Page 30 of Death on Riddle Road

When we separated (because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be waiting for later), he looked at the key, seeing the paper for the first time.

“What’s this?”

“Code to the garage door.We should sync it with your vehicle.Later.”

He looked at the time and mumbled a mild curse.“Yeah, later.”

He took one step away, then turned back to me.“Do you want a key to my place?I can get one made and—”

“Not necessary.I can always get the Murphy key from Clara if need be.”

“Great.My dog will let my girlfriend into my place.”

He didn’t display any of the awkwardness withgirlfriendthat I felt withboyfriend.But someday we’d see how he coped withboopsie-doodle.

“Worse.Your dog’s pal’s owner.”

He was laughing as he left.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

When Clara pulledinto the driveway in her van, with LuLu in back, I was about as ready to go with Gracie and Murphy as I was going to be.

It was gray.It was windy.It was cold.Worst of all, it was still early.A fact that had slammed into me along with the door slamming behind Teague.Funny how he could make me forget.

Clara had insisted on this departure time and that she’d drive.

Good thing.

First, her van does a little better in the snow than my sedan.The roads were fine in town, but experience told us the parking lot at the dog park would not have received the same attention.

Second, I couldn’t imagine trying to get all three dogs into my back seat, especially for the post-dog-park-wet-and-messy trip home.

Third, if I had to start the ball rolling on this day, the ball might sag in a deflated blob.I would have voted to stay home curled up with a book.If I’d been the driver, I would have had a bigger vote.With Clara’s van in the driveway, it was infinitely harder to say,Staying home today, cuddled up with the dogs and a book.

Especially because the dogs recognized the sound of her van and were raring to go.

She accepted my grunted response to her chipperGood Morning, then said, “I checked the news stories from the time of Jaylynn’s murder.They said it was nearly two hours between when the call came in to the sheriff’s department shortly after eleven about hearing a possible shot and when the patrol officer found Jaylynn’s car.Do you think...?”

“I don’t think anything yet.”I softened my early-morning response.“It’s another piece of information.”

“It would give someone plenty of time to set the scene or to remove anything incriminating.Although they couldn’t very well have counted on that, right?They had no way of knowing ahead of time that it would take two hours for someone to come.”

“Uh-huh.”

She left me in peace then.As peaceful as it got with the three dogs taking turns bashing against the back of my seat.

When the van passed the turnoff to the Torrid Avenue dog park, four heads turned to watch the road not taken slip away.

Since mine was the only head in that group with the capacity for spoken language, I said, “Clara?”while the other three turned far more eloquent accusatory looks toward her.

“I thought we’d stop by Kentucky Manor.It’s not far out of the way.”

“We’re not dressed to go visiting.”Not only the state of our respective outfits, but the number of layers employed presented a less than flattering outline.Heck, getting in the van devolved into a plop because the layers made it hard to bend at waist or knees.

“Oh, we’re not going tovisit,” she assured me.And, yes, she assured cheerfully.“A reliable source told me Rose Gleiner should be getting off her shift and walking out as we get there.”

“Rose—?Who?”