Bite the dust, p.4
Bite the Dust, page 4
“I bought them at the Charleston City Market. I liked them so much I also bought another pair in hot pink.”
“Nice.” Chubb tugged on the leash, but I kept a tight hold. I bolstered myself and drew in a deep breath. “Have you known Peter long?”
“A few years. Why?” The woman looked curious.
My throat tightened.
Juliet approached Regina and touched her arm. “We actually came to talk to you about Peter. Maybe you should sit down.”
Chubb barked. I didn’t give him an inch to budge in the fancy shop. “Sorry. We won’t stay long. We just need to tell you something.”
Regina glanced at the puppy. “I don’t normally allow dogs in my store. Even if it belongs to Peter. There are way too many breakables. As for your news, I usually find it’s best to yank off the bandage.” One well-shaped eyebrow raised, daring me to spit out whatever I had to say.
“Jump right into the water, no matter how cold? I get it.” I took a deep breath. “I went to Peter’s place to walk Chubb yesterday, and I found Peter. I’m so sorry to tell you this. He passed.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Passed? Passed what?”
I gulped. “He’s dead.”
Regina’s face crumpled. “What? How? He’s one of the healthiest men I know. He eats right and runs for exercise. He’s only forty, for crying out loud. You must be mistaken.”
I wouldn’t argue with the woman, although I felt like a creep for blurting out the news. “Uh, actually . . . he may have been murdered.”
Regina sucked in a breath and swayed. Her eyes widened.
“The sheriff is looking for relatives to notify. Maybe you can help. Do you know Peter’s family?”
The woman regrouped quickly. “He told me a little about them, but we never met.”
Juliet grabbed some tissues from the box by the register. “Here. Can I get you something? A glass of cold water? Would you like me to call your aunt?”
“No. It’s such a shock. I’ve been in and out of town this week to sales and auctions, so Peter and I didn’t talk much the last few days. Are you sure he’s dead?” Her eyes didn’t water and not a tear flowed down her face, despite her forlorn expression.
I nodded. “I’m really sorry.”
Regina took a tissue from Juliet and wiped at her dry eyes before sitting on an antique velvet love seat. “Thank you for telling me. I would hate to read about his death in the paper or overhear the news in the coffee shop.”
I inched closer. “I just heard y’all were engaged but Peter called off the engagement. Is it true?”
Regina’s nostrils flared, and if fire could’ve blazed out of a person’s eyes, it might have happened in the little shop. “It was a mutual decision, and we remained friends. One day we might’ve gotten back together.”
Not trusting the antique seat to hold both of us, I knelt beside Regina. “How can we help? Do you want to keep Peter’s puppy?”
Chubb stayed at my side.
Her spine stiffened. “I need to be alone right now.” She pulled another tissue out of the box and then another, even though not a single tear had spilled from her eyes. She shot a glance at Chubb. “Please take Chubb with you. I’m not a dog person. Too many allergies.”
Juliet tapped my shoulder and made a motion to go. “Regina, we’ll leave you alone, but if you need anything, I’m right down the block.”
I pulled a business card from the pocket of my shorts. “And you can call me at this number. I need to find a home for Chubb. If you think of anybody who might like him, please give me a call. Or if you need a friend, call me. I cared about Peter. He was always good to me. We didn’t have the relationship y’all did, but I cared about him.”
Regina stood and placed her hands on our backs. She exerted pressure and herded us to the front door. “He cared about you like a little sister. Thanks again for letting me know.”
As soon as our feet hit the sidewalk, the door’s bolt clicked.
After a taking a few steps, I turned to Juliet. “Did you notice her words didn’t match her actions? I can’t believe she didn’t cry.”
“Maybe she’s in shock.” Juliet checked her watch. “I’ve got to go. Are you okay?”
“Not really, but thanks for going with me to meet Regina. You don’t think her reaction was weird?”
We started walking toward her shop. “I don’t know. We all grieve in different ways. I’ll call you later.”
I hugged Juliet. “Thanks again.”
“Hey, what are friends for?” Juliet slipped through the door.
I opened the back of my vehicle and helped Chubb hop up. “Did you hear or see Peter’s death? What about Regina? Is she Peter’s killer? Although you were calm around her. Wait, you were in your crate when I found you.” I was getting nowhere fast. It was doubtful Chubb would’ve watched his master get murdered then obey the killer and go into the crate. Dogs were loyal creatures. Chubb would’ve tried to defend Peter. I’d keep Regina on my suspect list.
I rubbed Chubb behind the ears. “Was the breakup mutual like Regina claimed? Or if she couldn’t marry Peter, was she going to make sure nobody did?”
“Are you looking for a motive?”
My heart near about jumped out of my ribcage, and I screamed.
Marc backed away and held up a hand. “Whoa, Andi Grace. It’s me.”
Chubb barked once then moved and sniffed Marc’s outstretched hand.
I dropped my hands from some kind of defensive move I’d made up years ago. Not karate or judo, but I used to pretend I could defend myself with it. “Marc Williams, you liked to have scared me to death.” I wasn’t just saying the words. My heart beat so fast it was a wonder I didn’t have a coronary event right there in the parking lot.
“Sorry. I thought you saw me coming.”
“You’re two for two.”
“What?”
“You’ve snuck up on me two days in a row. What do you want?” A deep sigh eased from my chest and my shoulders sagged. I shouldn’t take my worries out on this man. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude.”
He held up a paper bag with a twinkle in his gray eyes. “I was at the coffee shop across the street when I spotted you. Have you eaten?”
My stomach growled loud enough for Marc to hear. “I’m starved.”
“Do you have time to eat with me?”
“Yep. I’ll be right back.” I hurried into the beauty shop and told Juliet I planned to eat with Marc. I wanted to trust him, but hey, you couldn’t be too careful with a killer on the loose. In case Marc hadn’t bought drinks, I grabbed water bottles from the fridge and left a couple of dollars in the money jar before running outside. “How about Huntington? It’s probably a five-minute drive from here.”
“Sounds good.”
“Would you mind driving my SUV so I can take notes on the case?” I dangled the keys in my hand.
“No problem.” Marc reached for my South Carolina flag needlepoint key chain with his free hand and jumped into the driver’s seat.
I secured Chubb in the very back, settled into the passenger seat, and pulled my notepad out of my oversized purse.
It didn’t take long to reach Huntington Beach State Park, but I had time to record my thoughts on Regina.
I looked up when Marc parked. “There’s an empty picnic table under the tree over there.”
“Looks good to me. I’ll get Chubb. Do you have a leash?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m a dog walker. I always have a leash. It’s in the clear plastic box beside the crate.”
I carried our food, water, and my notepad. “I think you’d make a good dog owner. You should adopt Chubb.”
“I’m pretty sure I already told you it’s not gonna happen.” He joined me at the concrete table and kept one hand on the leash. “Your choices are ham and cheese or vegetarian.”
“A veggie sandwich?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t know what you’d eat. Some people are picky.”
“I’m easy to please. Why don’t we take half of each?” I unwrapped the sandwiches and divvied them up on the wax paper wrappers. “Do you care if I say a blessing?”
“Uh, go ahead.”
“Father, thank you for this food and this beautiful day. Help us to find Peter’s killer, protect us, and please don’t let Wade arrest me. Amen.”
Marc opened a small bag of potato chips. “You afraid of getting arrested?”
My appetite disappeared. “Honestly, I’m worried they’re looking at me as the number one suspect. Are you prepared to defend me if they do haul me to jail?”
“Yes, but I don’t see that happening. You have a good reputation around town.”
His words surprised me. “Really? How do you know?”
“I investigated you this morning.”
An inexplicable flutter batted in my chest. “What’d you discover?”
“So far everything you told me is true. You raised your siblings, and except for the pizza man finding your brother drunk on the beach late one night, you’ve done a good job as a parent.”
I broke eye contact with Marc. “On the fifth anniversary of our parents’ death, Nate had had too much to drink. He was of legal age, but if the cops had found him, he’d probably have gotten arrested for public intoxication. Tony brought him home, and to my knowledge, Nate hasn’t had another drunken episode.”
had some major bumps in the road through the years.”
“It couldn’t have been easy. How do you handle stress?”
“My vices all begin with the letter C. Coffee, Coke, and chocolate. Give me a pint of Rocky Road, and I’m good.”
“Su-weet.” He smiled.
I eyed his sandwich. “We should eat. I’m sure you’ve got a boat to build or repair in that big shed of yours.”
“That’s true, but nobody’s going to fire me if I take a long lunch break.” He bit into the veggie half first. “What were you writing on the way over?”
“I was trying to come up with a list of suspects.” I lifted the bread of the vegetarian sandwich. Spinach, sprouts, tomatoes, shredded carrots, cucumber slices, mushrooms, red bell pepper, avocado slices, and mustard. I bit into and the flavorful and hearty sandwich. “This is delicious. I feel healthier already, and thanks for adding mustard.”
“You’ve gotta have mustard. It’s too hot around here for mayo.” He crunched into another chip. “Suspects? I figured as much. Who’s on your list?”
“Turns out I don’t know as much about Peter as I thought. So far, I don’t have many suspects. Regina Houp made my list this morning. She’s Peter’s ex-fiancée. You and George Reeves, the land developer you told me about. Do you know any of Peter’s friends?”
Marc choked on his water. “Me?”
I shrugged. “It didn’t take you long to arrive.”
“I told you I was running by the river. Why isn’t your name on the list?”
“It was at first, but I scratched it off because I’m innocent.”
“You can cross me off, because I’m also innocent.” His frown evolved into a smile.
I drew a line through Marc’s name and showed him. “Happy?”
“Much better.” He pulled the bottom crust off his sandwich before taking another bite.
“You didn’t answer my question about Peter’s friends.” I slipped a chewy bone to Chubb who sat beside me.
It took Marc a minute to finish his bite before he answered. Maybe he was thinking. “He introduced me to Thomas King, the contractor in charge of the room Peter was adding to the back of his house. Thomas’s son, Dylan, was around helping with the addition. Not that I think either of them are suspects. They’re only some men who knew Peter.”
“I know both of them.” I wiped my mouth and scribbled their names onto my list. My excitement grew. “Thomas is an on-again and off-again local. He grew up in the area, and his son, Dylan, is the same age as my little sister, Lacey Jane. Dylan was the typical high school bad boy.” Oops. I shouldn’t be blurting out those ugly thoughts. I needed to get a grip. “Sorry.”
“For what?” He twisted the top off a water bottle. “For being honest?”
“No, but it’s not nice to say mean things about people. It’s possible he changed recently.”
“Hmm.” His eyebrows rose. “You know I’m not accusing anybody. Right?”
“Yeah, but I’ve got to start somewhere.”
“Finding Peter’s killer won’t bring him back.”
I slapped the pen down on the pad and reached for my sandwich. The man could infuriate me. “I know, but when he’s caught, he can’t hurt anybody else.”
He sighed. “Andi Grace, you don’t have training to catch a killer. I wish you’d let Sheriff Stone do his job.”
I tipped my nose in the air. “He’s got a lot of crimes to solve. I’ll share my research with him.”
“Finding answers can be dangerous. Especially if you’re not experienced.”
A sand dune stood between us and the ocean. Waves crashed on the beach in the distance, and the air held the salty tang of the sea. I set my hands on my hips. “I need to question Thomas.”
Marc shook his head. “Not a great idea. If he’s guilty, he’s already killed once. Peter was bigger and stronger than you, yet the killer got the best of him. How will you protect yourself?”
“I’ll be subtle.” I turned toward the ocean and avoided looking at Marc. “You know, maybe I should look into home improvements.”
“Please, don’t.” He reached down and patted Chubb. The best way to connect with me was being kind to my family or an animal.
I relaxed my posture. “It’ll give me an opportunity to get to know Thomas better.”
“I’m serious. Don’t invite him into your home. Between you and me, I think he has a mean streak.”
I agreed with Marc’s assessment, but nobody was going to stop me from trying to find the killer. “Then how do you suggest I get closer to him?”
Marc looked at Chubb. Seconds ticked by. At last his gaze met mine. “I’ll ask him to come to my place. It needs work. You can be there during the interview process.”
I latched onto his hand. “Marc, thanks. You won’t regret helping me.”
“Too late. I already regret my offer.” He smiled, and my heart cartwheeled. “I won’t back out, though. You’ll discover I’m a man of my word.” He studied me some more. “And I need a promise from you.”
“What?”
“Keep me in the loop, and don’t meet with Thomas by yourself.”
I tightened my lips and felt a grunt form in my throat. “Why? Because I’m a woman?” I released his hand.
He drummed the table with two fingers. “No, because there’s safety in numbers.”
My brows shot up. “Are you saying if I tell you everything I do then you’ll help me question Thomas?”
“Not everything.” His shoulders relaxed. “Just everything related to your so-called investigation.”
I could agree to that. “Deal.” I held out my hand and shook his. The tingles zipping up my arm must be related to making progress on my investigation. Not from any attraction to the oh-so-handsome man sitting across from me.
Chapter Four
AFTER STRIKING A deal with Marc, I left Chubb at my house with Sunny and walked the dogs on my schedule. I’d even met an elderly couple struggling with their Bernese mountain dog. I gave them my business card, and they guaranteed they’d be calling me.
By six o’clock, my work was complete. I stood in my backyard, watching Sunny play with Chubb. Despite her advanced years, Sunny kept up with the puppy as they ran from one end of the yard to the other and wrestled over dog toys. They got along fine, but Chubb needed a home of his own. I spent so much time caring for dogs that didn’t belong to me, I enjoyed giving Sunny special attention when I was home.
“Hello. Andi Grace?” Juliet’s voice rang out from inside the house.
“I’m in the backyard.” As far as beach homes went in my price range, it was a big yard. Plenty of room for the dogs to run around, and good space for entertaining. I’d fenced it in after my first year of dog walking for the times I needed to bring other dogs home with me.
Juliet appeared, wearing running shorts and a hot pink T-shirt with the Lovely Locks logo emblazoned across the front in large silver letters. “Hey there. I picked up pizza for us. You hungry?”
“Starved.” I pushed the farmhouse table into the shade and angled the chairs to face the yard. “Let’s eat on the deck where I can keep an eye on the dogs. It’d be my luck Chubb would dig his way under the fence and try to run home. Do you want a Coke?”
“You can’t eat pizza without Coke.”
I laughed on my way inside. Juliet and I’d been friends since high school, and there’d been plenty of lean years for both of us when eating out had been a splurge. We used to joke we couldn’t wait for the day when we could always eat pizza with our favorite soft drink.
My kitchen was a mess. I needed to wash dishes but managed to find two clean sweat-proof tumblers in the back of the cabinet. Perfect. I filled them with ice and grabbed a two-liter bottle from the refrigerator. Paper napkins and a couple of clean plates completed my supplies. I hurried back out before the pizza cooled.
Outside, Juliet ran her hand over the farmhouse table. “This is really nice. When did you get it?”
“Nate made the entire table by himself for my birthday.” I placed the dishes on the table and poured our drinks. “The stain he used is supposed to help it hold up outdoors. I love the light color.”
“It’s beautiful, but your birthday is next month.”
“He couldn’t wait to give it to me.”
