keeping from me?”
I couldn’t answer her. Not here. I trained my focus on Emily. “Are you sure that’s why Mick stole into my shop?”
“That’s what his note said. You don’t think”—she inhaled sharply—“he went there to meet her, do you?” The way she said her sent chills through me. “He didn’t. He wouldn’t. I mean, you don’t understand. He and Petra did not go to clandestine places. Their affair was out in the open. They met at her house, our house, and well-known inns, too. It was like Mick wanted me to catch him.”
My mouth dropped open.
“You’re wondering how I know where they met,” Emily continued. “You’re wondering if I was spying on them. No.” She waggled a finger. “I know because Mick had a habit of keeping business cards from every place he went. He was a sucker for them.” She let out a scornful laugh. “Long ago, a mentor told him that having a business card readily available was the best way to promote Wizard of Paws.” She mimed removing a card from a pocket and handing it to me. “As a result, Mick collected hordes of them, too.”
I flashed on the business cards lying on the patio next to Mick’s body. Why had he carried one for his attorney? Wouldn’t Mick have entered Youngman’s contact number on his cell phone? Maybe Mick had recently visited Youngman and, out of habit, had taken another card. If he’d visited Youngman, had he discussed changing his will by cutting out Emily and including someone else, say Mick’s sister or Petra? Did Emily kill him before he could finalize the change? Had Summers questioned the attorney?
Shep nudged Emily’s hand and growled.
She tugged his ears fondly. “I know, boy. I know.” To me she said, “The poor fool has been acting strangely ever since Mick died. He does this growl thing all the time. Especially at two in the morning.” She lowered her voice. “Between us, I wonder if Mick’s spirit might be visiting me. I suppose that might sound silly to you, or perhaps it doesn’t, seeing as you believe in fairies.” She peered at me. “You do, don’t you?”
I nodded. I didn’t care if Emily thought I was crazy. Fiona was real. She flew in front of Emily’s face and stared into her eyes as if trying to assess the woman’s truthfulness.
“You know, my great-grandfather swore he saw ghosts at Point Pinos Lighthouse,” Emily went on. “He told my brother and me stories that would make your hair stand on end about wraiths flying around and blowing in his face to taunt him. I’ve never seen a ghost, but I’m a believer.”
Fiona blew air at Emily; she didn’t react.
Shep butted Emily’s leg.
She cooed to him. “Yes, I know, boy. Time to get going.” She met my gaze. “I think S-H-E-P might need special training to work through the trauma. Gregory Darvell has offered to work with him. He said”—she nodded in Shep’s direction—“he might be suffering PTSD. Can dogs get that?”
“I would assume any living, breathing creature can,” I said. “However, I thought Mick didn’t want Shep to go into competition.”
“Gregory won’t be training him. He’ll only be helping him psychologically, like a dog whisperer.”
I wondered whether I should tell her the theory I’d heard at the tea, that Gregory Darvell should be a suspect in Mick’s death. Did Detective Summers consider Gregory a person of interest? The police weren’t keeping me apprised of their investigation. I doubted they were looping in Emily, either.
“It’ll cost a lot of money, of course,” Emily went on, “but Shep is all I have, aren’t you, boy?” She tickled him under his neck. “Yes, you are.” She tilted her head. “What do you think I should do?”
“About?”
“The D-O-G?”
I bit back a smile. Not because Fiona was sitting on Shep’s head but because Emily’s spelling D-O-G so the dog wouldn’t understand was endearing.
“Whatever it takes,” I said. “You want him to be happy, don’t you?”
“More than anything. He’s my world now. Thanks, Courtney. I appreciate your advice. Let’s go, boy.” Emily returned inside Wizard of Paws. Shep followed at her heels.
As Emily disappeared, I couldn’t help wondering about her motive to kill her husband. She had obviously loved Mick, but he’d duped her, and, with him gone, as long as she wasn’t proven guilty, she would inherit everything. Money could heal a whole heap of regrets.
Thinking about Emily’s likely inheritance made me reflect on Logan and his possible money problems. Had debt driven him to