Pawsitively Murder (Silver Springs Cozy Mystery Series Book 2) Read online

  The four of them are only one of two parties and they are seated far from the other occupied table. It feels like they have the place to themselves and Maggie can’t help but ask Daniel about Vern.

  “Erline told me Vern was questioned on suspicion of burglary,” she starts. Daniel meets her eyes and they beg her not to continue, not in this public place. But she can’t stop herself. Despite her exhaustion, she won’t sleep tonight if she doesn’t get the answers she’s looking for. “But he wasn’t anywhere near her house when I went in this morning. I had someone following him.”

  “We learned that it wasn’t him when we talked to him,” he says quietly and evasively. He makes a point of not saying Vern’s name. “But he still won’t give us an alibi for Felicity’s murder. And some of the missing jewelry turned up in his house when we searched it this afternoon.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Maggie’s mouth hangs open. She can’t form a single thought, never mind a word to react to Daniel’s confirmation of Erline’s news that some of the stolen items were in Vern’s house. The waitress comes over and takes their order, forcing Maggie back to the present. When the waitress leaves, Maggie stutters, “H—how could the missing jewelry be in Vern’s house?”

  “We wondered the same thing. But his alibi stuck for the robbery. So either he had an accomplice or it was stolen before today,” Daniel says.

  “Or he’s being setup. Who else could have been in the bedroom this morning?” Maggie wonders out loud.

  “April is a person of interest.” Daniel hasn’t taken his eyes off Maggie since they ordered, but Maggie looks at her sister and Denis to see if they’re listening. They aren’t. Their heads are close together, lost in some conversation that’s making them both giddy.

  Maggie shakes her head. “It wasn’t April.” She wants to ask him about Jean Spellman but he beats her with his next question.

  “How do you know?”

  “I told you I followed her out of The Coffee Bean and saw her get into her car.” Maggie leans back in her chair, confident that she’s right about this. She thinks back to this morning and the eyes of the burglar make her shiver again.

  “But you didn’t follow her car. And how long did it take you to get into yours?”

  Maggie taps her chin. “I got into Clem’s car. I guess it could have been long enough for April to get to Erline’s house. But she wasn’t wearing all black. And the intruder was taller and his build was different than April’s.”

  “Okay. Fair enough.” Daniel raises his hands in defeat. “You are the only one who saw the robber.”

  Maggie is satisfied with herself. “And let me remind you that I notice things others will miss because of my line of work. There was no robust chest on this thief.”

  Daniel smiles and Maggie catches him glance furtively at her chest just before they’re interrupted again with plates of mouth wateringly aromatic foods. Maggie’s cheeks flame but she pretends it’s from the anticipation of eating and not the glance Daniel just gave her.

  Dinner’s arrival ends the work related conversation and Maggie is frustrated that the police haven’t come up with any new suspects for the murder or the robbery. She knows it will take time for forensics to fingerprint the stolen jewelry, but that could lead them in a new direction. Vern is still Maggie’s number one suspect for Felicity’s murder, but she knows he’s not the thief.

  Denis and Clem keep Maggie and Daniel from talking anymore about work, telling them they have to give themselves a break so they can be their best tomorrow. Instead, Denis tells them about his latest adventures mountain biking on his days off. Maggie is surprised that he’s convinced Clem to give it a try, but she’s less surprised to learn that Clem hasn’t stuck with it yet.

  “I do work seven days a week,” Clem reminds everyone through a smile. It’s obvious that she loves Two Sisters and wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

  “Are you going to hire someone to help?” Maggie asks. When their parents were alive, they owned the shop and the three of them could more easily split the work. Clem has been doing everything alone since their death in April.

  Clem shrugs. “It’s hard to find reliable employees. So many people are seasonal and just want a job they can call in sick to on a snow day.”

  “What about high schoolers? At least for weekends,” Daniel suggests.

  “Maybe. It’s a work in progress. Have you stopped in to see Vince and Harriet?” Clem asks Maggie, changing the subject.

  “I haven’t had a chance yet.” And it hasn’t crossed her mind to visit Clem’s neighbors. They may have been the ones to give Maggie the tip in her parents’ murder that led her to their killer—though she figured it out after it was too late and she had already put her life in danger—but she’s only met them once. They weren’t high on her list of people to visit. No one was except Erline and Clem.

  “They ask about you almost every day. I think they worry about you.”

  Maggie smiles. They were as friendly to her on her one visit as if they had known her for years. They’re older than her parents were, but with her parents gone, it might be nice to have a relationship with them.

  “I’ll try to visit them before I leave.”

  “How long are you staying?” Daniel asks hopefully.

  “As long as it takes to solve Felicity’s murderer. I talked to my partner in Denver and he’s covering while I’m away.”

  Maggie can see Daniel’s eyes cloud over at the mention of her male partner, but she’s still so far from searching for a romantic relationship that she brushes it off.

  The rest of the meal is enjoyed with more talk of Denver, mountain adventures and Two Sisters until the last finger is licked clean. Maggie ate so much that she feels like she’s in a food coma and has to cover yawn after yawn with her hand.

  “Let’s get you home,” Clem says, elbowing Maggie gently in the ribs. “You haven’t slept in a bed in two days. And I’m sure Opal will be happy to see you. After the dogs snuck into her room this morning, she’s probably itching to have you back.”

  “The dogs got into our room?”

  “Yeah. Sorry. Erline and Jeff couldn’t keep them out when they opened the door in the morning,” Clem says, standing.

  Maggie shrugs. “Opal will get over it. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s been chased by a dog.”

  Denis drives the women back home and Maggie says a quick goodnight while Clem and Denis take their time. She lets herself in the front door—the dogs come rushing out past her and nearly knocking her over—and into her bedroom where Opal is curled on the bed. She’s exhausted and flops down next to her cat, almost too tired to brush her teeth or change out of her clothes.

  ***

  Maggie wakes up Monday morning more rested than she expects, especially since the sun is barely up, a time of day Maggie almost never sees. Now that’s two days in a row. Silver Springs is changing her sleeping habits. Opal has wedged herself between Maggie’s stomach and arm, and Maggie moves just enough to free her arm and pet her calico cat.

  Opal responds with a quiet meow, a big yawn, and an even bigger stretch. She stands, and her tail stretches straight up from her arched back. Then she curls back up in the same spot, trapping Maggie unless she wants to disturb a sleeping cat.

  Maggie does want to disturb her. She can hear Clem in the kitchen and she’s hardly spent any time alone with her twin sister since arriving on Saturday.

  “Morning,” Clem says, her eyes wide in surprise when she looks up from her magazine at the kitchen table. “I didn’t expect to see you before I left for work.”

  Maggie smiles, surprised at how wide awake she is. “I didn’t expect to be up. But I must have passed out as soon as we got home.”

  “You did. I was talking to you before I realized there was no answer and I peeked in to see you sprawled on the bed in your clothes.”

  “How’d I get changed?” Maggie asks, sitting opposite her sister.

  Clem shrugs. “I left y
ou alone and went to bed.”

  Maggie looks around and realizes that they don’t have any four footed companions. “Where are the dogs?”

  Clem shrugs again. “I let them out this morning and they haven’t come back yet.”

  “Don’t the neighbors get annoyed?” Maggie hates when her neighbors in Denver let their dogs run free.

  “Who, Leah Scott and Vince and Harriet Flint? Not a chance. I think the Flints like it when the dogs visit. And Suzie and Oscar love playing with Leah’s toy poodle, Yogi. I actually haven’t had any complaints and I don’t know where they spend their day.”

  Maggie stands and rifles through the cabinets looking for something for breakfast. Clem offers no guidance and finally Maggie comes up with peanut butter on toast. When she sits down again, Clem stands.

  “I’m off to Two Sisters. Stop by if you have a chance today and let me know what’s going on with Erline and Jeff. Their luck has to be changing.”

  Maggie’s mouth is full so she nods and waves as Clem leaves the kitchen. She hopes Clem is right about their luck changing, but bad things tend to happen in threes, and so far they’ve had two. They could be in for one more nightmare.

  Maggie washes her breakfast down with a glass of milk and pulls cupboards apart a second time, looking for coffee. She silently kicks herself for not asking Clem before she left. When she doesn’t find any, she packs her handbag, washes her face, makes sure the window is open for Opal to get some fresh air, and heads to The Coffee Bean for her morning caffeine fix.

  In the coffee shop, Maggie is nearly alone. With most people taking advantage of the Labor Day holiday, it’s shockingly empty for a Monday morning. Maggie orders her coffee and gets a mug decorated with snowflakes, probably donated when someone moved. She’s never had the same mug twice here. Then she sits on the far end of the tan sofa next to the front window and pulls out her book.

  Maggie’s quiet alone time doesn’t last long. She hears Ginger Rae’s voice before she sees her and looks up to see the very round woman waltz through the front door with Winona in tow.

  “. . . I’ve checked to make sure I’m not missing anything and I don’t think I am,” Ginger Rae says, looking behind her toward Winona as she enters so she doesn’t see Maggie right away.

  Maggie closes her book but keeps her finger on her page, unsure whether these women will stay. As Ginger Rae turns back around, she spots Maggie and does a double take.

  She takes a moment to find her voice, but when she does, she asks, “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you with Erline?”

  Maggie hasn’t heard from Erline since yesterday and has no idea why she isn’t with her friends. As far as Maggie knows, she spent the night at Winona’s so she should have come in with them. She shakes her head and asks, “Why would I be with her?”

  Ginger Rae’s eyes narrow and Maggie can feel daggers shoot from them in her direction. “She was taken in for questioning this morning. Apparently she has a motive for wanting Felicity killed.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Maggie is floored to speechlessness. “What do you mean?” she finally spits out, putting her book in her bag. She’ll have to find her place whenever she gets another chance to read.

  Ginger Rae’s hands fly in front of her face in frustration at having to explain herself when it should be abundantly clear what she means. “Exactly what I said. She was taken in for questioning for Felicity’s murder.”

  The few other customers look in Ginger Rae’s direction and she takes the hint to lower her voice. She sits next to Maggie but offers no other information. Winona sits on Ginger Rae’s other side. Neither of them have coffee yet.

  “What changed? Why would she be questioned now?” Maggie asks, keeping her voice low enough so only the two women on the couch with her can hear her questions.

  “We don’t know. Detective Stevens showed up at Winona’s this morning and brought Erline and Jeff to the police station. I figured you’d meet them there,” Ginger Rae explains more calmly.

  “I would have if I’d known. But I’m not a lawyer so I’m not sure how much help I’d be anyway.” This must be the third bad thing to happen to Erline that Maggie was worried about.

  “You’ll be better than no one,” Winona says quietly, leaning forward to see around Ginger Rae’s heft. Ginger Rae nods emphatically.

  Maggie sighs. Though she woke well rested, this day is sure to be another long one, including a possible trip to the casino to find Jean Spellman. She gets a to-go cup, pours her coffee into it and leaves with her handbag. She isn’t sure what kind of help she’ll be able to offer Erline but Winona is right: she’ll be better than no one.

  Maggie speeds across town knowing that the police department is already being overworked on this case and probably doesn’t have the manpower—or womanpower—to catch every minor infraction. Her speeding is unpunished and she arrives to a buzzing-for-Silver-Springs office.

  Maggie doesn’t wait for guidance to find Erline. Since she’s been to the police department so many times lately, she’s confident that she knows her way around and will be able to find her on her own.

  No one questions Maggie as she leaves the front room and starts walking down the desolate halls. There are a few people moving from office to office, but most people were out front.

  As Maggie walks by Officer Malin’s office, a voice calls out to her.

  “Maggie, are you looking for Erline?” Officer Malin asks. Her tone is friendly.

  Maggie walks into her office. “I am. I heard she was brought in for questioning.” She doesn’t want to give away how much she knows and would rather have Officer Malin offer any information she’s willing to share.

  Officer Malin nods. Her hair is pulled back so tightly into a bun that not a single hair moves with her head. “That’s right. The jewelry that Erline found missing had Felicity’s fingerprints on them and were found in Vern and Felicity’s bedroom. Vern’s fingerprints weren’t on them, and he has an air tight alibi for the robbery. So we think Felicity took them from Erline’s house before she was killed. They were never reported missing until yesterday. We’re questioning Erline to see if she knew they had disappeared before Felicity’s murder, and to gauge if that theft would have spurred her into wanting revenge.”

  Maggie is speechless. Officer Malin’s implication that Erline could be responsible for Felicity’s death is absurd. Erline is 81 years old, small—though deceivingly strong—and about as calm and collected as they come. Even her small voice gives the impression of being meek and mild. Maggie knows she wouldn’t—and couldn’t—kill anyone.

  Officer Malin reads Maggie’s open-mouthed expression correctly. “I know, she comes across as a little old lady who couldn’t possibly kill someone. We all think the same thing,” she whispers conspiratorially. “But we have to cover all our bases.”

  “Can I talk to her?” Maggie asks abruptly.

  “Sorry. She hasn’t asked for a lawyer. And you’re not a lawyer, are you?”

  Maggie shakes her head. “Private investigator.”

  “That’s what I thought. But you can stick around until we release her. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”

  Maggie sits in the offered chair in Officer Malin’s office and stares into space while Officer Malin returns to her desk and does work on her computer. Maggie can’t concentrate enough to add any notes to her sparse document on her tablet computer or even pull out her book to pick up where she left off. She leans her head back against the wall behind her and closes her eyes. Her coffee is forgotten in her car and she wishes she had it right now, but she doesn’t want to miss her chance to talk to Erline so she waits.

  It’s over an hour later when Officer Malin tells Maggie that Erline is being released. Maggie rubs her eyes and stretches her arms over her head, getting her blood flowing after her accidental nap.

  Officer Malin leads Maggie into a room she’s never entered. There are no windows and only a table and two chairs. Officer Malin doesn’t
join them, so Maggie sits opposite Erline.

  Erline looks older than she did yesterday, and even more tired. There are bags under her eyes that Maggie isn’t sure were there yesterday.

  Erline barely looks up when Maggie sits down. “Hi,” Maggie says.

  Erline nods and a single tear runs down her cheek.

  “What can I get you? Water? Coffee?” Maggie wants to do something, and it doesn’t look like Erline wants to talk.

  Erline shakes her head. “No. That won’t make this go away.”

  Maggie looks down at her hands, embarrassed at her lack of ability to help. “No. That won’t.” Maggie waits for Erline to say something, anything, but when she doesn’t Maggie asks, “Why did they bring you in?”

  Erline finally looks up into Maggie’s eyes. “Because they think Felicity stole jewelry from me and that I took out my revenge on her by killing her.”

  “But you weren’t even home when Felicity was killed. Weren’t you at the dog park?”

  “I was with Winona, either at The Coffee Bean, the dog park or Winona’s house. I’m off the hook because it was confirmed. But it was still awful being questioned.” Erline looks back down at the table. Maggie doesn’t think her eyes are actually seeing anything.

  “Was all of the missing jewelry recovered?” Maggie asks because she doesn’t know what else to say. She thinks back to the masked intruder and wonders if the police are way off in their investigation. How could the jewelry have gone missing before Felicity was killed, but a theft occurred after?

  Erline shakes her head. “Everything except what really matters. The piece that’s irreplaceable is still missing. It’s the only one I really want back.”

  Besides exhaustion and sadness, Maggie thinks she hears a little bit of panic creeping into Erline’s words. “Where’s Jeff?” Maggie asks to change the subject.

  “He went home. They let him go earlier. He’s braver than I am. I don’t know if I can live in that house anymore. I don’t feel safe.”