Dogged by Death

by Laura Scott

  “Yes.” Wendy didn’t sound happy about it. “I think it’s best to know how big the puppies are.”

  Ally reached over to borrow Gramps’ pen and paper. “What date and time works for you?”

  “Tuesday at one.”

  Ally painstakingly filled out the information on the paper as a way to show Gramps how it was done. “Okay, I have you down with Patsy at one o’clock on Tuesday next week, and what’s your phone number again?”

  Wendy rattled it off.

  “See you then.” Ally hung up the phone and gestured toward the slip of paper. “See? All set for an appointment next week.”

  “Hmm.” He didn’t look impressed. “When do you want to head over to the library?”

  She glanced at her watch. “We can leave soon. Now that the sun has started to peek out from behind the dark clouds, it would be nice to have lunch at the Lakeview Café.”

  “I was thinking we should go to the police station, see if we can find Officer Roberts,” Gramps countered. “He’s our top suspect at the moment.”

  “Yes, but that’s only because of Roxy’s reaction to him.” She rested her hand on Roxy’s head. “But we could be wrong, and Roxy might not like him for some other reason.”

  Gramps scowled. “That detective of yours isn’t giving us enough information. For all we know he could have cleared half the suspects by now.”

  “Speaking of which, I think the Ryersons are in the clear.” She recounted her brief conversation with Noah after leaving the Legacy House, and the restaurant hours.

  “Even if they’re not guilty, we still have Kevin Kuhn’s temper, Ginny and Eli White’s loss of sixteen hundred dollars, and Rosie Malone’s lie about talking to Marty.” Gramps summed up their investigation so far.

  “And Roxy’s growling at Officer Roberts.” She glanced at Gramps. “Feels like Noah should have someone in custody by now, I mean whichever one of them has a dark red GMC truck must be a person of interest, don’t you think?”

  “Maybe, maybe not.” Gramps blue eyes gleamed. “I’ve got an idea. Let’s leave now and stop in at the police station.”

  She’d thought he’d been joking about going there to see if Roxy growls again at Officer Roberts, but why not? It couldn’t hurt to try.

  They walked down Main Street, with Roxy in tow. It occurred to Ally that if Sheila ever did show up to claim the boxer, their star witness would be taken far, far away.

  Not good. She’d miss the dog. Ally would be willing to pay Sheila for Roxy, as long as the price wasn’t too steep. If Sheila was willing to sell.

  All the more reason to find a way to test her theory about Officer Roberts before that happened.

  Gramps was walking better than last time, making Ally realize that working two days in a row was likely too much for him.

  Ally opened the door of the police station, not surprised to find Barbara Sommers, the same clerk as last time, seated there.

  “You again?” Sommers sounded cranky and her scowl deepened when she saw Roxy. “I told you no dogs are allowed.”

  Gramps stepped forward, flashing a winsome smile. “I need to report a stolen vehicle.”

  “Another one?” Sommers shook her head. “What is this town coming to? Okay, what’s the make and model of the stolen vehicle.”

  “A GMC truck, dark red in color.”

  Ally sucked in a quick breath. What was Gramps doing?

  Sommers frowned. “That truck has already been reported stolen. Are you George Harrisburg?”

  Ally felt a surge of pride. Gramps had just proven the truck that ran her off the road was indeed stolen. No wonder Noah didn’t have a lead on their suspect.

  “No, I’m not George Harrisburg,” Gramps said. “Sorry for the confusion.” He turned away from the desk and winked at Ally.

  “Wait a minute. How did you know the truck was stolen if you aren’t the owner?” Barbara Sommers called out.

  “An educated guess,” Gramps shot back. Ally peered beyond Barbara Sommers, but there was no sign of Officer Roberts in the cubicles behind the glass. So much for testing Roxy’s growling theory, she thought as they headed outside.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” Ally said in a hushed tone. “You’d better hope Noah doesn’t find out.”

  “Find out what?” The deep rumbling voice from behind them made her freeze. Dread washed over her as she turned to face Noah.

  He was not the least bit happy to see them.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Nothing, we were just walking by, right, Ally?” Gramps tried and failed to look remotely innocent. “We’re having lunch at the Lakeview Café.”

  “Tell me what, Ally?” Noah repeated, glaring at her. He was so mad, he completely ignored Roxy wagging her stump of a tail as she nudged him, seeking attention.

  “N—nothing. As Gramps said, we’re having lunch at the Lakeview Café.” She tugged Roxy away from Noah, doubting she pulled off the innocent look either. Lying was not something she did well.

  Unlike her cheating ex.

  “You’re carrying a library book, but came out of the police station,” Noah pointed out.

  She stared stupidly at the book in her hand, having completely forgotten about it. She gave herself a mental head-slap. “Right. We were going to return this book to the library first, then have lunch.”

  “Yep,” Gramps added helpfully.

  “You know I’m going to find out why you were inside the police station,” Noah said in a warning tone. “You may as well tell me what you’re up to.”

  Since it was all too easy to imagine Barbara Sommers repeating their brief conversation, she let out a sigh and caved under the pressure. “We learned a dark red GMC truck was reported stolen.”

  “I pretended to be the owner, George Harrisburg,” Gramps added helpfully. He smiled with satisfaction. “Worked like a charm.”

  The eye twitch was back. “Just because a dark red GMC truck was stolen doesn’t make it the one used to run you off the road, Ally.”

  She scoffed. “Nice try, Noah. How many dark red GMC trucks are there in town, anyway? The entire population of Willow Bluff is barely four thousand people. I mean there can’t be that many of them, and the coincidence of the truck of the same make, model, and color being stolen and involved in a crime?” She shook her head. “No way.”

  The muscle twitched faster. “I told you I’m investigating the vandalism and you being run off the road. I need you to trust me.”

  That made her feel bad. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Noah, because I do. But you’re not filling us in on what’s happening, either.” She gestured to include Gramps. “Which is why we’re digging for information on our own.”

  “Because you don’t trust that I’ll get to the bottom of it!” Noah’s sharp tone caused her to wince. “In fact, your constant interference is getting in the way of my ability to solve Marty’s murder!”

  He’d never yelled at her before. She felt bad that she and Gramps had pushed Noah to his breaking point.

  “Don’t you yell at my granddaughter!” Gramps waved a finger in Noah’s face. “She’s been a victim twice now, and if you ask me, with your resources you should already have Marty’s murderer in custody.”

  Noah’s face reddened with anger. Ally grabbed Gramps by the arm, urging him forward. “He didn’t mean that, sorry, Noah. Come on, Gramps, time to go to the library to return your book. See you later, Noah. Have a great day.”

  Gramps took the not-so-subtle hint and went along with her toward the library. Noah didn’t say anything more, but she knew he was still furious with them.

  Although really, all they did was ask about a stolen dark red GMC truck. Why couldn’t Noah have shared that information? How confidential was it, anyway?

  If she was one of those who listened to police scanners, she’d have known that already.

  Hopefully Gramps wouldn’t decide to get one. Thankfully, he wasn’t tech savvy.

  And she wasn’t planning
to help him out in that regard, either.

  Returning the book didn’t take long, but Rosie Malone’s cool greeting was an indication she was still upset with Gramps. Which made Ally wonder again about the lie Rosie had told them about not knowing Marty or even speaking to him.

  Gramps was right about it being a silly lie. As a librarian Rosie must speak to half the population of Willow Bluff. Her talking to Marty wouldn’t necessarily mean anything.

  So why the lie?

  Roxy trotted meekly at Ally’s side as they headed to the Lakefront Café. The same hostess was there, eyeing Roxy with disdain, but went ahead and showed them to the same table Ally had used the night Roxy had growled and tried to go off after the couple, one of whom Ally still suspected was Officer Roberts.

  “My treat today, Gramps.” Ally gave him a stern look.

  He waved a hand. “Fine, but we need to come up with a plan.”

  “A plan for what?” She should have known Gramps wouldn’t listen to anything Noah had said. “If we keep pushing, Noah will make good on his threat to arrest us both. And I have a veterinary business to run.”

  “Bah. I don’t believe he’ll do any such thing.” Gramps peered at his menu for a moment, then set it aside. “We need a way to draw out Officer Roberts.”

  She ignored him, inwardly debating between the salad or the less healthy cheeseburger. The memory of downing Harriet’s hot fudge sundae made her determined to stick with the salad.

  After their server took their lunch orders—of course Gramps had the cheeseburger—and brought their glasses of lemonade, Gramps tried again. “Maybe we can stage a break-in at the Legacy House, forcing Officer Roberts to come check things out.”

  “Noah would be the one to come, not Roberts.” Ally sipped her tart lemonade. “And we’re not staging any such thing. Bad enough real crimes are happening, no need to make up additional ones.”

  “What’s your plan, then?” Gramps asked in exasperation. “We need some way to get him near Roxy.”

  She suppressed a sigh. “Gramps, why don’t we have a nice lunch and leave the investigating to Noah?”

  “Your detective hasn’t solved it yet, has he?” Gramps countered.

  “For all we know, Noah has Roberts in his sights. He might even be investigating the guy’s background, checking to see if his mother was indeed one of Marty’s clients.” And why was she sticking up for Noah? “Besides, we don’t have a lot of time to dawdle, I have a vaccination coming into the clinic at one thirty this afternoon.”

  Gramps fell silent, his expression resigned. He sulked, remaining quiet throughout their lunch.

  “Come on, Gramps. You’re killing me here.” Ally paid their lunch tab, closing the billfold with a snap. “If you’re going to give me the silent treatment all day, I’ll just drop you back at the Legacy House.”

  “I’m not giving you the silent treatment, I’m thinking.” Gramps avoided her gaze and struggled to his feet, shaking off her attempt to help.

  Yeah, but Gramps spending his time thinking was exactly what she was afraid of.

  * * *

  Ally had just finished vaccinating a chocolate Lab named Moose, when she heard the phone ring. It had been inordinately quiet again, but as she’d tallied up her business income the past two weeks, things were definitely looking up.

  “Ally? It’s someone named Sheila Young.”

  Roxy’s mom. Ally smiled at Marianne, who was still soothing Moose after his shot. “Excuse me a moment.”

  Ally hurried around the counter so she could take the phone from Gramps’ outstretched hand. “Ms. Young? I’m assuming you’re calling about Roxy?”

  “I’m still in Chicago,” Sheila announced.

  “Okay, does that mean you’re returning to Willow Bluff soon?” Ally wasn’t sure what the woman was getting at.

  “No, I’m not. I mean, I was there briefly to talk to that detective, but this trip wasn’t exactly a business trip, the way I told Marty. I met a man and have decided to relocate to Chicago permanently. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to be able to bring Roxy with me. Marty was supposed to keep her in the divorce, not me,” Sheila added, as if that explained everything.

  Had Noah cleared Sheila as a suspect? Otherwise, why had he let her return to Chicago? Either way, Ally couldn’t help but smile and reached down to pat Roxy, sitting tall beside Gramps. “Just so I’m clear, you’re telling me you’re not coming to get Roxy, ever?”

  “Exactly. You’ll just have to send her to the pound. Oh, and I’m not paying for boarding, either.” Sheila didn’t wait for a response but disconnected from the call.

  Ally had forgotten about telling Sheila she’d have to pay for boarding Roxy. She hung up the phone and did a quick little dance. “Guess what? Roxy is mine, Gramps. All mine!”

  “Congrats.” Gramps’ features softened into a smile. “At least now we can keep using Roxy to help solve the case.”

  “Gramps …” Ally shook her head. She gave Roxy another quick rub, then walked back over to the exam room. Marianne had put Moose on the floor, no easy task as Moose was, well, the size of a baby moose. “Any other health concerns about Moose?” Ally asked.

  “Nope.” Marianne held Moose’s leash as the dog tried to squirm out of the exam room. “He’s been fine. Thanks again for the reminder about his shots.”

  “Not a problem.” Ally couldn’t seem to keep the silly grin off her face, one that had nothing to do with the success of her reminder calls and everything to do with Roxy.

  They walked over to the counter. Ally handed Marianne the invoice and was relieved when the woman’s credit card went through without a problem.

  Moose strained at the leash in an attempt to get around the counter to Roxy, and Roxy whined in response. Marianne tugged Moose outside. Roxy pressed her nose near the crack in the glass and continued whining as she watched them leave.

  “You might need to get Roxy a playmate,” Gramps said without any sign of his earlier crankiness. “She’s lonely.”

  “One dog is plenty.” Ally gazed fondly at the boxer who was now hers forever. “Especially a great one like Roxy.”

  “Marty’s ex is still in Chicago, huh?” Gramps asked.

  Trust Gramps to get back to the murder. “She was in town briefly to talk to Noah, which makes me wonder if he’s cleared her as a suspect, but according to what she just told me, she’s staying in Chicago with some guy she met.”

  “A man?” Gramps raised a brow. “Maybe he was the one who did Marty in? Who gets the house now that Marty is dead?”

  “I have no idea. But it sounded like their divorce was final before the murder, so he could have left the house to anyone.”

  “Unless he hadn’t gotten around to changing the beneficiary in his own will.” Gramps smacked his hand on the table. “This could be a real clue! We need to get a look at who gets what’s left of Marty’s estate.”

  She eyed him wearily. “Don’t you think if Sheila was going to kill her ex-husband, she’d have done the deed before he became an ex?”

  “Not if she didn’t meet the new guy until after they got divorced. Hear me out. Sheila divorces Marty, finds a new guy, then realizes how much better off she’d be with Marty dead, so arranges to have him killed while maintaining her alibi of being in Chicago.” Gramps was warming to his theory. “Could be that she was banking on the fact that he wouldn’t have changed his beneficiary so quickly. They didn’t have any kids, right?”

  “How should I know?” Although she felt certain if there had been kids, Roxy would have ended up somewhere other than with her. “It’s a stretch, Gramps.”

  “Stretch? I think it’s a perfect setup. Who would suspect the ex-wife who was in Chicago during the murder?” His expression turned thoughtful. “Wonder if we should let that detective of yours in on this new theory.”

  “No, we should not.” Ally wasn’t planning to see Noah Jorgenson again until after he’d solved the various outstanding crimes. “Let it go, Gramps. And st
op watching so much TV.”

  “If only we knew her new boyfriend’s name,” Gramps mused, completely ignoring her comment. “You could try calling her back to ask?” Gramps suggested.

  “No.” Ally narrowed her gaze. “Even if I did attempt such a crazy thing, there’s no reason for her to tell me the name of her new boyfriend.”

  “You could say you need a formal agreement to transfer ownership of Roxy to you permanently, signed by both Ms. Young and her new guy.”

  Where did Gramps come up with this stuff? “Is that something you saw on Dateline?”

  “No, but it’s a good idea for several reasons.” Gramps began ticking them off on his fingers: “You have the agreement in writing, so she can’t come back and change her mind, you also have both of their full legal names on record and lastly you’ll have their address.” He spread his hands. “What more could you ask for?”

  Ally stared at him, at a loss for words. Was she crazy to consider his suggestion? Probably, but there was no denying that having a formal agreement in writing about Ally taking custody of the dog would be a smart idea. What if, a few months from now, Sheila broke up with the new boyfriend and changed her mind about wanting Roxy?

  Roxy got up from her spot next to Gramps and stretched. Then the boxer padded over to nudge Ally’s hand, no doubt needing a trip outside.

  “Will you be okay here for a few minutes, Gramps?” Ally took Roxy’s leash. “She needs to go out.”

  “I’ll be fine. But think about what I suggested. Knowing more about Sheila’s new boyfriend might be the key to solving the crime.”

  “Or just an invasion of privacy,” Ally pointed out wryly. “Come, Roxy.”

  “Think about it,” Gramps called after her.

  She ignored him. Outside, she took Roxy on their usual walking route.

  “I shouldn’t encourage him by going along with his latest scheme,” she told Roxy as they found a grassy area for the dog to do her business. “But now that I’ve gotten to know you over the past two weeks, I can’t bear the idea of letting you go.”

  Roxy pooped and Ally used the plastic bag as a glove to pick it up.