laughed again, and then gave me a stiff bow. “Mrs. Echosby, it has been my pleasure meeting you, but if I can leave you with a word of warning: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” He tapped the side of his head.
I forced a smile and remembered I was still holding his dog. I gave the poodle a final cuddle and ear scratch and then handed him back over to his owner.
Dixie grabbed Archibald by the arm and escorted him into the main room of the museum.
Just as I turned to follow, I noticed a strange man enter the reception. I probably wouldn’t have noticed him, except he looked like he was watching Dixie but trying not to appear as if he was doing so. It wouldn’t be unusual for a man to look more than once at Dixie. There’s no question she was striking, but there was something about this stranger that sent a shiver up my spine. Suddenly, I sensed someone behind me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Turning, I saw my boyfriend. “Red, you startled me.” I clutched at my racing heart.
He glanced into my eyes. “You really are scared. Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
I took a deep breath. “I was looking at that man.” I turned around to point him out, but he had vanished. “Well, he was here a minute ago.” I glanced around.
“Should I be jealous that you’re looking at other men?” Red joked.
I gave his arm a playful punch. “Don’t be silly. I’m serious. There was this weird guy looking at Dixie and he gave me the creeps.”
Instantly, his demeanor changed from playful flirting to serious, law enforcement mode. Red was stocky, but rock solid. He was five foot ten with dark eyes and sandy red hair which he wore in a cut which screamed former military. He still bore the scars, both internally and externally, from his years of service. The most visible was a scar across the right side of his face. The other scars were harder to see. Now he worked for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations. Despite the fact that I found him to be a loveable teddy bear who could be extremely gentle and loved to cook, he could flip a switch and turn into a hard-nosed cop within seconds. I had seen the transformation before, in both Red and in my daughter’s boyfriend, Joe Harrison, also former military and now a member of the Lighthouse Dunes, Indiana, police force. I can’t put my finger on exactly what changes when the switch is flipped, but suddenly the air bristles with electricity and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“Which guy? Can you point him out?”
We walked around the perimeter of the room, as inconspicuously as possible. I spotted Dixie talking to her husband Beau and Dr. Morgan, a short, bald man with an egg-shaped head that reminded me of the description of Agatha Christie’s famous detective, Hercule Poirot. Dr. Morgan was the coroner and one of the members of Dixie’s dog class. He was shy and socially awkward, but since Dixie had bought ten tickets at a hundred dollars per ticket for each of the members of the class she taught and gifted them to us, we felt it was our duty to come and support the fundraiser. What Dr. Morgan didn’t know was that Dixie also hoped to hook him up with her socially awkward spinster cousin, whom she thought would be perfect for him. Needless to say, two socially awkward people in a crowded room was a pretty pitiful sight and Dr. Morgan looked as though he’d just as soon have a root canal as spend another second here.
We made two trips around the room and even ventured out to a few other areas of the museum, but I never saw the stranger again. We were just about to go back into the main reception area when I heard a yap and a dark gray fluff ball ran to me and took a flying leap of faith into my arms.
“My goodness, Indulf. What are you doing running around alone?” I whispered in the voice people only used with babies and pets. “If you went potty in the museum, Linda Kay will be furious.”
Red reached over and scratched the poodle behind the ears. “Where did you meet this little guy and what did you call him?”
“Don’t ask me to repeat it. I think it’s Scottish.” I petted the puppy. “He belongs to this eccentric old man named Archibald Lowry—”
Red stopped and stared at me. “Archibald Lowry? The Archibald Lowry?”
I stared at him. “You know him?”
He smiled. “Not personally, but I’ve certainly heard of him.” He stopped and stared at me. “You don’t?”
I shook my head. “Never heard of him until recently.” I explained about the trip Dixie and I had made to his house. “Dixie drove the RV. I opted to stay in the luxury with the poodles.” I shrugged. “Besides, I wasn’t the one invited to meet with him.”
“He’s supposed to be one of the richest men in the South. I’ve never met him, but he’s reported to be a recluse who rarely leaves his mansion unless it’s to go to one of his other mansions.”
I snuggled the poodle. “Well, this is his puppy.” I looked around. “I don’t see any messes anywhere. Do you?”
Red gave the area a quick glance and then shook his head. “Where is the mighty titan?”
I shrugged. “No idea.” I looked down at the puppy and noticed he was licking one of his paws. A closer glance indicated a sticky red substance. “I think he’s injured.”
He examined the dog’s paw and then his radar went up. “Take the dog and go back in the main room.” The tone in his voice was complete law enforcement and left no room for argument.
I turned to obey and glanced back in time to see him reach for the gun he wore strapped to his side as he navigated around a corner.
A woman shrieked and Red raced in the direction of the scream.
I hesitated a half second and then turned back and followed him with the puppy clutched to my chest.
Around an alcove near a display of ancient swords, I saw a pair of white stubby legs, black socks which had fallen down around a pair of skinny ankles and a kilt which had hiked up during the fall to reveal that like a traditional Scot, Archibald Lowry wasn’t wearing anything under his tartan.
Chapter 2
“My God, what happened?” Jacob whispered in my ear.
I hadn’t even realized he was there until he spoke. I shook my head. “No idea.”
Red squatted near the body and felt for a pulse. He stood up and pulled out his shield. “I’m going to need everyone to please go back into the main area and wait until the police arrive.” He beckoned to Jacob. “I need you to get to Security and make sure every door is locked. No one leaves.”
Jacob nodded, turned and hurried as quickly as a man in a heavy compression boot could, to take care of Red’s request.
The crowd which had come in response to the scream, slowly returned to the main room.
A woman dressed in a short black dress was leaning against a pillar. From the way her hand was shaking, I knew she was the screamer.
I wanted to ask a million questions but Red held up his hand to forestall the barrage while he pulled out his cell phone. He called the police and reported the murder, indicating there was a TBI officer on the scene. When he was done, he turned to Dixie who had come to stand beside me. “Can you find Dr. Morgan?”
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