Murder in a Basket (An India Hayes Mystery) by Amanda Flower Page B

Lepcheck granted you release time for that,” she said as if she disapproved of the decision, which she probably did. “Nevertheless, he needs to meet with you right away. It’s important.”
    I glanced at Ina. I might as well take full advantage of the situation she’d placed me in. I covered the mouthpiece with my hand. “Can you watch the booth for a couple of hours? I have a meeting with Lepcheck.”
    Ina nodded eagerly.
    “I’ll come to the office within ten minutes,” I told Deena.
    Deena cleared her throat. “The provost is not on campus today. He’d like you meet with him at his home.”
    “ His home?” I asked dumbly.
    “ Yes,” she said and rattled off the address and directions.

Chapter Fifteen
    Lepcheck’s home was in one of the newer developments in Stripling, a clustering of McMansions on postage -stamp lawns, which set my parents’ teeth on edge. The house was a large affair covered with Palladian windows and dominating the end of a cul-de-sac at the edge of the neighborhood. Construction people in bright orange hardhats broke ground just beyond Lepcheck’s home to plant more houses.
    I rang the door bell. It sounded a melodic chime deep in the house. The door was wide and arched, reminiscent of the entry to a medieval castle. Zach sat obediently at my side as we waited for the door to be answered. I’d thought about leaving him behind at the festival with Ina, but then I feared I’d return to a labradoodle covered in paint.
    If I’d expected a butler—and part of me had—I was sadly mistaken because Lepcheck opened the door. “Thank you for coming. Won’t you . . .” He stopped abruptly when he saw Zach at my side. “What is that animal doing here?”
    I had never heard the use of the word animal as profanity, but Lepcheck certainly made the word sound that way in the tone he used. Zach, blissfully unaware, woofed a greeting.
    “ I’m looking after Zach for Lewis Clive, Victor’s lawyer.”
    Lepcheck sniffed. “I’m well aware of who Lewis Clive is. Why did he give you, of all people, custody of this animal?”
    There went the profane use of animal again. Seriously, Lepcheck was changing my understanding of the word. I thought for a moment before answering. Wasn’t Lepcheck fighting with his one surviving sister over Zach? Didn’t he want the dog in order to access the pooch’s wealth? You’d think he be friendlier to Zach in that case.
    “ Lew’s wife is afraid of dogs, and I offered to help by taking Zach until he can find a good kennel. I have a note from him, if you would like to see it?”
    He sniffed a second time. “That won’t be necessary.”
    “ Then, can we come in? You did ask me to come here, not the other way around.”
    “ You may come in, but Zacchaeus may not. I have many valuable antiques. He will break them.”
    What’s going to stop Zach from breaking your antiques when he lives with you? I wondered. Because didn’t the dog have to live with Lepcheck for him to get his hands on the trust money? Debra had to be better than her insufferable brother. I hoped Debra liked dogs.
    I glanced around the front yard. It was a small patch of lush green grass with the otherworldly green glow of a recent lawn service treatment visit. Sure enough, when I looked farther down the lawn, I saw one of those little white flags from the lawn company sticking out of the yard proclaiming, “We just sprayed poison here.” They probably used different wording.
    “ Either you let both of us in, or I’m leaving. Your lawn was recently sprayed with pesticides. If Zach is left out here, he could get sick.”
    Lepcheck’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment I wondered if that’s exactly what he wanted to happen. Had he somehow known I had Zach with me and had the lawn sprayed, all the while plotting to make the dog ill and /or possibly dead? But that was impossible. There was no way Lepcheck could know I had Zach with me. I gave myself a mental head slap.
    “ Very well, but