Suzette was with Saturday is now a prime suspect.”
“Why?” Skye wrinkled her forehead. “If the ME found semen, she would have had to have sex just prior to her death, not forty-eight hours previously.”
“True,” Wally agreed. “However, since no one has mentioned that she played around, a reasonable assumption is that Suzette was probably only involved with one man. And if that guy was Mr. Black Pickup Truck, he very well may have visited her at the construction site after Rex Taylor left.”
“Oh.” Skye had a sinking feeling she knew what Wally was getting at. “You mean Owen might be . . .”
“Yes.”
CHAPTER 13
“If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time”
While Skye tried not to think about the consequences of Owen being a suspect in Suzette’s death, Wally phoned the Frayne residence to see if he was around. Trixie answered and said her husband wasn’t available, but promised to have him call Wally’s cell as soon as he returned. Not wanting to alarm Trixie, or alert Owen to his status as a person of interest in a murder investigation, Wally agreed to that plan.
A few minutes later, after Anthony delivered the shoes and was paid for his time, Skye and Wally left the police station via the garage’s back exit. To avoid any chance of the reporters following them, Wally decided to ride with Skye rather than follow her home in his police cruiser, as was his usual practice. The minor inconvenience of being without his squad car, should there be an emergency, was outweighed by the major annoyance of the press recording their every move.
They considered stopping at the Feed Bag, Scumble River’s only non-fast-food restaurant, for supper, but when Skye pointed out that would mean Toby would have to wait in the car, they decided against it. The air had cooled off and there was no sun to heat up the vehicle’s interior, but neither one of them was comfortable leaving the dog by himself. The poor thing had been through enough.
Instead, following a quick stop at the supermarket to purchase ingredients for their meal, they headed straight to Skye’s house. She and Wally were both silent during the five-minute drive, and even Toby, who was draped across the backseat, seemed subdued.
When Skye turned into her driveway, Wally said, “Tell me again why we didn’t go to my place?” He glanced at the two-story house to his left, then frowned when a curtain on a second-floor window appeared to move slightly. “Did you see that?”
“What?” Skye looked where he was pointing, then shook her head. “I don’t see anything.” Skye parked next to the front walk. “And to answer your first question, because it’s not fair to Bingo to leave him alone for so long. Toby’s been with me all day.”
“But Bingo sleeps most of the time.” Wally got out of the Chevy, carrying the grocery bag.
“True.” Skye joined him, then whistled for the little dog, who jumped into the driver’s seat, then into her arms. “But he’ll be awake now.”
“I’m worried that you’re getting too attached to Toby.” Wally frowned as Skye cuddled the little dog. “You do realize that keeping him isn’t a good idea, right?” Wally patted the canine’s head with his free hand. “I’ll grant you he’s cute, but dogs are a lot more work than cats.”
“I know.” Skye climbed the steps. “If we find a next of kin for Suzette, and that person won’t take him, I’ll try to find him a good home.” She paused, and tilted her head. “Hey, maybe you could adopt him.”
“No.”
“Why not?” What was up with Wally’s attitude toward Toby? He loved Bingo. “I thought you liked animals.”
“I do, but it’s not fair to a dog to leave him alone for hours and hours at a time. They’re pack animals, and they need companionship.”
“Then I need to find him someone who is either at home a lot or has a job that allows them to bring pets to work.” Skye dug her keys from her pocket.
“What are you going to do with him in the meantime ? Clearly he can’t go to school with you again.” Wally took the key ring from Skye’s hand. “You said he and Bingo don’t get along, and that Toby destroys his surroundings if he gets bored.”
“Those are problems,” Skye admitted, scratching behind the little dog’s silky ears.
“Then I suppose you’d better study up on how to introduce a dog into a cat household.” Wally fitted the key in the lock. “Have you thought of spreading tuna on Toby’s back or sprinkling him with catnip?”
“Actually, I had Trixie do some research online for me about that.” Skye patted her tote bag. “It’s what to do with him during the day while I’m gone that’s my real concern.” She frowned. “If only Mom liked animals or Dad wasn’t so busy right now.”
“Well, a short-term solution might be that new Doggy Daycare place out on Robin Road across the street from the spa.” Wally swung open the front door for Skye. “The problem is that I heard it’s really expensive since it’s mostly aimed at the spa’s clientele. And I’m guessing you won’t let me pick up the tab for you.”
“You’re guessing right. I can pay my own bills.” Skye smiled to take some of the sting from her words, then made sure she had a tight grip on Toby’s leash. “When did the place open and why didn’t you tell me about it this morning?”
“A couple of weeks ago.” Wally moved back. “And when you didn’t bring it up during our conversation, I figured you had already arranged for someone to watch him.”
“Oh, yeah.” Skye thought back. She hadn’t mentioned her canine babysitting problem to Wally. “Sorry.” She crossed the threshold and braced herself for an explosion.
Bingo sat immobile in precisely the middle of the foyer’s hardwood floor. He looked at Skye, then flicked an ear and stared at the dog. Toby barked excitedly, but the black cat only sneered. Swishing his tail back and forth, Bingo deliberately turned his back on the canine.
Skye and Wally exchanged glances.
“What do you think?” Skye asked.
“Let’s see what happens if you let Toby approach Bingo,” Wally suggested, putting the grocery sack on the hallway bench.
Skye kept a firm hold on the leash. “Okay.” She stepped closer to the cat.
Wally followed, angling to get behind Bingo in case of trouble.
“They’re nearly the same size,” Skye commented as she watched.
Toby uttered a couple of sharp woofs, then sniffed at the cat.
Appearing to ignore the dog, Bingo lifted his rear leg and began licking it.
“Interesting.” Wally cocked his thumb at the two animals. “They seem okay.”
Toby’s nose twitched and his stubby tail started to wag.
“Should I let him off the leash?” Skye asked doubtfully. “I don’t want him to hurt Bingo.”
“I doubt Bingo is in any danger.” Wally appraised the pair. “I’d be more worried about the dog.”
“You’re probably right,” Skye agreed. “Grandma had Bingo’s front paws declawed, but he’s far from defenseless. And I’d like to see if they’ll tolerate each other.”
“Go ahead.” Wally crouched down next to the cat, ready to intervene. “If there’s trouble, I’ll grab Bingo; you go for Toby’s leash.”
“All right.” Skye let go of the lead, ready to snatch it back up at the first sign of hostilities.
Toby circled the cat while Bingo continued his bath. After two or three orbits, the dog lay down next to the feline and sighed. Bingo stopped his ablutions, gave Toby’s ears a couple of licks, then rose and stretched. Once he was sure everyone was watching, he sauntered down the hall, pausing halfway to see if the humans were following.
“Well, I’ll be darned.” Wally’s expression was bemused.
“The old wives’ tale must be true,” Skye said half to herself as she rushed to the feline’s food bowl, popped open a tin of Fancy Feast, and gave him the entire can for being such a good kitty. “Every now and again, cats decide to humor us because they feel guilty that their ancestors ate ours.” She giggled at her own silliness.
A moment later, when Toby trailed Wally into the kitchen, she rewarded the little dog with his mushy food,
