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

I counted one Mississippi, two Mississippi until I thought Oma must have passed the point where she could see me.

The hallway lay still when we emerged. I set Trixie down and grabbed my blankets and pillow. Trixie didn’t quite understand the stealthy nature of our operation, but I did my best to walk very quietly.

My timing couldn’t have been better. I peeked around the corner just in time to see Gingersnap’s tail vanish inside Oma’s apartment. The lock clicked behind them.

Perfect! I tiptoed to her door, spread out one of the blankets on the floor, and propped the pillow up against her door. If I fell asleep, I would surely wake if it opened for any reason.

Twinkletoes showed up and demonstrated how she’d acquired her name. She walked along the banister of the balcony as unconcerned as if she were walking on the floor. I knew cats were supposed to right themselves when they fell, but it scared the wits out of me anyway. Moving slowly, so I wouldn’t alarm her, I approached her and gently gathered her into my arms, away from that dangerous railing.

Beneath us, Casey worked at the desk. I could only assume that he hadn’t heard us yet. I hoped to keep it that way.

I snuggled, as much as anyone could, on the hard floor. I had covered it with one blanket and thrown the other one over me. My trousers cut into my waist, and I wished I had taken the time to brush my teeth. I didn’t dare leave, though. I unfastened the top of my trousers and felt more comfortable. Trixie must have forgiven me for wresting her into the tiny housekeeping room because she curled up next to me, her body pressing against the blanket by my hips.

Twinkletoes roamed the balcony. Sconces lighted the area where I lay. Through the ornate wrought iron of the railing, I could see the lights on the antler chandelier that hung in the reception area below.

Easing back against the pillow, I closed my eyes but couldn’t help thinking about Ben and Holmes. Just between me and myself, I knew deep in my heart that if I thought I had even a remote chance with Holmes, I would drop Ben. The thought crushed me. I’d been so sure Ben was the one for me. In spite of Oma and Rose’s assessment, I knew he was a warm and caring man. Okay, given his two terrible proposals, I could scratch warm . The second one hadn’t really been a proposal of marriage at all. He was smart, even if Kim had managed to elude him today. He was genuine—that was important. He didn’t pretend to be something he wasn’t. He was serious. So he didn’t make me laugh much. What was more important? Laughter or taking life seriously?

I squiggled down into a more comfortable position, landing on my cell phone. Probably not a good thing.

The phone at the reception desk rang softly beneath me.

I yanked my phone out from under the blanket and realized with horror that I’d managed to dial the inn when I sat on it. “Uh, sorry, Casey,” I whispered. “My mistake.”

I set the phone on the floor, on the other side of Trixie, where I couldn’t accidentally roll over on it in my sleep.

I settled down and closed my eyes. The truth was that my love for Holmes was just a remnant of a schoolgirl infatuation. Honestly! What had happened to me? I came to the land of dogs and cats, where people spoke of ghosts like they were real, and I’d lost all good sense. Holmes wasn’t available, and even if I woke up tomorrow morning and discovered that he had broken off his engagement, he probably wasn’t the person I had manufactured in my mind as the perfect guy. So there. I had to get back to reality. Ben might be unimaginative, but he was a solid person.

• • •

I must have drifted off. The next thing I knew, Trixie barked. Like a periscope, Twinkletoes aimed her attention at the hallway. Trixie barked again. Scrambling to her feet, she kicked my phone over the balcony and took off running.

“Shh!” I loped after her. “Trixie?” I hissed.

Where could she have gone?

The door to Heel opened, and Mr. Luciano stepped out. “What’s going on?”

I had to stop, however briefly. “My apologies for the noise, Mr. Luciano.”

He tightened the belt of his black satin bathrobe. “Do you need help? Is there anything I can do?”

“No. Thank you.” I said softly, hoping we weren’t waking everyone. “Everything is fine.”

Almost, anyway. I took off running as quietly as possible along the hallway. At the main stairs, I listened. No barking. No pitter-patter of little paws. I ran up the stairs to my floor. No sign of Trixie.

I trotted downstairs to the main floor and looked in Oma’s private kitchen. No dog. Breathing hard, half from fear and half from rushing around, I hurried through the library, the hallways of the cat wing, the sitting area, and back upstairs to my fancy quarters. My last hope was that she had returned to the balcony where we had slept. I stumbled down the stairs and back through the hallway on the second floor. No sign of Mr. Luciano this time. I held my breath as I rounded the corner. The blankets and pillow remained undisturbed.

Gingersnap barked inside Oma’s apartment.

“Shh, Gingersnap! Everything is okay.”

I kept saying that to pacify everyone else. Meanwhile, my nerves had stretched to their limit. “Shh.”

It didn’t help. Gingersnap barked like she’d seen a squirrel run through Oma’s apartment.

As quietly and reassuringly as I could, I said, “It’s all right, Gingersnap. No barking.”

She still barked. Woof, woof, woof. Woof, woof, woof . Oma must be awake by now. I dashed down the stairs.

“Casey, could I have a key to Oma’s apartment?”

His lips pulled tight, grim. “I’m not supposed to give them to anybody.” But he handed me a ring of keys. “It’s the pink one.”

I staggered back up the stairs, anxious to halt Gingersnap’s incessant barking. Woof, woof, woof .

I slid the key into the lock, twisted it, and opened the door to a dark apartment. Gingersnap butted her head into my thighs and refused to budge. At least she wasn’t barking anymore. I stroked her head and gave her a big hug.

How could Oma have possibly slept through that? I managed to evade Gingersnap, who continued to demand my attention, and tiptoed over to Oma’s bedroom. Could she have slept so deeply that she missed the commotion?

Gingersnap burst past me and leaped onto the bed. She wouldn’t sleep through that!

“Oma, I’m so sorry.”

She didn’t respond.

“Oma?”

Nothing.

My heart sped up again, beating like it would fly out of my chest. I flicked on the light.

Thirty

No Oma. Except for the wrinkles Gingersnap had probably caused, I didn’t think her bed had been slept in.

I looked around in case she had fallen. Although I found no sign of Oma, there, on her dresser, in plain sight, lay cruise brochures. Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan. I flapped them down with irritation. Either she was planning a vacation or Holmes knew all along that Oma was ready to let the inn go. Rose had probably confided in him. Why hadn’t Oma come right out and told me? It seemed so obvious to me now. She was ready to retire and sell the inn.

Where was she, though? I had seen her go into her apartment and heard her lock the door. There was no way she could have left, unless she escaped through a window and rappelled down the outside of the building.

I had to be losing my grip. First Trixie vanished, and now Oma. Aha . Of course. Oma must have departed while I was out looking for Trixie.

Releasing a huge sigh, I left, taking Gingersnap with me so she wouldn’t start barking again. I locked Oma’s door and returned the keys to Casey, suddenly feeling very, very tired.