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“Can anyone confirm that you were here? Janette, maybe?”

“No, I haven’t seen Janette today. She had choir practice.”

“Can anyone else vouch for you?”

“Well, no. I guess not.”

“You have a key?”

“I have a key to the garden house, not the main house.”

“And how about at Neda Hoeppner’s place?” asked Chase.

“What about Neda?”

“Did Neda give you a key to the house?”

“No. No, she didn’t. None of them do. I just need access to the garden house. That’s where I keep all my stuff. And they all have one. Neda, Janette… Hazel.”

“Hazel?”

“Hazel Larobski and her husband Amadeo. They’re all members of the same choir.”

“And none of these people get along?”

Raban displayed a rare smile.“They hate each other, Detective Kingsley. It wouldn’t surprise me if one of them killed Neda. They all hated her.”

“But why?”

He shrugged.“You have to ask them. I just know that when Neda became director of that choir, that’s when the trouble started.”

Just then, a well-dressed middle-aged woman rounded the corner, and when she saw us all standing there chatting, she called out,“Raban, what did I tell you about inviting your friends over for a chat?!”

“These are not my friends, Miss Janette,” he said immediately. “They are police. They’re here because Mrs. Neda was murdered.”

Janette Bittiner’s reaction was a thing to behold: her jaw literally sagged, then her hand moved to her face and then she uttered a loud, startled cry of anguish.

“Either she’s very upset or she’s a very good actress,” said Dooley.

A small ball of fur fell from the woman’s arms and hit the ground running. It was a small dog, and when he caught sight of Dooley and me, he started yapping up a storm.

Lucky for us Janette quickly scooped up the ball of fur and tucked him into her arms again. Then she said,“You better come in.” And then turned on her heel and walked off.

I wasn’t exactly excited to accept the woman’s invitation, because that little doggie had once more sprung free from her grip and was once again making a break for freedom, trying to reach Dooley and me, yapping furiously all the while, but lucky for us Janette gave her dog’s leash a yank and snapped, “Sugar, quiet!”

And lo and behold: Sugar immediately shut up and tripped behind his mistress in the direction of the house. I noticed he was wearing a blue coat on top of his own coat of fur.

“Maybe we better stay out here,” I suggested to Odelia, who was following in the woman’s wake, as was Chase.

“Nonsense,” she said. “Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to talk to that dog and find out where Janette was when Neda Hoeppner was killed.”

I swallowed as I regarded the little fluffy ball of fury, which kept darting nasty glances in our direction even as he obediently tripped along behind his mistress.

“Are you sure?” I asked in a small voice.

“Absolutely. It’s important that we find out what’s going on with this choir business.”

I shared a look of concern with Dooley. But then like the brave little soldiers that we are, we decided to risk all for the sake of the investigation and our human.

After all, maybe this little dog’s bark was worse than his bite?

5

“This is terrible,” said Janette Bittiner as she shook her auburn curls. “Simply terrible. Murder, you say? Actualmurder?”

“Yes,” Chase confirmed. “Does this come as a surprise to you, Mrs. Bittiner?”

“Miss Bittiner. And yes, it does come as a surprise. Of course it does. I saw Neda just this morning, at choir practice, and now this…” She shook her curls some more. I noticed how glossy they looked, and even though the woman’s face was lined, I couldn’t detect a single gray hair in her hairdo, which was full and luxurious, like in one of those shampoo commercials.

The little doggy she called Sugar was lying next to her on the sofa, and had his beady eyes fixed on me, gauging the potential danger in this feline intruder, no doubt.

“Did you know Neda Hoeppner well?”

“Of course. We were members of the same choir, and had been for years. In fact Neda was one of my dearest, closest friends. And certainly one of my oldest ones, too.”

“She was your dear friend?” asked Odelia. She couldn’t hide her surprise, and I didn’t blame her, after what this woman’s gardener had told us about this choir rivalry.

“Yes, she was. We’re the same age, you see, and have known each other since we went to kindergarten together. Though she used to take away my toys and I used to hit her over the head with a tennis racket.” She laughed. “At least that’s what our teacher Mrs. Willems used to say. I honestlycan’t remember, and neither could Neda.”

“So you were at choir practice this morning?” asked Chase, as Odelia shot a glance in my direction, urging me on to talk to Sugar, and verify Janette’s claims.

“That’s right. Every Monday morning from nine till eleven we have choir practice. And then on Sunday, of course, we sing during morning mass. You have seen us, haven’t you, Miss Poole? Or I should probably say Mrs. Kingsley now,” she added with an indulgent smile.