Chapter Five

Kate spent a restless night fighting her way through a disturbing dream. It began with a series of villains holding out glittering trophies to try to lure little dogs into their clutches, then it shifted to a nightmare of a shadowy Cruella De Vil chasing Kisses, who was running in the midst of a band of spotted puppies.

Eventually she was jarred awake by a close-up view of Kisses’ face, his doleful brown eyes imploring her to come to his rescue.

Kate was thankful that a strong cup of coffee and her morning devotions helped steady her nerves and restore her focus. It seemed she was swept up once again in a mystery. But this mystery was more personal than any of the others she’d been involved in. After all, Kate had taken care of Kisses for several weeks when Renee’s mother was recover-ing from a broken hip shortly after the Hanlons moved to Copper Mill. Renee had even taken to calling Kate “Grandma” after the hours Kate had spent dog sitting. In spite of the undesirable moniker, Kate had grown to care for the tiny pooch. But it was also personal for Kate because as much as Renee rubbed her the wrong way, she cared for her and couldn’t bear to see her so devastated.

At the same time, the thought of solving another mystery filled her with excitement. God had given her a unique gift, and she looked forward to another opportunity to help a friend.

Immediately after breakfast, she returned to Copper Mill Park and walked back over every inch of the area she had covered with Renee on Saturday. To her frustration, she still didn’t see anything that stuck out as a clue. Kate stood under the trees that lined one edge of the park.

As much as Kate didn’t want to believe that Kisses had been abducted, it seemed like the only real possibility. Questions flooded her mind as she surveyed the grassy expanse in front of her. How had the so-called dognapper chosen that particular time and place? It was the one moment Kisses had been left alone, but how would anyone have known to expect that? Was it just a crime of opportunity? What possible motive could someone have had for taking the tiny Chihuahua? Or had the thief only wanted to steal the expensive leather tote, not knowing what was inside? Why hadn’t Kisses barked like he usually did when strangers got too close?

Despite the heat of the day, a chill rippled through her as she considered a more sinister possibility. What if someone had been following Renee with the intent of taking Kisses? Had the dognapper orchestrated Caroline’s fall, knowing it was the only way to separate Renee from Kisses?

Kate slowly nodded, picturing the way it might have happened.

The setting was ideal for just such a heist. If the perpetrator—or perp, as Renee liked to say—had been spotted at the park, what of it? It was the perfect place for someone to stretch his—or her—legs and get a bit of exercise.

No one would have suspected what the thief was really up to. The caper would have been relatively risk-free, except for the moment when he snatched the bag and made off with it.

Kate noticed the temperature starting to climb in earnest with the rising sun. She returned to her car and drove back home. There was nothing more the park could tell her anyway, at least not at that moment.

When she arrived home, she headed straight for the kitchen, poured herself a cold glass of iced tea, and sipped it while returning to a previous avenue of thought. Maybe considering the reasons why someone would have taken Kisses would help her discover who had committed the crime.

Kate found herself liking the idea. She could emulate Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famous detective, and use psychology to identify the culprit.

What would cause someone to do this? Kate pulled a pad of paper and a pen from the kitchen drawer and prepared to jot down possibilities.

She closed her eyes and thought back over some of the mysteries she had read. Why did people commit a crime?

Money was always a likely factor. Greed figured into many an illegal act. Kate wrote “Money/Greed” at the top of the page.

What else?

Hatred. Revenge. Kate shuddered. Her thoughts were running along a path that was entirely too dark.

She went back to the first point on her list: greed.

That didn’t make much sense. Kisses meant the world to Renee, but as far as Kate knew, the little dog wasn’t worth a vast amount of money. It wasn’t as if the thief had purloined a van Gogh that could be sold on the black market for a fortune. She tapped her pen against the paper.

What about hatred? Her mind flashed back to all the faces glowering at Renee after her confident prediction of Kisses’ “sure win” at the dog show.

Kate remembered her own sense that if the meeting had been a scene in an Agatha Christie novel, Renee might well have been slated as the murder victim.

Was it possible? Her stomach tightened. She didn’t want to believe it, but she had witnessed firsthand the animosity radiating from the other dog owners in response to Renee’s bragging. But was that really motive enough to push someone to steal a beloved pet?

Kate looked down at her third point: revenge.

Revenge for what? Kisses hadn’t actually won the show, at least not yet.

Knowing as little as she did about such things, Kate had no idea how well Kisses would do in this type of competition, but surely there were other dogs who would give the little Chihuahua a run for his money. Lucy Mae’s dachshund, with all those champions in his pedigree, sprang to mind.

In that case, it wouldn’t be a matter of getting back at Renee for something that had already happened, but of preventing something from happening. And what was the likelihood of that? The members of the Harrington County Dog Club were respected citizens in their communities, not criminals.

None of it made sense, and yet...

Kate couldn’t shake the feeling that it all came back to the way Renee had carried on after the meeting, when Renee showed off her new doggie tote, telling everyone that it was an early present to celebrate Kisses’ upcoming victory.

Memories of Velma’s response to Wilbur’s silk-purse comment, and Lucy Mae’s outrage over Kisses’ presumed win flitted through her mind. She never would have guessed the depth of emotion that went along with showing dogs if she hadn’t heard those comments firsthand.

Kate continued her musing while she pulled open the refrigerator door and started gathering the ingredients for a light salad.

The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. Kate picked up the receiver and smiled when she heard Paul’s voice.

“How would you like to go to the Country Diner for lunch?” he asked.

“That sounds perfect. But I’ll need you to be a sounding board. My mind is spinning about Kisses’ disappearance.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else from you, Katie. I’ll pick you up in a few minutes.”

Kate hung up the phone and returned the salad fixings to the fridge, then she hurried to brush her hair and freshen her lipstick.

As she stood in front of the bedroom mirror, she returned to her musings. Could a member of the dog club be responsible for the crime? Would any dog lover, no matter how irritated by a competitor’s attitude, be willing to inflict that kind of pain on another dog owner?

Kate ran pictures of the club members through her mind like scenes from one of Renee’s favorite cop shows, trying to envision any of them engaged in this kind of ruthless act. They all appeared to be fine, upstanding citizens, but Kate didn’t know them well. It was possible that a darker personality lurked behind one of those upright exteriors.

At the diner, Kate picked at her blackened-chicken salad while she told Paul about her dognapping theories.

When she finished, she looked up at him. “Is there anything I’ve missed?”

Paul waited until he finished a bite of his tuna melt on rye before speaking. “It seems like you’ve covered everything as far as I can see.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry, hon. I’d love to help, but sleuthing is your gift, not mine.”

Kate tightened her fingers around his. “You may not be a very useful sounding board, but at least you’re cute,” she teased.

“Y’all want some pie to finish off that meal?”

Kate looked up to find LuAnne Matthews standing at the table, ready to take their order.

The red-haired waitress grinned at Paul. “Apple’s on the menu today, and Loretta just pulled a fresh one from the oven.”

“Sounds good.” Paul rubbed his hands together. Then he flickered a look at Kate and cleared his throat. “But I probably shouldn’t.”

Kate tried to maintain her stern expression, then gave in. “We could split a piece,” she offered.

Paul’s eyes lit up. “À la mode?”

“Don’t push it,” Kate warned.

“LuAnne said it just came out of the oven, and it’s a hot day. I was just trying to help us keep cool.”

His attempted innocence wouldn’t have fooled a child.

Kate laughed and relented. “All right. À la mode.”

“Right.” LuAnne jotted a note on her pad and gave Paul a broad wink before she went back to the kitchen.

She returned a moment later and set two plates on their table, each holding narrow slices of decadent-looking apple pie with a dollop of ice cream on top.

“Here, I went ahead and split it for you to make sure they came out even.” She cleared her throat and gave Paul a meaningful glance.

“Y’all need anything else?”

When Paul shook his head, LuAnne left the check on the table and turned to greet new customers coming through the door.

“There’s an empty table right over here, folks. Come on in and sit down.”

Kate glanced up and saw a couple she hadn’t seen around Copper Mill before. The tall, rawboned man and frowsy-haired blonde walked past without acknowledging Kate’s welcoming smile. Kate made a mental note of the new faces and looked past them to someone she did recognize.

She kept the smile on her face while Mayor Lawton Briddle headed for a nearby table. Lucy Mae trailed after him, followed by a brown-haired teenage boy.

At the sight of Lucy Mae, Kate felt her shoulder muscles tense and made a deliberate effort to relax them. Saturday’s events were still fresh in her mind.

To her relief, the Briddles merely smiled and nodded, then busied themselves with their menus.

Kate picked up her fork. Loretta’s apple pie was every bit as good as expected, and Kate almost found herself wishing they had each ordered a full-sized slice. Then she thought of her waistline and decided they had made the right choice after all.

She still had a couple of bites to go when Paul finished and walked over to the cash register to pay their bill. He came back and held Kate’s chair for her. When they passed the Briddles’ table, Lucy Mae looked up and smiled.

“How nice to see you again,” she gushed.

“Good to see you too.” Paul reached out and shook hands with Mayor Briddle, then with Lucy Mae. Then he extended his hand to the boy.

“I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Paul Hanlon, the pastor of Faith Briar Church. This is my wife, Kate.”

Lucy Mae patted the teen’s arm. “This is my nephew, Micah Jamison. He’s spending the summer with us.”

Micah rose and gripped Paul’s hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Paul said. “I hope you enjoy your visit.”

“Thanks. It’s always good to spend time with Aunt Lucy Mae and Uncle Lawton.” Micah gave his aunt a broad grin.

Lucy Mae smiled up at him, then shifted her gaze to Kate and tilted her head to one side. “I hear you’re looking into the disappearance of Renee Lambert’s dog.”

The tension in Kate’s shoulders returned. She would have preferred more time to devote to her investigation before word got out, but obviously that wasn’t going to happen.

Kate nodded and said, “Renee asked me to see if I could learn anything.”

Lucy Mae rested her arms on the table and leaned forward. “And have you?”

Kate hedged. “It’s still early...”

“Well, I certainly hope you get it all settled before our show. We wouldn’t want anything to distract you from your duties there.”

Lawton rolled his eyes and looked up at Paul. “I’ll be a happy man when this show is over. Maybe as mayor I should have lobbied against letting them hold it here. That’s all we ever talk about around the house anymore. Percy this, and Percy that. It’s enough to—”

“Sir Percival,” Lucy Mae corrected him with an austere look.

Micah leaned forward. “But think about it, Uncle Lawton. It will really increase the value of Sir Percival’s puppies if he wins.”

Lucy Mae reached over to pat Micah’s arm again and gave him a fond smile.

“Lawton, you could take some lessons from our nephew. Micah is ready to pitch right in. He’s already agreed to help set up the bleachers and run little errands for me.”

She turned to Kate with a proud smile. “And Lawton is going to give a welcoming speech to open the festivities. This show will really be a family affair.”

Her husband rolled his eyes again.

“Speaking of the show...” Lucy Mae hitched her chair closer to where Kate stood. “I thought I’d make a batch of my famous blueberry-apricot muffins as a thank-you gesture for all the work the judges will be putting in on show day. But as an exhibitor, it wouldn’t do for me to present them to the judges directly.”

“Hardly,” Kate agreed. “That might be construed as an attempt at bribery.”

“Exactly! But I thought perhaps you could give the muffins to them in your capacity as hospitality chairperson.”

“And be sure to mention that they came from you?” Kate asked drily.

Lucy Mae’s eyes twinkled, and Kate felt sure she had hit on the whole point of this little exchange.

“Well, if you just happen to let that slip out...” Lucy Mae let the words hang in the air.

Kate assumed an innocent expression. “I probably shouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t want it to come across as an effort to sway their votes and cause them to look at Sir Percival in a negative light.”

Lucy Mae sat bolt upright and pressed one hand against the base of her throat. “Oh, I wouldn’t want that!”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t.” Kate eyed Lucy Mae, wondering just how far the woman would go to ensure a win for her precious dachshund. She looked over at Paul. “I suppose we’d better be going.”

“Right you are. I need to get back to the church.” He smiled at the Briddles. “It was good chatting with the two of you. And it was nice to meet you, Micah. I hope we see you again.”

He walked over to the door and held it open for Kate. After they were out on the sidewalk, he whispered, “I can see what you mean about people being fixated on winning. Are they all like that?”

“No.” Kate made a sour face. “Some of them are worse.”

Paul shook his head and looked off into the distance. “It gives a whole new meaning to the term dog days, doesn’t it?”

Kate grinned and playfully elbowed him in the side.

As they walked toward Paul’s pickup, they saw Deputy Skip Spencer heading toward them. He appeared to be checking vehicles for parking violations, “maintaining a visible presence downtown,” as he called it.

“Well, if it isn’t the Hanlons,” he called when he spotted them. His deep voice seemed a strange contrast to his boyish appearance.

“Hey, Skip.” Paul strolled over to join the twenty-five-year-old deputy, with Kate at his side.

“Any success on turning up a lead on Kisses?” Kate asked.

Skip tapped his ticket book against his leg. “We asked around, but we didn’t find anybody who saw anything. And there’s no evidence in the park. Some dog owners have their animals implanted with a microchip, but Kisses doesn’t have one. At this point, we’ve done about all we can.”

He planted his hands on his hips and shook his head. “After all, it isn’t like we’re talking about a kidnapped child. It’s only a dog.”

Kate reached out to pat him on the arm. “It’s more than that, Skip. You have to realize that Kisses is practically Renee’s whole world. To her, this is like having her child taken.”

Skip rubbed his forehead. “You’d sure think so from the way she’s been calling to ask what progress we’ve made.”

Paul chuckled. “That wouldn’t explain why you’re patrolling outside this afternoon, would it?”

“It’s important to maintain a police presence...” Skip trailed off and gave him a sheepish grin.

“Well, it does get me away from the desk and the phone. I mean, she’s already called my office over a dozen times today, and she’s been in touch with Sheriff Roberts at his office up in Pine Ridge as well.”

Kate blinked. “She went over your head and contacted the sheriff directly?”

As soon as the words left her lips, she knew how ridiculous her question was. Of course Renee would go straight to the top with her demands for help. Kate’s point about Kisses filling the place of a child in Renee’s life was right on target. What would she and Paul have done if one of their three children had been abducted?

Kate knew she would have been at least as determined as Renee to make sure no stone was left unturned.

Skip nodded miserably. “She sure did, and he’s called me a couple of times himself. He’d really like some results soon, if there’s any way to get them.” He hiked his duty belt higher on his waist. “The trouble is, I feel like all I’m doing is running into dead ends. I honestly don’t know which way to turn next.”

He looked at Kate with a haggard expression. “Do you have any idea who might have done it?”

“No, I think you and I are in the same boat. I haven’t come up with a thing so far.”

“Well, if you think of anything, be sure to let me—” Skip broke off abruptly, his eyes fixed on a point over Kate’s shoulder.

His face paled until his freckles stood out in sharp contrast to his fair skin. “Oh no.”