Dogs and More Dogs, Another Murder
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Dogs and More Dogs, Another Murder
A Sheridan Hendley Mystery
CHRISTA NARDI
Copyright © 2019 Christa Nardi
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9991429-7-4
This is a work of fiction. Although some of the locations may be real, others are fictitious. None of these events actually occurred. All characters are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real people is entirely coincidental. Reference to law is specific to Virginia at the time this was written.
The reverse engineering, uploading and/or distributing of this ebook via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law.
Cover Design by Victorine Lieske
Other Books with Sheridan Hendley
The Cold Creek Series by Christa Nardi:
Murder at Cold Creek College (Cold Creek #1)
Murder in the Arboretum (Cold Creek #2)
Murder at the Grill (Cold Creek #3)
Murder in the Theater (Cold Creek #4)
Murder and a Wedding (Cold Creek #5
Sheridan Hendley Mysteries by Christa Nardi:
A New Place, Another Murder (A Sheridan Hendley Mystery #1)
Dogs and More Dogs, Another Murder (A Sheridan Hendley Mystery #2)
Praise for A New Place, Another Murder
"...A light read and a very good cozy mystery. I liked the main characters in this book, they feel real and act naturally." Amazon Reviewer
“This book is as enjoyable as the previous series. I suggest reading it [the previous series] before starting this one.” Amazon Reviewer
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
Author Notes
CHAPTER 1
The holiday decorations were packed away, the house no longer festive. I’d procrastinated much longer than any other year and now even New Year’s was a memory. Married to State Police Detective Brett McMann and stepmom to his teenaged daughter, Maddie, about six months now. I was sad to put our first Christmas as a family behind us. Still, I was truly relieved the hustle and bustle was over. Juggling two families had been stressful, though time with my parents and sibs, Kaylie and Kevin, was good. Drinking my never empty coffee, I relished the quiet and uncluttered living area.
“Sheridan, can I go skating with Nedra and Willie? Miss Melina is taking us.”
“Is your room clean? And what time will you be home?” Melina and I both volunteered at the local dog shelter, and her daughter, Nedra, was in Maddie’s eighth grade class. Little did Maddie know, Melina had texted me already about taking them skating. She knew I was volunteering at Pets and Paws today and this would give Maddie something to do. Winter break is great for a few days and then it gets old.
“Yes, my room is clean. I’ll be home before dinner.”
“Okay. Let’s make sure you have everything and you’re ready when they get here to pick you up.”
I followed her to her room, our two dogs, Charlie and Bella padding behind us. Sometimes Maddie’s teen version of a clean room and mine didn’t quite look the same. At least on the surface, this time we were on the same page. Even Bella’s toys were all assembled in her bed.
“Heavy socks, so you don’t get blisters? Extra layers or a coat? It can get cold out there with the wind.” The weather had been pretty mild for Virginia in January so far, with only a few nights of frost, and mostly in the 40s.
The eighth grader made a face. “Jeesh, I’m not a child. Besides extra layers make me look fat.”
“But you’ll be warm. What about the thermals? They’re thin and help retain heat and then you might get by without a jacket.”
“Okay. Okay. Can you get my skates?”
“On it. Skates, gloves, scarf and hat coming up.” I ignored her eye roll and gathered everything together as Melina pulled up.
“Hurry up. They’re here.” She bustled out of the room, grabbed everything and was out the door. I waved to Melina from the door.
Only a few more days and Maddie would be back at school and I’d be back to work at Millicent College teaching on Wednesdays and Fridays. I finished my coffee and cleaned up. After letting Charlie and Bella out, I headed for Pets and Paws.
Smiling, I remembered the way Mrs. Chantilly had all the dogs decked out in bells, bows, and bowties before Christmas. Pets and Paws was in an old colonial home. Mrs. Chantilly lived upstairs and the dogs were downstairs. With Luke’s help, she’d decorated the house, inside and out. She’d always reminded me of Mrs. Claus and for two weeks she dressed the part and bounced around with abundant enthusiasm. More than one of the dogs managed to destroy her holiday trappings around the place from time to time, but she took it in stride.
The house was on the news and people came from all over to view it. She’d go out and invite them in to see the rest of the decorations – and the dogs. Not unintentionally, by any means, she managed to get many dogs adopted.
I chuckled to myself, recalling when she’d tried singing traditional holiday songs. Unlike me, she had a beautiful voice. The problem was with some of the dogs. They tried to sing, only the howling was not quite in tune. Sure enough, as I pulled up in front of the house I noticed the decorations were gone from Pets and Paws now, too.
Luke was moving boxes and grunted hello as I arrived. A high school student with some bad habits, like the stray and rescue dogs Mrs. Chantilly collected, Luke was a restoration project. His legal issues led to his “volunteering” at Pets and Paws. When he first started his community service there, he scowled a lot and made me nervous. He was still an entitled beachboy type.
He’d made some attitude adjustments in the past few months and I was glad to see it. I still didn’t quite trust him despite Mrs. Chantilly always singing his praises. She met me at the door, grandmotherly, only without the Mrs. Claus attire. I also noted the bounce in her step was gone. Even though she had to be in her sixties, she always seemed to have energy and a happy face.
“Isn’t this weather just delightful? Sunny, not too, too cold. I heard it’s going to freeze tonight and maybe snow. Those abandoned dogs wouldn’t survive if that happened.”
Now used to her manner of speech, I simply asked, “What abandoned dogs?”
“Over at the Stoneham place of course, near Blake Buchanan’s. Have you ever been to his home? It is beautiful. A mansion fit for a king. His wife, Ava, studied interior decorating you know.”
“No, I didn’t know. Did they find dogs at the Stoneham’s?”
“That’s what I said. Nobody ever bothered the Stonehams for many years. Older couple and all, their children grown and gone, they kept to themselves. Justine and Herman didn’t live there when I was growing up here. Someone else did though. Never knew who they were.”
Mrs. Dora Chantilly had left Clover Hill after high school and she’d only returned when her grandmother died and left her
the house, now Clover Hill Pets and Paws. Her grandmother had taken in strays and the place was a mess. I was about to ask again about the dogs, and an SUV pulled up.
“Here they are with more of the dogs. Poor things. Luke and I already fed and bathed the first group Blake brought over. I’m sure glad you’re here to help.”
I followed her as she hurried to the car and greeted Blake Buchanan, former mayor of Clover Hill. He took her in his arms and then seemed to realize I was there. He and Mrs. Chantilly had been an item in high school and they renewed their friendship when she returned.
“Dora, we uncovered a mama and pups.” He shook his head. “One of them didn’t make it. Dane mix. Where’s Luke? Even malnourished, it’ll take two of us to get her and her pups inside.” Mrs. Chantilly rushed to open the door and see to the animals.
“Mr. Buchanan, can you fill me in? Mrs. Chantilly hasn’t had a chance yet.”
He smiled and his eyes twinkled. We both understood that sometimes she was a bit hard to follow. Almost like putting a puzzle together. Me, I prefer things to be in order when someone is telling me a story.
“Last night, I was sitting on the deck and my dog, Bridgit, showed up with a puppy, not in good shape. As soon as I took the pup, she darted in the direction of the Stoneham place. I called to my wife, put the pup in a blanket, and took off after her.”
He paused for effect.
“The house was dark but Bridgit stood at the front porch and dug to get further underneath. I knocked at the door and no one answered. I called Chief Peabody. Aiming my flashlight under the porch, I got a look at dogs huddled together. With help, we extracted six dogs and two more puppies and brought them here.”
He shuddered. “Such bad shape. Bridgit still wasn’t happy, but that was all we could do last night. Four of us have been on the property this morning. Brought four more dogs earlier. Butch and Bridgit, my best dogs, are helping us wade through it.”
“Huh? What do you mean ‘wade through it’ – is the house that much of a mess?”
“That’s a mild description. Stuff stacked on top of stuff on top of stuff, and the smell.” He shuddered again. “This mama and her pups were in the kitchen. We could hear yelping from other parts of the house.”
“Here comes Luke. We need to get these dogs inside. Sheridan, can you start some formula going? These pups are near starved to death. And we’ll have to keep them isolated until the vet can check them out.”
Luke lumbered up and his eyes about popped out as he looked from Blake to the Dane and pups. “Where are we going to put all these dogs?”
Mrs. Chantilly’s face fell. “Mama and pups in the house. The side room on the right is empty now with all the adoptions. We put the first bunch in the room on the left. You were just in the garage. Is there room in there? Grandpa used to work out there so I think there’s electric heat if we need it and a bathroom, too. Blake, how many more dogs?”
He pulled her close. “Remember, we need to keep these dogs separate from your other dogs. Let me check out the garage. We can always pull your car out. Work on getting them some food and water. Luke, come with me.”
They disappeared. I turned to Mrs. Chantilly, “You stay with them. I’ll go get water and start the bottles going.”
As I walked into the house, I glanced down at the concrete floor, painted blue slate and sealed. At least if the dogs made a mess, there wouldn’t be any damage. It was about an hour later when we finished relocating the Pets and Paws residents to the larger back room. The two new mamas and pups were situated on one side of the kitchen. They’d been bathed and fed and each family rested on a palette.
That left space in the other side room for any smaller dogs that might come in. If the new arrivals were medium to large dogs, we moved them to the unattached garage. They’d been fed and some had been bathed, now settled into crates. The heat was on and that at least took the chill off. Not exactly warm, but the dogs would all be out of the wind.
Blake hinted there still would be more dogs coming. With Mrs. Chantilly’s blessing, I sent an email out to all the volunteers with a short note about the dogs coming in and needing assistance, if they were available. Whatever supplies were needed, starting with towels and blankets, I was confident Blake would take care of them.
CHAPTER 2
Blake wasn’t kidding. It wasn’t long before he was back with more dogs. I took a deep breath as a police cruiser and another car pulled in behind his SUV. We all stopped as Chief Peabody emerged from the cruiser. It was more than a little unusual for the chief of police to be involved with abandoned dogs, even this many. Yes, cruelty to animals was against the law, but it would likely only make his daily report. He stood tall and nodded to Blake and Luke as he approached Mrs. Chantilly.
“Morning, Dora. Looks pretty busy here with all these dogs from the old Stoneham place.”
“Yes, Glenn. Did you come to help? Maybe your dog would like a playmate.” Despite the smile on her face, her tone and the twitching of her fingers revealed her fear that was not the case. From his stiff posture and jaw, it was obvious this was not a social call.
“I’ve got just about everybody from Clover Hill over at that house right now and checking the property. Nobody seems to know when the Stonehams up and left and where all these dogs came from. Mess over there is worse than when your grandma had this place.” He nodded toward her house as he spoke and cringed.
He looked at Blake, who had joined Mrs. Chantilly.
“You’re right, Glenn. The Stonehams kept to themselves even before the kids left and after Herman retired. Nope, they didn’t socialize. I think I’m the closest neighbor and I never saw them, so I didn’t miss them when they left. I feel badly about that.”
Chief Peabody nodded. “We found an old backpack of Lacie’s in the house. Any idea, Dora, how it might have gotten there?”
Mrs. Chantilly paled and Blake put his arm around her waist to steady her. “No. Lacie hasn’t stayed with me for years. Maybe she donated it to Goodwill or something?” Lacie had been another instance when Mrs. Chantilly took in someone in trouble, though Lacie had lived with her for a while.
“Glenn, what’s going on? We’ve got more dogs in need of care here and you’re worried about an old back pack? Ask Lacie.”
“Already did that. She doesn’t recall what happened to it or when. The problem is, and we’ve called in the District detectives on this one, in one of the upstairs rooms, possibly a bedroom, we found a body. The ME’s there now.”
Mrs. Chantilly tottered and moaned, falling almost to the ground before Blake and I stopped her fall.
Luke suddenly appeared with a blanket. We managed to get her onto the blanket and wrap it around her. A woman I didn’t recognize joined us. She was slim and didn’t wait for anyone to give her directions. She knelt down and checked Mrs. Chantilly’s pulse. “Water?”
Luke ran to get the water and returned in time to hear Mrs. Chantilly moan again. The woman took the water and raised Mrs. Chantilly’s head so she could drink. As Mrs. Chantilly regained consciousness, she muttered, “Oh, no, Justine.”
“Blake, we’ll be over to your place to talk with everyone later today. These dogs had to have come from somewhere.”
As he walked to his car, Melina’s car pulled in with the kids. She waved to the chief as he left and looked to me with eyebrows raised in question.
“I saw the email and told the kids about it. They all wanted to help. What can we do?”
Mrs. Chantilly lamented, “The garage and side rooms. Bathing, feeding, and Vanna – Dr. Barksdale’s here. So much to do. Where did Justine get all these dogs? How could she let them get like this?”
Mrs. Chantilly shook her head and Blake took her into his arms. There was much confusion for a few minutes, everyone trying to ignore Blake and Mrs. Chantilly. Unexpectedly, Luke was the one to take charge.
“Nedra and Maddie? There’s a couple of mamas and pups. You’re good with them and bottle feeding. They’re in the side
room like usual. Grab whatever you might need and try to get them settled in. Dr. H. already started the formula. The mamas need some help too.”
The woman stepped in and addressed the girls. “I’m the vet, Dr. Vanna Barksdale. Let’s go see what we can do to.”
The girls nodded and Luke pointed them in the right direction. He cleared his throat and Blake turned, still holding onto Mrs. Chantilly.
“She needs to lie down. I’ll take her in and get her settled, and then I’ll be back to help.” With that he propelled her toward the house. Melina looked from Luke to me.
“Most of the dogs brought here are in the garage. We need to bring the larger of these dogs down there as well. The smaller to medium dogs we can keep up here. They need baths, food, water, and some of them have ticks that need to come out. Doc Barksdale is going to be here for a while.”
I nodded. “Luke and I have made some progress, but the ones we’ve already bathed and fed need to get out of the crates and do their business. We’ve no idea if they are even crate-trained – right now, they’re too traumatized to object.”
Melina nodded. “Let’s get some coffee and get started. Maybe we can label each crate by how quickly they need to see Vanna. You know, like triage?”
Luke and I nodded agreement and headed for coffee and supplies. We found some ribbon in the kitchen supply closet left over from the holidays and took it with us. And then went to the dogs.
“You learned about triage as a kindergarten teacher?” That was Melina’s full-time job.
She laughed. “No, from watching lots of medical shows and soap operas over the years.”
Her older teen, Willie, was the only one of us who didn’t know the routine. Luke oriented him and put him to work with the shelter’s own dogs, who’d been neglected since the onslaught.
Blake stopped in briefly to get a list of what we needed for supplies. Mrs. Chantilly kept her house well-stocked, but not for this many dogs all at once. Sure enough, not long after, another batch of dogs were brought down to the garage. We’d run out of crates and had no choice but to put two dogs in the larger crates. Dr. Barksdale joined us after a while and looked around the area with a shake of her head.