Santa Sleuth by Kathi Daley Page B

that it isn’t impossible that she could have killed Jason.”
    “Okay, so you have Tina on the list without a confirmed alibi. Who else?” Jeremy asked as I slowly turned onto the street where Mrs. Broomsfield lived.
    “I haven’t had the opportunity to speak to Andrew Dover. His was one of the names Riley gave me.”
    “I know Andrew. He’s at the community center. I saw him there earlier. It’s doubtful he’ll leave before we get back. You can talk to him then. Anyone else?”
    I told Jeremy about Blugo, who seemed exactly the type to kill someone, though no one had seen him around as of late. I’d driven by the apartment Tizzy had given me, but it had been dark every time.
    “Did you see that?” I asked Jeremy as we pulled up in front of Mrs. Broomsfield’s house.
    “See what?”
    “Something black just ran under the truck parked in the driveway across the street. I only saw it because it ran under a house light. It must be battery operated. You go in and check on Mrs. Broomsfield; I’m going to check over there.”
    “Probably just a cat,” Jeremy said. “I’m sure it’ll be fine under the car.”
    “I still haven’t found Cupcake. I have to be sure.”
    Jeremy got out of the truck and slowly made his way up the unshoveled walk while I headed across the street. I knelt down and tried to peer under the body of the vehicle, but it was too dark.
    “Cupcake?” I called.
    An animal whimpered.
    “Come on out, sweetie. If you do I’ll take you home.”
    It took a few minutes, but by the time Jeremy returned to the truck with Mrs. Broomsfield and her cat, I had a scrawny black dog, who I hoped was Cupcake, in my arms.
    “I see you managed to catch the pie thief,” Mrs. Broomsfield commented as I passed the dog to Jeremy, who had slid into the backseat so the elderly woman could sit in the front.
    “Pie thief?”
    “Little scamp stole the pie I had cooling on the outdoor table a couple of weeks ago.”
    “I think he’s the dog a little girl who lives a few blocks over is looking for. Do you mind if we stop by to check with her before we head over to my house with Madeline?”
    “Fine by me.”
    Luckily, I had driven this neighborhood many times over the past week and knew exactly where Tabitha lived. I crossed my fingers and headed up to the front porch. The house was dark, but I could see smoke coming out of the chimney, and it looked as if there were candles burning in a room at the front.
    I knocked and waited.
    “Can I help you?” a man, who I assumed was Tabitha’s father, answered.
    “My name is Zoe Donovan. I own the animal shelter in town. I know your daughter has been looking for her dog. Is this her?”
    The man gave me a funny look. “You own the animal shelter?”
    “I do.”
    “And you can’t tell the difference between a girl dog and a boy dog?”
    I turned the dog over. Talk about being embarrassed. I’d been so excited to find the dog I was sure was Cupcake that I hadn’t even checked.
    “I guess not,” I admitted. “I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
    Jeremy laughed for a good ten minutes when I returned to the truck and told him what had happened. I threatened him with all sorts of horrible consequences if he told anyone about my blunder. He said he wouldn’t, but knowing him, he probably would.
    By the time Jeremy recovered from laughing we’d arrived at my house. I’d planned to simply drop Madeline off and then continue on to the community center, but Mrs. Broomsfield insisted on staying at the house with the animals. Thanks to the generator, the house was warm and toasty and we had plenty of food on hand, so I didn’t really have an argument. Zak must have come by with the plow crew because even our drive had been cleared. I fed the dog I’d found and introduced him to the pack of dogs at the house. They seemed to get along fine, so I gave Mrs. Broomsfield instructions on how to use Zak’s fancy video player and what to do should the generator go out, and