Free Murder Most Howl: A Paws & Claws Mystery by Krista Davis

Dave with her palms up as if she was pleading with him, but I knew he wouldn’t give up the bottle.
    “How about this?” I offered. “You can’t have that weapon but Val and I will come up with a replacement for it. That way you won’t lose out on the power of having a weapon. Give us an hour or two?”
    Myrtle scowled at me but Weegie said, “That sounds fair. I’m freezing anyway. And look at poor Puddin’, she’s shaking, even in her wool coat! C’mon, Myrtle. Let’s have breakfast. You got what you wanted.”
    I was relieved to see emergency medical technicians calmly striding toward us. I unzipped my jacket, picked up Trixie, held her close, and wrapped the jacket around her. Val and I backed away to give the EMTs room. There was no mistaking their astonishment.
    The tallest one scratched the back of his neck. “In all my years I’ve never seen anything like this.”
    Another one worked at unzipping the navy blue jacket. He slid his hand inside the man’s clothing but shook his head.
    The tall one pulled out a phone, walked away a few steps, and made a call.
    “They’ll take him to the hospital,” said Dave. “I think he’s beyond help but I’m no doctor.”
    The EMTs had trouble moving him to the gurney. After a few awkward attempts, they lifted him in a sitting position. Dave stopped them briefly and felt the man’s pockets. He managed to withdraw a wallet and motioned for them to continue.
    Dave flipped the leather wallet open and found identification. “Just as I feared. It’s Norm Wilson.”

Seven

    The EMTs rolled Norm away on his back, his feet jutting into the air reminiscent of a dead bug. I turned away.
    I barely knew the man but the heavy gloom of death hung over me. It was so sudden and unexpected. And now I felt guilty for excluding him from planning Murder Most Howl. It had been Val’s decision, not mine, but he’d seemed so eager to help. It wasn’t important, just unkind of us. We really ought to treat everyone with more kindness. We never knew what might happen.
    “Looks like I’ll be paying a visit to Norm’s wife, Savannah.” Dave gestured with a halfhearted wave. “The worst part of my job. See you guys later.”
    By the time Val and I returned to the inn, the sun was valiantly trying to peek through gray clouds and the snow had tapered off considerably. Stepping inside the inn was a bit of a shock. The dining area was packed. Cheerful chatter filled the air. At two tables, diners exchanged good-natured banter about the murder of the Baron von Rottweiler.
    A cry went up. “Clue! Clue! Give us the clue!” They rapped on the tables like a rowdy crowd in a bar.
    “Better go see if the candlestick is still there,” whispered Val. “I’ll try to hold them in check.”
    How was I going to pull this off? Surely someone would notice if I kneeled on the floor and moved the books. If that happened, I would simply have to hide the candlestick again. Assuming they didn’t overpower me first in their zeal to nab it.
    I sidled into the library and, from a distance, peered at the bottom shelf where I’d left the candlestick. Someone had found it all right. In his or her excitement, that person hadn’t even bothered to clean up. Books lay on the floor in little heaps. I knelt to put them back. Now what? I had promised a clue!
    “ Psst. Holly!”
    I looked over my shoulder.
    Shelley twisted a dishtowel in her hands. She motioned me over to the window seat. “Do you have a minute now? I need to do something about this before Val finds out.”
    I shoved the last book into place and sat down on the window seat next to her. Snow blew past us outside with a ferocious howl.
    Val handed me a piece of paper.
Chop chop choppity chop
Cut off the bottoms
Cut off the top
What’s left over we’ll put in the pot
Chop chop choppity chop
—Australian Children’s Rhyme
    “What is this?”
    Shelley’s face flushed. “The clue for the weapon I’m supposed to hide!”
    “For the