Dogged by Death

by Laura Scott

  “What about Ginny’s husband Eli?” Ally couldn’t seem to get her mind off the murder either. “Last night was strange, wasn’t it? Roxy growling at someone, then Eli White suddenly calling off sick. And don’t forget his beat-up red Chevy.”

  “True,” Gramps conceded. “Although if Ginny was right about the cuckoo clock and wasn’t covering for him, he’s probably in the clear. Either way, you need to fill your detective in on everything that’s happened over the past twenty-four hours.”

  “Maybe.” She wasn’t so sure Noah wanted to hear their theory. At some point, both his eyes might start to twitch. She didn’t want to be responsible for bringing on a full-blown seizure. “But it won’t matter if he’s already arrested Marty’s killer.”

  “Kevin Kuhn,” Gramps repeated.

  Had the guy leaving Anita’s house that morning been Kevin Kuhn? Very possibly. Kevin and Eli both had brown hair and the same general build. It was difficult to imagine Kevin and Anita engrossed in a passionate affair, but then again, what did she know?

  Roxy leaped to her feet, her stubby tail wagging with excitement, moments before Noah strode into view. Ally hated to admit he was as handsome as ever, dressed in black dress slacks and a bright green polo shirt that matched his eyes.

  “Oscar, Ally.” Noah bent down to greet Roxy, running his hands over her golden-brown fur. “Hi, Roxy, have you been behaving yourself? No growling, I hope.”

  It was a less than subtle dig at her. Ally waved toward the empty chair. “Have a seat. I’m guessing you’ve arrested Marty’s murderer?”

  “What? Oh, no, not yet.” Noah actually looked discomfited by having to admit his failure in that area. “But I did get a chance to talk to Kimberly Mason. She admitted to hitting the golden retriever, Amos, and feels terrible about it. She’s more than happy to pay the vet bill.”

  “That’s a nice offer, and Mitch is the one she’d have to work with on that, but why did she take off after hitting him?” Ally asked.

  “Fair question. Apparently Kimberly used to work as the administrative assistant for Mayor Martha Cromlin. That morning, the mayor terminated Kimberly’s employment.”

  It was hard to be mad at someone who’d just lost her job. “I guess I can understand,” Ally agreed. “Although if it were me, I still would have stopped to make sure the animal was okay.”

  “I’m with Ally,” Gramps said. “Why did she lose her job, anyway?”

  “Apparently the mayor has a niece who needs a summer job.” Noah shrugged. “Family first, as they say. And Kimberly claims she didn’t realize she hit the dog at all. She was crying as she was driving, upset about being replaced by some fresh-faced college kid who doesn’t know the first thing about being an administrative assistant. She didn’t hear the thud, which is why she kept going.”

  Again, difficult to argue that.

  “Kimberly was working both the day the rock was thrown at Ally’s clinic and the day of Marty’s murder,” Noah continued. “Despite your concern about Roxy growling at the green Ford while it was in her driveway, I’ve taken her off the suspect list.”

  “One down, several more to go,” Gramps quipped.

  Noah scowled, and Ally hid a grin. It was reassuring to know Kimberly Mason hadn’t hit poor Amos on purpose, was innocent of throwing the rock at her clinic, and of murdering Marty.

  But from where Ally was sitting? Without Gramps’ help, Noah would never solve the mystery around Marty’s untimely demise.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  No one spoke for a long moment. Surprisingly, Noah didn’t seem anxious to be on his way.

  He’d either mellowed in the past few days or was waiting for them to spill what they’d uncovered about the suspects.

  “You better fill him in on what we know,” Gramps said, as if reading her mind.

  Noah looked interested and, for once, there was no sign of the twitchy eye. “Yes, please do fill me in.”

  Where to start? Ally had to think back to the last time she’d given Noah any information. Oh yeah, it was when Amos had been hit by Kimberly’s car and she’d completed the procedure to set his hind leg. “We had dinner with Ginny White at the Lakefront Café last night.”

  “You and your grandfather had dinner with Ginny White?” The way Noah asked, she could tell he was wondering how they’d finagled such a thing.

  “Yes, it was actually Ginny’s idea. She flagged us over. Her husband, Eli, was supposed to join us, but he was running late. A man tried to make his way over but did a one-eighty when Roxy began to growl. The dog led me across the patio, through the opening between the buildings, in the direction the guy had gone. It was hard to get a good look at him, because there were so many other people sitting around tables, obstructing the view. As we approached the opposite end of the patio, I caught a glimpse of him leaving through the alleyway between the restaurant and the municipal building.”

  The earlier interest in Noah’s gaze faded. He opened his mouth, no doubt to lecture her once again on the fact that Roxy’s growls weren’t evidence, and she lifted a hand to stop him.

  “Hold on, let me finish. The guy disappeared and as I turned to head back to the table, I heard a loud car driving from the area. Within two minutes of me sitting beside Gramps, Ginny gets a call from her husband Eli, claiming he feels too sick to attend dinner.”

  Noah’s green gaze was skeptical. “You think Eli White is the guy Roxy was growling at? And he took off when he realized the dog caught his scent?”

  “Why not?” Ally waved at Roxy. “She doesn’t growl at everyone, Noah. Oh, and I caught a whiff of cigarette smoke too, which makes me wonder if Eli White is a smoker.”

  “Yeah,” Gramps added for emphasis. “Now tell him about the guy leaving through the back door of Anita’s house.”

  “What?” Noah’s gaze bounced from Gramps back to her. “When?”

  “Early this morning.” She went on to describe what had happened, leaving out the details of her ensemble and forgetting her phone at home.

  “I think the guy who left Anita’s house is Kevin Kuhn,” Gramps said, leaning toward Noah. “Kevin has brown hair, just like the guy Ally saw, and he was very angry when I tried to talk to him about Marty.”

  “So you said,” Noah responded dryly. “I thought Eli White was your latest suspect? He has brown hair, too.”

  “I know,” Ally confirmed. “I met him at the sandwich shop. He’s also the same general size and build as Kevin Kuhn.”

  “Isn’t that interesting?” Gramps pounced on that tidbit of information. “Does Kevin Kuhn smoke? If not, that might help us narrow down our suspect.”

  Noah groaned and lifted his gaze toward the sky as if seeking divine intervention.

  “Look, Noah, now that we know either one of them could be involved, we need more information. Like which one of them might not have an alibi for the time frame of Marty’s murder,” Ally pointed out.

  Noah continued to avoid her gaze.

  It was frustrating that he wouldn’t talk to them about the case. Sure, she understood why he didn’t want to, but it wasn’t as if Noah couldn’t use a little help.

  “Let’s assume that neither one of the two men has an alibi for the murder,” Gramps said. “We have Roxy growling at the man at the café and growling at the man leaving Anita’s place through the back door. Eli White could be having an affair, but it seems unlikely that he’d be heading home at six in the morning without Ginny noticing. I think it could just as easily be Kevin Kuhn who left Anita’s house and was the same guy on the patio.”

  “But that would make Eli’s calling off sick at the last minute a big fat coincidence,” Ally protested.

  “True.” Gramps stared at Noah. “And we all know cops don’t believe in coincidences, right, detective?”

  Ally checked Noah’s face. No sign of the eye twitch.

  Yet.

  “Okay, so you’re leaning toward Eli White as being the suspect,” Ally said since Noah was still staring up at th
e sky. Maybe sky gazing was a new technique to ward off the eye tic.

  “I am,” Gramps agreed, even though it hadn’t been more than a few minutes since he’d declared Kevin Kuhn the culprit.

  She put a hand up to her face. Was her own eye starting to twitch?

  “I have a question,” Gramps announced. “Who is the beneficiary to Marty Shawlin’s estate?”

  Noah drew in a slow deep breath and brought his gaze back to them. “His ex-wife, Sheila Young.” Noah held up a hand. “Before you ask, she was in Chicago when Marty was murdered, and I verified her alibi.”

  “Did you know she has a new boyfriend who’s a cop on the Chicago Police force?” Gramps asked.

  Noah scowled. “And what, you think she sent the cop boyfriend up here to kill Marty so she can get the house?”

  “Why not?” Gramps was warming up to his theory. One of many, Ally thought with a sigh. “The house and whatever cash is in Marty’s bank account is worth more than what most of Marty’s clients lost in his goofy will/trust scheme.”

  “I have his name and number, if you’re interested,” Ally chimed in. “Nick Calderone.” She frowned. “Maybe Nick is of medium build and has brown hair, too.”

  And the eye twitch was back. “How did you get that information? Or don’t I want to know?”

  Ally grinned. “It was Gramps’ idea to ask them both to sign off on a transfer of ownership agreement, giving Roxy to me. If Sheila thought it was strange that I included her new boyfriend, she didn’t argue about it.”

  “I see.” Despite the eye twitch, Ally could tell Noah was impressed. “Any other theories of the crime you’ve been holding back from me?”

  “You weren’t interested in hearing them, remember?” Ally narrowed her gaze. “And, no, the only other oddity is the way Rosie Malone lied to us about speaking with Marty. Which I asked her about earlier today when I went to the grocery store. She claims Gramps must be mistaken.”

  “But I’m not,” Gramps interjected.

  “I know,” Ally assured him.

  Gramps leaned forward. “Rosie’s lie really bothers me. I get that she might be trying to avoid getting dragged into a murder investigation, but it doesn’t make much sense to lie about something so innocuous.” Gramps glanced at Noah. “Do you know why she’d lie?”

  Noah simply sighed.

  “Maybe she was embarrassed to have given Marty money and wanted to pretend it never happened.” Ally could understand the motivation; she’d wanted to pretend Tim and Trina hadn’t had an affair right under her nose.

  And then left the country, leaving her with a pile of wedding debt and a partnerless clinic.

  “You should let us review Marty’s client list,” Gramps said, still looking at Noah. “After talking to some of the Willow Bluff residents, we might be able to find something you missed.”

  Ally coughed, to hide a snicker.

  “Not happening, Oscar.” Noah’s expression turned impatient. “Besides, the client list isn’t foolproof. Marty could have taken money from someone without getting around to recording it before his death.”

  Ally remembered the open briefcase. “Or the killer took the paperwork with them, so it’s missing from the client list altogether.”

  “Right.” Noah rose to his feet. “Thanks for the criminal minds brainstorming session, but I need to get back to work.”

  “Who are you going to talk to next?” Gramps asked. “Are you going to check to see if Nick Calderone has an alibi, like Sheila? Or are you going to head over to talk to Anita Jones? It would be good to get the identity of the man who snuck out through her back door.”

  The corner of Noah’s mouth quirked in a lopsided smile. “As much as I’d love to do that, Anita’s love life isn’t relevant to the murder investigation.”

  “You can’t know that until you ask!” Gramps shouted as Noah walked away.

  Noah didn’t respond.

  “You know,” Gramps said thoughtfully. “The two main motives for murder are sex and money. We’ve been focused on the money side, but maybe an illicit affair is something to consider.”

  “Good point,” Ally agreed, her gaze on Noah’s retreating figure. The only new information the detective had given them was that Kimberly Mason wasn’t a suspect because she had an alibi for the murder and the day of the rock incident.

  So why had Roxy growled? Unless maybe Kimberly Mason was a smoker too, and the scent had upset Roxy.

  She’d have to ask Noah, not that she expected to get a straight answer. She and Gramps had given Noah everything and then some. And now that their little chat was over, she was left with the distinct impression that both Kevin Kuhn and Ed White were ranked high on Noah’s suspect list. And personally, she would have added Nick Calderone, as well.

  Gramps would become even more addicted to true crime if he ended up solving this murder.

  And if that happened? Noah Jorgenson would never live it down.

  Which gave her a tiny sliver of satisfaction, retribution for him calling her Hot Pants back in high school.

  * * *

  Ally left Gramps and the WBWs shortly after Noah did. She returned to the clinic and decided to do inventory. Thanks to the past two weeks of increased business, she had money in the bank, so it was a really good time to replenish her supplies.

  She’d just finished making a list of medications she’d need to reorder when she heard the clinic door open. Entering the main lobby area, she smiled when she saw Noah standing there.

  “Long time no see,” she joked.

  He nodded but didn’t return her smile. “Do you have a minute? I need to ask a few more questions about what happened this morning.”

  A shiver snaked down her spine. “Um, sure. I only have one chair behind the counter, but we can sit in the waiting room area, unless you’d rather go upstairs to the kitchen in my apartment? Although I should warn you, I don’t have central air.”

  Noah hesitated, then shook his head. “No need for that. Why don’t you take a seat behind the counter, Ally. I can stand and take notes as you describe what happened.”

  “Okay.” Ally went around to sit behind the counter. She eyed him warily, as he was acting very strange. “What’s going on, Noah? Did something else happen?” She thought about her burglar idea. “Did Anita Jones get robbed?”

  “Ally, please.” Noah gave her a stern look. “I need you to focus, okay? Tell me the story about how you ended up being at Marty’s house this morning and where you were when you saw someone leaving Anita’s house through the back door.”

  “It might be better if I show you.” Ally spread her hands. “It’s kinda hard to explain.”

  “Okay, let’s take a walk. Oh, and bring Roxy,” Noah instructed.

  She didn’t need to be asked twice. Given how she preferred pets over people, she’d much rather bring Roxy along than leave her behind.

  “Come on, girl,” Ally said, clipping the leash to Roxy’s collar. “You’re going to like this.” She purposefully avoided the W-word.

  “Start at the beginning,” Noah suggested as she met him back in the clinic. “You were up early, right?”

  “Right.” She gestured to the clinic. “Gramps had scheduled an immunization for eight o’clock, and I got up around six.” She went through the clinic and out the back door to the small landing at the bottom of the stairs. “We came down this way, and I went out the back.” As she spoke, she went through the doorway, with Roxy at her side.

  “Okay, then what?” Noah asked.

  “Well, I didn’t really intend to take Roxy far, I was only wearing flip-flops, shorts, and an oversized T-shirt, but she was on a mission. Kept tugging me in the direction of Appletree Lane.” Ally paused, then said, “At some point, I realized that’s where Roxy wanted to go. I think she must miss Marty more than I thought.”

  “I can understand that.” Noah swept his gaze over the area. “Did you see anyone?”

  “No. It was just after six in the morning, and the str
eets were deserted.” She didn’t add that she’d been glad about that since she’d just rolled out of bed and wasn’t fit to be seen in public.

  “And this is the route you took this morning?” Noah pressed.

  “Yes, why?”

  Noah didn’t answer.

  Ally continued until they reached Marty’s front yard. “When we got here, Roxy did her thing.”

  Noah looked confused. “Her thing?”

  “You know, went number two.” Ally wasn’t sure why she was embarrassed to talk about the dog’s elimination habits with Noah. “I always carry baggies with me, so I picked up the mess and then carried it over to Marty’s garbage bin.”

  “Along the side of the garage?” Noah asked, although he was looking right at it.

  “Yes.” Ally moved forward until she was parallel with the garbage bin. “I was right here, when Roxy started growling.”

  “And what time was that?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe six fifteen?”

  Noah jotted the time in his pocket-sized notebook. “Then what happened?”

  “I turned to see what had caught Roxy’s attention.” Ally demonstrated. “I couldn’t see anything right away, so I took a few steps and that’s when I saw the brown-haired guy slinking out through Anita’s back door.”

  “Slinking?” Noah asked dubiously.

  “It wasn’t like he just opened the door and walked out,” Ally insisted. “He eased the door open and slid through, as if he didn’t want to make any noise. I figured he didn’t want Anita to know he was leaving, like maybe it was a one-night-stand type of deal.” Ally gestured with her hand. “Do you want me to walk over there to show you?”

  “Not yet, keep going with your story.”

  Ally had to think back. “Roxy’s growl startled him, and he bumped his head against the side of the door. I’m pretty sure I yelled out, hey, stop. And then added, don’t make me call the police.”

  “And why didn’t you call the police?” Noah lifted a brow.

  “I didn’t have my phone.” The excuse sounded lame, but it was the truth. “But even if I had, I’m sure he would have been long gone by the time anyone arrived.”