by Laura Scott
“Sounds good, thanks, Tillie.” Ally waited until the widow went inside to lean toward Gramps. “Listen, how would you like to go to Gino’s for dinner?”
“Anything for you, Ally, but you know Harriet cooks for free,” Gramps pointed out. “No need to spend money going out.”
“Do you know who owns and runs Gino’s?” Ally kept an eye out for Tillie’s return. “The Ryersons. Gino and Helen Ryerson.”
“You wanna interrogate the Ryersons?” His blue eyes gleamed. “Sign me up.”
“Well, I was thinking we’d take Roxy around the restaurant, see if she growls at their scent, then have dinner and talk to them.”
“If we’re taking the dog, we should just have dessert, instead of a full meal. But why do you want Roxy to growl?” Gramps asked with a frown.
There wasn’t a lot of time, Tillie would be back any moment. “Roxy has growled at Officer Roberts twice now, maybe three times. I think it’s her way of warning us that he’s involved.” Tillie appeared in front of the patio doors. Ally jumped up to help. “We’ll do dessert then tonight, and I’ll fill you in on the rest later.”
Gramps took her cue and changed the subject as Tillie set their iced tea on the patio table. She drank her tea in record time, then stood. “I have to go, but I’ll swing by to pick you up at say six thirty?”
“I’ll be ready,” Gramps promised. “Although if you come early, you could eat dinner with us.”
She knew she shouldn’t, but she’d used up most of her willpower in dealing with Noah. “Okay, as long as Harriet doesn’t mind.”
“She always makes plenty,” Gramps assured her.
Yeah, that was the problem. Ally’s waistline was suffering from Harriet’s cooking. But getting the Ryersons checked off the list of suspects was important. And Gramps was right.
Why let perfectly great free food go to waste?
* * *
Harriet had a delicious Bavarian pot roast for dinner. It was so tasty Ally was having trouble believing Granny was a better cook than Harriet. Ally cut back on her portion, and thankfully didn’t need to unbutton her jeans this time.
“We have hot fudge sundaes for dessert,” Harriet announced when they finished.
“Um, we can’t stay, sorry.” Ally jumped up from the table, coaxing Roxy out from underneath. “Next time, okay? Thanks again for dinner, it was absolutely amazing!”
“Oh, but—” Harriet began, until Gramps interrupted.
“I’ll have some before bed. Ally’s right, we have to go.” He struggled to stand. Ally tucked her hand under his arm, helping him up.
“It’s not healthy to eat right before bed, Oscar,” Lydia said with a frown.
“Bah.” Gramps waved her off. “I’ll be fine.”
Once they were settled in her Honda, Gramps glanced at her. “Tell me more about Roxy’s growling.”
She kept a keen eye out for any sign of a truck following them. Then she filled him in on the incident outside the Lakefront Café and her subsequent conversation with Noah about Officer Roberts. “The only problem is that Anita didn’t say anything about referring Marty to anyone named Roberts.”
“Doesn’t mean Marty didn’t call on Roberts’s mother on his own,” Gramps said thoughtfully. “I like this theory, Ally. You did good work.” He glanced back at Roxy. “You too, Roxy.”
“Well, Noah isn’t completely sold on this theory, but I think he’s going to check it out.” She pulled into the parking lot of Gino’s Family Restaurant. There were a couple of trucks in the parking lot, but none that were dark red. “Ready? Let’s see what Roxy comes up with.”
“I’m ready. And after Harriet brought up hot fudge sundaes I’m surely in the mood for one. Think they have them here?”
“If they don’t, we’ll go back to the Legacy House,” Ally promised. “Harriet would be thrilled.”
“True.”
She gave Gramps a hand up and out of the car, gave him his cane, then took Roxy’s leash. “Come on, girl. Gramps, stay by the car, I’ll walk her around the parking lot first.”
“Why not just walk her around back—isn’t that where most of the staff go in and out?” Gramps asked. “I guess you could try her around the front door, too.”
Since he had a point, she headed first toward the front of the restaurant, staying off to the side as a young family came out. Roxy eagerly sniffed along the ground but never once growled.
Ally began to wonder if this was a waste of time, but since they were here, she headed around to the back of the restaurant. It wasn’t easy going, as the sidewalk was cracked and there were high weeds along the pathway. Good thing she had left Gramps waiting at the car.
Roxy again eagerly explored the area but, as before, never once growled. Ally spent more time than she probably should have and eventually gave up and came around to the front.
“Nothing, Gramps.” She pushed her wayward hair from her eyes. “Should we put Roxy in the car with the windows open and grab dessert? Shouldn’t take long.”
Gramps peered over her shoulder. She turned to see an SUV pulled into the parking lot. “Isn’t that your detective?”
She scowled as Noah stopped the car and slid out from behind the wheel. Enough already. He was dancing on her last nerve. “What are you doing here?”
Noah lifted a brow. “Be glad it’s not another officer from the Willow Bluff PD. A call came through on the scanner about a suspicious woman with a dog staking out the restaurant accompanied by an old man who was peering in car windows, and somehow I just knew it was the two of you.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Are you the police?” a deep voice asked from behind them. Ally glanced over her shoulder to see a tall, very rotund man, completely bald, waving a spatula in the air. “I want these two and that dog arrested for trespassing.”
“I’m Detective Noah Jorgenson from the Willow Bluff Police Department.” Noah’s smile told her he was enjoying this fiasco far too much.
“We’re not here to trespass,” Ally spoke up quickly. “I was just taking my dog out back to—um, you know, do her business.”
“On my property?” The spatula punctured the air. “That’s not right.”
His property? “You must be Gino Ryerson,” Ally said again, before Noah could jump in. “I’ve heard such great things about your restaurant. Gramps and I specifically came to check out your desserts.”
“We did,” Gramps agreed, coming up to stand beside her. He eyed Gino curiously. “Nothing wrong with that, is there?”
Gino waved the spatula at him. “Why were you looking into car windows? Planning to find one to steal?”
“While it’s still light out?” Gramps countered. “Who would be so stupid?”
“Enough,” Noah said in an authoritative tone. “Mr. Ryerson, I don’t think they meant any harm. Mr. Winter, Dr. Winter, maybe you should head home? Stop in for dessert another day.”
Gramps narrowed his gaze, and Ally knew he was furious about missing his chance to talk to Gino about Marty Shawlin. Sensing the alternative might be heading to jail, she put a hand on Gramps’ arm.
“Sounds good, Noah. Come on, Gramps. Let’s get our hot fudge sundaes at the Legacy House.” She shot an annoyed glance at Gino. “They probably don’t have them here, anyway.”
“I got plenty of ice cream and other desserts, too.” Gino swept the spatula through the air for emphasis, clearly unhappy she’d implied otherwise. “My Helen offers the best desserts in all of Willow Bluff!”
“Not as good as Harriet’s,” Gramps shot back. “See if I ever come back here!”
Ally groaned and tightened her grip on Gramps’ arm. “Let’s go,” she repeated loudly. “Come, Roxy.”
“You better go back and clean up after your dog,” Gino said. “She has to, right, officer?”
“Detective,” Noah corrected. His smile had faded and she wondered if that was a good or a bad thing. Deep down, she hoped Noah was getting just as frustrated with Gino Ryerson as sh
e was. “If the dog made a mess, she would have to pick it up.” Noah caught her gaze. “Did Roxy make a mess?”
“Nope.” She lifted her hand, even though she’d never been a girl scout. “I promise.”
“I believe you.” Noah lowered his voice. “Get your grandfather out of here, Ally. I’ll calm Ryerson down then follow you back to the Legacy House.”
She was totally on board with getting Gramps out of there, not so much with Noah following. Oh, the having-him-there-to-keep-them-safe part was fine, but she sensed Noah wasn’t going to take off and leave them alone once they arrived at their destination.
Urging Gramps toward her Honda wasn’t easy, but soon she had him settled in the passenger seat, with Roxy tucked in the back.
“I can’t believe the old fool called the cops on us,” Gramps muttered.
“He has a right to call for anything deemed suspicious, which apparently Roxy and I were. But why on earth were you looking into car windows?” Ally asked. “That might be what pushed him over the edge.”
“Not cars, trucks.” Gramps looked chagrined. “It was a truck that sent you flying into the ditch.”
“A dark red truck,” Ally corrected. “There weren’t any in the parking lot when we arrived.”
“There was a burgundy one that showed up just after you and Roxy walked toward the back,” Gramps said. “That was the one I was checking out, you know, just in case.”
In case what? Ally decided it was safer not to ask. She pulled into a parking space in front of the Legacy House and was helping Gramps out when Noah pulled in beside her.
“You want to tell me what that was about?” Noah asked.
Ally barely glanced at him. “We wanted dessert.”
“And you didn’t intend to interrogate the Ryersons about Shawlin’s murder?”
Noah knew full well they did, but she wasn’t going to admit it. “That would be interfering with your investigation, and we agreed not to do that, right, Gramps?”
Her grandfather grunted.
Noah stared at her for so long she shifted beneath the intensity of his gaze. It was almost as if he could see right through her, which wouldn’t be good, considering how attracted she was to him. “There’s no need to talk to them, I’ve already done that.”
She shrugged. “So?”
Noah scowled. “And why did you take Roxy to the back of the restaurant if she didn’t have to go to the bathroom?”
She shrugged. “She might have had to go, I can’t read Roxy’s mind.”
The muscle at the corner of Noah’s left eye twitched. “You were trying to use Roxy as some sort of scent tracker, weren’t you? Even though you know full well she’s not a trained police dog.”
Again, since he knew the answer already, there was no point in responding. “Here’s a question for you, Noah. Did you check with Officer Roberts about whether or not his mother had any business dealings with Marty Shawlin?”
Noah’s mouth thinned and, this time, he was the one who chose not to respond. She only wished she could see his eyes clearly in the twilight.
“Yeah, well, I hope you’re able to rule him out as a suspect. Come on, Gramps. There are two hot fudge sundaes in there with our names on them.”
Noah didn’t say anything as she helped Gramps inside, but she could feel his green gaze boring into her back. Shaking off the encounter, she listened as Gramps informed Harriet they’d returned for dessert. Harriet was thrilled and quickly dished up the ice cream topped with thick hot fudge.
Gramps was right. No way could anything at Gino’s possibly be this good.
“Need help at the clinic tomorrow, Ally?” Gramps asked. “I need to return a book to the library anyway.”
How was it Wednesday already? “Sure, I’ll pick you up in the morning.”
“What about me?” Lydia asked with a frown.
Ally didn’t want to put any of the widows in danger. It was bad enough that Gramps insisted on coming in. “Ah, maybe next week, okay? This one is almost half over anyway. And I don’t have that many appointments scheduled.”
“That will be fine.” Lydia waved a knitting needle at her. “Don’t forget.”
“I won’t.” Her sundae finished, Ally headed back outside, stopping short when she saw Noah still standing next to his SUV, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Now what?” She wasn’t in the mood for another round of twenty questions.
“Have you forgotten that a few short nights ago, you were run off the road after leaving here?”
“Of course not.” She yanked open the driver’s side door of her Honda. “What am I supposed to do, Noah? Stay at the clinic without coming to visit Gramps?”
“Visiting is one thing, taking him to Gino’s is different.”
“For your information, I’ve been keeping a close eye out for any trucks with square headlights, dark red or otherwise. The last thing I want is for my grandfather to be hurt.”
Noah pinched the bridge of his nose, then let out a sigh. “I’ll follow you home.”
“Fine.” She was about to slide in behind the wheel, but stopped to ask, “The Ryersons have an alibi for the day of the murder, don’t they?”
Noah didn’t answer, but something in the way he stared at her made her feel that she was on the right track.
“I looked up their restaurant hours, they’re closed on Mondays but open Tuesday through Sunday, starting at six AM and staying open until nine PM. Marty was killed on a Tuesday morning.”
Still Noah didn’t say anything.
“Gino had a spatula in his hand, but I heard his wife Helen does most of the cooking. So you may want to be sure Gino didn’t slip out the back to kill Marty.”
“Gee, thanks. I wouldn’t have thought of that all by myself,” Noah said dryly.
“So you did clear them!” She felt certain he had. “Glad to hear it. Now you need to focus your efforts on Officer Roberts.”
Noah sighed. Since she’d made her point, she got into the Honda and backed out of the drive. Noah’s SUV stayed right behind her the entire way back to the clinic. She parked, took Roxy out from the back, and gave a half-hearted wave before heading inside.
Noah’s judgment of her actions cut deep. Had she been careless in taking Gramps to Gino’s?
Maybe, but at the same time, she knew Gramps wasn’t going to let the murder mystery go. It was too much like having a Dateline episode happening right in his own backyard.
She needed to figure out a way to keep him safe, while allowing him to satisfy his insatiable curiosity enough to prevent him from going off on his own to do whatever he wanted.
Talk about walking a tightrope. Leaning too far one way or the other could be disastrous.
* * *
Wednesday morning was cloudy after a predawn early morning rain. She took Roxy outside and made a mental note to call Sheila Young again. If the woman wasn’t going to pick up Roxy, fine, but Ally wanted to know one way or the other.
“It’s not so bad here, is it, girl?” She asked, scratching the area behind Roxy’s ears.
Roxy’s answer was to lick her.
Forty-five minutes later, Ally was on her way back to the Legacy House to pick up Gramps. She’d figured they’d end up eating lunch on the patio at the Lakefront Café if it didn’t rain.
Gramps was eagerly waiting when she arrived. She frowned. “Where’s your library book?”
“Almost forgot.” Gramps thumped his way into the living room to grab The Evil Within. “Got it.”
She eyed it warily. “Was it any good?”
“Gruesome,” he said honestly. “Yet I find it interesting how these criminals eventually slip up and get themselves caught.”
She helped Gramps into the Honda. “So far Marty’s killer hasn’t slipped up.”
“He or she will,” Gramps assured her. “They always do.”
She wished she could be as certain but let the matter drop. Keeping her gaze focused on the traffic around her, she was glad th
ere were no more signs of a dark red truck with square headlights.
After Gramps was settled behind the desk, she set a slip of paper in front of him. “Remember, name of the owner, name of the pet, and a phone number, okay? No more t-po’s shorthand.”
Gramps squinted at the note. “I’ll try.”
Ally’s first appointment of the day was grooming a Scottish terrier named, of course, Scotty. He was not happy with the entire process and nipped Ally’s finger.
Still, she finished him up and went out to the front desk to make sure Scotty was caught up on his shots. Gramps eyed her bandaged index finger.
“He got you?”
“No, the Band-Aid is a fashion statement.” She scooted behind him to use the computer, grateful to note that Scotty was up to date. His vaccinations were also due in a few months, so she made a reminder note to keep track.
It was nice to know some money would be coming in down the road.
The phone rang and Gramps answered it. “Yes, she’s here.” He handed over the receiver. “Some woman wants to talk to you.”
So much for name of the client, their pet, and a phone number. Ally forced a cheerful tone. “This is Dr. Winter, how may I help you?”
“Do you realize that Brutus is the father of Patsy’s puppies?” A shrill voice asked.
“Um, no, I didn’t know that.” She quickly placed the name of the caller. “Ms. Granger, I can’t force pet owners to get their dogs neutered and spayed. I haven’t met Brutus yet.”
“He’s a GREAT DANE!” Wendy’s shrill voice rose an entire octave. “You have to do something! Having his puppies will kill her!”
Ally strove for patience. “Ms. Granger, I promise that Patsy will be fine. Dogs have mixed-breed puppies all the time, and Great Danes have been bred with Labs before, they call them labradanes. But if you’re that worried, you can bring Patsy in for an ultrasound in a week. I can use that to estimate the size of her puppies.”
There was a long pause as she digested that information. “Are you sure she’ll be okay?”
“I’m sure. Would you like an ultrasound?”