Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott is happy to score some free mulch from one of her brother’s landscaping jobs—until she discovers the dead body buried beneath the bark.
Worse, her brother’s landscaping tools were used to commit the murder. Once the police arrest her brother and seem happy to have "caught their man,” Andi Grace has no choice but to track down the real killer. She’ll risk everything to prove her brother’s innocence. Even if it means turning over every rock in town.
is the second book in Jackie’s new Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series. Jackie also enjoys hearing from readers. Be sure to follow her on Facebook.
Chapter One
A YELLOW
VOLKSWAGEN Beetle with white daisy decals barreled toward us, racing at a
ridiculous speed on the narrow entrance road of Richard Rice Plantation. The
car never slowed or swerved back to the other side of the lane. With my heart
pounding, I jerked the steering wheel then slammed on the brakes.
My
best friend Juliet Reed screamed from the passenger seat of the landscaping
pickup truck I drove. Her hands flew forward as if to clutch the dashboard and
brace her body, but the seat belt had her pinned.
From
the back seat, my German shepherd barked.
"It’s
okay, Sunny.” I fought for control, but we slid off the road and into the sandy
grass under an ancient oak, missing the massive trunk by inches.
The
VW whizzed past us.
White-knuckling
the steering wheel, I glanced at Julia. "Are you okay?”
Her
face was pale. "I’m fine, I think.”
"Did
you see the driver?” I loosened my grip one finger at a time then reached back
and rubbed Sunny’s head. "Good girl.”
"I
think it was Wendy Conn.” Juliet pushed the button to release her seat belt,
twisted around, and looked out the back window. "I didn’t actually see the
driver, but it was her Bug. Had to be. Nobody else around here drives one with
all those daisies.”
Perspiration
broke out on the back of my neck. Un, deux, trois…I counted to ten in
French then edged back onto the plantation’s entry road. "Next time I see
Wendy, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind. I don’t care how close you two
are.”
"I
wouldn’t go so far as to say we’re close. Old co-workers, but nothing more.”
Juliet glanced behind us. "Wonder why she’s in such a hurry?”
I
didn’t care. "There’s no excuse for reckless driving.”
"She’s
probably running late for an appointment at the salon. I was always getting on
her to be on time when I owned Lovely Locks, but I didn’t fire her because
she’s a good stylist. Tuesdays are senior discount day, so she’ll have a full
schedule.” Juliet dropped her head back onto the headrest. "Let’s discuss your
brother. It was nice of Nate to leave us some mulch for the bed and breakfast.”
I
couldn’t help but smile, which lessened my tension. Juliet thought my brother was more than nice. "Don’t try
to change the subject.” I turned right.
"Take
a deep breath. We were having a good day until Wendy almost killed us. We
should count our blessings. Starting with the fact we didn’t crash into that
humongous oak.”
I
sighed. "You’re right. We’re blessed with good family and friends. Not to
mention our morning jaunt to Daily Java for coffee and blueberry muffins.
Wendy’s not going to spoil our day.”
Except
for Sunny’s panting, we crossed the large parking lot in silence. It was
surrounded by oak trees and magnolias. Good shade trees for large groups of
visitors during tourist season.
I
thanked God for keeping us safe and for providing me with an amazing brother.
Even though Nate was younger, he’d always looked out for my best interest, like
now. He’d brought over some mulch for us to use on the grounds of my B&B.
"His landscaping truck should be toward the back of the lot.”
Juliet
pointed. "I see his trailer.”
"But
where’s his truck?” Odd. I stopped in the middle of the near- empty lot and
reached for my phone. I punched in my brother’s number and waited for him to
answer, but it rolled to voice mail. "Nate, we’re here. We’ll meet you at the
trailer.”
A
dark color SUV appeared from a blacktop drive leading from the river and the
plantation chapel or school house. At least that’s what the green and white
sign said. Richard Rice Plantation had transformed from a thriving rice
plantation on the river to a historical site where visitors came to learn more
about South Carolina history.
The
SUV’s driver barely tapped his brakes before taking off in the opposite
direction from us. He sped away toward the entry lane.
Juliet
said, "How weird. Where’s everybody going, and where’s your brother? This early
in the morning, it seems like employees should be arriving. Not leaving.”
"We
know Wendy doesn’t work here. The other driver probably doesn’t either. Too bad
the dark windows concealed their identity.” The plantation wasn’t open for
guests this early in the morning, in fact it’d be a couple of hours before
patrons could enter. So what were Wendy and the mystery person doing here? It
wasn’t even eight o’clock. The parking lot was empty except for Nate’s trailer
at the back. He’d parked parallel to the edge, giving us easy access to what we
needed.
A
random car sat on the opposite side of the lot. The driver had parked in two
spaces as if he didn’t want anybody to hit his vehicle. "I know. The only other
vehicle in the lot is that blue sports car.”
"It’s
a brand new Audi. See the four circles on the hood?” She whipped out her phone
and snapped a picture. "For my dream board.”
I
laughed. My friend had a weakness for fancy sports cars, and I had a need for
big dependable vehicles for my dog walking business. "If I ever wanted a cool
car, it’d be the red one on Magnum.”
"It’s
a Ferrari 488 Spider in the new series.”
I
laughed. "Of course you’d know that, but I’ll never splurge on one. I’m still
saving up to visit France.” I backed up to the trailer so we could load mulch
into it easier. "Let’s get to work. Nate keeps shovels attached to his
trailer.”
Juliet
pulled her hair into a bun and checked her reflection in the truck’s side
mirror. "It’s warm for January, and we’re going to sweat like pigs if we do all
the work ourselves. I don’t mind waiting a little longer.”
"You
look fine. Come on.” I hopped out of the truck, and Sunny followed me to where
the trailer had been parked parallel to the edge of the blacktopped area. A few
months earlier, I’d suspected Juliet cared for my brother, and this was one
more clue to add to my list. I called to her over my shoulder. "I don’t want to
wait all day. Nate will help when he gets here.”
Juliet
glanced around before she joined Sunny and me at the landscaping trailer.
Mulch
lay scattered on the ground, and I frowned. "Nate always cleans his work space
before leaving at the end of the day. He must be around here somewhere.”
"Should
I get a rake and a broom off the rack in back?”
"Not
yet. Something’s off.” My scalp prickled. Nate had scrimped and saved to buy
the side dump landscaping trailer. With the front section he could pour out
mulch or grass clippings with ease, saving him time and energy to focus on
creating beautiful outdoor settings. I patted the ledge. "Our mulch is in
here.”
Juliet
inspected the deck space at the back of the trailer. "There’s no wheelbarrow.”
Juliet planted her hands on her hips.
I
hurried to check it out. "I wonder why there are still shovels here. Today the
men are scheduled to plant shrubs around the building where you pay to take
tours of the plantation.”
"It
makes me think his crew is late or working at other sites. Call him again.” She
ran the zipper of her jacket up and down.
I hit redial, but still no answer. After leaving another
message, I turned to my
friend. "Let’s stay calm. Do you see Nate’s truck? He would’ve pulled the
trailer here this morning, because the bin is full of mulch. I just can’t
figure out where he went with his truck.”
Juliet
snapped her fingers. "Maybe he drove to town to get us coffee.”
"No,
once he starts working, he only drinks water and stuff with electrolytes.” My
stomach tightened. Big time. "He might’ve driven to another area of the
plantation. Maybe he had trees or concrete pots in the back of the truck and
drove to the exact area where he’s working. Let’s see if we can find him.”
Juliet
nodded. "Should we split up?”
"No.
We stick together.” Nate had promised to meet us here, and he was a man of his
word. "It’s not like him to stand us up.”
"I
know.” She stuck to me like glue. "He could’ve run into a snake or alligator or
fallen into a hole. Anything could’ve happened.”
My
heart thundered. In June, I’d found Peter Roth’s dead body. Bad things happened
to good people. I shook my head, stopping the negative thoughts beginning to
form. "It could be as simple as he lost track of the time.”
"You
said Nate was supposed to landscape around the welcome center. Let’s go to see
if he’s there.”
"Good
idea.” I patted my leg. "Sunny, come.”
My
brother was going to be fine, and we’d laugh about the mix-up later. My dog
sniffed around a pine tree, paused, then bounded toward me.
"Good
girl.” The three of us traversed the parking lot and took the path to the entry
gate. Birds sang their morning songs as the sun continued rising. A normal
morning, except it didn’t feel normal. A shiver stole up my back, and it wasn’t
due to the brisk January breeze.
Nate’s
truck sat in the grass near the gate. The tailgate was lowered, and the bed was
empty except traces of dirt.
The
flower bed around the gate held camellias and winter daphne. Buckets of liriope at the side waited to be
planted, and a half-full wheelbarrow of chunky brown mulch needed to be
spread in due time. There were also artistic pots of bright colored pansies.
Yes, it all looked like a typical day for a landscaper, apart from a pair of
men’s running shoes poking out of the mulch. I did a double take. Yep, it was definitely
a pair of shoes. My gaze traveled from one shoe to a black sock, a flash of
skin and blue jeans. I gasped. Was it my brother? Nate almost always wore work
boots on a job site. Not Adidas. It didn’t make sense he’d change his work
habits.
Juliet
screamed. "No!”
"Call 911.”
