Pawsitively Lethal (Silver Springs Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) Read online

Ginger Rae takes another sip of her beer and says, “Not that I know of. She’s only been here a short time.”

  “Any friends here?”

  Ginger Rae shakes her head. “She’s been lying low. Not many people even knew she was staying with me.”

  “Her parents?”

  “David and Marla? Or course. I called them as soon as Clara showed up. They might not have gotten along very well, but they always cared about her wellbeing.”

  Maggie nods and pulls her tablet computer from her handbag. “Okay if I make notes?”

  “Sure. Anything to help figure out what happened last night.”

  The tablet turns on slowly and Maggie continues asking questions while it warms up. “What did Clara do while staying with you?”

  “She was mostly just at my house. Read a lot of books. I guess she left the house once every day. I don’t always know where she went. I tried not to pry and to be supportive of what she needed. I know she got her nails done at File and Style one day. And she was reading library books. She was using my card since she didn’t have one. So she must have gone there a few times. The police found some new clothes with tags still on from Anna’s Closet. But she was mostly just home.”

  Maggie types furiously when the screen lights up. “Did she meet anyone at File and Style? Maybe hit it off with someone who works there?”

  Ginger Rae shakes her head. “Why are you so caught up on her knowing someone here?”

  Their food arrives which gives Maggie a chance to pick her words carefully. After the waiter leaves, she says, “I was getting my hair done there this morning and I overheard some young women . . . talking.” Ginger Rae waits for Maggie to continue so she goes on. “They didn’t have nice things to say about Clara, so I wondered if she’d made any enemies here.”

  Ginger Rae puts her beer down on the table and looks closely at Maggie. “What were they saying?”

  Maggie wishes she hadn’t brought it up. She takes a bite and chews slowly, but Ginger Rae never looks away. Finally, Maggie answers. “Nothing very nice. They accused her of various actions. One alluded to prostitution. Another said she wasn’t very intelligent.” Maggie doesn’t want to continue so she takes another bite, maintaining eye contact with Ginger Rae.

  Finally, Ginger Rae responds. “Everything I told you last night is true. She was adopted. She didn’t get along with David and Marla, and even less so with her birth mother once Jessie found her. She was married—her ex-husband’s name is Stewart Cole—but that didn’t work out. She’s had trouble with depression and alcohol and just got out of a treatment center.”

  Maggie nods sympathetically. “It sounds like she had a difficult life. But this doesn’t really offer any information into who might have wanted her dead.”

  Ginger Rae pulls on the chain around her neck so that the skeleton key comes out from beneath her shirt. “I don’t think it was about Clara. I think whoever did this was after this key.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Maggie takes a few more bites of her burger while she thinks about Ginger Rae’s suspicion. A month ago, Ginger Rae, Winona and Erline told Maggie about the power that three keys hold when they unlock an object that belonged to Maggie and Clem’s parents. Maggie has remained skeptical and no further information or explanation has been given since then.

  “Someone is coming after that key?” Maggie asks, keeping her voice level.

  Ginger Rae nods. “Think about it. You parents were killed last spring. Then Erline’s house was broken into after Felicity’s murder and the key was missing. Now Clara is dead. Anyone who gets close to us is in danger.”

  Maggie has to admit that it looks like more than coincidence that the three friends have been targeted—four friends when Maggie includes her deceased mother. But unlocking magical powers is too outrageous for Maggie to believe.

  “Tell me about these keys,” Maggie requests.

  Ginger Rae looks around furtively. “Not here, not in public where anyone could overhear us. Let’s drop the subject for now. I’ll tell you more about Clara’s family here, but not about the keys.”

  For the second time in a month, Maggie thinks her mother’s friends are losing their minds. “Okay,” she agrees. “Tell me about Clara’s family.” That’s what Maggie wants to hear about anyway, and what Detective Stevens asked her to look into.

  “David and Marla are on their way to Silver Springs. I called them last night. Have you ever been the person to tell parents that their only daughter is dead?”

  Maggie shakes her head. She’s been on the receiving end when her parents were murdered, but she hasn’t had to be the one to break the news.

  “They were hysterical.” Maggie can only imagine. “Marla blamed me.”

  Ginger Rae pauses to eat some of her lunch and Maggie takes the opportunity to guide the conversation more in the direction she wants it to go. “Where do they live?”

  “Between here and Denver; about half an hour away. They should be here any minute. I sent them to Winona’s house. They’ll be fine there without me.”

  Maggie makes more notes on her tablet with some of them in red to remind her to look further into them. Marla and David living nearby and blaming Ginger Rae for their daughter’s death are suspicious details. Especially given Clara’s history of a poor relationship with her parents. It’s certainly not enough to accuse either of them of murder, but it’s a starting point to finding the person responsible. And if Maggie learned anything from last month’s murder case, it’s that family can’t be ruled off of the suspect list just because they’re family.

  “When was the last time Clara saw her parents?” Maggie asks.

  Ginger Rae shakes her head. “Months? Maybe more. You’ll have to ask them. If they’ll talk to you. They might not be up for it.”

  “I won’t talk to them today. They need their time to grieve. And Daniel will probably want to talk to them first. What about Clara’s birth mother? Why didn’t they have a good relationship?”

  “Jessie had Clara young. Really young. She was still in high school and gave Clara up for adoption at the urging of her family. I can’t even imagine what her life would have been like if she’d stayed with Jessie. But that’s neither here nor there.” Ginger Rae’s hand waves in front of her face, moving on from that possibility. “When Jessie tracked Clara down—about ten years ago now, I think—Clara was thrilled at first. But then she met the family Jessie created in her twenties and Clara got jealous. That jealousy only got worse and what little relationship they had totally fell apart.”

  “They stayed in touch at all?” Maggie asks, thinking back to Clara’s phone call.

  Ginger Rae nods. She answers around the bite she just took. “A little. But it wasn’t a good relationship. Clara should have just turned her back on her but she couldn’t.”

  “Of course not. Jessie was her mother.”

  “Marla was her mother,” Ginger Rae corrects her sternly. Maggie feels chastised. “But I know what you mean.”

  Maggie changes the subject again. “What about Stewart? You said that marriage didn’t work out.”

  Ginger Rae shakes her head. “Not for long. Clara never told me this, but I think they got married to try to fix their relationship. Clara was never very good at making and keeping friends, and Stewart was no different.”

  “What happened between them?” Maggie asks.

  “Clara had her problems. I’ve told you about her depression and struggles with alcohol and drugs. That really put a strain on their relationship. She wasn’t good at keeping a good paying job. By the time he left her, she’d spent all of their savings on alcohol and he had nothing left. He had a job, but she’d created chasms between a lot of their friends because she wasn’t so bright when she was drunk.”

  “He held a grudge?”

  Ginger Rae snorts. “That’s putting it mildly. He was able to walk away from their divorce without owing Clara anything, but he couldn’t seem to just leave.”

  Maggie tilts her head t
o the side. “What do you mean?”

  “They would fight over the phone and she would ask for his help. He wouldn’t give it at first, but I think he felt guilty for leaving her even though she hadn’t really tried to improve their relationship. He always ended up helping her out.”

  “Do you think he’d want her dead?” Maggie whispers, leaning across the table. Of everyone Ginger Rae has just told her about, Maggie thinks Stewart sounds like he liked Clara the least and may have had to greatest motive to want her out of his life permanently.

  Ginger Rae leans forward, her oversized body pushing the table into Maggie’s chest. “I don’t think her death had anything to do with Clara. Or Stewart. Or Marla and David. Or even Jessie. I’m telling you, it has to do with this key.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Maggie pays the bill and drives Ginger Rae back to Winona’s house. A new car is parked in the driveway that catches Maggie’s attention.

  “Are Marla and David here?” she asks before Ginger Rae leaves the car.

  “It looks like it. Do you want to come in and just say hi?”

  Maggie shakes her head. “No thanks. I’ll talk to them tomorrow. I’ll give them space to grieve today.”

  Ginger Rae nods once. “I’m sure they’d appreciate that.”

  She doesn’t look quite ready to leave so Maggie asks, “Did you want to tell me more about these keys?”

  “Yes. But I also want Winona and Erline to be here. We’ve all agreed that it was only a matter of time before we had to tell you, but I didn’t expect that to happen so soon.”

  “Why don’t the three of you come to Clem’s for dinner tonight?” Ginger Rae’s face falls and Maggie laughs. “Don’t worry, I’ll cook. Give Winona and Erline a call and tell them what the plan is. Come over around six. Clem will be home by then and that will give you plenty of time with Marla and David.”

  Ginger Rae’s face brightens and she agrees to the invitation. “That will also give my brother a chance to be alone with his wife. I think they’ll get to go to my house with the police if they want. And I certainly don’t have to be there for that.”

  Maggie leaves and heads straight to the grocery store. Sundays are her regular shopping days so she knows she doesn’t have anything to cook for dinner for a crowd.

  She texts Clem to let her know they’re having company, and to make sure she doesn’t go to Denis’s for the night. Maggie is pretty sure she wants Clem to hear whatever the women are going to share so she’s not the only one who will think they’re crazy.

  In the store, Maggie doesn’t do a week’s worth of shopping but buys only enough for tonight’s dinner. She decides on a kale and cabbage salad with a citrus dressing, oven roasted white and sweet potatoes and tequila-lime chicken breasts that will pair nicely with the citrus salad dressing.

  At the register, Maggie picks up a copy of today’s newspaper. The cover story, written by none other than Karl Jacobs, catches Maggie’s attention. ‘Imbalanced Woman Dead in Silver Springs,’ the headline reads. Maggie is impressed that he was able to get something written so quickly but still wanted to talk to Ginger Rae today. He already had his sensational headline and story that he must have written late last night, so why would he want to upset her by asking more questions?

  Back at home, Maggie sits down to read the article. She almost read it in her car in the grocery store parking lot but decided against it. She spreads it out on the kitchen table and as she reads every word, she’s glad she had patience so she can really take the time to notice the details.

  “. . . Valerie Hunt saw someone running down the street in front of the house in question just before the police arrived . . .”

  “. . . Hunt also said she heard shouting before the young woman screamed . . .”

  Maggie wonders if Daniel Stevens has seen this yet and what his take on it is. Instead of speculating, she picks up her phone and calls him.

  “Hi Maggie,” he answers, his tone just friendly enough but much less so than before she decided to date Drew instead of Daniel.

  “Hi Daniel. I was just reading the newspaper—”

  “Karl Jacobs. That man has no sense of privacy or police protocol,” Daniel fumes.

  “So you’ve seen it.” Maggie crosses her legs under the kitchen table and leans back against the slats of the chair, waiting for Daniel’s full reaction.

  “Oh yes, I’ve seen it. And I’m going after Karl. He can’t butt into an investigation like this and provide possibly false information. He knows as well as anyone that Silver Springs thrives on gossip and rumors. All he’s doing is starting them.”

  “You do know that’s how the media functions, right?” Maggie smiles.

  Daniel takes a deep breath and Maggie hears the exhalation. “Yes. I know. I’m just sick and tired of it.”

  “But have you talked to Valerie Hunt?”

  “Not yet. She’s not answering her phone and she wasn’t home when we went to her house.”

  “Any idea who she saw?” Maggie asks.

  “Not a clue. And I’m not even sure she saw anyone.”

  “Why not? Why would she lie?”

  “Don’t you know how the media works?” Daniel laughs. “Everyone wants their fifteen minutes of fame and this could have been her way to get it. We haven’t heard anything else about shouting before Clara was killed or a mystery man running down the street. I’ve been interviewing every party guest today and the only sound anyone heard was Clara’s scream just before the gunshot.”

  “I think I have an idea to get Valerie to talk.”

  “First she has to come home.”

  Maggie smiles again. “Well, there’s that. But if she’s avoiding talking to the police, which maybe she isn’t, then we could have Ginger Rae talk to her.”

  “That could be our last resort. I’ll keep trying to get in touch with her. How’s your side of things going? Any information on Clara’s family?”

  Maggie updates Daniel quickly about Marla and David coming to town and their feelings toward Ginger Rae, Clara’s relationship with Jessie, and Stewart Cole’s divorce. “So far, not really anything that’s going anywhere fast. But I’ll keep digging.”

  “Great. Keep me in the loop.”

  “Will do. And let me know if you want me or Ginger Rae to talk to Valerie.”

  They say rather cold goodbyes and Maggie unpacks the groceries that she let sit on the kitchen floor while she read and talked on the phone. The rustling of bags in the kitchen brings Opal out of the bedroom but the dogs are nowhere to be seen.

  “It’s not dinner time yet,” Maggie tells her cat, who winds herself between her legs in an effort to guide her to the cabinet with her canned food.

  Opal meows in protest but Maggie doesn’t give in. Instead, she kneels down and scratches Opal’s ears and back, much to the cat’s delight, who purrs in happiness. “Where’s that collar I gave you in the spring? We should put that back on since you spend so much time outside,” Maggie says, standing.

  She finishes putting the groceries away and goes to her bedroom where she remembers leaving the collar on the bedside table. She doesn’t find it on top so opens the drawer, but it’s empty. She quickly looks behind the table and under the bed but doesn’t find the collar with the trinket anywhere.

  Maggie gives up her search without a second thought.

  CHAPTER 10

  Suzie raises her powerful Australian shepherd nose to get a better scent of who’s around and then wags her stump of a tail. She’s been patrolling near her house all day since Clem left and Yogi is finally outside next door. Yogi doesn’t usually have much news from the neighborhood because she’s trapped in her yard by an invisible fence that her person, Leah Scott, put up, but Suzie likes to visit with her.

  “Careful of the fence,” Yogi warns with a bark, jumping around on her small feet. The poodle is full of energy and forgetful.

  “It only gets you,” Suzie reminds her friend. “Because of your collar.” She confidently and painle
ssly leaps through the invisible barrier that keeps Yogi trapped at home.

  “Thanks for coming over.” Yogi runs circles around Suzie and Suzie sits to wait for her to settle down.

  “Anything happen this morning in your yard?”

  Yogi sprints two more circles and then rolls onto her back, her feet flying in the air like she’s running upside down. When she satisfies her itches, she sneezes and sits opposite Suzie. “Just some cats. I didn’t come outside. I didn’t want them to know I was watching them.”

  “Could you hear them?”

  “Yup. They forget that walls aren’t soundproof.” Yogi laughs, proud of herself for getting in an extra jab at the cats.

  “What were they talking about? And which cats?” Since Suzie has so much freedom, she tries to keep tabs on everything that happens around her house and even as far away as the dog park.

  “It was that big black one without a tail. That’s why I didn’t go outside. He’s the same size as I am.”

  Suzie smiles her dog smile. “Jester,” she reminds Yogi. “That’s Jester. Was he alone?”

  “Right. No, not alone. He was with the yellowish cat. Is that Luna?”

  Suzie shakes her head. “Tango. Luna is the white one. Luna means moon. The moon is white.”

  “A lot of things are white.”

  Suzie agrees. Their color vision is limited, but at least they can make out yellow so Yogi could identify Tango. “Could you hear what they said?”

  “Jester thinks he knows where you hid the sacred object last month after you recovered it from Opal.”

  Suzie shakes her head again and stands up to pace. “That can’t be. Oscar has been watching it and no cats have made a move to get close to it.” Suzie’s companion, a not so bright golden retriever, keeps his senses trained on the buried object on Opal’s collar. It’s hidden near their house next door.

  “Jester seems to think he knows what Oscar is up to.”

  “We have to be more careful when we talk about these things. Cats are too quiet when they move around. They could be listening right now.”