by Laura Scott
Not again. The man must have heard Roxy’s growl, because he jerked and smacked his head against the edge of the door.
She heard a muttered curse, then the guy began to run.
A burglar?
“Hey! Stop!” Ally called out. Roxy strained against the leash, and following the guy seemed like a good idea.
She let Roxy take the lead, although keeping up while wearing ridiculous flip-flops wasn’t easy. The damp grass made her slip and slide. “Hey!” she shouted again. “Don’t make me call the police!”
Why wasn’t she calling the police? Oh yeah, because she hadn’t brought her phone with her. This was just supposed to be a quick bathroom break for the dog, not a cross-country marathon in inappropriate footwear.
The brown-haired guy was dressed in jeans and a short-sleeved tan polo shirt. That was all she could tell from the back, and she hadn’t gotten a good look at his face from the front.
He darted between two houses, disappearing from view.
Roxy and Ally followed, but when they came out from between the two properties, she stopped abruptly upon reaching the street.
There was no sign of the guy.
“Which way, Roxy?” Ally asked between gasping breaths. Her toes ached from trying to keep the stupid flip-flops from flipping and flopping right off her feet.
Roxy lifted her head, her nostrils quivering as she tried to pick up the guy’s scent.
“Well?” Ally asked, feeling impatient. “We don’t have all day.”
Roxy looked up at her, then back at the last place they’d seen the brown-haired man.
They’d lost him. And worse, Ally couldn’t even say for certain who he was and why in the world he’d been leaving Anita Jones’s house through the back door at six thirty in the morning.
A weird coincidence? A hot affair? Or was this all related in some bizarre way to Marty’s murder?
Chapter Twenty-One
Ally took Roxy back to the clinic, hobbling a bit as a stone had gotten between her bare foot and the bottom of her sandal, impaling itself in her arch. “We shouldn’t have come this way, Roxy.”
The dog trotted happily beside her, clearly thrilled with the extra time outside.
Who had the brown-haired guy been? And why on earth had he snuck out the back door like that? Okay, maybe she’d read books or seen TV shows where men having illicit affairs escaped because a spouse had come home early, but Anita didn’t have a spouse.
A burglar? That might explain it, except for the fact that it was six fifteen in the morning. Who burgled houses that early? Wasn’t that a nighttime activity?
The whole thing made no sense.
By the time she’d showered, eaten breakfast, and made it down to the clinic, it was ten minutes to eight. She donned her white lab coat and headed over to unlock the door.
Ten seconds later, it opened.
“My name is Mary Baker and I’m here for Toby to get his shots.” The woman looked to be Ally’s age, but Ally couldn’t place her from high school. Not that her memory was perfect by any means. Mary could be a more recent transplant to the area, although the younger crowd tended to leave small towns like Willow Bluff for the bigger cities of Madison, Milwaukee, and Green Bay.
“Of course, come on in.” Ally smiled at Toby, a white shih tzu that couldn’t have weighed more than four pounds dripping wet. Ally gestured to the exam room. “We can use the first room.”
“Great.” Mary stroked Toby’s white fur. “He hates coming to the vet,” she confided.
“Most animals do,” Ally said with a wry smile. “But it’s important to keep their immunizations up to date.”
“I know.” Mary gently set Toby on the table. The dog wasn’t trembling the way some did, and Ally hoped that meant he wasn’t as afraid of shots as his owner believed.
“Any problems or concerns?” Ally asked as she prepared the medication.
“No, he’s doing very well.” Mary lifted her hand to shield Toby’s eyes, explaining, “I don’t want him to see the n-e-e-d-l-e.”
Roxy knew the word walk, so it was possible Toby understood the word needle. Rare, but possible. Ally nodded. “Okay, hold him steady, and this will be over in a minute.”
She gave the injection and Toby let out several high-pitched yips, turned his head, and sank his teeth into Ally’s hand.
“Ouch!” Ally snatched her hand out of the way.
“That’s a good boy,” Mary crooned, oblivious to the blood welling from the bite marks on Ally’s skin. “Yes, you were such a good boy.”
Not that good, Ally thought, glancing at her injured hand. She disposed of the needle, then went over to wash her hands in the sink. It wasn’t her first dog bite and wouldn’t be her last, but usually animal owners apologized when their pets bit the vet.
Not this time.
“Okay, do you need anything else?” Ally asked with a forced smile. “Flea and tick medication?”
“No, I think we’re good there.” Mary was cradling Toby against her chest.
Ally led the way back out to the counter and went around to print the invoice. Mary’s credit card worked fine, and the woman was gone in a matter of minutes.
She slowly headed up to the apartment, needing more coffee. Between her sore foot and injured hand, this was turning out to be a less than stellar day.
Two cups of coffee and nearly an hour later, she was feeling better. She’d brought Roxy down to the clinic for company, since the place was empty.
Her phone rang and she quickly answered. “Furry Friends, this is Dr. Winter, may I help you?”
“Ally? It’s Erica. Listen, Tommy is sick so I’m not going to be able to do lunch today.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear Tommy is sick.” Ally smacked her palm against her forehead. She’d forgotten all about lunch with Erica. She’d been looking forward to reuniting with her friend.
And pumping her for information about Noah.
“Rain check?” Erica asked.
“Of course. Take care of Tommy.” Ally had no sooner hung up when the phone rang a second time. With a sigh, she braced herself when she recognized Gramps’ cell phone number. “Hey Gramps, what’s new?”
“YOU FORGOT TO COME GET ME!”
“Please don’t yell, and I thought we agreed that three days in a row was too much. I only had one appointment so far today and she’s already been here and gone.”
“WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE CASE.”
His shouting was giving her a headache. “Okay, how about Roxy and I come visit with you later this afternoon?” Ally planned to close early, especially if she didn’t get any additional calls. “We can talk more then.”
“WHY NOT COME FOR LUNCH? HARRIET WON’T MIND.”
Very tempting, but Ally refrained. “I’ll stop by after lunch, Gramps. I need to run a few errands, anyway. I’m out of people food and dog food.”
There was a long silence as he digested that bit of information. She could tell her grandfather didn’t like the idea of her going off on her own. He wanted to be there with her if she stumbled across any clues.
Although she wasn’t sure why he was worried. Gramps was the one who managed to get suspects to talk, not her.
All except for Kevin Kuhn.
“SEE YOU LATER, THEN.” Gramps thankfully disconnected.
Ally sat back in the chair. Later, she’d have to fill Gramps in on how she and Roxy had chased after the guy they’d seen leaving through Anita’s back door. Sure, Roxy had growled at the guy, but lately she seemed to be growling at several people. Cars, too.
Making it difficult to believe the dog actually knew who’d killed Marty.
As much as Ally hated to admit it, Noah might have been right about that. Roxy wasn’t a trained police dog, and maybe there was a certain category of men she just didn’t like in general. Like smokers, or those who wore a certain kind of cologne.
Now that she thought about it, Ally remembered smelling smoke last night as she approached the narr
ow opening between the two buildings. That might be an interesting clue. Did Sheila’s boyfriend, Nick, smoke? And what about Eli White or Kevin Kuhn?
“I wish you could talk, Roxy.” She smoothed her uninjured hand over Roxy’s soft fur. “At the rate this case is going, we’re never going to figure out who killed Marty and why.”
After another hour had passed without a single phone call or walk-in, Ally decided to lock up and go to the grocery store. It had been two weeks since she’d bought any food, but thanks to the recent uptick in clients, she had enough cash to get something other than mac and cheese from a box and ramen noodles. Not to mention top-of-the-line dog food for Roxy.
“Sorry, Roxy, you can’t come with me this time.” She took the dog outside briefly, then left her in the apartment.
The grocery store wasn’t far, but it was more crowded than she had anticipated. Ally took her time going through the store, choosing meats and veggies she could make into simple meals.
Cooking was not her forte, certainly not like it was Harriet’s.
The fifty-pound bag of dog food barely fit along the bottom of the cart. She went through her mental list, then took her place in line. Ally was surprised to find Rosie Malone standing in front of her. For a moment, Ally wondered again about Gramps’ claim that Rosie had lied about knowing Marty.
“Good morning, Rosie,” Ally said in a cheerful voice. “How are you?”
Rosie turned and looked flustered. “Oh, uh, Ally, right? Oscar’s granddaughter? I’m fine, thanks.”
Ally couldn’t think of a subtle way to ask about Marty, more proof she hadn’t inherited Gramps’ interrogation techniques. “Remember when Gramps and I stopped at the library and asked about Marty?” She blurted.
Rosie stiffened. “Yes, but I already told you I never spoke to him.”
“Yeah, but the thing is that Gramps remembered seeing you talking to him at the library counter less than a week before the murder.”
Ally’s blunt statement caught Rosie off guard. Her hand fluttered to her throat. “I’m sure Oscar was mistaken.”
“Really? That’s your story?” Ally shook her head. “You know as well as I do that Gramps is as sharp as a tack. If he says he saw you and Marty together, then that’s what happened.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. Oscar is wrong,” Rosie insisted, her gaze darting around the grocery store. “Excuse me, I seem to have forgotten the ravioli.”
Before Ally could say anything more, Rosie left the line and walked briskly to the noodle aisle. Ally briefly considered following her but figured the woman would just continue to deny everything.
Interesting, though. Rosie’s odd behavior convinced Ally that the woman had indeed spoken to Marty before he died.
But why? Ally knew people only lied to cover up something they didn’t want anyone else to know.
What was it about her meeting with Marty that Rosie didn’t want anyone to discover?
* * *
Ally and Roxy arrived at the Legacy House just after the widows had finished eating lunch. Lydia was sitting in the living room with her injured ankle propped up on the ottoman, while Gramps, Ally, and Roxy made their way outside.
Harriet hadn’t said a word about Roxy being in the house, but Ally thought it best not to push her luck.
“Hey, Gramps.” Ally embraced her grandfather and then took a seat beside him. Roxy greeted him enthusiastically, too, wagging her stumpy tail as Gramps scratched behind her ears.
“Slow day at Furry Friends, huh?” Gramps asked. Then he frowned. “What happened to your hand?”
“Toby.” She rubbed the bite marks, hoping she wouldn’t need to go on antibiotics. “A white shih tzu I immunized this morning.”
Gramps shook his head. “You get bit a lot, don’t you?”
More than she should. “Yeah, but I’m fine. Things at the clinic have definitely been looking up.” She paused, then added, “What do you know about Anita Jones’s private life? Is she seeing anyone? A particular guy she’s been spending a lot of time with?”
“Not that I know of, but we could ask Lydia. She talks to Anita more than I do.” Gramps’ keen blue gaze narrowed. “Why do you ask?”
Ally filled Gramps in on her early morning walk that ended up taking her to Marty’s house and the man she’d seen escaping out the back door of Anita’s house.
“Curious indeed,” Gramps murmured.
“I also ran into Rosie Malone at the grocery store. I flat-out called her a liar, but she still insists you were mistaken and that she never spoke to Marty.”
“I’m not wrong, I know what I saw,” Gramps said firmly. “But that’s not nearly as interesting as a man sneaking out of Anita’s house. What do you think that was about?”
“No idea.”
“You didn’t get a good look at him?” Gramps asked.
“No. Brown hair, not as tall as Noah, medium size, on the thin side.” She shook her head. “I hate to say it but could have been anyone.”
“I should have been there.”
She shook her head. “I’m telling you, if it wasn’t for Roxy half dragging me to Marty’s place at six in the morning, I would have missed seeing him coming out through the back door.” She rested her hand on Roxy’s head. “Poor girl misses Marty more than I realized.”
“Hrmph.” Gramps clearly held no such sentiment toward Marty Shawlin.
“What do you think, Gramps? Is Anita having a hot fling? Or were the two of them talking about how to continue covering up Marty’s murder?”
“Good question.” Gramps nodded thoughtfully. “I’m going with covering up murder.”
No surprise there.
“Lydia?” Gramps called loudly.
“What do you need, Oscar?” Lydia shouted back from her perch on the living room sofa.
“Don’t yell back and forth, I’ll go inside and ask about Anita.” Ally opened the screen door and stepped inside. “Hi, Lydia, sorry to bother you, but do you happen to know if Anita Jones has been seeing anyone recently?”
Lydia’s fingers wielded her knitting needles like tiny swords. Her brow furrowed. “No, dear, not that she’s mentioned. Why?”
“I was just curious. Thought I saw a man leaving her place early this morning.”
“Really? I’d think if Anita had a man in her life, she would have confided in me. We used to volunteer at the hospital together and became quite friendly.” Lydia’s brow furrowed, and her snow-white curls bounced as she bobbed her head. “I’ll have to check with my sources, see if I’ve missed something along the way.”
“If you do find out she has a new man in her life, will you let me know?”
“Of course, dear.” Lydia frowned. “But surely you don’t think Anita had anything to do with Marty’s murder?”
“Probably not, but you never know.” Ally flashed a smile and was about to leave, when she turned back to Lydia. “You mentioned you and Anita were friends. Was she also close to Marty? I’m just trying to figure out why Anita referred Marty to you and the others around town.”
“Anita had a kind heart,” Lydia said with a hint of defensiveness. “I believe she truly wanted to give Marty a helping hand since he had financial troubles after his divorce. If Marty’s business wasn’t legitimate, that was hardly her fault.”
“Yet Anita insisted she wasn’t a client of Marty’s,” Ally pointed out.
“Yes, she was, dear,” Lydia corrected. “She specifically told me she was impressed with Marty’s work.”
Really? Ally didn’t remember Lydia mentioning this information during her conversation with Noah, but Anita being Marty’s client was exactly what she and Gramps had suspected. She nodded and headed back out to the patio to sit beside Gramps. “Lydia’s going to see what she can find out. Oh, and she confirmed that Anita was Marty’s client.”
“I knew it.” Gramps rested his hand on Roxy’s back. “We’ll need to question her again. Not just about Marty’s business dealings, but about the guy
who snuck out of her house this morning.”
“We can’t ask her that, Gramps, she’ll kick us out.” She shook her head, knowing all the charm in the world wasn’t going to help Gramps get the information he wanted from Anita. Especially if the woman was having some sort of hot affair.
Her cell phone rang. Seeing Noah’s name on the screen made her stomach do a funny little flip. She ignored it. “Hi, Noah, what’s up?”
“Where are you? I’m at the clinic, but it’s locked up tight.”
He’d come to see her? Her stomach did another flip. “I’m at the Legacy House sitting on the patio with Gramps, why?” She straightened in her chair. “Do you have a break in the case?”
There was a moment of silence, almost as if Noah was debating the wisdom of including Gramps, but then he said, “I’ll drive out to meet with you and your grandfather. Be there in a few.”
Before she could ask another question, he disconnected.
“Your detective is heading this way?” Gramps asked with a gleam in his eye.
She was too intrigued by what Noah wanted to tell them to be annoyed with the way Gramps kept referring to Noah as if he belonged to her. “Yeah. You think there’s been a break in the case?”
“Could be he’s made an arrest.” Gramps looked almost disappointed by the possibility. “Maybe someone else saw the guy leaving Anita’s house and reported it.” Gramps tipped his head to the side. “Which is what you should have done.”
“I didn’t have my phone with me. Besides, he left the house through the door, not a window.” And the thought of Noah showing up and seeing her in ratty sleep clothes, her hair a wild mess, and no makeup made her shudder.
“Still.” Gramps stroked his chin. “If he has made an arrest, I think Kevin Kuhn is our perp.”
“Perp?” Ally rolled her eyes. “You sound like a TV show detective.”
“Short for perpetrator,” Gramps added.
“I know what it means.” She considered secretly tampering with the TV in Gramps’ room but knew he’d only read more books then. Dateline had to be less gruesome than a book called The Evil Within.