One Dog Too Many (A Mae December Mystery) (17 page)

T
he Little Chapel Road neighborhood meeting was scheduled for seven that evening. Mae called Beth Jensen around six and asked if she should bring some wine.

“We don’t usually drink at the meetings, but everyone needs to relax,” Mae said.

Beth agreed.

Ben called
again, saying he couldn’t pick her up after all, but that he’d meet her at the Jensens’ house.

Mae got to Beth’s house early and helped her put out the snacks and drinks. They heard muffled thumping and music coming from the closed door of the den, where Beth’s three kids had holed up for the duration of the meeting.

“They’re doing homework,” Beth grinned after a particularly loud thump. “Or so they tell me.”

“My sister and I did homework that way, too.” Mae laughed.

They talked about Ruby’s funeral. Beth admitted to feeling some relief after the service, even though everyone wanted the killer caught and hoped that the sheriff would make an arrest soon.

“Now we can finally get this road widened. According to the plans the road commission approved on Friday night, we’ll have a real bus stop. I never want to have anyone go through what we did with my son.”

Mae remembered the day the school bus drove past Billy Jensen, leaving him standing in the tall weeds.

Beth asked Mae to answer the door, welcome everyone, and take coats. Mae stationed herself in the front entry with a glass of wine as people began to arrive. The Ryans were first and Mae was glad to see Jack’s ankle was much improved. Eveline still wasn’t looking very well.

Lucy Ingram came in looking tired, still dressed in scrubs and not wearing lipstick. Tammy would not approve.

“Hi Lucy.” Mae gave her a hug.

“How are you doing?” Lucy asked. “This has been a rough week for you, hasn’t it?”

“You could definitely say that.” Mae shook her head, remembering everything that had happened since the day she reported Ruby missing.

“How are you sleeping?”

“Not well, but I know it’s because of this situation.”

“Well, don’t hesitate to go and see your doctor if you feel you need something to get you through a few nights.”

Lucy
was such a warm empathetic person. Her patients must appreciate her calm kindness in the midst of their traumatic situations. Next, Robin Fanning came in without her husband.

“Hi Robin. Where’s Steven?”

“He got caught up in something for the new project. I thought he was going to be home by seven to stay with our kids but he called and said he needed to work late. Getting a babysitter at this late hour was a pain.” Robin was blessed with striking black Irish looks—fair skin, dark brown curls and blue eyes. When she was in a good mood, her smile was radiant, but tonight she seemed very tired.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, but having David stay with us is getting old. My daughter doesn’t appreciate having to share her brothers’ bedroom. It’s tough getting all three of them settled down and David often ends up sleeping on the couch, anyway.” She gave a sharp exasperated sigh. “We also have Elvis to deal with now, and the extra laundry is a pain. David says he’s looking for a condo. I hope he finds one soon.”

“How’s your sister?” Robin’s sister, Laura, was married to James Connolly
. Mae knew her life would have been turned upside down by this situation as well.

“My poor sister. All of this is awful for her and when Laura’s in bad shape, I always get the call.” She shrugged, but her face was tight. She went to join the rest of the group.

Joe and Neesy Dennis came up the walkway holding hands. Mae was surprised that they had come but then remembered Joe saying his mother was moving into an assisted living situation. MaryLou had fallen earlier this spring and broken her hip. She was about to be released from the rehab center, but her doctor didn’t think she could live on her own any more. Joe and Neesy were moving into her house and selling theirs. They would all be neighbors soon, as well as friends.

“Hey there you two, glad you could make it.”

Neesy gave her a smile. “With four kids, I count this as a date. At least I’m out of the house.”

The Van Attas came in right behind them. Both looked cheerful.

“Hi Annie, Jason.”

“Hi yourself.
It’s almost planting season.” Annie smiled. “We need to get together to do our Garden Walk planning.”

“I know and I’m looking forward to it.” Annie and Mae organized the neighborhood Garden Walk each year and one family hosted it. Ever since they had started, the neighborhood held a fall bulb and perennial exchange. There was a long tradition of “pass along plants” in the middle South, and all those donations contributed to beautifying Little Chapel Road.

“Once we get this road widened, there will be lots of landscaping to do along the new shoulders.”

“We can try out some new shrubs and flowering perennials.”

Jason gave Mae a quick hug and walked into the living room. She suddenly remembered the issue between Ruby and the Van Attas. It had been about the song Jason wrote; the one Ruby had stolen. Mae wondered briefly if Ruby making money from Jason’s song would be a sufficient motive for murder.

At bit later, Mae peered down the driveway, wondering when Ben was going to show up. Moments later, he came in with a gust of spring wind and gave her a hug. He smelled like the fresh outdoor air. She smiled and asked him how he was doing.

“I’m fine.” He looked at her for longer than strictly necessary. “You look very nice tonight.”

“So do you.” He wore jeans and a dark blue shirt. His eyes were almost navy in the dim light of the entryway. “Let me show you in.”

Beth introduced Ben to the group and said since he was so involved in the neighborhood, she thought she should invite him to the meeting.

There was polite laughter.

“Thanks for having me. I don’t have much information for you, except to say we’re making good progress on the investigation and hope to have this whole thing buttoned up soon. I think I can guarantee that by the next neighborhood meeting, the killer will be in jail.”

There were a few raised eyebrows and a short silence. The front door opened and Mae hurried to greet the late arrival. Silas stood there in the entryway. She glanced quickly behind him, but he was alone.

“Hi Silas.” Mae didn’t meet his eyes. She was still upset and conflicted over the incident with his partner, Terry.

“Hi Mae. I thought I’d come to represent the Mead family. Bill Jenson asked me to do so at the funeral. I hope this isn’t going to be awkward. I’m sorry about Terry. He isn’t usually like this. The stress of this whole thing has been awful for all of us.”

“Everyone,” Mae announced, “Silas is here representing the Mead family.”

There was silence for a moment, and then Eveline Ryan, who’d known the Meads for decades, rose slowly from her chair. “Silas, it’s nice to see you. Won’t you come and sit by me?”

He smiled and joined her. After a few awkward moments, the conversation resumed and Beth called the meeting to order. The chairperson rotated yearly, and this year Beth was chairing the meetings. She announced that they needed to do a road cleanup and remove some dead trees.

“We can have the county do it, but they’ll charge us, and it always strengthens our sense of family here on Little Chapel Road when we do these things together.”

After that, the group seemed to relax and the murmur of conversation continued. Mae took the bottles of red and white wine around the room and refilled glasses.

The meeting moved forward, establishing a day for road cleanup, dead tree removal, the Garden Walk and the Spring Fling. Mae offered to host Spring Fling
.

It was close to ten when the meeting ended. Mae walked to the door with Ben and Robin Fanning. Robin’s demeanor seemed cool. She practically snatched her coat when Ben handed it to her. How could she be comfortable with David, who might have murdered his wife, living with her children? Did Robin know more about Ruby’s death than she let on?

“Do you want to stop by my house?” Mae asked Ben as they walked out to his car in the spring evening.

“Yes, I want to, but I can’t. Mae, please be patient with me. A sheriff’s life is awfully demanding, especially during a murder investigation.”

“I understand. Goodnight.”

Mae went home alone
, wondering if she and Ben would ever have a real date.

I
t was Mae’s morning to volunteer at the elementary school. Once a month she took a dog or two up to the school library for reading time. A creative English teacher had started the program. She believed that children who struggled with reading aloud in front of their classmates would improve by reading to dogs. Dogs gave everyone unconditional positive regard, and when children felt accepted, their skills improved.

At first, the program used only registered therapy dogs, but since Tallulah, Titan, and Thoreau had completed their Canine Good Citizen training, the school was happy to have them. She decided she’d bring both Tallulah and Titan today. Thoreau
, Noah’s old Rottweiler, had hip joints which gave him trouble in damp weather, and getting him in and out of the car was hard on him.

Mae got dressed in jeans and a special sweatshirt she had made for this program. On the front of the sweatshirt was a picture of all three dogs. Tallulah was wearing glasses. Beneath the picture the wording read, “What! Dogs Can’t Read?” When the kids saw the sweatshirt, they usually giggled.

She loaded Tallulah and Titan into the car and drove to the school. The bright sunny morning with a light breeze made her spirits rise as she drove down Little Chapel Road and turned onto River Road. The trees were leafing out and the smell of honeysuckle floated through her open window.

Walking into the beautiful library, Mae was greeted with smiles and waves from the kids and a quick hug from Cecilia Llewellyn, the English teacher. The library was quite large for an elementary school, with bookshelves four feet high on all the exterior walls. The architect had installed clerestory windows above the bookshelves, and natural light poured into the space. There were a half dozen low tables with six chairs around each one. Mae always got a kick out of the miniature furniture. It was just the right size for first graders.

Only five children were waiting to read to the dogs. She knew them all by now and said hello to each. Cecelia had provided nametags in the beginning, to help Mae learn their names. Two other women came in with their dogs. The children clustered around each dog.

Each child had selected a book to read to the dogs ahead of time. She saw some Dr. Seuss books and remembered the fun of reading those books to her nephews and niece.

Mae sat at the table with her two students, Jackson and Will. Jackson had selected a book about recess and the Seuss children’s classic,
The Foot Book
. Will had picked one that was all about dirt. She looked at her furry children to be sure that they were sitting quietly before asking Jackson to begin.

“One foot, two foot, red foot, blue foot
…” Jackson’s little voice was serious. He focused on the words and then shifted his gaze up towards Titan, as if he wanted the corgi’s approval. He was adorable.

Will started reading his book, which also rhymed. Rhyming books were easier for the kids to read aloud. They seemed to get into a rhythm that made the words flow more smoothly.

When Mae started with the program, she had met with the reading teachers and asked if she should correct pronunciation. They said no. Instead, she was encouraged to become invisible once they started reading. Sitting there, hearing their small voices gain in confidence and volume and looking at the napes of their necks as they bent over their books, Mae wondered if she’d ever be lucky enough to have a child of her own.

After they read their books, Mae showed the boys the newest trick the dogs had learned. “Sit dogs. Now wave.” The dogs lifted their right front paws. The kids giggled.

After all the children were finished reading and had assembled by the checkout table, Mae told them about Tallulah’s five puppies.

“They’re too little to come to school today, but I’ll bring them up after they have their first shots.”

“What kind of puppies are they?” a little girl asked.

“They’re called Porgis. They’re a combination of their mother Tallulah,
the black pug and their father Titan who is a Welsh corgi.”

“Can they eat puppy food yet?”

“No, they’re still nursing and Tallulah needs to get back to them soon. So, I have to go.”

“Children, time to go back to class now,” Cecelia told them. “Say goodbye and thank you to Miss Mae, Mrs. West and Miss Worthington.”

“Thank you, Miss Mae. Goodbye, goodbye.”

As they trooped out, she turned to Cecelia. “I should really be the one thanking them. It’s a pleasure to work with them in this program.”

The teacher smiled, nodded her head in agreement and helped Mae get the dogs back into the car. Mae drove out of the school parking lot feeling calm and peaceful. A few blocks later, her cellphone rang. Caller ID showed “Don December.”

“Hi,
Honey. It’s Dad. I found a few more pictures of our mystery man in my digital files. Funny thing. In almost all of the shots, he’s staring at you. You’re still sure you don’t know him?”

“I’m pretty sure, Daddy. I do think there’s something
creepy about him, though. ”

“Well, baby, don’t worry. He was probably an aspiring songwriter, and Noah beat him to it. I don’t want to leave anyone important out of the book. I’m going to go through my old police photos, too, just in case.”

They said goodbye and Mae looked left to check oncoming traffic before her turn. When she faced forward again, she saw a man hurrying down the sidewalk to her right. He quickly turned his head away from her, almost as if he didn’t want her to see him. He was a big man wearing a long winter coat. A little bit of blond hair stuck out from under his hat. Mae drove home with images of the man in Daddy’s pictures running through her brain.