by Laura Scott
“There, there,” Gramps said, patting Ginny’s shoulder awkwardly. “I’ll see what I can do to help, okay?”
“Thank you, Oscar.” Ginny sniffed and brushed the tears from her eyes. “You’re a wonderful man.”
Gramps beamed in a way that made Ally want to roll her eyes. These women shouldn’t be feeding into his ego.
“Take care now,” Ally said as Ginny lifted Taffy’s crate and headed outside.
“Don’t forget to call me,” Ginny said over her shoulder to Gramps.
“I won’t.” The minute the door shut behind her, Gramps slapped his hand on the countertop. “I knew it! Did you hear that, Ally? Sixteen hundred dollars? As far as I’m concerned, that’s motive for murder!”
Chapter Nine
Ally stifled a sigh. “Gramps, that’s not necessarily true. I mean, yes, that’s a lot of money, but enough to kill someone over? I’m not sure about that.”
Gramps waggled a finger at her. “You wait and see. Marty swindled the Whites and maybe others. Could be they all got together and plotted to do him in.”
“Well, if they had you’d think they’d have already tried to get their money back.” She glared at him. “I hope you didn’t raise Ginny’s hopes on that front for nothing.”
“I didn’t!” Gramps tried to look innocent but couldn’t quite pull it off. “After all, why wouldn’t they get their money back? They paid for services they’ll never get. His estate should pay them back plus interest.”
As much as she hated to admit it, he had a point. The door opened and a familiar little girl came in, cradling a robin against her chest. Blonde hair pulled into pigtails, scruffy shorts and a pink top.
Amanda Cartwright.
“Please help Robby, there’s something wrong with his wing.” Amanda’s large eyes were just as imploring as they had been when she’d brought Pepper in.
A stray cat and now an injured bird. Where in the world did Amanda keep finding these creatures? The kid was clearly a stray animal magnet.
“Listen, honey, I’m not able to help a wild robin—” She stopped abruptly when the bird suddenly broke loose and flew off, darting around the interior of the clinic.
“Oh!” Amanda exclaimed with joy. “Robby is feeling better!”
Ally ducked as the robin dive-bombed her. The wing was definitely not entirely up to par, but the bird was compensating for the injury with short flights. The robin darted into an open exam room.
Wrong way! She wanted the bird out of the clinic, not in.
“Amanda, open the clinic door so we can flush Robby out.” The sooner the better. Bad enough she still smelled like cat diarrhea, she didn’t want to add bird droppings to the list.
Ally went into the exam room and tried to convince Robby to go outside. The bird was sitting up on top of the supply cabinet. Ally waved her arms. “Shoo, shoo!”
The bird flapped its wings and took off, flying around the room and landing right back on the top of the cabinet. Probably figured it was the safest place to be.
Now what? She wasn’t necessarily an expert on birds. Sure, they covered parakeets, parrots, canaries, and cockatoos in her veterinary studies. Those were all birds that were more likely to become a pet.
Not robins.
Should she run up and get Roxy? Or Pepper? Ally rather liked the idea of getting the cat and dog to chase the bird.
“Shoo! Get out!” Ally jumped up and down, flapping her arms at Robby.
“What’s going on?”
The deep familiar voice made Ally pause her efforts to de-bird the room. She wanted to crawl into the corner to hide, but of course she didn’t. A glance over her shoulder confirmed Noah Jorgenson was standing there, watching her with a wide grin on his face.
If he called her Hot Pants … She ground her teeth together with an effort. Knowing she looked like a crazy woman, and smelled worse, she snapped. “I’m trying to get a bird out of here. Why, is that a crime?”
“No crime,” Noah agreed, the silly grin still on his face. That he was enjoying this at her expense only upset her more.
“If you’re not here to help, then get out.” She knew she sounded crabby, but this wasn’t her finest hour. “Shoo!” she yelled, almost as loud as Gramps had shouted into the phone. Robby dive-bombed her again, and then whizzed past Noah into the main part of the clinic. Relieved, she hurried after it, closing the exam room door behind her.
Ignoring Noah, she quickly closed the other exam room door and the one to the grooming suite. Glancing around, she found Robby flying from one corner of the room to the other, clearly trying to find the way out.
Didn’t the bird have instincts on where to find the outdoors? Would bringing Pepper down to chase it make things better? Or worse?
“Here, Robby, this way,” Amanda crooned. As if mesmerized by her voice, the robin darted past Ally’s head, dropped a poop right in front of her, then flew outside.
For a long moment, no one spoke. Risking a glance at Noah, she could see he was trying really hard not to laugh.
And why not? Despite her early annoyance, even she could see the humor in the situation.
She sighed and smiled. Noah bust out laughing, and Gramps joined in. Soon they were all laughing uncontrollably, to the point that Ally had tears in her eyes.
Why did this kind of thing always happen to her? The chemistry lab, the fire ants, and now this. She had no idea, but managed to pull herself together by taking several deep breaths. She stepped around the bird mess toward the little girl.
“Thanks, Amanda, but you’d better go find your mom so she won’t worry about you.”
“Okay. Bye!” The little girl disappeared back to who knows where she’d come from.
With any luck, the kid wouldn’t be back with a new stray anytime soon.
Noah sniffed the air. “Something smells …” He stopped when she glared at him. “Like a veterinary clinic.”
“Good one,” Gramps agreed with a wink.
Ally shook her head and opened the exam room doors. She found the cleaning supplies and went to work on the bird mess. “Did you come for a reason?” She asked Noah.
“Yes, I was going to give you an update on our investigation into the vandalism to your door.”
“Did you find the person responsible?” She could only hope.
“Not yet,” Noah admitted.
“Then what’s the update?” She tried not to show the extent of her frustration.
Gramps cleared his throat loudly. “Uh, Ally? The door guy is here.”
She sat back on her heels, and looked up at the man standing there, regarding her plastic-covered shattered glass door. Considering yesterday she was rambling around in the clinic by herself, today the place felt downright crowded.
He was early, but who was she to argue? She rose to her feet and set the cleaning supplies on the counter so she could join the door guy. She hoped he didn’t smell the cat diarrhea on her shoes. “Hello, I’m Dr. Winter. I appreciate you coming to fix this for me.”
“Sure, no problem.” The guy was roughly the same age she was but looked at Noah and Gramps with frank curiosity. “Name’s Max Joiner. I’ll get to work replacing the door, if that’s okay.”
“Perfect.” She turned back to Noah, ignoring Gramps’ keen gaze. “Thanks for stopping by, Detective. I appreciate the update.”
“You didn’t let me finish,” Noah protested. “We did get a couple of witnesses who heard the crash, followed by the sound of a loud car.”
“Like one with a muffler problem?” Gramps asked.
Noah lifted a brow and nodded. “Yes, exactly like that.” He turned toward Ally. “I came here to ask if you know of anyone who drives a car that needs a new muffler.”
That information made her frown. Had she heard the loud muffler? She couldn’t remember. Had Noah heard it? He’d been here inside the clinic when the door had been hit by the rock.
Max Joiner had taken the old broken door down and carried it away. She looked
through the open space to the street outside but couldn’t come up with anything.
“No, sorry.” Ally shrugged. “I’ve only been back a few weeks now, I don’t know that many people, especially not their cars.”
Noah turned to Gramps. “What about you, Mr. Winter? You’ve lived in Willow Bluff for a long time. Any particular car you remember as having a bad muffler?”
Gramps stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. “I can’t think of one at the moment,” he admitted. “But it’s something for us to keep an ear out for, isn’t it? If I come across a car with a bad muffler, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
Noah frowned. “Mr. Winter, as I told Ally, it’s best that you both leave the investigation to me.”
Gramps sat back in the chair and folded his arms across his chest. “I’m disappointed, Detective. I’d think you’d be interested to know what we’ve found out about a couple of Marty’s clients.”
The corner of Noah’s left eye began to twitch, and this time it was Ally who had to swallow the urge to laugh. Poor Noah was no match for her grandfather.
“Okay, Mr. Winter,” Noah said, the words seemingly forced through a tight throat. “You’re right. I would like to know what you’ve found out.”
Gramps’ blue eyes gleamed and he nodded. “Tell you what, Detective. I’ll tell you what I’ve found out if you reciprocate. I’m sure you’ve already interviewed Marty’s clients.”
The muscle twitched faster now, and Ally found herself stepping forward, putting herself between Noah and Gramps while holding her breath. At some point, Noah was going to lose his temper with her grandfather.
Not that she could entirely blame him. Gramps was walking along the edge and enjoying himself far too much.
“Just to be clear, Mr. Winter, interfering with a police investigation is a crime,” Noah continued. His tone was even, but his green eyes flashed fire. “I don’t care how old you are, if you continue to interfere, I won’t hesitate to lock you up for the duration of this investigation.”
“Enough,” Ally said, shooting a warning look at her grandfather. Max Joiner brought in a new glass door, fitting it onto the hinges. He was clearly listening, so she lowered her voice. “Tell him what we learned, Gramps. Or I will.”
Gramps sighed and filled Noah in on how Ginny White had initially denied paying Marty Shawlin anything, but then eventually confessed to forking over sixteen hundred dollars. Ally watched Noah’s gaze carefully, and once again caught a flicker of surprise in the green depths.
“Anything else?” Noah persisted when Gramps fell silent.
“No, that’s all.” Ally winced as the door guy hammered the pin through the hinge. “Right, Gramps?”
“Right.”
Noah gave a curt nod, spun on his heel, and edged past Max through the open doorway.
She let out a heavy sigh. “You better behave, Gramps. I don’t think Noah was joking about locking you up.”
“Bah.” Gramps flashed an impish grin. “Your detective is too smart for that. Look at all the help we’re giving him. Trust me, he’ll keep coming around to find out what we know.”
“Gramps.” Ally stared at him. What could she do? Other than keep protecting him.
“Oh, and by the way, Kevin Kuhn is bringing Lola in for her shots at two o’clock tomorrow afternoon.” His eyes gleamed with keen anticipation as he rubbed his hands together. “I can’t wait.”
She sighed. “You know tomorrow is Saturday, right?”
Gramps shrugged. “Who cares? A client is a client, you can’t be picky about that. And the clock on this investigation is ticking.”
* * *
Ally ran upstairs to change her clothes and her shoes. The shoes went straight out to the garbage, but she tossed her clothes and lab coat into the laundry before grabbing Roxy and returning to the clinic. Roxy greeted Gramps as if he were a long-lost friend.
Of course, now that she looked and smelled better, Noah was nowhere to be found.
“Did you decide on lunch?” She’d given Gramps the takeout menu for the sandwich shop two doors down.
“Meatball sub,” Gramps said. “You know, if we asked Harriet nicely, I’m sure she’d make us lunch. No need for us to eat out every day.”
“Maybe tomorrow.” Ally used the phone to order their meals, then glanced at Gramps. “Are you sure you’re up to working here two days in a row?”
“Ha! Trying to keep me away from Kevin Kuhn, are you?”
“No, Gramps, I just don’t want you to get worn down. Let me know if your hip starts bothering you. I can always run you back to the Legacy House.”
“Hurts whether I’m here or there, so what’s the difference?” He sounded cranky about it. “I’m fine staying in the clinic with you.”
She should have known he wouldn’t want to leave early. “Okay, listen, I’m going to pick up our lunch so that we’re finished by the time the Westie arrives.” She hesitated, not liking the idea of leaving Gramps here on his own. “You want to walk with me?”
“Nah. But take Roxy with you.”
“I’ll take her out for a quick bathroom break but leave her here with you for protection.” She liked that idea better. Roxy wouldn’t let anything happen to Gramps.
As Ally walked into the sandwich shop, she nearly collided with a man in his forties with brown hair. “Oops, sorry,” she said, trying to step around him.
“You’re the new vet, right?” The guy asked.
Was he a pet owner? She smiled brightly. “Yes, I’m Dr. Ally Winter, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Eli White, heard my wife brought Taffy in for a visit.”
“Yes, she did.” Her smile dimmed. Hopefully, Ginny hadn’t told him what a disaster that was. She eyed him curiously, wondering just how upset Eli White was about paying Marty Shawlin sixteen hundred dollars.
Was Gramps right about that being motive for murder?
“What happened to your door?” Eli asked. “I noticed it’s being repaired.”
Nothing stayed secret in a small town for very long. “Oh, someone threw a rock at it, but it’s no big deal. I’m sure it was an accident.” She didn’t want the townsfolk to think she was being targeted on purpose. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. White,” she said, edging around him.
“Nice to meet you, too, Ally.”
She frowned as she watched Eli White walk outside. He didn’t seem upset about the money he’d paid Marty, so maybe they should cross the Whites off the suspect list. The way he’d used her first name seemed a bit familiar, but then again, this was Willow Bluff, not Madison.
Whatever. She picked up the sandwiches and returned to Gramps. They ate behind the counter. The phone didn’t ring the entire time, but Ally decided to keep thinking positive. After all, she’d already had more business in the past few days than she’d had in the previous few weeks.
The only setback being the stupid vandalism.
Ally was grateful Max Joiner had the door repaired by the time Sophie, the Westie, arrived for her grooming appointment. The Westie was too cute for words, and very well behaved. Ally had grown up with a Westie and had a soft spot for them. If only all her four-legged clients were as sweet as Sophie.
Ms. Christman, Sophie’s mom, was pleased with how Sophie looked and rewarded Ally with a very generous tip.
Despite the minor incidents of Taffy’s untimely diarrhea and the frightened robin, this was turning out to be a fantastic day.
Ally took her phone upstairs to the apartment and coaxed Pepper out of hiding. She managed to get a decent picture of Pepper and went back downstairs to make flyers.
She didn’t mind hanging around with Roxy and Pepper, but if the cat was truly lost, it was only right she attempt to find the owner.
Leaving Roxy with Gramps, she went out and put up several flyers with Pepper’s photo big enough to grab someone’s attention: Found black and white speckled female cat, going by name Pepper. Call 555-2798 to claim her.
Feeling better, she return
ed to the clinic. Gramps was still seated behind the counter with Roxy at his side.
“Any more appointments?” She tried not to sound overly hopeful.
“Nah.” Gramps shot her a look. “But the word is getting out, right? That Westie woman sang your praises.”
“Thanks, Gramps.” He was sweet to be so supportive. She bent over to stroke Roxy’s fur. “Ready to call it a night?”
“Sure.” Gramps winced as he stood and reached for his cane. “We could stop at the Lakeview Café, see if anyone interesting might be around.”
“No, Gramps.” She wasn’t falling for that trick. “Harriet will have dinner waiting for you, and besides, we already have Kevin Kuhn coming in tomorrow with Lola. No need to go out and find the other clients.”
“Hrmph.” Gramps scowled. “Remember what I said about the first forty-eight hours? If we don’t find some leads soon, we’ll never solve this thing.”
She decided not to remind him that they weren’t the ones responsible for solving Marty’s murder, Noah was. “I know, but hopefully we’ll get something good from Kevin Kuhn tomorrow.”
“We better.” He looked annoyed. “We need to help that detective of yours find the murderer, and soon.”
It was all she could do not to roll her eyes. It was wrong to encourage him, yet it was clear Gramps had a way of making people open up to him. He’d proved that with Anita Jones and again with Ginny White. It might be interesting to see how Gramps did interrogating a man. She felt certain his charm wouldn’t work the same way on Kevin Kuhn that it seemed to with women.
Still, she didn’t have the energy to spend the evening wandering around Willow Bluff looking for the rest of Marty’s clients.
How was it possible her grandfather had more energy than she did?
Gramps and Roxy stood outside as Ally locked her new door. As they headed down toward Ally’s ancient Honda, Roxy began to growl.
A shiver snaked down Ally’s spine. She glanced around apprehensively, wondering what Roxy had scented. “What’s wrong, girl?”
The low, deep growling continued. Ally slowed to a stop, trying to identify what on earth had caught the boxer’s attention.