Fourteen

Dave studied the key for a moment. “Thanks.” He slipped it into a paper bag that had already been labeled.

“They knew each other from college. But why would he have her key?”

“An excellent question. Do me a favor, Holly. I’d like to keep this quiet for the moment. We’re the only people who know about this. It could be quite innocent. In fact, it most likely is, considering that he died across town from here. But I don’t want Louisa to know about this just yet. Okay?”

“Yes, of course. There aren’t that many possibilities. Louisa may have given him her key. Maybe he was planning to visit her room later. Or maybe she was leaving Loki in the room and Seth was supposed to bring him somewhere.”

Dave nodded. “Or maybe he stole it from her.”

“To what end?” I asked.

“Don’t know. But I do know that Seth is no longer able to tell us. So let’s not alert Louisa.”

He pulled out some crime scene tape, which I took as a clue that we were leaving the room.

I walked into the hallway and waited while he fastened the tape just inside the door. I locked the door to Hike, said goodbye to Dave, and walked downstairs to return the key.

Shadow, our handyman, happened to be walking by with his bloodhound, Elvis. I stopped him and asked if he could change locks on the doors for “old Judge Barlow.” I emphasized his age, hoping Shadow would be sympathetic.

“Sure. Can’t say I’m a fan of the grump. He used to shout at me when I was a kid and whizzed by him on my bicycle. But he probably doesn’t remember that. Everything okay over there?” he asked.

“Yes. But the locks haven’t been changed in decades. And you never know who might resent him.”

“No kidding. Plenty of people I can think of!”

“Thanks, Shadow.”

Rose shot me a desperate glance when I entered the office. Because she was worried that I would blab about her relationship with the judge? I hung up my clipboard and tried to sound cheerful when I said, “Everything looks okay this morning. And there’s partially good news. The spot on Seth’s back came from an injection, not a bug bite. So you don’t have to worry about walking in the woods.”

“An injection? In my backyard?” Rose nearly spilled the cup of coffee she held. “What I’d like to know is what he was doing there in the first place. I didn’t invite him!”

“You never met him?” asked Oma.

And that was when Rose lied to her best friend in the world. “I may have seen him around town, but it wasn’t like I had any connection to him.”

Rose’s eyes pleaded with me. While Oma and Rose speculated about Seth’s death, I couldn’t help wondering what was going on with Rose. I left the two of them and headed back to the main lobby.

Footsteps running down the grand staircase caught my attention. Addi avoided looking at anyone as she ran through the library toward her room.

I wondered what to do. I had known her when we were young. Did that friendship transcend the years that had passed? Was I still someone she could confide in? She was traveling with friends who could comfort her. And her grandfather lived in town. I wasn’t sure it was my place at all to check on her, but I liked Addi. I followed her into the cat wing and knocked on her door.

It swung open. Addi looked miserable. Her cat, Inky, shot out the door and found herself nose to nose with Trixie. Inky scuttled backward, her back arched like a Halloween cat. Trixie wasn’t impressed. She walked into Inky’s room as though she lived there.

No dogs were allowed on the cat wing, but we’d made an official exception for Trixie. She had proven that she wouldn’t chase cats and appeared to understand that they were guests. Of course, the real reason was that she was constantly by my side. And after someone had tried to steal her, I was more cautious and preferred for her to be close by.

Inky’s fur settled, and the confusion on her face was so priceless that Addi began to laugh. “This is so good for Inky. She likes other cats, but she hasn’t been exposed to many dogs.”

Inky slinked to the doorway and peered inside, looking for Trixie. Prowling like a panther, she slowly walked into the room. I followed her, and Addi closed the door.

The rooms in the cat wing featured cat-size stairs and snuggle perches on the walls. Inky headed for the nearest one, jumped up, and looked for Trixie.

“Is everything okay?” I asked Addi.

“I’m sorry if I disturbed you. My family says I’m far too sensitive and emotional.”

“Is it Seth?”

Addi looked up at Inky. “She liked Seth,” Addi whispered.

“You did, too.”

Addi perched on the edge of her bed, clutching it with both hands. Her entire body seemed rigid. “Do you have a boyfriend in your life who will always be special to you?”

“I guess Holmes falls into that category. It wasn’t like I had dated him before he moved away, but he was a special person in my life.”

“I heard he had moved back to Wagtail. You first, now Holmes. Before you know it, we’ll all be back here.”

“Are you considering a move?” I asked.

“Maybe. My grandfather needs someone around who can help him. I know he has Dovie, but she’ll be needing help herself soon.” She was silent for a moment. “My mom says I always fall for the wrong guys. All I can say is that Seth and I were drawn to each other. We would date, break up, and get back together. We never managed to make it work for long, but we always tried again. He had his share of faults, but don’t we all?”

I nodded my head.

She sniffled. “We dated on and off, mostly in secret. Sometimes I wonder if that wasn’t part of the attraction. My parents didn’t like Seth. You know how it is. As soon as someone tells you not to do something, that’s all you can think about. And for the most part, he was good to me.”

For the most part? I could hear screeching tires and see red flags waving. I tried to find the right words so she wouldn’t balk at answering. “Sometimes he wasn’t nice?”

Addi swallowed hard. “He had what my grandmother Theona called roving eyes. Except it wasn’t just his eyes that roved.”

“He went out with other women when he was dating you.”

“He didn’t just go out with them, if you know what I mean. That’s what finally ended our on again, off again relationship. I wasn’t going to take it one more time. I can forgive, but I’m not stupid. I know I’m not gorgeous like Louisa or glamorous like Oriana, but if he had truly loved me, that wouldn’t have happened.”

“You’re every bit as beautiful as they are. Don’t shortchange yourself.”

“Something wasn’t working. I felt like he was always looking for someone better than me. Prettier or smarter, more successful or maybe less successful. He, um, wanted to have drinks last night, and I wondered if he was trying to heat things up again.”

“Is that what you wanted?” I asked.

She was still for a long moment, but I didn’t push her. I watched Inky slither from one perch to another. She finally jumped onto the floor and stealthily neared Trixie, who knew perfectly well that she was there but didn’t budge.

“No. I don’t think so. I was done with trying to make it work. But Seth was a big part of my life, and I can’t believe he’s gone. That’s the hard part . . . that he’ll never be around again. Ever. It’s the loss of a friend more than a boyfriend. He loved animals and had a way with them. And he could be so funny! Hysterical, really. I was doing fine this morning, but all of a sudden, I was overwhelmed by the finality.”

I understood what she meant. “I’m sure it will hit you for a long time to come. It’s hard to lose a friend. Especially one with whom you were once so close.”

“Thanks for listening, Holly. I’d better get back to the ballroom. I’m sure Joanne is having a meltdown by now.”

“See you tonight at the gala.”

“Holly? I have an extra ticket. Do you know anyone who might like to go?”

Suddenly I felt rather like Oma and Rose, who loved matchmaking. “As a matter of fact, I think Dave might be interested in attending the gala tonight.”

“Quinlan?” She cheered up a little. “What do you know about Dave?”

“He’s a nice guy.”

“I suspected that. Is he seeing anyone?”

I tried hard not to smile. “I don’t think so.” I jotted his number on the inn notepad for her before I left.

As I was walking away, I received a text on my phone from the florist, reminding me that my standing order of flowers for family graves was ready. Aunt Birdie had saddled me with that job when I’d moved to Wagtail. I didn’t really mind. I hadn’t known any of them, but the least I could do was bring flowers to their graves.

I collected the cart I used to transport them, and Twinkletoes appeared out of nowhere like she always did when she heard the wagon.

She sprang along with Trixie as I walked to the florist. The arrangements were stunning, with white and purple gladiolas, pink lilies, tiny white baby’s breath, and rich purple wisteria hanging down over the vases. I loaded them into the little cart and walked over to the cemetery, where I found Joanne studying the bell tower on the church.

“Does the bell ring?” she asked.

“Definitely. At Christmas and New Year’s almost the whole town comes out to see. Children sing Christmas carols and people hold candles. It’s wonderful.”

“Flowers for the grandfather you never knew?” she asked.

“Something like that.”

She followed me inside the cemetery gate. Trixie and Twinkletoes wandered through the tombstones and monuments, sniffing the ground.

I placed the flowers on four graves.

Joanne stood not far from me, gazing at a gravestone. Behind it stood an angel with a bird perched on her hand.

I walked over to see whose it was. “Theona Barlow,” I read aloud.

“She must have been lovely.”

“You didn’t know her?”

“No. She was already very ill when I started volunteering. I certainly heard a lot about her, though.”

“She was loved by everyone.”

“So I’ve heard. They tell me her husband is a bit of a bear.”

I laughed. “He’s okay. A little grumpy and sharp, I guess. He probably wasn’t easy to live with.”

“I see graves from the 1800s. Has the church been here long?”

“I don’t know how old it is. It was there when I was a child. I remember the bells ringing and singing carols.”

“It must have been magical to grow up in Wagtail.”

“Probably. My parents divorced. My mom fled to California, and my dad went to Florida. I hated holidays. There was always a squabble about where I would go. I swear I spent more time in airports than by a cozy fire.”

Joanne looked at me in surprise. “Funny. I never would have guessed that. I thought you had lived here your entire life.” She studied the angel for a long moment. “I admitted my father to a nursing home two months ago. He has early Alzheimer’s.”

“I’m sorry! That must be so hard for you.”

She nodded. “He was a terrible parent. And, yet, I feel guilty about leaving him there. I know it’s for his own good. I couldn’t possibly manage him at home. But I still feel remorseful about it.”

“I’m sure they’re taking very good care of him.”

“It was strange cleaning out his house. You don’t usually do that until a parent has died. It’s a curious thing to see the odd bits and pieces a person has deemed worth saving. I hadn’t seen him in quite a while. It felt . . . intrusive to go through his belongings.” Abruptly she turned toward me. “Well! I have to get back to the ballroom. There’s no telling what kind of chaos has befallen the gala in my brief absence. I’ll see you tonight, Holly.”

I waved at her and watched her walk away. Trixie danced around my ankles and yapped a couple of times.

I petted her and swung Twinkletoes up into my arms. “We’re going to a party tonight. Are you excited?”

Trixie twirled in circles and barked. Twinkletoes purred before leaping to the ground and exiting the cemetery with her head held high.

The rest of the day passed quickly. Before I knew it, Casey arrived to babysit the inn, and I ran upstairs to dress.

In my previous life as a fundraiser, I’d attended galas on a fairly regular basis, and I had kept most of my gowns. I knew it was silly, but I wore a pale pink silk gown to match the bling Trixie and Twinkletoes wore. I swept my hair up into a French twist, pinned it, and added dangling rhinestone earrings.

Trixie and Twinkletoes seemed to know something special was afoot. I carried Twinkletoes’s tiara in my small purse. I could slip it on her head when we arrived at the gala.

They followed me out the door. I locked it and walked down the grand staircase, feeling ridiculously princess-like.

It was the first time in my life I had seen Holmes in a tuxedo. “You clean up very well,” I teased. Holmes had recently moved back to Wagtail from Chicago. He was the first boy I had kissed, and I’d been goofy for him ever since. College and jobs had taken us in different directions. I had lived in northern Virginia and hadn’t seen him for a decade until I returned to Wagtail. He’d been engaged then, to a rather spoiled and high-maintenance woman if you asked me. I knew better than to try to break them up. After all, he had chosen her. I did my best to be supportive of his decision. But, as it turned out, he changed his mind about marrying her and decided to move back to Wagtail.

He lifted my hand and kissed it, making me giggle.

Trixie sat at his feet and raised her right paw, sending us into gales of laughter. She wore a pink collar adorned with a double line of rhinestones. A teardrop-shaped diamond hung off it.

Twinkletoes wore a rhinestone collar with a pink stone embellishing it.

They walked with us to the Wagtail Springs Hotel, darting around to visit with dog and cat friends they encountered along the way, then racing to catch up to us.

People on the sidewalks had never looked lovelier. The beauty salons must have been busy. Not only did ladies have their hair styled in amazing ways but two black poodles passed us with fancy flouncing haircuts adorned by jewels that looked real.

We spied Oma and her favorite date, Thomas Hertzog, owner of the Blue Boar restaurant, stepping out of a Wagtail taxi. She wore a sequined shawl-collar jacket in black with a long skirt. Gingersnap had ridden in the taxi with them and pranced proudly in her fancy faux-sapphire collar, which was so bright that it glittered as she moved.

I fastened the tiara to Twinkletoes’s long fur and hoped it would stay on. She seemed a little miffed about it, but, ever a good sport, she joined the dogs and raced up the stairs ahead of us. Holmes and I waited for Oma and her date. We followed them through the lobby and into the ballroom. It was gorgeous but packed.

People immediately descended on Oma. No doubt they were complaining or pitching some idea to her. Holmes went off to find the champagne, and I spotted Aunt Birdie moving in on Judge Barlow and Fritz.

I sighed. It wasn’t easy being related to a woman who deemed herself queen of everything and boss of me.