Chapter Seventeen

Mrs. Hanlon, we’re ready for your report.” Wilbur Dodson’s paper-dry voice jolted Kate out of her thoughts.

She blinked at the trio of officers seated at the front table. Velma Hopkins regarded her with interest, but Lucy Mae never shifted her gaze from the tablet where she was scribbling notes.

One corner of Wilbur’s mouth twitched repeatedly. Kate wondered if he’d had to speak to her more than once before she realized it.

“I’m sorry. What report do you mean?”

Finalizing preparations for the show was coming down to the wire, and the pressure seemed to be taking a toll on Wilbur’s patience. The lines bracketing his narrow lips deepened.

“We’re only two weeks away from the show, Mrs. Hanlon. Have you ordered the awards for those additional prizes you’re so eager to hand out? This is why we’ve been meeting once a week. Things like that can’t be left to the last minute. We have to be sure that none of the details slip through the cracks.”

Kate straightened in her chair and spoke in a crisp tone. “I’ve ordered the awards as directed. I’m going to pick them up this coming week.”

“That’s fine, then.”

Kate thought Wilbur looked almost disappointed at being deprived of something to fuss about.

“I want to bring up one last matter before we adjourn,” Wilbur said. “As most of you know, Renee Lambert’s Chihuahua is still missing. Personally, I don’t know that we can hold out much hope for his recovery at this point. But I want to urge all our members to be on the lookout for anything that might lead to his safe return.

“It’s disturbing to hear about this kind of thing happening to any loving dog owner, but especially when it’s one of our own.”

He curled his fingers into a fist, then smiled and reached for the gleaming new gavel that lay at his side. He picked it up and gave a sharp rap on the table. “That’s all for today. Meeting adjourned.”

Kate grabbed her handbag and stepped out of the meeting room, still deep in thought. How was she ever going to unravel this mystery? Maybe she needed to go back to the beginning and visit Copper Mill Park again.

Any evidence she might have missed before would surely be gone by now, but perhaps just by being in the same place...

“Kate?”

She turned and saw Lucy Mae hurrying toward her. “Could I talk to you for a minute?”

“Of course.”

Lucy Mae led her into the space between two tall shelves of books and twisted her hands together. “Micah said he talked to you on Thursday after we saw you at the diner.”

Kate nodded but didn’t volunteer any information.

“I do wish he’d come to me first, but I’m glad he opened up to you.” Lucy Mae heaved a deep sigh. “He told me that he was the one who dyed Maribeth’s Pomeranian blue.”

“I got the impression you suspected it even before he told you,” Kate said gently.

“I’m afraid so. I found the label from a box of that temporary hair color when I was throwing some scraps in the trash the other night.”

Lucy Mae blinked rapidly. “At first I was afraid he was going to start dyeing his hair in wild colors like his friends back in Nashville. But when Maribeth carried Mitzi into the beauty shop, and Betty mentioned the temporary dye, that’s when I knew.”

She looked at Kate, sadness filling her eyes. “You knew too, didn’t you?”

“I was pretty sure. I’d heard a little about Micah’s background, and when you hurried out of Betty’s like that, I put two and two together. But I do think he’s a nice boy at heart, and I’m glad he decided to own up to his actions.”

Lucy Mae squared her shoulders. “He told me the rest of it too—about what he’d done at the Wilsons’ and the Philpotts’. Then I made him tell Lawton.”

Kate felt a twinge of sympathy for Micah. Three confessions in one day would have been a lot for anyone. “How did Lawton take it?”

Lucy Mae grimaced. “Let’s just say they had a long talk. I really think Micah wants to turn his life around. He knows we’ve forgiven him, but he also understands we can’t just let it go at that. He’s agreed to apologize to the Wilsons, the Philpotts, and Maribeth and work out some sort of restitution. Maybe do some yard work for the Wilsons and wash and wax Lester’s truck. As for Maribeth...” Her voice trailed off.

“There isn’t anything he can do to help poor Mitzi at this point. With a dye job like that, I’m sure it won’t wash out in time for the show. If she tries to bleach it, she’ll ruin the condition of Mitzi’s coat. I’m afraid she’s just going to have to wait until a whole new coat grows back in before it’s gone completely.

“Micah’s talking about finding a part-time job so he can earn enough money to pay for Mitzi to make extra visits to the groomer until a new coat of fur replaces the old.”

Kate nodded her approval. “All of that sounds good, and I’m glad he’s willing to step up and take responsibility for what he’s done. This could be a real turning point for him.”

“That’s what Lawton says.” Lucy Mae pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes. “This whole thing is really my fault, you know.”

“Your fault? Micah said you hadn’t put him up to anything.”

“I’m not so sure.” Lucy Mae sniffled, and two large tears rolled down her cheeks. This time she didn’t bother to wipe them away. “Lawton’s right; all I’ve talked about for weeks is the dog show and how much I want Sir Percival to win. Micah was trying to do something nice for me, even though the way he went about it was totally misguided.”

Tears welled up again. “I wish I could take it all back. It’s so easy to take things too seriously and let them get out of hand.”

Kate gave Lucy Mae a quick hug. “I think we can all fall into that trap. But don’t be too hard on yourself. This may turn out to be a blessing in disguise if it’s the wake-up call Micah needed.”

“Thanks, Kate. It’s nice of you to say so.”

Kate smiled as she patted Lucy Mae’s arm, then turned to leave.

“Oh, wait,” Lucy Mae said. “There’s one more thing.” She drew a deep breath. “Micah isn’t the only one who needs to make amends. Do you remember those things I said about Renee and Kisses at Betty’s a couple weeks ago?”

Kate nodded.

“I didn’t plan to say any of that,” Lucy Mae confided. “The words just popped out of my mouth, and it’s been eating me alive ever since. Especially with little Kisses being stolen.”

Her mouth twisted. “I know I need to do something about it, but I don’t want to cause Renee any more pain than she’s already going through.”

Kate smiled and squeezed Lucy Mae’s arm. “I think Renee would appreciate it if you told her the same thing you’ve told me. It’ll do you both good. Why don’t you stop by her house on your way home? She told me she was going to be making another round of phone calls this morning instead of coming to the meeting.”

“Thanks, Kate. I’ll do that.” Lucy Mae plied her tissue once more, then her lips parted in a wobbly smile. “I’ll collect my things from the meeting room and go see her right now.”

Kate headed downstairs, rejoicing at the knowledge that a reconciliation was in the making.

Kate found Livvy in her office and lightly tapped on the door. Livvy looked up and smiled when she saw Kate.

“Hey, stranger. How are the plans for the dog show coming along?”

“Okay, I think. I just wish I knew more specifics about what I’m supposed to be doing. Making people welcome is one thing, but they tell me I’ll have to help if problems arise. What problems? How am I supposed to help if I don’t know what’s going on myself?”

Livvy laughed. “Poor Kate. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Honestly, I think I just needed a chance to blow off a little steam.” Kate rolled her neck to loosen the tense muscles. “I guess it’s the neat freak in me coming out, wanting everything to be in its place but not sure how to get it there. I’ll just try to roll with the punches and hope everything comes out all right.”

“I’m sure it will. And I hereby volunteer to come help out on show day with whatever it is you wind up doing.” Livvy’s face grew solemn. “By the way, have you seen Renee lately?”

“I stopped by her house yesterday afternoon.” Kate’s throat tightened at the memory. “She started to fill Kisses’ water dish, then she caught herself and went across the room to water one of her plants instead. I don’t think she realized that I noticed.”

Kate leaned her elbows on Livvy’s desk and cradled her chin in her hands. “Do you have any ideas? The only thing I can think of is to go back to the park and nose around again.”

“Don’t ask me. I’m the one who sent us off on that wild-goose chase for the designer tote, remember? Speaking of which, Ardith Bennett came in this morning. While I was checking out her books, she asked if we were still interested in buying the tote.” Livvy chuckled. “I told her no.”

Kate shook her head, weary with the frustration of it all. “I’ve followed several leads, but everything I’ve tracked down has led to a dead end.”

Livvy leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “I saw a show once where an investigator said that the hardest crimes to solve are the random ones where there are no witnesses or obvious suspects, and the trail goes cold within hours.”

Kate’s shoulders slumped. “I’m afraid that’s what we have here. I’m stumped.”