Davis, Krista - Murder, She Barked - A Paws & Claws Mystery (A Paws and Claws Mystery)

The store clerk bustled over. “I’ll never do that, Mr. Wiggins.” She handed him a plain brown paper grocery bag. “I think Babylicious will enjoy this.”

“Babylicious?” It slipped out.

Mr. Wiggins stood a little straighter when he proudly said, “Fireside’s Babylicious Boogie. She’s the best beagle to ever come out of Fireside Farms. A real winner, aren’t you, Baby?”

I didn’t know much about beagles, but she was pretty. A beautiful white blaze ran between her gentle eyes. I had a feeling this little beauty lived the good life.

Mr. Wiggins thanked the clerk and told me to give Oma his best.

The clerk chuckled as soon as he left. “Did you see that? He hates Peaches and Prissy so much he won’t even patronize their store.”

“I thought he was married to Peaches.”

She winked at me. “He is! I always give him a plain brown bag so they won’t know what he’s carrying if they see him.”

“Won’t they know once they see what he bought?”

She hooked the dog tag to Trixie’s new collar. “Word is that he kicked Peaches out of his mansion. She and Prissy are back at their old house here in town. About a year ago, he quit subsidizing their store, and Prissy had to get a part-time job over at the police department in Snowball. Heaven knows, no one around here would hire her.”

“Their store isn’t doing well?”

She snickered. “Let’s just say no one shops there twice. You got to be nice to people. I swear Prissy and Peaches think they can just stand around all dressed up with their fancy jewelry and beauty-salon manicures, and the store will run itself. We’ve been expecting to see a Going Out of Business sign any day. There you go!” She handed me the collar.

I fastened the candy-corn collar around Trixie’s neck. “You’re mighty lucky Mr. Wiggins didn’t pick you off, Trixie. He’s a hunter.”

“Aww, he’s an old softy. He’d never shoot a dog. How long will you be in town? I can have a leash embroidered with Trixie’s name for you by tomorrow.”

“Given all the leashes around, that might not be a bad idea.”

She bagged the other collars in a cute red and brown tote bag bearing the store’s name, Puppy Love .

No sooner had I thanked her than I heard, “There you are! I’ve been all over looking for you.”

I knew Holmes’s sultry voice, masculine yet warm and friendly.

“You have?” We walked out the door together. “What’s up?”

“I met Ben. He’s kind of a nervous guy. Um, did you know he’s looking for some girl named Kim?”

“So I’ve heard.” I gazed into his concerned eyes. Did I detect a hint of amusement? “Something’s up, Holmes. I can’t quite figure it out, but it all ties in with Sven’s death.”

“How about I buy you a cup of coffee, and you tell me about it? Maybe I can help.”

“I’d love that, but I should get back to Oma to keep an eye on her.”

He tilted his head. “Since when does she need watching? Besides, I just left Grandma Rose there. I got the feeling they wanted me to leave so they could speak privately. How about an ice cream cone? We can find a bench with a good view of the inn.”

I agreed, and Holmes led the way to Moo La La, a tiny corner place with only a takeout window. A black and white cow with long lashes held a chalkboard out front showing off the store’s latte and ice cream specialties.

Armed with salted caramel-chocolate cones, we settled at a bench on the plaza outside the inn. I was nervous about not checking on Oma first, but I soon spotted her on the porch with Rose. Their heads bent toward each other, they appeared to be deep in a discussion.

I elbowed Holmes. “Check it out. Wonder what they’re up to now?”

“I’m afraid to imagine. On the other hand, I hope we’re as spunky when we’re their age. So what’s going on?”

Trixie jumped up on the bench between us and snuggled under my arm.

“What has Rose told you about the night Sven died?”

“Rose and my parents keep telling me to be careful what I say. That this isn’t Chicago. The tiniest rumor can swell into a big problem if I’m not careful.”

“Surely you’re not really a suspect?”

“Surely, I am—in Jerry’s death.” He licked his ice cream. “Someone says he saw me running away from Jerry’s house that morning.” He grinned. “And you know what? That’s absolutely true.”

Twenty-eight

“I went out for a run,” said Holmes, “and jogged by Jerry’s place so I’d know where I had to go to meet with him later on. Technically, I was there, and I was running.”

I licked my creamy ice cream to buy some time. Holmes had motivation because of that land deal and could be placed at the scene of the crime. No wonder Dave still considered him a suspect. Had Holmes wanted me to walk over to Jerry’s with him so I would be present when he found the body? When I had run into him after buying clothes and walked with him to Jerry’s, it seemed like a coincidence.

Wait, what was I thinking? This was Holmes! He would never kill anyone. It wasn’t possible.

I debated how much to tell Holmes. I had to trust someone. Oma had been her usual stubborn self. Ben had been appropriately appalled, but something fishy was going on with Kim. And he didn’t know Wagtail and its residents like Holmes did.

I took a deep breath and told Holmes my theory about Sven being the wrong victim.

“Aw, man! I hate to think that anyone would want to murder Oma, but it makes so much sense. I knew Sven. He was popular, well liked by everyone. A guy’s guy.” He flicked a horrified gaze toward me. “Not that I’m saying Oma isn’t wonderful. She’s like a grandmother to me.”

“Someone is out to get her, but I can’t talk her into leaving town. She thinks we can help Dave catch Sven’s killer. Meanwhile, everybody’s treating Dave like a nosy little boy, instead of a cop. You know the people around here better than I do.” I gulped hard before I asked, “Who would want Oma dead?”

Holmes ran a hand through his hair.

“What about the Clodfelters?” I asked. “Peaches and Oma have never gotten along.”

“I don’t really see Peaches hitting someone with a car. But Prissy might. She’s totally unpredictable.”

“Didn’t you take her out once?”

He pretended to be annoyed. “You do a nice thing for a person once in your life and no one lets you forget it. She was taller than all the boys her age, and no one asked her to the dance. You remember when she was all gangly limbs like an awkward colt.”

“I didn’t recognize her when I saw her again. Who would have imagined she would turn into such a knockout? I hear Dave is chasing her. Think he’ll consider her a suspect?”

“Doubtful. Where’s the motivation?”

“Apparently Peaches made a huge scene at the inn when Mr. Wiggins was having lunch with Oma. Think there’s something going on between them?”

“Not that I’ve ever heard of. He tossed Peaches and Prissy out of the mansion, but I think they’d be inclined to kill Clementine for that, not Oma. Unless . . .”

I scootched around to face him better. “Unless what?”

“Unless Peaches is already working on her next conquest. Everyone knows Thomas, from The Blue Boar, is sweet on our Oma. But maybe Peaches is eyeing him and wants Oma out of the way?”

Seemed kind of flimsy to me. “Who else?”

He snorted. “Jerry. Kind of ironic, eh?”

“I thought about him, too. In fact, I wondered if he was murdered because he tried to kill Oma.”

Holmes pulled back and scrutinized me. “Why Holly Miller! I never realized that you were so sly.”

“You would be, too, if . . .” I smacked my forehead and gasped so loud that Trixie barked. “How could I be so dense? It was right there in front of me the whole time.” I leaned over and whispered, “Mr. Luciano.”