Chapter Eight

After Paul left for work the next morning, Kate picked up the phone and dialed the number for the deputy’s office.

The dispatcher who answered told her that Skip was out on a call. “It shouldn’t take long, though. Would you like me to take a message?”

“No, thanks,” Kate said. “I’ll call back later.”

She spent the next hour in her studio working on a couple of small projects before making a second call to the deputy’s office. This time Skip was in, so she drove into town, preferring to discuss such a sensitive matter face-to-face rather than over the phone.

Skip ushered Kate to a wooden chair near his desk and listened attentively while she told him what she’d seen and heard on Monday and about her unsuccessful attempt to find any corroborating evidence the previous day.

When she finished, he shook his head. “Well, it isn’t much to go on. But since it’s the only lead we have, I’d better check it out.”

He stared off into space and drummed his fingers on the desktop for a moment, then looked back at Kate. “I’d hate to think that any of the kids around here would be involved in something like this. Then again, it might be just the kind of thing a kid could get himself—or herself—mixed up in, and then not know how to get out of.”

Kate had to suppress a grin. Skip wasn’t too many years older than the kids to whom he was referring, and yet here he was talking as if he were a gray-haired old man.

“I need to talk to Brenna,” Skip continued. “Do you know offhand where she lives?”

“She and her mother live south of the Mercantile on Smith Street.”

When Skip started to scoot his chair back, Kate held up her hand. “Brenna probably won’t be home right now. She has a summer job at Emma’s Ice Cream Shop, and Thursday is one of her days to work.”

Skip hitched his chair forward and drummed his fingers on the desk again. “I’d hate to talk to her at work. Whether she has anything to do with this or not, my being there and questioning her would start a lot of talk. Brenna’s never been in any trouble, but that doesn’t matter much where gossip’s concerned. Do you know what time she gets off work?”

“Usually around four thirty, or a bit after,” Kate told him. “I’ve called her a few times about youth-group activities, and if I remember right, she’s usually home by five o’clock.”

Skip nodded. “What about her mom?”

“Lisa works the day shift at Fancy Fabrics in Pine Ridge. She won’t be home until five thirty or so.”

Skip thought a moment. “That might work. It’s not like I’m trying to get any incriminating information from her, and I don’t want to stir up any trouble between Brenna and her mom.”

He looked at Kate hesitantly. “Would you mind going with me? She’d probably feel more comfortable talking to me if you were around. Besides, I’d like her to hear the story straight from you.”

Kate scribbled the address down on a scrap of paper and pushed it across the desk to Skip. “I can do that. Shall I meet you there around five?”

“That sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

Kate checked her watch and decided to swing by the library before heading home. She knew that Livvy had a budget meeting around lunchtime and probably wouldn’t be up for an extended visit, but Kate felt the need to touch base with her friend, if only for a moment or two.

She found Livvy inside her office, going over some paperwork. Kate tapped on the door frame and waited until she looked up.

“I know you’re busy, so I won’t stay long. I just wanted to pop in and say hi.”

Livvy dropped her pencil onto her desk and leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms wide. “Don’t rush off. I’m glad for the break. Having to deal with the budget is one of my least favorite parts of the job, but I think I’ll have everything in order before the meeting.

“Anything new on Kisses?” Livvy gave Kate a wicked grin. “I saw all the flyers papering the town. Let me guess. You were recruited for manual labor on top of your detective duties?”

“A grandmother’s work is never done,” Kate quipped. Both women laughed.

Kate settled into the chair opposite Livvy. “No one has responded to the flyers yet. It’s like the poor little dog dropped off the face of the earth. To tell you the truth, I’m stumped. I haven’t turned up any solid leads. And Skip’s not having any more success than I am. There is...”

She started to mention Brenna’s possible involvement, then clamped her lips shut. That would be moving into the realm of gossip, even with her closest friend.

“There’s what?” Livvy asked.

Kate smiled and shook her head. “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking out loud.”

Livvy leaned forward and spoke in a quiet tone. “Hmm. How long do you wait before giving up the search for a missing dog? And the bigger question: what will it do to Renee if he doesn’t turn up?”

There it was, the question Kate had been trying to avoid for days. Renee was in bad enough shape with Kisses only listed as missing. Kate couldn’t bear thinking about what would happen if Renee found out he was gone forever.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I haven’t wanted to think that far ahead.”

“I know what you mean,” Livvy said. “She absolutely lives for that bug-eyed little dog. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Keep your ears and eyes open. If anybody local was involved, someone around here has to know about it. See if anyone lets something slip.” Kate rose to leave. “In the meantime, just keep praying.”

Livvy got up and stepped around the desk to give Kate a warm squeeze. “You know I will.”

Kate glanced at her watch as she walked down the library steps to her car. Just enough time to make a quick stop at the Mercantile for some lettuce before heading home to put together a chef’s salad for lunch. Something filling but cool, perfect for a sultry summer day.

OVER LUNCH, Kate told Paul about her talk with Skip and his request that she be there when he interviewed Brenna later that day.

“That’s probably a good idea,” Paul agreed. “Having you there will make it seem less official.”

Together they tried to brainstorm further ideas for finding some trace of Kisses, but Kate felt they were striking out at every turn.

“What about the man who stopped by the church the other day?” Kate asked, more than ready to switch to a subject that didn’t involve a missing canine. “Did he come back again?”

“Daniel? No, I haven’t seen him. Maybe he finally landed a new job. I hope that’s the case. He has a lot of potential, though he doesn’t seem to realize it. I believe he’ll be able to make a success of things if he’ll just give himself a chance.”

He got up, then bent over to give Kate a kiss. “I’d better head back to the office now. I’ll see you this evening after work. I left my day planner here in the study, and I’ve been at a loss without it all morning. I’d better grab it before I leave.”

Paul headed for his study, and Kate began cleaning up from lunch. She had just filled the sink with hot, soapy water when the doorbell rang. Kate answered the door and found Renee standing on the porch holding a stack of pastel-colored sheets of paper.

Kate blinked at Renee’s appearance. Her bleached-blonde hair, usually impeccably groomed, looked as if she’d barely bothered to comb it that morning. Her makeup had been hastily applied, and she wore a bright pink top with olive slacks, a combination Renee would never have chosen in a million years under normal circumstances.

But things were far from normal for Renee at the moment, Kate reminded herself. She suppressed a groan as she glanced at the pile of papers in Renee’s hands. “More flyers?”

Without waiting for an invitation, Renee breezed past her into the living room just as Paul emerged from his study. “Oh, Paul, I’m glad you’re home. I want you to see these too.”

Paul flashed a questioning look at Kate, who shrugged her shoulders. Together they followed Renee to the coffee table. Kate noticed that this stack was far smaller than the one she’d been handed two days before.

“I don’t intend for you to replace all of the flyers you put up the other day,” Renee said, as if reading Kate’s thoughts. “But I do want you to swap out some of the old flyers in the most strategic locations with these new ones. Now that we’ve passed that critical forty-eight-hour period, I feel we need to step things up a notch.

“It was important to get the other flyers up right away. But they show Kisses from only one angle. I want to put these up as well so the public will see Kisses in his different moods.”

The flyers in this new batch were larger than the others, Kate noted, and were printed on heavier paper. The sheet on the top of the stack showed Kisses posed against a royal blue background, wearing a jeweled collar. Soft lighting feathered the focus, reminding Kate of a glamour shot.

“It’s a beautiful photo,” she began.

“I had all of them professionally done,” Renee said with a catch in her voice. “I intend to put together a calendar with a different picture of Kisses each month as a special Christmas gift. I plan to call it A Year of Kisses.”

Kate heard a muffled chuckle from Paul’s direction and hoped Renee hadn’t noticed. “What a lovely idea. I’m sure it will be much appreciated.”

“You and Paul are getting one,” Renee told her. “Two actually, one for your house and one for Paul’s office at the church. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I thought it was more important to get these out to help further the search.”

“What else do you have?” Kate asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Renee pulled the top flyer aside and gestured toward the one beneath. “This is Kisses in February.”

Kate wouldn’t have had any trouble figuring that out for herself, since the little dog sported a pink sweater with red hearts. An open box of chocolates sat beside him. Renee had even taken the time to glue ruffled lace around the edges of the flyer.

Renee looked at the picture and sighed. “My little valentine.” She slid that one aside to reveal a shot of Kisses dressed in kelly green this time, perched atop a large rock.

Kate drew her eyebrows together. “I’m not sure—”

“Let me guess,” Paul cut in. “It’s Kisses on the Blarney stone, right?”

Kate elbowed him, but Renee’s face lit up. “You figured it out! I wondered if my little joke would be too subtle. Yes, this is the photo for March.”

Kate looked at Paul, then immediately glanced away, knowing that if their gazes met, they would both burst out laughing.

She tried to keep the mirth out of her voice. “Do you have all twelve months of the year here?”

“Yes.” Renee proceeded to shuffle through the stack, pointing out one pose after another.

There was some holiday or seasonal connection with each one: Kisses dressed as Uncle Sam for July and in a Pilgrim hat for November. Renee had even put him in a little red suit and attached a tiny white beard to his chin for December. “I call that one Kisses Claus,” she said with a tender smile.

She pulled the diagram of Copper Mill from under the last photo and spread it open on the table.

“I’ve amended the map to indicate where these new posters will go. Since there are only twelve of them, I wanted to pick the most effective spots around town.” She pointed to various spots on the diagram where the new locations were marked with red X’s.

“Well, they’ll surely draw attention,” Paul said.

“Good, I’m glad you approve.” Renee turned to Kate. “You still have the tape and the staple gun, right?”

“Yes, let me go get them. I should have returned them before now.” Kate took one step toward the study, but Renee laid a restraining hand on her arm.

“Oh no, not yet. You’ll need them when you put these up this afternoon.”

“But Renee, I—”

It was too late. Renee had already released Kate’s arm and was on her way to the front door. She stopped long enough to call back, “I’m off now to get an update on the investigation from Deputy Spencer...if he’s in his office. If not, I’ll track him down. I do believe that young man has been avoiding me.”

Renee toodled her fingers at them before heading out the door. After the door had closed behind her, Kate sagged against Paul’s chest, and they both dissolved into helpless laughter.

Paul recovered first. “It really isn’t funny, but those photos! Only Renee would come up with something like that.”

“I know.” Kate wiped tears from her eyes. “You have to give her credit for doing her best, though. And I guess I know how I’ll be spending my afternoon before I meet Skip at Brenna’s house.”