“Well, we will be good friends, then. I’ve been meaning to come in and order our books for next fall’s Sunday school. We like to work with secular bookstores in our community to purchase our more widely available books. I’ll send you an email. Do you have a card?” He leaned forward with his to offer her.

  “Thanks, actually, I don’t have one on me, but I’ll shoot you an email as soon as I get back into the store today. I’d love to talk about how we can work together.” Rarity looked up and saw Archer watching her in the rearview mirror. He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. Had this been why he’d wanted her to come on the hike? To get her in touch with the Evanses and their book needs? She waved and turned back to Chloe. “Tell me more about Martha. I’d love to know more about her. Especially since I’m raising her dog.”

  Chloe told several stories about Martha, but by the time they got to the trailhead, Rarity hadn’t learned anything new. Chloe was just finishing up a story about Martha’s cancer journey when Pastor Evans interrupted her.

  “Actually, she didn’t have a second bout of cancer. Just before she died, she’d gone to a new doctor, and he’d said she was clear and had been clear for a while. She came to me, well, it must have been a few days before she died, and asked about forgiveness. I can’t go into all that she said, since it’s between a pastor and his charges, but she wasn’t happy. I can tell you that.”

  “I’d heard that from someone else too,” Rarity admitted and saw the look of relief on the pastor’s face. “I can’t believe someone would tell her something like that just to sell more product.”

  “Medicine isn’t an exact science. Maybe her records got mixed up with someone else’s? I told her to give the man the benefit of the doubt until after she’d talked to him. I hope it was all just a matter of miscommunication.”

  “Time to disembark,” Archer called from the front. “Let’s get our hike on before it gets too hot to handle out here.”

  “That’s a great idea.” Pastor Evans stood and motioned to Rarity to stand and move forward so Chloe could get out. “It was really nice meeting you, and if you’re looking for a church family, come on by one Sunday. I swear you’ll love it. We have an amazing choir, and the women’s group is studying the application of Ruth in today’s society.”

  “I’ll think about it.” She moved up the two steps that the person in front of her had made available so that she could let Chloe out.

  “Now, James, don’t scare the girl off. I like this one.” Chloe smiled at Rarity and gently squeezed her shoulder. “We would love to have you attend. But I get it if you’re too busy. Young people today are typically too busy for church until their lives change, and they start adding new members to their families.”

  “Well, I have Killer, and he’s the only new member I intend to add to my family as far as I can tell. Thanks for letting me know a little more about Martha. I appreciate it. I’m taking Killer to the vet next week, and I’m not sure he’s even the right one.”

  “Dr. Heinlein was Killer’s vet. I’m sure they have all the records.”

  She blinked her eyes. Had it been that simple to get a real answer? “Thanks. That’s not who I was scheduled to see. I’ll get that changed up.”

  “Oh, anyone in his office would have access to his records.”

  “Actually, he’s not even in the same office.”

  “Gay should have told you where to take Killer. She drove Martha there when Killer was sick. They thought they were going to lose him. Gay was such a good friend,” Chloe said as they made their way off the bus.

  “I didn’t ask Madame—I mean, Gay—about the vet. I thought they weren’t talking before Martha’s death. That they were in a bad spot due to their husbands.” Rarity tried to turn her head to watch the woman, but she couldn’t see anyone behind her.

  “Poppycock. That had been over for years. No one keeps a grudge going that long, not even over a man.” Chloe glanced back, but the pastor was engaged in a conversation with Jonathon. “Martha wasn’t happy with her life. And if she’d wanted something to happen, she’d have called Gay.”

  Rarity got ready for the hike, tucking her empty travel cup into her backpack. When she looked around, both Jonathon and the Evanses had left her behind. She was going to go talk to Madame Zelda again and see if there was anything else she’d left out.

  Rarity blew a breath out and let her anger drain with it. A trick she’d learned from Sam and the yoga classes she was always trying to get Rarity to attend. It wasn’t Madame Zelda’s purpose on earth to make sure Rarity knew everything she needed to know. Maybe she’d thought Martha had left Killer with Rarity and that’s how she’d come to have the small dog. But more than likely, she was just missing a friend.

  Or she’d killed Martha and didn’t want to talk about her for a whole different reason.

  Chapter 18

  Rarity paced on her deck as Sam checked the food on the grill again. “I swear, Sam, maybe I should just go over there and ask her point-blank if she knows who killed Martha.”

  “Great plan. Then when she shoots you and cuts your body up into little pieces, the only thing big enough to identify you will be a sample for a DNA test.” Sam set the tongs down and went over to sit on the edge of the pool. “Come sit with me. You paid enough for this pool, you should use it more.”

  “I use it a lot. I swam Monday and Tuesday morning. The problem is, I’m not home a lot. Most nights I don’t have time to swim or sit in the hot tub or even cook. Thanks for suggesting we grill outside tonight. I needed some girl time after today.”

  “So the hike didn’t go well?” Sam patted the cement next to her.

  Rarity pulled off her shoes and joined Sam on the stairs. “It was fun, but I think Archer knew the Evanses would be there and that’s why he invited me. He wanted me to talk to them. So it wasn’t a date. Or even a hike. It was a conversation starter. The problem is, I’m not sure I got the piece of information that he thought I might get once I talked to them. Other than the name of Killer’s actual vet. Who knew there were two Yorkies in the area named Killer?”

  “I could have probably guessed. I mean, it’s a fun name for such a little dog,” Sam said, but then quieted down when she saw the look from Rarity. “Anyway, so the preacher’s wife didn’t like Kelly, either. I’m with the others from the book club. I think this Kelly is our killer.”

  “But he has an alibi. At least according to Drew.” She splashed her feet in the water. “Maybe you should talk to your boyfriend and have him double-check Kelly’s alibi?”

  “Whatever.” Sam splashed water on Rarity.

  “Rude.” She grinned. “How long until dinner?”

  “Probably twenty, thirty minutes. The potatoes are still hard.” Sam stood. “Why?”

  Rarity stood and headed into the house. “Because I’m doing my laps if we have that long. Do you still have a suit here in the guest room?”

  “Of course.” Sam followed her into the house. “But don’t blame me if dinner gets overdone.”

  “I’ll check it halfway into my laps. I just need to burn off some of this energy. I can’t believe we still don’t know who killed Martha. According to all those books, finding a killer is really easy. And they even have time to develop recipes to put in the back.” Rarity hurried into her room to change. It was time for some Rarity time to clear her head. She’d worry about Martha’s death tomorrow.

  After her swim, they enjoyed dinner—and they talked about anything but Martha.

  The next morning, Rarity taped a sign to the front window saying she’d be opening the store at 1 p.m. and then locked the door. She had Killer and his dog bag in one arm. It was time to visit the vet to set up his file. She gave the little dog a kiss on his head. “It’s like it’s adoption day. Once we switch over your medical records, you’ll officially be my puppy.”

  Killer gave a quick yip that might have meant, Wow, that’s cool. At least that’s what Rarity wanted the yip to mean. She set him into the Jeep on the passenger side and put his dog bag on the floor. Then she went around to the driver’s side to get in. Pulling out onto the street, she thought she saw Madame Zelda watching her from her studio window, but when she glanced back, the window was empty.

  “Nope, no one is going to burst my bubble today. No talk of murder on adoption day, right, Killer?” She glanced over and saw he’d curled up into a circle and was going to sleep. “I can see you’re overwrought with excitement. I’ll just turn on some music and you can relax a little until we get to Flagstaff.”

  A little ways out of town, her phone rang. She punched a button on her steering wheel. “This is Rarity.”

  “Good, since that’s who I called. Where are you going this morning? Don’t you have to open the bookstore?” Archer asked.

  “I left a note. I’m taking Killer to the vet to change over his paperwork to my name. I’ll tell you, he’s over the moon about it being adoption day.” She glanced at the sleeping Killer.

  “Killer? He’s excited?”

  She laughed, hearing the disbelief. “Well, he will be as soon as he wakes up from his nap. So, why are you checking on me? How did you know I wasn’t in town?”

  “You passed by where I store the bus a few minutes ago. I’ve got a group I’m taking out in a few minutes. I was going to ask if you wanted to come with us since I kind of set you up the last time.”

  “I knew it. You wanted me to talk to the Evanses and find out more about Martha.” She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “You’re going to get in trouble with Drew.”

  “Not if you don’t rat me out. Sam told me your book group is playing Sherlock Holmes, so I thought you might like a chance to chat with Chloe. There’s not anything that goes on around town that deals with her husband’s flock that she doesn’t know. Did you get some good info?”

  She thought about her talk with Chloe. “I’m not sure. She didn’t like Kelly O’Reilly at all. But Drew says he’s got an alibi.”

  “Just because you say you were somewhere doesn’t mean you were. I know Drew’s a thorough guy, but what if O’Reilly just is a good storyteller?”

  “That could be true, but it feels off.”

  He laughed, and the sound echoed in the Mini. Killer looked up from his bed and then laid his head back down when he realized it was coming from the speakers. “I’d tell you to go talk to our local fortune teller, but she’s on the suspect list too. Anyway, I’ve got to get this group going. I’ll call you another time.”

  “Sounds good.” She ended the connection and focused on the road ahead. “So, Archer wants to be part of the sleuthing group, huh?”

  Killer didn’t respond, but then she heard a small snore coming from her passenger. At least she had something to think about while she drove. Well, two things. What was Archer’s motivation? And of course, who had killed Martha.

  By the time she got to Flagstaff, she had a headache. It was probably from the heat, but she blamed her rambling about Martha for the pain. She parked at the vet’s office and pointed to the drive-in just up the street. “When we get done, we’re going to grab a hamburger, fries, and a shake for the drive home. What? Don’t look at me that way, I know it’s only ten o’clock.”

  She scooped up Killer and her tote. She had a few questions for the vet staff that she wanted to get answers to, including his birthday and any health issues he’d had or might have due to the breed.

  She filled out the new patient information, then asked if she could talk to someone about Killer’s history. It took a few minutes for the vet tech to get free to talk to her, but when she came out, Killer wiggled in Rarity’s arms. She took the clipboard from Rarity and glanced over the information that Rarity had filled in.

  “Hi, I’m Janie. Killer and I are friends. What can I help you with, Rarity?” Janie sat next to her, Killer’s original file on her lap.

  “I was wondering if you could tell me about Killer’s medical history. What’s his birthday? Did he have any issues as a pup? Anything special I should be feeding him or watching out for?” She opened her notebook and held the pen to the paper, waiting for answers.

  “Actually, I’m so happy you’re taking this adoption seriously. So many people just see how cute a dog is and don’t realize they might have issues.” Janie scanned the file. “His birthday is April eighth. He was two this year. Martha got him from Yorkie Love Kennels in Phoenix, so we have his original shot records and vet notes from there. I’ll transfer that over to your file with a summary of his health record. We’ll keep Martha’s file, too, and reference that in case something goes wrong and we need to look back.”

  Rarity rubbed Killer on the back, and he lay down between the two women, content.

  “But no, he didn’t have much going on, just normal visits. She bought her flea and tick products from us, so I can get that set up for you today. I’m sure he hasn’t had a treatment for a while, but I would wait thirty days from when you got him to apply more. Just in case. He’s so little.”

  Walking out of the vet office, Rarity was a little under two hundred dollars lighter with all the meds and food they suggested. She’d probably keep him on the higher-end food that she’d been feeding him, but at least she knew he’d been well cared for during his time with Martha.

  “Okay, so you don’t need your shots until next April again.” She tucked him into the car and glanced up at the drive-in. Now it was almost eleven, and she could eat while she drove. That would save some time. She might have the store open before one, depending on how slow the drive-in line went.

  Her phone rang when she was halfway to Sedona. She set the milkshake down and answered the call. “This is Rarity.”

  “Hi, Rarity, it’s Janie. I found a new note for Killer’s file and thought you might want to know. He was brought in a few weeks ago with an injured leg. The man who brought him in said he’d jumped off the bed and had been limping. The notes weren’t in his file because the man paid in cash and we didn’t connect the dog with Martha. I guess the guy called him something else when he came in. Anyway, they took X-rays and nothing was broken, but if he favors his left leg or seems to be in pain, bring him back in for more tests.”

  “Thanks for letting me know. Hey, did you get the man’s name?” It had to be Kelly. What, had he attacked Martha’s dog? Or maybe tried to break into her house and Killer had gotten in the way?

  “No, no name. And like I said, he paid cash. Our new vet, Annie, saw you go out and pulled the record since we’d been trying to find who the incident should be filed with.”

  “Thanks for calling. I’ll watch him.” She disconnected, and after a second, called Drew. When he picked up, he didn’t sound like he was in a good mood.

  “Look, I’ve been busy this week. I don’t have time for coffee.”

  “Nice to know, but that’s not why I’m calling.”

  Drew swore. “Sorry, I thought it was my mom calling. She’s been harping on me to take Sam out all week.”

  “Didn’t you tell her you cooked her dinner on Sunday?”

  He sighed. “I wish I’d thought of that. Anyway, what can I do for you?”

  “Did Martha report a break-in at her house a couple of weeks before she died?” Rarity paused and took a sip of her milkshake while she waited for the answer.

  “That is oddly specific. And, as it happens, true. Martha was called out of town unexpectedly and thought she’d be home earlier than she was. When she got home late that night, a window in the back door had been broken in, but she didn’t report that anything was taken. How on earth did you know?”

  “Funny thing, a man took Killer to the vet right about the same time and told them the dog had fallen off the bed. He paid for the visit in cash.”

  “You think someone broke into Martha’s house and hurt Killer? Then took him to the vet? All before Martha got home?”

  “Yeah, I’m beginning to think that exact thing.” She paused, then added the other thing she’d wanted to say. “I think it was Kelly. I bet if you take his picture down to the vet clinic, someone might recognize him.”

  When she got to the store, her mail was tucked into her box. She pulled it out, unlocked the door, and let Killer down into the cool air. He ran straight to the water dish, then went back to the door and sat. He didn’t look like he was limping or favoring his leg at all.

  “You need outside, huh?” She tucked her purse under the counter and took the mail out to the front, where she had a piece of green outdoor carpet on the side of the walkway for Killer’s use. She had a second one in the back, for when the front was in full sunlight. She flipped through the envelopes as she waited for him to find the perfect spot.

  Bill, junk, bill, junk, and a postcard from the hospital in St. Louis. Her mammogram was due. She needed to get in touch with a new doctor, but she could call and get the test scheduled now. She checked on Killer, who was now sitting quietly at the end of his leash, watching and waiting for her.

  “Let’s get the day going.”

  He followed her into the store, and after being taken off his lead, ran to his bed. Apparently sleeping in the car on the way there and back hadn’t been enough of a nap for him. It was round two. She went to the counter and made a call to the local hospital. It took a few transfers, but finally, she was talking with someone who not only made her an appointment for the test, but also a check-in with a nurse practitioner. She could refer her to another doctor if they decided Rarity needed more oversight.

  She keyed the appointments into her phone, then opened her planner and did the same. She turned back to her monthly goals and scratched off one. Then she threw away the postcard. “Done and done.”

  The door opened, and Archer came inside. “You found your way back.”

  “Pretty easy. Just one highway between the two towns. What are you doing?” She watched as he came up to the counter.