Murder, She Barked

“I’m fine.” I stood and brushed myself off. I wasn’t sure whether the grass stains would come out of my dress, but otherwise I felt fine.

Trixie already had her nose in the shopping bag, snarfing the free treats. “Trixie!” The paper bag clung to her head when she bolted. The sight of her running with a bag on her head excited the other dogs. Chief howled and tried to catch the inexpensive leash, which was falling out of the bag.

I ran to rescue Trixie. She wriggled, trying to get away from me. When I removed the bag from her head, she shook as though she were wet.

Zelda worked at gathering the contents of my handbag. “I hope you didn’t lose anything. I found lipstick, lip balm, a couple of pens, and your wallet. I don’t see your cell phone.”

“I left it at the inn. Thanks for picking everything up for me.”

She blinked hard. “I should apologize for ignoring you. I just thought . . .”

“No worries about that. Besides, I’m not moving here, and there’s no wedding planned, with Philip or anyone else.”

“Not even Ben?”

I threw my hand up in mock surprise. “You knew about Philip, but you didn’t hear that Ben sent me a break up text?”

“That’s horrible! A text? Who does that?”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about the red roses in my room. If she could snag Philip, she’d know soon enough that he was a romantic. I tucked the cheap leash into the crumpled and beat-up bag. Zelda chattered, but I didn’t hear what she was saying. Something nagged at me. A bag from Prissy’s shop. I’d seen one recently. Kim!

Kim, who had no dog that I knew of, had purchased something there the day before and offered Trixie a treat. I called Trixie. “Excuse me, Zelda, I think I have to pay Kim and Ben a little visit.”

I snapped the leash onto Trixie’s collar, and we hurried back to the inn. I found Oma in her office and asked for directions to Kim’s father’s cabin. She frowned at me but marked it on a map. Borrowing one of Oma’s golf carts, I loaded my purse in the compartment in front of the seats and hustled away from Wagtail on a country road, Trixie riding by my side like she’d done it all her life.

Tall pines lined the road, with an occasional driveway or gravel drive leading away and disappearing into the trees. A few cabins had been built close to the road, inviting A-frames with large windows and wraparound balconies.

Children played outside of a battered old farmhouse. Hazel Mae’s place, perhaps?

Not much farther along the road, I found a paved driveway to Mortie’s cabin, marked by a post with a painted fish on it. I could just imagine what his wife had said about that!

The one-story log cabin was small but adorable. A cute roughly hewn wood railing wrapped around it from the driveway to a porch overlooking the lake. A green golf cart sat in the driveway next to the house, along with a red Miata.

Trixie and I hopped out of our golf cart and walked up to the door. I knocked on it and waited. And waited. I knocked again and could hear muffled voices. Ben opened the door, his shirt hanging outside of his pants. I’d never seen him that way before. “Holly! What are you doing here?”

“Who’s that, honey?” Kim’s voice came from inside. She made a point of peering at me, even though she wore nothing but a sheet wrapped around her like a toga. Kim squealed, and her eyes opened wide at the sight of Trixie.

“Kim, put on some clothes already.” Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s not like it looks, Holly.”

I didn’t really care. Well, maybe a little. “It looks like you’ve been busy.”

“Just relaxing, that’s all.” He tucked his shirt in.

I really hadn’t expected Ben to be seduced by Kim so fast. How stupid of me. After all, they had dated once. Being thrown together in a cozy little cabin in the woods had proven too tempting.

I got to the point. “I’d like to know why Kim kidnapped Trixie last night.”

She tucked the sheet around her legs. “I did no such thing. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Give it up, Kim. I know it was you.” I didn’t know that, but I had a strong suspicion.

“I was here with Ben all night. You can ask him.”

“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” Ben agreed. “I slept on the sofa. I would have noticed if Kim left the bedroom. What’s with you, Holly? I told you Kim must have sent the text rescinding all proposals.”

“I did not!” Kim lied without flinching.

He retrieved his phone from the kitchen counter and flicked it on. I looked over his arm and saw the offending text.

The muscles in Ben’s jaw twitched. He marched over to Kim and held it in front of her. “I did not write this.”

Kim focused on Trixie and ignored Ben.

“Kim! I know it had to be you who sent the text. Will you please tell Holly?” Ben asked.

“Don’t be silly.”

“I was already asleep when this was sent. I’m sorry, Holly.”

Kim tossed back her hair, placed her free hand on her hip, and said, “I just seem to be a very convenient scapegoat for the two of you. Ben, I can’t help it if you changed your mind after you sent that text, and I swear I had nothing to do with your dog.”