Chapter 21
JUNE
The morning sun streamed through the kitchen windows as June sat at the table with her notebook open, reviewing everything they'd learned. Sara Lee sat across from her, nursing a cup of coffee, dark circles under her eyes suggesting she hadn't slept well.
Mister Smee wound between June's feet, purring softly, before jumping up onto the table and settling himself directly on her notes. She scratched behind his ears absently, her mind cataloging their suspects.
"Let's go through them all again," June said, picking up her pen. "Helena, Lucy, Jerry, Ivy, Horace, Petunia..." She paused, tapping the pen against her chin before crossing off a name. "Carl… no. He’s off the list."
Sara Lee nodded, relief still evident on her face whenever Carl's name came up. "Helena had a reason to hate Raymond. So did Jerry and Ivy. The Judge and Petunia had financial motives."
June looked at the names written in a column, then sat back, studying them. "There's something that's hovering in the corner of my mind... something that was said in the past couple of days, but at the time didn't register with me."
She closed her eyes, trying to recall. A conversation, a phrase, an action… something that seemed insignificant but now feels important. But the harder she tried to grasp it, the more it slipped away.
Pippi wandered into the kitchen, her long ears drooping slightly as she approached her empty food bowl. She sniffed it thoroughly, then looked up at June with soulful eyes.
"You already ate your breakfast," June told the dog. But Pippi just stared at her, unmoving, her tail giving a hopeful wag.
Sara Lee laughed despite the tension. "She's relentless."
"Fine," June conceded, rising to add a small scoop of kibble to the bowl. But instead of eating, Pippi turned and walked to the back door, whining softly.
"Now you want to go outside?" June shook her head, but moved to open the door. Pippi trotted out into the yard, nose immediately to the ground, following some scent only she could detect.
June watched her for a moment, then turned back to Sara Lee. "Maybe we should take her for a walk. Clear our heads. Sometimes the answer comes when you stop looking for it."
Sara Lee glanced at Pippi through the window. The dog had wandered between their yard and the neighbor's, clearly on some important canine mission. "I could walk her down past Lucy's house. Maybe her dog is outside. Pippi loves to sniff with Scarsdale."
"That's a lovely idea–" Suddenly, June looked up sharply.
"What?" Sara Lee asked, catching her grandmother's expression.
June's mind suddenly clicked into place. "Lucy was out the other day and didn't have Scarsdale with her."
"Yes…” Sara Lee said slowly. "She looked... upset."
"Carl said he was preparing for a euthanasia… I wonder who?" June's voice grew more intent. "Call him.”
Sara Lee's brow furrowed as she pulled out her phone, her fingers moving quickly across the screen. The phone rang twice before Carl answered.
"Hey," his voice came through, warm despite his recent stress. "Everything okay?"
"Yes, fine. Quick question—" Sara Lee's words tumbled out. "Was Lucy at the clinic recently? We realized we haven’t seen her with Scarsdale."
There was a pause. "It was Lucy's dog that had to be euthanized last week. Older dog, but it nearly broke Lucy. She was devastated. Scarsdale had been with her for fourteen years."
Sara Lee's eyes met June's across the table. "Is there any chance she could have taken the drug? While she was there?"
Carl's voice grew troubled. "I... uh… no. She was so distraught. Scarsdale died before we could administer the drug. Lucy fell apart and insisted on staying with him. She walked with me and my tech to place Scarsdale in the back. Lucy needed another goodbye. She was sobbing the whole time."
June watched her granddaughter's face, reading the question forming there.
"Thanks, Carl," Sara Lee said softly before ending the call. She looked at June. "He said Lucy was devastated. Too upset to have taken anything."
June listened but shook her head slowly. "Something happened then... I'm sure of it."
"How can we know?" Sara Lee asked, frustration creeping into her voice.
"We need to talk to Lucy," June said simply.
"Now?"
"Now." June stood, moving to the back door to call Pippi inside. “We’ll leave the pets at home and walk to Lucy's house. There’s no reason to upset her more as she grieves for her dog.”
The walk to Lucy's house took less than ten minutes. The morning had grown warm, the June sun already promising another hot afternoon. The Mayor’s house was one of the nicer homes in Meadowlark Creek, a large two-story colonial with perfect landscaping and a pristine white fence.
When they reached the porch and rang the bell, Lucy opened her front door, dressed in casual clothes that looked expensive even in their simplicity.
Surprise filled her expression as her gaze landed on them. "Ms. June. Sara Lee." Her smile was polite but curious. "What brings you by?"
June returned the smile warmly. "I hate to talk about something that is upsetting, Lucy, but we wanted to check on you. We just heard about Scarsdale."
Lucy's carefully composed expression cracked slightly. Real pain flickered across her face before she smoothed it away. "Thank you. It's been... difficult. Scarsdale was with me through so much."
"I'm so sorry for your loss," Sara Lee said gently, and June knew the sympathy in her granddaughter's voice was genuine.
Lucy looked about awkwardly for a moment, her usual self-confidence seeming to flee. "Would you like to come in?" She stepped to the side.
They followed Lucy into her immaculate home, settling in a living room that could have graced a magazine cover as small-town chic. Everything was coordinated, nothing out of place. Lucy disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a tray of coffee cups and a carafe.
As Lucy poured, June said carefully, "My dear, I know this is a difficult subject right now, but–"
Lucy's hand trembled slightly, the carafe wavering. "You’re asking about Raymond again? I assure you, there is nothing about him that upsets me now! My heart is too full of my beautiful baby.”
"No, not Raymond," June said soothingly. "We wanted to talk to you about Scarsdale."
Lucy's eyes widened, and a distraught expression crossed her face. "Why do you want to talk about him?"
"We just wanted to know if you happened to see the medication that Dr. Masterson planned on using," Sara Lee said gently.
Lucy gasped. "The... the..."
"Yes, dear. I'm so sorry to ask."
"Well, yes." Her eyes teared up as her brow furrowed.
"Um… the tech came in and gave Scarsdale an injection to make her sleepy. Then Carl came in. I don't remember much. I was holding Scarsdale, but he… he… took his last breath in my arms.” Her voice broke, and a tear slid down her cheek. “He didn’t even need the medication. And then Carl checked Scarsdale’s heart, and I buried my face in his fur and didn't pay attention to anything else. "
“Did you happen to see what happened to the syringe… afterward?”
Lucy wiped her eyes, her composure crumbling. "I just don't understand—" she gasped suddenly, her eyes flying wide open. "You think I did something—"
"No, no, we don't," June assured her quickly. "We’re just wondering if you saw the tech leave it, or if Carl handed it off."
"No," Lucy said, her voice thick with emotion. "Carl asked me about it, and so did the sheriff. But I was distraught. I called Helena and left a message for her to come be with me.”
“Helena was there?” Sara Lee asked.
“No… she was out in the county with Pete on a visit. She called Diane to come to drive me home."
"Diane?" June and Sara Lee asked simultaneously, exchanging a quick glance.
"Yes. She came to be with me since I couldn’t stop crying."
"Diane was in the veterinary room with you?" June asked carefully.
"No... she was waiting for me in the lobby." Lucy looked between them, confusion replacing her tears. "Why? What does this have to do with anything?"
June reached over and patted Lucy's hand. "Nothing, dear. We're just trying to understand the timeline of things. I'm so sorry we brought up such a painful memory."
Sara Lee waited until Lucy was more composed, then asked, “What happened at the festival. Why did you throw the lemonade at Raymond?"
Lucy's jaw tightened, but she met June's gaze steadily.
"He mentioned not having seen me without my dog.
" Her voice wavered slightly on the word 'dog.
' "He didn't know Scarsdale had died, but he was just being nasty.
Making some cruel comment about how I looked incomplete or diminished without him.
" She paused, her hands clenching in her lap.
"I threw my cup at him and stormed off before I cried in front of him.
I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. "
"What happened after that?" June asked quietly.
"Orville rushed over and led me away. We didn't stay much longer at the festival after that.
Came home and had dinner. Orville just wanted me to feel better, kept asking what he could do.
" Lucy's expression softened slightly at the mention of her husband's concern.
"We went to bed early. I just wanted the day to be over. "
She looked directly at June, her voice firm despite the emotion underneath.
"Raymond was despicable. If he caught you at a weakness, he would exploit it without mercy.
I hated him for that. But I didn't kill him, June.
All my thoughts were on my broken heart, on missing Scarsdale.
Raymond Melton wasn't worth another second of my time. "
They left shortly after. Outside, Sara Lee turned to her grandmother as they walked back toward home. "Diane was there. At the clinic. The day Lucy's dog was put down."
"Yes," June said thoughtfully. "And Carl, his tech, and Lucy walked to place Scarsdale in the back, leaving the room unoccupied.”
“But Diane was in the lobby, waiting. How could Diane have taken it?" Sara Lee's voice was barely above a whisper.
June didn't answer immediately. They walked in silence for a block before she finally spoke. "Tomorrow, we can go to the library and talk to Diane.”