Tailing Trouble, page 3
“Yum, this is great,” Gramps said, making quick work of his pie.
Ally took a bite and nearly moaned in pleasure. “It’s fantastic. Did she make this from scratch?”
“She did.” Gramps’s smile faded. “But Amelia’s cooking was much better.”
“It’s very sweet the way you stay loyal to Granny.”
“My one true love,” Gramps agreed.
Ally steered the conversation to important matters. “Gramps, you have to promise me to behave tomorrow. Don’t make me worry about you getting a ride into town in an attempt to work the case.”
“Scout’s honor,” he assured her.
She frowned. “You were never a Boy Scout.”
“Vet’s honor.” Gramps cackled at his own joke. “Get it? I’m a vet, you’re a vet.”
“I get it.” Domino suddenly lunged toward a chipmunk, pulling hard against the leash. “No, Domino! Sit! Heel!”
Domino ignored her, straining against the leash, his gaze zeroed in on the offending animal.
“I’m telling ya, start a training class and force the Bentons to enroll that dog.”
“Domino!” She yanked the leash, but the dog was stronger than he looked. She yanked again, harder, and Domino finally gave up on the chipmunk and returned to Ally’s side. “You might be right about offering training classes,” she said wearily. “I can’t imagine how Kayla handles this dog along with her young twins.”
Gramps lifted a brow. “That’s why they’re boarding him with you, right?”
“Right.” Ally’s jeans pinched at her waistline, so she stood to relieve the pressure. “Listen, I should get going. I’m going to take Domino down to the lakefront for a bit before crating him for the night. Can I help you inside?”
“Bah, I can do it.” Gramps reluctantly accepted her help in standing and taking the single step up and into the house. “I think my hip is worse instead of better.”
Ally frowned. “Maybe you need more therapy. I’ll call your doctor in the morning.”
“Therapy, schmerapy,” Gramps groused. “Why can’t the doc just admit they screwed up the surgery?”
Gramps was convinced they’d done more harm than good in doing the operation but didn’t seem to remember how much pain he had been in prior to having the procedure. “I know you’re frustrated with your limitations, Gramps. Try not to take your anger out on the widows, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
She leaned over and gave him a hug and a kiss. “Love you, Gramps.”
“Back at ya, Ally.”
Turning away, she tried to keep a firm grip on Domino’s leash. As if sensing that they were going on another walk, Domino lunged forward.
“No! Domino!” Ally tried to dig in her heels, but the dog strained toward the lake. “Okay, fine.” What was the point in fighting him?
Domino trotted faster, his nose twitching as he picked up a variety of interesting scents. The faster she walked, the less Domino tugged on the leash, and soon they had a nice pace going.
They cruised toward Lakefront Park, the area along the shore owned by Willow Bluff. The city refused to issue any zoning permits to build there, much to the chagrin of the rich and famous who longed to own a piece of the lakeshore for their very own. There were large sand dunes off to the right, with several weeping willow trees rustling in the light breeze.
Woof! Woof! Domino barked loudly and took off running. Caught off guard, Ally lost her footing, her heel slipping in the sand. Somehow she lost her grip on the leash.
Domino sprinted off.
“No! Domino!” She scrambled to her feet. “Come back here!”
There was only the barest sliver of moon in the night sky. She squinted through the darkness, squelching a flash of panic. What if she lost him? “Domino! Here, boy!”
The animal’s black coat was impossible to see in the dark. She pulled out her cell phone and turned on the flashlight app, then quickened her pace, trying to follow him. “Domino, come back here! Domino!”
There! She caught a glimpse of the dog’s silhouette as he darted beneath a weeping willow. Fearing coyotes, she broke into a run. “Domino!” She hoped the trailing leash would slow him down.
She couldn’t, wouldn’t, lose her boarder.
“Domino!” She yelled his name as loudly as she could. “Come back here this minute!”
Nothing. Ally crept forward, trying to peer beneath the long, sweeping branches of the willow. Had he escaped out the other side?
“Domino!” Her chest tightened with panic, and it was hard to breathe. She had to find him; she just had to. Ally pushed the branches out of the way.
The beam of her flashlight caught the whites of Domino’s eyes. His dark shape hesitated for a moment as if he was poised to run.
“Good boy!” She eased toward him, hoping to catch him before he ran off again. “Here, Domino.”
For once he listened, wheeling around and coming to her side. He dropped something from his mouth that landed at her feet. She grabbed his collar, felt for the leash, and let out a sigh of relief, knowing she had him.
“You were naughty to run off like that,” she scolded. Domino’s mouth was open, revealing his white teeth. “What did you bring me?”
Bracing herself for a dead animal of some sort, she shined the beam of her phone’s flashlight down at the ground. Domino had brought her a red-and-white polka-dotted high-heeled shoe.
She stared at it in horror. The shoe looked exactly like the one Pricilla had been wearing earlier in the day.
Dropping down on her haunches, she looked closer at the shoe. Was it possible that Pricilla Green had left it in the woods after a tryst with her boyfriend, Jake? It wasn’t difficult to imagine that more than one teenage fling had taken place at the lakefront. Not by her, as she’d been a science geek—but others had surely taken advantage of the place.
Wait a minute. What had caught Domino’s attention under the weeping willow in the first place?
Ally tightened her grip on Domino’s leash, then stepped forward, going deeper beneath the branches. She held up her phone flashlight to see better.
The beam of light picked up the sheen of white skin. A slender arm, thrown out as if reaching for help.
No! Not again!
Feeling sick to her stomach, Ally forced herself to move closer. The pale arm belonged to Pricilla Green, and the young woman was dressed in the same outrageous getup she’d worn to clean in, with the addition of a paisley scarf wound tightly around her neck. The girl’s eyes were open and staring off into the distance without focus.
Ally knew before checking for a pulse that Pricilla Green was dead.
Chapter Three
Ally pulled Domino away from the young woman and fumbled for her phone. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first body she’d stumbled across, but she really hoped it would be the last.
“Willow Bluff Police,” the dispatcher answered. “What’s the nature of your emergency?”
“I found a dead body.” Ally’s voice hitched a bit. “I—uh, well, actually Domino found her beneath a weeping willow at Lakefront Park. Her name is Pricilla Green, and I’m fairly certain she’s been murdered.”
“Please stay on the line while I send an officer and a detective to your location.”
“Okay.” Ally glanced around, acutely aware of how alone she was on this stretch of the lakefront. Surely the killer was long gone, but she was glad she had Domino with her. She winced, imagining Noah Jorgenson’s reaction to finding her here. What were the odds of her discovering two dead bodies in the past three months?
About the same as getting struck by lightning twice in one lifetime.
She tried to convince herself that the only reason this kept happening to her was because of her career. She’d been performing dog-walking services when she’d stumbled across the first body back in June, and now her boarding services had brought her to this one.
Not her fault, right? She wasn’t some dead-body magnet, was she? No, of course not.
Domino was pulling against the leash, his nose quivering again. This time she dug in her heels and yelled, “No!”
Domino looked at her over his shoulder, then stopped resisting. Was it possible he might actually start listening to her?
She wouldn’t bank on it.
Staring at Domino didn’t help erase the image of Pricilla lying beneath the weeping willow. Ally couldn’t believe the young woman who’d been so snarky earlier this morning was now dead.
Poor Hilda Green. As much as Pricilla’s attention-seeking behavior drove her mother crazy, this news would be devastating to her.
Ally glanced up when flashing red and blue lights cut through the darkness. Despite the mild weather, she shivered when she thought about how long Pricilla might have been left here if Ally hadn’t decided to bring Domino down to the lakefront for a long walk.
And if Domino hadn’t dropped the red-and-white polka-dotted high-heeled shoe at Ally’s feet.
A dark SUV pulled up beside the squad, and the tall, familiar figure of Noah Jorgenson slid out from behind the wheel. Noah was fit and lean, with broad shoulders and a chiseled jaw. He wore his dark hair short and had bright-green eyes that she couldn’t see clearly now in the darkness. As he and one of the police officers approached, she saw the expression on Noah’s face turn incredulous.
“Ally?”
At least he hadn’t called her Hot Pants. She forced a smile. “Hey, Noah. Long time no see.”
He swept his gaze over the area. “You’re here alone? Where’s your grandfather?”
“He’s at the Legacy House, and I’m not alone, I have Domino.” She tugged hard on the poodle’s leash. Domino apparently loved people and was doing his best to jump all over Noah and the officer, someone she didn’t recognize who came to stand a few feet from her.
Like she was afflicted with some communicable disease.
“I—uh, she’s under there.” Ally gestured toward the weeping willow. “Domino found her and brought one of her shoes out for me.”
Noah stared at her for a long moment. He glanced at the red-and-white polka-dotted high-heeled shoe, then moved toward the weeping willow. The officer joined him, using his large flashlight to illuminate the area. Noah moved the long willow branches out of the way and ducked beneath them.
Noah returned a few minutes later, pulling a small notebook from his pocket. “I need you to start at the beginning.”
“There’s no big story here,” Ally protested. “I brought Domino out for a walk. He got away from me, and it took me a while to find him in the darkness. When I caught him, he dropped Pricilla’s shoe at my feet. At first I thought she might have simply lost it here, but when I went farther beneath the willow, I saw her outstretched arm and the rest of her body. I knew before feeling for a pulse she was dead.”
“How did you know that?” Noah asked.
“The scarf around her neck.” Ally shrugged. “It was the only item of clothing that was different from when I saw her earlier this morning. I figure she was strangled with the scarf.”
“When and where did you see her?” Noah demanded.
“At the Legacy House, around nine o’clock this morning. Her mother, Hilda Green, made some deal with Beatrice to pay Pricilla a modest sum to clean the place.”
If anything, Noah now looked more perplexed. “Are you telling me the victim wore that outfit to clean the Legacy House?”
“Yep. Even the shoes.”
He muttered something under his breath, and it made her smile to realize Noah sounded much like her grandfather at that moment. In some ways, the two men were very similar. Not that either of them would appreciate the comparison. Noah made a few more notes in the little book.
“Okay, do you know anything else about her?” Noah finally asked. “Like why she’s under the weeping willow tree?”
“No clue, although when I found the shoe, I assumed she lost it during, ah—” She stumbled over the words, glad the darkness would hide her blush. “You know, a liaison with her boyfriend.”
“What boyfriend?” Noah demanded.
“I’ve never been introduced to him, but I’ve seen him around town. His name is Jake Hammond. Rumor has it Pricilla’s mother doesn’t like him because he dresses just as outrageously as Pricilla did.” Ally glanced back at the weeping willow. “Hilda’s going to be devastated by this.”
“Yeah.” Noah made a note of the boyfriend’s name. “Anything else you know about the victim?”
Ally thought about Gramps’s wild theories of Pricilla being involved in drugs or the robbery ring but shook her head. “Nope. I’ve seen her cleaning the Legacy House, and I think she works in the kitchen at the Lakeview Café, but that’s about it.”
Again, Noah stared at her for a long moment. She tried to ignore him as she fought to keep Domino under control.
“Is that all?” she finally asked. “Because I have to get Domino back home.”
“Yeah, that’s all.” Noah tucked his notebook back into his pocket. “I know where to find you if I need more information.”
She turned and pulled Domino away from the scene of the crime. She’d taken only a couple of steps before Noah called out, “Ally?”
She turned to face him. “Yes?”
“I’ll give you and Domino a ride.” He glanced at the officer who stood beside him. “Timmons, can you handle securing the scene for a few minutes? I won’t be gone long.”
“I don’t need a ride—” she began, but was cut off.
“Sure, Detective.” Timmons rested his hand on his weapon. “Not a problem.”
“This way.” Noah directed her and Domino to his SUV. “Put the dog in the back.”
“You … don’t think the killer is out here somewhere, do you?” Ally glanced around with apprehension. It was the only reason she could think of for Noah to offer her a ride. “I mean, I assumed he or she would be long gone by now.”
“Humor me,” Noah said, opening the passenger side door for her. After she urged Domino into the back, she slid into the SUV and was surrounded by the woodsy aroma of Noah’s aftershave. He’d never called or come by after their one and only date, so she tried to ignore her visceral reaction to the scent.
But it wasn’t easy.
Noah slid into the driver’s seat and pulled away from Lakefront Park. “You have two dogs now?”
“No, just Roxy. Domino is a boarder I have through the weekend.”
“Ah, I remember now. He belongs to Kayla and Mark Benton, who have twin girls, Bridgit and Brooke.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Ally wondered if Noah felt as awkward about this conversation as she did. Had he really offered her a ride because he was worried about the murderer still hanging around? “I guess they’re enjoying a much-needed getaway.”
“I’m sure.” Noah hesitated, then said, “I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch for a while. My mother was in the hospital with some heart issues that eventually required surgery. Between that and stumbling across a couple of local robberies, I haven’t made much time for my friends.”
They were friends? She supposed that was a step up from mere acquaintances. “I’m sorry to hear about your mom. Hope she’s doing okay.”
“She’s fine now that she had a stent put in one of her coronary arteries.”
“Scary.” Ally was glad her parents were both doing well, even if she didn’t see them much. They were both professors at a local private university and had recently returned from a long summer vacation just in time to go back to work.
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Noah’s tone sounded serious.
“Any leads on the robberies?” The question popped out before she could pull it back. It was almost as if Gramps were seated beside her, whispering the questions he wanted answered in her ear.
“What do you know about it?” Noah demanded.
“Nothing other than what I’ve heard from Gramps.”
Noah let out a heavy sigh. “Keep your grandfather out of this, Ally.”
“Of the robberies? Or the murder?”
“Both.” His voice was sharp. “I don’t need Oscar’s help.”
Far be it from her to point out that he’d been singing a different tune after they’d captured the perp who’d murdered sleezy attorney Marty Shawlin.
“Did you hear me?” Noah pressed.
“Loud and clear.” She didn’t bother to assure him that Gramps would stay out of it, because knowing her grandfather, he’d be knee-deep in theories come morning.
And she’d already tried to tell Gramps to stay out of the criminal investigation related to the robberies but failed to convince him. Now that Pricilla had been murdered, getting Gramps to stay out of it would be like telling the sun not to shine or the lake water not to lap at the shoreline.
Utterly impossible.
* * *
The following morning, Ally woke to Roxy’s nose in her face. For some crazy reason the boxer liked to get up at six in the morning, despite the fact that Ally was not a morning person.
She quickly took care of Roxy, then hurried down to take Domino out. Having two dogs that couldn’t be taken outside together was twice as much work, and she made a mental note to try another socialization experiment later in the morning.
This time, she’d be better prepared.
Typically Ally didn’t have any help on Thursdays, but she wasn’t the least bit surprised when her cell phone rang.
Recognizing the number, she held the phone at least twelve inches from her ear, knowing it wouldn’t help much. Gramps always felt as if he needed to shout when using his cell phone.
“Hi, Gramps.”
“ALLY! PRICILLA IS DEAD!”
“I know, Gramps.”
“I HEARD YOU FOUND HER BODY?”
She inwardly groaned and glanced at her watch. It was eight thirty, plenty of time to get out to the Legacy House and back before her rescheduled grooming appointment arrived. “Yes. Listen, Gramps, why don’t I pick you up and bring you to the clinic? We can talk more about this later.”
“I’LL BE READY!” he shouted.
Ally disconnected the call. Volunteering at the clinic two days in a row usually wore Gramps out, but since he’d obviously heard about the murder, she knew it was better to have him here, where she could keep an eye on him.
