Pawprints, Prose & Murder: A Cozy English Animal Mystery (A Dickens & Christie Mystery Book 9) by Kathy Manos Penn

Author:Kathy Manos Penn [Penn, Kathy Manos]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Manos Penn & Ink
Published: 2023-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

I was nowhere ready to leave the bed when Christie landed on my chest the next morning. For the first time in a long while, I hadn’t cracked open a book before turning out the light. Considering that I was in the middle of an engrossing Wesley Peterson mystery, that was quite a statement.

Christie licked my chin. “One of you needs to get up. I want milk.”

I rolled to my side and stretched my hand toward Dave, sure that Christie was mistaken. Nope. He was in bed too. Guess it’s my turn to be the first one up.

When I quietly pulled the covers back and swung my feet to the floor, Dickens yawned and stretched. Why was it he could be so patient while Christie was so demanding?

Downstairs, I followed the morning routine—hit the ON button for the coffee, let Dickens out, and pour a puddle of milk for Christie. I stared listlessly out the kitchen window as I waited for the coffee to brew, and it was a minute or two before I recognized the telltale gurgling sound. That was a sign Dave had forgotten to prepare the coffee the night before.

He descended the stairs as I was remedying that oversight. It was rare to see him neither bright-eyed nor bushy-tailed, and it was comforting to know I wasn’t the only one exhausted by our detective work. “You look as though you need a cup of coffee as badly as I do.”

“You can say that again. What time was it when we turned out the light? It couldn’t have been that late.”

“Around eleven, I think, which is late for me but not for my resident night owl.”

We sat at the table, each cradling a mug of coffee and lost in thought. Neither of us seemed ready to face the day. It was Dave who finally broke the silence as he stood to let Dickens in. “Is it time to call Ellie?”

“I suppose. We at least need to know the lay of the land over there. I wonder whether Simon’s release has made Frances feel any better and whether she’ll leave her room today. It doesn’t change the fact that her daughter is dead, but it must help some.”

“True. Tell you what—let me hop in the shower first, and I’ll make us scrambled eggs and bacon. After that, we can call Ellie and Claire.”

That sounded fine to me. He headed upstairs, and I let Dickens in and took my coffee to the sitting room. Dickens watched as I wandered the room, studying the pages hanging on the wall. What now? What answers do we need and how do we get them?

I grabbed a marker and wrote Motives across a fresh sheet of paper. Down the left side, I wrote Love, Lust, Lucre, and Loathing.

Who had a motive for killing her? Nothing leaped to mind for Love and Lust. If one of her lovers had a jealous partner, I didn’t know about them. Heck, I didn’t even know who her lovers were—I only knew about the ones she seemed to be considering here in Astonbury.

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