Read Online Dog Days Murderous Nights: Winnona Peaks Mysteries Book 1 by Emily Page - Free Book Online Page B

raised their eyebrows at Hailey while Christy bent down and pet her dogs.
    “Alfie.  Snowy.  Go lie down.”  Hearing the authority in Christy’s voice the dogs retreated to their beds in the kitchen.  Mable raised her head for a moment and then laid it back down on Nori’s lap.
    Nori snapped at Hailey, “If you don’t like dogs so much why in the world are you the new executive director for J.W.’s foundation?”
    “I didn’t know anything about it until I got a call this morning.  Apparently J.W. was going to surprise me at the dog show with the promotion.”
    “But he fired you,” Christy piped up, confused.
    “I didn’t let him finish what he was saying.  He was in the middle of the story but all I heard was that I wasn’t going to be working for him anymore.  I called him names and I—oh, I feel so terrible.” Hailey started to cry and Christy was quick with the tissue.
    “I’m really sorry that both of you have lost your friend,” Diana said to Nori and Hailey.  “Could we hurry these questions along?  They want to pick up the pieces and I’ve got a million deadlines with the magazine I have to deal with.”
    “Sounds great.  Diana did you make a deal to sell your Snoopy’s Tempting Delight photos to Canine Philosophy?”
    “It wasn’t like I planned it. Charlie was in a rush and I’ve been running my butt off all over the show trying to make up for lost time with J.W. not there.”
    “So at the moment we have two people with motive in the room.  Unless, of course, one of you was working with Nori to commit the murder.”
    “That’s crazy!” Hailey said.  “Why would I kill J.W.?  He was going to give me a promotion!”
    “But you didn’t know about that promotion until after he was dead.  We all watched you call him a monster and try to rip the screen door off the front of the house,” Gregory said.
    “Don’t take the bait.  They don’t have any proof of anything and I’m not even sure this one over here is a real cop,” Diana said to Hailey.
    “Well of course we will talk to them, Hailey,” Nori chimed in.  “I have already told you everything I know. I was the last to see him alive.  He agreed to take photos for me to increase my publicity.  It was a grand and kind gesture even though he knew my Mable wasn’t going to win this year.”
    “That’s one reason we were asking you about the photos, Diana,” Christy said.  Gregory opened the file and laid all the photos from Charlie on the coffee table in front of them.
    “Yes.  Those are the photos he took.  He took some there and some in front of the closet.  I liked these here the best,” Nori said with satisfaction.
    “But why are there so many here?”  Hailey asked.
    “These photos come from three different sources,” Christy said.  “Charlie said one came from the camera he used to take the shots of Nori.  One source came from a thumb drive he purchased from Hailey this morning.  He said one of them came from your camera, Diana, because it was mixed in with your shots of the beagle this morning.”
    “That’s impossible,” Diana cackled.  “I went back to the arena last night to check on some lighting issues.  I was getting a strange glare and I wanted to get good shots during the evening events under those huge mercury lamps.”
    “That brings us to another point,” Christy continued.  “It still looks like Hailey is pretty motivated to kill J.W. That thumb drive cost Charlie Kibbe and the Canine Philosophy a pretty penny, didn’t it, Hailey.
    “It’s not what it looks like.  Yes.  I sold him the photos.  That’s just what J.W. was supposed to be doing the entire time!  For the first time the photographs were going to make some money!  It doesn’t mean I killed him!”
    “Now let me get this clear.  You sold him a thumb drive with photographs on it?  What made it so valuable, now?” Christy asked.
    Hailey avoided looking at Diana.  “It has the native files J.W.