by Rosie Sams
As they stepped onto the sidewalk, she deliberately turned away from the Dowling house. It was a crisp but sunny morning and beautiful to be out. Smudge ran along ahead sniffing at flowers and gate posts and the occasional fire hydrant and Melody’s mood began to lift. She should be enjoying this time, this freedom, so why did it feel so endless?
Turning right she began to walk in a big circle. It would take about 3 quarters of an hour to get back to the house and she was hoping that would help her get through to lunchtime. Maybe then she could call Alvin and sneakily check on the case!
The walk went off without incident and as she was coming along the home stretch to her own property, she had to pass the Dowling house. A big black sedan was parked outside, and she couldn’t help but look. Of course, she didn’t do this walk to deliberately see the house. The walk just happened to be circular.
As she approached, she noticed a door in the sedan that is parked outside of the house opened and Melody is surprised to see Josh Cranston stepping out.
“Good morning, Melody, how are you and how’s our little Smudge?” Josh asked with a big smile on his face as he reached down to rub Smudge’s head.
“I’m good, thanks, Josh, just enjoying a bit of fresh air. How are you?” Melody asked, suddenly realizing that it sounded rather insincere.
A touch of color flamed Josh’s cheeks. “Slightly embarrassed, but I’m taking over the listing of this property.”
“Don’t feel guilty about doing your job, Josh, what else can you do?” Melody was about to walk on when she noticed that Smudge was starting to look and sniff at Josh’s hands. Unlike Bonnie, he was taking the bulldog's attention in his stride but it was too much of a coincidence for Melody. “I’ll let you go,” Melody said and she walked very slowly along the sidewalk as Josh headed inside the Dowling house.
“What are you trying to tell me, Smudge,” Melody asked.
Smudge whined and pulled as if she wanted to follow where Josh had gone. Melody knew she should go home but she couldn’t help herself. Looking up and down the street she could see no one about, so she decided to snoop around the back of the house to see if she could overhear the slightest bit of conversation.
Slowly, quietly, and as sneakily as a 38 weeks pregnant woman can, she made her way around the back of the house.
The kitchen window looked out onto the garden and she edged up to it and peeked a little look inside. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. That was the last thing she expected to see for there, just inside the window, Bonnie and Josh were sharing a most passionate kiss.
Now it all began to make sense; the widow and the realtor must be in cahoots. Now all she needed to do was fill Alvin in and find some proof. Just as quietly as she could, she began to back away and sneak around the house.
The excitement was racing through her now, she knew that with this new information she could soon solve the crime.
“Oooh, what was that?!” Melody said as a sharp pain hit her about the middle.
Smudge stopped in front of her, turned around, and gave a bark.
“Shush, Smudge, be quiet or we’ll get caught,” Melody said through clenched teeth as another pain rocketed through her. This one almost dropped her to her knees. Oh, no, this can’t be happening, and yet it was. As Melody tried to make her way back to the road she was jolted with more pain and then she felt her waters break. Dropping to her knees she realized she was in labor.
Smudge was barking and ran to the door of the house and back to her barking again and again.
Melody was no longer worried about being caught, all she wanted was help.
Chapter Two Hundred Eighty-Two
As another sharp pain rocked through her, it dawned on Melody that she was in labor. It looked like she wouldn’t be bored for the next few weeks after all. Bit by bit, she was trying to get back to the sidewalk. The last thing she needed was to be caught around the back of the Dowling house. What would Josh and Bonnie think?
That thought was pushed aside as another pain crashed into her and Melody let out a scream.
Josh and Bonnie appeared at her side and Melody tried to think of an excuse. She could say that she was coming for help. But then she realized that the couple was simply concerned about her well-being and didn’t seem to find anything suspicious.
Melody felt the pain ease up and knew that she had a while before she was hit with the next contraction. Bonnie was on the phone, calling for an ambulance and Josh took her by the hand and told her to keep her cool and to simply breathe.
“My mouth is so dry,” Melody said as she clutched onto Josh’s hand. An idea had come to her and she began to exaggerate her discomfort, just a little bit, making out that she could hardly swallow.
She could now hear Bonnie on the phone to Alvin and knew that he would be here very very soon.
Josh was patting down his pocket and pulled out one of the candies. “Will this help?”
Melody nodded and took it from him but instead of unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth she squeezed his hand and clutched the candy tightly in her fingers. Letting out another moan she watched as he concentrated more on her and she kept the candy in her hand having no intention of eating it.
“How are you?” Bonnie asked as she brought around a chair and helped Melody sit into it.
“Embarrassed,” Melody said. “But the pain has eased a little for now. If I can just sit here a moment I’m sure I will be fine.”
“An ambulance is on the way and so is your husband,” Bonnie said.
Melody noticed that she stood very close to Josh. They were not quite as close as you would expect a couple to be but, in her opinion, they were too close for a professional relationship.
Melody practiced her breathing and clung onto Josh’s hand. She could feel Smudge at her side leaning against her leg and she reached down and gave the bulldog a stroke between the ears
Alvin and Wilbur pulled up in the cruiser just a few minutes before the ambulance arrived. Alvin ran straight to her and Melody noticed that Wilbur took Josh and Bonnie to one side giving her and Alvin some privacy.
Alvin bent down and kissed her cheek and hugged her gently. “What are you doing here?” Alvin asked as he held her hands and searched her face. “Is it, is it happening?”
“I’m fine, I was just taking Smudge for a short walk…”
“Why did you leave the house? Where’s the ambulance? Can you climb into the cruiser… or I can carry you?”
Melody took his hands and held them and pulled him so that she was looking into his eyes. “Relax, I am fine. I went for a small walk because my back was aching so much and I thought the walk would help…”
“But you should take more...”
Melody squeezed his hands a little bit harder. “Remember what they said to do in those classes, exercise is good for me, doing nothing is bad for me?”
“Sorry, what can I do?” Alvin asked.
“You can make sure Smudge gets home and that she is safe and you can take this.” She handed him the candy. “Don’t let Bonnie and Josh see you.”
“What is going on? You should be concentrating on the baby!”
“I’m fine,” Melody said. “I do have a minor confession to make.”
Alvin was on his knees holding her hand and looking at her with awe. It was so cute that she wanted to just bask in his love, but the next contraction would come back, and then she would be in the ambulance so she had to do this quickly.
“With Lola’s help, we’ve been conducting a shadow investigation. When I was on my walk I spotted Josh going into the Dowling house and it just felt wrong. Smudge had been so obsessed with his hands, with Tracy’s hands, and with Bonnie’s hands. She was obviously smelling the same scent and Lola and I also noticed the candies they were all eating had a lemon scent. I managed to get hold of this one from Josh, it could be evidence.” Melody unfurled her fingers to reveal the sweet.
The look Alvin gave her was one of annoyance and for a m
oment Melody felt guilty. She had ignored his instructions and investigated anyway, but then she realized she’d done very little and she never really put herself in danger… well, that was if you forgot the last five minutes.
“Wilbur, come here a moment,” Alvin called and Wilbur came over. Alvin quickly explained what Melody had just told him.
Wilbur took the candy and placed it in an evidence bag using his body to hide the fact from Bonnie and Josh.
At that moment, Melody let out a scream of agony and at the same time the ambulance pulled up. Soon, Melody was loaded into the ambulance. Alvin got Wilbur to take care of Smudge and climbed in beside her. The little Frenchie gave a little yip as Wilbur held her up to see Melody just before the ambulance doors were closed.
“Do you promise you’ll look into this further?” Melody asked as Alvin sat down next to her.
Alvin kissed her sweat-soaked forehead and wiped a lock of her red hair away. “Right now all you need to concentrate on is having this baby. But I promise that we will look into this. Maybe this is what we need to tie these three together. However, as you know when you find a thread to pull, things usually unravel quite quickly. If Josh and Bonnie did this I am sure we will find evidence.”
Melody let out another scream.
Alvin held her hand. “Shush now, you have a job to do, for once leave the police work to the experts.”
Melody nodded as she gripped his hand. Little did she know that her nails were biting into his skin and had drawn blood.
The ambulance pulled up at the hospital and Melody was rushed inside where the maternity team was waiting, including Ambrose Mitchum, Port Warren’s doctor, and another person who owed their freedom to Melody’s investigation skills.
“Hold on, Melody,” Dr. Mitcham said as he rushed along beside her on the stretcher. “You’re in good hands and everything will be fine.”
Melody tried to smile but it was wiped away as another contraction hit her and she let out an almighty scream.
Chapter Two Hundred Eighty-Three
The next few hours were a blur where Melody went from screaming in pain to periods of calm expectation. She clung on to Alvin’s hand and let him mop her brow and encourage her to push and to breathe.
After a somewhat rapid labor, they welcomed their baby into the world and held their breath for that first cry. It was such a wonderful sound that Melody felt tears of joy wash away the sweat from her face.
“It’s a girl,” Ambrose said as he proudly handed her their baby.
“I knew it,” Alvin said looking as pleased as punch as he peered down at the tiny bundle. Reaching down he kissed Melody’s cheek. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispered into her ear.”
Before he took Smudge home, Wilbur decided to call in at the realtor’s office. He knew it was in the opposite direction, but something told him that having the little bulldog along would be a good idea.
Pulling the cruiser over to the side, he attached Smudge’s lead and looked at the hard candy that Melody had passed him. It did have a faint lemon scent, even through the packaging. As he looked at it closely, he could see that the packaging was quite distinctive. It was a clear film but the writing on it was in blue and was a foreign language which he thought could be Chinese. Wherever these came from, it was not the local store.
“Come on, Smudge,” Wilbur said as he got out of the car and Smudge followed. “I need you to use that famous nose and find me a clue.”
Of course, he also needed an excuse for being here and he hadn’t fully worked that out yet. Luckily, Josh wasn’t here and he hoped he wasn’t likely to be coming back today. There was his opening. Feeling a little more confident, he walked into the office and glanced around at the listings.
Almost immediately, a sharp dressed man with spiky brown hair came over to him. “Hello, Officer, my name is Davis Sawyer, how can I help you?”
As Wilbur turned around, Davis spotted Smudge but didn’t seem to recognize her. “I was just looking for Josh?” Wilbur said.
“He’s not expected back in the office today,” David said. “Perhaps I can interest you in a property?”
Wilbur decided to push his luck. “Well actually, I’m here in more of an official capacity…” Before he could finish what he was saying, Wilbur noticed that Smudge was sniffing the air and pulling him towards an office in the corner.
“Official?!” Davis said.
Wilbur simply walked past him following the little Frenchie’s lead.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Davis sounded a little panicked as he followed behind Wilbur.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” Wilbur said as Smudge pulled him into the office and up to the desk. She sat down in front of it and gave a little yip, staring up at the desk above her. There on the desk was a dish containing a large quantity of the hard candies.
“I’m not sure if you should be in here,” Davis said.
Wilbur picked up one of the candies and turned to look at Davis. “Where do these come from?”
The polished expression had slipped from Davis’s face which couldn’t decide whether to be shocked or worried. “I… I…”
Wilbur smiled. “You’re not in trouble. One of these was found at a crime scene. The one at the Dowling property. I’m just trying to find out how it might’ve got there.”
Davis relaxed. “Josh buys those off the Internet. So, he must’ve taken it there.”
“What about Tracy, does she have them as well?” Wilbur asked.
“Well, it’s funny that you should ask that,” Davis said and he now seemed to be warming up to helping. As he spoke it was almost as if he was confiding in Wilbur. “Josh is very protective of them. He doesn’t hand them out to that many people and he frowns on anyone from the office taking them.”
“I imagine he would pass them out to his clients?” Wilbur asked putting a big smile on his face to make out that the question was innocent.
“Funnily enough, no, he doesn’t. The lad is so well-liked with his easy smile and sunny disposition that he doesn’t need such things.” The look on Davis’s face showed that he was not impressed with such tactics. “He gets very possessive over them. I’ve told him to take them off his desk if he won’t hand them out but he likes to suck on them all day. It’s a habit he got when he was abroad for a gap year.”
Wilbur had to fight hard to hide his smile. He could understand that the easy-going boy next door looks of Josh would go down well with clients. Many of them would feel that they were getting the better of him, whereas Davis looked like your archetype salesman. Consequently, he probably had to work harder to relax his clients. The irony was not lost on Wilbur as he began to realize that Josh was probably a murderer or at the very least involved in the cover-up of a murder.
“Is there any way that one of these could have got to the Dowling house without Josh taking it?” Wilbur asked.
Davis scratched his head and then shook it. “Obviously, anything’s possible, but that’s the only way that one from this dish could have got there it was if he just took it himself.”
“I’ve heard that Josh has taken on the Dowling widow’s listing, is that correct?”
“Not that I’ve heard,” Davis said as the color slipped from his face. He probably realized that Josh had cut him out of the deal. “I… I… well, I guess he could be working with Mrs. Dowling independently. However, that would be highly irregular and he would not be able to officially take a commission.”
“Well, thank you very much, Mr. Sawyer, you have been very helpful.”
As Wilbur was walking across the office Davis called out to him. “Of course, I imagine anyone can buy these from the same place that Josh does.”
Wilbur turned back and smiled. “Of course, there is always that possibility.”
Feeling excited, Wilbur decided to return to the Dowling house and ask the grieving widow and her new realtor to accompany him to the station. Fastening Smudge into the harness on the front seat, he found
a butter cookie in the glove box and gave her a special treat. “I should have known you would solve the crime,” he said as he gave her a rub between the years.
Quickly, he checked his phone, but Alvin hadn’t called in yet. Saying a quick prayer that Melody and the baby would be safe, he turned the cruiser around and headed back to where he had come from.
This was not going to be easy, lemon candies were circumstantial at best. What he really needed to do was get a confession. The problem was, he had very little with which to work with.
Chapter Two Hundred Eighty-Four
When Wilbur got back to the house he did exactly the same as Melody did and walked around the back before he knocked on the door. He knew this was a little against protocol but he had one of Smudge’s little balls in his pocket. His excuse was going to be that she had dropped it and he had just nipped back to see if he could find it and was hoping not to disturb them. What he was really hoping was to catch them in a situation that would prove the relationship between them.
Of course, it had been nearly an hour. But could they really still be kissing? Then a smile crossed his face as he thought about Leslie Mathers. his wonderful girlfriend and Melody’s business partner. When they hadn’t seen each other for a while, his smile widened, it was possible they could still be kissing.
Wilbur pulled the ball out of his pocket and peered into the kitchen window. No one was there, he walked a little further and peered into the living room. Sure enough, Josh and Bonnie were holding hands and sharing a glass of wine. They were snuggled up so close together on the sofa that it could mean only one thing. Backing away he went back around to the front of the house and knocked on the door.
He still didn’t have enough to arrest them but he was hoping that maybe he could stir them up a little if he got them to the station.
It was Bonnie who came to the door and it was obvious that she had had a drink or two. “Good evening, Offff…icer,” she slurred. “Can I help you?”