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Lucy reached inside her iPad case. She pulled out a soft cloth and began rubbing the screen. “Echo still has Teddy.”

“She does. She loves her little pup. What will happen to him if she ends up in jail?” Liz answered her own question. “It looks as if we’ll have both Teddy and Duchess.”

“Let’s think positive that Echo isn’t involved.”

“I would love to; however, everything is pointing in her direction. Mick Grotto was here looking for Echo only hours before the attack. Gloria and I found his name on a slip of paper inside her place and now there’s the police sketch. Not to mention the fact she told me she was heading back to the farm the day of his attack and I found out later she never showed, which means we can’t account for her whereabouts,” Liz said.

“I agree. It doesn’t look good, but before we vilify, we need to verify.”

“Right.” Liz blew air through thinned lips. “I shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions. What’s the plan?”

“We take Duchess for a walk and swing by Echo’s place. I’ll take it from there.”

“Cool. I get to see a Garden Girl in action,” Liz teased. “Maybe I’ll learn a trick or two.”

“You’re well on your way to super sleuthing,” Lucy said. “Remember how you and Gloria figured out who murdered Deanna Andretti?”

“Under duress and by accident, at least on my part.”

“Doesn’t matter. The outcome was the same.”

Liz plucked her pup from the doggie bed and carried her outside. “Let’s stop by Teddy’s for a minute.” Duchess knew exactly where they were going and trotted up the hill.

Oink. Oink.

“The pigs are out.” Lucy changed direction and strolled toward the pigpen. “They’re lonely.”

“Or hungry.”

“Which one is Pepper?”

“I have no clue.” Liz clamped a hand over her nose. “Good gravy, they smell.”

“They are a little ripe.” Lucy leaned forward. “They look hungry.”

“Floyd will be home soon to feed them.”

“I see a pail of goodies. Do you mind? Pigs have always fascinated me. Gary and I had some years ago. They’re highly intelligent.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“Can you hold this?” Lucy held out the iPad. “Don’t open it or touch the screen. ”

“You sure you want to feed them?” Liz curled her lip.

“I do.” Lucy grabbed a plastic scooper from the side of the pail and scooped up a heaping pile of corn husks, along with large chunks of ripe pumpkin, squash and something Liz couldn’t quite identify.

“Look at the pretty piggies,” Lucy cooed as she sprinkled the food into the trough. “I bet you would love some other piggies to keep you company. Look at how much room you have.”

“Stop.” Liz made a slicing motion across her throat. “Please do not suggest to Floyd that the pigs might be lonely. Two is more than enough for now.”

Lucy filled the scoop again and spread the contents along the trough.

Oink. Oink. The pigs greedily gobbled up the treats while Lucy hung the scooper on the side of the pail. “They seem well-adjusted and happy with their new home. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how social and smart they are.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

The friends continued walking and crested the hill.

Echo’s living room blinds were open, and Liz could see Echo and Treece seated at the small dining room table. A tinge of guilt filled her. How could she possibly suspect such a sweet young woman of such a horrible deed?

Woof. There was no need to knock since Duchess announced their arrival.

Echo appeared moments later. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright. “Hello, Lucy, Liz.”

“Is everything all right?” Lucy asked.

“I…” Echo blinked rapidly. “Yes.”

“Liz and I were standing in the driveway, going over the renovations, and I noticed your porch light flashing. ”

“It was?” Echo stuck her head around the corner.

“You have such a cute little doggo.” Lucy thrust her iPad at Echo. “Could you hang onto this for a second?” She didn’t wait for an answer as she passed her iPad to Echo before bending down and greeting the small pup.

Duchess nudged her brother out of the way, eager for attention.

“They are so cute. I would love to get a puppy, and Jasper would be thrilled with a new playmate. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to train one.”

“They need a lot of attention,” Echo said. “How are the renovations going?”

“Great.” Lucy stood. “Liz picked out the main floor’s guest bathroom fixtures. They’re gorgeous. Would you like to see them?”

“Uh…sure,” Echo politely replied.

“They’re on my iPad. All you have to do is press the lower left button,” Lucy said .

Echo did as instructed and Liz’s bathroom choices appeared. “Those are very nice.”

“Modern yet elegant,” Liz said. “We should get out of your hair. I’ll ask Floyd to stop by and check the light.”

“It could be a loose bulb.” Lucy reached inside the light fixture and gave the bulb a twist. “I think that was it. The bulb was loose.” She reached for the iPad, careful not to touch the screen.

Liz and Lucy gave Treece a quick wave through the doorway, and Liz pulled Echo aside. “How is it going?” she whispered.

“Great,” Echo whispered back. “The food is delicious. Thank you for everything, Liz.”

“You’re welcome.” Liz coaxed Duchess across the deck and waited until they were a safe distance away. “You were very clever. You got the print without her ever suspecting a thing. I never would’ve thought of that. ”

“Practice,” Lucy said. “I’ve had lots of practice. Now, all we need to do is get the print to Ruth.”

Back inside the RV, it took a minute to locate Ruth, who was dining at Dot’s Restaurant.

“Hey, Liz. The cops show up yet?”

“No, but Lucy did, and she helped me get Echo’s print.”

“Sweet.” Ruth whooped. “Where is it?”

“On my iPad, the one I use for business,” Lucy said. “Which means I need to get it to you ASAP or I don’t have a functioning work tool.”

Ruth belched in response. “Excuse me. That one sure came out of nowhere. I’m finishing my dinner. Let me swing by the house and grab my dusting tools. I’ll be there in fifteen.”

Liz eyed the laptop’s clock. “Floyd won’t be home for another hour. If Lucy will hang around long enough, we’ll be here.”

“I’m hanging. ”

“I’m leaving.” Ruth promised she was en route and while they waited, Lucy and Liz huddled around Liz’s laptop, searching for updates on Grotto’s attack. The sketch still hadn’t been released to the public.

“It could be the cops are working on getting a search warrant.”

Liz’s eyes grew round as saucers. “Do you think they’ll search this place?”

“More than likely. If they get a warrant, it will be for here, for Echo’s place, anywhere they think would be relevant for collecting potential evidence.”

“Great. It’s just one more thing for me to worry about,” Liz groaned.

“You have nothing to hide, which means you have nothing to worry about.”

Ruth arrived as promised, and Liz ushered her inside the RV. “Thanks for getting here so fast.”

“No problem.” Ruth sniffed the air. “Did you burn something?”

“Dinner. Two days ago,” Liz said. “You can still smell it?”

“Ruth has a sensitive sniffer,” Lucy said.

“Extra sensitive, but in a good way.” Ruth set a bag on the counter.

“I see you brought your bag of tricks,” Lucy joked.

“I always keep it packed and ready to go, especially when we’re in the midst of an investigation,” Ruth said. “Where’s the print?”

“Here.” Lucy gripped the corners of her iPad and placed it in the center of the table.

“Those are nice prints.” Ruth removed the cap on a small plastic bottle and sprinkled white powder evenly over the surface. “There’s a clean one smack dab in the middle.”

“It belongs to Echo,” Lucy confirmed .

Ruth rummaged around inside her bag, removed a roll of clear, wide tape. She tore off a long strip and carefully placed it on top of the print.

She slipped her fingernail under the corner and gently lifted. “Shoot. I forgot to grab one of the microscope slides. They’re in the black plastic case. I only need one.”

“I’ll get it.”

“Be careful not to touch it,” Ruth cautioned. “Grab a tissue from the packet.”

“You have everything.” Liz plucked a tissue from the small packet, opened the black case, and gingerly removed one of the thin glass slides. She placed it on the table next to Ruth. “I feel like I’m in surgery.”

“Sleuthing surgery,” Lucy joked. “I’m sure Echo knows all about this.”

“You don’t...” Liz’s voice trailed off .

“Think she suspects we were after her print?” Lucy shrugged. “It’s highly unlikely, although I suppose anything is possible.”

Ruth carefully placed the piece of tape on top of the slide, eased it into a small pouch, and then slid it into the side pocket of her black bag. “Leonard is in a different time zone. I might be able to get this over to him yet today so he can start working on it.”

Lucy jangled her keys. “I need to head out. Is it safe for me to use my iPad now?”

“Absolutely.” Ruth snapped the top shut and tucked the bag under her arm. “I’m leaning toward not having the results back tonight. Leonard’s a guest speaker at some alien con out in Vegas and I think he’s doing his main presentation this afternoon.”

“I understand,” Liz said. “I appreciate you coming by here on such short notice and offering to help. ”

“It’s better to find out sooner rather than later if you have a tenant in trouble or a tenant who is trouble.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Liz followed her friends to their vehicles, thanking them again for the help, and then watched as they drove off.

Her eyes were drawn to the small mobile home up the hill. Was Echo in trouble? Or was she trouble? Hopefully, Liz would have a definitive answer soon.