey slipped it across the table and waited for her.
The array was impressive in that most of the men shown were close to what she’d described. They all had the same sandy brown hair and seemed to be of the right age. Yet none of them had a correct look in their eyes or the nasty sneer that she’d seen. Maybe the expressionless photos had wiped that away, but none of them were quite right.