“Did the man say anything to you?”
I’d explained what took place and watched rescuers wheel Jess out the door to their vehicle. Loaded and ready to roll, I called out, “I’ll be right behind you, Jess.”
“No, we’ll be right behind her. I want her side of this since she was the first person attacked. Get your coat, we’ll ride together. And, uh, the rabbit stays here.”
“I don’t know why he doesn’t appreciate me, Jules,” Bun whined when we entered the house.
I nuzzled his head and gave him a smooch. “I appreciate you.”
He rubbed his head against my cheek and sighed. I said I’d be back soon and that he was in charge of the farm.
CHAPTER TEN
In near silence, we rode to the hospital. I refrained from speaking lest Jack ask too many questions concerning Bun’s attack on the man. At the traffic light, a block from the hospital, Jack asked, “How did you know there was an intruder if Jess was unconscious?”
This was what I had feared, him asking indirectly about Bun. Weighing my words, I said, “She was supposed to come into the house not long after I did. When she didn’t, I got worried and went to see what was keeping her.”
“What did the rabbit have to do with this whole situation?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a simple question. I want you to explain how the rabbit came to be involved. If he broke the man’s skin when he bit him, I might have to put him down. You realize that, don’t you?”
Shocked at his words, I couldn’t believe I’d been stupid enough to have admitted Bun had been involved. “I’m sure Bun didn’t hurt him, but merely startled the guy. Must you make an issue out of it if he did come to harm? Bun was only trying to protect me.”
“We’ll worry about that problem when we find this guy. You should have called me first before going after him.”
“I know that, but it’s a moot point now, isn’t it?”
“Don’t do that again. Call me first, not last.”
“Okay, okay.”
Our arrival at the emergency room saved any further discussion of the matter. Once inside, we were told to be seated in the waiting area until the doctor could speak with us. I knew the routine, as did Jack. He grimaced and walked with me into the room. In his professional capacity, Jack didn’t like being ordered around. I hid a smirk and settled in.
A half hour later, a short, balding doctor walked into the half-filled room and called my name. I got out of the chair and approached him.
“I’m Juliette Bridge. How is Jess?” By this time, Jack was next to me.
A kind look in his eyes, the doctor said, “She’s doing very well. No serious injuries. Miss Plain has a headache from being struck and a possible concussion. You should be prepared to keep an eye on her for the next few days.”
Relieved her skull hadn’t been fractured, I thanked the doctor and waited for Jess to be released.
“She was very fortunate,” Jack murmured.
“You’ve got that right. I was quite worried.”
“Have you ever wondered how your intruder keeps gaining access to the barn? You lock up when no one is in the barn, don’t you?”
“Yes, whenever we’re not present. I’ve wondered about that, too. Anything come to mind other than this person is a great lock picker?”
“It’s obvious he’s either that, or he has a key. How much do you know about your workers?”
“Not long ago, Jess and I discussed that at length. I can’t imagine one of my helpers doing this. It doesn’t make sense. First off, I’d have recognized one of my workers. Secondly, they all enjoy working with the rabbits. They’re aware these animals couldn’t fend for themselves on their own.”
“Do they have keys to get in? If so, one of your people may have had their key taken, used, and then returned without their knowledge.”
“The high school kids, Ray Blackstone and Molly Perkins, don’t have keys. They work a few hours after daily classes end and on weekends. My college student, Peter Lambert, has a key, but rarely uses it. He, too, works weekends, but occasionally comes in during the week, if he is free. I’ve also given Lizzy Fraser a key. She now runs the shop.”
“Ah, yes, my wife has spoken of her. Quite the salesperson, too. Meredith came home with shopping bags filled with yarn I’m sure she didn’t need. But who am I to complain? At least she isn’t at the mall spending hundreds of dollars on clothing that would sit in the closet.”
Wheelchair bound, Jess was rolled to a stop by an orderly. A square bandage covered her laceration. Her face no longer covered with blood, she gave me a crooked smile and said, “Get me out of here.”
Sheriff Carver drove us home and came in for a chat. I rolled my eyes when he invited himself in, but I remained courteous. Bun hopped to the kitchen door and asked, “Is Jess all right?”
“How are you feeling, Jess? Can I make a cup of tea for you? How about you, Jack, a cup of tea, or coffee, perhaps?”
Jack waved away the offer. “I’m all set, thanks.”
Jess said tea would be great and sat opposite Jack, awaiting his questions. They went over what happened, he took her statement and then sat back while she sipped tea.
“You never saw his face?” Jack asked for the third time.
“Not once. He knocked me to the floor from behind, then hit me with something. It was lights out from then on.”
“Did you hear the scuffle between Jules, the rabbit, and the man?”
With a slight shake of her head, she took another sip from her cup and asked if I had seen him. I said I hadn’t.
“You should go to bed, it’s been quite an evening,” I urged.
Jack agreed. “I’ll stop by tomorrow to check in on you.” He gave us each a serious look. “If anything happens, call me or the station immediately.” His emphasis on immediately hit home and we both promised we would.
The three of us stood at the door as Jack drove away. When his car taillights disappeared, I recommended Jess go straight to bed. “Bun and I will check on the rabbits, then we’ll call it a night.”
Her nod was brief as she turned to climb the stairs. A few minutes later, I heard her bedroom door close.
Walking into the barn, Bun and I chatted softly. Tuned in to who might be lurking in the softly lit barn, we made the rounds, checked all the cage doors, and said good night to everyone.
“That went well. Better than earlier tonight.”
“You’re right, when did you sense something amiss?”
“Jess wrote her list, while I went through the barn. I’d gotten about halfway down Petra’s aisle when I heard a scraping noise. That’s how I knew we had company. It’s my fault Jess was injured. I ran back and hounded her until she followed me to the back of the barn. That’s when she and the bad guy fought. I think he was trying to let Walkabout Willy out. None of the other doors were open. Not that I can remember, anyway.”
“He didn’t have enough time to free Willy. You and I interrupted him. Were you scared?”
“Not scared, mad mostly. He has no idea what would happen to the rabbits if he turned them loose, or maybe he knows and doesn’t care. It makes me sad to think of the consequences his actions would bring when they couldn’t fend for themselves. After all, we are domesticated. I have pondered what living in the wild would be like.”
“Let me be frank, you’d be hunted by man and beast, have to forage for your own food, and there’d be no warm, snug housing provided for you. Those are the most important things to consider.”
His ears twitched as he craned his neck to look up at me. “As always, you make a good point. It’s too bad Sheriff Carver doesn’t understand my strengths and abilities.”
* * *
Except for our coffee, breakfast was finished. Jessica didn’t look any worse for wear. The only sign of discomfort was the look in her eyes.
“The next time someone breaks into the barn, run like hell, okay? How’s the headache?”
Her shrug was half-hearted.
“I’ll be fine, I took a pain reliever when I got up. Just waiting for it to work.”
“Take it easy today. I’ll do the work, you study or something. You can deal with Fred when he arrives. No heavy lifting, and no work for you. Got that?”
“With the way I feel, I don’t think I could manage much. What did you and Sheriff Carver discuss last night?”
“We both agree with your assumption that one of my employees might be at the bottom of our problems. I can’t imagine who it could be. Any idea?”
She shook her head and winced. “I better not do that again.”
Our coffee cups were empty. Jess went out to the shop while I finished the house chores and started the ones in the barn. It took longer than usual to clean cages, refresh the rabbits’ hay, and refill their feeders and water trays, but by ten o’clock, I’d finished up. Just in time for Fred Costanza’s arrival.
His hearty laugh echoed through the empty side of the barn as Jessica filled him in on what she had decided to do with the space. I followed behind, noting what they agreed upon as we went. I figured the costs would come to a tidy sum, but between Jessica’s loan and what I could contribute, we’d manage.
After measurements were taken, the three of us returned to the warmth of the shop and sat before the fireplace. Fred finalized his figures and handed the contract to Jessica. I leaned toward her, we read it over and then signed on the lines provided. His estimate was more than fair, and even if he ran a bit over budget, we could still handle the cost.
When all was agreed to, Fred said he’d get started by midweek. Her delight apparent, Jess nearly hugged him as he went out the door. I laughed when she turned back to me.
“Sounds like you’ll be ready to start your business right after you get your license.”
With a squeal of happiness, she said, “I’m thrilled, but you know that, right?”
Her smile was contagious. I put my problems aside for a while and enjoyed Jessica’s future success until the delivery truck arrived with rabbit supplies.
The driver, Ron Hurley, gave me a hand unloading and stacking bales of hay and bags of feed after I explained I was working alone for the day. I signed the bill of lading and thanked him for his help.
“Where’s your vet girl today?”
“She’s a bit under the weather. I’m sure she’ll be fine tomorrow.”
Ron sidled up to me and murmured, “She’s very nice. Does she have a boyfriend?”
“Not that I know of. Why, are you interested?”
He stared down at the ground for a second and then shrugged.
“You should attend our open house this month. Jess won’t realize you like her if you don’t let her know. Keep an eye on the newspaper, we’ll be running an ad.”
“I’ll give it some thought. Thanks.” He walked off whistling a happy tune.
I snickered and returned to the shop. I’d put in a call to the local locksmith, to set up an appointment to have the locks changed, just as the sheriff arrived. I hung up the phone, heaved a sigh, and wondered what he would put me through today. Hopefully, Bun would stay in the house rather than get underfoot while Jack was here. There was no doubt that he didn’t care for Bun. It was also becoming clear that Bun had begun to resent him in return.
The patrol car came to a stop and the door slammed. Sheriff Carver walked toward the barn. I opened the shop door and summoned him inside. He veered to his left, stopping just inside the door to wipe his feet.
“You two doing all right today?”
“We are. Jess is resting, her headache is severe. Even if she hasn’t said as much, I’m sure she has bruises and discomfort from last night’s altercation. What can I do for you, Jack?”
“One of my patrolmen kept an eye on this place last night. He’ll be around for the next few nights, too. You should get a watchdog to prevent break-ins, Jules. I could recommend a couple breeders, if you’d be interested. Old Mort Franklin has a two-year-old Rottweiler he’s looking to find a home for.”
I shook my head. “I’m having the locks changed later today. Only Jessica and I will have keys. Everyone else will work during their scheduled time slots. Nobody will be alone, have a key, or otherwise have access to this building. I’m fed up with what’s been happening.”
“If you’re sure, then I won’t push you to get a watchdog.”
“I have Bun, that’s enough to deal with.”
His snort was instantaneous. “As if he could protect you from the likes of a killer. I’ve yet to hear of a perpetrator who feared a rabbit.”
I tipped my head up a tad and looked down my nose at him. “There’s a first time for everything. Are you and Meredith attending our open house event?”
“I imagine so. It’ll be a good opportunity to put plainclothes officers in place to listen and watch those who might show up with more than festivities in mind.”
“Great idea. You don’t think they’ll be recognized by the locals?”
“I have two men and a woman who are from out of town that work the graveyard shift. They don’t have much to contend with during those hours, and have little to do with townspeople. Their job consists of patrol and stopping drunk drivers. Occasionally, we have a domestic situation, but they tend to take place before midnight.”
“If that will help, please feel free to send them along.” Informing Jack of the date and time Lizzy had designated, I watched him scribble the information on his notepad before he went on his way.
An hour later, the locksmith showed up, installed new padlocks, slide bolts, and door locks on every door in the barn and shop. I declined his offer to install a window alarm system, should someone try to get in that way.
“I think the new additions to the doors will be enough. Thanks for the recommendation, though.” I paid him, took the receipt, the keys, and waited until he drove away before returning to the house.
Bun was in the kitchen with Jessica, who was having tea, and I joined her in a cup of brew. “Feeling better?”
“I am, that nap did the job, along with the pain reliever. I think I’ll do my rotation tonight, after all. I need those hours to graduate.”
“If you think you can get there and back all right, go ahead.”
“What have you been doing while I rested?”
“I handled Sheriff Carver’s insistence that I get a Rottweiler to protect the grounds and us. Then the locksmith arrived to change all the locks and add more. I think we’re on par with Fort Knox.”
She chuckled. “Glad to hear it.”
“Carver is sending plainclothes officers to our event. He said they can listen to and watch what’s going on. It might be a good way to figure out who’s after the rabbits.”
“True. Do you have a new key for me?”
I slid it across the table. She added it to her key ring and handed me the old key.
“Have you time to address invitations to your customers? I’m supposed to see Lizzy tonight before I leave for my shift. She called earlier to ask if I’d bring them to you.”
“That was fast, I thought they’d go to a printer to be done. Gosh, I must be behind the times.”
She snickered. “You are. Lizzy designed the card on her computer, sent the file to the office supply store, and they’re now ready. Because we didn’t need a ton of them, it was a quick job.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
While Jessica studied, Bun and I walked the farm grounds, sharing our thoughts on whether one of my employees was the culprit or helping the person who was. Fresh, crisp air smelled of a mix of cool and dry late winter that meshed with the fragrances of a promise of early spring. A breeze that chilled and signs of new beginnings abounded.
Snow had melted, mud was now hard dirt, and buds were beginning to form on trees and shrubs. In a few weeks, if the weather held, grass would push out of the ground as would the daffodils and tulips my mother had planted some years ago.
I sniffed appreciatively, took a deep breath
, and listened to Bun ramble on about his candidate for our bad guy, before moving on to who should be invited to our festivities.
“I refuse to believe one of the staff is involved in these shenanigans. They all seem to understand why domestic rabbits need care. The only person I can think of would be Peter. He’s very quiet, and you know what is said about the quiet ones, right? Still water runs deep and all that. He hasn’t ever been mean or spiteful to any of the other helpers or to us rabbits, so maybe I’m off the mark. What do you think?”
“I’m not sure what I think. It may have nothing to do with our employees, and I refuse to start suspecting them, or watching for telltale signs of resentment toward me. It could be someone with no ties to Fur Bridge Farm, but who is trying to throw suspicion on my farmhands rather than have the sheriff start nosing around Arty and my clients. I’m certain Peter has no part in any of it.”
“Jessica and the sheriff are grasping at straws, then? On another note, are you serving food and drink? Who’s catering? Will I have to stay in the petting pen the entire time? I would be of greater use if I was free to wander. I could be an undercover sleuth, like Carver’s people. I’m good at being a gumshoe.”
As imaginative as Bun could be, a picture of him as a sleuth was just too much for me. I started to chuckle, then broke into laughter that soon became a sidesplitting turn of events.
“You don’t have to be rude, Jules.” His emphasis on my name cut my humor short. I’d hurt his feelings and swiftly apologized for doing so.
“I pictured you in a Sherlock Holmes hat, with a spyglass and pipe. The pipe did me in. I’m sorry, Bun.”
Ears upright and twitching, Bun wiggled his nose as though he were a hound hot on the trail of who-knows-what.
“What’s wrong? What do you smell?”
“Move to your left, very carefully. There’s an odd scent, and it isn’t you.”
Doing as he advised, I tiptoed toward a small copse of trees. Thick and dense with brush, the trees easily blocked our view. We drew closer, until we’d reached the edge of the tree cluster. Not seeing what bothered Bun, I edged farther to the left to catch sight of what lay in the clearing beyond.
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