Murder Most Owl, page 5
She studied me with a mixture of curiosity and sadness. ‘I heard about Dorothy’s passing.’
News traveled fast in Twilight Cove.
‘You must be Olivia van Oosten’s niece,’ she continued. ‘I heard you found Dorothy. I’m sorry you went through that.’
‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘And, yes, I’m Olivia’s niece, Georgie Johansen.’
She knelt down on the floor and held out her arms to Flossie and Fancy. They rushed toward her for attention, their tails wagging. ‘And I’m so sorry that you two lost your human. I know you loved her dearly.’ She gave them each a hug and a kiss on the head before standing up and offering me a hand. ‘Cindy Yoon. I own the shop. Dorothy came in here regularly with Flossie and Fancy.’
I shook her hand. ‘I’m sorry about not having leashes,’ I apologized. ‘That’s partly why I’m here. I’m looking after Flossie and Fancy temporarily, but I don’t have any of their belongings. I need to get them leashes and some food.’
‘That’s no problem.’ She smiled at the dogs. ‘These two are always perfectly behaved. And I can show you which food Dorothy fed them.’
‘That would be great,’ I said with relief and gratitude.
Flossie and Fancy trotted off down the dog food aisle.
Cindy watched them and laughed. ‘I don’t think you need me to help you. They know exactly what they want.’
We followed the dogs down the aisle. Sure enough, they’d stopped to sit in front of a particular brand of dog food.
‘If you’re just feeding them temporarily, would you like to go with a small bag of the kibble?’ Cindy asked.
‘That’s probably a good idea,’ I said. ‘Do they eat wet food as well?’
‘Same brand. The chicken flavor is their favorite.’
I grabbed four cans of the wet food while Cindy picked up a bag of the kibble.
‘Leashes are down the aisle next to the door,’ Cindy said with a nod in that direction. ‘You can leave all this food on the counter while you look.’
I thanked her and set the cans near the cash register before heading for the display of leashes, collars and harnesses. Flossie and Fancy accompanied me. I picked out a couple of leashes, one pink and one purple. I held them out to the dogs, and they sniffed them before sitting down, looking satisfied. Maybe I imagined that expression, but I liked to think that they’d approved of my choices.
On our way back toward the sales counter, Fancy stopped by a display of individually wrapped specialty dog cookies. Some were shaped like bones, in large and small sizes, and others were circular and decorated as soccer balls. Still others were cut in the shape of dog paws. Some said things like spaw day, happy birthday, or pawsitive vibes written on with icing.
Fancy stood on her hind legs and rested her front paws on the shelf so she could touch her nose to a bone-shaped cookie that said pawsitive vibes. She gave me a pointed look before staring at the cookie again.
‘OK, message received,’ I said with a smile. ‘I think a cookie is the least you deserve today.’
Fancy dropped back down to the floor and sat with a swish of her tail.
‘What about you, Flossie?’ I asked the black-and-white dog.
She went up on her hind legs and sniffed at the same cookie that had caught Fancy’s attention.
‘All right. Two of those.’ I picked up two of the cookies and took them over to the sales counter.
‘Do you know what will happen to the girls?’ Cindy asked me as she rang up my purchases.
I tapped my credit card to pay. ‘Not yet. I’m hoping Dorothy left a will with instructions regarding the dogs, or family members will come forward to look after them.’
Cindy handed me my receipt. ‘I’ll miss seeing them if they end up moving out of town.’
She came around the counter to crouch down and shower Flossie and Fancy with attention again. Then she rose to greet a customer who’d just come in the door.
Before leaving the Pet Palace, I hooked a new leash to each dog’s collar and instantly felt better, knowing it would be easier to keep them safe. Once outside, I stashed the dog food in the trunk of my car and considered my options. The coffee shop, Déjà Brew, was just across the street. Maybe I could grab a latte to go and walk the dogs down to the beach before returning to the farm.
We crossed Main Street during a break in the light traffic and I caught a whiff of the smell of coffee as the shop door opened and a customer came out onto the sidewalk. I paused outside the shop, wondering what to do. The dogs probably weren’t allowed inside, but I didn’t like the thought of leaving them tied up on their own. I peered in through the window. The counter wasn’t far from the door, so I’d likely be able to see the dogs while I was inside.
‘Georgie?’
I turned at the sound of my name and braced myself in the nick of time.
A woman with long brown hair let out a squeal of happiness and threw her arms around me.
‘I cannot believe it’s you!’ Tessa Ortiz said in a rush as she stepped back and beamed at me. ‘OK, I can, because I knew you were in town, but at the same time …’ She stopped to take a breath.
The brightness of my smile probably matched that of Tessa’s. ‘I was hoping I’d get to see you,’ I said.
Tessa had been my closest friend when I lived in Twilight Cove in my teens. We lost touch after I moved away – my fault, mostly – but I’d forever missed her friendship. I knew from chatting with Aunt Olivia that Tessa still lived in Twilight Cove and I’d wanted to see her again, but I’d also hesitated to get in touch with her in case she didn’t feel the same way. Now that I could see her reaction to my presence, any such worries disappeared in a flash.
‘Do you have time for a coffee and a chat?’ Tessa clasped her hands together. ‘Please tell me you have time.’
‘I have time,’ I said, still smiling at her enthusiasm. ‘I was going to grab a latte and walk the dogs down to the beach. Do you want to join us?’
‘Definitely.’ She crouched down to greet the dogs. ‘Aren’t you both so cute?’ she crooned at them. Then she stood up again. ‘How about I pop inside and get our drinks so you can stay with the dogs?’
I readily agreed to that plan and told her what I wanted. I tried to give her some money, but she wouldn’t let me.
‘My treat,’ she said. She waved off my further attempt to protest. ‘You can pay next time.’
I smiled again at the thought of there being a next time.
Tessa disappeared into the coffee shop. While the dogs and I waited, I sat down in one of two wrought-iron chairs placed next to a small bistro table beneath the shop’s awning. Fancy and Flossie sat by my feet, tongues lolling out as they watched the world. About a minute or so after I sat down, a stocky man with light brown hair and gray eyes came out of Déjà Brew and stopped on the sidewalk in front of me.
He thrust a hand out toward me. ‘Byron Szabo of the Twilight Cove Gazette. I understand you found Dorothy Shale’s body this morning. What can you tell me about that?’
‘I’m sorry,’ I hedged, taken aback. ‘How do you even know who I am?’
He hooked a thumb toward the coffee shop’s door. ‘I overheard Tessa Ortiz telling the barista that you were waiting outside.’ He held up his cell phone. ‘You don’t mind if I record our conversation, do you?’
Without waiting for an answer, he started a recording app.
‘There’s really nothing I can tell you,’ I said, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. I glanced from right to left, wishing I could escape the conversation.
Both dogs sat up at attention, as if sensing my unease.
‘Just walk me through what you saw,’ Byron said, holding his phone out toward me, the screen facing up.
‘I’d rather not.’ I got to my feet.
The dogs jumped up too, their stances tense and wary.
The door to Déjà Brew opened and Tessa emerged with two takeout cups in hand. She narrowed her eyes as soon as she saw the reporter.
‘Byron, are you harassing Georgie?’ she asked.
‘I’m not harassing anyone,’ he replied. ‘I’m doing my job.’
‘You’ll have to do it somewhere else. Georgie and I are busy.’ She handed me one of the cups and put a hand on my elbow to steer me down the street.
Byron followed us. ‘I need some quotes for my article.’
Tessa shot him an icy glare over her shoulder. ‘Tough. Now get lost before I call the cops.’
Byron muttered something under his breath, but he stopped following us.
‘Thank you,’ I said quietly to Tessa.
‘My pleasure. I can’t stand the guy.’
Holding the dogs’ leashes in one hand and my latte in the other, I took in a deep breath as we walked. Ocean air filled my lungs and the tension brought on by my encounter with Byron eased away. The dogs were walking with their tails down, almost tucked between their hind legs, but I hoped they’d relax soon now that we’d left Byron behind.
I was about to ask Tessa to catch me up on her life when a blonde woman came out of a shop two doors ahead of us. Tessa waved to get her attention.
‘It’s Avery, isn’t it?’ Tessa asked when we reached the woman.
‘That’s right. Avery Hembridge,’ the woman confirmed.
She appeared to be close to my age of thirty-two, with shoulder-length hair. She wore what looked like designer jeans with ankle boots and a white leather jacket.
‘I’m sorry about your stepfather,’ Tessa said. ‘I heard he’s not doing well.’
Mental puzzle pieces clicked together in my head and I realized that Avery was the recipient of the gift basket Auntie O had put together, the one we’d left at Victor’s mansion the day before.
‘Thank you,’ Avery said. ‘I’m glad I’m able to be here with him. I never did understand why he chose to move away from Chicago, but now that I’ve spent some time in this town, I can see its charm.’
‘Twilight Cove definitely has plenty of charm.’ Tessa tucked her arm through mine. ‘Avery, this is my friend Georgie Johansen.’
I held the leashes and my latte in one hand and offered Avery the other. ‘Nice to meet you.’
‘You and your aunt dropped off the gift basket for me yesterday,’ Avery said as she shook my hand.
‘That’s right.’
‘Thank you. It was such a kind gesture. Will you please pass on my thanks to your aunt as well?’
‘Of course,’ I said.
I transferred my latte back to my free hand, just in time. The dogs tugged on their leashes, eager to keep going. They nearly pulled me off balance but I steadied myself and stayed put.
‘I’ll stop by to thank her in person,’ Avery said, ‘or at the very least I’ll send a note when I get a chance, but I’d like her to know right away that I appreciate the gift.’
‘I’ll definitely let her know,’ I assured her.
‘I’m afraid I need to get back to the house,’ Avery said, ‘but it was nice to run into both of you.’
We shared some parting words, and then Avery climbed into a white Mercedes-Benz parked at the curb.
The spaniels tugged at their leashes again. I laughed. ‘Eager to get to the beach?’ I asked as Tessa and I followed them down the street.
By the time we’d crossed Ocean Drive, the dogs had their tails up in the air, wagging. Like the day before, food trucks were parked along the road and were doing business with passersby. The delicious smells wafting toward us from the trucks made my stomach rumble. I would make do with my latte for now, but I was tempted to pick up some food before heading back to the farm.
‘I can take one of the leashes,’ Tessa offered as we started walking across the sand.
Now that we’d reached the beach, the dogs had stopped pulling and trotted happily at my side. I could easily sip at my latte while holding both leashes in one hand, but I passed one over to Tessa anyway.
‘Now,’ she said as we made our way down toward the water, ‘tell me everything I’ve missed over the past fifteen years.’
SEVEN
We didn’t manage to fill each other in on everything that had transpired in our lives, of course, but we did catch up on the basics while we enjoyed our drinks and a stroll along the shoreline. Back in high school, Tessa had loved drama and fashion. Now she worked as a teacher at the local high school, teaching drama and English. She sewed costumes for the school’s theater productions and also made some of her own outfits. Like me, she was single, never married, with no children.
‘But I’ve got two cats,’ she added. ‘And I see you’ve got two dogs.’
I explained to her how the dogs had come into my care temporarily.
‘You poor thing,’ she said when I told her that I’d found Dorothy that morning. ‘And the poor dogs.’
As if they understood her, Flossie and Fancy glanced up at her. Fancy let out a quiet whine, but then they returned their focus to watching the seagulls bobbing on the waves near the shore.
‘I guess that’s why Byron was hassling you,’ Tessa said.
‘Unfortunately.’ We sat down on a sun-bleached log to enjoy the view.
Fancy and Flossie tugged gently on their leashes, wanting to go to the water’s edge. Since we were well away from the road and I doubted they would stray too far, I unhooked their leashes. They trotted down to the water and splashed about in the shallows.
‘Do you know everyone in Twilight Cove?’ I asked Tessa.
She laughed. ‘Anyone who’s been here a while. I recognized Avery because she’s been in town for a few weeks now. I don’t really know her though. I believe she lives in Chicago, which is where Victor is originally from. She’s probably around our age, and I’d invite her out to meet some of my friends, but with her stepfather dying, I thought maybe I should wait.’
‘That can’t be easy, caring for him.’
‘She’s got nurses helping around the clock,’ Tessa said, ‘but still, it must be difficult to watch a loved one slip away.’
We lapsed into silence for a moment, but then Tessa brightened again.
‘Speaking of meeting my friends, that’s exactly what you should do.’
‘I’m here temporarily,’ I reminded her. ‘And I’ve got my writing and the farm chores.’
Tessa waved off my excuses. ‘You should still have time for fun and relaxation. And don’t worry. I remember that you’re an introvert. I won’t force you to attend any crazy, wild parties. That’s not my sort of thing either. A few of us have a games night twice a month. We just had one so the next won’t be for a couple of weeks, but I’d really like you to come with me.’
‘That sounds fun,’ I said.
Tessa had errands to run, and I didn’t want to stay away from the farm too long, so we parted ways a short time later. Before returning to my car, I made a stop at a truck selling Mexican food and brought lunch for myself and Aunt Olivia. I would have asked Callum if he wanted something, but I still didn’t have his phone number. I made a mental note to ask him for it. If he ever needed my help with something on the farm, or vice versa, it would be better if we could get in touch with each other without having to go through my aunt.
Auntie O and I ate together on the carriage house’s patio and then I spent a few hours working on my latest script before helping Callum with the animals again. As I changed into my pajamas that night, I realized I should have bought beds for the dogs. They, however, didn’t seem to think there was a problem. They followed me into my bedroom and hopped up on the queen bed without hesitation.
‘All right,’ I said as I climbed under the covers. ‘I guess that will work for tonight. If you’re going to be with me for a while, I’ll get you beds of your own.’
The spaniels looked at one another, and I could have sworn that a silent message passed between them. I suspected they thought they had no need for any other beds when mine was so comfy.
I switched off the lamp and snuggled deeper into bed. I’d left the window open a crack and, as I drifted off to sleep, I heard the call of a great horned owl. Maybe I was reading too much into it, but the call sounded mournful to me.
Two days later, on Monday, Aunt Olivia received word from one of her many friends that Victor Clyde had passed away the day before. Olivia wanted to send a sympathy card to Avery but didn’t have any on hand, so I told her I’d go out and buy one for her. She suggested I look for one at Cursive, the local stationery shop. I left Flossie and Fancy with her, so I wouldn’t have to leave them in the car or out on the sidewalk while I browsed the card selection in the store.
When I arrived on Main Street, I easily found a parking spot. I climbed out of my car and saw that I’d parked in front of a shop called Siren Beauty. The lettering on the large front window proclaimed that the store sold cosmetics and other beauty products. I figured it had to be Marlene Hooper’s store. There probably weren’t many cosmetic shops in Twilight Cove.
On a whim, I decided to go inside, curious to know if the store carried any natural cosmetics. I was allergic to many brands of makeup – they tended to make my eyes burn and water – so I leaned toward all natural, mineral products.
When I stepped inside the shop, I almost backed out the door, but it had shut behind me and I didn’t want to set off the bell again and draw attention to myself. Byron Szabo stood by the sales counter near the back of the store, pestering the woman stationed behind it. At least, I figured by her annoyed expression that he was pestering her.
Unfortunately, there weren’t any aisles formed by high shelves for me to hide in, so I edged my way to the left and turned my back on the sales counter. I tried to focus on the display of eyeshadows and eyeliners, but I couldn’t help but overhear Byron’s conversation.
‘The dispute between you and Dorothy has been documented in the Gazette,’ Byron was saying.
‘So what if it was?’ the woman said.
‘Come on, Marlene,’ Byron wheedled. ‘You’re the best source for this angle of the story. Give me something to work with.’
I glanced over my shoulder to see Marlene cross her arms over her chest.
She let out an irritated huff. ‘Even after her death, that woman is getting all the attention.’
