Murder Most Howl: A Paws & Claws Mystery (34 page)

I nodded at him. “You sure are.”

Ben and Holmes clattered down the stairs. Ben carried his suitcase.

“Are you taking off?”

Ben nodded. “The car’s okay. Not as pretty as it used to be but it’s running fine.”

“He’s giving me a lift to the airport. Mr. Huckle told us about Sylvie. Who’d have thought it? She seemed so sweet.” Holmes reached down for a hug and kissed me on the cheek. “No more getting into trouble.”

“I promise. Ben, if Ian and Geof Tredwell moved Norm’s body, will they go to prison?”

“Probably not. They’re squeaky clean, and they’ll hire an ace attorney. Most likely they’ll get a couple of years of probation.”

Ben reached over for a hug and kissed my other cheek. “Tell Twinkletoes I’ll miss her hissing.”

Trixie looked up at me and whined when they walked out the door. “Me too, Trixie. Me too.”

*   *   *

I was bringing Dave coffee when Shadow returned. “Some folks around Wagtail take their dogs to work. Like you!” Shadow scratched behind Trixie’s ears. “So I was wonderin’ if it would be okay—”

“You got a dog!”

“Yeah. He was put up for adoption in the If the Dog Fits program. I’m just lucky those folks found another dog they liked better.” He walked over and opened the door. “C’mon, boy.”

A little red bloodhound puppy walked inside. I had a hunch he was the one the Tredwells had ignored when Charlotte choose Ella Mae. He was adorable. His long ears flapped when he walked. If his paws were any indication, he was going to be a big fellow. He looked around curiously and trotted over to Trixie and me.

“Does he have a name yet?” I set the tray on the reception desk.

“Elvis.”

I reached for the little guy and swung him up in my arms. “Welcome to the Sugar Maple Inn family, Elvis!”

Thirty-nine

The next day, Weegie and I left Puddin’ and Trixie at the inn with Zelda and paid Myrtle a visit at the hospital.

“The food here is lousy and the nurses don’t know what they’re doing. They might finish the job of killing me for Sylvie.”

Weegie whispered, “I think she’s feeling better.”

I placed a vase of flowers near the window. “We’re all wondering how you knew Sylvie murdered Norm.”

“I didn’t,” she grumbled. “When we were eating at The Blue Boar, she left her phone on the table while she went to the ladies’ room. I read her e-mail.” Myrtle shrugged, which I took to mean she knew it was wrong of her. “I slipped the phone into my purse and hid it in my room because I wanted to see if I could find any other interesting e-mail. She pretended she had never been to Wagtail before, which I thought very peculiar. She must have followed me when I left the inn to pay a visit to Norm’s widow. Sylvie caught up to me, placed a gun in my back, and led me to those stairs. I knew I was a goner.”

I wondered if I should tell her that the gun was the fake one used for Murder Most Howl but decided against it. “None of you ever knew of Sylvie’s connection to Wagtail? She never mentioned that her daughter lived here once?”

Weegie shook her head. “All the girls have been talking about this. Sylvie had only been a member of The Thursday Night Cloak and Dagger Club for a few months. She complained bitterly about her daughter living so far away. And we knew about her husband’s health issues, but she never mentioned Wagtail to any of us.”

“Myrtle, is there anything I can do for you?” I handed Myrtle a gift certificate for a weeklong stay at the inn.

Myrtle tore it into shreds and threw them in the air. “You couldn’t pay me to go back to that dump.” She clenched her teeth and refused to look at me.

After that little tantrum, I thought it best to wait for Weegie out in the hall.

When she left Myrtle’s room, she said, “Wouldn’t you think a brush with death would make a person appreciate life?”

I would have thought so.

*   *   *

The following week, a letter came in the mail from Blanche.

Dear Holly,

I don’t know if you will remember me, but we recently met in Wagtail.

Was she kidding? Who would forget Blanche Wimmer Tredwell?

You took me to a cute pub called Hair of the Dog, where I made my favorite hamburgers. Turns out that one of the people who was watching videotaped the whole thing and posted it on the web. It went viral and found its way to an executive for a TV cooking channel. They have just hired me to host my own cooking show, “Brunch with Blanche.” Funny how things turn out sometimes.

All best,
Blanche

The snow had melted by the time Oma and Rose returned from their vacation. They brimmed with tales of their adventure. We settled back into a normal routine. No one missed Norm.

Over a breakfast of French toast and strawberries one morning, Mr. Huckle and I told Oma what had happened, omitting the more worrisome details. She was appalled, but took it in stride, until a month later when she called me into the office.

Oma slid a magazine in front of me. It was open to a beautiful photo of the Sugar Maple Inn after a snowfall. And the byline read
Robin Jarvis
.

Oh no!
She was a travel writer! My heart sank right down to my toes. She described the If the Dog Fits program in glowing terms, complete with a picture of Duke and Ella Mae posing by a fireplace in their new forever home.

She went on to describe Murder Most Howl as a funtastic weekend.

The mountains were majestic, the inn romantic, and the service sublime. In spite of a blizzard, power outages, and other unexpected calamities, Holly Miller and her staff kept their guests comfortable and entertained. Five stars.

I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath. I sucked some air in.

“Good work,
liebchen
!” Oma smiled proudly.

If she only
knew.

Author’s Note

I have home-cooked for my dogs for many years. Consult your veterinarian if you want to switch your dog over to home-cooked food. It’s not as difficult as one might think. Keep in mind that, like children, dogs need a balanced diet, not just a hamburger. Any changes to your dog’s diet should be made gradually so your dog’s stomach can adjust.

Chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, fatty foods, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, onions and garlic, salt, xylitol, and unbaked dough can be toxic to dogs. For more information about foods your dog should not eat, consult the Pet Poison Helpline at petpoisonhelpline.com/pet-
owners.

Recipes

For People, for Dogs, and a Few the Two May Share

Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

For people.

Cake

1½ cups flour

1 cup pecans

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1½ teaspoons cinnamon

¾ teaspoon nutmeg

¾ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon salt

2 medium apples, peeled and cored

½ cup sugar + extra

1¼ sticks (10 tablespoons) butter at room temperature + extra for greasing the pan

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Place the flour, pecans, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the pecans are fine. Transfer the flour mixture to a bowl. Insert the grating disk and grate the apples.

Take 1 tablespoon of sugar out of the plain sugar and set it aside. Cream the butter with the sugars. Beat in the eggs. Alternate adding the applesauce and the flour mixture until completely combined. Stir in the grated apples.

Grease the Bundt pan liberally. Sprinkle the extra sugar on the butter. You may need another tablespoon of sugar for full coverage. Use a cooking spoon to ladle the batter into the Bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake 40 minutes or until it begins to pull away from the sides and a cake tester comes out clean.

Allow to rest on a baking rack about 5 to 10 minutes. Loosen the edges, and flip onto the rack. When cool, top with caramel.

Caramel

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

¼ cup heavy cream

Place the ingredients in a deep microwave-safe dish (I used a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup). Microwave in short bursts, stirring occasionally, until it bubbles up and the sugar melts. (You may find that you even like it if the sugar doesn’t melt!)

Swedish Tea Ring

For people.

Dough

½ cup milk

½ cup water

2 packages instant yeast

3½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup butter, softened

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup sugar