Man's Best Alibi

by Tara Meyers

  “You be careful. Men have killed for much less.”

  SEVENTEEN

  “It doesn’t work that way, Ember.” Sheriff Walker shoved back from his large wooden desk and strode around to sit on its front edge. “Custody of Kurt Donaldson’s body was turned over to his family. If I were to ask for a sample to be taken and tested for mercury, I would have to get a warrant. Except that it isn’t even my case. So, Nathan would have to go through his supervisors to first re-open the case and then apply for the warrant to secure the testing.”

  Ember’s head swam with the overload of information. “But he’s supposed to be cremated this morning. There isn’t enough time!”

  Putting up his large hands to placate her, Walker motioned for her to sit back down. “Tim may have already taken some sort of sample that could be used if we got the warrant. I don’t know how long he holds on to that stuff. The best I can do is call and ask him. Have you contacted Nathan yet?”

  Shaking her head, Ember struggled to rein in her emotions. “I tried calling him on the way here. I left a message.”

  Thinking back on the text from the night before, she cringed. She would be putting him in a horrible position, but it was serious enough that she had to get him involved. If mercury poisoning was the cause of Kurt Donaldson’s increasingly odd behavior before his death, as well as the sick animals, that meant someone recently dumped the mercury from the amalgamation process into Parker Creek. A creek that ultimately led to the town’s water supply. Hopefully, she was wrong. A few simple tests could piece it all together, but only if they moved fast enough. Was Kurt’s partner and killer getting rid of the evidence? Or was it an on-going threat? Something had to be done.

  “Sheriff, I need to talk to you!”

  Spinning in her chair, Ember saw a furious Mayor Gomez in the doorway. Hands on her hips, her nostrils were flared. She was seething.

  “I happened to overhear your deputy speaking with someone about how there might be some sort of bacteria or toxin in Parker Creek!”

  Walker rolled his eyes and groaned. Glancing first at Ember, he then addressed the mayor. “Dr. Burns has just informed me of the possibility that there could be a potential threat to the water supply.”

  Turning her wrath on Ember, Mayor Gomez waved her hands dramatically in the air. “Why am I not surprised to find out you’re involved, Ember? Are you trying to destroy my campaign to save the town’s water? I’ll bet Parker has something to do with this!”

  Unsure how to react to the allegation, Ember did her best to be rational. “Mayor, I think this is being blown out of proportion. I’m only doing my job as a veterinarian to explore every possible cause for the illness of local pets and unexplained deaths of some wild animals. I’ve just learned of a possible source that ties in with Kurt Donaldson.”

  “Kurt Donaldson!” Mayor Gomez interrupted. “So, here we are again. Back to playing amateur sleuth. Do you have any proof of this?”

  Suddenly interested in some dirt under her fingernail, Ember knew where the conversation was headed. “I already went to Great Pines last night and dropped off the dead animals from Deputy Trenton’s property at the health department. I have a courier coming today for the blood samples from the sick pets to look for mercury.”

  “Mercury?” Eyes wide, the mayor spun on Walker. “If word of this gets out, it won’t matter if it’s true or not. I don’t think I need to explain to you what the repercussion will be if any unsubstantiated claims make its way to the public.”

  “Are you threatening me?” Walker’s voice was level but still managed to adequately convey his anger.

  Mayor Gomez hesitated.

  Ember glanced between the two and felt a general sense of unease. They had both grown up in Parker and were close to the same age. They’d been friends and political allies for a very long time. She certainly didn’t want to be the source of a feud.

  “You know me better than that, Ben,” Mayor Gomez lamented, waving a finger at him. “I simply meant that people will panic and question the quality of the water, right when we need to be rallying for support to keep the Parker Reservoir for the city!”

  Mumbling something unintelligible under his breath, the sheriff sat back down at his desk and picked up the phone. Without another word, he began dialing and turned away from the two women.

  “When I was at the health department, I asked about having the water tested,” Ember said, afraid of what the other woman’s reaction was going to be.

  “And?” The mayor pulled at a chair and sat down. Her shoulders sagged, and she looked tired, even though it was only eight in the morning.

  “It’s not as easy as I thought it would be. I’d have to get the state or EPA involved to have Parker Creek tested, and the City of Sanctuary would have to make a formal request to get the reservoir checked.”

  Closing her eyes, the mayor rubbed her temples. “Why on earth do you think there’s mercury in the water?” she finally asked.

  Ember gave a brief explanation of everything that had occurred the past week, ending with her recent conversation with Henry Collins. Pulling the platinum from her pocket, she held it out as proof.

  Mayor Gomez looked at the metal in Ember’s hand but didn’t reach for it. Instead, she crossed her short arms over her chest and gritted her teeth. “You have got to be kidding! All of this over a piece of metal found in that tent? It could have come from anywhere Ember! I can understand your concerns over the sick animals, and I’ll support you with that in any way possible. But as mayor, I owe it to this town to be responsible when it comes to their well-being. That includes not jeopardizing their water supply by going off the rails on some wild goose chase.

  “Test the animals. If there is any indication that they may have died or gotten sick from something in Parker Creek, then we’ll take the proper steps to have it tested. But as for the platinum mining conspiracy,” she continued, nodding at the lump of metal still resting in Ember’s hand, “I’ll have nothing to do with it unless I’m contacted by the appropriate authorities, and last I heard, the federal government closed the case.”

  Sinking back in her chair, Ember was hard-pressed to counter with a good argument. Mayor Gomez had valid points. “It will take about a week to get anything back from the health department on the wild animals, and I probably won’t get the blood results on Hershey and Garfield back until sometime next week.”

  “It’s settled then.” Standing abruptly, the mayor turned to go but was nearly knocked down by Daenerys as she charged through the open door.

  “Daenerys! I said to stay!” Sheriff Walker’s secretary was close on the labradoodle’s heels. “Sorry,” the middle-aged woman said sheepishly to Mayor Gomez. “This dog has a mind of her own!”

  Laughing, the town’s leader rubbed affectionately at Daenerys’s head. “Don’t worry, Marilyn. I’m well aware of her control issues.” Shooting a parting grin Ember’s way that was both friendly and cautionary, she left without addressing the sheriff.

  “Tim, I understand all of that. I’m not asking you to ‘bend any rules,’ only to delay the cremation if possible.”

  Marilyn raised her eyebrows at her boss’s tone and quickly backed out of the office, leaving Ember and Daenerys alone with Walker. Motioning for Daenerys to sit at her side, Ember listened in on the rest of the conversation with the coroner.

  “That’s right. Mercury…no. I said no, Tim. We’re waiting to hear back from the feds.” Walker turned back around in his chair at that point and looked pointedly at Ember. “Well, I appreciate that…okay. Yes, yes, I’ll call you first.”

  Ember flinched as Walker slammed the receiver home on the old-style telephone. “That didn’t sound too positive.”

  “He reacted about how I expected he would.” Walker sighed. “Samples, unless needed in an on-going investigation, are disposed of or cremated with the body. But,” Walker continued quickly when Ember started to interject, “he’s agreed to hold off on the cremation until Friday.”
>
  “Three days?” Ember was relieved to have delayed the destruction of the potential evidence, but that didn’t give them much time.

  EIGHTEEN

  “I don’t think her reaction makes much sense.”

  Ember and Mel were rushing to get the display racks stocked before their first appointment for the day showed up. Mel was staring at Ember, a rubber bone in one hand and a dog backpack in the other. She shook the bone for emphasis, and it emitted a small squeak.

  “She’s already freaked out about the battle over the reservoir,” Ember explained. “She thinks that any hint of a quality issue with the water will cause her to lose support with the local farmers and pretty much hand it over to the Parkers.”

  Mel gave up trying to find a space on the rack and threw the bone for Daenerys. “But, Ember, the whole reason the Parkers want the water is to sell it. They stand to lose a whole lot more if they end up with a tainted source. Do you really think they’re going to spend millions building a manufacturing plant for unsellable water? If you ask me, I’d think that if someone really wanted to throw a wrench in the Parker’s plans, they’d cause a rash of sick and dead animals to show up right before the deal went down and imply that the water was the cause.”

  Pausing, Ember contemplated her friend’s theory. “So, you’re saying that this all might have nothing to do with mercury and Kurt Donaldson, and instead, it could be some plot by locals to make the water look dangerous and unsellable?”

  Nodding, Mel pulled the squeak toy from a drooling Daenerys and tossed it again. “Think about it, Em. Like Mayor Gomez said, it wouldn’t take much to cause a panic, and at that point, it doesn’t really matter if it’s true or not. The damage is done. From what I understand, permits for bottling at the source are hard to come by. I don’t think it’d take much to make it all more hassle than it’s worth. The mayor knows that better than anyone.”

  Shaking her head to clear it, Ember pushed the last of the dog biscuit boxes into place and then went for the garbage can behind the front counter. They were behind on their daily chores for the week. “I know I’ve been gone a long time, but I don’t think Elly Gomez has changed that much.”

  Holding the garbage can while Ember pulled the full bag out, Mel tilted her head and squinted at her friend. “Everyone changes. Especially when politics, power, and money are involved.” After staring at each other for a moment, Mel finally broke character and started laughing. “I can’t remember what movie that’s from, but it seemed like a good line.”

  Ember glanced at the clock and lead the way to the break room at a quick pace. She always smiled when entering the space, which looked more like a shrine to 80’s sci-fi. Taking the R2D2 head off the top of the garbage can, she handed the lobby trash bag to Mel while she pulled out the second. It was garbage day, and they had about ten minutes before the truck normally made its rounds.

  “At least Hershey was able to go home this morning.”

  Ember smiled guiltily at her friend. “Which I was absent for, again.”

  Shrugging, Mel used her free hand to pour a cup of fresh coffee. “Susan didn’t say anything. She was just happy when I told her we were paying for the lab work. By the way, the courier picked up those samples a few minutes before you got here.”

  Ember couldn’t handle not having her own coffee as she watched Mel doctor up hers with creamer. Snatching a cup from the cupboard that read “Cylons love too,” she helped herself to the rest of the brew. “Did he say how long it would be?”

  “Next Tuesday at the earliest. Susan wanted to know why we’re testing Hershey since he seems better.”

  “His symptoms improved,” Ember replied, “but he’s still symptomatic. If it’s mercury, all we’ve done is delay things. He’ll be back again in a week or so without supportive measures. The only way to actually treat it is with a process called chelation therapy.”

  “I’ve heard of that.” Setting her cup down, Mel scrunched up her nose as she tried to remember. “It’s pretty harsh, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. The closest comparison for humans is chemotherapy. First, you have to know what heavy metal you’re treating, and you can’t do it if they’re already suffering from any organ failure. It puts a lot of strain on the liver and heart. But, it’s effective, and if done soon enough, it can prevent any permanent damage.”

  The tell-tale sound of heavy machinery and clinking cans and glass rumbled from the alley behind the clinic. Looking at each other, the two women set their mugs down and made a dash down the back hallway. Reaching the rear exit first, Ember slid the deadbolt and threw open the door.

  Stepping out onto the back steps, she was totally unprepared for what greeted her. “What the!”

  Mel crashed into her back, the unexpected stop taking her by surprise. “Ember, we’re going to miss the truck!” she gasped.

  Ember reached back and took a firm hold on Mel’s arm. “It looks like we had a visitor last night.”

  Confused, Mel peered around her friend and then inhaled sharply. “Oh my gosh! What is that? An opossum?”

  Tossing the trash aside, Ember knelt down next to the animal carcass. “Yeah. A big opossum.” It clearly had some sort of major trauma.

  “Well, what the heck? People think we’re a roadkill dump now?” Mel scooped up both trash bags and trotted the thirty feet or so to the curbside container. Dropping them in, she looked back to where Ember still hunched over the animal.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Why else would someone leave a dead opossum at our backdoor?” Mel knelt down next to Ember. “They heard about the sick animals and think this died the same way?”

  Shaking her head slowly, Ember turned to look at Mel, any hint of amusement gone from her face. Green eyes flashing, her mouth was set in a grim line. “It’s a warning.”

  Swallowing hard, Mel looked more closely at the dead opossum. Picking up a nearby stick, she poked at its disfigured neck.

  “It might have originally been hit by a car,” Ember explained. “But then someone intentionally and very clearly slit its throat.”

  “It’s a message to back off,” Mel whispered. “Who would do something like that?”

  Ember stood slowly and wiped her hands angrily on her jeans. “Someone who doesn’t know me very well.”

  NINETEEN

  “What was Walker’s response?”

  “To install a video camera system.”

  Nathan chuckled. After handing the last plate to Ember, he dried his hands off on the kitchen towel. He’d insisted on helping her with the dinner dishes. “It’s actually a good idea. I’m surprised you didn’t already get something after the arson this summer.”

  Ember wrinkled her nose at him. “It’s been on my to-do list, but I figured since the arsonist wasn’t around anymore, it wasn’t a high priority.”

  “Can I see the picture again?”

  Ember went and snatched her phone from its charging station and brought up the image. Passing it to him, she watched Nathan’s features harden as he studied it, zooming in on the ugly gash.

  “Yeah,” he finally commented, giving the phone back. “Definitely cut with a sharp knife. I don’t like it. You obviously kicked a hornet’s nest somewhere.”

  Ember set a full kettle of water on the stove before looking at him. While she’d prefer to sit and have a glass of wine with Nathan while watching the sunset, he was on duty, so they’d have to settle for coffee. It’d been an impromptu dinner date. He’d called her when she was on her way home and asked if he could stop by to fill her in on his phone call with the feds. Her only condition was that he had to stay for dinner. That’d been two hours ago, and he still hadn’t given her the update. But she wasn’t in a rush to find out. Making normal small talk over the meal was a nice change.

  “It’s a pretty short list,” she replied. “I mean, there’s only a handful of people who know I went poking around the campsite and even less about the platinum.”

  “Remember where
we are?”

  Laughing, Ember turned back to preparing the coffee. “Right. I guess there’s no guarantee that word didn’t get around, but maybe my list of contacts would help if the feds decide to continue looking into it?”

  Taking the offered cup of coffee from Ember, Nathan then motioned for her to follow him outside. They walked silently through the old farmhouse, Daenerys padding along after them. The sun was just starting to kiss the still waters of Crystal Lake when they emerged onto the front porch.

  “I never get tired of this view,” Ember breathed, forgetting for a moment the anticipation for Nathan’s response.

  “I can see why.” He set his cup down on the wide wooden railing and wrapped a warm, protective arm around her shoulders. It was a cool evening, full of promise for the harsh winter to come.

  Leaning into him, Ember allowed herself to relax. Probably more so than she had for much too long. It felt good to be able to lean on someone stronger than herself.

  “Agent Miller finally agreed to at least examine all the new information we’ve gathered.” His voice was low and neutral. It was hard for Ember to tell how he felt about it.

  “Nathan, I’m sorry to put you in this situation. You know I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think it was really important, right?” Taking a step back so she could see his face in the fading light, she was relieved to discover he was smiling.

  “You didn’t put me in any situation. You’re doing your job, and now I’m doing mine. It’s as simple as that. I’ve agreed with you all along that there was something more to the guy’s death. My only hang up was that there wasn’t enough evidence to prompt any sort of official investigation. I’m hoping that now there is. He’ll be coming by my office Friday morning.”

  Ember tried to hide her disappointment when Nathan said the day but was unsuccessful.

  “What?” Nathan asked, eyebrows raised.