CHAPTERFIFTEEN
“Well, this has been a busy day, hasn’t it?” Sam said to Dooley later that day. After his meeting with Bunny at Sandcastles, he’d taken Dooley for a walk on the beach. Now they were back home in the dining room, where Sam was clearing some of the knickknacks off the tables.
He glanced over at Dooley as if looking for an answer, but the dog was staring into the kitchen, his gaze riveted on the counter, where Sam had put the bakery bag of Beach Bones.
“Oh, I see, you have other things on your mind.” Sam took one of the bones out of the bag, broke it in half, tossed it to Dooley, then returned to the dining room.
“I think these will be much better in the curio cabinet.” Sam wasn’t much of a knickknack guy. Jean had collected all of these little glass figures, frogs, fish, dogs—you name it. She’d placed them on various tables and windowsills around the house. She hadn’t overdone it so it didn’t look cluttered, and the figures were cute, but Sam though it was time for a cleaner look.
He didn’t want to toss them away—that would be like tossing Jean away—so he moved them to the curio cabinet, arranging them carefully in a way he thought she would like. When he was done, he stood back and smiled. At first, he’d thought doing this might make him sad, but as it turned out, it only did a teeny bit. Mostly, it felt right. This way, the main parts of the house would be a little less about her and a little more about him.
“It’s about time I make the place my own, don’t you think?”
“Woof.” Dooley seemed to agree. Or maybe he just wanted another bone.
“You don’t think I should have invited her over here, do you?”
Dooley tilted his head as of considering the question.
Sam hadn’t really known what to suggest to Bunny when it came to continuing their investigation, but it seemed a bit awkward to invite her to his house. Was he being too old-fashioned? It wasn’t like they were going on dates; they were investigating a suspect.
But was Mr. Smith really a suspect? His detective instincts told him probably not, but still, there was no harm in what they were doing. And Bunny had said something that struck home… She’d said it made her feel useful. And that was exactly how it made Sam feel. Not to mention that he enjoyed Bunny’s company. And she did crosswords! Since Jean had died, it seemed most of their friends had drifted away. About time Sam got some new ones.
Sam glanced at the clock. “Sorry, you can’t come to the library.”
Dooley padded over to the plush dog bed Sam had bought for him and made a show of lying down as if trying to tell Sam he preferred to take a nap anyway.
Sam grabbed the book of extra-difficult crossword puzzles from the pile on the end table in the den.Let’s see Bunny try to solve these,he thought.
Out in the garage, he glanced at the Corvette still sitting under the tarp. It had been there a long time. Maybe he should at least wash and wax it. He reached out then pulled his hand back.No, better to leave it covered.
His convertible days were over. Besides, he was much more interested in this new investigation than in driving around in a flashy car anyway.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
“Don’t forget to bring a jacket. It’s going to be colder in Bar Harbor,” Andie instructed into the phone as if Jane didn’t know that Bar Harbor was much farther north and, thus, colder.
“Yes, Mom.” Jane switched the phone to her other hand as she leaned into the car to grab the bag of things for Cooper that she was bringing to Mike’s. He already had his own basket of toys, dog beds, treats, and food at Mike’s, but for some reason, Jane felt like she should bring more. It might have been the slight guilt at leaving him for the weekend trip with Andie. She hadn’t left Lobster Bay since meeting Mike and Cooper.
“Very funny.”
Jane could hear the bell in Andie’s shop tinkle, announcing a customer, then Andie said, “Okay, catch you later. I’ll pick you up bright and early tomorrow.”
Jane hung up and tugged Cooper to Mike’s front door. Mike lived in an upscale townhouse with crisp white vinyl siding and gray shutters. It had a nice backyard for Cooper and great landscaping throughout the development.
“You’re going to miss me, right?” She glanced down at Cooper. His silky blond tail wagged, and his soulful brown eyes gazed up at her. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
She knocked on the door. She had a key but still felt a little funny just walking in. When Mike didn’t answer after a few seconds, she rang the bell.
Footsteps echoed, and then he answered. His hair was a bit messy, and… were those wood chips in it?
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi. Were you in the basement?” Jane peered into his place, expecting to see signs of a home renovation project. Was he changing things in preparation to ask her to move in?
“What? No. I mean, yes. The breaker went.” He stood back and opened the door for them to enter then crouched down to pet Cooper, who wriggled, basking in the attention.
“The breaker? This place is brand-new. You wouldn’t think there would be electrical issues.” Jane felt like Mike was acting a bit suspicious, but why? Did this have something to do with her ring suspicions? What would a ring have to do with electricity?
