Marnie came around from the far side of the house. “I’ve taken photos from each side of the house. Every window and every door has been recorded. I don’t know what you saw, but there’s a second-story window that has a pane broke out. It could have been a tree—or it could be related to the murder in some way. I took several photos of that one.”
Johanna allowed herself to be taken to the window in the back of the house. Marnie had been right. A lower right pane of the window had been shattered from the outside. That wouldn’t help much if someone was trying to sneak out of the house, as they’d be on the wrong side of the window. She looked around, but there were no ladders or methods of getting down from the window to the ground. An older maple tree stood about ten feet away from the house, but she doubted that someone could jump from the window to the tree—and it still wouldn’t explain how the window was later closed. The ledge outside the window was perhaps two inches wide, not enough room for anyone to stand and leap.
Marnie scoped the backyard in hopes of finding more clues that needed to be recorded. Johanna appreciated her friend’s enthusiasm.
Just then, Johanna heard the bark of a dog, and the sound appeared to be getting closer. She moved to stand on the balls of her feet, in case she needed to move quickly, and Marnie did the same. They were looking at each other as they waited to see what was coming around the corner.
Johanna exhaled, a mix between a sigh and a giggle. The dog was barely a foot tall and entirely black. She’d been alarmed by a Scottie. The dog barked several more times, but then ran towards her. She could tell the dog meant mischief rather than violence, as its stubby tail was wagging briskly. It jumped on her leg and looked up, as if expecting something.
A middle-aged woman came around the corner as well and said, “Penny, don’t go running away like that. You know I can’t keep up with you.” Johanna could hear from the woman’s ragged breath that she was telling the truth.
The older woman looked at the two intruders but didn’t say anything about it. “I’m Lilly—and this, of course, is Penny. Can I help you with something?”
Johanna cleared her throat and decided to be as honest as she could. “I’m the woman who found Jessica’s car in the forest parking lot. I’m the reason the police found the body. I’ve felt horrible about what’s happened, and I wanted to come and see the house for myself. All of this doesn’t make a lot of sense. I’m just trying to put some finality to the entire matter.”
The woman nodded. “I’m Jessica’s next-door neighbor. Penny was her dog, if you can imagine. I took her in after what happened.” The older woman looked at Marnie and then back at Johanna again. “Why don’t you two come and have a cup of tea with me? I was about to make some, and Penny always gets a mid-morning snack as well. She’s very set in her routine, and she’ll be fussing if she doesn’t get her way.”
Johanna smiled at the little black dog and accepted.
They walked back to the neighbor’s house in silence. She opened the door, and they all followed her to the kitchen. The large windows, which appeared to be new, and the light, airy colors made Johanna feel welcome. Given the dismal, somewhat dark feel of the house next door, this was a welcome change.
Johanna and Marnie sat down, as Penny ran around their legs, obviously excited that it was time for a treat. Lilly served the tea, and then gave the treat to Penny. They all ate and drank quietly for a minute.
“So, did you know Jessica well?” Marnie asked, breaking the ice on the topic they all had in common.
“Not well. We’d say hi, and Penny would come over to sniff out a treat or two from me. That was about it. She kept to herself.”
Marnie nodded and took another sip of tea. Johanna’s cup was delicious, warm, and invigorating this morning. She was content to let her friend ask questions for the moment.
“So she didn’t have people come and visit her? No family?” Marnie asked.
If Lilly minded the questions, she didn’t say so. Johanna suspected that she, too, didn’t have many visitors at her house. The room had a shine that couldn’t be maintained with many people coming in and out.
“Not really. I think she has a niece somewhere? But her husband had passed away years ago, and their only child was killed in a car crash about ten years ago. It was all regrettable. I don’t remember the details about it, but it was unexpected, and poor Jessica never really recovered from it. So she kept to herself.”
Johanna decided to jump in with some questions. “So did you inherit Penny in the will?” she asked.
The woman laughed. “No, nothing like that. I don’t think that the estate found a will, to be honest. The niece or another relative called and asked if I could take care of the dog indefinitely. I think that translates into adopting the dog, but that’s alright. Penny and I get along just fine.”
“That’s a big expense,” Marnie threw in. “I had a friend who got a dog, and just getting things set up cost a few hundred dollars.”
Lilly shook her head. “It wasn’t that bad. I got all of Penny’s things from Jessica’s house, including her bed and the dog food. So it was all provided, but it was
