Ellie led her down the hall to her workroom, leaving Lucy and Bear alone.
“You’re a reporter, right?” he demanded, scowling at her over his coffee cup. “You heard anything about Curt’s murder? Have they got any suspects?”
“I heard they’ve been questioning a lot of people,” said Lucy, unwilling to admit she didn’t really know how the police investigation was going. “And they’ve got some physical evidence.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Something they think belonged to the killer.” She paused. “They’re not saying exactly what it is.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You’ve been talking to people, asking questions?”
Lucy wondered what he was getting at. “It’s my job.”
He shrugged. “Nothing wrong with that. If you ask me, it’s the cops that aren’t doing their job.”
The kettle whistled and Lucy got up and turned the stove off. Ellie had left the cups ready to add water. Lucy poured and brought the hot drinks back to the table.
“You surprise me,” said Lucy, lifting the tea bag out and squeezing it with a spoon. “Last time I talked to you, you said you would have liked to kill Curt yourself.”
His black eyes seemed to bore into her for a long time. Then he grinned at her, reminding her of a fox. “People say funny things when they’re upset. Shock takes people differently.”
Studying Bear’s broad, impassive face, Lucy didn’t think he would shock easily. She listened as he continued.
“No two ways about it: I had my differences with Curt. That doesn’t change the fact that one of my people was killed in cold blood and nobody seems to be doing anything about it.”
“These things take time,” said Lucy, turning around to smile at Zoe and Ellie, who were returning to the table. “Your cocoa’s ready.” She patted the chair. “What did you think of the dolls?”
“Nice,” said Zoe, taking a big slurp of cocoa.
Lucy laughed. “Is that all you have to say?”
Zoe pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “Thank you for the cocoa,” she finally said.
Lucy’s eyes met Ellie’s and she gave an apologetic smile. “How are you doing?”
“Okay.” Ellie glanced at Bear. “It’s hard.”
Lucy patted her hand. “I know.”
“I really appreciate your taking the dog. It’s a load off my mind knowing he’s going to a good home.”
“I’m happy to take him.”
When they finished their drinks, Ellie led Zoe and Lucy out to Kadjo’s pen.
The dog was on his feet, not barking, but watching them approach. As they drew closer, his tail began to wave.
“Hi, boy,” said Ellie. “Are you ready to meet your new family?”
She opened the gate and snapped on a leash and Kadjo bounded forward. When Ellie handed the leash to Lucy, however, he suddenly halted.
“Good boy,” said Lucy, holding her hand out for him to sniff. “We’re going to call him Kudo.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Ellie. “Give him a fresh start.”
When Kadjo, now Kudo, was satisfied with her scent, Lucy gave him a little scratch behind his ears. When she led him toward the car, he didn’t resist but trotted along beside her. She opened the rear hatch for him and he jumped in willingly. She slammed the door down and looked at him through the window; he gazed back at her.
Zoe didn’t want to sit in the backseat, where she would be close to the dog, so Lucy let her sit in the front passenger seat. She made sure Zoe’s seat belt was tightly fastened, then started the car.
Ellie came up and stood by the car door; Lucy opened the window.
“Remember to be firm with him and you won’t have any trouble,” said Ellie.
“I’ll remember,” said Lucy. “Thanks.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you,” said Ellie. “By the way, I don’t know if you want to come, but the funeral is tomorrow. Ten o’clock at the meeting house in Hopkinton.”
“Thanks for telling me. I’ll be there.”
“Better come early if you want to get a seat.” Ellie bit her lip. “I just wanted a private graveside service but Bear said that wouldn’t do. He said Curt was a tribal leader and deserved a traditional ceremony. Personally, I think it’s a big waste. It isn’t as if Curt is going to know.”
Lucy recited the usual platitude. “It’s not for him. It’s for the people left behind.”
Ellie shrugged, holding her hands out in a helpless gesture.
Lucy gave a little wave and shifted into drive, checking that the driveway was clear before accelerating. Seeing Bear climbing into his truck, she waited, watching with disapproval as he carelessly careened down the icy drive holding a cell phone to his ear.
As she followed, driving slowly, Lucy checked the rearview mirror to make sure Kudo was behaving himself in the cargo area. He seemed to be doing fine, not minding the motion of the car. She braked carefully when she got to the road so he wouldn’t be knocked off his feet; then she proceeded to turn. She had no sooner got onto the highway, however, than he jumped into the backseat, causing Zoe to shriek. Signaling, Lucy immediately pulled off onto the shoulder and stopped the car.
She climbed out of her seat and opened the rear door. Kudo sat on the backseat, grinning at her, his tongue lolling. He seemed to be saying he much preferred riding in the backseat, sitting like a person, to sliding around in the cargo area.
“We’re not getting off to a good start,” Lucy warned him, looking him straight in the eye.
She took hold of his leash and pulled, but Kudo resisted. Lucy snapped the leash and yanked him out of the car. To her surprise, once he was on the ground he followed her easily around to the rear of the car. She opened the hatch and he leaped in. She got back in the driver’s seat and started the engine, checking the rearview mirror before pulling onto the road. In the mirror her eyes met Kudo’s.
“You’d better behave,” she said.
Kudo grinned.
* * *
Still not trusting the dog to behave in the car, Lucy chose to drive home over
