Dog Park, Dagger, and Donuts

Sadie Silver Mystery #9

KAILIN GOW

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Thank you for picking up Dog Park, Dagger, and Donuts

 (Sadie Silver Mystery #9)

This series is a cozy mystery with clean romance and some pet paranormal elements recommended for age 13 and up.

Summary

Fashionable Celebrity Pastry Chef Sadie Silver loves mixing travel, food, romance, and crime solving wherever she goes or stays...along with the help of her intelligent cat Orchid and sensitive-smelling-nose dog Biscuit. handsome forensic scientist Palmer, and the mysterious gorgeous man who always places an order directly from her for a dozen red velvet cupcakes.

Chapter 1

Sadie

“The dog days of summer are over, Biscuit,” Sadie said as she looked at her pooch laid out on the grass beside her.

He rolled over onto his back and looked up at her, clearly happy with the cool autumn days.  A bright red leaf clung to the fur of his tail as it wagged back and forth.  He playfully reached for it and growled as he caught the menacing foliage.

“Enjoy it while you can.”  She sat back in her faux Adirondack chair.  “Yeah,” she said, looking up at the tall trees that lined the perimeter of her back yard.  They were beautiful and majestic as they let go of their summer foliage.  “I like this weather, too.  That cool breeze and that scented air.  It’s great being home in time to see this spectacle.”

It certainly was good to be home.  She needed to find herself in all her familiar things; in her house, her room, her yard… her town.

While her trip to England had been wonderful and even educational, and her trip to Las Vegas had been more exciting than she could have imagined, she was happy to be back in her cozy home.  There was nothing luxurious or spectacular about it, but it was hers and it was comfortable.

And Fortune Falls was beautiful year round.  It always had a way of welcoming her back, of embracing her and reminding her that this was where she really belonged.  No matter where she went in the world, and no matter how long she was gone for, coming home was always a treat.

A pleasant breeze blew a strand of her dark hair over her cheek, and she turned to face the breeze head on.  She hugged her bright yellow cardigan sweater around her and inhaled deeply.

As much as she loved the bright and sunny days of summer, she had to admit that autumn wasn’t all that bad.  In fact, it’d become her favorite season.  Most of the people that she knew saw it as an ending… an end to pool parties and an end to long summer days spent at the beach, or at the park or just lounging around.

But for Sadie, autumn was an extension of the good life, of those long and beautiful days.  It was an ongoing stream of beauty to enjoy.  So what if she had to throw on a sweater?  That just made her afternoon pumpkin spice coffee all the more sweeter.

“Well,” she said after another few moments of enjoyment.  She inhaled deeply and looked at Biscuit, still rolling from side to side in the tall grass.  “Time to get back to work.  These leaves aren’t going to rake themselves, you know.”

Biscuit sat up and looked expectantly at her.

“What does that mean?” she said as she got up and reached for the rake that she’d leaned up against the side of the house.

Wagging his tail, Biscuit looked her straight in the eyes.

“You’re bored?”

He looked expectantly at her.

“I think you’re being a little ungrateful, don’t you?” she said.  “Yesterday we walked all the way to Palmer’s house.  The day before that I took both you and Orchid for a nice walk in the forest.  And yesterday when it rained, I spent the entire day with both of you, playing with you guys and petting you.  What more do you want?”

Biscuit suddenly ran off to the front of the house, then came back with a rolled up piece of paper in his mouth.

“Hmm,” Sadie said, looking down at him.  “What do you have there?”

Just look, he said.

“Wise guy, huh?” she said with a smile.  She still wasn’t accustomed to tuning in to his thoughts and it startled her almost every time.

She took the rolled up sheet of paper out of his mouth, unrolled it and read:

1st Year Anniversary

Fortune Falls Celebrates the Success of its

Dog Park

Come One, Come All

Sadie looked at Biscuit and frowned.  “You want to go to this anniversary party?”

Biscuit tilted his head to the side.  Sounds like fun.

She looked around at the fallen leaves that were scattered across her lawn.  “And who’s going to rake all these leaves.

They won’t go anywhere.  They’ll still be there tomorrow.

Sadie laughed at the wisdom of her diminutive pooch.  “You’re right there.  Okay.  Let me go in and change into something more appropriate.”

I wouldn’t mind a little sweater myself. Biscuit looked up at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Fine.” She entered her house by the back door, letting Biscuit in with her.  “Mom sent me the cutest little outfit the other day.  Matching plaid.”

It was always a treat to receive something from her mother’s New York fashion boutique.  Sometimes it was something casual and elegant, other times something whimsical and fun.  This time, it was practical and timely.

Sadie reached her bedroom and pulled the red and black tartan plaid skirt out.  Then she pulled out the matching little dog coat.

“How do you like that?”

Buffalo Plaid?

She looked at him for a stunned moment, then turned to pull the outfit out of the closet.  “Yes, plaid.  What’s wrong with plaid?  And, for your information, this isn’t Buffalo plaid.  It’s Royal Stewart plaid.”

Be that as it may, I prefer Prince of Wales check.

Frowning, Sadie looked down at him.

Some people call it Glen plaid, he added.

“Hmm.  When did you become so knowledgeable about this sort of thing?  I mean, you’re a Yorkie, not a Scottie.”

I happen to know about a lot of things.  He sat down and looked at her with the most intelligent eyes she’d ever seen in a dog.  Do you really think that I just sit around here doing nothing all day?  Chasing my tail?  Annoying Orchid?

“Well… yes,” Sadie said after a moment’s thought.  “Actually, that is exactly what I thought you did when you were alone here.  What do you do then?  Pick up a book and read?”  She shot him a teasing glance.

Very funny.  I’ll have you know that when you leave the television on thinking that it keeps us company, I actually listen to what those people on that silly little screen say.  Granted, much of it is useless nonsense, but every once in a while, I pick up on something interesting and even useful.

“Like the difference between a red plaid tartan and a Glen plaid?”

Are you mocking me?

“Never would I dare,” Sadie said with a playful grin.

He cocked his brows and panted.

“Well.  We have plaid, so you’ll have to make do.  Next time I’ll be sure to let Mom know that you prefer Glen check.”

Thank you.

Amused by her fashion discussion with her Yorkie, Sadie quickly changed into the cute skirt with the three pleats on one side.  She then slipped a snug fitting black turtle neck over her head and pulled it over the waist of the skirt.

“Your turn,” she said to Biscuit as she stooped down to lay the coat over his back and buckle him in.  “There you go.  Look how dapper you look.”

I’m a Yorkie, Sadie.  I always look dapper.

“I can’t argue with you there.”  She let out a laugh as she headed back to the living room to get her car keys.

“Do you think Orchid would like to come along?” Sadie said as she looked around for her gray kitty.

We’re going to a dog park celebration.  I hardly think Orchid will be interested.

“Oh. Yeah.  Right,” Sadie said.  “I’m so used to doing things with both of you.”

Orchid slowly came down from her perch up on the refrigerator and rubbed up against Sadie’s legs.  Where are you guys going?

You wouldn’t be interested, Biscuit answered her.

“The dog park,” Sadie said.  “They’re celebrating the first year since its grand opening.”

Orchid sat down and tended to the cleaning of her front paw.  A dog park.  I never understood why dogs need a park. Look at me.  I can just go out where I want.

Unimpressed, Biscuit followed Sadie out as she opened the door and stepped out onto the front porch.

“We shouldn’t be back too late,” Sadie told Orchid.

Take your time.

Sadie closed and locked the door then headed to her car, letting Biscuit sit in the front passenger seat.  Looking very dapper indeed, he sat up straight, his keen eyes looking straight ahead as she pulled out of the drive and took to the road.

The drive to the park took barely five minutes.

Why have you never brought me here before?

“I have.  Don’t you remember?” Sadie said as she reached the packed parking lot.  “Last March.  Or maybe it was April.”

Oh, yeah.  That cold, rainy spring day. How could I forget?  I was left covered in black mud and freezing to death.  I forgot to thank you for that.

“Hey,” Sadie said, taking offense.  “You’d been couped up all day and were getting whiny.  I wanted to offer you a change of pace.  Besides, it wasn’t raining when we left the house.  It only began raining once we arrived, and you still went out there and ran into those puddles.”

She pulled into a parking space and killed the engine.

Wow.  Look at all those dogs.

“Feeling intimidated?”

Absolutely not.  Let’s go.

Sadie opened the car door, and Biscuit bolted out and headed to the gate, eager to make new friends.  Laughing, Sadie followed behind him and opened the gate to allow them both to enter the first portion of the large fenced in enclosure.

The larger main portion of the park had a gate to the left for small, medium and large dogs while a gate to the right was reserved for smaller dogs only.

“This way, Biscuit,” Sadie said as she headed to the small dog enclosure.

He sat down and looked up at her.

“What?”

He looked at the small enclosure and the three tiny chihuahuas running around in it.  He then looked back up at Sadie.  Seriously?  You want me to go in there and play with them?

“Okay, big boy,” Sadie said with a laugh.  “But don’t come crying to me when a big dog runs you down.”

Don’t worry about me.  I know how to take care of myself.

She opened the secondary gate, and they entered the big dog park.

Biscuit immediately ran off and chased a large Labrador who seemed surprised by the sight of the small and determined dog.

On the left side of the large dog park, a table had been set up under a banner celebrating the park’s anniversary.  Several volunteers were selling buttons, posters, postcards and more to commemorate the success of the park.

Keeping an eye on Biscuit, Sadie made her way to a vacant bench that gave her an overall view of the top portion of the park as well as a glimpse of the pond below that was the highlight of the park.

As she watched the dozens of dogs who chased one another, gleefully playing, she smelled the scent of a very masculine cologne.

Even before turning around, she suspected who it was.

“Sadie?” the husky male voice called out.

She turned to him and smiled.  “Officer Kenwood Shane,” she said as she stood to greet him.  “What a surprise seeing you here.”

“It’s citizen Kenwood today,” he said as he ran his hands over his black t-shirt that matched his short wavy hair and his khaki shorts.  “I’m off duty.  Just taking it easy.”

Sadie looked into his brilliant blue eyes that seemed so filled with mischief and playfulness.  He certainly was a good looking guy.  Tall, buff and always smiling, he was well-liked by all in Fortune Falls.  The women wanted to get closer to him and the guys wanted to be buddies with him.

“Mind if I share your bench?” he said.

“Of course not,” Sadie sat back down and scooted over.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in town,” he said as he sat down beside her.

Nodding, she smiled as she scanned the park until she spotted Biscuit who was in the midst of a serious tug of war.  Along with a Cocker Spaniel and a Corgi, he was tugging on a length of rope that was held by a Rottweiler on the other end.  The three dogs were no match for the Rottweiler who patiently let them have their fun before giving a final tug that left the small canines lying on the grass.

“I’ve been out of town,” Sadie told Kenwood, her eyes still on her pup.  “I had business to tend to in England, than I had something in Las Vegas.”

“Busy girl,” he said.

She suddenly turned to look at him.  “And what brings you here today?  You don’t even have a dog.  Are you just checking out the festivities?”

He looked out into the pack of dogs, his gaze stopping suddenly when he found what he was looking for.  Bringing his pinched fingers to his mouth, he let out a loud piercing whistle, then called out, “Noodles!  Come here, Noodles.”

Surprised, Sadie looked out to see a small French poodle rushing to them.  The small puff of black curls was absolutely adorable.

Kenwood patted his lap and the small dog jumped up.  “Noodles, meet Sadie.  Sadie, this is my newly adopted little pup, Noodles.”

“Noodles, the poodle,” Sadie said.  “Cute.”

Out of nowhere, Biscuit came running up to them.

Who’s that?  He immediately sat at Sadie’s feet as he looked intently at Noodles.

“Hey, Biscuit,” Sadie said.  “Look who we have here.  This is Kenwood’s new puppy.  She’s a poodle.”

Poodle?  One of those chichi, fancy French dogs?

“Isn’t she adorable?” Sadie said, ignoring Biscuit’s remark.

Kenwood pet Noodles behind the ear a moment then set her down on the ground.  She immediately ran up to Biscuit and sniffed him.

Woe.  Back off, powder puff.  Biscuit took a firm step back.

“Play nice, Biscuit,” Sadie warned.

They scooted around one another, sniffing and jumping and sniffing some more.  Then suddenly, Noodles ran off with Biscuit in hot pursuit.

“Biscuit,” Sadie shouted as she jumped off the bench to run after him, afraid what he might do to the fancy little poodle if he caught her.  “Don’t hurt her.”

Kenwood caught Sadie’s hand and held her back.  “Don’t worry about Noodles,” he said as he guided her back to the bench.  “She’s a tiny thing, but she can take good care of herself.”

As if on cue, Noodles turned and let out a few determined little yaps, quickly putting Biscuit in his place.  He calmed down and they headed off to play.

Chapter 2

Sadie and Kenwood sat side by side for a while watching their respective pups.  But as they headed off farther and farther, Sadie stood once again.

“I’d rather keep an eye on them,” she said.

“Sure thing,” Kenwood said as he stood and joined her.

With the dogs running around annoying the big dogs, Sadie and Kenwood strolled slowly behind them, keeping them in check whenever they were a little too loud in their yapping.

“I’ve tried calling you a few times,” Kenwood said.  “How long were you in England for?  I mean, I think the last time I spoke to you was when that murder victim was found out behind Palmer’s house.”

“I was in England for a few weeks,” Sadie said.  “I have a pastry shop in London, and I wanted to check in, see how things were going.  I like doing that every once in a while.  Not only does it allow me to know how things are, but it’s an excuse to go on a really fun trip.  Of course, while I was there, there was an unfortunate incident and, well…  You know me.  I just had to put in my two cents.”

Kenwood chuckled.  “Of course.  Yes.  I do remember that about you.  You love a good mystery, don’t you?”

“More to the point, I love solving a good mystery.”

“And you mentioned Vegas?”

“Yeah.”  She didn’t elaborate.

“Don’t tell me that you uphold the whole ‘what happens in Vegas…’”

She let out a short laugh.  “Oh!  No.  Sorry.  I didn’t mean to be vague.  It was actually the same old thing.  Work, play, mystery.”

“Oh.”

She looked up at him and smiled.  He was such an easy guy to talk to.  So calm and relaxing.

He looked out at their dogs who had settled down a bit.

“Looks like Biscuit and Noodles are running out of gas.”

“Don’t let them trick you,” he said.  “They’re just getting their second wind.  In a minute or two they’ll be running around again.”

Sadie nodded, keeping in step with Kenwood.

“You know,” she said.  “I’ve been back for a little while now.  I’ve been taking it easy at the house.  You know, getting things ready for the fall, then the winter and just enjoying it all.  When was the last time you tried to call me?”

“Oh, a few weeks now.  When I didn’t get an answer and you didn’t return my call…”  He shrugged.  “I figured I’d run into you at some point.”

Smiling, Sadie walked on, resisting the urge to hook her arm in his.  She wanted to lean into him, to lean on him.  There was something so strong and powerful about him; like he could take care of everything.

After the last few weeks of running around everywhere, there was a part of her that just longed to lay back and let someone else take the reins for a while.

“Fortune Falls is a pretty small town,” she managed to say.  “In fact, I’m surprised I didn’t run into you sooner.”

“Well, I guess I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy as well.”

“Like adopting a new puppy,” Sadie offered.

“Yeah,” he said with a chuckle.

“How did you find such an adorable poodle?”

“Actually,” Kenwood said.  “Noodles found me.”

“She did?  Explain.”

“One day she just showed up at the police department.  One of the guys said he’d seen her earlier out by the garbage bins, then that afternoon, she came around as one of the senior officers was having a snack outside, just begging for a bite.”

“Poor thing.”

“Yeah.  So, we let her in, gave her the ham from one of the other guy’s sandwich and then we tried to figure out where she was from.”

“Did she have any tags?”

“No,” Kenwood said.  “But she had a tattoo… on her inner thigh.  From that, we were able to find the address where she lived.  She was from Mrs. Carlisle’s.”

“Oh, yeah.  I know her.  She’s a sweet lady.  Come to think of it, I think I do vaguely remember seeing her with a small black dog a while back.”

“Well, unfortunately, Mrs. Carlisle passed away.”

“Oh,” Sadie said softly.  “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah.  I was sorry to hear that, too.  She was a very kind woman.  Then again, she was ninety-six.  Still living on her own in that big old house, tending to her garden… all that.”

“So, you just decided to keep Noodles for yourself?”

“Look at her,” Kenwood said as he looked at his new puppy with affection as she ran circles around Biscuit.  “Told you she’d get her second wind.”  He laughed.  “Anyway, I hated the thought of leaving her in a shelter.  It just broke my heart.”

“I see what you mean.  I think I would have kept her, too.  Even though I already have Biscuit and Orchid.”  She looked at Kenwood.  “Anyway, it was really sweet of you to take her in.  She certainly seems to have taken a liking to you.”

He shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I think she’s the one who’s sweet to come stay with me.  I’m beginning to wonder who saved who.  She really brightens my day.”

“You really are sweet, aren’t you?” Sadie said softly as her fingers brushed up against his.

He looked down at his feet as they walked on.

Oh, my God, Sadie thought.  He’s actually blushing.  How adorable.

“Speaking of sweet,” Kenwood said, seemingly eager to change the subject.  “I’ve been baking a lot lately.”

“Have you?”

“Yeah.  I find it calming, relaxing.  You know.  There’s something about the precision measuring, the feel of the dough and the smells.  Oh, that smell.  Who can be in a bad mood when your house smells of fresh baked bread, or pie, or pastries or… whatever?”

“I have to agree with you there.”

“If you have the time, I would really love to have you drop by and taste a few of my concoctions.”

“Oh, Kenwood.  I would love to do that.  I love trying other people’s pastries.”

“I sure would appreciate your expert opinion.”

“Sure.”

“I don’t want to impose.  I know you’re busy and all.”

“No.  Like I told you.  I’m just relaxing and taking it easy out at the house.  It will be fun to stop by and see… or rather taste what you’re up to.”

Biscuit came up to her with a shiny toy in his mouth.

“Did you steal someone’s toy, Biscuit?”

She turned and smiled sheepishly at Kenwood.  “How about this Tuesday?” she suggested as she reached down to take the offered dog toy out of Biscuit’s mouth.

“Watch it, Sadie!” Kenwood called out, quickly pulling Sadie back.

Taken aback, Sadie looked at Kenwood with a frown.  “What are you doing?” she argued.

“It’s sharp.”

“What’s sharp?” Sadie took a closer look at what Biscuit had in his mouth.  “Oh, my God.  Biscuit.  What do you have there?”

Biscuit let the item fall to the ground.

“A dagger?” Kenwood said.  “Where in the world did he find a dagger?”

Sadie bent down to take a closer look.  The weapon had an incredibly ornate hilt with a sharp, curved blade.  She looked at her dog.  “You could have hurt yourself with this, Biscuit.  Look at how sharp this thing is.”

I was careful.  Don’t worry.

“Geez,” Kenwood said as he stooped down beside Sadie.  “Look at that thing.  It’s like something out of Arabian nights.  What is it that is carved into the side of it?”

“I can’t make it out,” Sadie said.  “But it’s a very intricate design.  Super well crafted.”

Covering her finger with the hem of her skirt, she carefully turned the dagger over and let out a gasp.

“Is that blood?” Kenwood said.

“Looks like it,” Sadie said, recovering from her surprise.

Tasted a bit like it, too, Biscuit informed her.  That’s why I thought I should show it to you.

“Good thinking,” Sadie said to Biscuit.

Kenwood looked at her.  “Good thinking?  What do you mean?  What good thinking?”

Confused for a moment, Sadie quickly recovered.  She had to be more careful about responding to Biscuit in front of others.  “Oh.  Blood.  Realizing that this is caked-on blood.  That was really quick thinking on your part.”

He shot her a funny gaze but said nothing.

She reached for a doggy poop bag in her purse and bagged the suspicious looking weapon.  “It might be a good idea to hang onto this for a little while.”

“I’m with you.”

Sadie turned her attention back to Biscuit.  “Where did you get this?”

Biscuit jumped back and barked excitedly.  He ran for a few yards than rushed back only to run out again.

“Think he wants us to follow him?” Kenwood said.

Of course, I want you guys to follow me.  Come on.  Come on!  Biscuit ran in circles, barking.

“What’s gotten into him?”

“We better follow him and find out,” Sadie said with a knowing grin.  If Biscuit was intent on having them follow him, it was for a good reason.  Of that she was sure.

“Hey.  Where’s Noodles?” Kenwood said, looking around.

She suddenly came darting out from behind the hedge of bushes, startling them both.

Biscuit!  We found something else!  Get them to come take a look.

“Noodles,” Kenwood said.  “There you are.”

Sadie looked at Kenwood then stared at Noodles.  Had he heard Noodles say that?  Or was it only Sadie who had picked up on Noodles communications?

Wait a minute.

Biscuit looked up into her confused and questioning eyes.  Yeah.  You can probably hear us all.  So, get ready for a cacophony of silly dog thoughts.  Ready?

“I guess,” Sadie said.

Again, Kenwood looked at her.  “You guess what?”

Not knowing what to say, she shook her head. 

Noodles barked insistently, distracting Kenwood as she jumped up on his leg.

“What’s the matter, girl?  What are you so excited about?”

She spun around in circles, yapping all the while.

Just as Biscuit had done, she darted out a few feet than ran back to Kenwood as fast as her little legs could carry her.

“Okay,” Kenwood said.  “Calm down.  We’re coming.  We’re coming.”

Yes!  Yes!  Come!  Come!

Come on, Sadie.  Biscuit ran back to her, grabbed a hold of the hem of her skirt and tugged.  Come on.

“You coming?” Kenwood called back to her as he followed behind Noodles.

“Yes,” Sadie said with a chuckle, amused by the canines around her.  “I’m coming.”

Biscuit ran out front to join Noodles, both stopping to look back every few steps to ensure that Kenwood and Sadie were behind them.

The park sloped down to a large open grassy area.  Dogs were running every which way, chasing balls, catching frisbees or just running after one another.

I’ve got it, called a dog as he caught a frisbee.

That was meant for me, shouted another.

I just love running around, a tall white royal poodle said.

Silly me.  Silly me.  Silly me.

Stop it.  You’re getting on my nerves.

Sadie stopped and almost covered her ears with her hands as she looked around.  She knew that she would have to figure out a way to close off the voices that she didn’t need to hear.

Concentrate, she told herself.  Focus in on Biscuit and only Biscuit… okay, maybe Noodles a bit, too.

“Where in the world are they bringing us?” she asked Kenwood when he stopped a few steps in front of her.

“Do you think they’re just bringing us on a wild goose chase?”

No.  She didn’t really think that Biscuit would do something like that, but… Well, she was beginning to wonder.  Maybe he was just excited to have Noodles around and he was playing games.

Come on.  Come on.  Biscuit turned to look at them both.  It’s not time to stop now.  We’re almost there.

“Almost where?” Sadie muttered as she once again followed her canine sleuth.

In the distance, shaded by two huge weeping willows and partially hidden by low lying bushes, the pond that she had spotted from up on the hill came into full view.

Several large dogs stood on the edge of the pond looking out into the water barking.

Something!  There’s something, an old sheepdog muttered.

I’ll go get it, a retriever said.

The water is icky.  Don’t! a small dachshund said.

“Something sure is going on,” Kenwood said as he quickened the pace.

Though disappointed that she’d not succeeded in blocking out the other dogs, Sadie was nonetheless intrigued by what had them all so excited.

They arrived on the bank of the pond and looked out into the slimy green center of the water where something was protruding.

“Oh, my God,” Sadie let out with a gasp.  “Is that a…?”

“Yes,” Kenwood said, suddenly super serious.  “That’s a foot.  A human foot.”

Chapter 3

Despite being off duty, Kenwood jumped into action and had a few police cars come down to the pond.  Before long, the body was pulled out of the murky water and carted off to the coroner’s office.

Barely an hour after first seeing that foot in the water, Kenwood and Sadie sat outside the coroner’s office, waiting to see her.

“I hope it won’t be too long,” Sadie said.  “I hate leaving Biscuit in the car.”

“Our cars are parked in the shade,” Kenwood said reassuringly.  “There shouldn’t be any issue.  But…”  He looked at his watch.

The door to the office suddenly opened and a pretty redhead poked her head out.  “Officer Kenwood?”

“Yes,” Kenwood said as he jumped to his feet.

Sadie stood and followed him to the coroner’s door.

“I’m Dr. Auburn Taylor,” the coroner said as she held her hand out to him.

“Nice to meet you,” Kenwood said.  “And this is Sadie Silver,” he added.  “She was with me when we discovered the body and she’s worked on various cases.”

“Oh,” Auburn said with a pleasant smile.  “Yes.  I do believe I’ve heard the name.”  She opened the door wider.  “Do come in.”

Sadie was surprised by the Doctor’s youthful appearance.  She seemed awfully young to hold such an important position.  She couldn’t be much older than thirty.

Dr. Taylor led them through her office and out another door that led to the examination room.

“Were you able to determine who this is?” Sadie said as she looked at the swollen corpse lying on the examination table.

“We know that no identification papers were found on him when he was pulled from the water,” Kenwood offered.

“Yes,” Dr. Taylor said as she walked around the examination table and looked down at the unrecognizable body in front of her.  “We were able to get a good print of his teeth which were sent to the local dentist who was able to confirm the identity.”

“The dentist,” Sadie said.  “So, that means that it’s a local.  It’s someone from around here.”

“Right,” Dr. Taylor said.  “I’m sad to say that this is the City Commissioner, Ray Peppers.”

“Ray Peppers?” Kenwood said.  “You mean, the guy responsible for the dog park and the digging of the very pond that he was found in?”

“I’m afraid so,” Dr. Taylor said.

“Man,” Kenwood said, clearly dumbfounded.  “Who would want to kill him?”

“You know him?” Sadie said.

Kenwood nodded.  “Yeah.  Just about everybody who works for the city knows Ray.”  He shook his head as he looked at the face of the corpse.  “Man.  This sure is lousy news.”

“Any idea why anyone would want to see him dead?” Sadie said.

“Ray was a good man,” Kenwood said.  “A very hard working man.  He took his role as commissioner very seriously.  He really wanted to see Fortune Falls flourish and grow.  But he also wanted to make sure that the city retained its small town appeal as well as maintain the natural resources that surround it.  That’s why he put so much time into making that dog park just right.”

“So, why could such a well-liked man end up at the bottom of his pond?” Sadie said.

“Well,” Kenwood said.  He pressed his lips tightly together as he looked over the body.  “I said he was a hard-working man.  I never said he was a well-liked man.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that Ray had a knack for rubbing people the wrong way sometimes.  He was so intent on getting what he wanted that he pushed people around.  I know that he had a few run-ins with the police… and, well, I heard that the mayor wasn’t too happy with him.  And, to tell you the truth, a lot of other people around town were irritated with him over one thing or another.”

“Great,” Sadie said soberly.  “Way to make this investigation easy.  Everyone hated him.  How are we going to narrow that down to just a few suspects?”

“It shouldn’t be all that hard,” Kenwood said.

“But you just said that everyone hated him.”

“Well, they were often displeased with his ways, but… I mean, not enough to kill the guy.”

“So then, who do you think would want to kill him?”

Kenwood looked at Sadie with a twinkling glint in his eyes.  “I guess that’s where you come in.  Care to help me with this case?”

Sadie smiled as Dr. Taylor looked on.

“I know how you love to solve a good mystery, and this is about as good as it gets,” Kenwood added.

Beaming, Sadie nodded.  “I was afraid you’d never ask.”

“How about you come to my office tomorrow morning.  We’ll go to the commissioner’s office from there.”

“Sounds like you two have everything under control,” Dr. Taylor said.

Kenwood turned to her.  “Thank you so much for seeing us.”

“Don’t hesitate to call if there’s anything else I can do for you.”

“Will do,” Kenwood said.  He led the way out, opening the door for Sadie as they headed outside.  “What a day this had turned out to be, huh?”

“You can say that again,” Sadie said as they walked to their respective cars.  “And here I thought I was just taking my pup out to the park to play with other dogs.”

“Same here,” Kenwood said, stopping at Sadie’s car.  “I’m really glad I ran into you today.”

“Me, too,” Sadie said, smiling up at him.

“So, we’re on for tomorrow morning?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Great.”  She unlocked her car door and opened it.

“Maybe we could have breakfast together.”

“That’s a good idea.”

They both stood there looking at one another for an awkward moment, neither wanting to leave.

“Well,” Sadie said after an extended moment.  She looked inside the car to see Biscuit seated in the front passenger seat looking expectantly at her.  “I’d better be going.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Chapter 4

 Sadie put little thought into her attire the next morning as she headed out to meet with Kenwood.  She’d thrown on a snug pair of faded jeans and a blue flannel shirt buttoned over a black cami.  Only at the last minute did she decide to add a swipe of mascara and a bit of lipstick.

She arrived at the Fortune Falls Police Station just before eight o’clock.

“Hello,” she said to the clerk behind the front desk.  “I’m here to see…”

“Come on in,” Kenwood called out from the doorway to his office.  “She’s here to see me,” he told the clerk who nodded and smiled.

Sadie went to Kenwood and entered his office.

“Wow,” she said as she looked around.  “Not quite what I expected.”

His office was large with three tall windows that looked out on the forest behind the police station.  He had a nice sized walnut desk in the center of the space and a bank of filing cabinets up against the wall to the right.

“Sit down,” Kenwood said as he offered her a plush, caramel colored leather chair.  “Sit down.  I hope you’re hungry.”

“It sure smells sweet in here,” she said as she stood before the proffered chair and glanced at the spread on his desk.

“And you smell even sweeter,” he said, his voice suddenly husky and low.  He leaned in for a surprising kiss.

Stunned by the sensation of his lips against hers, Sadie simply stared at him as he back away and smiled.

“I made most of this myself,” Kenwood said as he walked around his desk and sat down.  “Sit down.  Coffee?”

“Yeah.  Sure.”  She sat down.

He poured her a cup.  “Cream?  Sugar?”

“Just cream.”

He added a bit of cream to the coffee and set the cup down before her.

“Thanks.  Smells great.”

“It’s my own special blend.”

“Are you a barista now?”

He laughed.  “Hardly.  But I do love a good cup of coffee.”

She took a sip and cocked an impressed brow.  “Wow.  You really know your stuff.  This is great.”  She was about to jokingly ask him to come and make her coffee every morning, but she suspected that he might just well take her up on that.

She’d known for a while that he had a little crush on her and she didn’t want to string him along.  Even though they had a great relationship that was easy and carefree, she didn’t want a romance to mess the whole thing up.

Or did she?

“These croissants,” she said as she picked up a rich and flaky warm crescent.  “Beautiful color.  Excellent texture.”  She took a bite.  “Nice.  Real nice.”

“You also have some ham and cheese, some hard boiled eggs and… here…” he said as he brought forth three small jars.  “Cherry, raspberry and pumpkin jam.”

“Oh!” she said as she reached for the jar of pumpkin jam.  “I can’t remember the last time I had a good pumpkin jam.  This is my absolute favorite.”  She popped the jar open.  “Did you make it?”

“Of course,” Kenwood said.  “My grandmother’s secret recipe.”

Sadie slathered some over her croissant and took a big bite.  “Oh.  Oh, yes.  This is what it’s all about.  Hmm.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it?” Sadie said as she took another jam filled bite.  “I love this.”

Kenwood fixed himself a nice croissant sandwich filled with thin slices of ham, some cheese and sliced up boiled eggs.  “Power breakfast,” he said before taking a bite.

Sadie took a final bite of her croissant with pumpkin jam then made herself a miniature version of what Kenwood had made.

“Eat up,” Kenwood said, holding up his sandwich for emphasis.  “It’s going to be a long day.”

“Oh,” Sadie said as she took a bite of her ham and cheese croissant.  “What do you have planned?”

He took a good long gulp of coffee then carefully set the cup back down amidst all the food.  “Well, for starters, I thought we’d go pay a visit to Commissioner Pepper’s office down at City Hall.”

“Sounds like a good place to start.”

“I think so.”

“Did you let his office know that we’re coming?” she said.

He smiled knowingly.  “I love to catch people off guard.  You can really get a sense of what people are up to when you catch them unexpectedly.”

“I’m with you there.”  She finished her sandwich, then nibbled on a brioche and sipped on her coffee while Kenwood fixed himself another half a sandwich.

After he’d eaten that, he was finally ready to go.

“You can leave your car here,” he said as they left his office and headed out the back door to where the police cars were parked.  “This is official business.  We’ll use an official car.”

“Can we use the sirens?” Sadie said playfully as she got into the passenger seat.

He shot her a wicked grin.  “Not this time, love.”

They settled in and Kenwood drove off, taking the main street for three or four blocks before turning up onto Pine Crest Place.

All the while, that one unexpected word that he’d used rang in Sadie’s ears.  Love?  Had he really used that cute little word of endearment?

“Here we are,” he said as he pulled into a parking space on the side of the building and killed the engine.  “No need for sirens.”

Sadie smiled as she got out, noting how he had cleverly avoiding driving in front of the windows to the offices.

“We’ll play it cool,” Kenwood said as they headed to the main entrance.  “No pressure.  No suspicions about anything.  Just looking.”

“Fine by me.”

They walked in and made their way to the receptionist’s desk.

“Oh,” the receptionist said with a bright smile.  “Officer Shane.  How nice to see you.”

Kenwood pointed his thumb toward the elevator to the right.  “I’ve just got something to check…”

“Sure,” she said.  “Go ahead.”

Sadie followed close behind as they headed to the elevator and got in.  They rode up to the third floor and headed to the left when the doors opened.

“Doreen isn’t at her desk,” Kenwood said as they passed the secretary’s desk.  “We’ll just go into Pepper’s office.”

Knowing his way around, Kenwood headed to the appropriate office and went inside just as an older blonde woman came running up behind them.

“What are you two doing?” she said, clearly nervous and agitated.

“Oh, Doreen,” Kenwood said, calm and casual.

The woman, fashionably dressed, with her flared black skirt and bright pink silk blouse, clenched her fists as she stood there.  Her face grew increasingly red, quickly matching her red lipstick.  Although her face looked to be barely forty, her attire and make-up aged her.

“I just wanted to go in to take a look,” Kenwood said.

“Officer Shane,” Doreen said as other staff members came around.  “We’ve just learned of the horrible news about Commissioner Pepper.  How can you be so callous as to come by with so little respect?  We’re all saddened, and traumatized.”

Kenwood looked at her with a curious frown.  “I’m sorry.  I don’t mean to seem callous or disrespectful, but we do have to look into this case.”

“By going through his office?” another staff member called out.

“I assure you that we will be as respectful as possible,” Kenwood told Doreen in a soft and soothing tone.  “I promise.  We’ll be very careful.”

Doreen looked at the staff members then back at Kenwood.  “All right.”  After another hesitant moment, she waved the others out and left.

Kenwood walked around the commissioner’s desk and started looking through the piles of reports.

“Hey!” a young man shouted as he barged in.  “What’s going on here?  Who are you?”

Sadie looked at the young man.  Barely twenty, he had a haughty air about him.  He walked into the office as if he owned it.

“What the hell is going on?” he said.

“I’m sorry,” Sadie said gently, hoping to calm him.  “You are…?”

“Frank,” he snapped as he raked his shaky fingers through his hair.  “Frank Newsom.”

“Frank,” Sadie said, still keeping her calm as he became more and more agitated.  “We’re here to…”

“I don’t care what you’re here for,” he snapped.  “I want you out of this office.  I want you out now!”

Kenwood glared at him.  “I’m sorry,” he said as he came around the desk and faced the young man head on.  “Frank, is it?  This isn’t your office.  It is Commissioner Pepper’s.”

Frank didn’t back down.  Just as tall as Kenwood, he stared the police officer in the eyes.  There was an air of defiance and arrogance in his steely gaze.  But Kenwood was considerably bulkier than the lanky young man and when he took a firm step forward, Frank had no choice but to back away.

“I have important work to do,” Frank said.  “I was working with Ray on something.”

“What sort of work?” Kenwood said.  “You’re barely out of high school.  What position could you possibly hold here?”

Frank raised his haughty and hairless chin.  “I’m an intern here.  I work very closely with Commissioner Pepper.”  He quickly occupied himself by going to a filing cabinet and pulling out a folder.

Kenwood glared at him.

“You see,” Frank went on as he held onto the folder.  “I’m digitizing the whole system.  Pepper was a bit of an old fashioned dude who worked in this archaic manner and…”

Sadie looked at him.  “I understand your need to modernize the system, but it is really important that we take an undisturbed look at Mr. Pepper’s office.  Would you mind terribly coming back in… oh…”  She glanced at Kenwood then back at Frank.  “… Let’s say ten minutes?”

The tall youth looked down at her over the bridge of his aristocratic nose.  He was clearly a spoiled young man, accustomed to getting his way, no matter what the situation was.  He looked defiantly at Sadie, and for a moment she thought that he was going to argue.

Instead, he held up the folder in his hand and looked at her.  “I guess I could go have a look at this in the next office.”

Able to read the word ‘Memorial’ on the folder, Sadie tried to get a better look.  “Were you and Commissioner Pepper working on that?”

“Oh,” Frank said in an off the cuff manner.  “Yeah.  We were working on this together.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a Memorial Project,” he said, not offering more information.  He continued to look down over his nose at her, almost daring her to argue.  But when she said nothing, he turned on his heel and walked out.

“Petulant little bugger, isn’t he?” Kenwood muttered as he settled in behind Pepper’s desk and looked around.

“Do you know him?” Sadie said.

Kenwood shrugged.  “I know of him.  Let’s just say that we don’t run in the same circles.”

“What do you mean?”

Kenwood rubbed his thumb against his index and middle finger.  “Money.  Money.  Money.”

Frowning, Sadie tilted her head to the side as she tried to understand what he was getting at.

“Little Frank Newsom comes from a very wealthy and influential family.”

“Well,” she said with a huff.  “That would certainly explain the attitude.  I mean… I can tell you… I’ve rubbed elbows with some pretty important people… very rich…  big deals, you know.  And I can promise you that I have never in all my life have someone look down their nose at me the way that he did.  I mean, even in England, staying in a castle, meeting nobles… Never, ever has anyone made me feel like a nothing, like he attempted to do.”

“Attempted… I’m glad you specify that he didn’t succeed.  The kid is full of hot air.  He wouldn’t even have an internship here if it wasn’t for his stuffy old aunt.”

“Really?” Sadie said.  “That’s interesting.”  She pulled out her phone and did a quick check on Frank Newsom.

“You’re right,” Sadie said after reading up on him a bit.  “Spoiled rich kid.”

The door suddenly burst open.

“Hey.  Are you guys done yet?” Frank said.  While he still maintained his haughty air, there was a degree of uncertainty in his eyes.

“You know what?” Sadie said.  “I’m already tired of looking around this stuffy old office.  How about you and I grab a cup of coffee?”

Frank looked startled and caught off guard for a second.  Then he looked her up and down and smiled.

“Is there a place where employees can go sit down and take a break?” Sadie said.

“Well…  Um, yeah.  Sure.  Follow me.”

Sadie turned and winked at Kenwood as she followed Frank out of Pepper’s office.

“I’m sure that you must be shaken up by Mr. Pepper’s untimely death,” Sadie said, her voice thick with understanding and sympathy.  “Are you worried about what this might do to your internship?”

Frank shrugged and muttered some vague sound that sounded like ‘no’.

“You look like a very smart kid,” Sadie said as they headed to the break room.

“I’m hardly a kid,” he said, physically shrugging off the word.  “I’m almost twenty.”

“Wow,” Sadie said.  “That’s pretty young to have such an important job with the city commissioner.  You must have been one hell of a good student.”

“I did all right,” he said with another disengaged shrug.

Sadie couldn’t help but notice the three hundred dollar shoes, the designer slacks and the big name shirt.  The kid was so privileged, he didn’t even realize just how much he had compared to other young people his age.

“You’re very lucky,” Sadie said as they arrived at the empty break room. 

She headed straight for the coffee machine and they each poured themselves a cup.  Sadie added a bit of cream while the rich kid poured in three spoons of sugar.

“What about college?” she said as they sat at a corner table.

He shrugged.  “Don’t know.”

“You’re not interested or…?”

“I like it here.”

Sadie smiled as she suddenly sensed a dent in his confident armor.  He was no longer haughty and seemed to question himself.

“I can see why you would like it here,” Sadie said.  “So far, the people that I’ve met have been really nice.”  It was a partial lie.  The truth was that she’d barely seen anyone at all.

Frank nodded and took a big gulp of his coffee.

“Must be difficult getting an internship here,” Sadie went on.  “Especially if you don’t have a college degree.”

He took another sip of his coffee and offered Sadie a nonchalant shrug.  “My aunt got me in.”

“Oh?  Does she work here, too?”

“Naw,” Frank said.  He put his thumb up and pointed to the ceiling.  “She’s way bigger and way more important.  She’s up there in the government.”

Confused, Sadie frowned.  “You mean, she’s up on the fourth floor?”

“No,” he said firmly, shifting the direction of his thumb to point out the window.  “She’s in D.C.”

“So, she’s the one who got you this job?”

He chuckled dryly.  “Yeah.  She said that she really had to twist some arms, but I think she just said that so that I would feel more gratitude for what she did.”

“You think you could have gotten the internship without her?”

“Probably.”

“Do you like it?  I mean, working with Commissioner Pepper, and all.”

He nodded.  “He was an okay guy to work with.  I mean, he liked to do things the old way… old school, but… yeah, I guess he was cool, in his own old fashioned way.”

“You said that you were working on a memorial project,” Sadie.  “A memorial to what?”

Frank suddenly smiled.  “That was Pepper’s shining glory.  It was to be a very high-profile project that he hoped would garner him national attention.  He even hoped to get international fame and recognition for it.”

“Really?” Sadie said, genuinely surprised.

What sort of  project could possible bring any kind of national attention, much less international to Fortune Falls?

“This is a pretty small town,” Sadie ventured.  “It doesn’t make sense to think that we would get any attention.”

“Well,” he said with a sly grin.  “It was partially my job to make sure that it was recognized, and that’s a big part of what attracted me to the project.  Do you know what it will do for my future to have the entire country, and possibly the entire world looking into what I helped to build?  It’s huge.  My name will be in all the papers and in all the newscast.  I might even become more well-known than my Aunt Nancy, which could actually bode well for my own future political aspirations.”

Political aspirations? Sadie thought.  Hmm, that was interesting.

“You call Fortune Falls a small town,” Frank went on.  “But not for long.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, don’t you see?  Once that memorial is finished, once Fortune Falls gets the attention it deserves, it’ll have no choice but to grow.”

“You really think that a memorial could do that?”  It seemed so implausible to her.

Frank nodded heavily as he pursed his lips, then took a sip of his coffee and looked at Sadie.  “I’ve been looking into the real estate of the town… you know, the most profitable properties, great locations and all that good stuff.  Pepper planned on developing some of that land.  Okay, so a lot of it was a favor for Aunt Nancy, but still.  It’s all good.”

“Your aunt dabbles in real estate?” Sadie said.  “I thought you said she was in politics.”

Frank shrugged.  “One doesn’t necessarily exclude the other.”

“Uh, well… I guess,” Sadie stammered.  “But…  I don’t know much about politics.  I’m not saying it’s illegal, but it must certainly be frowned upon.  No?”

“What can I tell you,” Frank said.  “My aunt is a smart lady.  If she thinks she can make a good deal, she will, and if that deal turns out to be good for Fortune Falls, well… all is good.  Everybody wins, right?”

Sadie wasn’t so sure about that but didn’t argue.

“Just think of what all this new development could mean for the people of Fortune Falls.”  His eyes suddenly got a very dreamy light to them as he looked off into some distant future.  “Beautiful large mansions, cute little townhouses, a daycare center here, a mini mall there.  Who knows?  Maybe even a full size mall.”  He looked her straight in the eye.  “The next time you tell someone that you’re from Fortune Falls they won’t say, ‘where?’  They’ll say, ‘Oh, yes.  That lovely town in New York.’  You’ll see.  It’ll be great.”

Sadie could sense him warming up to her.  He now seemed so relaxed and ready to tell her anything she needed to know.

“Well, don’t worry too much about who’ll replace Pepper,” she said.  “I’m sure whoever it is will be more than happy to continue with your project.  You already seem to know so much about it, there would be no point in starting all over again with someone else.”

Frank looked pointedly at her.  “I’m not worried about that.  Like I said, my aunt is an important lady.  Nothing gets past her.  If anything, I’ll probably have a say in who gets to replace Pepper.”

Sadie nodded.  “Are you sure about that?”

He sat back and stared at his coffee cup.  “Well…  I know she wouldn’t be happy if this thing didn’t turn out like she planned.”

“Right.”

“I mean, it would make her look bad if I screwed this up.”

“I can imagine.”

He suddenly leaned forward, setting his elbows on either side of his cup.  “I really would like to get to the bottom of this.”  He looked into Sadie’s eyes and smiled.  The cockiness was gone as he gave her a quick, sweeping gaze.

“I’ll do all that I can to help Officer Shane find the culprit.”

He leaned back, reached into his pocket and brought forth a business card.  “I would sure like to talk to you more about all this.”

“Oh?” Sadie said as she took the card.

Frank cocked his brow and flashed her, what he appeared to think was a sexy grin.  “I would love to discuss this with you over a nice opulent dinner and a robust French wine.”

For a second, she was caught off guard and didn’t know how to respond.  She smiled, feeling slightly flustered.  “Sure,” she finally said, though she was far from feeling certain.

Sadie looked at her empty coffee cup.  “Well.  I’d better get going.”  She stood and looked at Frank who didn’t bother to stand.

“Catch you later,” he said simply.

Feeling strangely uneasy about the exchange with the young man, Sadie headed back to Commissioner Pepper’s office and found Kenwood holding a thick set of file folders in his big hands.

“We have to look into this,” he said as he met her at the door.  “Come on.  Let’s head back to the station.  We’ll be able to look at all this without interruption.”

Chapter 5

Kenwood and Sadie sat in his office at the police station, each looking through the various files.

“I’m sure that Frank said that he was working on a memorial project with Pepper,” Sadie said.  “But I can’t find anything about it in these files.  He took a folder with him.  I wonder if everything was in that one file.”

“Keep looking,” Kenwood said.  “We’ll find something.”

Sadie looked through a pile of receipts, specs, off-handed ideas, architectural plans, engineer’s reports and more.  But nothing about the memorial.

“Aha,” Kenwood finally said as he held up a single sheet of paper.  “I think I might have found something.”

Sadie set her folder down on the desk and went up behind Kenwood and looked over his shoulder at the document.

“A memorial fountain?” Sadie said.

“Looks like that way.”

“Frank didn’t seem to know much about what the memorial was for, or he just didn’t want to tell me,” Sadie said as she leaned in to try to read more of the document.  “Does this say what it was for?”

“Hmm,” Kenwood said.  “They mention something here about Covid deaths.”

“Oh,” Sadie said.  “Well, that certainly is thoughtful.  I’m sure that a lot of the family members of those who were lost will really appreciate it.  Remember, at the beginning of all this, a lot of people didn’t get to see their loved ones as they became infected.”

“And a lot of them didn’t have the opportunity to have a proper funeral service.”

“Right,” Sadie said softly. 

She remembered seeing three siblings who’d gone to see their mother at a retirement home.  The three sisters had remained outside on the lawn, looking at their mother though the glass sliding door.  The mother had seemed so confused, not understanding what was really going on.

It had all been so sad.

“It didn’t help matters much that many infected persons were sent to some of these nursing homes.”

“Oh, right,” Sadie said.  “I heard something about that.  Under orders from the governor, right?”

“Yeah,” Kenwood said with a shake of his head.

“It was such a confusing and hectic time.”

“Okay,” Kenwood said.  “Look at this.  We have a location.  We even have very specific coordinates.”  He set the sheet of paper down and looked back at Sadie.  “How about we go out there and take a look for ourselves?”

“Sounds good,” she said.  “Let’s go.”

They got into his police car and headed out to a large and quiet area on the outskirts of Fortune Falls.  Kenwood pulled up to the location and slowed down.

“Are you sure this is it?” Sadie said.

Kenwood brought the car up to the side of a large, four story building and killed the engine. 

The vast lawn behind the building had a little walkway winding through it, several garden swings and many picnic tables.  Closer to the back of the building were several benches that looked out onto the sparse forest beyond the vast lawn.

“These are the coordinates that were in his report,” Kenwood said.  He looked around, frowning with uncertainty.

“But there’s already a building here,” Sadie argued.  “Where do they want to put this memorial?”

Kenwood pulled out the notes he’d taken down.  “I’ll look at it again to be sure.”  He entered the coordinates into his phone and pulled up the map.  “Yep.  This is it.”

He got out of the car and walked a little closer to the large building that took up much of the heavily shaded area.  “In fact, it should be right…”  He pointed to the side door of the building.  “There.”

Sadie looked at the building and frowned.  “What is this thing anyway?”  She stepped around the corner to have a view of the front of the building.  “Oh, my God.  Kenwood.  This is a nursing home.”

“Are you sure?” he said, coming up beside her.

“The Fortune Falls Tender Care Nursing Residence” Sadie read.  “Well, that would explain all the swings and benches.  It’s a nice place for the elderly to come out and get some fresh air.”

“But that still doesn’t explain Commissioner Pepper’s vision for this space.”  Kenwood looked around.  “Unless these coordinates are off, and he really intended to make the memorial fountain behind this residence, maybe over there somewhere.”

“Can I help you with something?”

Kenwood and Sadie both jumped and turned around at the sound of the booming voice.

The stern looking bald man stood just inside the side entrance, one fist on his hips while the other held the door slightly open.  He was a massive bulk of a man who seemed to revel in his intimidating stature.

Kenwood approached him, his hand extended but the big man just glared at the proffered hand.

“I’m Officer Shane,” Kenwood said.

“And why should I care?”

Just by looking at the forty year old man, Sadie could imagine just how strictly he ran his establishment.  Were the elders permitted to roam freely and to enjoy the greenery of the grounds, or were they imprisoned in their rooms, alone and scared.

“You have a very nice facility here,” Sadie said, hoping to soften his stern stance.  “Looks very modern… new.  When was the place built?”

“Three years ago,” he said.

“Mind if we have a look inside?” Sadie said. 

She had a whole story set up in her mind about searching for a retirement home for her aging grandmother.  But the stern bald man pressed a tight grin, opened the door wider and nodded, allowing them in.

As she suspected, the building was in good condition.  While there was nothing particularly luxurious about the place, it was definitely new.

The tiled floors still had their shine, and the walls were freshly painted.  New and modern light fixtures offered ample lighting, while cheap but appealing art dotted the walls.

A large sunken sitting area had dozens of armchairs, several coffee tables and a few sofas.  Elegant lamps sat on end tables, topped with old style lampshades in a variety of pastel colors.

But the sitting area was empty, as were the halls and the front lobby.

No one.

Sadie couldn’t understand.  The place was in perfect condition.  Why was there no one around?  Did anyone even live here?  And most of all, were they really planning on tearing the place down in order to put up a memorial fountain?

It didn’t make sense.  Not one bit.

Chapter 6

“This is really nice,” Sadie said.  “Are you the one who runs the place… Mr. …?”

“Mr. Wilkins,” he said.  “John Wilkins.  And yes.  I’m the one who runs the place.”

“Is there a rec room?”

“We have pool tables in there,” he said, pointing to a set of double doors down beyond the sitting room.

“What about a cafeteria?” Sadie said.  “Do you supply meals?”

“Three meals a day,” he said.  “Best food in town.  The cafeteria is closed these days, though.  Everyone eats in their own room.”

“Are they apartments or rooms?”

“Both,” Mr. Wilkins said.  “The top floor is all apartments; living room, kitchenette, bedroom, bathroom.  The rest are nice large rooms, each with their own private bathroom.”

As they walked through the wide corridor meant to accommodate wheelchairs, they came to a series of offices.  One of them had Mr. Wilkins’ name on the door.

“How much would it cost…” Sadie said.  “To, let’s say, have my grandmother stay here… meals included.”

Mr. Wilkins nodded and opened the door to his office.  He went behind his desk and rummaged through the mess of documents on his desk.  “Where is that price list?”

“Take your time,” Sadie said, sensing his growing anxiety.  “We’re not in a rush.”

She casually looked around and noticed a sketch of a water fountain on the corner of his desk.

“That’s a beautiful fountain,” she said.  “Is that a feature that you hope to add to the grounds?  I’m sure the residents would love that.”

Mr. Wilkins glanced at the sketch and huffed indignantly.  “It’s a stupid idea.  I don’t know what that thing is still doing here.  I have no interest in a fountain.  I don’t care what the reasoning is.”

Feigning complete ignorance about the proposed project, Sadie took a closer look at the sheet of paper, then reached out and picked up the sketch as well as the bundle of paper that accompanied it.

“A memorial?” Sadie said.  “Oh, how nice.  They want to make a memorial here.”

“Like I said, a stupid idea.”

Kenwood’s phone rang.  He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen.  “I’ve got to take this,” he said, holding up the phone for emphasis.  “I’ll be right back.”

He left Sadie alone with Mr. Wilkins.  She hoped that it would calm him down even more and that he would open up about the project and his opposition to it.

“Okay,” Mr. Wilkins said as he stood and came around his desk.  “I can’t find a price list anywhere here.”  He headed to the door.  “I’ll go see if my secretary has a copy.”

Alone in the small but functional office, Sadie looked through the report.  Everything seemed to be in order.  Just sketches and specs.  There were a few suggested contractors as well as additional landscaping ideas for around the fountain.  She then went around the desk and rummaged further through the dense paperwork on Mr. Wilkins’ desk.

There were hospital bills, requests for more nurses, equipment purchases and several letters of complaint.

Then she spotted something unexpected.  It was the refusal of an offer to buy the entire property.  The offer had come from the government.

We regret to inform you that the offer made for the purchase of the land owned by Tender Care is far below what we anticipated, and we have no other choice but to reject it.  Considering everything that we’ve done for the local government, we expected to be better compensated. 

Need we remind you that it was the government’s idea to bring infected Covid patients to our facility.  While we were in the dark as to the potential dangers of such a move, we now know that the government was fully aware of the risks.  Over sixty percent of our elderly were infected with the virus, and ninety percent of those passed away.  You know and I know that those deaths could have been avoided.  It is your greed and hunger for power that caused the mess that we now find ourselves in.

With all things considered, I would ask that you and your office take a second look at the weak offer that was made.  You owe us more than that.  You owe us much more.

Sincerely,

Mr. John Wilkins

Sadie stared at the document as shivers ran up her spine.  Could this be true?  While she had heard rumors and vague reports about covid patients being sent to nursing homes, she had no idea of the scope of the issue.

She reread the letter, hoping to better understand the situation.

“What the hell are you doing?” Mr. Wilkins shouted as he re-entered the office.

“I was just…”

She didn’t have time to finish her justification as Mr. Wilkins stormed around the desk and pinned Sadie to the wall, his thick fingers wrapped around her throat.

“You have no business here,” he shouted into her face.  “You don’t have a grandmother, do you?  You manipulative little…”

“You lied!” Sadie shouted.  “You said it was just a project that you didn’t approve of.  What is this about selling the property?  What is this about a deal with the government?”

“None of your business,” he shouted as he shook her violently.  “None of your doggone business.”

In shaking her, he knocked her head up against the wall.  Suddenly frightened by how far the big man would go to keep her quiet, she tried to fend him off.  Her frail attempts to push him away only resulted in him pulling her around and shoving her up to the other wall.

Her breath caught in her chest, and she struggled to remain conscious as he tightened his grip on her throat.

“You nosy little tweep,” he said.  “I oughta teach you a lesson you won’t soon forget.  You’re not going to get away with this.”

“And you’re not going to get away with this,” Kenwood said as he came into the office and rushed to Mr. Wilkins.

Despite the big man’s bulk, Kenwood was able to easily pull him off Sadie, turn him around and press his face into the wall as he quickly pulled out his handcuffs and efficiently cuffed him.

“A man your size…” Kenwood said.  “You should be ashamed of yourself attacking someone half your size.  What’s the matter with you?”

“She was going through my stuff,” Mr. Wilkins protested as Kenwood guided him out the door.

“That’s no excuse and you know it.”

“Damn it.  This isn’t right,” Mr. Wilkins argued.  “I’ve got work to do.  I’ve got this place to run.”

Sadie followed behind them.

As they passed by the secretary’s office, Kenwood gave Mr. Wilkins a shake.  “Tell her that you’ll be out of the office for the afternoon.”

Mr. Wilkins remained tight-lipped.

“Tell her,” Kenwood insisted.

“Take my calls, Gwen,” Mr. Wilkins said through angrily clenched teeth.  “I’ll be back…” He glanced at Kenwood.  “I’ll be back later this afternoon.”

“But,” Gwen said as she sat behind her desk.  “Where are you going?  You have a meeting with…”

“Urgent business,” Mr. Wilkins simply said.  “Re-schedule my meetings.”

Chapter 7

The ride to the police station was filled with Mr. Wilkins’ mutterings.  He didn’t stop complaining about the injustice of it all.

By the time they reached the police station, Sadie was eager to get out.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard so much complaining,” she said as Kenwood helped Mr. Wilkins out of the back seat of the police car.

“Yeah,” Mr. Wilkins said as he shot her a disgruntled grimace.  “You’d complain too if everyone around you tried to pull a fast one on you.”

They headed inside.

“You wait here,” Kenwood said when they arrived at the front desk.  “I’ll take him in and make sure he gets processed.”

“Sure,” Sadie said.

She paced back and forth, every once in a while glancing at the clerk and pressing a tired smile.

“Sadie!”

She turned to the sound of the familiar voice.  “Palmer!  What are you doing here?”

He came up to her and grabbed a hold of her shoulders.  “Are you all right?”

“Yes.  Yes.  I’m fine.  What’s going on?”

“I heard about what happened at the nursing home.”

Frowning, she took a step back and looked up at him.  “How in the world did you hear about that?”

“Gwen,” he said.  “She’s an old friend and she thought she recognized you.  She knew that you and I were good friends and she immediately called me.  She said that you had a run-in with her boss.”

“Run-in,” Sadie said with a wry grin.  “That’s a nice way of putting it.  The brute attacked me.”

“Mr. Wilkins?”

“You know him?”

Palmer shrugged.  “Gwen mentioned him a few times.  What I remember most is that he is a huge bulk of a man.”

“That, he is,” Sadie said.  Cocking her head to the side, she looked at him.  “Hey.  When did you get back?  I thought you were working at the New York lab this week.”

“I was just pulling into town when Gwen called me.  I didn’t even go home.  I just came straight here.  How are you doing?”

She shook her head and shrugged.  “Just a little shaken up, but nothing I can’t handle.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Palmer said with a grin.  “No matter what gets thrown at you, you always bounce back.”

“Hey, since you just got back into town and probably don’t have anything prepared for dinner, why don’t you join Kenwood and me.”

The happy glint in his eyes diminished somewhat.  “Oh.  I don’t know,” he said.  “I can just grab a burger on the way home.”

“Why?  Don’t be ridiculous.  Join us.”

Kenwood arrived.  “Hey, ready to go?”  Then he noticed Palmer.  “Oh.  Hi.  Palmer, right?”

“That’s right.”

Sadie grinned as she looked up at him.  “I was just telling Palmer that he should join us for dinner.”

The happy glint in his eyes definitely diminished a whole lot.  Now Sadie was faced with two unhappy souls.

Come on, guys, she wanted to said.  We’re all friends here.

“Well,” Kenwood said.  “I was hoping you’d come by the house… you know.  Like we talked about… my baking… my latest creations.”

“Perfect,” Sadie said, forever optimist no matter the situation.  “Now you’ll have two mouthfuls of tastebuds to judge your work.”

That didn’t appear to brighten him up one bit.

Palmer shifted his weight back and forth, going from one leg to the other.  “I don’t know.  I’m not really in the mood for baked goods,” he said.

Sadie frowned at him.  “What do you mean, you’re not in the mood?  You always love baked goods.  You once told me that you could eat doughnuts for breakfast, a crusty baguette for lunch and a pecan pie for dinner.  And top that all off with a loaf of banana nut bread.”

He smiled sheepishly at her while Kenwood remained stiff and aloof.

“Come on,” Sadie said, hoping to break the tension.  “I want to have dinner with my two favorite guys.”

Kenwood and Palmer exchanged uncomfortable glances.  Clearly, they were not in any rush to have dinner together.

“Oh, you guys,” Sadie said.  “Stop being so territorial and let’s go.  It’ll be fun.”

Kenwood nodded at Palmer.  “Sure.  There’s plenty of food for three.   You can leave your car here and get in with us.”

That’s the spirit, Sadie wanted to say as she followed Kenwood out to his car with Palmer right behind them.

Sadie got into the front passenger seat beside Kenwood, while Palmer climbed into the backseat of the huge, king cab pickup truck.

Kenwood drove out to the northern end of the town, then turned onto a narrow dirt road that winded its way up the mountain.  Finally, he pulled up in front of a luxurious wood cabin.

“Wow, Kenwood,” Sadie said, truly surprised by the sight of his rustic home.  “This is like out of a storybook.”

He shrugged shyly.  “It’s cozy and it’s home.  I like it.”

He led the way up to the huge wraparound porch and opened the screen door, letting Noodles run out.

“Kenwood,” Sadie said, realizing that the main door wasn’t closed.  “You don’t lock your doors?”

He shrugged.  “There aren’t any thieves up this way.  Besides, who would be stupid enough to rob a cop.  And thirdly, I don’t really have all that much of value that someone could just walk off with.”

“You didn’t say secondly,” Palmer said.

Frowning, Kenwood looked at him.  “I’m sorry?”

“You finished with thirdly, but you never said firstly or secondly.”

Kenwood shot him a challenging gaze as he held the door open for Sadie.  “It was implied.” He let go of the door and let Palmer catch it as he walked in.

“Whatever you say,” Palmer muttered.  “But I’ve never heard anyone state something then go straight to thirdly.”

Sadie glared at him, willing him to let the matter go.  She then turned to take a good look at Kenwood’s home.

It was just like the man that he was.  Warm, simple, solid, strong.  It was cozy and welcoming.  The sort of place where you could kick off your shoes and sink back into the cushiony leather sofa with your feet up on the coffee table.  Then again, it was the sort of place where you didn’t necessarily have to take off your shoes.

Kenwood made his way to his large open country kitchen.

“You guys sit back and relax,” he called out to them.  “I’ll bring you something to drink.”

Sadie nonetheless followed him to take a peek at his kitchen.  She smiled as she leaned onto the island butcherblock countertop.  “I like it.  Everything is out and ready to use.”

“I never did understand having a kitchen with everything hidden away,” he said as he looked around at the multiple shelves and racks filled with various cooking implements.

“I agree,” Sadie said.  “For a while I lived in a really tight spot, and I had no choice.  It often led me to setting aside certain things that I wanted to cook because I didn’t feel like dragging things from out of the depths of the cupboards.”

She continued to look around and noticed his bookshelf by the huge pantry door.  “Wow.  I think you have more cookbooks than I do.”

“I like trying new things.”

“Good.”

“I have some nice, micro-brewery beers,” he said as he opened his refrigerator and pulled out three bottles.

“Sounds good.”

“Glass?”

“Nope,” Sadie said.  “Straight from the bottle.”

“My kind of girl,” Kenwood said under his breath.

Though she’d barely heard him, she had heard just enough and couldn’t help but smile.

He brought her two bottles of beer.  “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“Sure thing.”

She headed back to the living room and handed Palmer one of the bottles.  “Micro-brewery,” she said as she sat down on the sofa beside him.

“Ooh.  Fancy,” he said with mock interest.

Sadie laughed.  From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Kenwood was watching her from the kitchen.

While she was happy to be there with her two favorite guys, she could understand how Kenwood would be disappointed.  No doubt, he had viewed this evening as one to be more romantic than platonic.

As she took a sip of her beer, she shot a sidelong glance at Kenwood and wondered how he really felt about her.  She suspected that he had a crush on her, but she now questioned if it went further than just a crush.

Was he hoping to build something with her?

“I feel like a third wheel,” Palmer said, catching her furtive glance at Kenwood.  “I think I ruined Kenwood’s plans.”  He looked at Sadie.  “Clearly, the guy has the hots for you.”  He ran his hand over the soft leather of the back of the couch as he took a sip of his beer.

“This is going to be just a fun night with friends.  Relax.”

“Okay.  Fine.”  He shook his head in an exaggerated manner.  “Let’s start over.  So, I take it you’re working on something with Officer He-Man over there,” Palmer said.  “Care to share?”

“Well, as a matter of fact, this morning, at the dog park, Biscuit found a bloody dagger.”

“A bloody dagger?” Palmer said with a forced and thick British accent.  “A bloody dagger, you say?”

Sadie laughed.  “I’ll clarify.  A dagger with caked on blood all over the very sharp blade.”

“Oh,” he said, seemingly surprised.  “Really?  Gee.  I thought you were joking.”

“When have you ever seen me joke about things like this?”

“Right.  So, was there a victim that went with this dagger?”

“Oh, yes,” Sadie said as she nodded heavily, then took a sip of beer.  “Commissioner Pepper was found in the small duck pond in the park.”

“Pepper?” Palmer said with an amused chuckle.  “Gee.  What is this?  An Agatha Christie mystery?”

Sadie joined in his laughter.  “Anyway, Mr. Pepper…”

Palmer burst out laughing at the sound of the name again.  “It’s just so funny,” he said.  “Are you sure you’re not writing a novel?”

Sadie reached for his bottle of beer.  “I think you may have already consumed too much of this.”

He held onto the bottle, and she let it go.

“Sorry,” he said with a playful grin.  “I’ll be good.  I promise.”

“Well, you would certainly like to see this dagger.  It’s like something from out of a fairy tale.  The hilt is so intricately carved and perfectly polished, and the blade…  It’s so curved, sharp and pointed.  It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.  There were even precious gems in the hilt.  A large emerald surrounded by smaller rubies.”

“I’d sure love to see it.”

Smiling, Sadie reached for her large cherry-print tartan red/blue handbag and pulled out the plastic wrapped weapon.

Palmer chuckled as he looked at the dagger.  “Only you, Sadie Silver, can so casually draw a murder weapon from your elegant designer bag without batting an eye.”

“Well,” she said as she handed it to him.  “This isn’t my first rodeo, you know.”

He laughed and took the plastic bag, looking though it at the elegant dagger.  Letting out a long whistle, he turned it over, looking closely at the craftmanship.  “Very nice.  I’ll analyze it tonight when I get home.”

“Good,” Sadie said as she leaned in to hug him.  “I knew I could count on you.”

She set a chaste kiss on his cheek just as Kenwood came in.

He cleared his throat.  “Dinner is ready,” he said simply, his tone flat and unemotional.  He led the way to the dining room.

The large room, rich with wood trim, and antique knickknacks, had a large slab of wood right in the center that served as a table.  It was set with bright red plates, casual silverware and rustic glassware.  In the center of the table were several serving dishes.

Sadie sat at the head of the table with Palmer to her right and Kenwood to her left.  The two men seemed to be facing off as they each waited for her to sit down before taking a seat themselves.

A chivalry competition appeared to be ongoing.

“Help yourselves,” Kenwood said as he removed the covers from all the serving dishes.

“Like I was telling Sadie,” Palmer said as he spooned some chicken stew with dumplings onto his plate.  “I’m going to bring the dagger home tonight… to my lab and analyze it.”

“Oh,” Kenwood said, unimpressed.

“Looks like a very strange choice to commit a murder,” Palmer went on.

“I guess,” Kenwood grunted as he sliced a wedge of meat pie and slid it onto his plate.  He reached for a mason jar and popped it open.  “This is fruit ketchup, if you’re interested.”

“Fruit ketchup?” Palmer said with a touch of disdain.

Kenwood simply ignored him.

The tension was growing, and Sadie had no idea how to squelch it.  She had no desire to see the guys fight over her.  She just wanted a pleasant dinner with good company and interesting conversation.

But this wasn’t going at all as she had hoped.

“I’ve been thinking of this day for a while,” Kenwood said to Sadie, forcing a smile.  “I really value your opinion and I’m happy that you finally have a chance to taste my cooking.”

“It’s good,” Palmer said, holding up his fork load of chicken.

Kenwood shot him an angry glare.

“To be honest,” Kenwood said as he turned his attention back to Sadie.  “I thought you would value a man who could cook.”  He shrugged.  “I guess I took you for the type who wanted a man who could protect her, fight for her and save her… you know, from attacks.  Like what happened earlier with Mr. Wilkins.”

Palmer speared a cherry tomato and held up the impaled fruit.  “Sadie is more into the brainy type.  You know, smart, industrious, capable… the guy next door.”  He popped the tomato into his mouth, then looked at Sadie and winked.

“Is that so?” Kenwood said.

“Well, yeah,” Palmer said.  “Isn’t it obvious?”

“The crust on your meat pie is perfect, Kenwood,” Sadie said, hoping to steer the conversation to something pleasant.  “And your dumplings.  Just perfect, Kenwood.  Really.”

“Thank you,” he said.

“You know,” Sadie said.  “Many bakers will put more time and effort into the sweet side of things. But you really have a knack for the savory side of baking.  Making a crust like this isn’t easy.  You’ll have to show me your secret someday.”

“I’d be more than happy to,” Kenwood said, a genuine smile on his face for the first time since Palmer’s arrival.

The conversation remained neutral and peaceful as they ate.  Palmer occasionally complimented Kenwood, while Sadie asked a series of questions with regards to spices and herbs.

Already feeling full, she set her knife and fork down on the edge of the plate, indicating she was done.

“You didn’t eat all your dumplings,” Kenwood commented.

“I want to leave some room for dessert,” she said.  She looked pointedly at him.  “You did make dessert, didn’t you?”

He let out a heartfelt chuckle as he stood and picked up her plate as well as his own.  “Would I invite you here to taste my baking and not make dessert?”

Sticking his tongue into his cheek, Palmer looked up at Kenwood, holding his empty plate up.

Kenwood took the plate with a grunt and piled it onto the other two.  “I’ll be right back.”

When he left, Sadie turned to Palmer.  “Why are you giving him a hard time?” she whispered.

“I’m not,” he leaned in to whisper back.

Kenwood quickly returned with a large platter filled with sweet doughnuts.

“Oh, my God,” Sadie exclaimed when she saw the colorful display.  “Kenwood! These are positively delightful.”  She picked one up and looked at the perfect piping of the intricate design.  “When in the world did you find time to do this?  This must have taken all day?”

“I learned to work fast.”

Sadie held up the doughnut, examining it.  She then picked up another one, giving it the same examination.  “Did you really make these?  They’re so perfect.”

“Made every single one.”

“Look at this,” Sadie said to Palmer as she showed him the cute watermelon face with a happy face design.

Palmer pressed a grin, then picked one up and took a bite.  Nodding, he held it up to show Kenwood.  “Good.  They’re pretty and they taste good.”

“Oh,” Sadie said.  “They’re so pretty, I don’t want to bite into it.”

“Please,” Kenwood said.

Sadie took a bite, and instantly closed her eyes to let the flavors take over.  “Wow, Kenwood.  I mean, really.”  She took another bite.  “This is worthy of the best patisserie.”

“You’re just being nice,” Kenwood said.

“No.  Believe me,” Sadie said as she covered her full mouth with the tips of her fingers.  “I do not lie about baked goods.  If this wasn’t good, I would be the first to tell you.”

Beaming, he reached for one of the white doughnuts trimmed with pale blue icing and took a bite.

“Not only are they delicious,” Sadie went on.  “But the whimsy, the playfulness… it’s such a surprising side of you.”

Smiling, he shrugged. 

Finding him irresistibly adorable, Sadie leaned into him, giving him a warm hug.  As she settled back into her chair, she noticed Palmer’s grim grin.  He looked at her for a second, then up at Kenwood, who flashed him a broad and victorious smile.

Chapter 8

Sadie had just taken her second sip of coffee when her phone rang.  Barefoot, she walked to the end table by the sofa and picked up her phone.

Kenwood, she read on her screen.  Had he had a breakthrough in the Pepper case?

“Hi, Kenwood,” she said as she took the call.

“Hey, hope I’m not calling you too early.”

“No.  You’re good.  I’ve been up for a while.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“What’s up?” she said when he didn’t say more.

“Oh, right.  How about finding a little black dress and coming to join me for a funeral?”

“Hmm,” she said.  “Doesn’t sound like much fun.  What’s the deal?”

“Mrs. Pepper,” Kenwood said.  “She decided to retrieve Ray Pepper’s body from the coroner’s office.  She’s having him cremated and there’s going to be a quick and small service later this morning.”

“Wow,” Sadie said.  “I don’t get it.  Why would she do that?  We don’t really know what happened yet.  Isn’t it a little too soon to have him cremated?”

“I’m with you,” Kenwood said.  “But she says she’s devastated and doesn’t want to drag this out.  Also, considering how bloated and disfigured he was, she thinks that it will be more dignified to have a simple service.  She doesn’t want people coming by to view the body.  It’d be cruel for everyone involved.”

Sadie shrugged as she took a sip of coffee.  “I guess that’s her prerogative as his widow… but still.  I mean, she could have the casket closed if she is simply opposed to people viewing him.  Cremation.  It’s so… final.  There’s no going back to check potential evidence.”

“I think we have what we need,” Kenwood said.  “At least, I hope we do.  The service is being held at the Pine Cove Funeral Home.  Think you can meet me there in… let’s say, thirty minutes?”

Sadie looked down at her blue and green checkered pajamas, then ran her hand though her hair.  Time for a shower would have been nice.  “I guess,” she said.

“Okay, forty-five,” Kenwood offered.

She let out a lighthearted laugh.  “I’ll be ready.”

“See you then.”

“Right.”

She ended the call, gulped down the remains of her coffee and headed to her bathroom for a quick shower.  Then, in her bedroom she pulled out a simple long sleeved black sweater dress.  It was demure and tasteful… perfect.  She then slipped into modest black heels and took a look in the mirror.

“Not bad for so few minutes of prep time.”  She headed to the bathroom where she put on a little mascara and lipstick, then found a way to pin up her hair in a fashion that was distinguished without being fussy.

Nice, she thought as she looked at her reflection.  Respectable, simple, somber and dignified.

She quickly brushed her teeth, added another swipe of lipstick then headed out and got into her car.  The drive to the funeral home took less than ten minutes where she pulled into the parking lot and spotted Kenwood’s massive pickup truck pulling into a spot.  She parked beside him and got out to greet him as he climbed down.

“Perfect timing,” he said with a pleased grin.

“Wow,” Sadie said.  “Look at you.  So spiffy.”

He wore a dark suit with a charcoal shirt and a simple and sober black and gray striped tie.

“And here I thought that girls went for guys in uniform,” he said with a chuckle.

“Both are good,” Sadie said.

Kenwood looked at his watch.  “I think they said that the service would start in another half hour.  We can use this time to pay our respects as well as look for any suspicious characters.”

“My eyes are wide open,” Sadie assured him.

They walked to the entrance along with many others who’d just arrived.  Inside the wide entry way Sadie kept her eyes open and saw a familiar face at the far end of the funeral home.  He stood just outside the visitation room.

“Ray Pepper,” Kenwood said as he looked at the sign that listed the various deceased to see what room he was in.

“I think that he’s back there,” Sadie said.

“Room E,” Kenwood said as he looked up at her.  “What makes you say that?”

“I think I just saw Frank Newsom head in there.”

They walked down the wide carpeted hall, passing by several other visitation rooms where mourners had gathered to say goodbye to a loved one.

At room E, they stopped and looked inside.

“This is it,” Kenwood whispered.

Up at the front of the room was an urn with a picture of Mr. Pepper beside it.  He was a dowdy looking man, but there was a lot of warmth in his smile.

“That’s the guy who asked us what we were doing in Pepper’s office,” Kenwood commented as he jutted his chin toward a man seated alone at the end of a row of chairs.

“That woman was there, too,” Sadie said, noting another staff member.

“And there’s Frank Newsom,” Kenwood said, looking to the back of the room where the young man stood softly talking to yet another of Mr. Pepper’s employees.  “You were right.  He is here.”

“I’ll go have a word with him.”  Sadie left Kenwood to mingle while she slowly and sedately made her way to Frank.  “Hello, Mr. Newsom,” she said softly.

“Well, well, well,” he said, turning his full attention to Sadie.  “What a surprise seeing you here.”

“I thought it was only right that I come to pay my respects.  I might not have known the man personally, but considering all that he’s done for Fortune Falls, it’s the least I can do.”

“I’m sure your presence will be greatly appreciated.”

Sadie looked around.  “A lot of people for Pepper’s office are here.  I’m sure his widow must appreciate that.”

“They all loved and respected him,” Frank said with a reverent nod.

“What about Doreen Day?” Sadie said, noting that the woman wasn’t in attendance.  “Isn’t she here?”

He shrugged.

“Everyone seems to be here except her,” Sadie insisted.

Frank looked pointedly at her.  “If you must absolutely know…”  He huffed in a dramatic manner.  “Mrs. Pepper, the lovely widow over there, doesn’t particularly like Ms. Day.”

“Do you know why?” Sadie said.

Frank cocked a brow.  “You saw what a hottie Doreen is.  Those tight skirts, that red lipstick and that poof of blond hair.”

“What are you saying?” Sadie said.  “Was Mr. Pepper…?  I mean.”  She looked around for Mrs. Pepper then back at Frank.  “Was he having an affair?”

“Rumor has it.”

“Where is Mrs. Pepper?” Sadie said as she once again looked through the thin crowd for the widow.

Then she saw her.  Even before Frank pointed her out, she saw a tall, heavy set woman standing near the head of the room.  Dressed entirely in black, from the comfortable shoes to the thick black hose, to the stern black dress and even the black hanky that she held to her teary eyes, she was the epitome of a grieving widow.

“I heard something about her asking for a divorce recently,” Frank added.

“Had the divorce gone through yet?”

“That, I don’t know,” Frank said.  “All I know is that Mrs. Pepper no longer wanted to be married to Mr. Pepper… and Ms. Doreen Day was the reason.”

Surprised by the news, Sadie turned to look for Kenwood.  Instead, she spotted Palmer as he arrived at the visitation room.

“I’ll talk to you later,” she said dismissively as she left Frank and headed to Palmer.

“Palmer,” she called softly as she went to him.  “How did you know to find me here?”

“I didn’t,” he said.  “But Gwen called and said that she heard about Mrs. Pepper’s desire to have the service quick and easy.  I figured I’d drop by to pay my respects.”

Sadie smiled at him.  “Oh.  That’s disappointing.”

“Gee,” he said with a grin.  “Thanks.”

“No.  That’s not what I mean.  I just thought you’d come here to let me know that you had something on the dagger that I left you.”

“Oh, that.”  He flashed her a teasing smile.  “Well, I did find something interesting.”  He looked around.  “Is there anywhere we could go to talk?”

Though she had no idea how the funeral home was designed, she nonetheless led Palmer down the hall, and they came to a large back balcony.

“What do you have?” she said, eager to learn more about the case.

Palmer pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his lapel pocket and handed it to her.

Unfolding it, she frowned.  It was a chart, but she couldn’t understand what it meant.  “What is this?”

“That there, my friend, is a chart noting the results of the evidence that I found on that bloody dagger.”

Chapter 9

After he explained the chart to her, Sadie gave the dagger back to Palmer and they both returned inside as the funeral service began.  The chart showed a definite suspect, but Sadie nonetheless kept a close eye on everyone at the service.

Some were unmoved and dry-eyed.  Others were overly dramatic in their distraught display of emotion.  And some just sat quietly, silent tears streaking down their cheeks.

“That was short and sweet,” Kenwood said when the service ended, and everyone began to disperse.  He looked at his watch then up at her.  “I’m going to grab a doughnut and mingle a bit.”

“Sure,” Sadie said.  “I think I’ll do the same.”

He tilted his head to the side.  “Why do I have a feeling that you know something?”

Smiling, she reached out to pat his arm.  “I just want to confirm a few things.  I’ll let you know soon enough.”

He nodded, leaned in for a quick kiss and headed off.

Sadie turned to see Newsom coming her way.  He had a cocky, crooked smile on his youthful face.  His confident strut showed his arrogance and was completely bereft of substance.

“Good,” he said as he came up to her.  “I was afraid you’d already left.”

“Did you want to speak to me?”

“Yeah.”  He bit his lower lip and shot her his idea of a sexy gaze.  “You sure are pretty.”

“Thank you.  Certainly, you didn’t come all this way just to tell me that.”

He snorted.  “No.  But I just had to throw that in.  I mean, you really are pretty.  I love your style… your spunkiness.”

Right, Sadie thought wryly.

“How about that dinner we were talking about the other day?”

“I don’t know,” she said.  “I think I’m a little too old for you.”

“Gee,” he said.  “I’m not asking you to marry me.  I just want to have dinner.  I was thinking that we could have a more in-depth conversation.  We could talk about our respective futures.  Who knows?  Maybe you’ll realize that we have more in common that you thought.”

Pursing her lips, she looked up at him.

“Besides,” he went on.  “You’re not that old.  I mean, I’m twenty-one.  What are you… twenty-three?  Twenty-four at the most?”

She didn’t offer her age.

“Look at me,” he said.  “I’m a mature graduate from NYU.  I’m a man.”

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Palmer and Kenwood waiting for her at the entrance.

“I have to go,” she said.

“Wait,” he said, reaching out to take a gentle hold of her arm.  “I have information that might interest you.  Information about the Peppers.”

Frowning, she looked at him.  “What sort of information?”

“Like who killed Mr. Pepper.”

“Okay.  I’m listening.”

“Not here.  Not now.”

She glanced at Kenwood and Palmer, then back at Frank.  She already had the killer… but it never hurt to have information that could either contradict or confirm her suspicions.

“All right,” she finally said.  “Dinner.”

He literally hopped for joy and clapped his hands together, a clear display of just how youthful he really was.  “Great!  Tonight!  Seven o’clock!  French Linen!”

French Linen?  She hesitated.  That was said to be a really swanky place… a super expensive place.

“You’ll love it,” Frank said.  “And it’s on me.  My treat.  I’ll treat you like a princess.”

She looked at him and hesitated.  “Okay,” she finally said.  “I’ll be there.”

*****

“Geez,” Sadie muttered in her car as she pulled up behind a Lexus and waited her turn to get to the valet.  While she had a nice enough car, it clearly stuck out from all the luxury cars that were pulling in.  When her turn came, she got out and let the valet drive off.

Behind her was a Mercedes Benz, That was followed by a Jaguar that was followed by a stream of equally expensive and impressive automobiles, all filled with expensive and impressive people.

“Sadie,” Frank called out from the restaurant’s entrance.  He waved her over.  “Over here.”

She walked up to him, instantly feeling inadequate.  She’d opted to wear her chic but simple black halter-top dress.  While it had cost her a bundle, it was far from the exclusive haute-couture frocks the other women wore.

She also couldn’t help but notice Frank’s attire.  The sports coat alone was more than her monthly mortgage payment and the custom crocodile skin shoes were probably worth as much as her car.  He wore a handmade gold watch, and she was certain that the ruby red silk shirt he wore was from Italy… Milan, most likely.  All of this over an expensively made but casual looking pair of designer jeans.

“I like your hair,” he said as he reached up to brush her cheek with the back of his fingers.  “Very ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’.  It suits you very well.”

“I’ve always been a fan of Audrey Hepburn.  Classy.  A very classy, classy lady.”

He gestured that she enter.  “After you, my fair lady.”

She smiled at the reference and walked in.  She was immediately smacked by the obscene amount of money in that singular room.  Man, oh man.

“What do you think?” Frank quickly asked, eager to hear just how impressed she was.

“This is really nice.”

“Nice?” he said with a snort.  “A steak dinner here will set you back a few grand.”

She had no doubt.  This was clearly an establishment reserved for the very rich, very privileged, and very important and powerful people.

They walked up to the maître d, and Frank simply shot him a haughty air.

“Mr. Newsom,” the dignified man said with forced reverence.

Frank simply nodded.  He clearly thought himself above speaking to the lowly employee.

“This way, sir.”  The maître d led them to a quiet table set in a bay window with a beautiful view of the grounds lit with thousands of tiny lights.

Sadie noted the ivory white linen trimmed with elegant gold piping that was draped over the small oval table that was flanked by two tall backed elegant chairs.

Frank came around to hold Sadie’s chair as she sat down, then went around to sit across from her.

“This is a very pretty and elegant restaurant.”

“You bet it is,” Frank said.  “You’re not going to see the mechanic from the shop or the cashier at the grocery store in here.  No way.”

He seemed proud of that fact.

“Darn it,” he said as he shrugged off his sports coat.  “I should have left this in the car.  I knew it’d be warm in here.”

Sadie forced a smile.

“Then again, this thing is worth over two grand,” he went on.  “I don’t just want to leave it lying around.”  But he nonetheless draped it over the back of his chair.  “Who am I kidding?  I just trusted my new, jet black, Ferrari to some valet.  What’s a two thousand dollar jacket going to change?”

If his coat was worth her mortgage payment, no doubt his car was worth the entire purchase price of her house.

She looked at him, wondering if he had any idea at all just how the average person lived.  Did he know what it was like to live paycheck to paycheck?  Could he comprehend the fear so many people had with regards to losing their jobs, no matter how horrible a job it was?  Had he ever in his life gotten out of bed in order to go off to a job that he loathed… because he simply had to?

No.  No doubt he knew nothing about the lives of the ‘little people’.  He didn’t give a moment’s thought to the fact that, were it not for that mechanic, his car wouldn’t run, and if it wasn’t for that cashier, or any of the grocery store employees, he wouldn’t have food in his refrigerator.

She couldn’t help but look at him with a degree of disdain.  For all his money, there he was, flaunting the millions of dollars that allowed him to come to such an exclusive place.  There was so much he could be doing with that money to truly help people.

Instead, he just showed off.

“We’ll start with your best bottle of champagne,” he told the waiter when he came around.  After the waiter left, Frank winked at Sadie.  “I’ll spare no expense to impress you, my princess.”

Hmm, she thought.  If only he knew.

The champagne came around and was poured into two elegant, gold rimmed flutes.  With a bow, the waiter retreated.

Frank held his glass up, inviting Sadie to join him in a toast.

“To great beginnings,” he said.  His gaze dipped down, taking in just how great she looked.  “Hmm.  Yes.  You really are a delight.”  He clinked her glass then downed the contents of his glass before quickly refilling it.

Sadie sipped daintily on the bubbly liquid, not really wanting to lose any of her faculties.

“Order anything you like,” he said as he indicated the menu.  “Order everything if you feel like it.  I have a limitless credit card and tonight… anything goes.”

She picked up the menu but felt no appetite for food.  The fancy names of gourmet dishes didn’t appeal to her in the slightest.  While she suspected that every dish was well into the hundreds, there were no prices on the menu.

Nonetheless, she settled on a dish.  “I think I’ll try the duck,” she said.

“Interesting choice,” Frank said.  He held up his champagne flute.  “But I think you might appreciate the tasting menu here.  It is sublime.”  He emptied his glass.  “Come on.  Drink up.  This is to be a festive night.”

She looked at him and wondered how he could be so… heartless.  “I’m sorry,” she felt the need to say.  “I don’t particularly feel like celebrating, Frank.  I don’t want to be a downer, but…  For one thing, your boss was just murdered.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, just thinking about the hundreds of people tonight who are struggling to put food on the table, who aren’t sure if they’ll still have a job tomorrow, or who are just afraid of all the uncertainty in their lives…  I can’t celebrate.  I can’t feel festive with all that going on.  Good for you if you can so simply push all that aside, but I can’t.  I just can’t.”

The waiter came to Newsom’s side.  “Are we ready to order?”

“We are.  We’ll have the chef’s special tasting menu.”

“Very good,” the waiter said.

“You’re going to love the oysters,” Frank told Sadie as he finished giving off his order.  “They’re fabulous here… and the duck… oh and the cured salmon and smoked sturgeon.”

The waiter looked at Sadie to ensure she didn’t have anything to add.  She simply nodded.

“So,” Frank said when they were once again alone.  “You know, I do care about the little man.  I give plenty of money to the poor.  I’m a real philanderer.”

Smiling, she cocked her head to the side, but didn’t bother to correct him.

The waiter came with their appetizers.  Without bothering to thank the man, Frank picked up the small, escargot fork and dove right in.

“The situation is getting pretty dramatic, Frank,” Sadie said, trying to find some way to reach him.  “It’s not enough to just help the poor.  Average people, people who’ve worked their whole lives to buy a home or start a business… they’re all going under.”  She considered adding that his Aunt Nancy was partly to blame.  She, along with other big time politicians were passing horrendous bills and policies that were hurting everyone except the richest of the rich.

“I’m tired of talking about the poor,” Frank said with a dismissive wave of his miniature fork.  “Let’s talk about something far, far more interesting… like you.  I hear that you’re a baker.  That’s so…”

She smiled as she waited for him to find the appropriate adjective.

“I mean, I love baked goods,” he went on.  “A fresh croissant with real butter.  A divine petit chou.  All good stuff.  You know, I really think that you would make the ideal mate for a politician.”

Huh?

“I mean, every politician wants a wife who is beautiful and smart and talented and who has her own interests.  You’re all of that and more.”  He looked around at the full restaurant.  “Did you notice how everyone looked at you when we walked in?  And then they all looked at me?  I mean, they must think that I’m the luckiest guy on earth walking around with you on my arm.”

“That’s very flattering, Frank.  But I have no desire to simply be a man’s trophy wife.  I don’t want to be eye candy.  I’m happy being me, for me.  Call me selfish if you like, but for the time being, I just want to be little old Sadie Silver… and do what I do best.”

Newsom let out a snicker.  “You are feisty.  I like that.  I love that.  Keep your independent streak.  It makes you that much more interesting.  Play hard to get.  It makes me want to go after you even more.”  He licked his lips, trying to act the cool and sexy player.

Wow, kid, she wanted to say.  The more you try, the more ridiculous you look.

“Hey!” he called out as he emptied the last of the champagne.  “Keep it coming, will you?”

Wow, again.  For someone born into such privilege, he had the manners of a lowlife.  No doubt that mechanic that he so flippantly degraded would have more class.

Was this how he treated everyone around him?  Bossy?  Arrogant?  Callous?

She had to assume that the answer was yes.

The waiter came to them with a fresh bottle of champagne, popped it open and poured some for Frank while Sadie lay her hand flat over the top of her glass.  She’d had more than enough.

Enough champagne and enough of Frank Newsom.

The waiter left and Frank downed another full glass of bubbly.

“You might want to consider holding back on that stuff a bit,” Sadie said, suddenly feeling more like his mother than his date.  “Those bubbles are going to go to your head.”

“I just turned twenty-one, you know,” he said.

“Really?”

“Sure.” He downed another glass of champagne.  “I know how to hold my liquor, you know.  I have champagne every time I come here.  I’ve been drinking for a few years now.”

Sadie looked at him in disbelief.

“Yeah,” he went on.  “Even when I was a kid, I could hold my liquor like a man.  I mean, I was… like… what?  Thirteen?  Fourteen?  Yeah.  Bartenders around here knew me… and they served me.  And I could walk out of there as if I’d been drinking water.  That’s the kind of man I am.”

If they were smart, they were serving you water, Sadie thought.

“That’s really awful, you know,” Sadie finally said.  “You were just a kid.  How could they allow you to drink like that?”

“Hey.  I told you,” he said, his speech becoming a little more slurred.  “My family is full of big shots.  Yeah.  We’ve got pull, man.  I mean, they own New York.  They own California.  They own Washington DC.  Hell, I can do whatever I want, and no one can do a thing about it.”

“That’s not a very healthy way to live,” Sadie said, increasingly disgusted by his display.  “Everyone needs boundaries.”

“Who cares about boundaries?” he said, winking at her.  “I could literally commit murder, and no one would say a thing about it.  Not a thing.”

“That’s a pretty strong statement,” Sadie said.  Not to mention a disturbing one.

“Well, it’s true.  I can get away with anything.  Damn.  Didn’t I tell you?  My family controls the Attorney General.  We control the Chief of Police.  And we even control the media.  Want more?  How about major corporations and big tech?  More?  Get a load of this, Sadie.  We freaking control the damn president and the vice president.”

Giggling gleefully, he held up his hand and wiggled his fingers as if controlling the strings of a marionette.

Sadie’s eyes narrowed as she realized what he was telling her.  He might know how to hold his liquor, but he didn’t know how to shut his trap, and she was more than willing to guide him along.

“So, Commissioner Pepper,” Sadie said, getting down to business. “What do you think he did wrong? What did he do to tick someone off so bad that they would kill him?”

“The idiot was going to pull the memorial project,” Newsom said.

“So?”

He shook his head and laughed.  “Don’t you see?  It would screw everything up.  People invested in that thing.  Millions.  Hundreds of millions.”

“Like who?”

“Like my Aunt Nancy, silly.  She poured a lot of money into buying real estate where the fountain is supposed to go.  If they don’t go through with the memorial, there’s no point in any of it.  She’ll lose everything.”

Chapter 10

The next morning, Sadie woke up early.  She was troubled by her dinner with Frank.  Her conversation with him had been more informative than she’d expected, but the result wasn’t quite what she’d thought it would be.

She called Kenwood and then Palmer and asked that they both meet her at the Commissioner’s office.

After pulling on her dark blue skinny jeans and a thick raspberry sweater, she headed out into the brisk autumn morning.

She made the quick drive to City Hall and pulled into the parking lot just as Kenwood and Palmer were heading inside.

Hmm, she thought as she watched them walking together.  Were they finally becoming friends?

She parked her car and headed inside.  The large airy lobby was buzzing with workers on their way to their offices while higher ups sat in armchairs set in front of the large picture windows reading their phones.

Up on the mezzanine, more workers were getting ready to start the day.

Kenwood and Palmer were seated together in the sitting area, deep in conversation.  As she turned to head their way, she heard firm footsteps coming up to her.   She turned to see Newsom.  To her surprise, he quickly came up to her and planted a wet kiss on her cheek.

“Good to see you this morning,” he said, his hand still on her shoulder.  “I didn’t expect to see you so soon.  Do you miss me already?”

Behind him, Kenwood and Palmer stood and stared at him, clearly shocked by the young man’s brash approach.

“We talked about a lot of things last night,” she said, noting Kenwood and Palmer’s arched brows as they remained where they were, though clearly intrigued.  “I just thought I’d drop by to confirm a few things.”

“Sure.  Shoot.”

Sadie looked around and caught sight of Doreen coming their way.  Then she turned to invite Kenwood and Palmer to join them.

“I made the call,” Doreen said as she joined them all.

“Good,” Sadie said.  “I think it’s about time that we cleared up a few things between you two.”

Doreen nodded.

“What are you guys talking about?” Frank said.

Sadie simply smiled and nodded.

“Yeah,” Kenwood said more softly as he came to her side.  “What are you talking about?  What’s going on?”

“Patience,” Sadie said.

Through the large picture windows, Sadie saw her.  She had an elegant gait, an aristocratic air and an expert handling of her lean and graceful pet.

The older woman opened the door and entered.  Frowning, she looked at the small group, her gaze turning sour and stern as it fell on Doreen.

“You brought Leila,” Doreen commented as Mrs. Pepper reluctantly came to them.

“You said you wanted to see me,” Mrs. Pepper said as she looked at everyone.  “I didn’t expect a crowd.”

Sadie looked at the beautiful animal who wore a delicate, bejeweled collar around its long and elegant neck.  “What a special looking dog,” she said, taking a step forward.

Mrs. Pepper instantly took a step back, guiding the dog with the leash to do the same.  “Please, don’t approach her.  I don’t like having strangers touch her.”

“Oh,” Sadie said, disappointed.  “What is she?  A greyhound?”

Mrs. Pepper glared at her.  “She’s a sloughi.”  She turned to Doreen.  “I have no time for idle conversation. I didn’t come down here to discuss Leila’s pedigree.  Now, where is it?”

“You must be talking about this,” Palmer said as he held out the Arabian dagger.

Her narrow eyes quickly filled with suspicion as she looked at the dagger then up to Palmer.  Her gaze darted from one face to the other as her lips pursed into an indignant grimace.

“Doreen was telling me about your trip to Saudi Arabia,” Sadie said, her eyes on Leila.  “That is where you adopted Leila, isn’t it?”

“What is all this about?”

“I understand the love that we have for our pets,” Sadie went on.  “We love them, spoil them, treat them like family… like our children.  They’re a big part of our lives.”

“Leila is very happy with me, yes,” Mrs. Pepper said.

Sadie softened her stance as she met the woman’s gaze.  “It must have been devastating when you lost custody of her.”

The older woman swallowed, and her eyes became moist with tears.  “Sloughis are highly intelligent animals.   They sense things.  They’re also very loyal dogs.”  Her words caught in her throat a moment and she swallowed the pain.  “Ray loved her, but not the way that I do.  For him, she was just a dog.  The fact that she came from halfway around the world and the fact that she was worth so much… well, to him, she was just a possession… an expensive possession.  She was still just a dog that costs a lot.  Of course, I was devastated when I lost her.”

Everyone was silent a moment, sensing the woman’s pain.  She seemed unsure what to do as her gaze returned to the dagger that Palmer still held up.

“Your trip to Saudi Arabia,” Sadie said gently.  “That’s also where you bought this beautiful weapon, isn’t it?”

With a quick sniffle, Mrs. Pepper nodded.

“And all this leads to the night before the first anniversary of the dog park, the very park that Mr. Pepper created,” Sadie went on.  “We know that you both went to the park that night to ensure that everything was in order for the festivities the next day.”

Mrs. Pepper remained silent.

“We also know, Mrs. Pepper, that this weapon was used to kill him,” Sadie said.  “You killed him.”

She said nothing, but Kenwood shot a surprised gaze at Sadie.

“She’s the one who did it?” he said.

Frank Newsom gasped with surprise and indignation.  “What?  You?” he said to Mrs. Pepper.  “You killed your ex-husband.  And for what?  A dog?”

Mrs. Pepper huffed.  “That idiot would feed this aristocratic canine disgusting scraps from his plate.  He once gave her a hotdog, can you imagine?”

“I think you should come with me, Mrs. Pepper,” Kenwood said.  He was kind and gentle with her, even as he cuffed her.

“That’s right,” Newsom said.  “Cuff the old broad.  Killing a man for a dog.  What kind of person does such a thing?  I loved that man.”

Sadie glared at him.  “You can stop the act, Frank.”

“What?” he said, looking at her with that air of arrogance.

“Frank,” Sadie said.  “Mr. Pepper did not die from that knife wound.”

“Yes, he did,” he said, his face losing all color.  “I saw her.  I saw her do it.”

Sadie smiled and silently thanked him for that precision.  She shook her head.  “No, Frank.  Mr. Pepper drowned.”

“Well… so?” Frank argued.  “She stabbed him and pushed him in the water.  Loss of blood or drowning… what’s the difference?  She killed him.”

“You’re only partially right, Frank,” Sadie said calmly.  “Yes, Mrs. Pepper stabbed him and pushed him into the pond, but she turned around and left it at that, assuming he would die.  You, however....  You are the one who saw him struggling to get out of the pond.  You’re the one who realized that he wasn’t dead, and that he could very well survive that knife wound.  You’re the one who went into that murky water and held Mr. Pepper’s head underwater until he drowned.”

“No!” Frank shouted.  “How absurd.  Whatever gave you such an idea?”

“For starters, we found shoeprints on the bank,” Palmer said.

“And then we found those damp and muddied shoes in the bottom filing cabinet in your office,” Sadie added.  “The prints match.”

“That’s bull and you know it,” Frank said.

“And,” Sadie went on.  “You just now so eloquently established that you were indeed in the dog park on the night of the murder.”

“As a witness to the crime,” he shouted as he gestured toward Mrs. Pepper.

“Are you telling me that I had him cremated for nothing?” Mrs. Pepper said.  “I wanted to hide the evidence, but…”  Her words faded away as she stared down at the floor.

“Funny how killing a man can distort everything, isn’t it?” Palmer said.  “You can no longer think straight because your focus is on getting away with a crime, and that’s where so many people make their mistakes.”

Kenwood gestured to Palmer to come and watch over Mrs. Pepper so that he could cuff Newsom.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Newsom cried as Kenwood threw the cuff on one wrist and tried to bring it behind Newsom’s back.

“Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be,” Kenwood calmly said as he reached for his other wrist.

“No!” Newsom argued, as he flailed his free hand about, refusing to allow Kenwood to get a hold of it.

“You’re just embarrassing yourself,” Sadie said as she glanced up at the mezzanine.  “We can settle all of this down at the station instead of here in front of all your co-workers.”

Indeed, many workers had poked their heads out of their offices to see what the commotion was all about.  Some were openly leaning on the railing of the mezzanine looking down on the action.

But instead of giving in, Newsom smashed Kenwood on the ear with his free hand and tried to run.  Palmer released his hold of Mrs. Pepper and tackled Newsom, easily bringing the young and pampered man to the floor.

“Get off me!” Newsom shouted.  “Get the hell off me.”

Kenwood came to them and took a firm hold of Newsom’s arm as he jerked him up.  No longer playing nice, he grabbed Newsom’s wrist and roughly brought it behind his back where he cuffed it to the other wrist, clamping down hard.

“Ow!” the man/child whined.  “You’re hurting me.”

“I offered to go easy on you, kid, but you insisted on making this difficult.”

“What’s your freaking name,” Newsom grunted as he turned and read Kenwood’s nametag.  “Officer Shane.  Well, Officer Shane, be ready to lose your job.  When I tell my aunt what you did, she’ll make sure that you never work in this town again.  You’ll be kicked off the force so fast… hell, you’ll be begging for scraps at the food bank.”

Unimpressed with the young man’s threats, Kenwood shot a knowing glance at Sadie and winked before turning to escort Newsom out to the waiting patrol car.

“The show’s over,” Doreen called out to the workers up on the mezzanine who were looking down with keen interest.  “Go back to work everybody.”

Kenwood soon returned and Sadie joined him as he escorted Mrs. Pepper to the main door.

“This has certainly been an exciting week,” Kenwood said.  “I hope you enjoyed spending time with me.”

“I sure did,” Sadie said in all sincerity.

He stopped at the door and looked at her, his gaze intense and piercing.  “I hope we can do it again soon.  Maybe we don’t have to wait until the next murder… just dinner.”

“Sure.”

“Until next time.”  And he walked out with Mrs. Pepper.

Sadie let out a satisfied sigh.  It had been fun to work with him.

“Hmm,” Palmer said as he came up beside her.  “What was that heavy sigh all about?”

They both stood there watching Kenwood escort Mrs. Pepper to a second patrol car.

Sadie glanced sidelong at Palmer.  “Another day, another mystery solved.”

“Why do I have a feeling that there was more to that sigh than just a solved murder?”

Smiling broadly, she brought her gaze to the interior of the grand Fortune Falls City Hall.  “You can think whatever you like, dear Palmer.”

“Ah, come on,” he said with a playful grin.  “Brains or brawn?  Who won?”

She simply let out a lighthearted laugh.

“You had the brainy going up against the brawny.  There has to be a winner.”

She looked pointedly at him.  “If you must know, it’s a draw.  My ideal man is both strong and smart.  He is both pragmatic and romantic.  He is a myriad of things.”

“Yeah,” Palmer said, bringing his fists up as if to box an imaginary opponent, occasionally bringing his thumb up against his nose.  “But you just saw me in action.  You saw me tackle that little runt, didn’t you?”

“I did,” Sadie said with growing laughter.

“Well, that’s the brawn.”

“I guess it is.”

“And… I’m the one who analyzed that dagger…”

“Which indicates that you have the brains, too.”

“Exactly.”  He turned to face her, taking a gentle hold of her shoulders as he suddenly grew serious.

They looked into one another’s eyes for a silent moment.  Her lips parted and he nervously licked his.

“Well…”  He leaned in to gently kiss her lips, lingering just a moment longer than a chaste kiss would allow.  “Until next time,” he whispered.

“Until next time,” she whispered back.

*****

Get the next Book in the Silver Mystery Series!

Collect the Series

Catalina, Crimes, and Coconut Pies (Sadie Silver Mystery #1)

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Paris, Poison, Pain Au Chocolate (Sadie Silver Mystery #2)

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Paris, Ice Pick, and Petit Fours:  A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery

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Fortune Falls, Felons, and Fudge: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #4)

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Apple Valley, Ax, and Ambrosia: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #5)

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Staying Inn, Scarf, and Sugar Cookies: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver #6)

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Sin City, Shoes, and Sundaes: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver #7)

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Haunted Castle, Hanging Doll, and Honey Ham: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver #8)

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Dog Park, Dagger, and Donuts: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #9)

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Costume Party, Cuffs, and Cupcakes: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #10)

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Tea House, Tights, and Toffee: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #11)

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Mom’s Manor, Mop, and Macaroons: A Cozy Contemporary International Crime Mystery (Sadie Silver Mystery #12)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VFVK779

About the Author Kailin Gow

From visiting Romania, ALA YALSA Award-winning and Million-Selling Author Kailin Gow was asked to write stories about vampires; visiting the Black Forest in Germany and seeing the castles of Europe inspired her to write fantasy; visiting Asia's mystical mountains inspired her to write action adventure and mythological dystopians. From her experience in college as a peer counselor and her volunteer work with women's shelters, she was inspired to write contemporary romance with social issues for women, new adults, young adults, and teens. Having faced adversity, including battling stereotypes and bullying, Kailin Gow has become a well-known speaker and influential figure in media. Her adventurous bold spirit has taken her around the world, where she has ridden on top of elephants through jungles, hand-fed sting rays, studied kung fu from a Shaolin Temple monk, and learned cooking from a celebrity chef. She is a USA Today Bestselling author and has been a #1 Amazon bestselling author over two-hundred times. Her Bitter Frost Series is in development as a TV Series, and her contemporary romance Loving Summer is set to become a feature film. An multi-award-winning filmmaker, director, and actress; Kailin’s films have premiered at Cannes, Los Angeles, Rome, England, Paris, Korea, Japan, and even in India’s Ministry of Culture. 

Compelled to write her first fiction book because of 9/11, Kailin Gow now has over 400 fiction books published under Kailin Gow and various Pen Names in many genres.  As a speaker and host, she has hosted international shows at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, been a celebrity judge at beauty pageants, been a judge for writing contests, and hosted television series.   She was featured as an Indie Author Success Story on the homepage of Amazon.com for a month and is also included in Amazon’s book called Transformations. She is the first Asian American to have been featured on Amazon’s homepage as an Author Success Story, and the first to have sold over a million books.

Follow Kailin at:

@kailingow

facebook.com/OfficialKailinGow

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Bookbub

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kailin-gow

Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/Kailin-Gow/e/B002BMAEH4

Twitter

https://twitter.com/kailingow

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kailingow 