“We found one in the rubble during renovations at the antique store. It was behind the cabinets in the back room.”
“He’s not answering,” Mina said.
I glanced over to see her tap the screen, then lift it to her ear again, probably calling Claire. I turned back to Dad. “Do you know why her earring would be in the back room of the antique store?”
He let out an inelegant snort. “Why would I know how it got there? You said yourself she was the owner’s realtor. Maybe that’s how it got there.”
“If it had just been lying on the floor, I might agree with you, but this wasbehindthe countertop, wedged between it and the wall. It fell to the floor when we pulled the cabinet base away. I doubt she was peering into the crack and lost her earring. Did she know Walter Shuman before she listed his property?”
“I don’t know. Like I said, I didn’t spend much time with her. Just when she was with Tommy, and we were all together. They didn’t date long. Just the tail end of our senior year and then that summer. She dumped him when she went off to college.”
“Claire didn’t answer, either.” Mina tossed her phone back into her purse. “They must be out of cell range.”
“We can try again later,” I said. “Dad, can we take this picture?”
“Sure. Just bring it back. I like that one, despite her being in it.”
Balancing the book on my arm, I peeled back the acetate and carefully lifted the photo from the tabs holding it in place. “I’ll be careful with it.”
“I still don’t understand why it’s such a big deal to you. That earring could have ended up there any number of ways.” Dad took the book back when I held it out to him.
I shared a look with Mina, considering how much to share. Ozzie hadn’t forbidden us from talking about the case with others. He hadn’t wanted the bit about the earring to get out, but that couldn’t be helped in this case. “Miranda is involved in some shady real estate deals from the time Moira died,” I said. “This puts her at the scene where Moira’s body was. Maybe not at the same time, but it puts her at the location at some point. It’s just really coincidental.”
“That’s… disturbing.” Dad’s brows twitched into a quick frown. “She was always a little on the type A side and a bit manipulative, but I never got psycho vibes from her.”
“Like I said, it could all be coincidence.” I passed the picture to Mina, who tucked it into a pocket of her handbag. “We’ll let Ozzie sort it out.”
I shared another glance with Mina, having no trouble reading her expression. It said Ozzie was going to hate us for interrupting his time off. Although considering the timing, if we didn’t reach him until tonight or tomorrow, it would be Monday before he could investigate the lead anyway.
Maybe Ozzie and Claire’s weekend wouldn’t be a bust after all.
CHAPTER 32
Mina
“Joe!” I lunged, trying to grab the cat as he rocketed past, hot on Betty’s heels. The puppy yelped as she dashed through the living room.
My cat eluded my grasp, but thankfully, Luke was there to scoop Betty out of harm’s way.
I blew tendrils of hair out of my face and glared at Joe, who now sat perched in the window, tail swishing, as he eyed Luke and the puppy. “You’re terrible.”
Joe lifted a paw and licked it, then swiped his face, like he hadn’t a care in the world.
Luke laughed. “I guess it’s a good thing we’re taking the dogs hiking.”
I sighed. “Yeah.” The demon cat wasnota fan of Claire and Ozzie’s dogs. He’d never really liked Pebbles, but he’d tolerated her. With Betty now added to the mix, I think he felt outnumbered, so he’d gone on the offensive to maintain dominance. All he’d really accomplished was to wreak havoc in the house and break a vase.
“Let’s get their harnesses on and get going.” I turned, looking for Pebbles.
A laugh bubbled free when I saw her peeking out from the edge of the couch, her gaze fixed on the cat. “Betty’s on her own, huh?” Walking over, I picked her up.
Luke and I made quick work of readying the dogs. In minutes, we had them and all our gear and were out the door, heading for the south end of Juneau to hike down Point Bishop Trail.
Thankfully, the drive there was much less eventful than the moments before we left, and we made it there without incident. Pebbles sat on my lap and looked out the window the entire way, while Betty snoozed on the floor at my feet.
The truck dinged for a moment as I opened my door before Luke shut it off. I wrapped my hands in both dogs’ leashes and got out. Luke hopped out and came around to take Betty. Once I had a hand free, I opened the back passenger door to get our backpacks.
Pebbles’s excited bark broke the silence surrounding us in the forest as Luke and I donned our packs beside his truck. It felt a little crazy to take a Yorkie and a four-month-old black lab on a hike through the wilderness, but here we were. Ellis stayed true to his word and dropped off the pack that would comfortably fit Betty, if she decided she was too tired to walk anymore. Pebbles, one of us could carry without a problem. She weighed next to nothing.
