Page 48 of A Whisker in the Night

“The Bartender’s Dream?” Matilda laughs as if it was a joke. “More like the Bartender’s Nightmare. The devices have spontaneously combusted so many times there’s a class-action lawsuit against her. She went cheap on the construction of them. The woman is as money-hungry as they come.”

My mouth falls open. How did I not know that? I must be slipping up. I blame the constant fatigue and brain fog. The old me would have researched the machine long before I was standing here.

“She’ll skip town,” Hammie Mae predicts while wiping her eyes. “She killed my father and now she thinks she’s going to get away with it.”

“I don’t think she’s going anywhere.” I shake my head. “She mentioned buying another home, a smaller one right here in town. She said she couldn’t bear to live in that big old house she shared with your dad. It’s too painful.” Wait, did Verity say it was in Cider Cove? I think she may have inferred it. I blame my pregnant brain for not committing the details to memory. “Nonetheless, she has the Celebration Grill to run. She’ll be local regardless.”

Matilda snorts a laugh. “Please. She’s not buying a smaller home. She bought onetwicethe size. I had lunch with her real estate agent two days ago, who happens to bemyfriend. She just sold Verity an estate in the Maldives.”

The baby kicks so hard that I gasp. “The Maldives? Why does that sound familiar?”

Hammie Mae shrugs as she holds her belly. “I’m sorry, Bizzy, but I’ve got to get some food in me. I only ate two of the four breakfasts my little one seems to require. I’m starved.” She links arms with her mother. “Come on, Mom. They have cornbread muffins at the bakery and I’m craving one slathered with honey butter.”

“Ooh,” I say, suddenly craving one myself. I can’t help it. I’m a sucker for honey butter.

I watch them go, wondering if I just let the killer walk away.

What do you think, Bizzy?Fish mewls.Or more to the point, what didtheythink? Did they do it?

“Matilda still hasn’t admitted to guilt,” I say. “But she’s still my prime sus—” The word gets cut off in my throat as something catches my eye. “These footprints,” I say, pointing at the slanted cutouts in the soft spring earth below. “Oh my goodness, I just remembered there were footprints at the scene of the crime, two of them.” I glance up and see the slanted footprints match up with Hammie Mae’s boots. “I guess that confirms what she said. She was at the scene of the crime.” I gasp. “Wait a minute… There was another set of footprints there that day.”

I pull out my phone and check the photos I took of the crime scene that day.

“I was right,” I pant. “There were two sets of footprints around the body and leading away from it, too.”

The baby does a complete somersault as I zoom in on the image of that second set of footprints and suck in a quick breath.

If I’m right about these footprints, I know exactly who the killer is.

Looks like someone is about to have a very unhappy Easter—and it’s not the bunny.

Chapter 31

My search for Virtuoso high heels brings up more than just their eye-popping price tag.

It turns out, those ten-thousand-dollar status symbols leave a distinctive V-pattern in their wake—a not-so-subtle homage to their name. I zoom back in on the crime scene photo, and there it is—a larger faint V impression followed by a sharp, tiny V from the heel. And here I wondered if a rat could have left them. I suppose in a way they did. A murderous rat.

“Oh wow.” I shake my head at the sight.

The baby kicks so hard I nearly drop my phone. Either they’re trying to help with the investigation or objecting to the shoe prices. Most likely both.

A flash of hot pink catches my eye. It’s Verity herself power-walking toward the dirt parking lot as if she’s trying to outpace her conscience.

She’s leaving,Fish says with a sharp meow.

You don’t think Verity did this, do you?Jellybean sounds more alarmed than I’ve ever heard her.I mean, she’s awful, but is she a killer?

“I don't know,” I pant, already waddling in pursuit. “But I’m about to find out.”

I’m about to set in that direction when Sherlock Bones bounds our way.

Where are you headed?Sherlock asks with his tail wagging.The floats are still coming! Mayor Woods says the grand finale will have everyone talking for days!

“I don’t doubt that,” I say, still moving toward my hot pink target.

We’re off to catch a killer,Fish yowls after him.You go and enjoy your float.We’re doing just fine on our own.

Don’t go, Sherlock,Jellybean meows.We might need protection. Hamish always said Verity was a loose cannon and couldn’t be trusted.

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