Seed No Evil (24 page)

“When did she tell you this?”

“I don't remember.”

“Before your aunt died? After she died?”

“I. Don't. Remember,” he ground out. He shoved his notebook away and folded his arms again. I knew he was furious, but that was the best time to fish for information.

“I don't understand why your mom lied to me,” I said.

“She had to lie so you'd leave her alone.”

Somewhere in his brain that made sense. “I hate to say this, Kyle, but it backfired. Lying makes it look like she's hiding something, so now we have to investigate her further.”

“She didn't
do
anything,” he said, his voice rising. “Bev's the one who caused all the problems. Don't you get that? Doesn't
anyone
get that? Bev was
evil
.” Kyle was so angry, he started to wheeze. “My mom—couldn't get her—out of our lives. So what—if Bev—died? So what if—she's gone? We're all—better off.”

“Kyle, please calm down,” I said, as he struggled for breath.

“Where's your inhaler?” Tara asked, grabbing his backpack.

Holding his chest, he pointed to the outside pocket, so Tara unzipped it and handed the device to him. I watched him inhale twice, his face even whiter than before, and I wondered if I should press him further or let it go.

I waited until his breathing had slowed and he'd sagged against the chair; then I said, “I'm sorry for upsetting you. I really do want to clear your mom.”

He looked at me with pure loathing in his eyes and said in a trembling voice, “No, you don't.”

“Kyle, this is my aunt Abby,” Tara said. “She's awesome. I trust her. She's not like your aunt.”

He turned on Tara angrily. “Don't you get it? She
wants
my mom to be guilty. Case closed and your grandma is off the hook. Oh yeah,” he said to me. “My mom told me your real reason for this so-called investigation.”

“What are you talking about?” Tara cried. “Aunt Abby, is Grandma
on
the hook?”

“She might be, Tara. And, Kyle, whether you want to believe me or not, I would like nothing better than to verify that my mom
and
your mom are innocent, but you have to understand that as long as your mom can't prove where she was at the time of your aunt's death, she
is
a suspect, not just to us but also to the police.”

“She was at the mall!” he rasped.

“Is Grandma a suspect because she found the body?” Tara asked in alarm.

“Tara, let's talk about it later, okay? Kyle, what about your dad? Did you hear from him on Monday afternoon or evening?”

Looking down at his lap, he shook his head, then abruptly nodded.

“You did? What time?”

“After I got home from school.”

“Why did he call?”

“I called
him
,” Kyle said. “I told him Mom was going to be gone at dinnertime and did he want to get a burger with me, and he said he had something to take care of, just like that.”

Kyle's story felt contrived. “We'll have to see if it matches what your dad tells us,” I said.

“He'll lie about it,” Kyle muttered.

“Why would he lie about a phone conversation with you?” I asked.

“He knows Mom hates it when I call him. He'll lie to keep Mom from being angry. That's why I never tell her when I talk to him.”

“He'll have to tell the truth if he's under oath,” I said.

“He'll still lie.” Kyle was trying to sound very offhand about it, but I could tell by his body language that he was tense. “My dad doesn't care if he has to swear an oath. He lies to me all the time. He keeps telling me he's not seeing anyone, but I saw them together.”

“Your dad has a girlfriend?” I asked, just to be sure I understood.

Kyle nodded, his gaze still downcast.

“Why doesn't he want you to know?” I asked.

“She's married,” he said with a careless shrug. “I go to school with her son.”

That could explain why Justin wouldn't tell us where he really was on Monday.

I glanced at Tara to see if she was buying any of Kyle's story, and she said, “Mr. Shaw does lie, Aunt Abby. He told Kyle he was going to find homes for the two big German shepherds he used to keep at his business, but he was really going to have them put to sleep. Kyle rescued them and took them to the shelter.”

“You weren't supposed to tell anyone!” Kyle snapped.

Tara gave him a fierce glare. “I was trying to help you.”

My inner antennae began to rise. The red-zone dogs had been found tied to the front door. If these were the same animals, Kyle had just established a connection between the dogs and Justin. “Were they black shepherds?”

Tara looked at Kyle, a
nd when he said nothing, she nodded.

“So the dogs that attacked your aunt were your dad's German shepherds?” I asked Kyle.

Refusing to answer or even look at me, Kyle closed the math book beside him and shut his laptop. “I have to go,” he said to Tara. “Mom will be home soon.”

“Oh!” Tara said, jumping up. “Grandma will be coming in a little bit to pick me up.”

“You're going to the shelter?” Kyle asked.

Tara nodded. “I'll make sure Seedy and Seedling are all right.”

“Kyle?” I asked. “Did your dad know you took his dogs to the shelter?”

He packed up his backpack, stubbornly silent.

“Kyle, stop it,” Tara said. “My aunt is trying to help.”

“Yeah, right,” he mumbled, causing Tara to roll her eyes.

“I'm sorry, Aunt Abby. Kyle usually isn't this way. His dad must have figured out that he took the dogs, because he questioned Kyle about it twice. Right, Kyle?”

At his quick nod, I said, “Was your dad angry?”

Kyle shrugged. “He didn't care. All he cares about is himself. He was just glad they were gone.”

That sounded like a line that came straight from Stacy's mouth. “Has your dad ever asked you for the key to the shelter?”

“No.”

“So there's no way he could get inside?” I asked.

Kyle stood up and shoved in his chair. “His girlfriend, I guess.”

“How would she let him in?” I asked.

“She's a volunteer.”

Now we were getting somewhere. “Do you know her name?”

“Mrs. O'Day.”

“Susan O'Day?” I asked.

“Do you know her?” Tara asked.

“She works at the shelter with Grandma.”

Susan O'Day had called in sick on the evening Bev was killed. Was that by design?

“I
f you think of anything that will help your mom,” I called to Kyle as he headed toward the front door, “will you get in touch with me? I know she'd appreciate it.”

He didn't reply.

While Tara showed him out, I sat there trying to put my thoughts in order so I could relay the information to Marco. I reached for Tara's notebook and pen and began to write.

1. Kyle would do anything to protect his mom but still couldn't come up with any information to clear her.

2. Kyle firmly believed his mom was against the no-kill policy change.

3. Kyle held a lot of anger toward his aunt Bev for persecuting his mom and to a lesser degree toward his dad for lying to him.

4. Kyle was responsible for the red-zone dogs being at the shelter.

5. Justin had owned the red-zone dogs.

6. Justin's (married) girlfriend was a volunteer who had a key to the shelter and who worked with my mom.

7. Justin's girlfriend called off sick on the day Bev died.

As I dropped the piece of paper in my purse, Tara came back to the dining room to put away her homework. “That didn't go very well, did it? I'm sorry Kyle wasn't more cooperative, but you weren't serious when you said Grandma might be a suspect, right?”

“She'll be a suspect until the police find the real killer,” I said, “but I don't think the police really believe she did it. It's just that she was the only volunteer working at the shelter when Bev was killed, so on the outside, it looks suspicious.”

“That's stupid. Grandma wouldn't hurt anyone.”

“I know that and you know that, but the police don't know it. That's why Marco and I are investigating, Tara.”

“Do you think Kyle's mom or dad did it?”

“I wish I had an answer for that. Do you think Kyle was being truthful?”

“I thought so,” Tara said. “He's really upset about me not taking Seedy. I promised him we'd find her a home.”

“I'm working on it, Tara, but so far Jillian said no, and so did Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Jonathan. I'm going to try Marco's sister next.”

Tara wrinkled her nose. “The sister with the two crybabies?”

“They're little kids, Tara. Little kids cry.”

“Seedy won't like that.”

I put my arm around my niece's shoulders and gave her a hug. “I think Seedy would like it anywhere he had a good home.”

“Okay, then
I
wouldn't like it because I'd have to take Seedling to their house to visit.” She looked up at me with her big green eyes. “Can't you take Seedy?”

“No way. Not at this point.”

“Come on, Aunt Awesome! You know you want her.” She nudged me in the side. “I'll bet Uncle Marco would love her.”

“Do you happen to remember that we're getting married at the end of the week?”

“So? You've had that planned for months. What's left to do?”

“Solve this case, for one thing. And then we'll be on our honeymoon. Seriously, Tara, I can't even think about taking on a pet now. Besides, I'm almost positive Marco's landlady doesn't allow pets.”

“Someone has to take Seedy,” she whined. “What if that crazy PAR board changes the policy before we find her a home?”

That was a “what if” I was trying not to think about.

•   •   •

Since it was almost five o'clock, I drove back to the square and stopped in at the shop to check in. Lottie reported that they'd had a handful of customers and that three orders had come in while I was out. She'd made up the arrangement that had to be done right away; the others would wait until tomorrow.

I gave both women a rundown on my interview with Kyle; then we locked up and headed our separate ways. I made straight for Down the Hatch, but unfortunately Marco wasn't there.

“He said to tell you he's working on a PI case,” Rafe said in between customers at the counter.

“He must have a new case, then,” I said.

“You got me,” Rafe said. “Want a beer?”

“Not now. Did Marco say when he'd be back?”

Rafe wiped the counter in front of me. “He didn't know. He said he'd call when he could and you should go ahead and eat because he thinks it'll be a late night.” Rafe turned to the person who'd just stepped up beside me. “What can I get you?”

Well, damn. Not only had I lost my dinner date, but I'd wanted us to go see Justin before six o'clock and confront him with my new information. Now it would have to wait until Marco and I had time tomorrow, and meanwhile, the clock was ticking on our wedding.

Hmm.
I could always go alone.

•   •   •

On one hand, I told myself as I drove out to Shaw's Towing, Justin didn't know my yellow 'Vette, so I had the element of surprise on my side.

On the other hand, I had no Marco
at
my side. If Justin was the killer, I'd have to be careful.

No one was at the front counter when I walked in. I hit the buzzer and waited, but not a soul came forth. After waiting a few more minutes, I walked around behind the counter and headed for the door in the back wall. “Hello?” I called, peering around the door frame. The hallway was empty.

Then I heard angry voices, a woman's and a man's, coming from behind the closed door of Justin's office. I moved closer until I could make out Justin's voice. Was the other one Stacy Shaw's?

“Hello?” I called again, but much softer because I really didn't want them to hear me. I crept up to the door and listened.

“You said everything would be fine,” the woman said angrily, “and now you tell me they've pulled you in for questioning again!”

“They're fishing,” Justin cried. “They don't have anything on me.”

“What if they find out about us?” she hissed. “If they show up at my house, what will I tell my husband?”

Nope. It wasn't Stacy Shaw. Could it be Susan O'Day? But wasn't she supposed to be doing her volunteer work at the shelter now?

“Stay calm, baby,” Justin said in a soothing voice. “The cops aren't going to show up on my account. If they did come to see you, they'd probably just want to know why you weren't at the shelter on Monday. That's an easy answer, right? You always get migraines. Why wouldn't they believe you?”

“It's not them I worry about,” she said. “It's my husband. He's starting to question everything I do, and I'm beginning to think my son said something to him.”

“You're worrying for nothing, Sue. What could Peter know?”

“He's friends with Kyle. Boys talk.”

“So? Kyle doesn't know my business, or care for that matter. The kid's head is always in the clouds. He's not paying any attention to me, believe me. All he can think about are animals.”

“I know,” she said with a sigh. “Kyle was trying so hard to get Peter to adopt a dog, it nearly broke up their friendship.”

“See, that's what I mean. I've told his mom to get him a pet, but she's so worried he'll have an asthma attack that she refuses to even consider it. As if that were anything new. Look, baby, it's been a week and a half. We can't let the cops rattle us now. Trust me, everything will be fine, okay?”

A board under me creaked. They stopped talking.

With a pounding heart, I immediately tiptoed backward until I was in the front office; then I stood on the other side of the counter and waited to see if they'd heard me. A minute later Justin appeared.

“Can I help—” His eyes widened in recognition; then he pressed his mouth into a tight line. “What are you doing here?”

Eavesdropping?

Thinking fast, I said, “I've got some new information that I know you'll want to hear.”

“I don't care about your damned information. Get out right now or I'll call the cops and tell them you're trespassing.” He marched to the door and held it open, then glared at me until I walked through it.

Fine. I'd leave, but not until I verified who the woman was.

I drove the Corvette to a real estate office on the opposite side of the street about half a block east, then turned off the motor and waited, my cell phone camera ready. Within five minutes, a blond woman in jeans and a T-shirt came out of Shaw's and practically trotted to a blue Camry parked at the curb. Glancing around as though to make sure she hadn't been spotted, she slid into the car and put sunglasses on, but not before I caught her on camera.
Gotcha!

Now to ID her.

I phoned Marco on my way to the shelter and was relieved when he picked up.

“Hey, babe. I'm kind of busy. Everything all right?”

“I won't keep you long. I just wanted to let you know what's going on. Got a minute?”

“For you, always.”

I started with my interview with Kyle, quickly reading the bullet points off my list and moving on to what I'd overheard Justin and the unknown woman say. “I'm on my way to the animal shelter now to see if my mom can identify her from a photo. Mom and Tara are there now. Whoever this person is, Marco, we need to talk to her.”

“Absolutely. As soon as possible. This certainly puts Justin in a new light.”

“Especially since the dogs were his. He'd know exactly what they were capable of.”

In the background, I heard an electric saw start up. “Where are you, Marco?”

“In . . . a construction area.”

“You don't sound too sure about it.”

“There's a lot going on here, Sunshine. I really need to get back to my surveillance.”

“Okay. I'll let you know later this evening what my mom says.”

“How about if we talk tomorrow? It'll be a late night for me.”

“That's fine. Love you.” I hung up, feeling unsettled and unhappy. Despite our talk, I had a strong suspicion Marco was still keeping something from me.

At the shelter, I had to phone my mom so she could let me in. She came to the front door with a worry line between her eyebrows. “Did something happen?”

“I need you to check out a photo,” I said, stepping inside.

“You frightened the bejeepers out of me to show me a photo?” She locked the door behind me, then looked at my phone. “What are you doing with a picture of Susan?”

“This is Susan O'Day, the woman you work with?”

“
Used
to work with. She gave her notice on Friday. That's another reason why I'm so glad Jordan and Kathy are letting Tara help. I could never count on Susan because of her migraines.”

“Do you have her address?”

“At home. I'll call you with it this evening.” Mom smiled at me for a moment, as though she wanted to say more, but then turned and started toward the hallway. “Come back and see the dogs.”

“I really don't want—”

She was already at the dog ward, holding the door open for me. With a sigh, I followed.

Tara had Seedy and Seedling in the small play area, where Seedling was romping with a ball and Seedy was watching contentedly as Tara scratched behind her ears. At my entrance, Seedy turned and looked; then with a small
yip,
she came hobbling across the floor toward me. I crouched down and held out my hand, but Seedy didn't need to sniff it to know who I was. She came up and put her head on my knee, gazing at me with a longing expression that tore at my heart.

“She recognized you, Aunt Abby,” Tara said. “See? You really need to take her home.”

“We've been over this,” I said, giving her a scowl.

“I've got to get back to the cats,” Mom said. “Tara, you need to take the other puppies out now for some exercise.”

And I had to leave before I did something stupid, like follow Tara's suggestion.