by Laura Scott
“No, tonight,” Noah corrected. “Start with why you and Roxy happened to be near the alley between the two buildings this evening.”
“Oh, that.” Ally rested her hand on Roxy’s head. “I was home, about to take Roxy out for a walk, when I received an emergency call from Erica about her dog Tink being attacked by a coyote. The schnauzer had several lacerations that needed attention.”
Noah looked surprised by that news. “Poor Erica and Tink, I’m glad to hear they’re okay. Go on.”
“I didn’t finish that up until close to ten o’clock, so that’s why I was out so late with Roxy. Since she’d been cooped up for several hours, I thought we’d take a longer walk, so I went down Main Street to the end, then turned around to come back when Roxy began to growl.”
“And where were you standing when that happened?” Noah asked.
“Near the alley between the municipal building and the Lakefront Café. At first I was annoyed, but I took several steps closer, then I saw the shape of a man but couldn’t see his face, as he was standing in the shadows. I did see the gun he had pointed directly at me.”
Gramps put his hand on her arm for reassurance. She covered his hand with hers and tried to calm her racing heart. Reliving those moments wasn’t easy. She’d been scared to death, but unable to do much except babble like an idiot.
“What happened next?” Noah pressed.
“He told me he should have shot Roxy when he had the chance.” Ally continued, replaying their brief conversation to the best of her recollection. “I remember wanting to see his face and to hear him admit he’d killed them, both Anita and Marty.”
“Okay, anything else stand out in your memory?” Noah asked.
“He finally moved enough for me to recognize him as Eli White, so I tried to keep him talking by mentioning his wife, Ginny.”
“Any idea why he killed Anita?” Gramps asked.
Noah nodded. “I think you and Ally were right about the two of them having an affair, which is why Anita claimed she hadn’t seen anyone leaving Marty’s house the morning of the murder. And why she claimed she didn’t pay attention to Roxy’s barking.”
“So he was afraid she’d talk, maybe turn him in,” Ally murmured.
“Yeah. Anita was strangled but managed to get some of the killer’s skin cells beneath her fingernails. There was also a partial fingerprint on the edge of Marty’s briefcase, although Marty’s car was wiped clean. They also found a partial print in the stolen GMC truck that we’ll check for a match. And there’s the fact that Eli’s red Chevy needs a new muffler, which makes him the likely suspect of tossing the rock at the clinic. Once we get all the samples processed through the lab, the case against Eli White should be a slam dunk. Especially since I think he followed you tonight, Ally, with the specific intent of killing you.”
Gramps nodded thoughtfully. “And the motive for killing Marty goes back to the sixteen hundred dollars they gave Marty to create a will and trust?”
“Yes. Turns out, there was no record of the transaction for the Whites in Marty’s paperwork. Either because he hadn’t gotten around to creating it or because the killer took it with him.” Noah grinned. “We’ll get a search warrant for the Whites’ house and hopefully find what we need there.”
“Poor Ginny,” Gramps said shaking his head. “I can’t imagine how she’s going to feel about discovering her husband is a murderer. I guess she must have been covering for him last night, when he never showed for dinner.”
“I’ll find out for sure once I question Ginny again. Your idea about getting their money back was a good one, Oscar,” Noah admitted. “That extra cash might help Ginny.”
“Are you sure she’s not in on it?” Ally asked. “I mean, she initially lied to us about giving Marty any money at all.”
“We were able to verify that Marty was, in fact, simply pocketing the money, rather than actually creating the trust and will combo as promised. Creating a trust isn’t illegal, but it sounds like Marty was talking people into doing more than they actually needed. And then he didn’t follow through on his promises, which is why everyone began to get upset. Turns out that, other than the house, Marty didn’t have any cash to his name.”
“Does that mean Ginny and the others won’t get their money back?” Gramps asked.
“We’ll find a way to have Marty’s estate pay all his clients back what they’d lost, even if that means taking money out from the sale of the house,” Noah said firmly. He gave each of them a stern look. “Listen, while I appreciate what you did, it’s over now. No more investigating anything—not even a parking ticket—on your own, you got that?”
“Who, me?” Gramps feigned innocence. “I just happen to ask a lot of questions, that’s all.”
“Yeah, and I’m the future king of England,” Noah responded sarcastically.
“Well, I’m sure there won’t be anything else to investigate anyway.” Ally did her best to smooth things over. “I mean, this is Willow Bluff. The fact that we’ve had two murders in two weeks has to be an anomaly. Especially hearing the previous murder was five years ago.”
“I guess that’s true.” Gramps looked acutely disappointed. “This town is fairly small.” He turned toward Ally. “Maybe we should move to Madison?”
She rolled her eyes. “Nice try, but no way. I like Willow Bluff, especially the people who live here.” The minute the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back. Noah was looking at her with interest, maybe wondering if that included him, so she hastened to explain. “My clinic is doing better, Gramps. And I reconnected with my old friend Erica. Besides, we’re not leaving so that you can get closer to a high crime area. You’ll just have to get used to the quiet life here in Willow Bluff.”
“I’m with Ally on that one,” Noah added. “Okay, listen, I need to wrap things up. Thanks for coming in. Ally, I’m glad you and Roxy are okay.”
“We owe that to you, Noah.” She couldn’t deny his timing tonight had been perfect. “Come on, Gramps. Time to get you home.”
She assisted Gramps to his feet. “You know, I was wrong. I think your detective is pretty good at his job.”
Ally winced and wished the floor would open at her feet as Noah flashed a lethal grin. “A high compliment from you, Oscar.”
She considered trying to say something in her defense but knew it would only sound lame. “Bye, Noah.”
“Ally.” He winked at her. “Maybe we should get together with Erica and Jim, you know, talk about old times.”
A date? Was he actually insinuating they should go out on a double date?
“Um, sure. Sounds fun.”
They headed outside, Roxy sniffing the air curiously. There was no reason to worry about Roxy’s growling any longer.
The murderer was behind bars, where he belonged.
“You know, there’s still one thing I don’t understand about all this.” Gramps fastened his seat belt and sat back with a sigh.
“What’s that?”
“Why did Rosie Malone lie about talking to Marty?”
Ally inwardly groaned. “That’s a mystery for another day, Gramps.”
“Don’t you worry, I’ll figure it out.”
Yeah, that was exactly what she was afraid of.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ally slept in the following morning, waking only when Roxy made it clear she needed to go out. First by exuberantly licking her face, then jumping up on the bed, moving around and lying down on top of Ally.
“Okay, okay.” Ally pushed Roxy aside, rolled off the bed and stumbled across the room. Where had she left the leash? The kitchen.
She was about to head that way but stopped short.
Uh-uh. No way was she going out in her ratty sleep clothes and flip-flops again. Even though the chance of witnessing a murderer escaping through the back door of a house was slim to none this time, she wasn’t about to take any chances.
Especially if there was even a remote possibility she might bump into
someone she knew. Now that her business had picked up, she was starting to recognize some of the local residents.
At least those with pets, anyway.
She quickly brushed her teeth, tried to tame her hair—why she bothered she had no idea—then pulled on a pair of white capri slacks and a blue sleeveless blouse that matched her eyes. She slid her feet into matching white sandals and was ready to go.
Feeling marginally more human, she took Roxy outside. The sun was already beating down, sending the temperature up to the high seventies while it was barely nine in the morning. It promised to be another scorcher of a day.
Maybe if her business continued to grow, she could afford to add central air to the upper apartment. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Granted summertime in Wisconsin was short, but it was still pretty hot.
And they hadn’t hit July and August yet.
“Hurry up, Roxy.” Ally swallowed a wave of impatience as the dog took her along the same route to Marty’s front yard. The minute they arrived, Roxy squatted to do her thing.
“Really? You had to wait until we got here?” Ally hoped the boxer would get over this fixation soon. She wasn’t looking forward to taking this same walk every day in the snow and ice come winter.
Maybe later in the day, sure, but not first thing in the morning. She needed a minimum of two cups of coffee to function.
The crime scene tape was still strung across the front of Anita’s house. It was creepy to realize that less than two weeks ago she and Gramps had sat chatting with the woman about Marty’s murder and the list of clients she’d referred him to.
And why had Anita referred Marty to her friends and acquaintances anyway? Had it really been a nice gesture for a man who needed a boost after a nasty divorce?
It wasn’t just Rosie Malone’s lie that hadn’t been resolved. She was curious what role Anita had played in all this. It seemed odd that Anita would send Marty to the Whites, when she was having an affair with Eli. Wouldn’t it be smarter to stay far away?
Or was that a weird attempt to cover up their affair?
Maybe there wasn’t an affair at all, although Noah seemed to think so.
The possibilities spun in her mind, making her crazy. She pushed them away with an effort. What did it matter? She wasn’t Gramps, there was no reason to obsess over every detail of the murders.
She returned to the apartment and ate oatmeal for breakfast, splurging on adding raspberries she’d picked up at the store as part of her healthy eating plan. Thinking about the tightness at her waistband made her realize she needed to do a better job of getting exercise, both to look better and to get into shape.
Had Noah really mentioned a double date with Erica and Jim? Or had she imagined it?
Even if he had, she doubted he meant it as anything but a friendly get-together. Yeah, the more she thought about that the more likely it seemed that his focus was on being friends.
Nothing to get excited about. And she was through with men anyway. She had to concentrate on rejuvenating her business.
Ally went down to the clinic. It was Sunday, with no scheduled appointments on the books. Still, she ran a quick spreadsheet of her income and expenses, thrilled to see that she had more than enough for her July payments.
And that didn’t include possibly getting her replacement door paid for by Eli White’s insurance company.
She frowned. Whatever. At least she was in the black, which was all that mattered. As she finished doing her bills, her phone rang. She prepared herself when she saw Gramps’ number on the screen.
“Hey, Gramps.”
“ALLY? DO YOU HAVE TIME TO TAKE ME TO THE LIBRARY TODAY?”
“No need to yell,” she reminded him. “Are you sure the library is open on Sundays?”
“SUMMER HOURS,” Gramps shouted.
“Okay, that’s no problem.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes or so.”
“I’LL BE WAITING!”
She rubbed her ear after he disconnected from the call. She really needed to show him how to use that blasted cell phone or take it away. More conversations like this and she’d need bilateral hearing aids before he did.
“Come on, Roxy. Let’s go for a ride.”
Roxy jumped up and down excitedly, making Ally groan. Great. Not only did the boxer know the word walk, but now she understood the word ride.
And she’d gone after Eli White when Ally had told her to get him. Not that Roxy needed much encouragement for that.
“You’re too smart for your own good,” Ally said as she clipped on the leash. “Maybe I should pay for some formal training sessions, huh? You’re a natural.”
Roxy bobbed her head as if in agreement.
She and Roxy arrived at the Legacy House in less than ten minutes. Ally left Roxy in the car before heading up to the door.
“Ally!” Normally, Harriet didn’t show a lot of emotion, but today she grabbed Ally and pulled her against her buxom figure, wearing yet another brightly colored flowered dress, support hose, and sturdy black shoes. “I couldn’t believe it when Oscar mentioned you were held at gunpoint!”
Ally patted Harriet’s back in a soothing gesture. “I’m fine, nothing for you to worry about. Noah came rushing to my rescue.”
“You really must stop encouraging Oscar’s obsession with fighting crime.” Harriet’s gaze was reproachful. “Imagine if he’d been there with you?”
“Trust me, Harriet, I would if I could.” She eased away and glanced around. “Speaking of which, is Gramps ready to go?”
“I’m here,” he called, thumping in from the living room.
“Ally, it’s so good to see you.” Lydia hobbled behind him, wincing as she gingerly put weight on her sore ankle. Her gaze was full of reproach. “Honestly, we were so horrified to hear the news. Imagine Eli White a killer! And my sources did reveal a rumor about Anita seeing someone, but no one knew the name of the guy she was spending time with.”
“Well, clearly you wouldn’t advertise an affair with a married man like that,” Tillie added. “But we’re so grateful you’re safe, Ally.”
Ally looked at the Willow Bluff Widows and wondered why she felt like she had gained three grandparents?
“I’m really sorry to have worried all of you. But as you can see, I’m fine.” She smiled at the three women. “Now things can get back to normal around here, right?”
“Right,” Tillie agreed.
Gramps moved toward her, a book tucked under his arm as he wielded his cane.
“Here, I’ll take that for you.” Ally eased the book from him. “Did you finish this already?”
“Yes, of course.” Gramps frowned. “Why wouldn’t I finish it before returning it?”
“Okay, silly question.” She helped Gramps out through the doorway and down the single step from the porch. Roxy was wagging her stubby tail in greeting as Gramps slid into the passenger seat.
As Ally drove toward the municipal building, she glanced at her grandfather. “So, what’s your plan this time?”
“Plan? What plan?” He tried to sound innocent, but she wasn’t buying his act.
“Come on, Gramps. I know you’re dying to unravel the secret behind Rosie Malone’s lie about Marty Shawlin. That’s the only reason you asked me to take you to the library on a Sunday, isn’t it?”
A smile broke across Gramps’ weathered face. “You’re right, it is.”
She sighed. “Do you even know for sure Rosie is working today?”
“No, but we can always come back another day if she isn’t.” Gramps waved away her concern. “Besides, I was thinking we could also stop in to talk to your detective, see if he’s learned anything new.”
“No, Gramps.” On this Ally would remain firm. “We are not going to keep bothering Noah. It was nice enough for him to fill us in on what he knew as of last night. Besides, the DNA evidence won’t have been processed this quickly. It will likely be weeks before Noah finds what he needs to put Eli White away for murde
ring Marty and Anita.”
Gramps scowled. “I hadn’t thought about that, but you’re right. The DNA always seems to get done faster on TV.”
“Everything gets done quicker on TV,” Ally pointed out. She pulled into the parking lot and began searching for a space. “And this is real life, Gramps. I don’t see the harm in asking Rosie about Marty, but she’s already denied lying about it several times now. I’m not sure that asking again is going to get you anywhere.”
“You don’t know that,” Gramps said, wagging a finger at her. “I have a way of finessing a conversation to get results.”
No argument there. Ally parked the Honda, grabbed Gramps’ library book, then went around to free Roxy. The dog leaped down to the pavement.
“It’s a hot one,” Gramps muttered, squinting against the glare of the sun as he leaned on his cane.
“This was your idea, not mine.” Ally shortened her stride to stay alongside her grandfather.
The coolness of the building was a welcome relief on the scorching day. Ally held the library door open for Gramps, inwardly groaning when she recognized Rosie Malone standing at the counter.
Here we go, she thought, as Gramps made a beeline toward the librarian.
“Rosie, good to see you!” Gramps flashed a warm grin as Ally hustled to keep up, reaching over to place the library book on the counter beside him. “Thanks for this,” he tapped the cover. “Excellent read.”
Rosie’s smile again didn’t reach her dark eyes. “Glad you liked it.”
“Are you mad at me for some reason?” Gramps leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter. “You look upset.”
“I’m fine.” Rosie avoided his gaze, focusing her attention on the book he’d returned. “I’m sorry, I haven’t had time to find any new true crime stories.”
“Rosie, please. Talk to me.” Ally had no idea Gramps could look so compassionate. “You know, they arrested someone in connection with Marty’s murder so there’s no reason to lie.”
“I didn’t talk to Marty!” Rosie’s outburst was loud enough to attract attention from other library patrons.
“Okay, that’s fine.” Gramps smiled gently. “But you should know that keeping secrets has a way of wearing you down. It’s hard to remember who you said what to and when, isn’t it? I promise you’ll feel better if you let it all out.”