Pawsitively Murder (Silver Springs Cozy Mystery Series Book 2) Page 5

  “Could be,” Drew says with no evident emotion.

  Maggie fumes inside. She can’t get Drew to show any feelings one way or the other about anything. She was hoping he’d offer more details, but she doesn’t know the questions to ask to get the information she wants. She raises her binoculars to her eyes and trains them on Vern’s house. “Have you seen anything since you’ve been here?” Maggie asks.

  “Nope.”

  This is her opportunity to get closer. “Maybe because you’re parked too far away. Let’s get closer so we can see inside.”

  Drew doesn’t protest and starts the car, parking just a few houses away from Vern’s.

  Conversation is slow. Maggie scans Vern’s neighbors’ houses, not sure which one is Jean’s, but houses on either side of his are dark. “Are you planning to stay long? You don’t have to,” Maggie offers, lowering her binoculars when she doesn’t see anything of interest in the one lit room of Vern’s house. Vern is sitting, reading a newspaper with only his profile visible. But that’s enough to confirm that he’s home, and probably alone.

  “I can stay the night.” Drew lowers his binoculars and looks at Maggie. “To keep you company. And you’re kind of my responsibility.”

  Maggie isn’t sure how to take that. “I can take care of myself, you know. I do every day in Denver,” she says defensively.

  “You don’t think Garth keeps an eye on you?”

  Maggie raises an eyebrow and tilts her head. “What do you know about Garth?”

  Drew shrugs. “Nothing much. But I ran a background check on you.”

  Maggie nods slowly. “Of course you did,” she says sarcastically and under her breath.

  “And you might want to know which house is Jean’s if she’s on your suspect list too.”

  Maggie can’t read him. Earlier, she thought they were on the same page, but now she’s not so sure. “Yes. I would like that.”

  “She’s directly across the street from Vern,” he says, pointing to a small house that looks like a mirror image of Vern’s.

  Drew raises his binoculars again and Maggie peers out the car window, looking around to take in her surroundings. There are few street lights, so the road is mostly dark. Maggie can make out a few cars parked on the sides of the road but most cars are in driveways, or nowhere to be seen. Many of the houses have attached one-car garages and all of the doors are closed, obscuring any other cars that might be around. As she watches, a single black sedan drives past slowly, obeying the speed limit. Maggie can’t make out the driver in the dark, but being the only car on the street, it catches her attention.

  “Look at this,” Drew says, leaning forward in the driver’s seat.

  Maggie quickly raises her binoculars to her eyes and catches a second person come into Vern’s living room. “Who is that?” Maggie asks as she watches the young redhead sit on the couch and Vern shift his attention from his newspaper to this newcomer. “Didn’t Felicity have red hair?”

  “She did. I’ve never seen this person before. It looks like a younger Felicity.”

  Drew and Maggie continue to watch Vern and the woman in silence. Their body language speaks of a mutual trust and long friendship. Maggie wonders if she could be Felicity’s sister—if Felicity even had a sister.

  But the woman looks too happy. Even if Clem had been killed while she and Maggie weren’t speaking for the three decades after high school, Maggie would have mourned her loss. This woman smiles and laughs at everything Vern says, acting more like a friend of Vern’s than a relative of the deceased.

  Vern gets up and sits on the couch next to the redhead. He places his hand on her thigh and leans in to kiss her. Maggie drops her binoculars as soon as their lips connect and looks at Drew, her mouth hanging open.

  “He’s having an affair,” she whispers. “I think we just found out what Erline was on to.”

  Drew keeps his eyes on the happenings in Vern’s house. “And we just found two people with very good motives to get rid of Felicity.”

  Maggie takes another look at the scene inside but quickly lowers her binoculars again. Though she wants as many details as she can get, she doesn’t want to intrude on something so intimate. Instead, she looks out the window just in time to see the same black sedan drive past a second time.

  The hairs on the back of Maggie’s neck stand up, warning her that there’s something going on with this car that seems to be doing circles of the neighborhood, but she doesn’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the redhead’s husband or boyfriend, trying to catch her in the act.

  Just then, Maggie’s phone rings. She looks at the caller ID screen and sees that it’s Erline. “Hello?” she asks, wondering why Erline is still awake after the long day she’s endured.

  “Maggie, come quick. Someone just tripped our motion sensor light out back. I think someone’s here.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Maggie looks at Drew, who still has his eyes trained on Vern’s house. She doesn’t really want to know what’s going on inside.

  “I’ve gotta go to Erline and Jeff’s,” she says, breaking Drew’s concentration and pulling him away from his trance.

  “What? Why? What happened?”

  Maggie can’t tell if he’s worried about her or Erline and Jeff. “Erline thinks someone is in their backyard. I’ll be right back. Stay here.”

  “I don’t think Vern is going anywhere. I can come with you.” Drew puts his binoculars between the two front seats and makes a move to start the car.

  “I’d rather someone stayed here. Keep an eye on Jean’s house too. I’ll be fine,” Maggie protests. She picks up her bag and leaves the car before Drew can drive away with her.

  Maggie walks quickly back to her car, now almost four blocks away. She’s anxious to run to get there faster but she doesn’t want to attract any unnecessary attention from anyone who might be home.

  Once in the driver’s seat, she speeds—just a little—to Erline’s house and lets herself in. Maggie calls into the house when she opens the door, “Erline? Jeff? It’s Maggie.”

  “Oh good, you’re here,” Erline says, pulling Maggie further into the house.

  Maggie looks around to see where Erline came from. The only place she can come up with is behind the door, hiding. “What happened?” Maggie asks as Erline leads her to the back door. There, Jeff is sitting in a chair next to the door with a golf club in his hand. He looks worn out and like he might fall asleep in his chair if given the chance.

  “We were in bed but were too anxious to sleep, and then Jeff noticed the backyard light came on. We have a motion sensor on it from when we used to have pets. I don’t even know the last time it came on,” Erline frantically explains.

  “Did you go outside?” Maggie asks, hoping they had the sense to stay in.

  Erline shakes her head vehemently and Jeff says, “Absolutely not. I told Erline to call you.”

  “So I can go outside?” Maggie teases and opens the door. Despite the fear exuding from her elderly friends, she doesn’t feel scared as she walks out and trips the motion sensor light back on. “Did you see anything or anyone?” Maggie calls back inside before she turns to look in their direction.

  “No,” Erline whispers, right behind Maggie. Without asking what Erline is doing outside, Erline says, “I can’t let you go out here alone.”

  Maggie chuckles to herself and starts walking the perimeter of the backyard. “Where’s the furthest the light gets tripped?” she asks.

  Erline holds onto Maggie’s elbow and starts guiding her toward the far reaches of the yard. “Jeff, bring a flashlight,” Erline calls back over her shoulder. She never goes in front of Maggie, and Maggie is fine with that.

  Erline stops along the trees. “Would someone in the trees trip the light?” Maggie asks.

  Erline shakes her head. “They’d have to come out from the cover of the trees and bushes.”

  Maggie bends over to inspect the ground. It’s still warm enough in the high mountains that the grou
nd hasn’t frozen yet. And there has been a lot of rain over the summer so the ground is soft enough to capture a footprint, if it’s from a heavy enough body. Maggie’s sneakers don’t leave an impression in the grass that would be recognizable if she wasn’t searching for it.

  Jeff brings Maggie a flashlight and then goes back inside. Erline waits silently while Maggie starts making a slow circle around the backyard. The motion sensor light stays on the whole time, but the flashlight helps her see more details. After her first loop, she hasn’t seen a single human footprint, and she only sees those from her own shoes on her second loop.

  When Maggie returns to the far edge of the yard for a third time, she jumps back in surprise, eliciting a small shriek from Erline. Maggie’s hand flies to her chest to slow her beating heart and then she slowly walks to the edge of the woods again.

  “What is it?” Erline asks, just loud enough for Maggie to hear. Maggie looks behind her and finds Erline by the back door, holding it open so she can escape inside to safety at a moment’s notice.

  “I think I found what tripped your motion sensor,” Maggie says through laughter, walking back toward the house. “Animals. A family of raccoons next door. And an orange cat just darted through the trees. Do you have a cat? I saw him earlier this afternoon too.”

  Jeff shakes his head. “No pets. Raccoons are next door?” Jeff asks, joining Erline at the edge of the door.

  “Yeah. It looks like the raccoons have quite a feast back here. Do your neighbors leave trash outside?”

  Erline turns to Jeff and says, “I told you I heard a loud thump right after the light came on. They must have knocked over the neighbors’ trash can.”

  Maggie can’t control herself any longer and laughs. “Your backyard must be on their way to a known food source. I bet this isn’t the first time they’ve done this.”

  “Well it’s certainly the first time we’ve heard them,” Erline defends.

  “But it’s also the first time we were too scared to fall asleep. We must have slept through the previous raids,” Jeff says, his eyes thoughtful.

  “Whose cat is that orange one if it’s not yours? He seems to be making your yard his home.” Maggie peers into the blackness where the cat was headed when she saw it run, but she can’t see anything.

  Jeff and Erline exchange a look and then they both shake their heads. “I don’t know,” Jeff says. “I’ve never seen an orange cat hanging around here before.”

  Erline nods along with her husband. “Neither have I. Sorry to bring you out here, Maggie. I’m sure you want to get to sleep too.”

  Maggie laughs again. “Are you two going to be able to sleep here?”

  “Probably not,” Erline admits. “But it’s too late to go anywhere else.”

  “Clem has space. Why don’t I get you set up there for the night?” Maggie looks at her watch. It’s now well past nine and she knows her sister is already asleep, or at least in bed. “You can have my room if you don’t mind the company of a cat. I haven’t slept in the bed yet, and then you won’t wake Clem.”

  Erline looks to Jeff for his opinion and he nods his head just enough for Maggie to notice the movement. “Thank you, but what about you? Where are you going to sleep?” Erline asks, turning back to Maggie.

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m heading back to Vern’s.” She doesn’t mention Jean Spellman. “If I make it home tonight, I can sleep upstairs in my parents’ old bedroom.”

  Erline smiles. “I’ll just get a few things together.”

  Jeff follows Erline upstairs and Maggie sits in the living room where she found that red hair earlier. She hopes Daniel is able to identify the owner soon so they can at least confirm how Felicity was killed. Maggie knows without a doubt but she can’t really tell Daniel how she knows. Getting a call from the deceased isn’t really reliable evidence.

  A few minutes later, Erline and Jeff come back downstairs and Maggie drives over to Clem’s house with Jeff following her in his car. Maggie is not surprised to find the outside and entry room lights on but the rest of the house dark. The dogs come racing down the stairs, but even they seem like they’re tired and only halfheartedly jump on Maggie and her guests.

  “You can have my room right here,” she says, leading them to her bedroom. Opal has made herself comfortable on the bed near the pillows but Maggie picks her up and places her on the chair next to the bed.

  “Oh, it’s okay. She can stay on the bed with us,” Erline says, but Jeff’s eyes tell a different story.

  Maggie chuckles. “I’m sure she’ll make her way back up there sometime overnight.” She goes into the bathroom and closes the window so Opal can’t spend the night outside. Back in the bedroom she tells Erline and Jeff, “You have an attached bathroom. Opal—that’s the cat’s name—has everything she needs in there so just don’t leave the door closed.”

  Erline nods and thanks Maggie profusely. “You’re sure you’ll be okay with us taking your bed?”

  “Of course. I’m heading back out to keep tabs on Vern’s house now and I don’t know if I’ll be back until morning.”

  Jeff turns to Erline with questioning eyes but Maggie ignores his unasked questions. Apparently, Erline’s request to keep tabs on Vern is unknown to Jeff. “I hope you’re not alone,” Erline says, concern in her voice.

  “Nope. You guys need to stop worrying about me. You asked me to come so I can do the worrying. Now get some sleep. I’ll leave Clem a note in the kitchen so she isn’t so surprised in the morning by having house guests.”

  Erline nods. Maggie can tell Erline will have to explain to Jeff why she’s spending the night outside Vern Myers’ house. Maggie slips out the bedroom door with Opal still on the chair and writes a quick note to Clem before heading back to Vern’s.

  It’s past ten when she opens the door to Drew’s white SUV and opens her Chinese takeout dinner again, cold by now but still satisfying to her empty stomach.

  “Everything all set?” he asks.

  “Yeah. Some raccoons and a cat caused a commotion. Erline and Jeff couldn’t sleep and they were worried someone was there. I got them settled in Clem’s house. If nothing else, at least her dogs will let them know if anyone is around. What’s happened here?” Maggie takes a bite of her food.

  “They left the living room, to go to the bedroom I assume. I haven’t seen them since they left. And all the lights are off. But I never saw a car leave so she might be spending the night. Jean’s house is still dark.”

  “Sounds like it might be a long night of nothing. Why don’t you go home and take a break.”

  Drew turns to her and smiles. “Not a chance.”

  “Okay. Suit yourself.” Maggie puts her empty container back in her bag and leans back in her seat, reclining it until it hits the seat behind her. “Wake me when you need a nap.”

  Maggie hears Drew agree to that plan just as she drifts into a dreamless sleep, two hours earlier than usual after a long and eventful day.

  CHAPTER 10

  Maggie jolts awake and sits up stiffly in the passenger seat of a car she doesn’t immediately recognize. She turns her head and her neck cracks. She wonders if she’s getting too old for this.

  “Good morning,” Drew says quietly but it sounds like shouting in the pitch blackness of the middle of the night.

  “Is it morning already?” Maggie rubs the sleep from her eyes.

  “Not even close. But I’m glad you’re awake.”

  “Your turn to sleep?” she asks, happier than she expected to have someone on this stakeout with her. She’s pulled enough all nighters to know that she wouldn’t have been able to stay awake all night this time.

  “Yup.” Drew leans his seat back and closes his eyes. His breathing becomes steady within seconds and Maggie knows she’s the only one awake.

  Maggie quietly gets herself set up with everything she’ll need until Drew wakes up. She takes a look through her binoculars but everything is dark in both houses. There is no movement in either and
she assumes Vern is sleeping in the bedroom with the redhead.

  The thought of Vern sleeping with someone the day after his wife was killed disgusts Maggie. Even if he isn’t guilty for Felicity’s death, Vern now looks like a vile and selfish individual.

  Maggie puts the binoculars back down in her lap and pulls out her book. The car is facing Vern’s driveway so if he goes anywhere his car lights will alert her to his movements even if she isn’t looking directly at his garage. She turns on her small book light and checks that it doesn’t disturb Drew, who lets out a single snore.

  Hours later, as the suns just begins to peak above the mountains, Drew stirs and wakes. Maggie puts down her book and looks like she’s been diligently watching Vern’s driveway all night.

  “Sleep well?” Maggie asks Drew.

  He scowls.

  “Not a morning person?”

  “Not when I wake up in my car,” he moans.

  “It’s better than waking up in my car. We definitely have more space here.”

  Just as the words leave Maggie’s mouth, Vern’s garage door goes up and he backs out of the driveway. Maggie looks at Drew, who is still rubbing his eyes. “I’m on it,” he says impatiently.

  “Where’s the redhead? And how do you not know her? I thought you knew everyone.” Maggie wishes she was driving. She likes to be in control.

  “Never seen her.” Drew pulls away from the curb and follows Vern at a safe distance. There are few other cars on the road so early on a Sunday morning so Drew has to stay back further than Maggie would like but she keeps her mouth shut.

  “Where does Vern work?” Maggie asks as they drive.

  “He owns a landscaping company. But it’s Sunday on a holiday weekend. I doubt he’s going to work.”

  “That sounds seasonal with all the snow up here.”

  “He plows in the winter,” Drew explains.

  Maggie nods. There aren’t a lot of opportunities in Silver Springs to get ahead financially, but for those who are hard working and willing to run their own business—or businesses—they can make a good living. She saw her parents do it and now Clem is successful at Two Sisters.