The Case of the Unfettered Utonagan

by B R Snow

  “No idea,” I said, rocking gently in the chair deep in thought. Then an idea bubbled to the surface. I leaned forward and wiggled my fingers in the air. “Could it be that simple?”

  “What?”

  I typed ProjectOrg2020 and hit the enter key. The computer opened immediately.

  “Wow, I said, staring at the screen. “Sometimes I even scare myself.”

  “You got in?” he said, coming around the desk to look over my shoulder. “How the heck did you come up with that?”

  “Lucky guess,” I said, studying the collection of icons on the main page. I glanced over my shoulder. “What do you think? Should we poke around for a while?”

  “Why stop now?” the Chief said, pulling a chair next to mine and sitting down. “Let’s start with his email.”

  “Just like that?” I said, puzzled.

  “What?”

  “No mind your own business, Suzy? No reprimand?”

  “You can thank my wife for that.”

  “I’m going to need a little more, Chief.”

  “We were talking about you the other night. I was going on about how relentless you can be.”

  “Gee, thanks, Chief,” I said, scowling at him.

  “No, I was saying it in a good way. You know, about how it was one of your strengths, but often uncontrollable. And she said if a guy got arrested a dozen times for the same crime, it would be logical to assume he might do it again.”

  “She compared me to a criminal?”

  “Not at all,” he said. “She was merely pointing out that repetition is usually a sign of a fixed behavior. Snooping is what you do. And then my wife said something that really resonated.”

  “I can’t wait to hear it.”

  “She said if your inability to control your snooping didn’t keep you up at night, why the hell should it keep me awake?”

  “Smart woman,” I said, then laughed. “So, you’ve decided to just go with the flow, huh?”

  “Whenever I can,” he said, then pointed at the monitor. “Email.”

  I clicked the icon and Peters’ emails loaded.

  “You want to sort on date or name?” I said, glancing over at him.

  “Let’s start with name first.”

  I did and the emails appeared in alphabetical order. I slowly scrolled down the page.

  “You see any names you recognize?” I said.

  “Not yet. Keep going.”

  I did. I made it all the way to the letter L before I stopped.

  “Lacey,” I said. “There’s a bunch of emails between the two of them.”

  “What’s the most recent date?” Chief Abrams said.

  “Two weeks ago,” I whispered.

  “I thought she said they broke up two years ago.”

  “She did,” I said, shaking my head. “Geez, I sure hope she’s not involved in whatever this thing is.”

  “Keep going,” the Chief said. “We’ll circle back after we get through all the names.”

  I scrolled further down the page. Then I laughed when I saw the name.

  “I don’t believe it,” I said. “Larry the Loser.”

  “Lamplighter? The attorney?”

  “The one and only,” I said. “What the heck was Larry the Loser doing for Peters?”

  “Legal work,” the Chief deadpanned as he leaned in close for a better look.

  “Good one, Chief,” I said, studying the subject line on the email. “It looks like Larry drafted Peters’ will.”

  “Is the will attached to the email?”

  “No, it’s not,” I said. “What do you think?”

  “Open it,” Chief Abrams said.

  “Really? Aren’t we crossing the line a bit?”

  “Don’t worry. If we get caught, I’ll take the hit.”

  “Okay,” I said with a shrug. “You’re the cop.”

  I opened the email, and we spent a few minutes scrolling through it. The message contained a list of names, and I couldn’t miss the fact that Lacey was included as one of the beneficiaries. Other names were listed including, I assumed, family members who had the same surname.

  “That’s weird,” I said.

  “There aren’t any assets listed,” the Chief said. “Where the heck is the will?”

  “This reads like Larry was confirming some information before he drafted it. The last sentence says the distribution of assets will be listed as Schedule A and be revealed during the reading of the will after Peters’ death.” I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Have you ever seen a will that didn’t include the assets?”

  “No, it’s a first for me,” Chief Abrams said.

  “What’s a first, Chief?”

  We both looked at the door where Detective Williams was standing with a dark stare etched in place.

  “Hey, Detective Williams,” I said, going for casual. “You’ve come just in time.”

  “Actually, I was just thinking I got here too late. What are you doing?”

  “Uh, reading Peters’ email at the moment,” the Chief said.

  “How the heck did you get into his computer?” the detective said, heading for the desk.

  “We got lucky,” I said with a shrug.

  “Who gave you permission to be poking around in there?”

  I glanced at the Chief then pointed at him.

  “He did.”

  “Unbelievable,” Detective Williams said, shaking his head. “Just to be on the safe side, turn the computer off. I’m still waiting for my warrant.”

  I did, then sat back, chagrined. He sat down across from me then nodded.

  “Okay, talk me through it.”

  “Really?” I said, surprised by the lack of resistance I was getting from him. “Man, it must be my lucky day.”

  Chapter 9

  I started working my way through a mug of hot chocolate as I watched Josie poke the fire before adding another log. Satisfied with her work, she stretched out on a couch and took a sip of wine. Preoccupied with our thoughts, we both remained silent staring into the fireplace.

  “They’ve been in there a long time,” I said eventually.

  “They have,” Josie said, nodding without taking her eyes off the fire. “It makes sense. I know I have a lot of questions.”

  “Do you think she’s involved?”

  “I don’t know,” she whispered after a long pause. She sat up and tucked her legs underneath her.

  “She said their relationship ended a couple of years ago. But they’ve been emailing on a regular basis.”

  “I wouldn’t read too much into that,” Josie said, topping off her wine. “Maybe Peters was having a hard time cutting the cord.”

  “And she was humoring him?”

  “Well, she did say the guy was pretty unstable. Maybe she was worried what he might do to himself if she cut him off completely.”

  “Or what he might do to her?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

  “Hey, we’re in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a pack of wolfdogs. Right about now, I’ll believe anything.”

  We heard the back door open and the sound of someone stomping snow off their boots. Moments later, Rooster entered and headed straight for the fireplace.

  “Are they still in there?” he said, warming his hands.

  “Yeah,” I said. “What have you been doing out there?”

  “Shoveling a path from the house to the garage. And then I spotted the Utonagan.”

  “Akna’s out there?” I said.

  “She is,” Rooster said. “But I couldn’t get near her. She’s pretty spooked. I was going to try to get her into one of the cages, but she wouldn’t go near them.”

  “Smart dog,” Josie said.

  “Probably enjoying her newfound freedom,” I said. “We should leave some food out for her.”

  “Yeah, good call,” Josie said, heading for the kitchen. “I’ll leave it on the back porch.”

  I focused on Rooster who also seemed preoccupied with his thoughts.

  �
��Did you and Lacey get a chance to talk last night?”

  “We did,” Rooster said, nodding. “She’s an interesting woman. Did you know she spent six months volunteering in Africa working with rescued elephants?”

  “Yeah, I think I remember that coming up in her interview.”

  “Duh,” he said, shaking his head. “Sorry. Dumb question.”

  “Does she seem like someone who could have…?”

  “Killed Peters?” he said, then continued without hesitating. “No, I don’t. You?”

  “No. But we’ve been surprised before.”

  “We have,” he said, nodding.

  “I saw Peters’ will,” I said.

  “Really?”

  “Not the actual will. Just the list of beneficiaries and instructions about the reading of the will,” I said. “Lacey’s on the list.”

  “Geez, that’s not necessarily good news,” Rooster said.

  “No. Let’s hope whatever Peters is leaving her isn’t enough to give her a reason to get rid of him.”

  “I’m sure the Chief and Detective Williams are exploring that possibility,” he said. “Did you get the name of the lawyer who drafted the will?”

  “Larry Lamplighter.”

  “Larry the Loser? Unbelievable. I guess bottom feeders of a feather flock together.”

  I laughed.

  “I wonder how those two managed to connect,” Rooster said, then noticed the look on my face. “What is it?”

  “I’m wondering about something else,” I said. “Like how to get invited to the reading of the will.”

  “Did you see your name on the list of beneficiaries?”

  “No.”

  “Then I don’t like your chances.”

  “Unless we’re able to make an offer a certain beneficiary can’t refuse.”

  “A certain beneficiary?” Rooster said with a frown. Then the penny dropped. “You’re talking about the person Peters left this place to, right?”

  “Nothing gets past you.”

  “You want to buy a hunting lodge?”

  “Of course not,” I said. “I just want to have a conversation about the possibility of buying it.”

  “That’s interesting,” he said. “It’s not the worst idea you’ve ever had. But it’s probably in the top ten.”

  “Funny.”

  “What on earth do you hope to find?” Rooster said.

  “If we’re trying to build a list of suspects, I can’t think of a better place to start than by talking with the people who’ll be inheriting whatever Peters decided to leave them.”

  “But you just said the contents of the will aren’t included in the document,” Rooster said.

  “Maybe Peters was a talker,” I said. “Maybe he told one or more of the beneficiaries what his plans were.”

  “Anything is possible,” he said. “And you want Lacey to help you get invited to the reading?”

  “I doubt if we’ll be able to actually sit in on the reading,” I said with a shrug. “But I don’t see why we wouldn’t be welcome at Lamplighter’s office while all the beneficiaries are there.”

  “You think Lacey will be willing to play along?”

  “My guess is she’ll happy to do it,” I said. “Especially if she thinks it will help clear her name.”

  “She has to be a suspect.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “The ex-girlfriend who mysteriously shows up in the area right around the time the guy gets killed. A woman who’s named in his will. I hate to say it, but I can make it work.”

  “She didn’t do it,” Rooster said, shaking his head.

  “No, probably not,” I said. “But the cops will have to keep her on the list until she comes up with a solid alibi.”

  “Does she have one?”

  “I sure hope so,” I said with a shrug.

  We heard the office door open followed by footsteps. Moments later, Lacey appeared in the doorway and headed for the couch across from me. She sat down, a look of anger and confusion etched in place.

  “They think I might have killed Jeremy,” she said, brushing her hair back from her face.

  “Did they accuse you?” I said.

  “Not directly. But it was pretty hard to miss the direction they were going,” she said. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Did they tell you about the will?” I said.

  “They did.”

  “What do you think Jeremy left you?” Rooster said.

  “I have no idea,” she said, her eyes pleading.

  “What about all the emails?” I said.

  “They were always initiated by Jeremy,” she said. “I couldn’t stop them. He was relentless.”

  “About wanting to get back together with you?” Rooster said.

  “Yes. It wore me out.”

  “Did he go into what he was working on?” Rooster said.

  “No, I refused to get into any sort of conversation that might reopen the door,” she said. “I didn’t want to encourage him. I did my best to deflect and remain neutral.”

  “Why didn’t you tell him not to contact you? Or just ignore his emails?” I said.

  “I was worried about him,” Lacey said. “And I hoped we might be able to stay friends.”

  “Got it,” I said. “Where did you leave it with the cops?”

  “They said they’d be in touch if they have any more questions. Oh, I almost forgot. Would it be okay if I didn’t come to the Inn for a few days? I’d like to examine the hybrids. And I really want to get a closer look at that litter of pups.”

  “That’s a good idea,” I said. “But you’re going to need some help. You don’t want to be doing that by yourself.”

  “I’ll give her a hand,” Rooster said, then had a thought. He looked over at Lacey. “You will be sedating them, right?”

  “The two males, definitely,” Lacey said. “We’ll play it by ear with the others.”

  “Okay, count me in.”

  The office door opened, and Chief Abrams poked his head out.

  “Hey, Suzy? You got a minute?” he called out.

  “Be right there,” I said, trying to push myself up off the couch. I failed miserably and shook my head. I glanced at Rooster. “I think I’m going to need a hand.”

  Rooster grabbed both of my hands and gently pulled me to my feet. I slowly made my way down the hall into the office. Detective Williams was sitting behind the desk.

  “What’s up?” I said, easing myself into a chair. I glanced back and forth at them then frowned. “Am I in trouble already?”

  “Not at all,” the Chief said with a laugh.

  “We were wondering if you could do us a favor,” Detective Williams said.

  “I’ll do my best. What do you need?”

  “We’d like to enlist your snooping abilities,” the Chief said.

  “Since when?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

  “We’d like you to research Peters’ computer,” Detective Williams said casually.

  “I must have entered an alternative universe,” I said, again glancing back and forth at the two cops. “You know, somehow broken through the space-time continuum.”

  “We’re going to be busy working on other things the next few days,” Detective Williams said, choosing his words carefully.

  “Why don’t you ask somebody you work with?” I said. “You must have lots of people looking for something to do this time of year.”

  “Well, given the fact there might be information on the computer about the wolfdogs, we thought you’d be the best person to handle it,” the Chief said with a shrug. “You know, since we’d only have to circle back with you and Josie if we did find anything. It should save us some time.”

  “Yes, it’s a timesaving strategy,” Detective Williams said, nodding.

  I studied the blank stares they were giving me and frowned.

  “Nice try,” I said. I focused on Chief Abrams. “What’s going on, Chief?”

  “Nothing’s going on. We just need your he
lp.”

  I stared off into space for several moments, then the penny dropped.

  “You talked to my mother, didn’t you?”

  “Maybe,” the Chief said, unable to make eye contact.

  “She’s worried I’m going to start traipsing around the countryside looking for Peters’ killer, isn’t she?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  “Suzy, it makes a lot of sense,” the Chief said. “The last thing you need at the moment is too much excitement.”

  “It’s an important part of the investigation,” Detective Williams said, tossing in his two cents. “We need to get a good inventory of what’s on that computer.”

  “And if I’m sitting in front of a computer screen, you won’t have to worry about me getting in the way.”

  “We just want you to be safe,” the Chief said.

  “It’ll be much better than trekking through the cold and snow,” Detective Williams said.

  “I can’t argue with that,” I said, shrugging. “What do you need?”

  “We need all the stuff on his computer organized by category,” Detective Williams said. “Friends and associates. What they were corresponding about. Money references. Research. Whatever makes sense.”

  “Okay,” I said, nodding. “How long have I got?”

  “Take all the time you need,” the Chief said.

  “A couple of days should be plenty,” the detective said. “At least to get the ball rolling.”

  “What will you guys be doing in the meantime?”

  “We have some people to talk to,” Detective Williams said.

  “Like Larry the Loser?” I said.

  “He’s definitely on the list,” the Chief said.

  “And I assume you’ll be checking out what Lacey told you during her interview?”

  “We will,” Detective Williams said.

  “She’s a suspect, isn’t she?” I said, again glancing back and forth at them.

  “Let’s call her a person of interest and leave it at that for now,” Detective Williams said.

  “Sure, sure,” I said, nodding. Then I focused on the Chief. “You called my mother, didn’t you?”

  “I did. About an hour ago.”

  “Your phone works out here?”

  “It does.”

  I thought about it then nodded.

  “Well played, Chief.”

  “Yeah, I thought so.”