Crime of Spelled Ink Read online

  They were hard to kill.

  She tilted her head up to the sun, a peaceful expression on her face. “I love gardening. I'm excited to get my hands in the soil again. A few potted plants on the porch isn't quite the same."

  "Then New York is not the place for you."

  "Definitely not. Though I do always like visiting you."

  "You know you're welcome anytime." I wished she’d come more often than a couple days a year.

  Mauve visited more often than Belle did.

  "I know. I should come more often. I just love Plum Fields so much and there's always some event to help plan."

  We left our backyard behind and entered the bright green woods. The sun streamed between the leaves casting an almost magical glow around them.

  "There's nothing wrong with wanting to stay. And the town does depend on you a lot. You've got a real talent for organizing and planning beautiful events. I'm still shocked Mauve used Vanessa instead of having you and Mother help."

  Belle shrugged as she ducked beneath a low hanging branch. “Vanessa's business has been struggling, so Mauve wanted to do something to help her."

  "I can understand why her business is struggling since she doesn't listen to a word her clients say when they tell her what they want."

  "The wedding did end up a bit different than what Mauve had in mind, but it was still really lovely."

  "Would have been better with fireworks,” I grumbled.

  Belle shook her head with a laugh. “I can't think of a single wedding that has had fireworks. At least a wedding for normal people."

  "Which is exactly what would've made it stand out so much. Fireworks would've made everything extra special. They're romantic."

  Some of my favorite memories had happened with fireworks exploding in the sky above me.

  "If you say so."

  A high-pitched noise caught my ear.

  "What's that?" I asked.

  Belle stopped to turn and frown at me. “What's what?"

  "That noise. You don't hear it?"

  There it was again.

  Belle shook her head before her eyes widened. "Yes. It sounds like...something in pain."

  "I really hope we're not about to stumble onto another dead body. That would just be too ridiculous and definitely end with Jules in jail."

  Belle cocked her head to the side as she tried to hear the whining again. “Well, whoever or whatever it is is still making noises, so I don't think they're dead yet."

  "Right. Let's hope they stay that way." I grabbed a large branch off the ground, just in case.

  What if it was a bear or something?

  "I think it's coming from over here." Belle pointed to the left of us, off the trail.

  I followed Belle as she pushed through low hanging branches, pushing aside nature without disturbing it as she searched for the source.

  Belle's gasp hurried my steps as I ignored branches smacking me in the face so I could reach her. "Belle, what is it?"

  Her gasp turned into a low squeal and she turned with a wide and shining smile, a filthy corgi dog cradled in her arms.

  I reared back and pointed at the nasty little thing. “What is that?"

  Belle shot me a quizzical look. “A lost dog."

  "What in the world is it doing out here? No tags?"

  If it had tags, we could drop it off with its owners and wash our hands of the whole affair.

  "No. I'll take him to the local vet and see if he's chipped."

  "Let's give him a bath first. He's disgusting." I didn’t want him in my car like that.

  The dog barked at me, offense in his tone like he understood me. I glared back at him. I was more of a cat person. But we couldn't abandon him out here. It would be cruel. For him and for Belle, who looked half in love already.

  "Don't get attached, babe. A dog like this has an owner somewhere."

  Corgis were pretty expensive dogs. Unless someone abandoned him because he had such a bad attitude.

  I did not like the way he was eyeballing me from his comfy spot in Belle’s arms.

  “I know. But it'll be nice to have him for a day or two." She dropped a kiss on his head.

  Gross.

  I sighed, unable to deny her. “Let's get back to the house and get him cleaned up then back to town to get him checked out and buy some groceries."

  "Should we stop by the police station and see if Jules is finished?" Belle asked.

  "Yeah. We'll call him once we get to town."

  He’d need a ride back home since he rode with the Sheriff. Hopefully, he’d be done around the same time we got there.

  We broke through the trees and were back in our yard.

  "You don't like the dog, do you?" Belle looked at me with big sad eyes.

  Her puppy dog eyes worked a lot better than that ugly mutt’s.

  "I'll like him better once he doesn't smell quite so pungent."

  "Whoever he belongs to must be so worried. It looks like he's been out in the elements for a while."

  "Have you heard anything around town about people missing a dog?" I asked.

  Belle shook her head. ”Not a thing."

  “Hmmm."

  "Why?" She paused on the back steps to look at me.

  "He's clearly purebred. I would think anyone who lost him would have flyers up all over town."

  Someone had to be missing him. Somewhere.

  "Maybe the vet will know. Most people call the local vets to ask them to keep an eye out."

  "Good idea. All right. Let's see. What do we have to wash him with?"

  I pointed to the kitchen. “I think I saw some dish soap the owner left on the sink. That'll work."

  She peeked through the doorway. “Got it.”

  "Perfect. Let's get this over with."

  "I can handle it on my own."

  I hesitated. We didn't know how tame this dog actually was. It may be a little thing, but his teeth could still break skin. "No, I'll help. We don't know how he'll react to a bath. Maybe he's like a cat and hates water. He clearly doesn't make cleanliness a priority."

  Belle rubbed at the dog and cooed at him. “Aww, don't listen to her. You couldn't help it. He was lost and alone in the woods. Of course he didn't make cleanliness a high priority. I really can do it on my own. I'm not an invalid."

  "Oh, your illness has nothing to do with it. I'm more concerned about his teeth."

  Belle shot me a disapproving look that hit me right in the heart. “He won't hurt me. He's scared and confused."

  "Yes. And those who experience those emotions tend to lash out."

  Belle sighed. Hard. “Okay, I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but you're forcing my hand."

  My brows furrowed. “What?"

  She winced. “Every time you get close to him, he shakes worse. I don't think he likes you."

  "Well, the feeling is mutual." I glared at the dog.

  And he glared right back.

  She was right. He didn’t like me.

  "Then, I will handle him alone. I'll call for you if he tries to attack."

  I threw my hands up. “Who are we kidding? Animals adore you. I'm surprised animals don't help you get dressed in the morning."

  Belle scoffed. “I’m not a fairy tale princess."

  I grinned at her. “You sing like one, animals love you, you don't have a mean thing to say about anyone, you have the patience of a saint. I'm pretty sure all of that qualifies you for fairy tale princess status."

  Belle shook her head with a smile as she disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I cast once last worried glance before I told myself to quit. A major reason I wanted the two of us to live alone was giving her the chance to find a little freedom and have the chance to stand on her own feet instead of always have someone hovering over her.

  I was starting to understand why our parents had such a hard time with it. Letting go and trusting that she'd be okay was a very difficult thing to do after watching her struggle for so many years with the illness and seeing what it did to her.

  I could do this. She needed it. And so did the rest of us.

  Might as well start getting things in order around here while she bathed the mutt.

  I dragged Belle's stuff to the room facing the east, since she was the early riser. Since I was the night owl, I took the room facing the west. They were pretty much identical, only the comforters on the beds setting them apart. My room had a deep blue, the color of the sky at twilight while Belle's had a vibrant green, the color of the forest in springtime.

  This house really was perfect for us. Jules knew us well. I couldn't have picked anything better.

  I grinned when I opened up Belle's bags. It was mostly gardening stuff and sheet music and her weird and still growing collection of blanket scarves. She was obsessed with them, even wrapping up in them during the summer nights. She also had a ton of throw blankets and fuzzy socks. She loved being cozy.

  Once I had her things unpacked and organized as much as I could without her input, I moved to my own room. There was even a small desk I'd moved in here from the front foyer. It was more a cute little desk for letter writing or a place to toss mail, but it would work for me on the days I needed to hide away. Usually once the muse struck, I couldn't be bothered to talk or see people.

  Belle would be on her own in those days. Jules would have to keep her company if she needed it.

  I set the ink pot and journal she and Jules got me on the top of the desk, smiling at how perfectly it looked. I'd need to invest in some shelves, but for now I could stack my books in piles on the floor. Or keep them on the shelves in the living room.

  Belle stuck her head though the crack in my door. ”Harri? The dog's all clean and dry. Ready to go?"

  I hauled myself off the bed. “Yeah. Let's get moving. I can finish this up later tonight."

  "We should have Mother and Father over for dinner one night."

  I smiled at the idea. “I think they'd enjoy that. Give them a night away from Main Street and have a little peace with nature."

  Belle sighed as she walked through the door I opened for her since her arms were still full of dog. “They're killing themselves working so hard."

  "Why are they?" I asked.

  Mother worked two jobs and I always sent money and Father usually had some income coming in here and there.

  "Father made a bad investment. A friend of his came with an idea that was supposed to be both a charity and an investment that would have good returns. It ended up failing and he lost a lot. If it wasn't for the money you send, they might be in even more trouble. It's why I'm glad you wanted to do this for the summer. It'll give them a couple less mouths to feed and less electricity being used."

  I snorted as I got into the car. “Not with April there."

  Belle put the dog in the backset before she joined me in the front. “She's hardly there anyway."

  "How's the mutt?"

  He did look better physically, but he still acted like a little butthole.

  "He's fine. He seemed to like the bath. He didn't like the hair dryer as much, but he handled it with dignity."

  If she said so.

  "How anything with a butt like that can be dignified, I have no idea."

  The dog yipped at me from the back seat, a weirdly affronted look on his face.

  "You hurt his feelings."

  I shrugged. “It looks that way. Sorry, mutt. Your butt is very nice."

  The dog huffed and curled up with his back to me, clearly done with me.

  Belle shook her head with a silent laugh. I hoped the owners were looking for the pest. He was a little butthole.

  My phone dinged. "Can you check that?"

  She grabbed my phone from my bag and unlocked it to check the message. “It's Jules. He said he just got finished at the station and could use a ride."

  "Tell him we'll be there in two minutes."

  Chapter Eight

  Jules' eyes widened when he slid into the backseat next to the dog. "New friend?"

  My grip on the steering wheel tightened. “No. We're just giving him a ride to the vet and hopefully find his owners."

  "Harri and the dog aren't getting along very well." Belle tried to hide her amusement, but she sucked at it.

  Jules’ eyes sparkled with matching amusement in the rear view mirror. ”I see."

  I was glad I could entertain them, but we had more serious and important things to discuss.

  "So, what happened with the Sheriff?" I was way more interested in that information than what was going on with the dog.

  Jules sighed. “Since I was the one to find her and since it's pretty well known around town that she and I have a....strained relationship, I’m one of the top suspects."

  Wonderful. What a mess. This was unacceptable.

  "That makes no sense. Just because she wouldn't stop trying to convince you to return to the family fold and marry her doesn't mean you'd kill her."

  Jules groaned. “I know that. She was nothing more than a minor annoyance I could easily ignore most of the time. But I'm one of the few that doesn't have an alibi at the apparent time of death."

  Sally was literally still annoying him from the grave.

  "What is the time of death?" I asked.

  "There was a thirty minute window where the staff wasn't in the kitchen when there was the opportunity to kill her. They took a break after clean up and before it was time to get the cake ready. The coroner corroborated the time. Sometime between two and two-thirty."

  "Where were you?" I couldn’t remember seeing him around then.

  It was before he’d come to dance with Belle and me. I’d still been reading at the time.

  "Outside getting some air."

  Oh no.

  "And no one saw you?" I almost wanted to cross my fingers, but since he said he had no alibi, I wasn’t holding out much hope.

  "Nope. The party just got a bit hot. After I cooled down, I came in and dragged Belle onto the dance floor."

  I sighed as I maneuvered through the town streets. “So Markle thinks you were in the kitchen killing her instead?"

  "Yeah."

  "Who else doesn't have an alibi?" Belle asked.

  "He didn't share that information with me."

  I groaned. “Crap."

  "You're not planning on getting involved, are you?" Jules asked.

  I snorted. “Of course I am. I'm not going to let you take the fall for this. I know you didn't kill her."

  "Well, I'm glad my best friend doesn't think I'm a murderer, but I doubt I'll actually take the fall. He has no evidence to hold me. The motive is flimsy."

  I eyed him in the rear view mirror as we sat at a stop sign. “You are going to call your grandfather and get his lawyer involved, right?"

  He shook his head. “I don't think I need to do that yet."

  “Julian." I drew out his name with a warning tone.

  "Uh oh. You're full naming me."

  He hated it when I used his whole name even though Belle and I were the only ones allowed to call him Jules.

  "I am. Because Markle is a moron and will be getting pressure from the local...well, everyone to clear this up as soon as he can. So, he's going to go with the easiest answer. And you're the perfect one because you don't have the rich family backing you anymore like probably the rest of the suspects do."

  "Markle may not be the best cop, but he isn't dirty. He won't plant any evidence to get me convicted and there won't be any real evidence for him to actually make an official arrest."

  "I still think you should call your grandfather so they can at least have a head's up with what's going on and can prepare in case it gets worse."

  Why was he being so stubborn?

  "You're going to call him if I don't, aren't you?" Jules asked.

  "Of course. Or get Belle to. He adores her."

  Belle grinned. “I’ll call.”

  Jules shook his head. ”He adores you too."

  "Not as much as you ,which is why you need to call him. He'll want to help. He's proud of the choices you made."

  I’d heard him say so several times. Rarely in Jules’ hearing, but he still said it. And showed it all the time.

  Jules slumped back against the seat. “Fine. I'll call him tonight. You win."

  I threw the car in park in the parking lot of the vet. “Good. Now let's go see about getting rid of this dog."

  "Harriet.” Belle said my name just like I’d said Jules’

  "I mean, let's go make sure the dog's okay."

  Jules snickered as he snuggled with the dog. "He's adorable."

  "You should've seen him before the bath. He was not quite so handsome."

  The dog yipped.

  "I bet that's a big fat lie. There's no way he was anything but precious."

  I rolled my eyes at Jules and Belle making kissy and cooing noises at the stupid thing.

  Chapter Nine

  The stupid thing did not have a chip, so there was no telling who he belonged to. Apparently, he was our problem now unless someone came to claim him. The vet said she'd ask around and put up flyers once Belle got some printed out.

  We had fifty pounds of dog food in the trunk along with enough groceries for the week.

  Belle tried to hide it, but I could tell she was excited. The woman was a complete animal whisperer, so it wasn't a surprise the dog seemed to love her. Animals and I usually got on pretty well, but there was something about the way this dog looked at me I just didn't like or trust. Little dogs annoyed me. They always thought they were so great when most dogs could swallow them whole.

  I sighed as I pulled into the driveway of our new home for the summer and turned to Jules. "Coming in with us?"

  He shook his head. “I’ll let the three of you get settled for now. But I'll be over for dinner so I'll walk over in a little while."

  "See you later, doofus."

  I followed Belle and the dog inside, my arms laden with bags from the grocery store. Jules, the jerk, didn't even bother to help, leaving Belle and I to handle all of it. I understood. He was trying to play it off, but I could tell this whole mess with the Sheriff this morning was messing with him. Sally's death was hard enough, but to be accused of her murder?