“But wait, Andrea wouldn’t have been that well off, would she?” I asked. It wasn’t that she couldn’t have made any money, but Andrea Dottory owned a late 90s Toyota that made Charlotte’s car look healthy and new, and I’d never seen her wear any clothes that seemed like they’d been made after 1980.
“Oh, don’t let Andrea’s frugality fool you. The woman was great with money. She wasn’t rich, by any stretch of the imagination, but she invested every cent she had rather than spend it on herself. She liked investing, she treated it like a job. She didn’t necessarily care about having the money, she enjoyed the satisfaction of being able to make her numbers go up.” Betty sighed and stared off into the distance. “If she was born in another era, I think she would have been a much happier woman.”
I couldn’t help but ask myself if Kelly Dottory was the kind of woman who would kill for money. After all, she could have easily driven down to Willow Bay and then gone back to Seattle. It was only a few hours along I-5 between the two cities. Still, taking someone out with a crowbar seemed like an especially brutal way to kill someone. I wasn’t sure if that waif of a woman had it in her. But money, I reminded myself, made people do funny things.
I thanked Betty, said goodbye to Austin, and headed back home. We had another name to add to our already long list of suspects.
Chapter 11
The first thing I did when I left Betty’s was head back down to the police station. The more time passed between my interaction with Kelly, the angrier I got about it.
How dare she just demand that she get to take Sprinkles? How dare she call us a hick town? How dare she look at me like I was that far beneath her?
No, I already knew, I was never going to give Sprinkles to a woman like that. She was the type of person who only cared about herself. And I was absolutely going to make sure that I didn’t have to.
I walked into the police station, but Chief Gary’s door was closed. I asked the receptionist, Casey, if he was in, and she said he was, but that he was in a meeting and if I waited maybe twenty minutes he could see me then. I agreed, and thanked her. Maybe giving myself a little bit of time to cool off wasn’t a bad idea, anyway.
As I turned to sit in one of the waiting area chairs, I saw Jason Black already occupying one of them.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, sitting in a chair two down from him.
“What, no hello? How are you doing Jason? Thanks again for saving my life, Jason?” he teased, a smile on his face. Damn it, why did his smile have to be so good looking?
“I already thanked you for saving my life,” I replied.
“You do realize I’m not a murderer, right?” he asked. “I’m not just sitting here getting ready to confess.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“I’m a reporter, remember? I’m writing a story about Andrea Dottory’s murder, since it’s a little bit more important than the news that the post office is repainting the front of the building before the summer rush, or that Betty MacMahon is adding cheesecake to her menu for the summer.”
“Oh man, cheesecake? That’s amazing. That one’s probably worth a headline.”
Jason laughed. “You should probably stick to healing animals. What are you doing here, anyway? You have way less of a reason than I do.”
“I have to see Chief Gary about Andrea’s dog.”
“Of course you are. Are you secretly trying to solve this case as well?” Jason’s brown eyes twinkled as he said it, and I felt a tickle in my stomach. Ugh. Why was my body always trying to betray me?
“I am not,” I replied indignantly. “I’m just making sure that stuck-up niece of Andrea’s doesn’t get to take Sprinkles until I can find him a good home.”
“Her stuck up niece?”
“Kelly. Believe me, when you see her, you’ll know.”
“I haven’t had the pleasure yet.”
“Neither have I,” I replied darkly. “I’ve met her, but it wasn’t a pleasure.”
Jason burst out laughing. “Now I want to. Although, I’m pretty sure you’d say that about me, too.”
“To be fair, I did think you were a murderer when I first met you.”
“And now?” Jason asked, his eyes twinkling once more.
“Now I just find you infuriating.”
“Infuriatingly awesome, I think you mean.”
I opened my mouth to send out a retort, but before I got the chance to the receptionist told me I could go in and see Chief Gary now.
“If it was anyone but you I’d complain that I was here first,” Jason told me as I got up.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was actually flirting with me! But there was no way. For one thing, I couldn’t stand Jason. Or so I kept telling myself. But the more I spent time with him after he saved my life, the more he seemed like a self confident guy, rather than an arrogant killer.
No, I reminded myself. No, he did save my life, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t arrogant. The way he sat there, with that cocky grin, the way his eyes twinkled when he teased me. Nope, there would definitely never be anything between Jason and I. I’d make sure of that.
I made my way into Chief Gary’s office. Chief Gary was the stereotypical looking small town police chief. With greying hair and a bit of a gut, he still had an honest, kind face. The kind of guy you want to have in charge of a small town’s police department. He’d never had the motivation to move to a bigger town, and to be honest, Willow Bay was pretty much perfect for him. He was a good policeman, and a good chief. We needed him here, and I was glad to have him. Right now, however, he looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
“What can I help you with, Angela?” he asked, smiling. Chief Gary had been the first responder on the scene of the accident that had killed my parents, and ever since that day he’d always been extra nice to me. A little bit protective, even.
“Hey Chief, I just saw Kelly Dottory, and I wanted you to know that she might mention that she wants Sprinkles when she comes in here to see you, but I really, really don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Chief Gary laughed.
“I know. I know Kelly. Don’t worry about that. She’s coming in to see me in an hour, I’ll make sure she knows Sprinkles is your responsibility. Boy did I not expect that at all. Here I was thinking you were coming in here to see what kind of information about the murder you could pump out of me again.”
“Well since I’m here…” I started with a hopeful smile.
“Absolutely not, young lady. Besides, you promised me you weren’t looking into this murder.”
“I’m not,” I added hastily. “I was only kidding.” I threw a smile on my face and got up to leave. “Thanks, Chief,” I told him. “I know Sprinkles is a lot better off with me until we find him the right new owner.”
“You got it, kiddo,” Chief Gary replied, and I left the office with a small wave and a smile on my face. Sprinkles was in my care until I found someone suitable to care for him. No matter what Kelly Dottory wanted.
I was so happy I even gave Jason Black a wave as I left the police station, feeling his eyes follow me with an amused look as I practically skipped out the door. It was time to go home; I was going to get to tell Charlotte and Sophie everything I’d found out about the new potential murderer!
Chapter 12
After I got back and told Sophie and Charlotte what I’d found out, Sophie asked me if Sprinkles would want to go for a walk.
“I was just thinking, he’s been inside all the time since he came back, except to go do his business,” she was telling me. “It might be good for him to go out for a little bit.”