Wagging Tail Cozy Mysteries Box Set 1

by Cindy Bell

  “No, I didn’t. Why?” She stared at him with interest.

  “A witness recalls hearing a motorcycle nearby. I just thought you might have heard it as well.” He tapped the pen against the file.

  “No, I’m sorry I didn’t. I did hear one near the shops earlier in the morning.” She sighed as she looked back down at her hands. “Like I said, I really don’t know anything about what happened.”

  “You’ve helped quite a bit.” Quinn stood up behind his desk. “I’ll walk you out.”

  “You don’t have to do that.” She stood up as well, and couldn’t avoid looking directly into his eyes.

  “I don’t mind.” As he opened the office door for her, he brushed his hand lightly along the curve of her back.

  Nikki felt like she had butterflies in her stomach. There it was again, that chemistry that always seemed to be there. Too bad it appeared to be one-sided. As a sensation of awkwardness rushed over her, she remembered seeing the man who stood across from the shop.

  “You know, Quinn, there is one other thing that was strange today.” Nikki paused as they reached the door of the police station. She winced as she glanced at the other officers. “I’m sorry, Detective Grant.”

  “Please, call me Quinn.” He smiled, though the expression faded, replaced by the intensity of his gaze. “Now, what else was strange?”

  “I was on my way to take Coco home, and I noticed this man.” Nikki sighed and shook her head. “It’s probably nothing, and it’s silly to even tell you about it, but something seemed so off.”

  “Who was he?” He pulled a notepad from his pocket. “It’s not silly at all. When a crime like this is committed, it’s important to pay attention to every detail. You never know where a clue might come from.”

  “I don’t know who he is. But the way he was staring at the shop, it made me think he was really invested in what happened there. Maybe he knew Bryan? I don’t know for sure.”

  “Can you describe him to me?”

  “He had short, brown hair and was quite tall with a bit of a belly. He looked to be in his fifties. I followed him a short time, and saw him go inside a real estate agency, the one on Main Street.” She shrugged. “It’s more than likely nothing, but I thought you should know.”

  “About what time?” He didn’t look up from his notepad.

  “It was about one-thirty.” Nikki pushed the door to the police station open. “Like I said, it’s probably nothing.”

  “It may be, or it may not be. It’s not unheard of for criminals to return to the scene of their crime. Thanks again for your time, Nikki. If you think of anything else, you have my number.” Quinn locked eyes with her as she stood in the threshold of the doorway.

  “Yes, I do.” Nikki stepped all the way through the door and let it fall closed behind her.

  Chapter 4

  As Nikki started off towards her apartment, a wave of tiredness washed over her. She had been through some ups and downs throughout the day, and now all she could think about was getting some rest. However, as she walked past Bryan’s shop in the direction of her apartment, something else caught her attention. The shop was still roped off with wide, yellow police tape. However, it appeared to be empty. It was dark inside. Yet a second before, a flash of light had drawn her attention. As she watched, a flashlight beam traveled across the interior of the shop. It traced along rows of leashes and collars, sparkling as it struck metal surfaces. Her heart pounded as she wondered why anyone would be inside with a flashlight. The police had plenty of equipment to light up the shop, but she was sure that the electricity still worked. She could only guess that whoever was inside, was up to something. But what? Why would anyone risk prowling around a crime scene?

  A quick glance up and down the street revealed that there was no traffic, and no sign of any police vehicles nearby. Could it be an officer doing some kind of extra search? But why with a flashlight? Her curiosity drove her right into the alley beside the store. She crept close to one of the windows on the side of the building. It was small, and high. She had to stand on her tiptoes to peer through it. As she did she saw a figure pacing through the shop. His flashlight swung past the small window. She winced, and drew back. Had he seen her?

  As Nikki’s heart pounded she considered whether she should run. But an instant later she was back on her toes, with her eyes locked to the man inside. This time she recognized him. It was the same man that she’d seen earlier at the café. The man who wore a motorcycle jacket. He certainly wasn’t a police officer, and certainly didn’t belong inside the shop. Determined to find out just what he was up to, she decided to call the police. They needed to know that their crime scene was being invaded, and she needed to know why. As she dug in her purse for her phone, a sinking sensation rippled through her. She didn’t have her phone. She’d left it on Quinn’s desk during their conversation. Which meant that she had no way of calling for help. She could run to the next shop, or even to one of the nearby houses, but that meant she would have to leave, which would give the man a chance to get away. What if he was gone by the time the police arrived?

  At least if Nikki stayed, she might get an idea of what he was doing, something that she could share with the police when she was able to contact them. She got back up on her toes and looked through the window again. He seemed to be more determined than ever. As she watched, he pulled paintings from the walls. Then he began to shove shelving away from the walls. It became clear that he was looking for something, and had no intention of leaving until he found it. When he bent down to pry at the floorboards, she wondered what could be driving him to search so thoroughly.

  Nikki climbed up on a loose brick in an attempt to get a better view. The brick tumbled loose of the foundation, and her body slammed forward against the wall with a loud thump. She cringed as pain burst through her body, but a moment later she realized she had more to be concerned about. Had he heard anything inside the shop? She peered through the window just in time to catch him looking in her direction. As they locked eyes her chest tightened. She knew in that instant that she had been spotted, and within seconds he could be outside, demanding to know what she saw. Uncertain of his purpose for being there, she was aware that he could be the person who killed Bryan. Would he kill her, too? She wasn’t going to stick around to find out.

  Nikki burst into a run. As she propelled herself through the familiar streets, and passed the shops and homes that she knew so well, she was sure that someone inside would help her. But she couldn’t risk slowing down, or stopping. If she did, the man in the shop might be right on top of her. If only she hadn’t peeked in the window, if only she hadn’t been too curious to resist, she might not be in this situation. Her chest threatened to burst from the intense exertion as she ran as fast as she possibly could. The only place she could think to go was home. It was where she felt the safest. However, as she reached her apartment, she realized it might not have been the best decision. She would be alone, and her neighbors weren’t the type to pay attention to anyone else’s business. She fumbled with her keys. Once she managed to get the key into the lock, she shoved her way through the door and slammed it closed behind her. She leaned back against the door and closed her eyes for just a second. She listened for the sound of footsteps on the walkway. Had he followed her? All she heard was silence.

  Only then did Nikki peer out through her windows to see if the man had followed her. Once she was satisfied that he wasn’t lurking outside she began to double-check that all of her windows and the front door were locked. Again, she reached in her purse for her phone, only to recall that she didn’t have it. She didn’t want to go outside, yet. She perched on the edge of the couch and thought about what she had seen. She was sure it was the same man that she’d seen in the café that morning. She recalled the words the two men exchanged, and how unsettling they could be. They may have been having an innocent conversation, but it may have also been about Bryan. Why else would the man be searching through the shop when no one else
was there? Maybe there was a reasonable explanation for what happened. Maybe she was overreacting.

  Nikki took a few deep breaths. She was okay. He hadn’t followed her. He might not have even seen her. Maybe he’d just looked at the window, and she thought he met her eyes. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a knock on the front door. Her body stiffened in reaction to it. Would a murderer knock on the front door? She wasn’t sure.

  After another set of knocks Nikki convinced herself to get up. She approached the door as quietly as she could. Maybe whoever was outside would assume she wasn’t home and leave.

  As she stood on the other side of the door, she held her breath. Seconds passed. She thought perhaps whoever it was had given up and walked away. Then a third set of knocks, firmer this time, shook the front door. Her stomach twisted as she realized that whoever it was outside, knew that she was inside, and they weren’t giving up.

  Slowly Nikki reached for the door knob. With one hand raised in the air, prepared to defend herself, she pulled the door open.

  “Hey Nikki.” Quinn smiled, though it faded when he noticed her balled up fist. “Is everything okay?”

  “Sorry Quinn.” She dropped her hand and blushed. “I didn’t know it was you.”

  “Well, that’s reassuring.” He raised an eyebrow. “But apparently you were expecting someone else that you wanted to knock out?” He held her phone out to her. “You left this at the station, I just wanted to return it.”

  “Oh, thank you.” She grabbed her phone.

  “Nikki.” He looked into her eyes. “What’s going on? What has you spooked?”

  “It’s probably nothing, I’m just being silly.” She shook her head, but then took the time to look in all directions past him. “There was no one else around the apartment when you walked up, was there?”

  “No, not that I noticed.” He frowned. “Do you mind if I come inside?”

  “Sure, of course.” Nikki stepped aside to allow him in, and closed the door behind him. Then she locked it.

  “You’ve got to tell me what’s wrong.” Quinn turned to face her. “Did something happen?”

  Nikki stared into his eyes, then everything about what she witnessed at the shop and the café earlier in the day began to spill out.

  “I thought he saw me, but now I’m not so sure, and I was going to call the police, but I didn’t have my phone.”

  “Sh, it’s all right.” He wrapped his arms around her.

  The sudden sensation of his closeness did nothing to calm her down. Instead it resulted in her being more nervous, and distracted at the same time. Still, she took a moment to appreciate what it felt like to be in his arms before she pulled away.

  “I’m okay, really, I was just a little startled.” She sighed. “Like I said, it’s probably nothing.”

  “I’m sending someone over to check the shop out now.” Quinn fired off a text, then tucked his phone back into his pocket. “Listen, do you really think he saw you?”

  “I don’t know.” Nikki crossed her arms and gazed at him. “I can’t be sure. But I’m pretty sure he didn’t follow me. Which means he doesn’t know where I live.”

  “Still, if there’s any chance that you’re in danger you need to be extra-cautious. Make sure you have your phone on you at all times, no leaving it behind.” Quinn locked his eyes to hers.

  “Yes, I’ll be more careful.” She tightened her grip on her phone.

  “If anything seems off, anything at all, you don’t hesitate to call me.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and continued to gaze into her eyes. “Understand?”

  “Yes. I would have called, if I’d had my phone on me.” Nikki nodded. His touch was comforting. “Thanks, Quinn. For being here, and for bringing my phone to me. I know how busy you must be.”

  “Never too busy to check on you.” He let his hand fall back to his side. “Stay safe, okay?”

  “I will.” She nodded, then walked him to the door.

  “Make sure you lock up as soon as I leave.” He glanced back at her.

  “Thanks, Quinn.” She nodded again, then closed the door. When she didn’t hear any footsteps, she realized he was waiting for her to lock the door. She turned both locks and heard him walk off down the sidewalk.

  Nikki closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the door for a moment. She couldn’t imagine what he must think of her. He’d arrived to find her ready to defend herself, and then had to lecture her about leaving her phone behind. It was nice to know that he was concerned about her, but she couldn’t help wonder if he might view her as more of a burden than a benefit. She promised herself she would be more careful. Still, a shiver of fear crept up along her spine that wouldn’t cease until she checked all of the windows and doors again. Satisfied that they were locked, she realized that the only way that she was going to relax was to find out what really happened to Bryan.

  Nikki decided that the best place to start was finding out more about him. She settled on the couch with her computer and began to dig into his past. It didn’t take long for her to find out that he was well-known in the dog community, and a very respected designer. She found his name mentioned in several articles and on various websites. In general, every comment about him was a glowing one. However, she noticed that Bryan himself hadn’t made any recent posts. He’d gone from being a daily blogger, showing off his latest fashions, and drumming up support from his fan club, to zero posts for at least the past week.

  Once Nikki hit this dead end, she began looking into the woman that Quinn had named. Heather Cantrells. She claimed that Bryan clipped her on her motorcycle. Quinn had mentioned that a witness heard the sound of a motorcycle around the time of Bryan’s murder. It wasn’t hard to find information about her as she was very active on social media. Soon, Nikki discovered that she worked at a small gas station, located just outside of Dahlia. She also found out that she was twenty-three, and appeared to be single. As she combed through some of her posts, she discovered that Heather had been posting quite a bit lately, and many of her posts had Bryan’s name in them. She detailed how he clipped her motorcycle the night before, and then fled the scene. She threatened to have him arrested, and insisted that he needed to be prepared to hear from her lawyers. She even made a custom meme that featured Bryan’s face in the center of a ‘worst driver ever’ award. Clearly, she was not happy about the accident. However, she did reply to her friends that she was unharmed, then went on to detail what could have happened to her if she hadn’t been paying attention.

  Heather had generated a lot of support for herself, while many people were quite angry with Bryan. Not as angry as Heather, though. Nikki wiped her eyes, and glanced at the clock. Several hours had slipped by. She made herself a snack, then returned to the computer. She searched for any connection between Heather and the man she’d seen in the motorcycle jacket. However, he did not seem to be one of her friends, or business contacts.

  After hours of research on both Bryan and Heather, Nikki decided it would be worth it to pay Heather a visit. Maybe she would be willing to share something with her, as she wasn’t with the police. Plus, she wanted to see face-to-face, just how angry Heather was. Angry enough to kill?

  As Nikki glanced towards the window she realized that the sun had begun to rise. She’d been at it all night, and though she should be exhausted, she felt energized instead. After a hearty breakfast, she took a long shower to wash away her fear from the day before. She wanted to focus on solving the murder, not why she should be afraid. With Quinn as a friend, what reason did she have to be afraid? She knew that he was just a phone call away. The day before she’d been worried that someone might be lurking outside of her apartment, but now she felt more confident. Yesterday was probably just a little paranoia.

  Nikki pulled her light brown hair back into a ponytail, took a deep breath, and focused her energy on the matter at hand. She would help find out what happened to Bryan, then everything could get back to normal. As she headed out the door she g
reeted the early morning sun with a smile. When she turned to close her door and lock it, she was confronted by the sight of a note taped to her door. At first, she thought it might just be something that Quinn left behind. However, as she read the thick, black letters on the paper, her heart began to race.

  I know where you live.

  Nikki’s eyes widened as she read it over again. Could it be a joke? Or was it left by the man in the motorcycle jacket? She quickly glanced around to see if anyone remained nearby. She recognized a few of her neighbors heading out to work, but none that would put such a note on her door. Someone wanted her to see this message, and she knew exactly what it meant. She needed to be careful, or she was going to be next.

  Chapter 5

  Nikki took a deep breath and tried to decide what to do next. Her instincts told her to rip down the note and tear it to pieces. She didn’t want to be frightened by it. But logic warned her not to touch it, and to call Quinn. He’d made her promise that she would be more careful and call him if anything came up. Although she hoped that this might just be a prank of some kind, she couldn’t take the chance of being wrong. She dialed Quinn’s number and waited for him to pick up. Only after the phone rang several times did she remember just how early it was. He likely was still asleep, or just on the road to work for the day. She didn’t want to bother him first thing in the morning. She was about to hang up, when she heard his voice on the line.

  “Nikki, you’re up early.”

  “I didn’t sleep, actually.” Nikki winced as she knew that probably wasn’t the best thing to share.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Were you too worried? I would have sent a patrol officer to watch your apartment, if you were.”

  “No, I just got caught up in some research.” She cleared her throat. “Quinn, this is probably just a joke, but as I went to leave my apartment this morning I found a note taped to my door. I haven’t touched it, I thought I should call you first.”