Trouble at the Animal Shelter: A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery

by Dianne Harman

  “Mike, I left my office about 5:15 or so this evening. When I was walking to my car I noticed that the lights were still on in the bank. I saw the manager, Gene, in there and knocked on the door. He asked if I wanted something, and I said I needed to get into my safe deposit box. I told him I was planning on doing it first thing in the morning, but if I could do it now it would be a lot easier for me, since I have to be in court tomorrow morning.”

  “I’m surprised he’d let you in,” Mike said. “I’ve always found banks to be very rigid when it comes to enforcing their rules.”

  “That’s true, but I grew up with Gene. We played baseball together in high school and even roomed together in college, so I wasn’t too surprised he let me in. Anyway, that’s not what I want to talk to you about.

  “As I told you earlier, my secretary made an appointment with Reverend Barnes for 1:00 tomorrow afternoon. The purpose of the appointment, according to him, was to begin the process for probating Maggie Ryan’s estate of which he’s the sole beneficiary, or at least believes he is.”

  “I take it from the way you’re saying this, that he’s not. Would I be right, Lem?”

  “Yes, here’s the really interesting part. I took the will out of my safe deposit box and quickly left the bank. I didn’t want anyone to see me in there after hours, because I figured it wouldn’t look good for anyone to know that Gene had let me in after hours. It’s also probably in violation of the bank’s operational rules imposed by the State Banking Commission. Anyway, I came home, and before I even ate dinner I read the will.”

  “And?” Mike asked.

  “It puts an interesting spin on your murder case,” Lem said. “Maggie left her entire estate to the Cedar Bay Animal Shelter, and the reverend is not mentioned in the will. It’s a habit of mine to keep a client’s former will, so if there’s ever a problem, I have it as well. The reverend was correct in that Maggie left everything in an earlier will to him, but what he doesn’t know is that she drew up a new will, and based on what he told my secretary, I don’t think he knows he’s no longer the sole beneficiary of her estate.”

  Mike whistled and was quiet for a few moments. “Lem, I really appreciate you calling me with this information. This is the first solid lead I’ve had in the case. Are you going to keep the appointment with him tomorrow?”

  “I’m planning on it. I believe he was acting in good faith when he made it. I think I owe it to him to tell him in person, and since the will is going to be filed with the court for probate, I won’t be disclosing any confidential information. As soon as it’s filed, it will be a matter of public record.”

  “Lem, I seem to remember several years ago you had to tell Jeff Black’s wife she’d been cut out of her husband’s will, and you asked me to sit in on your meeting with her. Would you like me to be there tomorrow for your appointment with Reverend Barnes?”

  “I thought about it, Mike, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I’ve actually attended the reverend’s church several times, so I don’t anticipate any problems. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay, your call, but I’d be happy to do it. Why don’t you have your secretary sit in on the appointment? You could tell him something like that’s what you always do when it involves wills and estates. Having a third party present might help keep his emotions in check. Thanks for calling. I really appreciate it, and if you have a little time after you meet with him, I’d like to know how it went.”

  “Consider it done. Have a good rest of the evening,” Lem said as he ended the call.

  Mike sat at the kitchen table for a few minutes digesting what Lem had told him and putting it together with what Doc had told Kelly about the gambling website.

  Maybe it’s more than an idiosyncrasy on the reverend’s part. Maybe he’s got a gambling addiction, is in debt, and murdered Maggie Ryan, as strange as that would be. Much as I hate to involve Kelly, she’s worked on enough of my cases she might have some insights that could be helpful.

  He walked into the great room, picked up the remote control, and turned the television off. “Kelly, it kills me to do this, but I’d like to get your input on something.”

  “Flattery will get you anywhere, Sheriff. What input would you like?”

  He told her about Lem’s phone call and his suspicions based on the call and what Doc had told her. “Kelly, what do you think?”

  “Mike, I don’t know what to think. I’ve met Reverend Barnes a few times, but I can’t say I feel like I really know him. I know how you hate coincidences, and he certainly would have a motive if he does owe some money to online gambling sites, and having an elderly parishioner die who just happened to have named him in her will as her sole beneficiary doesn’t sound all that good. I know you’ve told me to stay out of this, but I’ve become friends with the woman who’s the secretary at the reverend’s church. Mary comes into the coffee shop almost every day for lunch. I’ll talk to her tomorrow, and see if I can find out anything.”

  “Okay, Kelly. Two things and two things only. You can talk to the secretary and the principal, and I’m okaying these just because you know the people, and you probably could find out more than I could.” He glanced at his watch and said, “It’s later than I thought, and we both need our sleep. I didn’t get much last night, and you have to get up early. I’ll let the dogs out.”

  “Wait one more minute, Mike. You said Lem told you that the Cedar Bay Animal Shelter was the beneficiary of Maggie’s estate. I hear they’re struggling financially. Being the recipient of an inheritance might just make them healthy. It certainly could be thought of as a motive.”

  “I suppose you’re right. I better go out there and see the director. I’ll tell her the terms of Maggie’s will, but first I need to call Lem in the morning and ask him if it’s okay for me to do that. Since the will’s going to be made public sometime in the next few days, it shouldn’t be a problem. Actually, it makes perfect sense that Maggie would give her estate to the shelter based on the number of dogs she had. She probably knew if anything happened to her the dogs would go to the shelter, and she decided to give her money to it so her dogs would be properly cared for. Kind of a new twist to the theme of little old ladies giving their estates to their cat or dog.”

  “This is starting to get very interesting, and as Scarlett O’Hara said, ‘Tomorrow is another day,’ at least I think she’s the one who said it.”

  “She did,” Mike said. “I saw a rerun of Gone with the Wind the other night, but once again I didn’t like the ending. She and Rhett should have ended up together.”

  “Agreed,” Kelly said walking down the hall.

  CHAPTER 12

  Kelly’s Koffee Shop was standing room only the following morning. The early birds began arriving a half hour before the posted opening time of 7:00 a.m. If anything, it was busier than the day before, because the people who hadn’t found out until late yesterday about Maggie Ryan’s murder hurried to Kelly’s to find out if there was any news about who might be the murderer. The people who had been there the day before returned for the same reason. Almost everyone who came to Kelly’s that morning had been a student of Maggie Ryan’s.

  Roxie walked by Kelly and whispered, “My husband, son, and I went to see Betsy at Dr. Simpson’s. Poor thing is pretty torn up. Dr. Simpson thinks she’s going to be okay, but he took a lot of X-rays yesterday, and didn’t like the looks of some of them, so he’s taking more this morning. He said he’d call me as soon as he knows anything. Unless there’s something really wrong with Betsy, we’re going to take her.”

  “That’s wonderful. I know Betsy will have a good home, and you’ll finally get a dog. You’ve been telling me for a long time how much you wanted one. This is great.”

  “I sure hope so. The way she looked, something could really be wrong with her. I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but I can’t help it.”

  “I have a good feeling about it, Roxie. Let me know when you hear from Dr. Simpson.” She turned to
Molly and said, “I’d like to talk to Sunny Jacobs if she comes in for lunch today. You know her, don’t you?”

  “Of course. Fortunately, I never had to go to the principal’s office for a private meeting with her, but sure, everyone who’s gone to school in Cedar Bay for the last probably twenty or thirty years knows her. I think she remembers me, at least she waves to me every time she comes in here. I’ll let you know if she comes in today, although with this crowd, it would be easy to miss someone.”

  “Thanks, Molly. It isn’t unusual for everyone to gather here whenever there’s something big going on in our little town. You just haven’t worked here long enough to experience it. Everyone wants to find out about the latest rumor, and human nature being what it is, people don’t want to miss any of the details when a murder takes place. And speaking of murder, it’s unfortunate that we’ve had too many of them for a town this small.”

  Just then a couple walked up to the cash register to pay their bill. As Molly collected the amount due, Kelly hurried to serve the latest order Charlie had cooked. A few hours later she happened to look up and saw Molly waving to her. Standing next to her was Sunny Jacobs. Kelly walked over to where Sunny was standing near the entrance, looking around the crowded coffee shop for an open seat.

  “Sunny, I was hoping you’d come in today. I’d really like to talk to you. Since there’s nowhere to sit out here, why don’t you join me in the storeroom? Can I have Charlie prepare your usual Cobb salad, and you can eat it while we talk? There’s a small table back there where we can sit.”

  “Thanks, Kelly. That would be great, since I’m kind of tight on time. I insist that my teachers not be late to their classes, so I don’t want to be one of those ‘do as I say, not as I do’ school principals.”

  “Follow me and I’ll give your order to Charlie. I’ll tell him to make it a priority. There are perks to being the boss,” Kelly said laughing. She turned towards Molly and said, “I’ll be in the storeroom for a little while. Why don’t you tell Roxie you’ll be covering for me? Thanks.”

  “Kelly, I appreciate you doing this. I really do like to set an example, and I knew when I walked in the coffee shop and couldn’t find a seat, I’d never make it back in time if I had to go somewhere else for lunch. So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Sunny said smiling up at Charlie as he placed the large salad along with an iced tea on the small table.

  “I’m sure you’re well aware that one of the retired teachers from the Cedar Bay Elementary School, Maggie Ryan, was murdered night before last.”

  “Of course. That was the primary topic of conversation at school yesterday.”

  “Sunny, you know my husband is the county sheriff, and this case falls within his jurisdiction. He didn’t grow up in Cedar Bay, so he never met Miss Ryan. I’ve helped him with a couple of his cases in the past, and I thought since I know you, and Miss Ryan taught under you for a number of years, that you might be able to help. I guess what I’m asking is if you know if she had any enemies or if there was anything involving her that might help Mike solve the mystery of her murder.”

  Sunny was quiet for several long moments while she ate her salad, then she put her fork down and said, “Kelly, I’ve been struggling with this ever since I heard she was murdered. There was an incident several years ago, a rather nasty incident, but I can’t believe it would have any bearing on the case, so that’s why I’m reluctant to bring it up. Sometimes it’s best to leave the past where it is.”

  “Normally I’d agree with you, Sunny, but this is a particularly strange case. You may have heard Maggie had over thirty dogs living in her house which is pretty unusual. I’ve also heard she’d become somewhat of a hermit the last few years. I’d really appreciate anything you could tell me. Right now, Mike has nothing to go on.”

  Although Sunny was quietly eating, Kelly sensed she was going through some inner struggle, a struggle over whether or not to tell Kelly about something she knew that might possibly be related to the death of Maggie Ryan. Finally, she said, “Kelly, I’ve decided to tell you about the incident involving Maggie Ryan, but I’d prefer it if you didn’t tell anyone I was the one who told you. It may have nothing to do with the case, but at the time it was quite unsettling. Here’s what happened.

  “I think it was about ten years or so ago. I know it was very close to the time Maggie retired. Anyway, you know she taught sixth grade. She had a student she didn’t feel she could in good faith allow to graduate from elementary school and continue on to junior high school.”

  “Why was that?” Kelly interrupted.

  “From everything Maggie told me, the young man, actually a boy at that time, was having learning problems as well as emotional problems. He didn’t seem to be as far along in his studies as his fellow classmates. Maggie felt it would be a disservice to him for her to allow him to move on to junior high school. She’d carefully documented all of the reasons for her decision and told me before she told the boy and his parents. I looked over her documentation and agreed with her. It was a very difficult decision, but Maggie was a very conscientious teacher.”

  “How did the boy and his parents take it?”

  “Not well at all, particularly the father. It was as if his son’s learning issues were a slap in his face. Maggie had asked the three of them to attend a parent-teacher conference, and she asked me to attend as well. I think she knew there were going to be problems, and there were. The father threatened to sue the school district, and he threatened Maggie with physical harm. If I remember right, I think he said something like ‘If you don’t let Allen graduate, I’ll make sure you’ll regret it until your dying day.’”

  “He said that that during the meeting?”

  “Yes,” Sunny said. “He actually became quite enraged. He started pacing back and forth and shouting at us. When they left the meeting, he yelled that his attorney would be in touch with us.”

  “You said his parents attended the meeting,” Kelly said. “How did the boy’s mother take the news?”

  “I’ve thought about that many times over the years, and I think she knew her son wasn’t ready for junior high school. And something else, although I have nothing solid to base this on, and again, you did not hear this from me, but as an educator, I’ve attended a number of workshops dealing with domestic abuse, both physical and emotional. If I was ever going to make an assumption that someone was a victim of domestic abuse, it would be Mrs. Richards. She never looked at her husband during the entire meeting, and when they left she had a terrified look on her face. I hope I’m not reading more into it than was actually there, but if I were a betting person, I’d bet she was frightened her husband was going to take his anger out on her.”

  “What happened to the boy after that?” Kelly asked.

  “His father transferred him to the junior high school in the Ocean Beach School District which is just a few miles up the coast. I heard he barely made it through junior high, and then he evidently dropped out of high school. There’s something else, although this is strictly rumor. I heard he’d gotten into drugs, and his parents had put him in several rehabilitation facilities, but they didn’t help him.”

  “Did his father follow through and sue the school district?”

  “No, thank heavens. I’ve often thought he probably went to an attorney, and the attorney told him he didn’t have a case.”

  “Just a couple more questions, Sunny, and then I know you have to leave. Did you stay in touch with Maggie Ryan after she retired?”

  “I was in contact with her only once. I called her to say hello and see if the boy or his family had ever gotten in touch with her.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She told me she never heard from them again after the parent-teacher conference I’d attended. They pulled their son out of school, and that was the end of it. She told me she was glad it hadn’t gotten messy, because there was something about the man that frightened her.”

  “Sunny, I’m putting two and t
wo together and wonder if I’m adding it up to four correctly. You said she retired not long after that incident. When she was teaching at your school were you aware of her interest in dogs?”

  “No, and that’s an interesting question, because I remember her saying something once in the teachers’ lounge about not understanding why people would ever have more than one pet, because they required so much of a person’s time and money.”

  “Just a couple more questions, I promise, Sunny. When you talked to her after she’d retired, did you have a sense that something was off with her? I mean, I find it strange that she’d say something like not having more than one household pet and then she winds up having over thirty dogs. Something doesn’t ring true.”

  “No, when I talked to her she seemed pretty much like she’d always been. She told me she spent a lot of time reading and that she had developed a bad case of osteoporosis, so she spent almost all of her time at home.”

  “Was she close to any of the other teachers?”

  “Yes, I believe she and Linda Devine were close to each other. Their rooms at the school were side-by-side, and I remember once or twice hearing her mention that she’d visited Maggie and her osteoporosis was getting worse and worse, almost causing her to be bent over double. Rather ironic that I heard that Linda recently fell down the stairs in her home and broke her hip. Evidently she’s convalescing at the nursing home we have here in town.

  “Kelly, I really do need to leave. Thanks for allowing me to have lunch back here and please thank Charlie for me. The Cobb salad was excellent, as always.” She stood up and started walking toward the door.