Death and a Dog

“I have an idea,” Gina said then. “Once we’re done here, we should go and walk the dogs on the seafront. We can take the east route. You’ve not gone that way yet, have you? The sea air will tire you out and you’ll sleep like a baby, mark my words.”

“That’s a good idea,” Lacey agreed. If she went home now, she’d only fret.

As Lacey put the messy cheesecake in the fridge to chill, Gina hurried into the utility room to fetch them both rain macs. It was still quite chilly in the evenings, especially by the sea where it was more blustery.

The huge waterproof, fisherman’s coat swamped Lacey. But she was glad for it when they stepped outside. It was a cool, clear, evening.

They headed down the cliff steps. The beach was deserted and quite dark. It was kind of exhilarating being down here when it was so empty, Lacey thought. It felt like they were the only people in the world.

They headed toward the sea, then turned to follow the easterly direction that Lacey hadn’t had a chance yet to explore. It was fun to explore somewhere new. Being in a small town like Wilfordshire sometimes felt a little stifling.

“Hey, what’s that?” Lacey asked, peering across the water at what appeared to be the silhouette of a building on an island.

“Medieval ruins,” Gina said. “At low tide there’s a sandbar you can walk along to reach them. Definitely worth a poke around if you can be bothered to get up that early.”

“What time is low tide?” Lacey asked.

“Five a.m.”

“Ouch. That’s probably a bit too early for me.”

“You can also get there by boat, of course,” Gina explained. “If you know someone who actually owns one. But if you get stuck over there, you have to call out the volunteer lifeboat and those lads don’t appreciate using their resources on clueless folk, mark my words! I’ve done it before and got quite a stern talking to. Luckily my gift of the gab had them all chuckling by the time we reached shore, and we’re all on good terms now.”

Chester began to strain on his leash, as if trying to get to the island.

“I think he knows it,” Lacey said.

“Maybe his old owners used to walk him over there?” Gina suggested.

Chester barked as if in confirmation.

Lacey bent down and ruffled his fur. It had been a while since she’d really thought about Chester’s old owners, and how unsettling it must have been for him to lose them so suddenly.

“How about I take you there one day?” she asked him. “I’ll wake up early, just for you.”

With an excited wag of the tail, Chester tipped his head back and barked at the sky.

*

Just as she’d predicted, Lacey struggled to sleep that night. So much for the sea air tiring her out. There was just too much swirling around her mind for her to switch off; from the Crag Cottage sale meeting with Ivan, to the auction, there was just too much to think about. And while she was excited about the auction tomorrow, she was also nervous. Not just because it was only her second time doing it, but because of the unwelcome attendees she’d have to deal with in the form of Buck and Daisy Stringer.

Maybe they won’t come, she thought as she stared at the shadows on her ceiling. Daisy will probably have found something else to demand Buck buy for her.

But no, the woman had seemed intent on buying the sextant specifically. It obviously held some kind of personal significance for her. They would be there, Lacey was certain of it, even if just to prove a point.

Lacey listened to the sound of Chester’s breathing and the waves crashing against the cliffs, letting the gentle rhythms lull her into relaxation. She’d just started dropping off when her cell phone suddenly started vibrating loudly on the wooden dresser beside her head. Its eerie green light filled the room with flashes. She was usually careful to put it on night mode but it had obviously slipped her mind tonight with everything else she was thinking about.

With a fatigued groan, Lacey flailed out with her arm and grasped the cell. She brought it close to her face, squinting to see who had decided to disturb her at this ungodly hour. The name Mom flashed insistently on the screen at her.

Of course, Lacey thought, sighing. Her mother must have forgotten the rule about not calling her after 6 p.m. New York time.

With a sigh, Lacey answered the call. “Mom? Is everything okay?”

From the other end of the line, there was a moment’s silence. “Why do you always answer my calls like that? Why does there have to be something wrong for me to call my daughter?”

Lacey rolled her eyes and sank back against the pillow. “Because it’s two in the morning in the U.K. right now, and you only ever call me when you’re in a panic about something. So? What is it?”

The following silence was enough of a confirmation to Lacey that she’d hit the nail on the head.

“Mom?” she prompted.

“I was just at David’s—” her mom began.

“What?” Lacey exclaimed. “Why?”

“To meet Eda.”