Nine

I slowed to a creep as I approached them. The last thing I wanted to do was fall over a body. I kept my flashlight trained on the forest floor. And then I saw what Fritz was protecting—a mama cat and her kitten nestled in a hollowed-out tree that had fallen. The other kitten must have come from this litter.

The mom cat looked up at me like she was exhausted. I didn’t have anything to carry them in, so I turned up the front hem of my dress, thankful that it was full and loose instead of tight-fitting, and gently lifted the mom into the little pouch I had formed. She was limp, clearly not well. I added her baby and poked around to be sure I hadn’t overlooked any kittens.

Praying that I wouldn’t trip and spill my precious cargo, I pulled the rope through a ring on Fritz’s collar and started back. Fritz and Trixie led the way. But this time they didn’t try to dart into the trees that ran behind the houses.

I continued on the street that was now almost empty, and only then, under the bright light of a streetlamp, did I realize that Fritz bore a lipstick mark on the top of his head. Someone had kissed him. Someone who wore a rosy red shade of lipstick.

I was enormously relieved to reach Rose’s house. The crowd of onlookers had moved there, but I wedged my way to the backyard and found Oma and Rose, who sat at the table where we had dined.

“I thought Fritz was guarding Seth, but now I think he was taking care of these babies. The mom doesn’t look well.”

Holmes peered into my makeshift kitty hammock. “The crime scene workers are almost through. I could drive you to the animal hospital.”

It was a very kind offer, especially since he had been fighting the fire and probably wanted nothing more than to go home and shower.

Holmes and I watched as the EMTs lifted Seth’s body onto a gurney and rolled it to the ambulance. Dave shooed neighbors out of Rose’s yard and roped off the entire area with crime scene tape.

“I’m off to Doc Engelknecht’s,” Dave said to Holmes and me. “The EMT said it looked like a heart attack. Probably very sudden and quick.”

“But he was young and in pretty good shape,” I said.

“Apparently it’s not uncommon to find undiagnosed heart issues, even in athletes,” Dave said glumly.

He lowered his voice and said, “Liesel says he was staying at the inn. Make sure no one cleans or touches that room.”

I gazed at him quizzically.

“Just in case,” said Dave. “Trixie hasn’t been wrong yet.”

At the sound of her name, she placed her front paws on Dave’s knee and wagged her tail.

He rubbed her ears. “You are too smart, kiddo. But if you’re right, and I’m beginning to think you may be, I’ll buy you a steak dinner.”

She pawed at his knees and wiggled her rear.

“You think Seth was murdered?” asked Holmes.

“I don’t know.” Dave shook his head. “I didn’t see any obvious injuries. Then again, it’s not the best light out here, so it’s likely I missed something. Liesel said Rose can stay with her tonight. She’s inside packing an overnight bag. I’ll be back at the crack of dawn to see if we can find anything in the grass.”

Oma drove Rose and Gingersnap back to the inn, and Holmes took the kittens, Trixie, Twinkletoes, Fritz, and me to the veterinary hospital.

People were waiting for us outside when we arrived. “Must be a slow night,” I said.

“Rose called to let us know you were coming.” The veterinarian and two veterinary assistants escorted us inside. As a veterinary technician lifted each kitten out of my skirt, Trixie, Fritz, and Twinkletoes were eager to see them, sniffing each one.

An assistant wrinkled her nose and gazed at Holmes’s grimy face. “Were the kittens in the fire?”

We assured her they were in the woods.

When they took the mother cat out of my skirt, the veterinarian frowned. “Poor baby,” she cooed. “She doesn’t look good, but don’t worry, we’ll take care of this little family.”

I believed her. In spite of the late hour, people swarmed toward the kittens and fussed over them while the veterinarian cuddled the mom and disappeared into the back.

Twinkletoes was reluctant to leave her new friends. I had to pry her away from the babies and carry her out to the golf cart.

“Your turn, Fritz,” I said. I was never sure whether I should wake someone to bring home a dog or cat who had been missing. But I would have wanted to know Trixie or Twinkletoes had been found healthy and fine as soon as possible.

Fritz readily jumped into the golf cart, and we drove through the silent streets of Wagtail to Judge Barlow’s house. Not a single light was on. Not even the light by the front door.

I took the rope off Fritz. He readily jumped out and ran through the open gate. Fritz didn’t go to the front door, though. He dodged to the left, and I wished I had kept a leash on him. Maybe he would come when the judge opened the door.

I banged the knocker and waited. Lights turned on inside the house.

Judge Barlow opened the door wrapped in a plush gray bathrobe. He seemed surprised to see us, but before Holmes or I had a chance to say anything, Fritz woofed joyously.

“Fritz!” cried the judge. “Come here, boy. Come on!”

Fritz ran to the judge, and I sighed with relief.

Judge Barlow bent over and stroked his beloved dog. “Where did you find him?”

“In Rose’s backyard.”

“He was that close to home? Fritz, you scamp. What were you doing there?”

Fritz wasn’t telling. But his tail gave away his joy at being home again. And then he ran back to where he had been, on the left side of the house.

“What’s he doing?” asked the judge.

Trixie and Twinkletoes followed him and were most interested in something.

Holmes and I exchanged a look. Now what?

“Do you have any spotlights you could turn on?” I asked.

The judge took one step back and flipped a switch. The exterior of the house flooded with light. He looked on as Holmes and I approached Fritz.

“Whatcha got there, Fritz?” I asked.

And then we heard the cries. The tiny mews of kittens. He had cleverly stashed two kittens in a nook under the porch. Holmes knelt and handed one kitten to me, and then another.

“Have you got your phone?” asked Holmes. “I don’t want to overlook one.”

I asked Siri to turn on the flashlight and handed it to Holmes. “All clear. I don’t see any more.”

“Back to the vet, I guess.” I returned to the judge.

“Kittens? Aren’t you a smart boy, Fritz?” He bent to pat him. “Thank you for bringing him home, Holly. I was afraid he’d been hurt.” He stared at Holmes. “What happened to you?”

“There was a fire at Dovie’s. The shed in the back was burning.”

Happiness drained from the judge’s face. “Is she all right?”

Holmes nodded. “A little shaken, as you might imagine, but she’ll be fine. We’re all very lucky it didn’t spread to the house.”

“Thanks to Holmes and the other Wagtail firefighters who rushed in to put it out,” I added.

The judge placed a trembling hand over his mouth and looked me in the eyes. “How did it start?”

“We don’t know yet,” said Holmes.

I wondered if we should tell him about Seth. I didn’t see the point in upsetting him even more at this hour, but maybe he should know. After all, it might have been Seth who’d found Fritz. I tried to start gently. “Fritz was protecting some kittens in the woods.”

“What? More kittens?” The judge ruffled the fur behind his ears.

“He must have carried one over to Rose’s house. We’re not quite sure what happened, but these two look an awful lot like the other ones. I think he was bringing them home to you. Judge Barlow,” I said gently. “Fritz was with Seth.”

The judge’s eyebrows rose. He gazed around. “Where is he? Why didn’t he bring Fritz home?”

“I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but Seth is dead.”

“What?”

“He was found lying on the ground behind Rose’s house. Fritz was sitting next to him. We’ll know more after the autopsy. Dave thinks he may have had some kind of heart condition.”

The judge looked down at Fritz. He swallowed hard and turned a worried gaze on me. “I’m shocked. He was a young man. In his early forties, I believe. He had no business dying yet.” He ruffled the fur behind Fritz’s ears before looking up at us. “Is Rose okay?”

“I think so. You know what a trooper she is,” Holmes said.

“I’ve missed you, Fritz. Thank you for bringing him home, Holly.”

“I was glad to do it. No more running off now, Fritz.” His tail swished against the floor. I turned to leave and heard the judge speaking to Fritz about kittens as he closed the door.

One small issue taken care of. I was glad Fritz was home where he belonged. But there was a new and bigger problem in its place. Where had Fritz been? With the kittens? And why had he appeared in Rose’s backyard with Seth? There was no leash attached to his collar. Wouldn’t Seth have put some kind of harness on him to make sure he didn’t run off again?

I knew perfectly well why the judge had given me that look. He thought the fire at Dovie’s might have something to do with the peculiar things that were happening to him. But he didn’t dare say so because Holmes was present, and he was keeping his relationship with Rose, Holmes’s grandmother, a secret. And there was another mystery. Wouldn’t most people be happy for them? Why did they insist on keeping their relationship secret?

Holmes drove Trixie, Twinkletoes, the newly discovered kittens, and me back to the vet. They were as astonished as Holmes and me when we explained what had happened.

It was past midnight when we returned to the inn. Holmes went home, eager to get out of his sooty clothes. In spite of the horror of Seth’s death, I was exhausted and headed straight up to bed with Trixie and Twinkletoes. I changed into my nightshirt, but as tired as I was, my nerves were on edge and I couldn’t sleep. Twinkletoes had curled up on my bed and didn’t budge. But when I threw on the soft white Sugar Maple Inn bathrobe Oma had had embroidered with my name, Trixie followed me into the kitchen, probably hoping for a treat, which she received immediately. I made myself a mug of weak black tea with a lot of milk in it and wandered out on my back balcony. It was larger than a normal balcony, with room for chaise lounges and a small table that was well suited for breakfast. I rarely used it, though, because I preferred to eat breakfast in the dining area with Oma or Dave, who often dropped by.

The moon cast a wide swath of light on the lake where the water undulated gently. A few lights were visible on houses across the lake. I turned around and looked at the windows of the inn. All of them were dark on the east side. A good sign, I thought. The troubles of Wagtail weren’t impacting the guests.

But on the west side, a light glowed behind curtains that appeared to be drawn across the French doors.

As I turned away, I remembered that I had promised to secure Seth’s room. There wasn’t really much I could do except put out the Do Not Disturb sign and make sure the door was locked. Not many guests left their doors unlocked, but it happened.

I looked back at the French doors where the light glowed softly. Was that Seth’s room? I counted windows and French doors. It was!

I tightened the sash on my bathrobe, slipped on running shoes, and grabbed my phone. On the way down to the office, I called Casey, who was probably dozing in the private kitchen. Trixie and I rushed down the grand staircase to the second floor. I heard a door close quietly somewhere. I looked up and down the hallway but couldn’t tell exactly where it had been.

Casey sounded sleepy when he answered the call.

“Meet me at Hike right now. I’m stopping by the office to get the keys.”

There was no sign of Casey on the main floor when I turned toward the reception lobby. I ran through the hallway. Trixie thought it was fun and sped ahead of me.

I unlocked the office as fast as I could and grabbed the master key ring. To save time, I left the office door unlocked and sprang up the back stairs to Seth’s room.

Casey leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. He opened them when Trixie pawed him. “Oh . . . hey, Trixie! What are we doing?” he whispered.

“Did you see anyone come out of there?”

“No.”

“How long have you been here?”

“I don’t know. A few minutes? What’s going on?”

I talked fast, though it didn’t matter because anyone who was in the room couldn’t get out now without being seen by us. “In case you haven’t heard, Seth, who was staying in Hike, died a few hours ago. I couldn’t sleep, so I was on my balcony, and I saw a light on in his room.”

“Did he die in his room?” Casey wrinkled his nose.

“No. In Rose’s backyard. At least that’s where we found him.”

Casey shrugged. “So he didn’t turn it off before he left. My mom yells at me about that all the time.”

“I thought you moved out.”

“Things didn’t go well with my girlfriend. She kept the apartment, and I’m back home.”

I took a deep breath. He was right, of course, Seth had simply left a light on. No biggie.

I tried the handle. The door was locked. I inserted the key in the lock, twisted, and swung it open.

The room was bathed in moonlight, the curtains were open, and not a single light was on.