Killing Trail: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

by Margaret Mizushima

  “Deputy Mattie Lu, you came to see me.”

  “Yes, sir, I wanted to bring by the materials I mentioned. I’m glad you’re here.”

  “If you could just put them down here on the counter, I’ll get to them when I can.”

  Mattie laid the packet down next to him. “I have a quick question for you. You know Patrick O’Malley, right?”

  “Why, yes. Patrick does work for me around here.”

  “Did he work for you the past couple weeks?”

  “Hmm . . .” He leaned on the countertop and peered at her over his glasses again. “Yes, he tore down and cleared out some old sheds out back. You know the ones, Mattie. You kids used to hang out there when you were up to no good.”

  Mattie decided to let that slide. “Can you vouch for him being here last Friday morning?”

  “I was at a meeting, so I don’t believe I can.”

  “Perhaps your secretary?”

  “Oh, yes. Betty may have seen him.” He walked toward the back and called down the hallway. “Betty? Could you come out front for a moment?”

  Looking as harried as she had before, Betty came down the hallway. “Yes?” she said.

  “Betty, can you tell us if Mr. O’Malley was here at work on Friday morning?”

  “Of course. I gave him his paycheck like I always do on Fridays.”

  “Thank you.” Brennaman raised a brow at Mattie. “Is that all you need?”

  “Yes, thank you, Betty. That’s all I need from you right now,” Mattie said, as the woman hurried to leave. “Just another quick question for you, Mr. Brennaman.”

  “I have work I should be doing, Mattie.”

  “This won’t take but a moment.” She took a second to organize her words. “Deputy Brody initiated patrol and established a police presence here before and after school last May.”

  She paused, hoping he’d jump in. She wasn’t disappointed.

  “Yes, he did. We talked about that before he started. I think it helped keep down the roughhousing and carrying-on we get, especially at the end of the day when energies are high.”

  “So he was able to mingle with the kids then?”

  “Yes, he did a great job. Spent time with the various groups, seemed to get to know them.”

  This was all news to her. She decided to take a chance. “That might be when he met Grace.”

  Brennaman appeared to be thinking back. “Yes, I believe so. He used to visit with her group now and then, although they aren’t the troublemakers. I’m pretty sure I remember him talking to Grace sometime in the spring.”

  Mattie controlled the electric jolt that shot through her and remained calm.

  “And has he had some discussions with you this summer about continuing that police presence in the fall?”

  Brennaman frowned slightly. “No, not really. He stopped in before we tore down those buildings and asked if he could nose around out there. Said he remembered some things back there from his high school days and wanted to take another look. I told him it was all trash and he was welcome to anything he might want. It would save Patrick some time and me some money.” He smiled.

  Mattie covered her tracks. “Oh, I’ll have to talk with him. He must be waiting for me to follow up with you about next year. So you haven’t been having regular meetings this summer?”

  “No, he just stops in now and then.” He glanced toward the back room and then kept his voice low as he went on. “I think he likes to visit Betty. He likes to flirt and tell her jokes.”

  Mattie smiled and nodded as if she found the gossip entertaining. What she really felt was exhilaration; she’d been able to get the information she sought and apparently without arousing suspicion. She reached to shake his hand. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Brennaman. I’ll leave you alone so you can get back to work now.”

  He held onto her hand as if keeping her from leaving and then released it as he started speaking. “So tell me, Mattie, why were you selected to manage this big dog?”

  “I passed a fitness test. It’s important that a dog’s handler can keep up with him.”

  “Do you have experience with dog training?”

  “A little bit, with pets growing up, but Robo was fully trained when I got him.”

  Brennaman frowned. “I wouldn’t guess you’d had experience with pets growing up, with your childhood background.”

  Mattie’s cheeks warmed. “Some of my foster families had pets.”

  “Even so.”

  She wasn’t sure what he was getting at. Was he doubting her ability to handle Robo or trying to undermine her confidence? “Robo and I had three months of training at K-9 Academy this summer. We know what we’re doing.”

  He studied her over the tops of his readers. “I certainly hope so, Mattie, if we let you bring him into school like you’re proposing.”

  “I can vouch for Robo’s good behavior, sir. I’m confident we can handle the program.”

  Brennaman gave her a dismissive smile and a short wave. “I won’t keep you. Thanks for stopping by, Mattie. I look forward to seeing more of you around here.”

  Once outside, she realized she’d broken into a sweat. Geez! He could still get to her. She hoped she could get over that when she started spending more time with him. When it came to confidence, she could talk the talk, but could she walk the walk? She hoped so. She needed to put her past behind her and move on.

  Unsettled, Mattie hurried to the cruiser. As usual, Robo’s greeting lightened her mood.

  “We’ll just have to show him, won’t we, Robo.”

  She headed to the station, thinking about what she’d learned. Both Tommy and Brennaman thought they’d seen Brody talking with Grace. It sounded like he was a real flirt when it came to women, though she’d never experienced it, and Grace had been an attractive girl. She realized she could ask Angela Walker what she knew about Brody and Grace.

  She reached for her cell phone and dialed Cole Walker.

  “Hello, Mattie,” he answered.

  “Hello. I was hoping I could catch Angela with you. I have a quick question for her.”

  “Sure. She’s right here.”

  Angela took the phone, and they exchanged greetings.

  “I hear that Deputy Brody spent some time at school last spring,” Mattie said, “running patrol and meeting some of the kids. Did you ever meet him?”

  “No, but I know who you’re talking about. He mostly spent time with the kids who get in trouble.”

  “Do you know if Grace met him?”

  “Not that I know of, but she could’ve.”

  “Think back for a minute and see if you can ever remember him hanging out with a group of kids she might’ve been with.”

  Angela paused, apparently following instruction. “Grace and I were usually together after school. I don’t ever remember him coming over to our crowd.”

  Her answer didn’t fit with the picture Mattie had created, and she felt disappointed. Although it didn’t eliminate the possibility that Brody had met Grace, it would have been nice to confirm Tommy and John Brennaman’s observations.

  “Thanks for talking, Angie,” she said. “I’ll say good-bye for now.”

  She disconnected and put her cell phone in its slot on the dashboard. Maybe this last call confused the picture somewhat, but Brody was far from being in the clear. Where had he been on Friday morning? And what had he removed from the sheds before they were destroyed?

  *

  Mattie returned to the station to finish up paperwork and check out. She felt tired but planned to go home for some food and then set up a stakeout on Brody’s house. Stella was still out conducting interviews, and Sheriff McCoy was in his office with the door closed. Robo followed Mattie back to her desk in the staff office, circled a couple times on his dog bed, and then lay down to wait for her.

  She was finishing up when Brody came in, apparently looking for her.

  “There you are, Cobb.”

  He walked over to her desk, sat casu
ally with one hip on the edge, and crossed his arms. “Did you get any information out of the O’Malleys when you and Detective LoSasso talked to them?”

  Mattie leaned back in her chair and studied him. What was his angle? “Some. Not much.”

  He gave her a look. They seemed to be sizing each other up. “Well, what did you get?”

  Mattie hesitated. Should she keep things safe and not mention anything she’d learned about his recent activities? Or should she stir things up a little and give him something to worry about, something that might even force him to make a move tonight while she was watching?

  “We didn’t get to talk to the O’Malleys together,” she said. “I talked to Tommy yesterday, but he wasn’t home today, so we talked with Patrick alone.”

  “And?”

  “We were able to get an alibi for Patrick O’Malley for Friday morning, and I confirmed it with John Brennaman. Patrick was working at the school that morning.”

  Brody nodded, looking thoughtful.

  “Patrick denies knowing anything about either murder,” she said. “He also denies even hearing about our local drug traffic problem, which I find hard to believe.”

  “That’s true. Everyone’s been talking about the new dog.”

  “The strangest thing happened, though. Patrick seemed to try to point me toward you.”

  Brody shifted, twisted slightly to face her directly, and raised one brow.

  “He said you spent a lot of time with the kids around school, might have taken things out of one of the storage sheds out back.”

  He lowered his brow with a perplexed expression and shook his head slightly. “Old car parts from the industrial arts shop? Hub caps?”

  Mattie acted amused. “So that’s what you took from back there.”

  “I remembered how we used to store things out there when I was in school.”

  Mattie hung on to her smile, trying to keep it light. “What use do you have for that junk?”

  “It’s not junk, Cobb. I work on old cars. They’re spare parts.”

  It sounded believable, but she didn’t know enough about Brody’s hobbies to verify it. “So I hear from John Brennaman that you increased patrol around the school last spring.”

  “You were at the academy. We thought I’d better get started sorting out some of the kids.”

  “Sorting them out?”

  “Yeah, you know, sorting out the bad seeds.”

  Mattie nodded acknowledgment. “What did you find out?”

  “Your Tommy O’Malley is one of ’em. I think it’s time we cracked down on him. He and his crowd can be a real nuisance at the park, but he’s also quick to avoid getting caught.”

  “I’ve talked to him there a few times. He may be trying to clean up his act.”

  Brody snorted. “I doubt that. He’s the kind of kid that needs more than just talking to. We’ll have to charge him with something sooner or later.”

  Mattie hadn’t seen Brody this forthcoming in ages, especially not since they’d become competitors for Robo. She decided to try to get more out of him.

  “You know, Tommy mentioned that Mike Chadron used to hang out at the park with his dogs. Did you ever see him there when you were driving by?”

  “Yeah, Mike took his dogs there to train. I used to watch him. Helped him set up a track for one of the dogs he was training for American Kennel Club tracking certification.”

  This news surprised her, but again she tried to keep the emotion out of her words, tried to keep a conversational tone. “I didn’t know that. I realized you must have known Mike, but I didn’t know you’d helped him with his dog training.”

  “What do you think? That you’re the only one around here interested in dogs?”

  Mattie raised her hands slightly, fingers spread. “No, Brody, I didn’t think that. That kind of training sounds interesting. So where did you and Mike work with the dogs? And what did you do?”

  “At the park, up around the rocks and bushes on T-hill. I set up a scent trail, hid behind some brush, and then Mike had the dog track me and find me. He taught me some things about showing them, too. How to set them up to stand, trot them around the ring.”

  Mattie was beginning to get a different picture about Brody. “Oh, yeah? I didn’t know that Mike taught his dogs tracking skills. I mean, I guess I knew that Bernese mountain dogs have been used in search and rescue, but I didn’t think about it with Mike. I wonder if Belle had that training.”

  “I don’t know what dog he was training last summer, but it was a male. He seemed to know his stuff. Told me about scent memory, how a dog like that can catalog the scents of different people in his brain and remember it forever. Like a human has memory for faces. And that a dog doesn’t pay attention to what he sees as much as to what he smells.”

  All that Brody was saying matched what Mattie knew on the subject, and she didn’t doubt that he must’ve learned it from Mike. Suddenly, she started to see the bits and pieces she’d picked up in a different light, and she wanted to get more from him. It may not have always been pleasant, but she’d worked with this guy for seven years and had always known him to be a competent cop. That counted for something.

  Brody stood and stretched. “It’s time to check out and go home. I’ve put in some long hours lately.”

  She saw her chance. “You have. You even worked Friday when you were supposed to be off.”

  He yawned. “Yeah. Sheriff called me. Said he had a hunch about this one and didn’t want Johnson to cover it on his own. So I came in.”

  “Where were you when he called?”

  He gave her a smug look. “Getting kind of personal, huh, Cobb?”

  Mattie smiled and shook her head. “Just wondering if you were close or if you were out of town and had to travel a ways.”

  “Just having breakfast at home with my new lady. We had plans for a hike, but I went to work instead.”

  “I’m glad you weren’t out of cell phone range. Sheriff McCoy’s hunch was a good one, I’d say. We needed you.” Mattie paused, thinking while Brody turned away. “Hey, Brody?”

  He stopped at the door and looked back at her. “Yeah?”

  “Did you ever talk to Grace Hartman when you were at the school?”

  “Nah . . . I must’ve sorted her out in the good kids. I didn’t pay too much attention to them. Didn’t even remember her face that much when we found her. She just looked sorta familiar, you know?”

  Brody paused, his eyes losing focus, evidently conjuring the memory of finding Grace because he shuddered in a small way. Then he gave her a devilish grin. “Okay, time to check out. I’ve got a purty little gal coming over tonight, and I need to get some rest before she gets there. I’m not getting much sleep these days, but I sure am getting a lot of exercise, if you know what I mean.”

  And with that, he turned back into the macho asshole she was more familiar with. She forced herself to remain neutral and ask one more question. “Is she anyone I know?”

  He stared a moment, and Mattie could see him considering his answer. He leaned against the doorframe. “You said you met her out at the hot springs. Adrienne Howard.”

  Mattie decided to meet him where he’d brought the discussion, out in the open. “Geez, Brody. Why didn’t you say so earlier? No wonder you think she’s in the clear. Have you known her very long?”

  Mattie noticed a dull red flush creeping up his neck. He glanced down and then straightened to stand away from the door. She’d never seen him uncomfortable like this before. Usually he was all swagger and bluff.

  With his voice taking on its familiar hard tone, he said, “Yeah, I’ve known her a couple months. Spent some time out at the hot springs. That’s why I know you and the detective are on the wrong track with them.”

  “They seem worth taking a look at. Maybe not Adrienne so much as the others.”

  “The only thing those people are addicted to is tofu. They aren’t involved with drugs or drug running. They’re complete health nuts.
And I never observed a connection between them and Mike.”

  “Sounds like you’ve spent some time out there.”

  “Hey, I hurt my back this summer, okay? I decided to try them out.”

  By this time, Brody looked really embarrassed, and she could tell his discomfort was genuine. It was killing him to speak so openly. “I’m glad you’re telling me this now,” she said.

  “I’ve been sayin’ it all along. No one seems to want to believe it.”

  She could tell he was frustrated. “Okay, I get it. The hot springs is probably a dead end.”

  “So that’s settled then.”

  “As far as I’m concerned. We’ll see if Detective LoSasso agrees.”

  He gave Mattie one of his mean looks and turned to go.

  “Hey, Brody,” she called. “Were they able to help you with your back pain?”

  He threw a wicked smile over his shoulder on his way out the door. “Sure did. No problemo.”

  Mattie leaned back in her chair to consider what she’d just learned. In hindsight, she realized the times she’d noticed Brody blushing was probably because he was embarrassed about his affiliation with the “hot springs idiots,” as he’d once called them, and his new lady love, which he’d found among them. Sure, he and Adrienne would be each other’s alibis for Friday morning, but she didn’t doubt he’d been close when called to work. And the killer had way too much to do that morning, burying the body and then hiding the car, to be down in Timber Creek at that time.

  She was beginning to feel a little embarrassed herself about her earlier suspicion. It seemed like he was telling the truth when he said he didn’t know Grace. Strange how Tommy and Brennaman had thought he did. And it wasn’t so much Patrick who’d pointed the finger at Brody; it had been Tommy, who also appeared to know something about Mike using his dogs to transport drugs.

  Tommy’s the one we need to sweat. We need to bring him in so that Stella can interrogate him as soon as she can.

  Who would’ve thought Brody would help Mike train his dogs? She realized his interest had been sparked by Robo’s addition to the force. While she’d been away at the academy, Brody had pursued learning what he could from Mike. And that information about scent memory? That was good stuff.