Chapter Thirty-One
For once Pepper blended in at the dog park, her black outfit a match to everyone else dressed in mourning to pay their respects. The somber mood was conveyed poignantly by the General and Colonel Jim as they approached the concrete pillar where the Davy Jones statue used to be and laid a single red rose on top.
The General opened his mouth to speak, but his broad shoulders shook as if he’d been overcome by an emotion too powerful for words. Jim pulled him into a tight embrace.
“Dear Lord,” Lillian whispered in a choking voice. She dabbed her eyes with a lace-edged handkerchief. “Must be my allergies acting up.”
“But who would do such a thing?” Pepper asked nobody and everyone. “Who would want to steal Davy Jones?”
“Someone without a soul,” Lillian responded with vehemence.
“We’re starting a neighborhood watch.” The General approached, finding his voice. “Doing evening patrols.”
Colonel Jim nodded. “The mayor’s come to pay his condolences. Maybe he has an update.”
Beau Marino entered through the wrought iron gate dressed in a rumpled suit. Despite his olive skin, there were dark circles under his eyes.
“Any leads?” Lillian called out.
Beau shook his head. “Not yet.”
“No surveillance footage?” the General asked.
“The park isn’t outfitted with cameras.”
“The police should be conducting door-to-door searches,” Colonel Jim said with feeling. “Can you authorize the funding?”
“You think someone in town has Davy Jones?” Pepper asked.
“Everyone is a suspect,” Lillian replied firmly.
“Everyone?” Pepper was dubious. “That means anyone here. We have to be able to rule some folks out.”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps he was snatched as a prank by an out-of-towner who thinks that hometown pride and traditional values are something to poke fun at,” Lillian retorted, glaring at her over the top of her tiger-print bifocals. “Oh, I wish Doc were here.”
Pepper glared back. Someone was still bitter about losing all those Scrabble games.
“Ladies, ladies.” The General stepped between them. “We can’t fight amongst ourselves. The enemy wants grief to tear us apart. Fear can’t win today.”
“How can you be so sure what the enemy wants?” Pepper asked.
Beau crossed his arms and regarded her blearily. “I suppose you’ve heard about Davy Jones by now?”
“Yes,” Pepper said, uncomfortable under the full force of the mayor’s scrutiny. She knew who he was, of course. The distance between elected Everland officials and the electorate was often the person ahead in line at Sweet Brew. Still, he was Rhett’s best friend, and until this moment he had never directly spoken to her. Plus, he was good-looking, in an intimidating way. Not like he was going to throw a punch, but he looked like he could. And he’d make it hurt.
“Then you can appreciate how he is a well-beloved town mascot.”
Everyone murmured in agreement.
“Which raises the question, why would someone from town steal it?” Pepper asked, hoping to get them thinking in the right direction.
“You’re asking a lot of questions. What were you doing last night?” another voice called out.
It took Pepper a moment to realize that the question was being leveled at her. Worse still, she knew exactly what she’d been doing last night, and the fact it was dirty deeds with the beloved town vet wasn’t an answer she could toss out. Her cheeks heated.
“That’s a guilty look,” Lillian muttered. “Look at that. I know a guilty look and she’s got one.”
“How could I have stolen that statue? It would weigh as much as me.” Pepper bristled with impatience. They were chasing their tails and missing the bigger picture. “And more important, why would I even want it?”
