Free Ghostly Paws (Mystic Notch Cozy Mystery Series) by Leighann Dobbs Page B

me. “Oh, come on. Didn’t Myrna say she was wearing a raincoat?”
    I pressed my lips together. “Yeah, but maybe Myrna was mistaken. I’m pretty sure that cape was the same color blue as the thread, and Lavinia said whoever pushed her was wearing a cape.”
    “Are you sure you aren’t just so focused on the possibility that it could be Ophelia that you are blinded to anything else?” Pepper asked. “I mean, you saw how nice she was today.”
    “Yeah, what did you give her, anyway?”
    “Oh just a special tea,” Pepper said smugly.
    “Well, nice or not she could be a killer.” I pulled out my cell phone. “I should call Augusta and let her know Ophelia has a cape that matches the fibers on the murder weapon.”
    “Augusta … or Eddie?” Pepper smirked.
    “Very funny.” I stared at my phone.
    “What’s wrong?” Pepper asked as she pulled into the municipal parking lot.
    “I’m not really sure what to say. I can’t very well tell Augusta I was in Ophelia’s house rummaging through her closet and happened to discover a blue cape. And how would I explain that I know the killer wore a cape? Sheriff Meanie would probably arrest me if I came out with that.”
    Pepper parked the car, then reached in the back for her bag of tea items. “Sounds like you need something more solid … something that will cause the police to search Ophelia’s house and find the cape themselves.”
    “That’s right. I need solid evidence.” I opened my door and hopped out of the car. “I need to find a motive or place her at the scene of the crime.”
    Pepper fell in step beside me as I walked down the sidewalk toward our stores. The birds were chirping, the sun beaming down and buds starting to form on the trees, but I didn’t notice any of it. I was too focused on figuring out what to do next.
    “How are you going to do that?” Pepper asked.
    “Her motive could have been the bronzes. Of course, they are valuable, but I wonder if Bates bought them from Pete? Maybe they have special meaning to her. I suppose I could talk to Bates about that.”  
    I glanced sideways as we passed the library. Across the street, a side street opened up to the front of the church, the church that Ophelia had said she was lighting a candle at that morning. “I can’t really do too much about her motive right now, but I can check out her alibi.”
    Pepper’s eyes followed my gaze. “At the church?”
    “Yep. She said she was lighting a candle. Maybe Pastor Foley saw her there and can verify the time and how long she stayed. Maybe he saw where she went afterward.”
    Pepper shrugged. “I guess it’s worth a try. I think you’re wasting your time, though, because I’m sure she didn’t do it. Maybe you should be checking out that black car Ophelia said she saw instead.”
    “Maybe, but if I learned one thing as a crime journalist, it’s that you’ve got to cover all your bases and check out all the leads thoroughly.” I turned down the side street.
    “You want some company?” Pepper called after me.
    “No, thanks. This will only take a few minutes, then I’m going to grab Pandora from the shop and head home.”  
    “Okay, see you tomorrow.” Her words echoed down the street as I walked toward the church.
    The First Hope church was one of the oldest buildings in Mystic Notch. I’d only been inside a handful of times. My family wasn’t active in organized religion and I realized as I approached the large cathedral style doors that I didn’t even know what kind of religion they practiced there.
    Inside, the church was dimly lit. Rows of pews in dark oak lined the sides. The church was rather plain, painted in white. A large round stained glass window sat high in the gable end wall, casting shards of muted red and yellow light on the altar. Rows of large frosted glass rectangular windows with rounded tops lined the sides, but, surprisingly, didn’t let in a lot of light. It was as quiet as a library and smelled like exotic