“Sorry,” Daniel Wilson said, giving her a nod. “I hope you don’t mind. My wife and I decided to do this appointment together.”
Paige drew in a deep breath and managed another smile.
“That’s fine,” she said. “Please, take a seat, both of you.”
She sat down in her desk chair, and tried not to feel as though the two of them were far too close. Only a desk separated them as they sat. She clasped her hands on the desk and looked between the two of them.
“What brings you both here today?” she asked. “And when did you arrive home, Daniel?”
“Five days ago,” Daniel said. “It’s a little embarrassing, but I was hiding out from Jessica; I pretended to be away for a little longer so that we didn’t have to meet during the process.”
Five days ago? That meant that Daniel had still been in Sherwood during the murder.
“He told me about it yesterday,” Jessica said, rolling her eyes. “We had a long talk about everything.”
“The two of you do seem much more amicable,” Paige noted.
She kept her expression calm, trying not to squirm, as they both speared her with intense looks. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one here for answers.
“Yes,” Jessica said slowly. “We realized that we were being foolish. Right now, we’re unsure if we want to continue the divorce process. We want to make the decision with a clearer mind.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Paige said with a nod. “It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally we have couples who call off the divorce because they want to try one more time. I’m happy that the two of you are looking at this more logically. Divorce is very final, after all, and I would want the two of you to be sure that this was the path you wanted to take.”
“Thank you,” Daniel said. “And thank you for putting up with us through all this.”
Paige smiled at him. One hand drifted to her pocket, where the watch was. It seemed that the two of them really did just want to talk about their divorce. She should ask about the watch before they left.
“Where’s Barkley?” Jessica suddenly asked.
“Barkley?” Paige asked, startled. “Why?”
“He was here during one of the appointments, wasn’t he?” Daniel asked. “Your little beagle puppy is quite cute.”
Paige’s hand froze. Alarm flared; how did Daniel know what type of dog Barkley was when he had never seen it? And why were the two of them asking about him?
Of course, Jessica could have told him about Barkley. But why would she have done that? She had barely met the puppy, and the two of them would have concentrated on their own relationship rather than Paige and her dog last night. On top of that, that appointment had been a week ago; why would Jessica bring Barkley up now?
“He’s with my parents,” she said. “He’s not trained enough to be here in the office with me; that was a one-time occurrence because I took him for a walk and ran out of time to take him home. I paid for it when he ripped up some papers of mine, though!”
“Do you take Barkley far?” Daniel asked. “There’s many places to go. Beverly Beach State Park, Cape Foulweather, Otter Crest Loop…”
He trailed off, looking at her in interest. But Paige had caught the slight emphasis he had put on Otter Crest Loop as he said it, and she suddenly realized what this was about.
Jessica and Daniel weren’t sure if they had seen her. But they had seen Barkley. Not long enough to recognize him, but Jessica knew Paige owned a beagle. So, they had come here to find out what she knew.
It would be easy enough to tell them that she had seen them yesterday. Admit that she had seen them searching for something and that she had gotten spooked when she heard them coming, and so had hidden herself. Then she could show them the watch and ask them if it was what they had been looking for.
She paused and then her hand drifted away from her pocket.
“I’ve been out to all those places so far,” she agreed. “It’s lovely to see the area in a little more detail. I used to live here, and it’s been a very long time since I took in the sights.”
“Lovely,” Jessica said with a cold smile. “Well, it’s been nice to see you again. Thank you again for all your help.”
“It was my pleasure,” Paige said, standing at the same time as them and offering her hand.
Both Daniel and Jessica shook it firmly and turned to go. Paige had barely a moment to feel any relief before, suddenly, Daniel turned around again.
“By the way,” he said. “My wife mentioned that you recorded the first conversation that we had over the phone. What will happen to that recording?”
His eyes were piercing, as though the answer was incredibly important. Paige straightened her shoulders.
“I recorded it in order to garner any useful information,” she said. “I deleted it that same night.”
It was a lie. But, as she watched Daniel’s shoulders relax, it was a useful lie. What was so important about that recording that he felt he had to ask her about it?
She watched them leave, and then she collapsed back into her chair, glancing at her watch. The entire meeting had taken no more than ten minutes, yet she felt exhausted.
Paige was more certain than ever, however, that something was amiss. She withdrew the watch from her pocket and studied it. Even though it had dried out, it still wasn’t working; she wouldn’t be surprised if it had stopped for good. How long had it been caught in the sand? It was certainly very battered.
Perhaps it belonged to Daniel, and maybe it didn’t. But she hadn’t been able to bring herself to ask about it. Even if it was Daniel’s, then it was something very important to him, something he had felt that he had to find at all costs. But why? Why would this watch have brought trouble in the form of the police on them?
She ran her fingers over it. A few grains of sand, which were still stuck in the carved decorations, fell to the table, but Paige paid this no mind as she turned the watch over in her hand, clicking it open to run a critical eye over the face. The glass was cracked, there were scratches all over it, and there was a small rust stain on the casing. It wasn’t worth anything. What could this thing prove?
She ran her finger carefully over the sand. Then she frowned. In her experience, rust felt rough and sharp, almost like sand. But this stain felt a little bumpy and even smooth in places.
Was it rust? She took a closer look at it. It was hard to tell, but, if it wasn’t rust…
The pieces clicked together. The Wilson couple were frightened of the police finding this watch. It had been on the beach, not far from where she had uncovered the site of Jonathan Cook’s murder.
Paige instantly recoiled and dropped the watch, allowing it to clatter to the desk, horrified by her own reasoning. Were the Wilsons involved in Jonathan’s murder? Jessica had been in her office at the exact time that the murder had occurred, and Daniel had been on the phone with them, apparently in Sherwood.
But what if Daniel hadn’t been in Sherwood during the murder, as she had been told?
Slowly, Paige remembered what she had overheard Jessica and Daniel speaking about. They were worried about the fact that they had chosen a lawyer who was dating the sheriff. They were also discussing how to fire her, claiming that they didn’t need her anymore.
What if they had never needed her? Had she just been their alibi?
Paige didn’t know what to think. She had no idea what to do next. Nothing was making sense, yet the pieces of the puzzle that she had been chasing for so long were finally fitting together. Jessica and Daniel were also part of the training school Jonathan had run, and had naturally come under suspicion when the trainer had died. But they had had an ironclad alibi; Paige was their ironclad alibi.
But, if she was right, she was holding proof that it had all been one giant trick.
Calm down, she told herself. She didn’t even know, yet, that the watch belonged to the Wilsons. It could belong to anyone. For all she knew, it belonged to Alice Campbell, wh
o was currently at the police station, being questioned.
It made sense for it to be Alice, even if Paige still didn’t believe it. She could understand why the police were looking at Alice. She had had the opportunity, since she was so close to him. Jonathan had suspected her, so, if she had discovered that, she had the motive. She was even suspected of being involved in the dog thefts! What had Jonathan thought about that? He had thought she was summoning them with her whistle.
“It could be why the dogs vanish, if she is calling them. They would obey because they were taught to.”
So, as a registered dog trainer, Alice had every opportunity to be involved in both the dog thefts and in the murder when her partner found out. What reason would the Wilsons have for killing Jonathan? Unless they were the dog thieves, but how was that possible?
“I only took Max to the training school because I didn’t have the time to train him myself. I was a dog trainer some years ago.”
Paige gasped as the memory slammed into her. There was another dog trainer at the school.
She needed to call Jack.
She fumbled for her phone. Before she could dial the number of Jack’s office, however, hoping he would be there, her phone rang.
Chapter 21: Searching for the Truth
21: Searching for the Truth
It was an unfamiliar number and, for a long moment, Paige considered not answering it; she had too much to do. After a moment, though, logic cut through. It could be a client.
“Hello?” she asked, picking it up.
“Hello? Paige?” It took Paige a moment to recognize the quiet, tearful voice. “It’s Alice… Alice Campbell.”
“Alice?” Paige asked, trying to center herself. “Are you alright?”
She was alarmed when, suddenly, the other woman burst into tears. She sat at her desk, frozen, not sure what to do.
“Sorry… I’m sorry,” Alice said after a long moment. “I just…” She cleared her throat. “Paige, I hope you don’t mind, but…you said you were a lawyer and…”
Paige’s heart sunk.
“I’m in a bit of trouble,” Alice continued with a humorless chuckle. “I don’t… Jonathan’s journal implicated me in something, and I don’t know what to do, but I think I need a lawyer. Can you…?”
“Alice…” Paige closed her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I’m a divorce lawyer.”
There was stunned silence on the other end.
“I would if I could,” Paige said, her heart going out to the woman. “I just…can’t.”
“I… I see,” Alice said, and she sounded so defeated that Paige wanted to cry too. “I guess…that’s the way my luck is going now. My partner is dead, and now I found out that he suspected me of something horrendous…” She choked on a sob. “He died believing that I could…”
“Don’t do this to yourself, Alice,” Paige said. “I promise, it’s going to be alright, okay? You didn’t do it, I know you didn’t. Just hold strong, okay? If you still need a lawyer tomorrow, I’ll track down one I trust, so just hold on.”
“Tomorrow?” Alice said, suddenly alert. “Why not now?”
“Because…” Paige hesitated. “I think I found something. I don’t know what, but…can you trust me, Alice?”
“I’ll try,” Alice said with a sigh. “I don’t really know what to believe anymore. But, thank you, Paige. If I still need a lawyer tomorrow…I’ll call.”
“You won’t need to,” Paige promised.
They exchanged farewells and hung up. Paige’s hand clenched around the phone. Alice’s call had centered her, and an angry fire had started up in her. If the Wilsons are responsible for all of this, I will not let them escape.
What proof did she have? Very little, really. She had a watch, which may or may not have their fingerprints on it, and which could, very possibly, have the blood of Jonathan Cook on its casing. But she needed something more concrete.
Hadn’t Daniel asked her about the recorded phone call?
Frowning, Paige located the call in her files. It had the date and time of the call. She played the recording and winced as the angry voices of Jessica and Daniel boomed out of it; it was hard to remember that they had been sitting together so amicably not that long ago.
What is it about this call that Daniel doesn’t want known? She turned up the sound as far as it could go. It’s hard to tell, but are there sounds in the background? The faint sound of wind and a distant splash, as though he was somewhere near water.
It wasn’t enough, though. Paige turned off the recording and sighed. Daniel could have been at a local pool, for all she knew. Perhaps, though, the recorded date and time of the call could be of use. Is it possible to determine where Daniel had made the call from? That, along with the sounds in the call, could be the proof they needed, if he had made the call anywhere near Otter Crest Loop.
There was a scratch at her window, and Paige jumped. It was just the branch of a tree outside, but it suddenly occurred to her that she might not be safe in her office. If Daniel and Jessica were the killers, and if they suspected that she knew something, she could be in danger. She would be safer at home since neither of them knew where she lived.
Meanwhile, she could lock up the evidence. She dropped the watch in the top drawer of her desk and locked it securely with a key. She would let Jack know it was here when she got home.
Alright, first things first. She needed to go and get Barkley. Then she needed to go home. Once she was there, then she would contact Jack, who had no idea about any of this. She wished, suddenly, that she had told him her suspicions, no matter how ridiculous and baseless they seemed. Maybe, if she had actually told him that she suspected the Wilsons, she wouldn’t have to worry about them. At the very least he would have questioned them by now.
Before she did anything else, though, she would pick up Barkley. She could use some company.
It was as Paige drove home, Barkley finding a comfortable seat in the back, that she realized what she had done. The largest part of her plan included getting home, and the second part was calling Jack and getting him to look into the Wilsons.
“We’ve got ourselves in a bit of mess, Barkley,” Paige said to the puppy.
The puppy merely yawned at her, unimpressed. Paige sighed and considered what to do next. She could head to the sheriff’s office, but she was almost certain that Jack wouldn’t be there; he would either be at Otter Crest Loop, or he would be at the Newport station, questioning Alice.
No, what she needed to do was get somewhere safe and call Jack. As soon as she told him her suspicions, he would be able to grab the watch out of her desk and come around to her place to listen to the recording on her phone. Then she could hide out in her apartment while he made his arrests.
“Alright, it’s a plan,” she said out loud. “Barkley, make sure you stay close, okay? No running off, today.”
Barkley yapped once and closed his eyes again, intent on dozing.
He opened his eyes again, however, as Paige parked her car and cut the engine, eyeing her surroundings. Despite being certain that Jessica and Daniel didn’t know where she lived, she was feeling justifiably alert at the moment.
“Come on,” she murmured, picking Barkley up from the back seat and carrying him toward the front door.
“Paige!”
At the sound of the familiar voice, Paige should have just ignored it and kept going, especially with the way Barkley was growling in her arms, unimpressed with someone unfamiliar being so close to his home. But, instead, she paused, startled.
“Daniel,” she said blankly. “What are you doing here?”
Daniel was alone, it seemed, as he approached the small apartment; his hands hanging loosely at his side. There was a pleasant smile on his face, but Paige couldn’t trust it one bit.
“I just wanted to apologize again,” Daniel said. “My wife and I really put you through some hard times, and it wasn’t fair to just duck out on you like that.”
Paige’s hand slowly
drifted to her pocket, where her phone was, while she held Barkley tightly with her other arm. But she hesitated; she still didn’t know anything for certain, and she couldn’t risk provoking the man in front of her.
“It’s fine,” Paige said, edging backward. “Look, it happens all the time, so you don’t need to feel so bad about it. I’m really happy the two of you worked it out.”
Daniel stopped. “Sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?”
“I’m uncomfortable that you seem to know where I live,” Paige snapped before she could stop herself. “I know I was your wife’s lawyer, but I never told her where my home was.”
“Please, all you’d have to do is ask the local grocer and he’d point you wherever you want to go,” Daniel scoffed.
Paige grimaced. Andy Parker’s gossip struck again.
“Where’s Jessica?” she asked.
“As far as she was concerned, we were done with everything,” Daniel said. “She ran off somewhere, I think.”
“Right, well, I hope you don’t mind, but I still have some work to do,” Paige said, lifting her chin; her heart was pounding as she was afraid, but she wasn’t going to show that fear. “Paperwork still needs to be completed at the end of divorce proceedings.”
“I see,” Daniel said. “Look, Paige, there was something else I wanted to ask you about, something I didn’t want to ask in front of Jessica. I lost something at Otter Crest Loop. Since you go there with Barkley, I thought you might have seen it?”
Paige looked down at Barkley. He was very stiff in her arms, a growl of warning still rumbling in his throat.
“What did you lose?” she asked, looking back up at Daniel.
“A watch,” Daniel said. “A very old watch. It has some sentimental value to me as it belonged to my late grandfather. Jessica wouldn’t like to hear that I lost it.”
But Jessica already knew. Paige had seen the two of them looking for the watch at Otter Crest Loop. It was the last, definitive bit of proof that she needed. That blood-encrusted watch belonged to Daniel.
“Sorry,” she said, her voice even. “I haven’t been to Otter Crest Loop that many times. I haven’t seen anything like what you’re describing.”
The Comfy Canine Murder Case Page 14