by Diane Meier
Matt could see that there was a lot of passion on both sides. But for the moment, one thought came to him that was important to the case. A no kill advocate might have been angry enough to kill to Randolph. Of course that was not consistent with the no kill philosophy, but people were not always rational.
Matt started making a list of people who made the most hostile comments about Randolph on Facebook. Five people stood out. They used their full names on their Facebook page so he could look them up on the DMV database and property records. He would go to their homes after he stopped at the SPCA satellite facility tomorrow.
He turned off the computer. His thoughts turned to Clara. He couldn’t seem to stop thinking of her. He loved that golden braid of hers and kept wishing he could see her hair down. Her green eyes were mesmerizing. She looked so terrific in jeans that he had to keep himself from staring at her. But it wasn’t just how she looked. She was smart and funny. He really appreciated how she invited Henry to come over when he had to work late. Henry loved the way she joked around with him
Matt was a little gun shy after the mess with his ex. He doubted his good sense about beautiful women. His ex-wife Andrea was gorgeous and look how that had turned out.
Matt had known that Andrea drank a lot before they got married, but she seemed to be able to hold her liquor. After Henry was born, she had a terrible postpartum depression. She started drinking all day and saying such crazy things that Matt became afraid she would hurt Henry. He took Andrea to a good psychiatrist who prescribed antidepressants. She seemed to get better and started going to AA. Things were fine for a couple of years.
Then Andrea got to be friends with a guy at AA. He sounded like a bum. At first Matt was worried that she was having an affair with the guy. Finally Matt ran a background check and found out that he guy had done five years in prison for selling drugs. That scared Matt, and he told Andrea about his concerns. It certainly didn’t help anything. Andrea was acting out more and more.
One day she slapped Henry for something he said. Matt didn’t hear about it from Henry at first. Instead Henry stopped talking very much which was incredibly unusual. Matt sat him down to find out what was troubling him. Finally Henry opened up and told his father about what Andrea had done. Matt was upset. He and Andrea had always agreed that they wouldn’t resort to physical violence as discipline. Matt explained to Henry that his mother was very sick and didn’t mean to hit him. Matt also told his son that none of this was his fault.
Then Matt confronted Andrea. She got very hostile. This wasn’t the woman he knew. Soon after that she got fired for insubordination by a boss who had mentored her. That just seemed to make her drink more. Sometimes she would promise to quit but Matt found her hidden bottles. He came home one day to find her doing cocaine with the bum from AA.
Matt insisted that she go to rehab, and she went, which gave him some hope. He still loved her. After she came home, Matt watched her carefully and it wasn’t long before she started using again. The rehab had cost a bundle and Matt was just exhausted. Henry was starting to get depressed. Matt knew he had to save his kid. He just couldn’t allow Henry to be subjected to all of Andrea’s chaos and drama anymore. He got a divorce and was able to get custody because she was so unstable.
She went downhill fast after that. The drug use got worse and worse. Soon she was selling drugs. Matt went to court and got the judge to stop her visits with Henry. After a few months, Matt was called by a cop who said that Andrea had gotten caught in a drug bust. She was convicted and was sent to prison. Matt had long ago stopped loving her. He was relieved that Henry wouldn’t be seeing her anymore. Even though Henry knew Andrea was a mess he still loved her. He had such a good heart that he felt sorry for her.
Matt tried to keep himself from replaying the whole thing in his head. It didn’t help him figure out where he had gone wrong or what he could have done to stop Andrea from sinking so low. It was time to move forward and not look back.
He called Clara. He was afraid that he’d lose his courage so he felt that it couldn’t wait until the next day.
Clara was clearly surprised to get a call so late in the evening. “What’s wrong? Is Henry okay?”
“Yes, yes, sorry to call so late. I was just thinking. Maybe we could go out for dinner this Saturday night. I mean just you and me. Henry’s staying over at his friend’s house.”
Clara didn’t reply for a couple seconds.
“I just want to thank you for how good you’ve been to Henry,” he said quickly.
“Matt, you don’t need to do that. I like Henry so much and the dogs adore him,” she said.
“Hey, don’t make this so hard. I’m trying to ask you out,” he laughed uneasily. “Sorry, I don’t want to pressure you.”
“The answer is yes,” said Clara quickly.
Diane Meier “Great. I’m going to make a reservation at …,” Matt hadn’t thought that far. But then he decided to do this right. “Lewes House.”
“That place is too expensive,” Clara said. “I’ve always wanted to go there. Think of it as me indulging myself.” Matt said. “Let’s leave at 6:30.”
They said goodnight. Matt was amazed at his good luck.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
M
att called Aidan in the morning. “I think we need to find out who is writing the anti-SPCA blog.” “Why?” asked Aidan. “Do you think that the blogger is the killer?”
“Whoever’s writing that blog must have hated Randolph. Maybe he or she decided to save animals by killing Randolph. Do the state troopers have anybody to figure out who is writing the blog?”
“Maybe. I’d have to check with our tech guys,” said Aidan.
“Good,” said Matt.
“I’m headed to that SPCA satellite facility in New Castle,” said Aidan. “I’ll check in with the ME up there afterwards.”
“I’ll stop in at the station for a minute and then drive to that Kent County facility.”
When Matt arrived, the Mayor was sitting there with Jay.
“Good morning, Matt. What can you tell us? Jay was briefing me on what you said yesterday.”
“Good morning,” said Matt. “Today Aidan - Officer Putnam - is going to the SPCA’s New Castle satellite facility, and I’m going to the Kent County facility. He expects to find out what the ME says today. Before I get on the road, I wonder if I could ask you a few questions, Mr. Mayor.”
“Yes, of course. Happy to do anything that I can.”
“I know you’ve told us that Gary Randolph was a great person. When I interviewed Tina Patterson, one of the SPCA volunteers, she told me that there’s a group of people who feel differently. There’s a blog called No Kill Delaware…”
The Mayor interrupted. “Oh, I know all about those people. They’re extremists. I talked to Gary a lot about all that. There are always going to be complainers about animal shelters, you know. Those people are just unrealistic. The only animals put down are the ones who aren’t adoptable.”
“A lot of those folks seem to feel strongly that Gary Randolph wasn’t complying with the shelter law at the SPCA.”
“I know about all that,” said Mayor Riley, dismissively.
“Do you think any of those people could have killed Randolph?” asked Jay.
“I think it’s worth checking out. What I’m wondering is whether you know of any SPCA volunteers, staff, or Board members who might have felt that way and had access to the building? You saw those words Dog Killer on the whiteboard.”
“Gary was very sharp,” said the Mayor. “He would have figured out if any staff or volunteers felt that way. In fact, I think he had to fire a couple people over the years for that kind of thing. I can’t imagine why anyone who felt that way would keep volunteering.”
“You may be right. Sasso didn’t seem to know of any staff or volunteers who would want to harm Gary. How about women that Randolph dated, Mr Mayor?”
The Mayor thought for a minute. “Gary didn’t date people for
very long, but I do remember the names of two women, Angela Bannon and Stacie Detweiler. I don’t have their numbers, however. I think Angela works at Rehoboth Act Up. And I’m not sure, but I think that Stacie Detweiler works at Candy Central.”
“Good, that’s very helpful,” said Matt. “Sasso says Randolph used some dating web site. Do you know which it is?”
“Romance..com,” said the Mayor. “He showed me his profile once. He got a photo taken by a professional, which I thought was just ridiculous, but that was Gary. He always wanted to look good.”
“I’ll look at that,” said Matt. “How about Board members?”
“There’s a Board member named Cassie Deaver who seems to speak up a lot. She works at Rehoboth Realty, which is in that little mall with Starbucks. Gary used to complain about her. And there was one woman who quit the Board. Sharon Butler. But she passed on, as I recall.”
“Sharon Butler?” Matt hadn’t known Sharon was on the Board.
“Yes, that’s right,” said the Mayor. “After she left the SPCA, she lobbied the state legislature to get the shelter law passed. After that, she got sick. Cancer, I think.”
“I knew her,” said Matt. “I rent the apartment in her house. She was a wonderful woman, but pretty sick by the time I started renting the place. Her daughter moved back home to take care of her.”
“Well, I guess she couldn’t have murdered Randolph,” said Jay.
“You should talk to Cassie Deaver,” said the Mayor.
“I’ll definitely talk to her. I better get going.” As Matt drove up Route 1, he wondered about Randolph’s love life. Matt couldn’t imagine using a dating service, but maybe Randolph ran out of women in town since he didn’t date them very long.
Matt hadn’t even considered dating until he met Clara. It had been the first time he’d allowed himself to even consider seeing someone. The whole thing with Andrea had just left him raw and unfit for any kind of new relationships.
Matt pulled into the Holiday House parking lot. He couldn’t imagine anybody thinking of that place as a holiday for a dog. It was a real dump. When he walked inside, Matt was hit with a foul smell that made him start breathing through his mouth. He found an elderly man at the desk inside. He flashed his badge and explained that he was investigating Gary Randolph’s murder.
“What’s your name, sir?” Matt asked.
“Buddy Boulton.”
“Mr. Boulton, can you tell me a little about your contract with the SPCA?”
“Sure. Animal control brings in the dogs and sticks them in kennels. They’re vicious animals. The dogs stay here for a bit and then they’re taken away or put down.”
“Do you know any reason that someone would harm Randolph?”
“Can’t say that I do. I hardly ever saw the man and I didn’t travel in his set of people”
“What kind of people were those?”
“I hear Gary was quite a playboy. Randolph and his folks don’t want nothing to do with an old country boy like me,” Buddy said with a chuckle.
“How about the animal control officers? Any of them do any griping about Randolph?”
“Nope. They just do their jobs and leave. We don’t talk much.”
“Do owners come here to get their dogs?” asked Matt.
“Well, that doesn’t happen much,” said Buddy.
“Are they taken down to Rehoboth for that?”
“I don’t know. I just feed the dogs until they are taken away or put down. That’s all my contract requires. I lost my other clients because they didn’t want their dogs at a place where the SPCA takes dogs. They’re worried about fleas and disease. So I can’t make any money except for the SPCA contract.”
“I’d like to take a look at the dogs if I could,” said Matt.
“Oh no,” Buddy said emphatically, stepping in front of the door to what Matt figured were the kennels. “That’s not a good idea.”
Sensing that something wasn’t right, Matt walked quickly around Buddy and opened the door to the kennels. The smell of feces and urine nearly knocked him over. There were no windows. There was just enough light so Matt could see that the dogs were covered in their own filth. Nobody had bothered to clean the kennels for a long time.
The old man followed Matt. “I didn’t have a chance to clean today,” he yelled over the barking.
“Where are the food and water bowls?” Matt asked.
“I have to collect those and wash them at night. I just haven’t had a chance to put them out yet.”
“What’s wrong with that dog? He’s bleeding,” said Matt. “For God’s sake, there’s a gaping wound on the dog’s thigh. He should have been treated by a vet.”
“I hadn’t noticed that. Thanks for telling me,” said Buddy. “Now look, you come on out of here. You have to get a warrant to be in here.”
Matt ignored Buddy and kept walking down the kennel. He saw an old Lab with a leg that was bent the wrong way. A bone was sticking out and the poor dog was licking it and moaning.
“This dog needs vet care right now,” Matt said furiously. He walked out of the kennel to his car. He’d seen many corpses at murder scenes without being upset but the victims’ suffering was over. That was not the case with these dogs who were being neglected. The misery that he saw in that kennel was sickening. He called the SPCA.
“I need to speak to Doug Sasso immediately. This is Officer Thomas.”
Sasso picked up. “What can I do for you, Officer?”
“Sasso, I’m up at your Kent County satellite kennel. It’s a disgrace. There are at least two dogs who need to see a vet right now. The kennels are so filthy that I wonder if Buddy ever cleans them. And I didn’t see any food or water bowls.”
“Officer, what does that have to do with Gary Randolph’s murder?”
Matt noticed that Sasso wasn’t even expressing surprise. He must know about these conditions and not care.
“Sasso, this is about cruel neglect. The state has cruelty laws. I am authorized to enforce the law.”
“As I understand it,” said Sasso slowly, “you enforce the law in Rehoboth Beach, not Kent County.”
Matt could barely contain his fury. “I will have the state troopers here in two minutes if you don’t immediately get a vet in here.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll get a vet over there,” Sasso said and hung up.
Matt went back into the old building. “Buddy, a vet is coming right now to check these dogs over. I want to see food and water bowls in those kennels. And when that is done, I want every kennel cleaned up.”
Buddy started to argue but noticed the murderous look on Matt’s face. “I’ll call Sasso first.”
“No, you won’t. You will get food and water to the dogs immediately. I just told Doug Sasso that neglect is a violation of the state cruelty law. I’m going to arrest you in 30 seconds if I don’t see you moving to do what I said.”
Buddy was astonished. He nodded and went back into the kennel area.
Matt went back outside to calm down. He couldn’t stand the stench anymore. He knew dogs’ noses were more powerful than humans so it must have been really awful for them.
About 15 minutes later, a van pulled into the lot and a woman got out.
“Are you the vet?” Matt asked.
“Yes, I’m Dr. Myer,” she said. “What’s going on? I got an emergency call from the SPCA.”
“There’s a dog with a gaping wound in his thigh. And there’s another dog with a broken leg.”
“I can’t treat those kinds of problems here.”
“I understand,” said Matt. “Can you take a quick look at the rest of the dogs? I’ll get animal control over here to bring the dogs to your hospital.”
Matt called Sasso back. “The vet is here, Sasso, but a couple of dogs are going to need to be transported to the animal hospital, so you need to contact your animal control officers and get them here immediately.”
“You can’t order me around like this,” said Sasso.
&nb
sp; “I can and I am doing just that, Sasso. Do your damn job,” said Matt and hung up.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
T
he animal control truck arrived twenty minutes later. “Sasso called us and said we’re supposed to take a couple dogs to the vet,” said the bigger guy. “What the hell is wrong with you guys?” Matt couldn’t stop himself from yelling. “You brought seriously injured dogs into that hell hole. Those dogs should never have been put into kennels. You should have taken them straight to the animal hospital.”
“It’s not our fault. The SPCA doesn’t allow us to take dogs to the vet,” the guy said angrily.
“You’re going to tell me all about that as soon as you get the dogs into the hospital,” said Matt. One guy grabbed leashes out of the van. Matt exploded. “You’re not walking those injured dogs out on leashes, you morons. What are your names?”
“I’m Schmidt,” said the big guy, giving Matt a surly look. “And that’s Dreyfus.”
Dr. Myers came out. She was furious. “Those two dogs are in agony. This is an outrage.”
“You’re damned right it is,” said Matt. “You have a stretcher in the van?”
Dr. Myers opened the van door and pulled one out. Schmidt grabbed the stretcher and they went into the building for the dogs.
“This kennel owner should be forced to live like that,” said Dr. Myers. “I am calling my state senator and the Governor about this. I better go make sure that those idiots handle the dogs with some care.”
After the dogs were loaded into the animal control van and taken away, Matt went back into the building lobby. Buddy wasn’t there so Matt went back into the kennels. The dogs were gobbling up the food like they were starving. Obviously, Buddy hadn’t been feeding them.
Buddy was at the door of a kennel spraying it out. He turned off the hose. “This isn’t my fault, you know.”
“Yes, it sure as hell is your fault. You could have complained if the SPCA wasn’t getting vet care for the dogs. And you clearly haven’t been giving them food or water or cleaning out the kennels. I’m going to report everything that has been going on. I am going to do everything I can to make sure that you lose the SPCA contract. If you want to stay out of prison, you are going to treat these dogs to the best of everything from now on.”