5 Big Bunny Bump Off (11 page)

“Are you going to extend your hours now that it’s staying light longer?” Currently
, the Beach Hut was open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“I really should stay open until seven if I want to attract the dinner crowd
, but I don’t want to get into a situation where I have to staff two shifts. Right now, Kelly or I come in at around ten and get everything set up, and we’re rarely out of here before six by the time we clean up, so we already have an eight-hour day.”

“I guess you could do four tens,” I suggested.

“Could work.”

“How is
Kelly doing on the days she’s here by herself?” Kelly and Ellie both worked Friday through Sunday, while Ellie covered Monday and Tuesday, giving Kelly two days off before she covered Wednesday and Thursday, giving Ellie two days off that she rarely took.

“Fantastic. She’s really great. I’m actually thinking about making her more of a partner
, so she won’t ever consider quitting. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” Ellie opened the refrigerator to put the leftovers away. She began to rearrange things to make more room and came out with a six-pack of my favorite microbrew. “We have an hour before we have to be at the community center for rehearsal. Want to have a beer and sit out on the deck and watch the sun set?”

“Love to.”

The sun was just beginning its descent toward the crystal-clear lake. In another half hour, the sky would begin to darken and the geese that flocked the beaches in the evenings, looking for scraps left over from the picnickers who frequented the area during the warmest part of the day, would begin to arrive. There’s something magical and serene about sunset on the lake. Although the sun dips behind the mountain rather than the horizon, as it would on the ocean, most nights the sky is painted in bright reds, oranges, and, at times, purples, as the light gives way to the darkness.

“So what’s up?” I asked as we sat down
at one of the picnic tables near the water.

“What makes you think anything is up?”

I looked at Ellie. I knew she knew that I could tell when something was wrong. I figured if I waited, she’d share whatever it was that had caused the bags under her eyes.

“Rob and I had a date last night
,” she began

I waited in silence while she worked out what she wanted to say.

“He took me to dinner at
the Wharf before we were supposed to meet the gang for bowling.”

The Wharf
is an upscale restaurant where Zak and I often ate.

“He told me that he wanted to
talk about our future.”

“Sounds serious.” I hoped the man hadn’t jumped the gun and proposed after
only a few months of dating.

“I’m not sure serious is exactly the right word for the conversation, but it did have long-term implications. Hannah has started calling me Mommy now that she’s getting old enough to start working out what a mommy is.”

I cringed but didn’t say anything.

“Rob said he wasn’t pushing and he wasn’t proposing, but it seemed to him that it might be time to have a discussion about where I saw our relationship going. He said he was at a place in his life where he was looking for a mother for Hannah. Someone he could build a family with. He wants her to have siblings close to her own age, and he felt it was time to ask me if I saw our relationship heading in that direction.”

“A
nd . . . ?”

“I love Hannah. I can totally see myself being her mother. I have to admit I’ve fanaticized about teaching her to dance and shopping with her when she gets a little older.
She’s so sweet and has a way of igniting every maternal instinct I possess. I feel so grounded when we spend time together.”

“Grounded?”

“I guess
grounded
is a bit of a hippie-dippie word.” Ellie laughed. “It’s like I feel complete when I’m with her. It’s as if my purpose in life is to be a mother, and when I’m with Hannah, I’m fulfilling my purpose, so I feel . . . grounded.” Ellie looked at me. “I can’t think of a better word.”

“
Does that mean you’ve decided to take things to the next level with Rob?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that white picket fences and minivans have been very much on my mind lately. I guess I got caught up in the moment, but I found myself telling Rob as much. He’s a really good guy and I think he loves me. He’s kind and considerate and always looking out for my needs. Once he realized we might very well be on the same page, he told me about a house he was thinking of buying, and his plans and dreams for the future. It sounded wonderful.”

“
Yet I’m sensing a
but
.”

“But nothing. Rob and Hannah are perfect for me. I really felt I was
taking a positive step toward our future by having this discussion with Rob until Levi showed up at the bowling alley with some of the teachers from the high school. One look at him and . . .”

“And you realized you couldn’t marry Rob if you were in love with Levi,” I guessed.

“Something like that. I told Rob I wasn’t feeling well and left.”

I took Ellie’s hand in mine from across the table. “What are you going to do?”

Ellie looked at me with tears in her eyes. “I don’t know. I love Hannah. I can’t imagine how awful it would be to walk away from her. And Rob and I are good together. We have the same values and goals. We enjoy being with the same people and we really have fun together. I’m certain I’d be happy if I married him. On the other hand, Rob is a great guy who deserves to have someone who loves him as much as he loves her. I want to love him. I guess I probably even do love him on some level, but as much as I know my infatuation with Levi can never go anywhere, it’s still his smile that makes my heart pound.”

“Levi may care about you more than you think.”

“I know he cares about me. He’s one of my best friends and he’s always looked out for me, but Levi has a type. He’s always dated tall blondes with big hair, big chests, and small waists. I’m tall and thin with straight brown hair and fairly plain features. Short of some major reconstruction by a top-notch plastic surgeon and hairdresser, there’s nothing I can do that will make him see me as a potential lover.”

Ellie could very well have a point. Levi had been acting jealous
ever since Ellie began dating Rob, but jealousy didn’t necessarily equate to desire.

“And even if I could
find a way to spark his interest,” Ellie continued, “Levi and I want different things at this point in our lives. I want the home filled with children and he’s looking for temporary and uncomplicated. If we got together, neither of us would be satisfied, and we’d end up destroying our friendship.”

Ellie was correct about th
at as well. It seemed she’d thought about this quite a lot.

“So what are you going to do?”
I asked as the sun disappeared behind the mountain.

“Honestly? I have no idea. I feel like I should let Rob go so he can find someone who has eyes
only for him, but I can’t quite make myself walk away from Hannah. I keep thinking that I’ll learn to love Rob the way he deserves to be loved, and even if I don’t, we can still have a happy and comfortable life together.”

“Have you talked to Rob about his feelings for you?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“
I mean are there sparks? Do you think he feels the sparks for you that you’ve admitted you don’t feel for him?”

Ellie frowned. “I’ve never even considered that. We’ve never even
. . .” Ellie blushed. “I mean, we’ve kissed and stuff, but Rob knows I’m pretty old-fashioned in that respect and hasn’t pushed.”

“Maybe he feels the same way you do. Maybe you really are on the same page.
Perhaps his main objective in your relationship is finding a mother for Hannah in the same way your main objective is being a mother to Hannah.”

“Do you think that’s enough?
” Ellie asked. “Do you think you can build a marriage based on nothing more than a friendship between a man and a woman who share similar goals and interests?”

“If you
’re looking for relationship advice, I’m afraid you’re barking up the wrong tree,” I reminded her. “My score card with men in general has been pretty dismal.”

“Your relationship with Zak is far from dismal.”

“Thanks to him. He seems to know what a relationship should look like, and he’s been very patient, waiting for me to catch up.”

“But there are sparks?”
Ellie asked.

“Oh
, yeah. There are sparks. But I don’t think the sparks are the main thing we have between us. I think it’s our friendship that I hold closest to my heart.”

“
Friendship is important. Sparks can fade, but friendship lasts forever,” Ellie pointed out.

“Maybe, but the sparks can be nice while they last.”

Ellie smiled.

“Do you think that Hannah is clouding the picture?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Would we be sitting here discussing whether or not you should make a commitment to Rob if Hannah wasn’t part of the deal?”

Ellie looked surprised. “No,” she said, “we wouldn’t.” She sighed with what looked like relief at having come to a conclusion. “I need to talk to Rob.”

“Yeah. I think you do.”

“Six dogs, three cats, all checked in.” Jeremy handed me a pile of paperwork to review. The Bryton Lake shelter, once again filled to capacity, had sent the short-timers over that morning. “One of the dogs is pregnant. Very pregnant,” Jeremy emphasized. “One of us should probably take her home until after she delivers, but I’m afraid my place is packed with all the baby shower gifts I have yet to find a place for. Besides, my apartment building doesn’t allow dogs.”

I remembered the heartbreak of losing Maggie, the last dog I’d fostered, and almost declined but then thought better of it.
The dog, Sophie, clearly needed me. “I’ll take her. Do we have an idea of when she’s supposed to deliver?”

“According to Scott
, any day now.”

I frowned. “And the Bryton Lake shelter had her on the short
-timers list?”

Jeremy shrugged. “Apparently. I guess she’s been at the shelter for most of her pregnancy. According to the records
, it looks like she was brought in by her family almost six weeks ago. Chances are the fact that she was pregnant kept interested parties from adopting her. She’s a cute little thing.”

I looked at Charlie
, who was staring up at me with the sweetest face. “How about it? Are you up for some company?”

Charlie barked.

“Okay, I guess I should go and meet my newest houseguest.” I sorted through the files that Jeremy handed me until I found the right one. Sophie was a terrier mix weighing close to forty pounds. She was two years old and had lived with the same family since she was a puppy. The dad had been transferred to another state for his job as an engineer and the family felt they couldn’t commit to keeping the dog. It was only after they’d checked her into the shelter that they’d discovered she was pregnant.

I asked Jeremy to take Charlie into the front with him, set the file on my desk, and headed down the hall. I unlocked the pen, attached a leash to Sophie’s collar, and led her back to my office. I closed the door, unhooked the leash, and knelt down on the floor. Sophie scurried beneath t
he desk.

I called to her gently as she peered out at me with the saddest eyes. “It’s okay
, sweetie. Let’s take a look at you.”

Sophie began to whine but didn’t move from her protected location.

“It looks like you’ve had a hard time, but you’ll like it at the boathouse. Charlie is really great and will make a good friend, and you’ll have two cats to terrorize.”

Sophie inched forward just a bit.

“And my boyfriend Zak is notorious for sneaking chunks of meat to the animals when he thinks I’m not looking,” I continued in what I hoped was a soothing voice. “Although,” I qualified, “I suppose we should follow the diet Scott left for you. I’m really glad your babies won’t be born in doggie jail.”

I wonder
ed if Bryton Lake would have euthanized the expectant mom if we hadn’t been open and able to take her. Probably. The thought made me want to cry.

“I still have a nice dogg
ie bed left from my previous guest. I think you’ll like it. If nothing else, it will be nicer than the hard cement floor you’ve been sleeping on.”

Jeremy opened the door a crack. “Want some help?”

“She seems a little skittish.”

“Not at all
.” Jeremy walked into the room, and Sophie waddled her way over to him. She sat at his feet while he leaned down to pet her.

“Wow, she really likes you. It’s too bad you can’t take her.”

“I’d love to, but it’s not practical right at the moment. I’m sure she’ll love you once she gets to know you.”

I had to admit I was feeling a bit wounded that Sophie so clearly preferred Jeremy to m
e. I mean, Jeremy is a nice guy with a gentle way about him, but animals of all kinds usually love me, and the fact that Sophie seemed to be afraid of me was like a knife to the heart.

“Have you spent much time with her?” I wondered.

“No, we just seemed to hit it off. Should I let Charlie in?”

I shrugged. “M
ight as well see how it goes.”

Luckily
, Sophie loved Charlie, and the feeling seemed to be mutual, so I didn’t see a problem in bringing the little dog home. I’d planned to leave early anyway, so maybe I’d just let Sophie hang out with me in the office until I was ready to go. I was sure that once she got to know me, she’d get over her obvious fear of me.

“I can keep an eye on both dogs until you get back from your meeting with Salinger,” Jeremy offered.

“What meeting with Salinger?” I asked.

“The two o’clock meeting I confirmed for you this morning.”

I must have had a blank expression on my face because Jeremy added, “You were cleaning the bear cage and I poked my head in and told you that Salinger wanted to meet with you today. I asked if two o’clock would work and you sort of grunted. I took that as an assent and told Salinger you’d be by at the requested time.”

I did remember something about a meeting
, now that Jeremy mentioned it. I’d been distracted, thinking about the small argument I’d had with Zak last night concerning the frequency of his business meetings. We rarely argue, and the fact that he’d returned home rather than staying over and then left on his trip this morning without stopping by had me more than a little upset. I don’t know why I turn into such a nag when Zak has to go away. He’d been a busy software developer who traveled a lot when I first got together with him, so I don’t know why I should expect anything different now. I really owed him an apology. A big one. I’d call him before heading out to my meeting.

I looked at the clock. Or perhaps I’d call after my meeting
; it was already a quarter till two. “I should head out. Call Scott and tell him I’m taking Sophie home. Ask him if there are any special instructions. After that, get her vitamins and everything together. I’ll plan to get her settled in as soon as I get back.”

Luckily, Salinger was ready and waiting when I arrived, so I didn’t have to spend the entire afternoon waiting around for him. His secretary led me to a viewing room and explained that the sheriff would be right with me. I groaned when I imagined waiting in the dark little room for hours on end, but Salinger came in just a few minutes later.

“Thank you for coming down,” he began. “I’d like you to take a look at the lineup we’ve prepared and tell me if you recognize the man you saw leaving the bank on the night
Blakely was killed.”

“I told you
, the man had on a costume. I didn’t see anything.”

“Just humor me,” Salinger
said. “Send them in,” he instructed whoever was on the other side of the two-way radio he held.

In walked five people
, all dressed as the Easter Bunny. “Do any of these outfits look familiar?”

“Where did you find so many bunny
costumes?” I was awed.

“Four are from rental shops
; the other is privately owned. Try to imagine this is the night you found Blakely dead. Do any of these costumes look like the one you saw?”

I tried to remember what I’d seen. It
had been dark and snowy, and the bunny was running away from me. Salinger told the bunnies to turn around. The lights were dimmed, and he asked me to concentrate on exactly what I’d seen. I began to sweat. I suspected that one of the bunnies was a new suspect and knew if I guessed right but wasn’t certain, I could get an innocent man arrested.

“It definitely wasn’t number three or five,” I decided.

“Why do you say that?”

“The ears on number three stick up
, and my bunny had droopy ears. Also, my bunny was a dark color—brown, I think—and number five is white.”

“Okay, excuse number
s three and five,” Salinger spoke into his radio. “And the others?”

I continued to study the remaining three rabbits.
All were a brownish color with droopy ears. Two of the rabbits were tall—over six feet with the head—and the third rabbit was quite a bit shorter. “I don’t think it’s number two. My bunny was taller, I think, although,” I qualified, “it was dark and snowing. I really can’t be a hundred percent sure.”

“Why do you think the bunny was tall if you couldn’t see that well? Perception in a snowstorm can be tricky.”

I thought about that. I’d been sure the bunny was tall. Why had I gotten that idea in the first place? Salinger was right; things look different in the dark. I remember watching the bunny run away and wondering if I was seeing things. I remember turning to head into the bank just as . . . “The tree,” I said. “The bunny had to duck to get under the branch of the tree in the field behind the bank. I’ve walked under it with no problem many times, so the bunny must have been taller than I am. I’d estimate that he’d need to be at least six feet tall to have to duck. You can measure the branch, if you’d like.”

“We will
, but I agree with you. The branch is about six feet off the ground. Release number two,” Salinger instructed. He turned to look at me. “Can you narrow it down further?”

I looked at the two remaining bunnies. Both were the same color and about the same height. The fine detail
that made each costume distinct couldn’t really help me; I’d only seen the back and it had been dark. I tried to think of anything that might distinguish one from the other, but I was coming up blank.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “but I don’t think I can narrow it down any further. Is the suspect one of the two remaining rabbits?”

“He is,” Salinger confirmed.

“And it isn’t Doug Barton?”

“It is not.”

“So Doug is most likely innocent,” I concluded.

“Perhaps, although bringing a second suspect into the mix doesn’t necessarily mean that the first one is innocent. I’ll need to do a bit more digging before I can be certain.”

“I don’t suppose you can tell me the identity of the two remaining bunnies?”

Salinger paused. “I’m sorry, but until an arrest is made, I can’t.”

“I understand.”

“That should do it for now.” Salinger stood up and opened the door. “I’d appreciate it if you kept this to yourself until after the arrest has been made and a statement has been issued.”

“Yeah, okay.” I stood up and walked through the door.

“And Zoe . . .” Salinger stopped me. “If you think of anything else, you’ll let me know?”

“Yeah, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”

I went through everything in my mind as I drove back to the
Zoo. It didn’t take me long to figure out where I’d seen the bunny costume in the lineup before.

“So?” Jeremy asked when I walked in
. Charlie ran up to greet me and Sophie followed along as if she’d actually missed me. I knew she was simply aping Charlie, but I’d take what I could get.

“Salinger wanted me to
participate in a lineup. He hoped I could identify the man I saw running away from the bank.”

“I though
t you saw a rabbit.”

“I did. All five men
were wearing rabbit costumes.”

“Really? Sorry I missed
that. Did you pick out the guy?”

“I narrowed it down to two
, but Salinger is pretty convinced he’s got his man.”

“No kidding. Who did it?”

I hesitated. “Salinger wouldn’t say who his suspect was, but I think I figured it out.”

“Who is it?”
Jeremy asked again.

“Who in town has an Easter Bunny
costume?” I asked.

“Not your grandpa
!” Jeremy was clearly shocked.

“No, not Pappy. Think harder.”

Jeremy screwed up his face as he pondered the question. I could almost see a lightbulb come on the moment he realized the answer. “Frank Valdez.”

“Bingo.”

“Frank? Really? He doesn’t seem like the type to kill a man.”

“I agree.”

“Do you think Salinger will arrest him?”

“My gut tells me no
, unless he has additional proof that I’m not privy to. As far as I can tell, all he really has to go on is the fact that Frank owns a bunny suit and is about the same height as the man I saw running from the bank.”

“Wow, who would have thought
?”

“I think I’ll
pop by his store on the way home to see if he’s there. Maybe if I ask him what’s going on, he’ll tell me. Oh, drat.”

“Oh drat what?” Jeremy asked.

“I forgot that I promised Gilda I’d come to the rehearsal. I hate to leave Sophie alone her first night in the boathouse, and I have Lambda as well. Do you think you could hang out at the boathouse for a couple of hours and keep an eye on the dogs? I have some new movies you can watch, and plenty of food you can help yourself to.”

“Can I bring Jessica and Rosalie?”

“Jessica and Rosalie from the adoption clinic?”