SQUIRREL SKIP SQUABBLE (HARDCOVER)

Chapter 1

“Angela? Are you in here?”

Officer Kimberly Dell poked her head through the doorway of Angela’s new office and smiled.

“Kim! Come on in,” Angela said, sitting up and taking her feet off the desk. Ruff, Angela’s ever-present border collie, barked a friendly greeting.

“Hey, Ruff!” Officer Dell greeted him, rubbing his ears affectionately. Ruff wagged his tail and jumped around a bit, but quieted down when she took a seat across from Angela.

“So, what do you have for me? Don’t tell me there’s been another murder already,” Angela joked. When Officer Dell didn’t crack a smile, Angela gasped.

“You’re kidding! Who?”

“It’s… Reginald Dean.”

Angela’s eyes went wide. “The millionaire?”

Officer Dell nodded. “Looks like he met his demise last night, but his body wasn’t discovered until this morning when the cleaning lady came in. By the looks of it, he was bludgeoned to death.”

Angela sat back, her mind in a whirl. She didn’t know Mr. Dean very well, but her younger brother William had worked for him one summer as the gardener’s assistant. The gardener had needed extra help shortly after Mr. Dean had moved in, clearing out huge swaths of Scotch broom and other invasive bushes from the large property. That seemed like a long time ago.

“Do you have any suspects so far?” Angela asked.

“Only the people who worked for him daily: the cook, the gardener, and the cleaning lady. He hardly associated with anyone else.”

Angela nodded slowly. “At least we have somewhere to begin the investigation,” she replied. “Any chance I can get in to have a look around?”

Officer Dell scowled. “You know how Chief Helbar is. We have to clear any evidence first and do our own search, but once everything is over, I don’t think there’s any harm in you looking around.”

“Thanks, Kim,” Angela said, smiling warmly. Even if Chief Helbar didn’t think much of her sleuthing skills, it meant a lot to her that Officer Dell did. Officer Dell was in her early twenties and had recently been promoted to a beat cop. She had keen senses which came in handy during an investigation, and Angela appreciated any opportunity to work with her.

“Do you mind calling or texting when the official investigation is over?” she continued.

“Of course,” Officer Dell replied. “I was planning on it, anyway. I can come with you too, if you like.”

“I would love that! But… will Chief Helbar be disgruntled if you did?” Angela asked, a slight hesitation in her voice.

“No,” she said. “He knows I will get in touch with you, especially since you’ve gone professional, and he doesn’t want to lose me over a petty argument. Besides, even if he doesn’t act like it, I think he may be finally warming to you.”

“Looks like we’ll have to work together now. Huh, Atkinson?” Angela smiled as she remembered what the chief had to said to her after the previous case.

“I really appreciate your vote of confidence, Kim,” she said.

“You’ve earned it! I know you can help with this one, too. Especially with your keen-nosed partner.”

Officer Dell patted Ruff one more time, then stepped out the door. Angela leaned her chin on her hand, thinking back to what she knew about Reginald Dean. He’d retired early, though she had no idea what kind of work he’d done throughout his life. He’d purchased thirty acres on the outskirts of Hummings Hollow just over twenty years ago and built a huge mansion on it. People speculated he moved to a small town because he was in legal trouble or hiding from someone, but the gossip dried up when the contractors finished the house and Mr. Dean moved in.

Angela had seen him around town at times, in the grocery store or the dry cleaner’s, but he rarely said a word to anyone unless he needed something. Angela’s farm was just down the road from the mansion, but she never passed it since she went the opposite way to town.

She finally stood up, deciding that movement would help her think. The small office space still needed some cleaning done, so she swept the floor thoroughly and began to mop.

As she cleaned, her thoughts drifted to her parents. They didn’t know Reginald Dean any better than she did, but she planned on asking her dad his thoughts on the case. As a retired police officer himself, he had the same instincts and knack for investigation that she did.

“Come on, Ruff,” she said, giving a soft whistle as she gathered up her bag and shut off the light. She locked the office, and they drove off in Angela’s truck. There were signs of spring everywhere as she drove the familiar road to her parent’s place. Trees showed off their tiny buds that would soon bloom into pretty flowers. The first daffodils were already out, nodding their yellow heads cheerfully in the breeze. Though the scene was lovely, it seemed at odds with the gruesome murder on her mind.

Angela frowned as she pulled up to her parent’s house. An unfamiliar car, red and rusty and badly in need of a wash, sat at the curb outside. She parked hurriedly and signaled for Ruff to get out. The dog went immediately to the crusty old car, sniffing the wheels and doors.

Whose car is this?

“I don’t know, boy,” Angela replied as she patted his head, seemingly reading his thoughts. “I was just wondering the same thing.”

Feeling a bit apprehensive, Angela walked up to the door, gave a few perfunctory knocks, then headed inside. The sight that greeted her brought her to an abrupt halt.

“William?” she gasped. He smiled uncomfortably and gave an awkward wave. Angela blinked a few times.

“Hey sis,” William said, his eyes shifting uncomfortably away from hers after one glance. Their mother and father sat there with him, Abigail’s whole face glowing, Charlie’s impassive.

Angela ran a hand through her hair.

“Why are you here?”

William crossed his arms. “I… came for a visit.”

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Angela’s mother said, patting William’s hand fondly. “Our William is finally home.”

“It’s been nineteen years,” Angela pointed out. “Nineteen years in which we haven’t seen you or heard from you, except for a random card now and again on mom’s birthday.”

Charlie cleared his throat loudly. “Angela, why don’t you come and help me get some drinks for everyone?”

She flicked her eyes over to her father. He looked pointedly at the kitchen, then back at her.

“Okay,” said Angela, turning her stony gaze to William as she set down her bag. The hint from her father was clear, though, so she followed him into the kitchen.

“What is going on?” she hissed as her dad got a bottle of Diet Coke out of the fridge and poured it into glasses.

“He was here when we got home from your office-warming party.”

“Did he say why?”

Charlie sighed. “He says he’s been having a rough time lately and needed to get out of New York. Wanted to come home for a bit and try to figure things out.”

Angela’s scowl deepened. “What, is he on the run from the law? Are we harboring a criminal?”

Charlie gave a low chuckle and shook his head. “You’re thinking like a detective again, Angela. No, I don’t think that’s it. I think he doesn’t want to admit that he didn’t make it big as an actor. I think he’s out of funds and is looking for a place to land until he gets his act together.”

“Fine time for him to show up,” Angela fumed. “What with mom and… and everything.”

“I know. I thought about that, too,” Charlie confessed. “But try not to let on to your mom that you’re upset. She’s over the moon that William came back. We should at least try to give him a chance. He is still family, after all.”

Angela shrugged and picked up two of the glasses. “Whatever you say, dad,” she said, leaving the kitchen.

“Thanks,” William said, accepting one glass from Angela as she gave a curt nod and settled into the armchair opposite him. Ruff glanced at Angela, then sniffed curiously at William’s hand.

“Who’s this little fella?” William asked. Ruff gave him a tiny lick on the back of his hand, then sat on his haunches with his tail wagging. William chuckled and ruffled the fur on Ruff’s head.

“What a beautiful dog,” he said, speaking more to Ruff than anyone else.

This guy’s not half bad, you know.

Ruff looked back at Angela with a doggy smile, his whole body moving as he panted. She glared at Ruff with a raised eyebrow, then glanced up at William.

“This is my dog, Ruff McPaw. Ruff for short.”

William held out a hand and Ruff put his paw in it, then sniffed at William’s fingers.

“He wants a treat,” Angela said, digging a dog biscuit out of her coat pocket and handing it to William. Her brother offered it to Ruff, who gobbled it up, then curled up around William’s feet. Angela clenched her teeth.

Charlie parked himself on the sofa next to his wife and handed her a glass of soda. They drank in silence, everyone subconsciously eyeing William.

“Angie, did you need something, or were you just stopping by?” Abigail asked. “We were going to call you about… things, but you came over before we could.”

Abigail looked between her and William, and Angela thawed a bit. Her poor mother could sense the tension and was trying in her own way to fix it. At least a gory murder would take their minds off the strain of William’s unexpected homecoming.

“Yes, I did, actually,” Angela replied. “I was going to ask you about Reginald Dean.”

“What about him?” her dad asked.

“He’s been murdered,” Angela replied. Abigail gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. William’s face went white. Charlie leaned forward, a look of disbelief on his face.

“You’re kidding!”

“No,” she replied. “I had a visit from Officer Dell at my office just after we wrapped up the party. She said he’d been killed sometime last night, but his body wasn’t found until this morning by the cleaning lady.”

Charlie let out a low whistle. “That’s not good. Do they have any suspects?”

“That’s what I came to ask about. They don’t have anyone to question except the people who work for him. The gardener, the cook and the cleaning lady were the only three people he regularly came into contact with. Do you think it’s one of them?”

Charlie rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know. It’s possible, I guess, but rich people are usually murdered for their money. Unless one of them stood to inherit from him, I doubt it. Could have been a random burglary gone wrong. Do they know if anything’s been taken?”

“I don’t know. Officer Dell said they’re still running the investigation. I can’t go in until they’re done.”

Charlie shrugged. “Could be any number of things; theft, a business deal gone bad, someone with a grudge. You could ask the people who worked for him if he had any enemies. We all thought it was weird when he moved way out here to the middle of nowhere, when the world was his oyster. Maybe he was avoiding someone, and they finally caught up.”

Angela nodded thoughtfully. “It’s possible. People certainly speculated about that when he first moved here.”

“Maybe one of his employees was upset about their pay and took it out on him,” William blurted suddenly.

“What do you mean?” Angela said, trying to push down the ripple of irritation that flared up inside her.

“He didn’t pay his employees very well. The guy was stingy. I can attest to that.”

Angela rolled her eyes. “You were sixteen when you worked for him. I wouldn’t pay a teenager much, either.”
William shrugged, looking a bit moody. “Just trying to help.”

She sighed, remembering her father’s advice about giving William a chance. Deciding it was best to change the subject, she stood up. “Well, thanks for the drinks and the advice, dad. I need to get going. Got to feed the animals.”

William perked up as he glanced her way. “You have animals?”

“Yes, I own a small hobby farm,” she replied.

“Do you mind if I come?”