X's and O's (Will Kilpatrick, DVM Mystery Series Book 1)

by A. Carlock Maxwell DVM

  After blackening his burger with pepper, he glanced across the table. It might take a code-breaker to detect her thoughts. "Let's talk about something serious for a change."

  Liza's forehead puckered in a frown. "Like what?"

  "What do you know about fishing?"

  An amused smile toyed with her lips. "It's hard on worms."

  Will laughed. "Liza, I think you've got your head on straight."

  "I'm not so sure about that. But you do for sure."

  I hope. Conway Twitty sang It's Only Make Believe.

  He hoped it wasn't.

  Chapter 42

  Evening snuggled under dusk's ragged gray blanket when Will's truck headlights flashed across Liza's porch. Eyes reflecting from a rocking chair made Will tap the brakes. Could it be Spivey? It was Clarice. In the rearview, he noticed a sheriff's department car crawling by and assumed Seth had followed them.

  "Jump out, act like you're mad at me, then run inside while I back up and turn around."

  "Why-"

  He pushed her hard. "Just do it."

  She slammed the door, yelled, and threw gravel at him. Nice touch. He turned and floored the gas, spinning across her yard. He pulled onto the road and began driving in the opposite direction as the police cruiser which had sped up. When it disappeared over a hump in the road, he made a quick turn and raced back to Liza's.

  Gravel crunched beneath the tires as he pulled into the shadows of her back yard.

  She ran down the back steps. "What was that all about?"

  "I don't want Spivey or Ledbetter knowing I'm here. Or anybody else. You know how folks talk."

  "I've heard." She stood, silent, as if expecting him to say something else. When he didn't, she hitched her shoulders. "I'll change clothes and we can hit the trail."

  While waiting, Will grabbed blood tubes, a rope, flashlight, syringes, ear tags and pliers from the truck. When Liza stepped out, she clipped Blue to his chain by the back door and motioned Will to follow her

  "Remember, I'm in charge." Will spoke in an authoritative whisper.

  Liza rolled her eyes, the whites glowing in the dim light. She smiled agreeably and stepped aside. "No problem, el capitan. Do you want to start now?"

  The darkness covered his chagrin. "You go ahead. I'll lead when we run from the crazy man."

  She patted his arm "You're too funny."

  They slipped into the woods. Nervousness dissipated, replaced by confidence in his outdoor skills. From numerous days and nights spent outdoors during his summers in the Springs, fields and forests seemed his natural environment. Concern with Liza being a liability disappeared. She blended into the surroundings, noiseless as they skimmed through the forest. She used the light sparingly to augment the full moon's glow, obviously familiar with where they were going. Ten minutes later, a barbed wire fence stopped them.

  Her head leaned near his face, so close he felt her quick breaths. "His place starts here. Lets go slower. Not use the light much. Somebody could be over there."

  "With bear traps and killer dogs and Uzis." Will spread the strands so Liza could go through, then pushed the top wire down and stepped over.

  Perhaps it was nerves, but it seemed cooler, more sinister in Spivey's woods. Trees became enemy pickets. Limbs cast eerie shadows that marched through the night to the irregular cadence of a come and go breeze. Katydid chirs and the racket of tree frogs became strange code passed up and down a nocturnal chain of command. Liza clutched Will's arm as they entered a laurel thicket bordering a dry creek bed. A steep hillside waited on the opposite side.

  "Up that way, then over the hill." Her whisper rasped in the dark.

  Will nodded, glancing around for landmarks. "If we get split up, meet me back here. Or in the E.R."

  Low limbs snatched at their arms as they slowly maneuvered through the tangle. The strain of walking straight uphill made his left knee shriek. When they could almost see over the top, he motioned Liza to get down and crawl the remainder of the way, so their profile would be integral to the ground.

  She muttered as they crept over briars and rocks. "We look as stupid as Barney Fife doing surveillance."

  "But he lived to surveil another day."

  After several deep breaths, they slithered toward a big-butted beech guarding the ridge. Gaining its shelter, they carefully peeked around the side. A thick ocean of ink stretched before them.

  Will tapped her shoulder. "Let's wait a bit and see if we hear anything." Her perfume, mingled with the soft fragrance of the earth, made him cover his nose to contain a sneeze.

  The black void expanded before them like a yawning mouth, exhaling a palpable silence. Ten minutes passed. Once, they thought they heard the faint sound of metal jarring against metal. When it wasn't repeated, they dismissed it as their deceptive ears fabricating noises. Heads close together, almost touching, they exchanged anxious glances, neither eager to proceed. Or retreat. Two hoot owls cackled at each other nearby, momentarily robbing them of breath.

  Will frowned. "You sure this is the right spot?"

  "Positive."

  "We'll have to move closer." He bowed his head, placed a thumb and forefinger on the brow of his nose. "If you're still determined to do this. Doesn't appear to be anything down there."

  Liza took his words as a dare. "I'm still in. If there's nothing down there, what's the big deal? Are you talking or walking?"

  "I'm waiting on you."

  "Don't I remember something about you being the leader?"

  "Okay. Point me where you'll be following."

  She pointed him down the hill.

  The trees served as shields as they descended the steep ridge like frightened snails, taking pains not to snap so much as a twig. The sound of a cow stamping its feet swung their eyes to each other.

  "Believe me now?" Liza spoke through clenched teeth.

  "Believe me now?" Will answered sarcastically, shoulders jerking up like a sassy child's. He took several pictures, hoping no one was close enough to notice the flash. "Let's get a rope on one of them."

  When they approached the cows, they bawled and edged against the panels, creating a metallic racket audible several light years away.

  With dark as an ally, he managed to lasso a cow. As soon as the rope dropped on her, she stood still. Spivey had mentioned they were mostly show cows. Could probably be bled with only a halter for restraint. The cow humped her back and sidestepped as he drew a sample. Since she stood so still, he shined a light from the back of each ear, read her identifying tattoos, and wrote them down.

  He had roped the second cow and restrained her with a makeshift halter when the sound of feet racing over dry leaves caught their attention. The guttural ferocity of the growls turned his blood to cold pudding. Spivey's hound cut the distance between them at a dead run. Was Spivey close behind?

  Will shoved Liza behind him and dropped to his knees, hoping the dog remembered him. Though hard to exude composure in the face of becoming a Milk Bone for Cujo, his voice was low and reassuring. "Here, boy. Remember me?"

  The surprised hound skidded to a stumbling stop yards away, alternately wagging its tail and growling low in its throat as it crept forward on its belly. Yellow eyes tracked Will's hand as he slowly reached out to pat the broad head. His tail began a hesitant wag. Hearing the same noise, the dog's ears flicked as it looked over its shoulder.

  "It's time to go." Will stood and turned. One foot snagged under a root. His knee twisted and caved under him. He fell hard. He grabbed his knee, hoping to contain the pain. The dog moved toward him but he waved it away. Confused, it moved off several steps and sat, regarding them pensively as a faint voice yelled in the distance. Unsure whom he bore allegiance to, he trotted toward the voice, then back to Will.

  Liza rushed over, grabbed Will's outstretched hand and yanked him to his feet. "What about the other cow? Aren't you going to bleed her?"

  Since he could collect the sample and tag her quicker than arguing his way out of it, Wil
l clambered over the fence. And he didn't want to leave any stone unturned in finding something to incriminate Spivey. The cow kicked his sore knee when she felt the needle stick, but he managed to hit a vein. Maybe his. But at this point, blood was blood. Once he read her tattoos, Liza started to loose the cow.

  "Wait. I've got a plan. But it's up to you."

  "What?"

  "These cows are halter broke. Let's lead them to your barn. The dog will help herd them. We'll keep them there while I go to the clinic to check the samples. I'll use the change of ownership test. If they're positive, we'll hold them there until I can notify the State Vet tomorrow. If they're negative, we can let them back in."

  Liza grabbed his hand, nodded with enthusiasm. "Let's do it. Mine have been exposed anyway. And I have an empty stall. Where I keep the others."

  He looked at the rope. Maybe this wasn't such a good plan. "We'll have to put one on each end. Be a bit awkward. They'll get wrapped around trees."

  She covered her eyes and shook her head. "That's not going to work. Let's cut the rope and make two halters?"

  "Excellent idea, Ma Kettle." He gave her a sarcastic two thumbs up. "But I don't have a knife. Take a while to chew through it."

  "City boy." She reached in her pocket and brought out a folding survival knife, displayed it crocodile hunter fashion. "It'll cut wire, too. But the easiest thing to do is take them through the place I patched this morning. Where those PETTA people cut the fence."

  They clasped hands in a high-five, then shared self-conscious looks. In minutes, they had fashioned halters for the cows and opened the panels.

  "Just a second." Will fished in his rear pocket, brought out a folded piece of paper. A PETTA flyer he had picked up on the square. He wedged it between two fence panels.

  "Nice touch," Liza said through an oblique smile. A smile he found himself wanting to kiss.

  ***

  Following the friendlier lay of the land instead of tackling the steep rise behind

  them. Liza guided them back to the laurel thicket, waiting impatiently as he hobbled through the snarl of roots and branches. The dog kept the cows moving by darting in and nipping their heels whenever they stopped.

  After undoing the patched portion of fence and weaving it back together after leading the cows through, they headed away from the voice steadily growing fainter behind them.

  They left the cows in Liza's barn and stepped outside. She would come back with water for them after he left to run the samples.

  The warm lights of her house against the velvet night provided a sense of security. Blue began barking as they neared the porch but turned into a pile of wiggles when he recognized Liza. Spivey's dog ran off into the darkness, but she left Blue tied anyway.

  The cool steps felt refreshing as they collapsed on them. She propped back on elbows.

  Will looked at her, thought her face looked pale. "How you doing? I'm surprised you had enough energy to make it."

  She blew a long breath through fluted lips. "I'm feeling pretty tired. But better than yesterday. Thanks to you. How about some iced tea?"

  The sporadic blinks of lightning bugs, brief yellow sparks against the velvet sky, decorated the hushed evening while he waited. The screen door slammed, echoed rudely in the profound silence. The hush dictated speaking in a whisper.

  Liza handed him a glass. Dappled with beads of perspiration, it dripped on his leg when he took a seat in a chair. Muted sounds of the wooden rockers grating against the porch blended into the night noises. A screech owl's warped call sounded off across the road.

  A minute later, she touched his arm, left her hand there while the other pointed out the silhouette of a deer taking delicate steps through the apple orchard. "What's the plan?"

  "I'll go check these samples." He turned to face her. Though he had resisted kissing her in the woods, he was running out of reasons not to now. Her face had kept him going through veterinary school. Was there a chance she would keep him going through establishing a practice? Did Pastor Bob's words hold any validity? "Promise me you won't go prowling over there any time soon."

  "Why should I promise something like that?" Her voice carried a quarrelsome note.

  Ice chimed against the glass as he took a swig. "You could get hurt."

  "What's that to you?" The question was blunt, bordering on abrasive.

  The question and her tone caught him off balance. Maybe not kissing her was the wisest option. She argued more than a debate team. "I guess I'd miss your sunny disposition."

  Liza's rocker scraped to a stop as she snorted a laugh. "Durn no-seeums are eating me up. Let's go in. I fixed a peach cobbler this afternoon. I'll warm some up."

  At this point there wasn't a rush. He opened the door for her. "I thought you were going to bake me another cake for risking my life."

  She turned, hypnotized him with her smile. "Had to see if we survived first. But I will, soon as I get time. Promise."

  A fly conducted an attack on the bulb over the dining table. Forks scraping against plates kept it from being totally quiet.

  He stopped between bites. "Great cobbler."

  She dipped into the baking dish to scoop another bite, just the golden crust from a corner. She noticed his stare. "What?"

  "Do you always eat all the corners?"

  She nearly choked on the bite. Tears sprang to her eyes. "Sorry. Bad habit."

  "Is that all there is to it?"

  "That's what my dad always accused me of." Words gushed forth faster than her tears. An hour passed. "So you don't think it's my fault my dad died?"

  Elbows propped on the table, Will had heard her out, rarely inserting a word. "I don't believe that for a minute."

  She started to take another bite of cobbler, but laid her spoon down. "I appreciate you listening."

  "Any time. Thanks again for the cobbler." He glanced at his watch. "Better go run these samples."

  ***

  He'll want to come back real soon, she mouthed under her breath as he drove away. Invite a man to trespass, to gather illegal blood samples, be kicked by cows, risk attack by a hostile dog, eat all the corners out of the cobbler, blast him with fifty-seven thousand and eleven words, and you might as well get measured for a wedding gown. Right.

  Frustrated, she picked up a small clay flowerpot and hurled it into the dark. It didn't shatter, but landed with a dull thud followed by thrashing noises and the telltale odor that drove her inside. Even Superman couldn't have seen that skunk.

  With nothing better to do, Liza prowled through the contents of another box. Halfway down, she discovered the first journal she'd kept as a child. When she lifted it, a picture dropped out. The duplicate of the photo Will had acted so animated about, of her holding Guinivere.

  She flipped through the pages. Perhaps she had written something about the episode. She found it in a July entry penned in large block letters, replete with misspellings. Meen Jeb broke Gwinavere's leg. Daddy got Dr. Bill to fix it. His cutey nephu was there. I told Daddy I wanted to mary him. And be his nurse. Daddy said OK. He jokes me lots, but I know he mint it. We'll see."

  When her dad had died, one thing lost was his blessing upon her future marriage. The old journal entry pulled the scab off that truth, wringing quick tears from her eyes.

  She snorted a laugh at a preposterous idea. Only by marrying Will would that be a semblance of reality. The odds of that were as likely as....hitting a skunk with a flowerpot?

  Which had happened.

  Thirty minutes later, she answered the phone.

  "They both tested positive."

  Liza fought to keep triumph from her voice. "What's next?"

  "I'll send them in with the others and hope my test was correct. I'll call the State Vet in the morning."

  His voice sounded strained. "And if it isn't? Will you be in big trouble?"

  "Middle-size maybe. But it's a reliable test or they wouldn't let us use it. Afterbirth hanging out helps. And pictures to prove it."

 
; "Where would his have gotten it?"

  "I have a good idea."

  She knew what he was thinking. "Mine? Because they were first? But where would mine have gotten it?"

  "You can't say anything about this until I say you can. Deal?"

  "Make a deal about something I don't even know?"

  "It's called trust."

  She needed to sit down. Think. She wasn't sure what his feelings toward her were, but she knew what hers were toward him. And if she wanted a relationship, this was the initial step. Argue, fight for her own way, and there wouldn't be any other reflection in the mirror besides hers. "Okay. I trust you."

  "Remember the empty vial I found? The day I bled the first two cows? I'm positive it didn't drop from my box. Last week I found Bang's vaccine in Spivey's fridge. But not enough to balance our inventory. I found some other used ones in Jug Marlin's truck bed today. That he said he cleaned out of Spivey's truck. There was one less than there should have been." He cleared his throat. "I think he vaccinated yours in hopes they got it. And I think whoever broke into his house has returned him the favor."

  She frowned. "The butt board was in the wrong place"

  "Pardon?"

  Though not sure how the information would help her situation, her words tumbled over each other. "The day I ran the first cow in, the butt board was in the wrong place. Somebody could've been here, didn't pay attention when they put it back." She replayed her activity for that time. "He could have done it when they called me in to the bank about the loan."

  "Interesting."

  Excitement raised her voice. Things began to make sense. "And something else. After the storm, when he just happened to come by, he said he'd noticed my cows with afterbirths and no calves. Told me to not bet against them having Bang's."

  "Uncle Bill for sure left some vaccine there. Spivey tried to gloss over it, but I'm betting he thought you're Epiphany."

  "Who?"

  "I"ll explain later."

  "But how do we prove it?"

  "We don't. I do. Keep this to yourself while I think of something. Promise? There's some other stuff going to happen too."