Wagging Tail Cozy Mysteries Box Set 1

by Cindy Bell

  “I noticed that Bryan’s car wasn’t so much driving erratically, as evasively.” Quinn tapped the screen. “This car is always behind his, and seems to be gaining on Bryan’s car.”

  “You think he was being chased?” Her eyes widened at the thought.

  “I think it’s possible. I’ve been checking every resource we have to see if I can get a clear view of the license plate on this car, or the driver, unfortunately it’s all too blurry. I’m hoping the crime lab can clean it up, but I doubt it.” He sighed as he tossed his pen down beside his tablet.

  “But if Bryan was being chased, why didn’t he just say that?” Nikki frowned as she continued to stare at the screen. “Why didn’t he call the police?”

  “Very good questions.” Quinn turned in his chair to face her. “Unfortunately, they are not easily answered.”

  “I spoke to a man named Royce Blake earlier this morning, when I took Princess for her walk. Apparently, he’s the one who was in competition with Bryan to get the lease on that shop. He insisted that Bryan was involved with some pretty shady people.” She frowned as she looked over at him. “I just dismissed it as nonsense, but maybe he was in some kind of trouble.”

  “Maybe. I’ll have to speak with Royce about it.” Quinn made another note. Then looked up at her. “Now, what did you want to discuss?”

  “I ran into someone else just now. The man who I saw sneaking around Bryan’s shop.” Nikki locked her eyes to his. “He claims to be Bryan’s brother.”

  “Wait a minute.” Quinn stared back into her eyes. “Are you saying you were just with the man who threatened you? Who broke into a crime scene? And you didn’t think to call me?”

  “Quinn.” She narrowed her eyes some as she sensed anger in his tone. “We don’t know if he left the note. He didn’t hurt me. He apologized for scaring me. He said he had a right to be in the shop, because he was trying to find out what happened to his brother, and find anything that he might have left behind.”

  “Nikki.” He ran his hand across his face, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long, slow breath. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I can’t call you every single time—”

  “No, just the one time that you’re with a criminal who threatened you.” Quinn lowered his hand and gazed at her. “Is that so much to ask?”

  “Quinn, you’re not listening to me.” Nikki gritted her teeth, then sighed. “I didn’t even know that Bryan had a brother. Besides, he said he didn’t leave that note on my door. I told you it was probably just a prank. He was kind to me, and said he saw how scared I was yesterday, and just wanted to make sure that I knew I had no reason to be afraid. How is that a bad thing?”

  “And you believe him?” Quinn’s eyes widened a little as his expression shifted from frustration, to wonder. “Why?”

  “That’s why I’m here.” Nikki frowned. “I thought if anyone would know if Bryan had a brother, if this man was telling the truth, it would be you.”

  “I do know.” Quinn nodded and grabbed his tablet. “Bryan has one brother. His name is Tim Sashen.” He hit a few keys on the keyboard and pulled up a picture. “Is this the man you spoke to?”

  “Yes, that’s him.” Her heart skipped a beat. “I guess he was telling the truth.”

  “He might have been telling the truth about who he was, but you still had reason to be frightened. He has quite a criminal history, everything from break-ins to assault.” Quinn shook his head. “It’s not a good idea to be alone with him. Most of his offenses are from a few years ago, but in my experience many criminals don’t stop committing crimes, they just might go some time without getting caught.”

  “No matter his past, Bryan really is his brother, which means that he is grieving.” Nikki sighed and folded her arms across her stomach as she gazed at the image on the screen. “He needs our help.”

  “You have such a good heart, Nikki.” Quinn cleared his throat. “But we don’t know that he’s grieving.”

  Nikki sought his eyes, but he kept them fixated on the screen.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you told me that you saw Tim at the café, before Bryan was killed. Which means Tim didn’t just show up in town to grieve his brother, he was already here.” Quinn added a note to his tablet.

  “You think he’s a suspect? That he killed his own brother?” Nikki shivered at the idea.

  “It’s not pleasant to consider, but yes.” Quinn glanced over at her. “He would have to be pretty ruthless to do it, which is why you need to tell me if he ever approaches you again. He may have just been trying to protect himself, since he knew that you had seen him in the shop. I’m going to do my best to pick him up and have a conversation with him. But if you see him again, you need to let me know.” He paused then rubbed his hand along the curve of his cheek. “I should say, I would like it if you would contact me, right away.”

  “I will, Quinn.” She smiled some at his effort to be less demanding. She sensed that he was still trying to find his footing as a detective. “Thanks for your help.”

  “Thank you for yours.” He tapped his tablet. “You gave me a lot to work with.”

  “Good luck finding that car.” Nikki stood up and gave him an awkward pat on his shoulder. He held her gaze as her hand lingered.

  “Thanks.”

  Nikki wanted to say more. Instead, she drew her hand away, and headed out of the police station.

  Once inside her car Nikki took a few minutes to think about what her next step might be. Quinn was right, Tim could easily be a suspect in his own brother’s murder. She didn’t want to think it, but she had no reason to eliminate him as a possibility. Then of course there was Heather, who might have been so angry from the accident that she decided to teach Bryan a lesson. Maybe things got out of hand, maybe she just wanted to threaten him not kill him. She rested her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She also couldn’t ignore the cold way that Royce spoke about Bryan. Could losing out on a lease really drive someone to kill? She considered it for a few moments, then recalled his insistence that the real estate agent had been forced into leasing the shop to Bryan. If she was to take anything that Royce said seriously, then the agent was someone she needed to speak to. Maybe she would know more about Bryan’s possible secret life. She guessed that the real estate agency Royce had disappeared into was where she would find the agent she needed to speak to.

  Chapter 8

  As Nikki drove towards the real estate agency she hoped that she would be able to find some answers. She parked about halfway down the street, as all of the other spaces were taken. When she opened the door to the office, she found four people in the waiting room. A young man behind the front desk had a phone cradled between his ear and shoulder, while he typed frantically on a keyboard.

  “That’s right, the new apartments are up for lease, but you do have to sign an agreement ten days before the end of the month in order to lease it the following month. All of our agreements for those apartments must be signed ten days before.”

  Nikki edged her way to an empty chair and sat down. A quick glance around the room revealed anxious faces. She guessed that whatever apartments were available were in high demand. A door swung open and a woman dressed in a lime green pants suit stepped out. Her crimson hair was cut short at the height of her cheekbones, and she wore a bright shade of pink lipstick.

  “Hi everyone, thank you for your patience. We’re just so busy today.” She looked over the sign-in sheet on the front desk.

  Nikki stood up. She knew if she didn’t get the woman’s attention now she might have to wait hours before she had a chance to speak with her.

  “Excuse me, I just need a minute of your time.”

  “Do you have an appointment?” She glanced over the list in front of her.

  “No, I’m sorry. I’m not here for an appointment. I just wanted to ask you a quick question.” Nikki glanced at the other people waiting. “I promise I won’t take up too much of your time
.”

  “You look familiar.” She narrowed her eyes as she looked her over. “Do I know you?

  “I don’t think so. My name is Nikki.” She thrust out her hand.

  “Little Nikki?” She squealed, then smiled. “I do know you!”

  “You do?” Bewildered, Nikki stared at the woman.

  “Well, I knew you when you were just a little thing that is. I’m Anne. I helped your parents buy their home. I was surprised to hear that they sold it.” She gestured for her to follow her into her office. “Come in, we’ll have to make it quick, though.”

  “Absolutely, no problem. Yes, they decided to head south for the warmer weather.” Nikki grinned. “They are enjoying it.” She followed her into the office.

  “I’m so glad to hear it.” Anne settled at her desk. “So, how can I help you? Are you looking to buy a place?”

  “No, I’m happy with the apartment I’m in. It’s tiny but it’s mine.” Nikki smiled. “Actually, I wanted to ask you about something that’s been going around town as gossip. I thought the best way to fight it, is to consult the source.”

  “I’m the source of gossip?” Anne flushed and shook her head. “I doubt that.”

  “Me too, that’s why I’m checking with you. Some people have been whispering since Bryan’s death, that the only reason he got the shop instead of Royce was because you took a bribe from Bryan.” Nikki looked into the woman’s eyes. “Is it true?”

  “Wow!” Anne’s eyes widened. “Of course not! I would never take a bribe.” She sighed. “I knew that this deal was going to cause me misery. The truth is, the rental should have gone to Royce, but then this man showed up at my office with mounds of legal paperwork. He insisted that if I didn’t lease the place to Bryan he would ruin my entire business. Honestly, I love my work, but I don’t know that much about the law, and I certainly don’t have the money for a fancy lawyer. I just thought it would be easier to rent the place to Bryan and be done with it. So, that’s what I did.”

  “What kind of paperwork?” Nikki felt her curiosity grow.

  “I have copies of it.” Anne stood up and walked over to her filing cabinet. As she pulled out a folder, she looked back at Nikki. “Do you think I could be in some kind of trouble with all of this? I’ve seen you with that detective. Has he mentioned me?”

  “You have?” Nikki raised an eyebrow. “No, he hasn’t, but he doesn’t speak to me about his investigations. I don’t think you’ll be in any trouble, but if you’d like I could take copies of this paperwork to him, so he could make sure that there’s nothing for you to be concerned about.”

  “I’ve been so nervous ever since Bryan was killed.” Anne set the folder down in front of Nikki. “I had such a bad feeling when that man came into my office. Maybe I should have said something to the police then.” She frowned. “But I didn’t have any reason to.”

  “It’s okay, I’m sure you did the right thing. Do you remember the man’s name?” Nikki opened the folder.

  “It’s on the inside of the folder. You can take the whole thing to him. Just do me a favor, Nikki, make sure he knows that I had nothing to do with this.” She looked into the younger woman’s eyes. “Please.”

  “Of course.” Nikki stared back at Anne. “I’ll tell him. I’m sure he’ll get in contact with you.” Nikki took the paperwork, left the agency and sat on a bench close by. She used her phone to look up the name listed on the paperwork. John Baker returned a lot of results, but it didn’t take her long to find the right one. A picture matched the face of the man that she’d seen with Tim at the café, before Bryan was killed. She clicked on the picture, and it led her to a website dedicated to rants about the man. The accusations ranged from assault, to suspected murder.

  This man is a criminal, he will bully and intimidate you until you feel like your only option is to give him what he wants. I don’t have the proof to get him arrested, but prison is where he belongs.

  Nikki raised her eyebrows as she read over the rant again. She clicked the link that led her to a profile of information about the person who posted the comment. He was a business owner based in Texas. “Wow, John really gets around.” She pursed her lips and scrolled through more posts. Although people were quite angry at John, there was no solid information about what he had done. She guessed that in some way his victims were still frightened of him. Not a single rant indicated that the police were called regarding their interaction with John. Why was that? She sat back against the bench and considered the possibilities. Perhaps they were too frightened to call the police on him, but it didn’t quite make sense that they would feel comfortable ranting about him on a website. Her next guess was that whatever deals they’d made with John, weren’t legal. If that was the case it would explain why they hadn’t reported him to the police, they didn’t want to be arrested themselves.

  Clearly, John was a strong suspect. What was he doing with Tim? Why was he in Dahlia at the time that Bryan was killed? She snapped pictures of the paperwork and sent them along with a link to the website she had found, to Quinn. As she tucked her phone back into her pocket she hoped that he could find something more substantial than she had.

  A quick glance at her watch revealed that she only had a few more hours to try to find the perfect gift for Princess. She’d already been to all of the local pet shops and hadn’t found anything just right. She recalled seeing a pet store near the gas station where Heather worked. As she drove she tried to push the murder to the back of her mind and come up with ideas for Princess’ gift.

  Nikki pulled into the parking lot of the pet shop, which was next to the gas station. As she stepped out of her car, Heather pushed open the door of the gas station. She headed for a motorcycle parked near the front door. As Nikki watched, she spotted a bumper sticker on Heather’s motorcycle that advertised dog accessories.

  “Heather!” She waved to her before the other woman could pull on her helmet.

  “Not you again.” She sighed as she looked over at her.

  “Do you make gifts for dogs?” Nikki gestured to the bumper sticker on her motorcycle.

  “Yes, I do.” Heather eyed her as her upper lip curled.

  “Do you have anything for small breeds?”

  “I do. I make protective clothing, leashes and collars.” She crossed her arms. “Why?”

  “I am in desperate need of a gift by tomorrow morning. Do you have anything ready to go?” Nikki offered her friendliest smile.

  “Everything’s at my house. I have a wide selection.” Heather tipped her head to the side. “It’s only a few minutes away.”

  “I’d love to take a look if you’d let me.” Nikki jingled her keys. “I can follow you there.”

  “Sure, all right.” Heather climbed onto her motorcycle. “But you’ll have to pick something fast, I have plans tonight.”

  “I can do that.” Nikki walked over to her car and climbed in. She did hope she would find something for Princess, but she was also curious about Heather, and her lifestyle. She still could have been the person that killed Bryan, and she hoped that if she was, there would be some evidence to stumble across at her house.

  As Nikki followed Heather towards her home, she noticed that the neighborhood was crowded with small houses, mingled with a few duplexes. While most of the yards were tidy, a few had scraggly, overgrown grass and untended gardens. Kids played on the quiet side streets, and several dogs barked as she drove past.

  Heather turned into a narrow driveway and parked her motorcycle close to the house. Nikki was forced to park along the road as there was a car in the driveway that took up the remainder of the room. As she stepped out of her car, she noticed that the vehicle looked familiar to her. She tried to place where she’d seen it, but couldn’t recall.

  “Is that your car, Heather?” She caught up to the woman at the front door.

  “No, it’s my boyfriend’s.” She glanced over at it, then back at Nikki. “But he’s out of town right now.” She pushed open the front door a
nd gestured for Nikki to follow.

  “Do you have any pets?” Nikki stepped in behind her. She was distinctly aware of the risk of being alone with someone who could possibly be a murderer. However, nothing in Heather’s home indicated she was a killer. Everything was just messy enough to be lived in, and decorated with bright colors, as well as endearing art pieces. The painting of a boy with a puppy that hung over the fireplace was too adorable for Nikki to look past.

  “Not at the moment. My boyfriend and I are thinking about getting a puppy in the future. It’s just too much responsibility for the moment.”

  “I understand.” Nikki followed Heather down a long hallway through the house. When she pushed open another door, Nikki was greeted by bursts of color and fluffy material. The workshop was packed with small outfits suitable for dogs of all shapes and sizes. The walls were lined with clothes of all different colors.

  “Wow!” Nikki took a step back as she drank in the creativity that spread out before her. “You have an amazing talent.”

  “Thanks.” Heather smiled some. “I’m afraid it’s not enough yet to get me out of that dead-end job, but maybe one day.” Her smile grew wider.

  “I’m sure.” Nikki touched one of the jackets and admired the material. “It’s washable?”

  “Yes, everything is washable and made from drool resistant materials, not to mention chew resistant.” Heather wheeled in a rack of clothes. “These are all finished if you want to look through them.”

  “Thanks.” Nikki began to sort through them, but her eyes were drawn back to a green shirt. It was long enough to go from Princess’ neck to her tail. “Actually, what can you tell me about this?” She pointed it out.

  “Oh, that’s from my summer line. The material is waterproof and will protect the dog from the sun, plus it is light and breathable which means the dog won’t get too hot. It’s snug on the belly to prevent tripping, and of course it’s chew resistant like the rest.” Heather took the shirt down from the wall and offered it to Nikki.