“Good point. So are we breaking in?” A smile stretched between his whiskers, and I could tell he looked forward to a little recreational B and E.
“I already told you—”
He hissed when he realized I still wasn’t playing into his paw. “Just put on a pair of gloves, Angela. Seriously, it’s not even that hard. We also have more cameras to find. Get with the program.”
“I’m having a hard time moving past that deer. It keeps coming back to the yard even though it’s clearly frightened. Why do you suppose that is?”
Octo-Cat let out a low, long groan.“I told you. The guy’s prey. They aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed, if you know what I’m saying.”
“In the shed. That’s it!” At last he’d given me a lead I could pursue without worry of looking guilty later.
He tilted his head, regarding me with large golden eyes.“What’s it?”
“Ms. Miller died in her back shed. She was knocked out by an extra-large bag of deer feed,” I reminded him.
“And?”
“She’d only been in town for a couple of weeks, yet somehow she’d definitely managed to make good friends with that buck. She also complained more than once about Paisley scaring off the deer from her yard.” I watched Octo-Cat’s face the whole time I explained, but rather than appearing enlightened, he looked downright confused.
“So? So what has that got to do with any of this?” he asked with another savage flick of his tail. “Do you think the deer killed her for being late giving him his dinner?”
Okay, now I was irritated too.“Be reasonable,” I whined, unable to help myself. “I already said the buck wasn’t a suspect. But her apparent obsession with the local deer is the best lead we’ve got.”
My cat rolled his eyes yet again. We may have hit a new record for how many times he could dismiss me that way in a single day.“I thought the best lead we had was the treasure trove of evidence already waiting literally right next door.”
I thought about this for a second. Logically, his point was sound, but something inside me was begging me to follow this new hunch.
“Let’s split up,” I decided at last. “I’ll pursue the deer thing, and you work on finding the other cameras and locating the missing memory card.”
“Great, but you still have to let me inside.” He yawned. If I didn’t act fast, I’d lose him to yet another afternoon spent napping in the sun.
“I’ll go grab my gloves…”
13
Nan returned from her flash mob right as I was about to climb into my clunky old sedan and pay a visit to the pet store.“Where are you headed in such a hurry?” she asked, coming out of the garage with Paisley trotting happily at her heels.
“I’m investigating a case,” I explained, unable to hide the smile that crept across my face. I really did feel most like myself when I was in the thick of a mystery.
Nan narrowed her gaze and stared at me pointedly.“You’re snooping after the neighbor, you mean.”
I gasped in alarm. Nan had always approved of my investigative ways. Had she somehow suddenly changed her tune?
My fears were quickly abated, however, when she looked me up and down with a huge smile and said,“And I approve wholeheartedly. Take Paisley with you for a second set of eyes and ears.”
At hearing her name, the little dog began to bark excitedly and run quick zooming circles around Nan.
“What will you do here all by yourself?” I asked, giggling at Paisley’s playful antics.
“I’m working on a surprise for Grant, and I don’t trust you not to go blabbing.” She shook her finger at me then laughed good-naturedly. “Actually I’m surprised I’ve managed to keep it secret for this long. We’ll catch each other up when you’re back, okay?”
I smiled and nodded before plopping down into my car.“C’mon, Paisley. Let’s go to the store!” I called, then lifted the little dog into the car with me when she showed up outside my door. Even though my sedan was close to the ground, Paisley was too frightened to jump into it by herself—a point which Octo-Cat teased her about whenever he got even the slightest chance.
“What store are we going to, Mommy?” Paisley asked once I had her settled on my lap and the car headed down the long driveway.
“I’m not sure. I’m thinking maybe the pet store to start and then we’ll just go from there. I’m hoping to get some info about the local deer, just in case her connection to them somehow got our neighbor killed,” I explained, turning onto the main road and letting the steering wheel maneuver back to center beneath my fingers.
Paisley braced herself for the turn, then popped back up on four feet and wagged her tail until it was a blur.“Oh, yes. The deer here are very nice. They wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
I slowed the car and looked down at the pup on my lap.“Do you know the deer, Paisley?”
“Sometimes they talk to me even though I’m a predator. They don’t think I’m very scary since I’m so small.” Typically, Paisley would do anything to prove she was a big dog, but now she seemed almost proud that her tiny stature had afforded her some new friends.
Funny how Angela Miller had complained more than once about Paisley scaring off the deer when the Chihuahua was in fact friendly with the local herd. And shame on me for not thinking to ask Paisley about them earlier.
“Do you know a big buck who lives around here?” I slowed the car to nearly a crawl, wanting to stay on the quiet backroads while I was so immersed in our conversation.
“Sure I do,” Paisley nodded and yipped. “That’s Irving. We used to talk a lot, but lately he’s been too scared to say hello.” Yes, we were definitely talking about the same deer I’d seen earlier.
Now I stopped the car completely. I could save myself the errand if Paisley already had all the information I needed.“Scared? Why? What did he see?” I asked, pulling the car over to the shoulder.
Paisley hopped up and put her front paws on the car door, peering outside with open joy.“I don’t know. He’s not talking to me, remember?”
“Right.” Well, it was worth a shot. I rolled down the window for my doggie friend and got back to driving.
We drove to a new pet store that had opened up across town, preferring to avoid the scene of a grisly murder that we’d helped solve a couple years prior. This town was filled with too many memories of past cases, and we had a fresh mystery to focus on now.
My phone buzzed from its spot in the cupholder, then it buzzed again. I resisted the urge to check the new messages until Paisley and I pulled into the pet store parking lot and parked.
“What is it, Mommy?” Paisley asked, her paws back on the side door and her tail wagging furiously. She loved car rides, but even more than that she loved visiting new places—or really any place we were willing to let her tag along.
The missed texts were from Charles. Rather than opening them up, I called instead. If he had time to text, then perhaps he also had time for a chat.
“There you are,” he said by way of greeting. I could hear the grin underlying his words.
“Here I am,” I answered with a lovesick smile as I sighed and laid my head back against the seat rest.
“So,” Charles prompted with a soft, breathy laugh. “Tell me about it.”
“About what?” I let out a soft chuckle, as if that would somehow prove my innocence.
“I know you went to investigate, and I know you left my text unread on purpose.” His words were firm but not angry. He sounded more bemused than anything else. Still, I’d been found out despite my best attempts to be slick.
Oops.“Yeah, sorry about that.”
“Hey, your intellectual curiosity and steadfast commitment to justice are both part of what I love about you. Just be careful, okay? And tell me if I can help.”
“I love you too,” I said, brimming with joy at the thought this man would be my husband in just a few short weeks. “And what was that you just said about me? Can I use it on my business website to attract some new clients?”