4 Cupids Curse (14 page)

I knew we were going to be slammed again at the Zoo on Tuesday, and Zak had a conference call with one of his contacts in Europe early in the day, so he arranged to meet with Kevin at the jail after we closed for the day. I arrived at the Zoo early enough to process many of the applications I’d received the previous day and was able to evaluate six of the requested animals to the point at which I felt comfortable calling the prospective doggy parents and telling them that they’d been cleared to pick up their new family members.

“Does it seem odd to you
that we’ve had so many applicants?” Jeremy asked. “I realize we’ve been closed for a few months, but we placed a lot of animals before we closed, and we had the adoption clinic in December. I’m amazed we got one new application, little alone twelve.”

“Yeah, I’m as surprised as anyone,” I had to admit. “I suppose people might have gotten caught up in the opening
-day frenzy. I know I bought a bunch of clothes I didn’t need and wouldn’t otherwise have bought when the new mall in Bryton Lake opened.”

“I guess
, but these are animals and not clothes that can be easily returned.”

“That’s why I’m taking my time processing the apps. Gives folks time to really think about it
, and change their minds if they realize they aren’t ready for a new family member.”

“That Doberman we took in yesterday is a real grouch,” Jeremy informed me. “I think we might want to blacklist him from the adoption pool until we can work with him a bit. I’m afraid he might bite someone.”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” I agreed. “I’ll try to spend some extra time with him. If we can get him some training and teach him to relax, I think he’ll be fine.”

“And the cat who scratched you?” Jeremy asked.

“We need to find him a placement with an experienced pet owner who doesn’t currently have any other pets.”

“That’s going to be hard to do.”

“Yeah, but we have to try. Any word on the cubs from the Anderson fire?”

“Being delivered as soon as Salinger releases our bear cage.”

“They haven’t had any luck getting them to hibernate?”

“
Their weight is too low, so they don’t want to risk it.”

“Okay
. I’ll call Salinger to see what I can do,” I promised. “Go ahead and arrange for transport. The sooner we get the little guys settled, the better. If Salinger won’t release the bear cage, we can always set something up in one of the other pens.”

The rest of the day flew by. As promised, I gave those who showed up both a tour and a snack, but luckily, we didn’t have any additional drop-offs or adoption applications to deal with, and as unbelievable as it may seem, Salinger actually cleared us to house the cubs in the bear cage. I guess he figured he had his killer, so the investigation, in his mind, was all wrapped up.

After I got off
, I ran home to change. Zak picked me up as planned and we headed over to have a conversation with Kevin. I was actually surprised that Salinger had agreed to let us talk to Kevin, but perhaps Moses had worked some of his magic in our absence. Zak and I were shown to a room and told to sit on one side of the table, while Kevin was ushered in and instructed to sit on the other.

“
Do you have any news?” Kevin asked.

“
Nothing good, unfortunately,” Zak said. “If someone intentionally set you up, they did a good job of it. I know this must be stressful for you, but we really need to go through everything again.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever you need. I can’t thank you enough
for trying to help me.”

“Okay, let’s go back over exactly how you got involved with Trent,” Zak started.

“I received a phone call from a woman who said she had an inmate to place as part of the Fresh Start program and asked if I would be interested in participating. She assured me that the individual in question had been trained in all aspects of construction, and that the state was going to cover his salary for the first six months. If he worked out, I agreed to hire him as an employee and take over his salary. It seemed like a good idea, so I agreed to meet him. We hit it off right away.”

“Did they tell you anything about his past or the charges against him?”

“Not specifically.”

“So you agreed to the arrangement
, and then what?” Zak continued.

“He was brought
to Ashton Falls by a parole officer. Initially, he rented a room from Willa Walton, and then eventually got his own apartment. He was a quiet sort who did an excellent job, and I’m pretty sure he never missed a single day of work.”

“Were you aware that he did jobs on the side?” I asked.

“Yeah, he told me about it. He wanted to help out folks who couldn’t afford to pay me for the work they needed done. I figured I wasn’t going to get the work anyway, so what the heck? He always worked on his own time, so it didn’t cost me anything.”

“You said you lent him your pipe wrench
,” Zak said.

“Yeah
. He had some of his own tools, but he needed to borrow mine from time to time. He always returned them when he was done. I’m pretty sure he mentioned helping Mary Grayson with some plumbing.”

“Is it reasonable to assume he had the wrench with him when he went to the Zoo to work on the electrical panel?”

“Yeah. He wouldn’t have needed it for that job, but he kept his tools in a box in his pickup. I suppose it’s possible he could have left it unlocked when he got the tools he
did
need.”

“If we
’re going to continue to operate under the assumption that someone intentionally set you up, then whoever took the wrench would have to have known it belonged to you.”

“My initials are chiseled into the handle. I do that with all my tools. Stuff gets left lying around on job site
s, and I don’t want a misunderstanding as to who owns which tool.”

“Still,” I chimed in
, “if the killer got the wrench out of Trent’s toolbox, he or she must have been looking for it specifically. Otherwise why not just grab a hammer, and there was a large ratchet next to the panel Trent was working on in the Zoo too. Who else, other than you, knew Trent had your pipe wrench?”

Kevin sat quietly while he thought about it. “Trent asked me if he could borrow it on
Friday, after we’d finished for the day. He told me that he’d need it over the weekend for a big job, so he might need to keep it for a few extra days. I told him I was planning on going on a ski trip with some buddies, so I wouldn’t need it. We were just finishing up a remodel and I was feeling pretty good because the homeowner had promised me a big bonus if I could get it done in record time, so I figured I might just take a day off to myself.”

“
Did anyone see you lend the wrench to Trent?”

“No
. It was the end of the day and the rest of the crew had gone home. It’s possible someone saw the wrench and noticed the initials on it during the time Trent had it.”

“True,” Zak acknowledged
. “Let’s move on to the first visit you had from Anthony Martucci at the Mendoza job site.”

“He was looking for someone named Joey Marino. He said he had reason to believe he was working for me. I denied knowing anyone by that name
, but I suspected it might be Trent. I asked Trent about it. He didn’t confirm or deny that he was this Joey, but he did mumble something about Bruno and his big mouth.”

“And then you ran into
Martucci at the market.”

“Yeah.
He asked about Joey again, and I assured him that I’d never heard of him. He told me where he was staying and asked me to contact him if I thought of anything.” Kevin paled. “I guess that’s pretty bad. It proves I knew where to find him.”

“Yeah,” Zak admitted, “it’s not going to help your case.”

“Did you mention this to anyone?” I asked.

“No
.”

“I’m going to keep working on this,” Zak promised. “But if you think of anyone who knew that Trent had borrowed your wrench
and
that Trent would be at the Zoo that night
and
where Martucci was staying, it will go a long way toward giving us a new direction.”

“There’s no one,” Kevin realized. “Based on th
is information, I have to be the killer, but I swear to you that I’m not. Besides, if I
had
killed Anthony Martucci, why would I mention to Zoe where he was staying? And why would I simply throw a wrench with my initials on it into a Dumpster? I would think that the total absurdity of the situation should prove that I’m the victim here.”

Kevin had a point. Maybe too good a point.

Zak and I discussed the case as we drove home. The roads were icy
, and I knew I should let Zak focus all of his attention on his driving, but I couldn’t seem to keep myself from verbalizing my thoughts as I tried to work the whole thing out. “The only explanation I can come up with regarding how this whole thing could have come together other than Kevin being the killer is that someone followed Trent to the Zoo and watched him get his tools from his toolbox. They would have had to be watching as first Willa came by, and then Tawny. After they left, the killer had to have seen Martucci go in. He or she heard the gunshot, realized what happened, grabbed the wrench out of the toolbox, and followed Martucci back to his motel.”

“Not only is that theory far
-fetched but unrealistic,” Zak pointed out. “First of all, you told me that Pack Rat saw everything up to the time Martucci went inside. If there was someone else watching Trent, Pack Rat would have seen them. Besides, if someone heard the shot and got out of their car to get the wrench, Martucci would have been gone by the time his killer got back to their car. He or she couldn’t have followed him back to his motel.”

“True,” I admitted. “It really does seem that Kevin could be the only one to pull this off.”

“Or Pack Rat,” Zak suggested. “He admitted to being there the whole time. What if he didn’t leave after Martucci went inside? What if he waited, heard the shot, and followed Martucci?”

“Pack Rat doesn’t have a car.”

“Then I guess we’re back to square one.” Zak sighed.

Wednesday flew by in a blur. Things were crazy busy at the Zoo, and Zak was crazy busy trying to juggle his work commitments and helping Moses get Kevin freed. We got up early and came home late. The pace was definitely cutting into our
us
time, but at least we had the nights. The short but glorious nights. I felt bad that Mom was home alone all day. I spoke to her about Gina, but although she was not adverse to the idea of company, she insisted that until she told Dad her news, she didn’t want anyone else to know she was in town.

Luckily
, today seemed to be settling into a slower pace. I worked most of the morning helping Jeremy with the cleanup and finalizing the remaining adoptions, and then decided to cut out early to spend some time with Mom. Jeremy promised to call if things got busy, so Charlie and I picked up some takeout and headed back to Zak’s.

“I can’t believe
Dad’s dogs are still here,” I commented as we chowed down on burgers. “He loves them. It’s really not like him to leave them for so long.”

“I guess this must mean Blythe is still at his house
.” Mom sighed.

“If you want to get rid of her
, we should tell Dad about the baby,” I suggested.

“What if he’s mad?”

“He won’t be.”

“But what if he is? What if he wants nothing to do with either of us?”

“When you got pregnant before, he was the one who stayed,” I reminded her.

“Yeah, but he was a lot younger
then. We both were. And he didn’t have a girlfriend.”

“Look
, you’ve already decided to tell him at some point. Why not do it now? If he’s mad, he’s mad, but I can guarantee he won’t be. I’m betting he’ll be thrilled.”

Mom looked doubtful.

“Can you think of any reason to wait?” I asked.

“No,” Mom admitted. “I guess waiting won’t lessen the shock.”

“Then tell him now. Today. I’ll call him and invite him over.”

Mom hesitated.

“If he gets engaged to Blythe or, worse yet, moves in with her, it’s going to be twice as hard to tell him.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” I smiled.

“Yeah
. I might as well get it over with.”

“I’ll call Zak. He’ll want to be here. And then I’ll invite
Dad to dinner.”

“What if he brings Blythe?”

“I’ll tell him I have something private to discuss and want him to come alone.”

I can’t tell you how excited I was about the fact that Mom and Dad and my baby sister and I were going to be a real family. I had dreamed my entire life of all of us living together, and now, for the first time, I felt like my most secret wish was going to come true. Not that I was going to move in with them, but Mom and Dad and Harper—Mom loved the name—would live together and I would visit my whole and happy family often.

I called
Dad and he agreed to come to dinner alone. I went into town and picked up the most tender fillets I could find. I bought veggies and potatoes and champagne for the majority of us, as well as sparkling cider for Mom. I made my special artichoke dip for an appetizer and mini cherry cheesecakes for dessert. I used Grandma Montgomery’s dishes, which Zak had bought with the house, to set the table. I added fresh flowers and the best crystal to the table. Everything was perfect, like a fantasy come to life. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this happy and excited about anything.

I eve
n changed into a dress, and Mom put on a red velvet jumper that accentuated both her belly and the rest of her perfect, petite frame. My heart pounded with excitement as Dad pulled into the drive. I opened the door and waited on the porch for him to get out.

“Wow, you look nice. I didn’t know this was formal.”

“It’s not.” I hugged my dad, who was dressed in a sweater and soft cords. “I’m just in a really good mood and wanted to dress up a bit.”

Dad hugged me back.
“I can’t wait to hear your news.”

“You
’re going to be so surprised.”

“Not really
.” He smiled. “I always knew you and Zak would end up together.”

“What
?” I pulled back. “This isn’t about me and Zak.”

“Then why the fancy getup?”

I took Dad by the arm and walked him through the door. I knew Mom was waiting with Zak just inside. “This is way better than an engagement announcement,” I assured him. I opened the door. “Mom’s here.”

I’m not sure what I expected. Whooping and hollering. Jumping for joy. A passionate reunion between two people who had always loved each other but had wasted a lifetime apart
. What I didn’t expected was stunned silence.

“Hank,” my mom nervously uttered.

My dad just stared at her.

“Surprise
,” she said weakly and started to cry as Dad remained motionless.

“We’re having a baby,” I joined in.

“I can see that,” Dad finally responded. He looked at Mom with shock on his face. “It’s mine?”

“It is.” Mom looked like she might pass out
, and Dad looked like he might turn and run away. Maybe I’d overestimated how wonderful he’d think the news was.

“You should have told me.”

I didn’t like the hardness in Dad’s expression.

“I know.” Mom began to sob.

Dad turned to look at me. “How long have you known?”

“A few days. I wanted to tell you
, but . . .”

Dad looked at all of us like we were aliens, turned, and walked away.

“I don’t know why you expected your dad
to be thrilled with the news right off the bat,” Zak commented as he grilled the steaks I no longer felt like eating. Mom had gone upstairs after Dad left and hadn’t come down since.

“I just figured he’d b
e as thrilled as I was to have Mom back.”

“Your
parents have a long and complicated history. A history, if you remember, that has brought mostly pain to your dad. He’s finally moved on with his life after twenty-five years of waiting for her to return his love, and she shows up seven months pregnant.”

“You could have mentioned this before now,” I accused.

“I did. When you called and told me your plans, I said I thought it was a bad idea to spring things on your dad like this, and that it made more sense to ease him into the reality of another child.”

“Yeah, but you could have stopped me from making a mess.”

“I’ve never been able to stop you from making a mess,” Zak reminded me. “All I can do is clean up after you.”

I stuck
out my tongue at the man I loved. He wasn’t wrong, but it was rude to point it out. “I’ve never seen my dad so mad.”

“I don’t think he was mad. I think he was in shock. Your mom has had months to think about things and get used to the idea. She ran away when she found out. I think you should cut your dad some slack. Give him a chance to get used to the idea.”

“Yeah,” I sighed, “you’re right.”

“Give him a day or two and then call him.”

“Poor Mom. She looked like she was going to pass out.”

“She
’s been stressing over telling your dad for months. I’m sure she hoped for a different reaction, but I’m betting she’s happy to have everything out in the open. We’ll make her a plate and you can take it up to her. If she doesn’t want to talk, though, don’t force it. Maybe she needs a little time as well.”