Pat was right. There weren’t very many people looking at the animals. Several children were tugging at reluctant adult hands and an older lady Mary didn’t recognize, who stood in front of a very fluffy gray and white cat’s cage, was staring at it, a speculative expression on her face. The cat looked past the woman at the tree on the edge of the parking lot, with no expression on hers. Pat stood beside the woman, silent, her shoulders drooping a little, also staring at the cat, but the expression on her face was more of exasperation than pleasure the cat might have found a new home. She brightened when she saw Mary and Millie.
‘That is not a match made in heaven.’ She walked close to Mary and indicated the woman who continued to stare at the cat. ‘I don’t know why that woman is even considering a cat. She’s done nothing but say she can’t bear hair on her furniture, she hates cat boxes, cats claw furniture and she’d expect any cat of hers to earn its keep by keeping the house free of mice. No halfway intelligent mouse would dare enter her house, and if she decides to fill out an application I’ve a good mind to tell her we only let people adopt cats who plan on letting them sleep on the sofa. That ought to do it. That’s a nice cat. She deserves better.’ She paused as if to catch her breath then bent down and gave Millie’s ears a rub. ‘Hello, Millie. How are you? Are you here to get a haircut?’
‘Not today, but soon.’ Mary looked at the dog. She really did have to make that appointment.
Millie wagged her rear end but stared at the cat, right along with the strange woman.
‘What you need is a nice cup of coffee. How long have you been here? Have you found suitable homes for any of them?’ Mary took Pat’s arm and steered her toward the back door of the pet shop. Millie followed reluctantly, twisting her head to look back over her shoulder at the cat.
‘Don’t even go there,’ Mary told her. ‘I’m not getting you a cat.’
The dog seemed to sigh as she followed them over to the table that held a coffeemaker and white Styrofoam cups.
Pat filled one, handed it to Mary and filled another. ‘I think we’ve only really placed one dog so far.’ She smiled at Mary as she spooned powdered cream into her cup. ‘Maybe two.’
‘What’s so funny? Oh, are they going to take that dog?’
‘I’d bet money on it. That’s a match that really is made in heaven. Dan would love that dog – so would Ellen, and Jake would get used to him. He’s a neat dog; missing that rear leg doesn’t seem to bother him a bit and he’d fit right into the family. Dan could take him into the station with him sometimes and he’d be fine left alone. Some dogs don’t take well to that, but this one is pretty laid-back.’
Mary wasn’t as sure of that as Pat seemed to be, but if that was what they wanted … She hadn’t planned on getting a dog – it never crossed her mind. A cat had, once in a while, but never long enough for her to act on the idea. Millie had come to her accidently when her previous owner had been murdered, and she hadn’t been with her more than one day before Mary realized she wanted her to stay. Evidently the dog felt the same as she’d settled right in. Now, she and Millie were rarely parted. The dog actually seemed to enjoy the committee meetings Mary attended and the events she so often chaired, and everyone who met her seemed to enjoy Millie. Her long, silky black cocker spaniel ears, her pretty face and her effervescent greeting for just about everyone she came across was hard to resist.
‘What are you going to do with the dogs and cats that don’t get homes?’
Pat sighed. ‘What I always do. I’ve got foster homes lined up for a couple of them. The rest will go home with the rescue workers who brought them and we’ll try again. There are a couple of dogs and a cat who haven’t been spayed yet. Those we’ll keep for a while. Karl will take care of that. We’ll get them up to date on their shots and hope we can find homes locally. It’s an uphill battle but I’m always thrilled when we get a good placement. Now, that woman over there, trying to stare down the cat, I’m sure she’ll … Oh, there she goes.’
The woman gave the cat one last look. The cat looked right past her without acknowledging her. The woman glared at the cat, turned on her heel and walked out toward the parking lot. Pat audibly sighed with relief. Mary thought the cat did also but not as loudly.
‘So, do you need help?’ Mary asked, secretly hoping Pat didn’t.
‘Unfortunately, no.’ Pat sounded somewhat distracted. Her attention had shifted to a woman who was being dragged forward through the store toward the back room by two children who were loudly proclaiming, ‘You’ll love him, Mom. He loves us, too. We can tell.’
‘I’d better go see which dog those kids have decided is going home with them.’
Mary watched her receding back then turned to survey the store. John was ringing up someone who had a whole stack of dog-related supplies piled up on the counter. Two bowls, a collar, a leash, a bed, dog food and an assortment of dog toys. A small boy stood next to his mother, who held a taffy-colored dog of no particular breed. The boy kept petting the dog’s leg while it squirmed in the woman’s arms, trying to lick the boy’s face. The mother beamed at the boy, who beamed at the dog. The father, who wasn’t beaming, put down a charge card in front of John.
Mary smiled at Millie. ‘Another dog just found a happy home.’
Millie wagged her behind.
‘We might as well go for a walk before we go home,’ Mary told her.
The word ‘walk’ had Millie on her feet and headed for the door almost before Mary could collect her purse, but she followed the dog onto the street. Mary felt at loose ends, a feeling she didn’t much care for. However, a good brisk walk might do her good. She hadn’t had much time to think – really think – and it was a lovely day.
Spring was doing its best to edge past winter, and today it felt as if it was winning. The trees were showing more than a hint of green; the plants that had looked like dead sticks all winter were studded with tiny nodules proclaiming they were alive and well. The hills on the edge of town, still planted with almond trees, were already dusted with pink almond blossoms.
Mary took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The sky was Wedgewood blue, the clouds fat and white and the breeze warm on her face. She smiled. Spring was almost here. She resolutely turned her thoughts away from the pet adoption, the postponed rummage sale and the reason it couldn’t be held. Instead, she’d think of the Easter egg hunt the church was planning for the smaller children and how much fun it would be. Who could she talk into wearing the Easter bunny costume this year? She had almost succeeded in wiping Lorraine’s distress at having to move, Caleb’s resentment of Richard, Cassandra’s rush to clean out the house and Richard’s rudeness from her mind when a voice shattered her tranquil mood.
‘Yoo-hoo, Mary. Wait up.’
Agnes. Mary sighed and stopped. So much for a tranquil walk. Agnes would want to talk, and Mary was sure it would be about someone. Probably Miss Emilie and the people close to her. Maybe she could sidestep it all somehow.
‘Oh, Mary. I’m so glad I saw you. Are you going somewhere?’
Mary looked at Millie, who politely sat when they stopped and now looked at Agnes with, Mary thought, the same lack of enthusiasm Mary felt. ‘Just for a walk.’
‘Oh, good. Have you had lunch? I’m on my lunch break and thought I’d get a tamale. Juan has really good tamales. Why don’t you get one and join me? We can sit on that bench and eat and talk. I have something I want to talk over with you.’ She eyed Millie a little doubtfully. ‘She doesn’t want one, does she?’
‘No. I don’t think tamales are … Agnes, we’re on our way home, so I don’t think …’
‘Good. Now you won’t have to make yourself lunch. You sit right there and I’ll get them. Do you want hot sauce? I like those Mexican sodas. Orange. I’ll get you one, too. Would Millie like water? Be right back.’
Mary knew when she’d lost. She and Millie walked over to the picnic bench and Mary sat. Millie lay down, her nose on Mary’s foot.
‘Drat and blast,’ Mary said to Millie. ‘I knew I shouldn’t have tried to cut through the park.’ She looked around at the few stands that had opened for the traditional farmers’ market Saturday. Not too many bothered during the winter – there wasn’t much produce and fewer customers. Even Juan’s tamale wagon didn’t come out. If you wanted fresh corn tortillas you could go to his store in San Felipe, a short drive north of Santa Louisa. Spring must really be on its way if he was back at the farmers’ market.
‘I got chile relleno and sweetcorn. Is that all right?’ She put a white paper plate in front of Mary and set two orange sodas on the table. ‘There. Now we can have a nice lunch. It’s been ages since we’ve talked. I wanted to ask you, how are you? I know how hard all this must be, finding Miss Emilie like that. I just can’t take it all in. Dan and I are working to find out what happened, but it’s pretty confusing.’ She started to unwrap her tamale, seemingly not noticing the expression on Mary’s face.
Agnes helping with the investigation? Mary didn’t think so. Agnes worked on the front desk, answering all non-emergency calls, directing people to the correct city office, doing the simplest of tasks. Her dark blue pants along with her light blue blouse were not Santa Louisa police uniform issue. She found them in the Army Navy store in Santa Barbara. She wore a thick black belt but not a single knife, pair of handcuffs or gun hung on it. Especially not a gun. But she thought of herself as law enforcement and took her position, such as it was, seriously. She would have been taken more seriously by Dan if she’d learn to work the computer reliably.
Mary unwrapped her tamale, picked up her white plastic fork and took a bite. Delicious, as usual. ‘What did you want to tell me?’
Agnes set her fork down and took a small sip of her orange soda before she spoke. ‘You know the night Miss Emilie died.’
Mary nodded and waited for her to go on.
‘I was out patrolling and saw something … actually someone, and I thought it was strange. I thought about telling Dan but … well, that didn’t seem like such a good idea, but I need to tell someone, so I thought I’d tell you.’
Mary almost choked on her tamale. It took a moment and a big swallow of her orange soda before she dared speak. Agnes patrolling? ‘Does Dan know you go patrolling?’
‘Actually … it’s not like I take a patrol car. Nothing like that. But we don’t have a very big force and I just sort of drive around, making sure everything’s all right. A sort of civilian patrol. You know, like the people who work with the sheriffs.’
Mary had heard of the citizens’ patrol. The county was large and most of it rural. There just weren’t enough sheriff’s deputies to cover it all every night, so some of the citizens, mostly older people, took turns checking the ranches and back roads. They weren’t allowed to carry weapons of any kind and were instructed to do nothing but call in anything or anyone that seemed suspicious. The incidences of rustling, where the thieves pulled a horse trailer up to a field in the middle of the night and threw a halter on someone’s horse or cut a calf or two out of the herd and into the trailer, had decreased by half, according to Dan. He, however, had never seen the need for a citizens’ patrol. Santa Louisa wasn’t a very big town and, so far, his small force had managed just fine. He wouldn’t be happy to hear Agnes had taken it upon herself to ‘help.’ No wonder she hadn’t told him.
‘I know.’
‘It was Wednesday night.’ Agnes pushed her half-eaten tamale aside but kept her eyes on the plate while she seemed to sort out her words. ‘I thought I’d drive around here in town, just to make sure everything was all right. No drunks, no one trying to drive under the influence, especially those people who frequent that place.’
She gestured toward a row of businesses that anchored the east end of the park. There were only four – the art gallery, the movie theater, a candy and ice-cream store and, directly in the middle, the Watering Hole, the only place in town that had a full bar.
‘The Watering Hole? You came out to see if you could spot someone drunk leaving the Watering Hole?’
‘It wasn’t quite like that. I’ve heard tales about that place, letting folks leave that could hardly walk, getting in their cars and trying to drive, serving drinks after hours … I even heard they serve minors. Thought I’d drive by and see for myself.’
What Agnes expected to see, while in her car, Mary wasn’t sure, but she had seen something. ‘All right. What did you see that’s bothering you?’
‘Gloria Sutherland.’
‘Gloria … coming out of the Watering Hole?’
‘No. Just walking down the sidewalk.’
‘I don’t understand. What was she doing?’
‘Walking around the park. Then she walked down the sidewalk in front of that bar. When she got to the parking lot, I lost her.’
Mary shook her head, confused. ‘Why shouldn’t Gloria walk around the park? Lots of people do in the evening, especially if the weather’s nice. Maybe she had gone to the movies and was stretching her legs before going home.’
‘It was cold that night and it was after one. What was she doing wandering around the streets at that hour? Nothing was open except that bar. Maybe she had just come from there.’ Agnes admitted the possibility grudgingly, ‘But I’ve never thought Gloria the type to go to bars.’ Distaste wrinkled the corners of her mouth as she considered the possibility.
‘For heaven’s sake, Agnes, it’s not a den of iniquity. The Wallers run a respectable business. Lots of families go to the restaurant side. They have the best onion soup in town, and their hamburgers are famous. They have live music on the bar side on weekends, and people go to dance, play darts, watch sports and lots of things. There aren’t many places around here where you can do things like that. Gloria could easily have gone for a glass of wine or some soup. Why did you think it was so sinister?’
‘They may have great soup, but that wasn’t what Gloria was after. They quit serving it around ten. She was on foot at one in the morning. All alone. She didn’t see me. I was in my car but she was looking around as if scared to death. No. She was doing something she didn’t want to be seen doing.’
Mary abandoned her tamale and gave Agnes her full attention. She didn’t usually. Agnes was prone to gossip and usually wasn’t too interested in getting her facts straight, but this was different.
‘Did you tell Dan in the end?’
‘I tried to. That man doesn’t listen to me. So I thought if I told you, you could tell him. He listens to you. I don’t understand it. After all, we work together, but that’s the way it is.’ Agnes shrugged her shoulders in resignation and rolled her eyes a little.
Millie lifted her head and looked at Agnes, then up at Mary, as if to ask what the woman was going on about. Mary didn’t think it took much explanation to know why Dan paid her no attention – not if you knew Agnes.
‘I’ll talk to Dan about this.’ Mary wadded up her paper plate, picked up her half-empty pop bottle and untangled herself from the picnic bench.
Millie was on her feet too, ready to be underway wherever they were going.
‘Thanks for the tamales, and thanks for telling me. I don’t know what it means but I’ll be sure Dan knows.’
Agnes pushed her bench back a little and got to her feet as well. ‘I have to get back. My lunch is only a half hour, but I’m sure glad you’re going to tell Dan. It bothered me. Now, I’m not saying Gloria had anything to do with Miss Emilie being killed and all that, but she looked downright furtive, looking over her shoulder and all. Mary, are you going to throw that in the trash?’
Mary nodded, reached over and picked up Agnes’ paper plate and napkin. ‘You want the rest of your drink?’
‘I guess. I can drink that at my desk.’
‘Then we’ll be on our way. Thanks again. See you in church tomorrow?’
‘You bet.’ Without another word Agnes walked off in the direction of the police department.
Mary watched her for a moment, and so did Millie. Mary looked at the dog. ‘Well! What do you make of that?’
They walked over to the trash can, deposited the rest of the lunch and started down the brick path out of the park, Millie sniffing every tree and bush, Mary lost in deep thought.