Murder at Hound Hill by Cindy Bell

Author:Cindy Bell [Bell, Cindy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-04-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

When Nikki arrived at Shana’s house, she found it dark and quiet. She knocked lightly on the door and heard Scout bark. He jumped up against the window and stared out at her.

“Shana?” Nikki called out through the door.

Nikki hesitated as she wondered if she should let herself in. Shana had given her the key when Nikki had agreed to walk Scout on a regular basis, but she didn’t just want to walk into her house without checking if Shana wanted Nikki to walk Scout today. When she had left the day before she was upset and hadn’t mentioned anything. Nikki pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Shana’s number.

“Hello?” Shana’s voice wobbled between frazzled and exhausted.

“Shana, it’s Nikki. I’m at your house, I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to walk Scout today or not.” Nikki waved at the dog through the window as he bounced back and forth with excitement.

“Oh yes, please do. I’m sorry, I meant to text you. I’ve just been trying to make arrangements for Gustav, and things got a little out of hand, and now, well.” Shana sighed. “Now, I’m having chocolate cake, much too much chocolate cake.”

“That’s okay. You need to be able to unwind. I’ll take Scout out for his walk, and if there’s anything else I can help you with, please let me know.” Nikki used the key to unlock the front door.

Scout immediately bounded up to her with all of the enthusiasm of an inmate experiencing freedom for the first time in a long time.

“Great, thanks, Nikki. I’ll be home before you get back. I just needed to take a minute.”

“Take your time.” Nikki ended the call, then clipped Scout’s leash onto his collar. She felt a sense of urgency rush through her as she stood up.

Gustav spent much of his time here, hiding out with Shana, evading the public eye. It was as if she could feel his presence. She took a slow breath as the house swirled around her. Maybe she wasn’t getting enough sleep, or enough to eat, but something about being there alone in Shana’s house made her feel a bit dizzy.

“Let’s go, boy.” Nikki reached down and gave Scout a good pet, then led him out through the front door.

Nikki paused and locked the door behind her.

As Nikki started out on the walk, Scout pranced ahead of her, gleefully. However, Nikki felt heavier than ever. It was easy to dismiss Gustav as no great loss, considering what he did for a living, but when she thought about him with Shana, it became a lot harder. He had loved someone, or at least claimed to, and she had loved him back. Now she was planning his funeral, while his killer was still on the loose. Nikki’s teeth clenched at the thought. No one should have to endure that kind of pain.

As Nikki continued to walk, she became aware of an engine not far behind her. The traffic was light, and even though the residential speed limit was twenty-five, it seemed the car attempted to match her casual pace.

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