Chapter 13

“How do I look?” I asked as I entered the hat shop from our apartment upstairs. I twirled in my sage green Jenny Packham collared day dress with elbow-length sleeves and a flared skirt.

“Like a winner,” Harry said. Then he kissed me and my nerves evaporated.

He and Aunt Betty had come by the shop to collect me for the final day of the dog competition. Amen.

“I swear you two are my OTP,” Fee said.

“OTP?” Viv asked.

“One true pairing,” Fee explained. “The pinnacle of ship.”

“Ship?” Aunt Betty asked.

“Short for ‘relationship,’” Fee said.

“Kids these days,” Aunt Betty said to Harry. “I swear I don’t understand a word she’s saying.”

He laughed. “It’s slang, Aunt B, no worries. I don’t understand most of it either.”

“Thank you, Fee,” I said. “We do good ship if I do say so myself.”

“Don’t give up hope, Fee. Maybe you and Alistair will achieve that sort of pairing,” Viv said. I was rather surprised her voice didn’t leave behind a scorch mark.

I glanced at Fee but she didn’t answer and turned her face away. I got the feeling she was hiding a smile, which bolstered my theory that she and Alistair were in cahoots. Lordy, I hoped this did not backfire on us all.

“We’d best be off,” Harry said. He glanced at Viv and Fee. “Are you two going to be there when they announce the winner?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Fee said.

“I suppose,” Viv said, sighing. She glanced over the counter at Freddy. “Do me proud, boy.”

As we left, I said to Harry, “Did you see that? She actually spoke to him. I really think Viv is coming around on the dog thing.”

He gave me a dubious look with one eyebrow lowered but didn’t say anything. We left the hat shop and climbed into his car. Freddy and I were in the backseat while Aunt Betty rode in front with Harry. I think Freddy might have been nervous because when I petted him a poof of hair rose up into the air.

A chime sounded and Aunt Betty took her phone out of her purse. She glanced at the message she had just received and said, “Oh, bother. We need to make a slight detour, Harry.”

“What?” he asked. “But the dog show.”

“Will have to wait,” she said. “My corgi rescue group needs me.”

“Now?” he asked. “I don’t mean to point out the obvious, because it’s obvious, but we’re a bit busy at present.”

“We’re running early. It’ll be fine. Besides, it can’t be helped,” she said. “I take my role as a corgi rescuer very seriously. Miriam was supposed to be on call today but she has the flu and I’m her backup.”

“Bloody hell,” Harry muttered.

“What was that?” Aunt Betty asked.

“Very well,” he said.

“That’s what I thought you said,” she said.

Harrison followed her directions into Kensington. Parking was nonexistent, so it was decided after much debate that he and Freddy would wait in the car while Aunt Betty and I went on the rescue mission.

I didn’t feel dressed for a rescue but rather more for afternoon tea at a place nicer than my own kitchen. I hurried after Aunt Betty, who strode with purpose toward a redbrick town house. My heels slowed me up a bit as I skipped around a couple of icy patches, trying to ignore the chilly draft that seemed determined to go up my skirt.

“The message says that the dog is on the young side, a female, and her name is Bella,” Aunt Betty said. She was studying her phone as she approached the steps of number 14. She opened the door to the vestibule and I scooted closer to the heater beside the mailboxes. Aunt Betty scanned the residences and then hit the number for 14-C.

“Hello?” a woman’s voice spoke through the intercom.

“Hi, this is Betty Wentworth, I’m with corgi rescue and am here about Bella,” she said.

I could hear barking in the background and the woman said, “Bella from hella? Come and get her, she’s all yours.”

“Oh, dear,” Aunt Betty said. The interior door’s lock clicked and she pulled it open, holding it for me.

We trudged up the stairs to the second floor, where the apartment was situated. The barking got louder as we got closer.

Aunt Betty raised her fist to knock but the person on the other side must have been waiting because the door was pulled open before her knuckles could connect with the wood.

“Take her,” a middle-aged woman with brown hair that was highlighted with streaks of silver said. She was broadly shaped and wore a thick turtleneck under a shapeless cardigan over sweatpants. She had no makeup on, reading glasses perched on her head, her phone in her hand and an air about her that said she’d given up on life and had no intention of reengaging anytime soon.

I wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be okay but since I had no idea what she was dealing with, it seemed inappropriate at best and extremely insensitive at worst. Instead, I followed Aunt Betty into the apartment. It was barren except for a few boxes. The windows were large, without curtains, making the room airy and bright.

Aunt Betty glanced around. “Where is she?”

The woman ran a hand over her face. “Destroying something, no doubt.”

Aunt Betty flashed her an annoyed look and set off into the apartment.

“I’m just trying to get my parents moved into an elderly care facility,” the woman said. “They’re both in failing health and my dad has dementia.”

Her voice broke and she looked like she just needed a good cry. This time I went with my impulse and gave her a half hug.

“There, there . . .” I paused. “I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

“Lynn,” she said. “Lynn Biscoff.”

“Like the cookie?”

She gave me a look. “Yeah, like the biscuit.”

“I’m Scarlett, like the color,” I said. She gave me a watery smile. “We’re here now. We’ll take the puppy off your hands.”

“I can’t thank you enough.” Lynn sighed and wiped the tears from her face with the sleeve of her sweater. She picked up a leash from the kitchen counter and handed it to me. “I don’t know what my mother was thinking, bringing home a puppy last month. She knew they were moving and she knew the new place didn’t take pets.”

I nodded. It sounded to me like her mother had gotten the dog to avoid the move. I didn’t say it because I was pretty sure she’d figure it out on her own when she had a minute to think. Besides, we had enough to deal with at the moment.

I heard the scrabble of dog paws on wood and glanced across the empty room to see a puff ball of white and honey, a miniature Freddy, in fact, coming at me. Aunt Betty was hot on her heels.

“Grab her, Scarlett!” Aunt Betty cried.

For the record, I tried. Really, I did. But the dog was half projectile and before I even had my hands out, she rocketed right past me, making me totter on my heels. Aunt Betty blew by me, giving me a none-too-gentle push as she went.

“Cut her off!” she cried.

Aunt Betty went one way around the pile of boxes, and I went the other. Lynn watched, looking too exhausted to move her feet. But to her credit, she crouched down as if Bella might leap into her arms and she’d catch her.

I dropped low and as the puppy came at me, I was certain I’d be able to grab her and said, “I’ve got her! I’ve got her!” My arms hugged air. “I don’t have her!”

How Bella managed to dash through my feet and race back down the hall, I don’t know, but she did. I straightened up, getting a mild head rush, and hurried after her.

“Bella! Come here, Bella!” I cried. “We do not have time for this!”

Aunt Betty was fumbling in her purse, where she found some dog treats. Not the hard-biscuit kind but the sort that were soft and looked like mini sausages.

“Good thinking,” I said.

She winked at me. “She ran into the back bedroom. Let’s slip in and close the door. We’ll probably have to corner her, as she’s either scared out of her mind or thinks this is a game.”

“Given her nickname, Bella from hella, I’m betting on game,” I said.

We slipped into the bedroom. It, too, was bare except for a pile of bedding in the middle of the floor. The closet doors were open and a quick glance showed that it was empty except for a few sad wire hangers. I scanned the room. There was no sign of the willful puppy.

Then I saw a wriggle out of the corner of my eye. The large fluffy blue blanket moved. I waved at Aunt Betty and pointed at the pile on the floor. She nodded. Silently we crept forward. There was another wriggle and a baby growl. As if the fierce Bella was trying very hard to sound ferocious. It was so stinking cute, I felt my heart go smoosh.

Aunt Betty held the treat out and we closed in on the puppy, coming at her from opposite sides of the blanket. There was a wriggle and a pounce and then a little head popped out from beneath the fluffy comforter. Two big ears, a black nose and a pair of sparkling eyes regarded us. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth as she panted and I got the feeling Bella was delighted with us. Before she could dash away, Aunt Betty held out the treat, which caused Bella to wiggle with excitement. While Bella gingerly took the treat from Aunt Betty’s hand, I clipped the leash to her collar.

Aunt Betty and I exhaled simultaneously as if we’d just run a marathon. Aunt Betty glanced at her phone to check the time. “We have to go!”

Not wanting to give Bella the chance to slip out of her collar, I picked her up in a football hold—she was as solid as a ten-pound turkey—and carried her back into the main room.

“You got her!” Lynn clapped her hands in front of her. She smiled at us but then her smile slid away and she asked, “What will happen to her?”

“We’ll find her a really good home,” Aunt Betty said. “And in the meantime, she’ll receive the very best of care as a foster puppy.”

Lynn looked relieved. She reached out and rubbed Bella’s head. “I’m sorry, little love. You’re just too much for my old folks and taking care of them means I can’t take care of you.”

Bella licked her wrist and Lynn smiled. “She really is a good girl if you can overlook her barking, chewing the furniture, and relentless herding tendencies.”

“We’ll train that out of her,” Aunt Betty said. “Don’t you worry.”

I looked down at the bundle of fur in my arms. She didn’t resemble a problem puppy but I knew I was likely getting snookered by her big brown eyes and her wagging butt. Heaven help me.

My phone buzzed with an impatient text from Harry. He was circling the building for the fourth time and concerned that Freddy was going to miss the dog show.

“Feel free to contact us anytime,” I said to Lynn. “And good luck with everything.”

“Thanks,” she said. She smiled at me. “You, too.”

Aunt Betty and I hurried out of the building to see Harrison double-parked right in front. Aunt Betty opened the back door and I slid in with Bella while she climbed in front. We were barely buckled when Harry shot into the traffic, making his way to Finchley Park.

“What are we going to do with the puppy?” he asked. His eyebrows knotted as he took in the sight of Bella, making herself at home on my lap while she chewed on her leash.

“Keep her,” I said immediately. I hadn’t really thought about it until the words came out but once I heard them out loud I knew it was 100 percent the right decision.

“Ginger, Viv isn’t going to let you have a dog at the shop,” he said.

“That’s why Bella will stay with you at your place,” I said.

Freddy sniffed Bella’s head and then licked her. She tried to return the favor but I blocked her with my hand, not wanting her to mess up Freddy’s perfect look.

“There’ll be time for that later,” I said. Bella, clearly exhausted from her morning, yawned and fell asleep in my lap almost as fast as I fell in love with her. I let my fingers sift through her soft fur. She was supposed to be with me. I felt it all the way down in my bones.

When I glanced up, Harry was watching me in the rearview mirror. His eyes were half-amused, half-chagrined.

“So, we have a puppy.” He said it as a statement, not a question and I knew I had never loved him more.

“Yes,” I said. “We do.”

The jostling motion of the car rocked Bella into a deep sleep. So different from the holy terror that had been dodging us in the apartment, she was now as limp as a noodle. I ran my fingers through her soft fur, picked up her feet and checked the pads, played with the tips of her ears. She didn’t even move.

Freddy leaned over and gave her a thorough sniffing, from head to foot. Then he flopped down beside me and rested his head on his feet while he watched her. I wondered if he considered her a part of his pack. If so, was she going to be an alpha, beta or omega? Judging by this morning, I was leaning toward alpha.

Harrison found a decent parking spot, and we hustled into the building at Finchley Park. My nerves were shot, frankly, and I was ready for the dog show to be over. But Freddy was a contender, so I knew I had to dig deep and present him to the best of my ability.

Aunt Betty had him looking downright spiffy with a shining coat and polished teeth. We had decided to forgo hats this morning, so he wouldn’t have an unfortunate case of hat head before the judging.

I took Freddy’s leash and passed off Bella to Harry, who carried her like a sleeping baby in his arms. Ridiculously adorable.

We entered the arena and it was again full to bursting. The murmur of the crowd was restless as people maneuvered their way to their seats. I showed my credentials and was given a program. I gave it a quick glance and noted that Freddy and I were going in front of the judges in an hour. I took a deep breath. This was it.

Once the final scores were up, the top five winners would be invited to a fancy high tea with the judges and the sponsors. I checked the leaderboard, which was on the far wall. Freddy’s name was still in the number one spot with Muffin just below him.

I glanced around the room, looking for Richard. There was no sign of him or his bulldog. I did see Penelope Young, however. She was talking to Detective Inspector Bronson and I noticed she pointed in my direction. I saw Bronson turn my way and his gaze was considering. My intuition started to tingle and I knew she was following through with her threat from the day before. She was saying something to Bronson about “what she’d overheard” and it had to do with me. I put my hand on Harry’s arm. When he glanced at me, I tipped my head in the detective’s direction.

It seemed my instincts were spot-on, because Bronson cut through the crowd and headed our way. He worked through the people and dogs with a singular purpose. I felt myself get nervous even though I knew I had no reason to be. No matter what horrible thing Penelope Young said about me, I hadn’t done anything wrong. It would be fine. There was no other acceptable alternative.

“Scarlett, might I have a word with you?” Detective Inspector Bronson asked. His tone was polite, and yet, it didn’t really feel like a question I could say “no” to.

I held up the schedule and said, “Freddy and I are in the ring in an hour.”

“I only need a few minutes,” he said.

“Whatever you need to discuss with Scarlett, you can say to us, too,” Harry said.

Bronson met his gaze, glanced down at snoozing Bella and gave a small nod. “If you’ll follow me.”

“Me, too?” Aunt Betty asked.

“Yes,” Harry said. “We all stay together until they discover who murdered Swendson.”

We went back to the security office where Bronson had interviewed us before. Freddy took it all in stride, hurrying along on his short legs. I felt my heart do a little hiccup when he looked at me with his earnest face. While I was ready to be done with the dog show, I was really going to miss Freddy, but maybe that’s why fate had brought Bella into my life.

“Have a seat,” Bronson said.

He circled the desk and waited while Aunt Betty and I took the chairs and Harry stood behind us. Freddy sat in between our feet, looking like he was eager to hear what this was all about.

“It’s been brought to my attention—” he began but I interrupted. Rude, I know, but I couldn’t help myself.

“By Penelope Young?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes, she was the one who brought her concerns to me.”

“And what concerns were those?” Harry asked. His voice was hard as if he were biting off each word before spitting it out. He kept the volume low, however, and I suspected that had to do with Bella. It hit me then that he was going to make a spectacular dog dad.

“She said that you and Gerry Swendson had an argument the morning of the agility tests, that she couldn’t make out what was said but that it was clear you were furious.”

“Codswallop,” Aunt Betty snapped.

“What she said,” I agreed. “I never saw Gerry Swendson the morning of the agility tests. In fact, I didn’t even know I’d be competing until we got here and discovered that Liza Stanhope refused to let Aunt Betty enter. That’s when I took her place, so why would I have had a problem with Swendson before then?”

“What time did she say this altercation took place?” Harry asked. “Scarlett was with me, then she was at the hat shop, before coming here to the dog show. Since she was with someone at all times, it should be very easy to provide an alibi for her.”

“Mrs. Young said that she believed the conversation took place at about eight o’clock in the morning before the dog show was even open to an audience,” he said.

I felt my heart plummet into the pointy toes of my shoes. To present Freddy today I had dressed up in a flirty skirt with heels and everything—not for nothing, but I was slaying it. But none of this was going to help me right now because somehow Penelope had managed to pick the one time, eight o’clock, that I had been alone during the morning of the agility tests.

I remembered that I’d left Harry’s house to go home at seven thirty but had stopped on my way for coffee and a mince pie, which I had eaten in the bakery, where it was warm. Damn my love of a good pastry.

“You were at the hat shop by eight, right?” Harry asked me. He turned to Bronson. “Her business partner, Vivian Tremont, will confirm her whereabouts that morning.”

I turned in my seat and faced Harry, willing him to turn back to me. When he did, I made an imperceptible, I hoped, shake of my head. To his credit, his face remained impassive instead of looking shocked. In fact, if I didn’t know better I’d say he wasn’t even surprised.

I think this is the best part of finding your soul mate. A real one can read your mind, I swear. As if by unspoken agreement, Harry and I said nothing more to Bronson about it.

There were questions I wanted to have answered first, starting with, Why was Penelope Young lying about seeing me? Was she trying to get me disqualified from the dog show to gain a higher ranking for Henry? Or did she really think she had seen me? Or was she just trying to draw suspicion off herself and her husband, Jasper?

She had to know I was going to call her out. She was putting everything we had strived for in jeopardy. We had worked too hard to get Freddy into the winning position to lose it all now over a bogus accusation.

“So, you have an alibi?” Bronson asked. I don’t think I was imagining that he sounded relieved. I figured, compared to most of the other competitors, I was the least annoying.

I shrugged. “Yeah, of course I do. You can call my cousin, Viv, if you want.”

I felt Harry get tense beside me. Okay, maybe that had been taking the bluff too far.

“No, that’s good enough—for now,” he said. He looked discouraged.

“This is a complete waste of time. Do you have any leads, any real leads, in the case?” Aunt Betty asked. She stared at Bronson as if she found him lacking, and I saw him shift in his seat.

One corner of his mouth tipped up into a rueful smile. “They’re all real. I’m just not sure which one is the truth, including the one that gives Scarlett a motive to have poisoned Swendson.”