by Diane Meier
said to the cat. “I’m picking flowers for her. Do you think she’ll
like them?” Edgar stretched and yawned. Matt chuckled about
Edgar’s reaction. He climbed the stairs and went back into the
apartment. Never in his life had he bothered to pick flowers. He
pulled a milk glass out of the kitchen cabinet and filled it with water. He stuck in the flowers artlessly and set the table. Then he got
busy making pancakes for Clara.
“Breakfast is served,” he called.
Clara smiled at the table set that he had set so carefully. “Matt,
this is lovely.”
He pulled out her chair with a flourish and served her. After
they had polished off the stack of pancakes and drank a couple
cups of coffee, they washed the dishes together. Clara gave him a
quick kiss. “I should go home and feed the dogs and cats.” Sharon
would have fed them already but Clara needed time alone to absorb what had happened between them.
“Hey, do you want to go to dinner with Henry and me tonight?” “I can’t think of anything that I’d rather do,” said Clara. Clara and Matt went out on the deck that looked out over the
yard. Cats were roaming around behind the fence. The cats loved
hiding out in the meadow and sitting on the dead trees. “There’s Ernest in his king cat position,” said Clara. Ernest, a
huge black cat with tuxedo markings, was named after Hemingway. “Ernest reminds me of Sampson, my orange cat when I was
growing up,” said Matt. “Sampson sat on the wall outside our
house like he was guarding it. The neighbor’s dog stayed off our
lawn when being walked. I think he was afraid of Sampson.” “Any sensible dog would know not to mess with Ernest, that’s
for sure. There’s John Lennon just waiting for Ernest to leave so he
can grab the king cat position.” John Lennon was a black cat who
had the loudest meow of all the cats.
“I can name them all, you know.” As soon as Matt said it, he
realized that he wasn’t at all sure that he could. “Actually, I don’t
know if that’s true.”
“I’ll bet that you can’t,” said Clara, challenging him. “I guess that I should try since I opened my big mouth Let’s see.
The white cat is Marlon, named after Brando. He’s a bit vain and
always preening. The black cat is Edgar, named after Poe. Edgar
likes to live on the edge. I’ve seen him hiding behind a tree and
jumping out to scare John Lennon. Disrespect for a senior cat is
not a good idea.”
“You’re right so far,” said Clara. She was impressed. “The tiger striped cat is Ricky, who is aptly named after Ricky
Gervais, the comedian. Ricky lives up to his namesake. He’s cracks
Henry up with his crazy cat antics.”
Clara laughed. “What about the ladies?”
“I see Nina, the tortie, named after Nina Simone. Hmmm. I
don’t see Christina the other tortie. I guess you named her after
that actress who was in That Darn Cat. That’s seven. Henry loved that movie. Who am I missing? Henry could do this. I wish he
was here.”
“The bet is that you can name all the cats, not Henry.” “Right, right. Let’s see. It’s not easy when they’re not all here.” “Excuses, excuses,” said Clara. “Do you want some tips?” Matt kissed her. “That’s very generous. Yes. Please do give me
some tips.”
“How about the famous nurse?”
“Yes, yes, of course. Florence. How could I forget her? I love
the big white dot she has on her black fur. Another tip?” “And there’s the famous author, who wrote about the family in
the Civil War.”
“Ah, yes. Louisa May Alcott. Sorry that I forgot about you,
Louisa.”
“Well that was pretty good,” said Clara. “I’ll hope you can get
them all without help next time.”
“I will, I will,” chuckled Matt. “I appreciate the hints.” “I’ll guess I should go feed the animals. See you later,” said
Clara as she went down the wooden steps to her front door. Matt said, “I’ll give you a ring after I pick up Henry.” He sat on the deck chair and watched the cats a few more
minutes.
Matt was so shocked when he read that the SPCA rounded up
feral cats. It was heartless. The cats didn’t bother people more
than any wildlife did. He had read the complaints about cats on
Tina Patterson’s Facebook page and he just didn’t get it. The phone rang and Matt picked up. “Matt, this is Mayor Riley.
Can you come to the station for a few minutes?”
“Sure,” said Matt, wondering what could be going on. “I’ve got
to pick up Henry from his friend’s house. I’ll bring him with me,
if that’s okay.”
“Absolutely. I always like to see Henry,” said the Mayor.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
When Clara returned to her place after her night with Matt, Sharon was there waiting with a happy smile on her face. Snowflake and Smokey were overjoyed as usual and bounced around her. Clara went to get them each a dog biscuit.
“So Mat is damaged goods, huh? And you’re just friends?” Sharon couldn’t resist teasing Clara a bit.
“Okay, you were right. He’s terrific and we are now definitely
past friendship. Stop with the ‘I told you so’ stuff. I need to tell
you some things.”
Clara reported everything that Matt had said at dinner about
the SPCA.
Sharon paced the room angrily as Clara told her. Then she exploded. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, those bastards! They’re selling
dogs as bait to dog fighters? My God, my God. I can’t stand this.” “I know, Mom, I’m so sorry. The Mayor called the Governor
about it. I’m sure that he’ll do something to stop this.” Sharon started to cry. “Damn, damn, damn. I knew that the
SPCA intake numbers were ridiculously low but I just hoped that the animal control guys were lazy. I was worried that they were killing almost all the Pit Bulls but I didn’t have proof. There are so many people who used to message me that their dogs were lost and never found. Although I suspected Randolph was killing all those dogs, it never crossed my mind that the SPCA were selling
the dogs as bait.”
“I’m glad that somebody murdered Randolph,” Clara spit out. “Oh, I am, too. I just hope there’s a hell and that he burns
there for eternity.”
Clara told her mother about how Matt had been suspended for
helping the dogs at the Kent County kennel.
“That’s absolutely outrageous. I knew that the Kent Council
didn’t give a shit about animals. But I can’t believe that the Mayor
suspended Matt. What the hell is wrong with him? Did he come
down with dementia? I thought he was a decent man.” “He just got a lot of political pressure.”
“And that’s what I’m afraid will keep the Governor from doing
anything about the SPCA selling the dogs as bait. You know one
of his big donors has a farm where my people say there are dog
fights.”
“God no, I didn’t know that. But he has to do something, right?
The public will go crazy if they hear about this.”
“If the Governor doesn’t take action, there’s going to be a lot
of publicity about this, starting with my blog,” said Sharon fiercely. “No, no, Mom. It can’t go in the blog. Then Matt will think
that I’m writing the blog. There’s got to be some other way. Please
hold off until we hear one way or another from Matt
about whether the Governor is doing anything. Do you promise to wait?” “I’ll try,” said Sharon quietly.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Y
ou had a good time?” Matt asked when he picked Henry up from his friend’s house. “Did you thank Scott’s parents?” “Yeah, of course. Scott has a great dog. Rowdy. He’s a black Lab. You should see Rowdy play catch. We were throwing balls for him to retrieve for about an hour. He can leap in the air like you see on TV. I wish we had a dog, Dad.”
“You’ve got Snowflake and Smokey. It’s almost like having your own dogs.”
“Yeah, almost,” Henry said. “I love them. I wish they could sleep over sometime.”
“Let’s ask Clara,” said Matt.
“Really? That would be fantastic. I bet she’ll say yes.”
“I bet she will, too,” said Matt.
For the rest of the drive to Town Hall, Henry talked about Snowflake and Smokey. Matt smiled at his excitement. Henry was very happy here in Rehoboth. It was a good decision to come here. Matt explained that they’d make a quick stop at Town Hall and later they’d go out to eat with Clara. Henry was delighted to hear that.
Matt didn’t mention any of what had happened up at the Kent County dog kennel. It would make Henry miserable to know about it. Matt had told Henry about the murder investigation leaving out the gory details. Henry had seen plenty of detective shows and he thought it was cool that his Dad was trying to find a killer. But somebody neglecting dogs or selling them as bait was another story. That wasn’t something that Matt wanted Henry to know about. Henry knew that dogs were put down at shelters and that was bad enough.
When Matt and Henry came into Town Hall, the Mayor was waiting for them.
“Good morning, gentlemen. Every time I see you, Henry, you seem to have grown taller. Pretty soon you’ll be taller than your Dad.”
Henry smiled. Matt knew that Henry had no idea how to answer comments like that.
“Can we talk in my office, Matt?” asked the Mayor.
“Yes, sir. Henry can wait here. Right, Henry?”
“Sure, Dad.”
The Mayor waved Matt to a chair. “The bad news is the Governor is not going to do anything about the alleged selling of dogs. The New Castle Council member responsible for the dog control contract called Sasso who swore it was a lie. Later I heard that Sasso fired the two animal control officers who had told you about the selling of dogs. Sasso said that they had made it all up because there was bad blood between the animal control guys in different counties.”
Matt didn’t speak for a moment. There was no way that he could to let this go. “I didn’t expect the Governor to just accept the story but I hoped that he would order an investigation. Why would anybody just take Sasso’s word? Why not check it out?”
“The Governor said it seems too far fetched to have it investigated.”
“If they had seen the condition of those poor dogs at the Kent County facility, they might be ready to believe it. Nobody who cared about dogs would allow neglect like that. It doesn’t surprise me that people who would allow that would also let dogs be sold as bait.”
“Sasso denied it.”
“I have no reason to lie about it,” argued Matt.
“I know, I know. That’s what I told the Governor. He did call a friend of his on the Kent Council about the kennel conditions. She was outraged. She said that kennel owner is a real bum. He doesn’t pay his taxes and is widely known to be irresponsible. There was a fire there about five years ago and some dogs died from smoke inhalation. That caused an uproar with a lot of media coverage. The people whose dogs died got together and sued. And they won. But a dog is only worth $50 in Delaware.”
“That’s insane,” said Matt. “People love their pets as if they were their children.”
“I agree with you. It’s not right. But money wouldn’t bring back their dogs. And that kind of low monetary award is very common across the country.”
“I just don’t understand any of this. Americans love dogs and cats.”
“When each of the owners got $50, it made them madder than hell. It was a real slap in the face. They spread the word and after that, the kennel owner didn’t get any business at all. That was a kind of justice. He bid low for the SPCA satellite facility and he was the only bidder. So the kennel is still open and takes in the dogs picked up by animal control in Kent County.”
“That guy has no heart,” said Matt angrily. “But I think he’s going to remember me for a while and take better care of the dogs. What worries me is that the Kent animal control officers were putting down the dogs as they quickly as they could. They said that they were trying to avoid selling the dogs. “
“That’s something, I guess,” said the Mayor.
Matt couldn’t believe what he heard. “Mr. Mayor, imagine if that was your dog put down so fast.”
“You’re right, of course. It is horrible. I was just thinking about being killed by a needle instead of sold as bait. But death is death. It’s all so shocking.”
Matt nodded. “The law says that dogs must be held for 72 hours so that their owners can find them. That’s not happening. Those animal control officers kill the dogs as soon as it’s convenient. There’s no way for owners to even know that their dogs might be waiting for them at the satellite kennels.”
“Aren’t they posting photos of the dogs online?” asked the Mayor. “I think the law says they’re supposed to do that so owners can find their dogs.”
“Nope. No vet care. No photos. No holding period. I doubt anybody is even looking at tags that the dogs have or checking for microchips. That would require some work. I don’t know how an owner would ever know that a dog had been picked up by animal control and taken to a satellite SPCA kennel. Their web site says nothing about those facilities.”
“I had no idea this was the way the SPCA operates,” said the Mayor sadly. “Believe me, if I had known, I would have made Gary do a better job.”
“It’s amazing to me that the county councils don’t care enough to monitor all of this and take action.”
“They don’t know the truth. None of us knew.”
There are none so blind as those who will not see, thought Matt.
The Mayor shook his head to clear away thoughts of the dogs. “Anyway, let me get to the good news. The Kent Council member who was upset about the conditions at that kennel raised hell with
Diane Meier the other Council members. They decided to have regular inspections of that place. I talked with her and she was unhappy to hear that you had been suspended. She talked to other Council members and they agreed that you should never have been suspended. She called me this morning, so you are now reinstated.”
“I’m glad to hear that somebody gave a damn,” said Matt. The Mayor put Matt’s badge and gun on the desk. “I’m sorry that I didn’t stand up for you, Matt.”
Matt picked up his badge and gun. “It’s fine, Mr. Mayor.”
“Well, no, it’s not fine. And I’m very sorry. Anyway, that’s why I dragged you in here on a Saturday. I didn’t want you to spend another day thinking that you were suspended.”
“What about the investigation?”
“You’re back on it.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I think I can help find the killer. Nobody told Sasso that I’m back on this?”
“Nobody did. So he’s going to be angry but I don’t care. Just do me a favor and don’t cause any more controversies. Now go enjoy your day off with your son.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
When they got back to the apartment, Henry immediately fell asleep on the couch. Matt doubted that much actual sleeping occurred during the sleepover. He went into the kitchen and called Aidan.
“What’s up? Hey, I’m sorry you’re off the case. I warned you that stuff with the dogs wasn’t our problem”
“I’m back on the case.”
“Seriously? How did that happen?”
Matt gave Aidan a quick summ
ary of what the Mayor had told him.
“Damn, that’s great,” said Aidan. “I’m very glad to hear it. When I heard from your boss that you’d been suspended I thought about calling you but I’ve been backed up here.”
“Did Jay tell you that I found out the blogger passed away?”
“Yeah, he did. So that’s another dead end, unless we can somehow get a warrant. Anyway, I’m glad you’re back on the job.”
“Thanks,” said Matt.
“So we’ll start back with the interviews on Monday. I’ll meet you at the SPCA. I think we need to talk to Sasso again.”
“Definitely,” said Matt, “I have a few things to say to him about those kennels.”
“We have to stay clear of those issues related to treatment of the dogs, Matt.”
“I think we can use the information to push Sasso harder on the case. It’s possible that he killed Randolph to get all the money coming from sale of the dogs.”
“You’re right. That’s actually a plausible motive that we need to investigate.”
Matt didn’t really think that Sasso killed Randolph. But treating Sasso like a suspect might scare him enough to make him stop selling dogs.
“Okay, see you tomorrow,” said Aidan and hung up.
Matt went back to the living room and tried to relax. It was a relief to know that the Kent Council would inspect Buddy’s kennel regularly. But he was really torn up about the fact that the Governor wouldn’t take any action about the sale of dogs as bait. Matt would try to intimidate Sasso, but the man probably would just nod his head and go on selling dogs.
It had to have been Randolph who started selling animals. Sasso didn’t have the initiative to even do his assigned duties. Once Randolph was killed, Sasso would be happy to keep the sales going and take the money. Matt thought about Snowflake and Smokey being at the mercy of dog fighters. It made his blood boil.
What Matt couldn’t understand was why the state troopers didn’t try to find the dog fights. Since their undercover drug operations had taken them to dog fighters in the past they must understand that the reverse was true. They could find a lot of drug dealers if they had undercover operations searching for dog fights.