Murder Most Howl: A Paws & Claws Mystery Read online

  Praise for the New York Times bestselling Paws & Claws Mysteries

  The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer

  “[A] hit! [Davis] has created a pet owner’s utopia in her series . . . An intriguing mystery that keeps you guessing right up to the end . . . Absolutely fabulous.”

  —Open Book Society

  “Engaging and entertaining . . . [Davis] always writes a delightfully charming tale that is hard to put down . . . I tend to forsake chores to get to the end of her stories.”

  —Dru’s Book Musings

  “If such a town as Wagtail really existed I would move there in a heartbeat . . . Atmospheric and chilling . . . [A] wonderful story filled with fur and frights!”

  —Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries & Meows

  “[A] beautifully written, cleverly crafted mystery sure to please pet-lovers and fair-play-mystery fans alike. The swift pace, engaging narration, and strong sense of place make it very easy to lose yourself in The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer.”

  —Smitten by Books

  Murder, She Barked

  “Krista Davis has created another charming series with a unique setting, an engaging heroine in Holly Miller and her furry sidekick, Trixie, and a wonderfully quirky supporting cast of characters—two- and four-legged. I’m looking forward to my next visit to the Sugar Maple Inn.”

  —Sofie Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of the Magical Cats Mysteries

  “Krista Davis has penned a doggone great new mystery series featuring witty, spirited Holly Miller and her endearing canine sidekick, Trixie. The adorable, pet-friendly setting of Wagtail Mountain will appeal to animal lovers and mystery lovers alike, and the intriguing plot twists will keep you guessing to the very last page.”

  —Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author of the Bibliophile Mysteries

  “Krista Davis has created a town that any pet would love—as much as their owners do. And they won’t let a little thing like murder spoil their enjoyment.”

  —Sheila Connolly, New York Times bestselling author of the County Cork Mysteries, Museum Mysteries, and Orchard Mysteries

  “A charming blend of small-town eccentrics and big-city greed, Murder, She Barked touches all the bases of the cozy mystery—including a bit of romance—and does so with style.”

  —Richmond Times-Dispatch

  “Well-written dialogue, fun characters, and romantic complications that never go as the characters—or the readers—expect . . . Readers will enjoy this skillfully plotted mystery and its biting humor.”

  —Kings River Life Magazine

  “[A] fun, fast-paced read. The plotting is top-notch, and I love the quirky characters. I could not put this book down. The story will keep you guessing until you find out whodunit. The author has plenty of dogs . . . I mean red herrings to keep you turning those pages. I am looking forward to reading more books in this delightful new series.”

  —MyShelf.com

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by Krista Davis

  Domestic Diva Mysteries

  THE DIVA RUNS OUT OF THYME

  THE DIVA TAKES THE CAKE

  THE DIVA PAINTS THE TOWN

  THE DIVA COOKS A GOOSE

  THE DIVA HAUNTS THE HOUSE

  THE DIVA DIGS UP THE DIRT

  THE DIVA FROSTS A CUPCAKE

  THE DIVA WRAPS IT UP

  THE DIVA STEALS A CHOCOLATE KISS

  Paws & Claws Mysteries

  MURDER, SHE BARKED

  THE GHOST AND MRS. MEWER

  MURDER MOST HOWL

  An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

  MURDER MOST HOWL

  A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

  Copyright © 2015 by Cristina Ryplansky.

  Excerpt from The Diva Serves High Tea by Krista Davis copyright © 2015 by Cristina Ryplansky.

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME design are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  For more information, visit penguin.com.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-59310-3

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / December 2015

  Cover illustration by Mary Ann Lasher.

  Cover design by Diana Kolsky.

  Cover logo by Alpimages/Shutterstock.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.

  Version_1

  For Dr. Jonel Nightingale, DVM, and Kyle Monger, veterinary assistant, who went above and beyond to save the life of my beloved Mochie

  Acknowledgments

  One of the problems with writing mysteries set in a wonderful place like Wagtail is the high number of homicides that must occur in such a lovely town—an issue affectionately known as the Cabot Cove Syndrome. I considered moving this story forward in time to help solve that problem but found too many things remained unanswered from the previous books. Did Oma ever take her cruise? Did Holmes get married? What happened with Ben? In the end, I decided to move the calendar only slightly. After all, these are mysteries, and a murder or two are part of a mystery. I beg your forbearance on this subject since we all know that a town as delightful as Wagtail would surely have no murders at all.

  Several of the animals in this book are modeled after real dogs and cats. With heartfelt apologies for omitting a mention in the acknowledgments in The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer, I have to thank Paige Bennett for allowing me to use her sweet Yorkshire terrier, GloryB, who, as it turned out, now lives in Wagtail and also makes an appearance in this book. Funny Ella Mae is modeled after Sue Ross’s min pin and rat terrier mix, whom she describes as ten pounds of terror. And Leo is based on a real cat by the same name, who belonged to Amy McClung. At an auction benefiting the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, Amy won the opportunity to have the pet of her choice in one of my books. When Amy sent along the information about Leo, I was taken by her loving memories of him. I hope I have done justice to this kitty who was such a vivid character in real life. Thanks to Josh Wheeler, director of the Thomas Jefferson Center, for making the arrangements.

  Special thanks go to Betsy Strickland for naming the book club The Thursday Night Cloak and Dagger Club! As always, I appreciate the support and encouragement of my friends, online and off.

  I am so grateful for the eagle eye of my editor, Sandra Harding. Over the years, I have learned to always take her sage advice. Sadly, this is the last book Sandy will edit for me, as she has moved on. I am blessed to have had Sandy as my editor and thank her from the bottom of my heart for everything she has done for me.

  Very special thanks to my new editor, Julie Mianecki, who stepped in without missing a beat. I look forward to writing more books with Julie.

  My delightful agent, Jessica Faust
, wears many hats on my behalf: business manager; negotiator; advisor; contract interpreter; and the one I love the most, friend.

  Most of all, I have to thank my readers. I cherish every note and message. I feel like I have gotten to know so many of you. And for each one of you who has reached out to me in some way, I know there are more who also dream of a place like Wagtail.

  Contents

  Praise for the New York Times bestselling Paws & Claws Mysteries

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by Krista Davis

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Epigraph

  Cast

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Author’s Note

  Recipes

  Special Excerpt from The Diva Serves High Tea

  You ask of my companions. Hills, sir, and the sundown, and a dog as large as myself that my father bought me. They are better than human beings, because they know but do not tell.

  —Emily Dickinson

  MURDER MYSTERY WEEKEND PARTICIPANTS

  Ian Tredwell and Blanche Wimmer Tredwell

  Geoffrey and Charlotte Tredwell, and Ella Mae, a miniature pinscher and rat terrier mix

  Robin Jarvis

  Sylvie Porter

  Myrtle McGuire

  Weegie Anderson and Puddin’, an apricot poodle

  The Baron von Rottweiler, victim

  SUGAR MAPLE INN STAFF

  Holly Miller

  Mr. Huckle

  Shelley Dixon

  Zelda York and Leo, a large tabby

  Trixie, a Jack Russell terrier

  Twinkletoes, a calico, feline ambassador of the inn

  Gingersnap, a golden retriever, canine ambassador of the inn

  RESIDENTS OF WAGTAIL AND HOLLY’S FRIENDS

  Val Kowalchuk, owner of the Hair of the Dog Pub

  Norm Wilson, a local businessman

  Savannah Wilson, Norm’s wife, and Bingo, a Corgi

  Aunt Birdie DuPuy, Holly’s aunt

  Max Hemmerich, owner of Tall Tails Bookstore

  Shadow Hobbs, handyman

  Hollis Hobbs, Shadow’s father

  Holmes Richardson, Holly’s childhood friend

  Ben Hathaway, Holly’s former boyfriend

  One

  “These are the murder weapons.” Val Kowalchuk reached into the chestnut leather tote she had brought with her and pulled out a pearl-handled pistol.

  The new owner of the popular Wagtail pub, Hair of the Dog, Val was brimming with clever ideas to bring tourists to Wagtail, our pet-themed town nestled in the mountains of western Virginia. Enthusiastic and hardworking, she was quickly becoming a good friend.

  We were on our way to Café Chat for brunch to finalize some details about Murder Most Howl, Wagtail’s murder mystery weekend, when Val pulled the pistol from her purse. I stopped dead. “That looks real!”

  Val twirled it on her forefinger with alarming ease. With her short, dark brown hair, sparkling brown eyes, and the pistol dangling from her finger, I was tempted to nickname her Calamity Val.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?”

  We walked on. “Frightening. Someone could mistake it for a real gun.”

  Val snorted. “Wouldn’t do them much good. It’s made of wood.”

  We reached the double arched doors of the restaurant. Over top of the entrance were the words Café Chat. Sleek stylized cats curved to create the capital C’s. The name was a bilingual double entendre, because Chat meant cat in French.

  But when we turned to enter, Trixie, my Jack Russell terrier, took off. I no longer used a leash to walk her around town. We had been practicing coming when called and most of the time she listened to me, but she still had a mind of her own and sometimes followed her nose elsewhere. I knew where she was headed this time, though, straight to the doggy play area. “I’ll meet you inside,” I said to Val.

  Trixie sped across the green, the park in the middle of Wagtail’s pedestrian zone. When I caught up to her, she was politely sniffing a corgi who ran loose.

  An attractive blonde woman bundled in a puffy purple jacket and faux fur boots was talking on the phone. Although I didn’t know who she was, I’d seen her around town before and thought the corgi belonged to her.

  I looked up at the silvery gray sky. Even though it was ten in the morning, and other people walked dogs, there was a silence in the air. A peaceful stillness that meant snow was on the way.

  The woman on the phone whispered, but it was so quiet that she might as well have come right up to me and spoken aloud.

  “Blanche is in town.” She paused. “That’s what I thought, too.” She sucked in a deep breath of the cold air. “I’m finally going to do it. I can’t go on like this.”

  I gave Trixie a few minutes to run with the corgi. She would behave better at Café Chat if she burned off some energy. I felt a little bit guilty about listening to the woman’s phone call, but good grief, if she was going to have a private conversation in public, what did she expect?

  “Of course I’m nervous! Why do you think I’ve put it off for so long?” She smiled at me in spite of eyes rimmed in red from crying.

  I dug in my pocket for a treat, held it out, and called to Trixie. She gave the corgi one last look and evidently decided that a cookie was more enticing. As Trixie and I walked away, I heard the woman say, “This weekend. The sooner the better.”

  Trixie scampered into Café Chat, probably as relieved as I was to be out of the cold. I helped her out of her plush pink coat and hung it on the rack with my own boring winter white jacket.

  Zelda York and Shelley Dixon spied me and waved their hands in the air. Val sat with them at a table next to the window.

  Zelda and Shelley worked at the Sugar Maple Inn with me. In her spare time, Zelda was building a pet psychic business. I wasn’t sure that she could really read the minds of dogs and cats, but so far, she’d been fairly accurate.

  Wagging her tail, Trixie darted between round-backed bistro chairs to greet half a dozen dog friends on the way to our table. My little girl with the black ears and spot on her rump had the good sense to approach Zelda’s cat, Leo, cautiously. She stopped short of him and gently extended her nose toward his.

  An extraordinarily confident cat, Leo stretched his white paws forward, showing off the blaze on his chest and demonstrating his total lack of concern about Trixie’s presence. Everyone in town knew the large tiger-striped tabby with the characteristic M on his forehead.

  I slid into the chair next to Val. White tablecloths and white toppers gave the casual bistro a slightly upscale feel.

  Zelda, as full-figured as she was full of life, held a gold candlestick, turning it in her hands. She had braided strands of her long blonde hair on both s
ides and pulled back the braids. They hung like beautiful garlands on the sides of her head, reminding me of a Norse princess. “This is so cool. But I don’t get it. Why only four weapons? Doesn’t everyone get a weapon?”

  I guessed the wicked meat cleaver Shelley held was also a weapon. Shelley had cut her light brown hair and streaked it blonde to lighten it. It was a layered bob of large curls that I envied. My own straight brown hair would never cooperate in that kind of cut.

  She wore Wagtail chic, a fisherman-style knit sweater in cream. Her bulky olive-colored jacket hung over the back of her chair. “You want me to hide this in—” Shelley tilted her head to read a note on the cleaver “—oh my word, it’s a little rhyme!”

  The waitress interrupted to take my order. I was so spoiled by the terrific breakfasts at the Sugar Maple Inn that I found it difficult to eat breakfast out. “Two eggs sunny-side up with roasted potatoes, and the same for Trixie. I’ll have coffee, and she’ll have water, please.”

  Zelda looked at Val with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry I had to miss the last few meetings about the murder mystery weekend. Now I’m lost. This sounds like a scavenger hunt.”

  Val placed a gorgeous bottle on the table. About four inches high, it had been a painted metallic green that made it look like glass. On one side, it bore a skull and crossbones painted in silver on a red background. “Murder Most Howl is a cross between a scavenger hunt and a murder mystery game. The participants all play themselves. But each of them will have a secret from his or her past that ties them to the victim. For instance, there’s a participant named Robin Jarvis. When she receives her secret at the initial meeting at Hair of the Dog tonight, Robin will find out that she’s the sister of the victim’s second wife. And that she came here to avenge her sister’s death. But she doesn’t have to wear a costume or be anyone but herself. Get it? She doesn’t have to pretend she’s a millionaire or a movie star. It’s up to each player to decide whether to share the secret with anyone. The goal is to solve the mystery of who killed the victim. They have to figure out who the killer is, the motive, and how he or she murdered the victim.”