When the Wolf Prowls

by Vanessa Prelatte

  “Just how long did it take them to realize that Amethyst was not as qualified as she had claimed?” Dawn asked curiously.

  “A couple of months. After interacting with Amethyst on a regular basis, Jillian realized that she really didn’t know what she was doing. So she double-checked her credentials. That’s when she discovered the truth.”

  “So Jillian was the one who got Amethyst fired.”

  “Yes, and everything supports Jillian’s claims about what Amethyst said and did at breakfast. But since the dose given to Jillian was not life-threatening. the most she could be charged with is assault. It will never go to trial, though.”

  “That’s for sure,” Dawn agreed. “Amethyst could always claim Jillian accidentally dumped some of her own eye drops into the coffee, and that’s how atropine got into her system.”

  “Yeah, the DA wouldn’t touch this one with a ten-foot pole. But Moe Westbrooke didn’t let everything rest there. She was pretty steamed at what Amethyst said to me in the hospital, so she told Noritaki to dig a little deeper into Amethyst Gascoyne’s background.” He gestured at the file again. “Go ahead and look over the other reports. It sure makes for some interesting reading.”

  Dawn read the next report, an interview Noritaki conducted with Jennifer Barrcomb, a former neighbor of Amethyst Gascoyne and her family. Once again she skimmed over the beginning and read just the details of the interview.

  After she finished reading the transcript, Dawn looked over at Rafe. Eyebrows raised, she observed, “The neighbor believes that Amethyst tried to poison her little sister and may have been involved in the explosion that killed her father? Wow. It’s beginning to look like anyone who gets on the wrong side of Amethyst Gascoyne ends up in the hospital or dead,” she said.

  “Doesn’t it? And I haven’t even printed out the other reports. Amethyst’s mother refused to return Noritaki’s calls, but her brother did consent to be interviewed.”

  “Her brother?”

  “Sorry. Amethyst’s uncle. Her mother’s brother.”

  “And he said…?”

  “He firmly believes that Amethyst tried to poison her little sister. He also believes, from a couple of hints that Amethyst let fall from time to time, that she had something to do with the explosion that killed her father and his second wife.”

  Dawn looked Rafe square in the eye. “And now, Amethyst has her sights set on you.”

  “I don’t think I’m in any real danger,” Rafe responded.

  “Why not?”

  “Because if she were to get rid of me, it would focus more attention on her, not less. And that’s the last thing she wants.”

  “Perhaps so. All the same, I don’t think we’ve heard the last of Amethyst Gascoyne.”

  Rafe shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Noticing that fact, Dawn rose from her seat and said, “I’d better get going. I’ll call you in the morning, okay?”

  “Okay. Good night, Dawn.”

  “’Night, Rafe.”

  Dawn walked to the door, but paused before going through it.

  “Rafe?”

  “What?”

  “Could you answer a question for me before I leave?”

  “Sure. Shoot.”

  “Back when you were married, did you ever catch yourself looking at other women?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “I have a reason. Could you just answer the question?”

  Rafe shrugged and responded, “Okay. The answer to your question is yes. I didn’t act on it, but I looked. All guys do, Dawn. It’s hard-wired into our natures.”

  “Let’s suppose that you find the right woman and get married again in the future. It’s not like it was with you and Cynthia – you’re really, really happy with your new wife. Now, let’s say – hypothetically – that she catches you not just looking, but flirting with another woman. Would you blame her if she got mad?”

  “That depends. Define ‘flirting’. What exactly did I do?”

  “You made eye contact and sent out all these nonverbal ‘I’m available’ signals.”

  “Well, in that case, I suppose that my hypothetical wife would have a right to be mad. Now tell me, does my hypothetical wife confront me on it?”

  “Yeah. She sure does.”

  “And how did I respond?”

  “You said it didn’t mean anything, and you didn’t understand why she was so mad.”

  “Did my hypothetical wife explain it to me the way you just did now? Like that it was the ‘I’m available’ signals that bothered her?”

  “No. She’s barely spoken to you since.”

  “Well, in that case, it might be a good idea if she does. Explain it to her husband, I mean. Some guys need to have it spelled out to them, Dawn. They just won’t get it otherwise.”

  “Okay. Good to know. Talk to you tomorrow, Rafe.”

  Rafe just grunted a response, and Dawn walked back to the kitchen to say goodbye to Tara, Bree, and Lotti.

  The three of them were in the kitchen, seated at Rafe’s table. A teapot sat in the middle of the table, surrounded by an array of cookies and muffins.

  Tara looked up as Dawn entered. “Hey, Dawn. Would you like some tea?”

  “Sure. I wouldn’t mind a cup.” She didn’t really care for tea, but she assented just to be sociable. After all, she only had to take a sip or two.

  Tara poured out a cup of tea and handed it to Dawn. “What about some cookies?” she said.

  “No, thanks. I think I’ll pass,” Dawn responded.

  “We were discussing Bree’s new boyfriend when you walked in,” Tara said.

  “His name is Neville.”

  “Really? Tell me all the details.”

  After Bree had finished, Dawn turned to Lotti, who had hardly spoken a word yet. “How’s everything going with you, Lotti?”

  A shadow crossed Lotti’s face. “Everything’s kind of complicated right now,” she admitted.

  “Complicated? How?”

  Lotti gave Dawn the news about her ex-husband, how he had been in a sailing accident and was presumed to be dead.

  After Lotti had finished her account, Dawn said, “So they still haven’t found the body?”

  “Not yet,” Lotti replied. “I won’t rest easy until they do.”

  “I don’t blame you,” Dawn said sympathetically. Finishing up a last sip of tea, Dawn pushed her chair back from the table.

  “I need to get going and head for home, I’m afraid. It’s been a long day.”

  Bidding good bye to the other three, she let herself out of the house, got back into the car, and drove home.

  As she was walking from her garage into the house, she received a text from Ty, promising he would be home within the next couple of hours. She texted him back, walked inside, and went straight up to her bedroom, peeling off the clothes she was wearing as she went.

  In her bedroom she went right to her closet and pulled out a lightweight robe to wear. She was just about to head into her bathroom to take a shower when she heard a noise coming from the adjoining bedroom. Curious about its source, she crossed over to the connecting door to check it out.

  As soon as she set foot in the room, Traitor pranced over to her, tail wagging, and proceeded to lick her toes. Ordinarily, she would have scolded the dog a little, since Traitor technically wasn’t allowed upstairs. However, she was so happy to be home again that scolding her dog was the last thought on Dawn’s mind right now. Reaching down, she picked the dog up and buried her face into Traitor’s fur.

  Chapter 47

  When Ty made his way up to his bedroom two hours later, he stopped on the threshold, temporarily immobilized with surprise. Dawn, whose steadfast rule was “No dogs upstairs, no dogs sleeping in bed with either of us,” was sound asleep in his bed, Traitor lying at her feet. Instead of a nightgown, she was wearing one of his black T-shirts, which was another aberration from the norm. Recovering himself, he crossed the threshold and walked into the room. Traitor sprang down from the bed
and trotted over to greet him.

  “Hey, girl,” he said softly. “I don’t know how you got upstairs, but it’s time to go back down again.”

  Dawn did not stir as he left the room, took Traitor downstairs, and let her outside for a few minutes. After the dog had finished her business, he let her back in, settled her down for the night in her doggie bed, and made his way back upstairs and into his bedroom.

  Dawn opened an eye as he reentered the room.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi,” Ty responded. He sat down beside her on the bed. “You’re wearing one of my shirts,” he commented.

  “Uh-huh. I took a shower in your bathroom, and I didn’t have the energy to go back into my own room when I was finished. So I grabbed one of your shirts and just sort of fell into bed.”

  “Looks like you got some sleep.”

  “Yes, a couple of hours worth, I guess.”

  “You still sort of mad at me?”

  “Yeah, but I’ll get over it. What’s harder to get over? The hurt, and the fear.”

  He took one of her hands in his own. “You don’t have anything to fear, Dawn. You’re the only one for me. And I’d cut my right hand off before I’d intentionally hurt you.”

  “I know that. I guess I even knew it at the time. It was just such a shock, you know? Seeing you look at another woman that way, sending her what looked like ‘I’m available’ signals when ever since we’ve been together, you’ve had eyes only for me.”

  “I’m sorry, Dawn. It’s a habit, something I did for years before I met you. But habits can be broken, and I’m going to work hard to break this one. But if I slip up and you catch me at it again, just hit me, will you? I’d prefer that to the silent treatment.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  “So, have we officially made up?”

  “Yeah, I guess we have.”

  Ty rubbed his hands together and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Then move over, Dawn. It’s time for real, official make-up sex.”

  Dawn put a mock scowl on her face. “Is that really necessary? After all, we already had ‘I’m still sort of mad at you, but I still love you’ sex. Twice, I might add.”

  “Of course it’s necessary. After making up, you need to have official make-up sex. I think it’s a rule or a law or something.”

  Dawn managed a long-suffering sigh. “Well, as an officer sworn to uphold the law, I guess I’m going to have to give way on this one. Come on, let’s get it over with.”

  Ty’s face lit up. “Are you telling me that you want it really, really quick?”

  “No way. Official make-up sex is supposed to take a long, long, time. That’s a rule or a law or something too.”

  Chapter 48

  Dawn had Sunday off, and she spent the whole day with Ty. It was back to work on Monday, however. She had barely started getting caught up on her reports and other paperwork when she received a phone call that took her to Mountpelier General Hospital. Alison Coalbank had regained consciousness.

  A short time later Dawn was standing in front of a bank of elevators located in the foyer of the hospital and pressing the up button. She heard a bell signaling behind her and glanced over her shoulder, but withdrew her glance as she saw the arrow signaling that the car was going down, not up. The next minute she heard a voice calling, “Detective Cimarron!” Turning around completely this time, she saw Kit Blakewood emerging from the elevator car.

  “Kit,” she said. “How is Alison? Did they let her family in to see her?”

  “Yes,” Kit responded. “Luke was permitted to see her as soon as we arrived. That was early yesterday morning. The doctors had told Alison that Danny and Sherri were safe, but she let them know that she didn’t believe them. She needed Luke to assure her it was true.”

  “Was Alison able to respond to him?”

  “Yes, but not in words. She isn’t able to talk yet, you see. She’s still intubated. They’re using a tablet with a communication app at this point to help her convey her thoughts.”

  Which meant that if she was up to it, Dawn could begin the interviewing process, which was her primary objective. But Dawn did not say this aloud. Instead, she asked, “What about Danny and Sherri? Were they allowed into the ICU to see their mother?”

  Kit pushed a stray hair out of her eyes as she answered, “The doctors and nurses were pretty down on the idea at first, but Danny pointed out that he was almost thirteen and insisted on seeing his mother. Luke warned him that she was almost unrecognizable, but Danny coped with it pretty well. That was yesterday. This morning, Luke managed to get Sherri in as well.”

  “How did he pull that off? Sherri’s only six.”

  “That’s what the doctors and nurses told him. They were pretty adamant at first about not letting her in. They were afraid not only of the greater risk of infection posed by young children, but also of the traumatic effect it might have on Sherri. Luke responded that Sherri had been beaten and locked up by a madman, witnessed the attack on her mother and the murder of a second woman, escaped from captivity and made a three-day trek through the wilderness, and, after reaching safety, still had the guts to charge down a hill and grab a knife to fend off what she perceived to be a threat to her brother. Luke insisted that seeing her mother wouldn’t traumatize her; instead, it was actually a necessary step to help Sherri recover from the trauma she had already experienced. So the doctors relented and agreed that Sherri could see her mother if she went in fully gowned, gloved, and masked. Luke got her ready and carried her in. According to him, she was a little trooper and handled the whole thing even better than he expected. He and Danny had prepared her for what to expect, so she didn’t cry when she saw her mother with all the bandages and tubes and things. Later, after Luke had carried Sherri out again, the doctors admitted that the visit seemed to bring a lot of comfort to both Alison and Sherri.”

  “Where are Danny and Sherri now?”

  “Upstairs, in one of the waiting rooms. Luke is in with Alison, and Red, my stepfather, is with Danny and Sherri. He arrived yesterday afternoon, and they both took to him right away. They’re comfortable enough with him that I decided to take the opportunity to slip away and buy some treats for them in the gift shop.”

  “I’ll let you get on your way, then. Maybe I’ll see you upstairs again later.”

  Kit turned away to continue on to the gift shop, while Dawn proceeded to take the next available elevator to the Intensive Care Unit.

  She met Alison’s doctors in the ICU and received permission to go to Alison’s bedside after giving her word that she would stop questioning Alison if she showed any signs that she was not up to this preliminary interview.

  One of the nurses accompanied her to Alison’s room. There she found Luke, sitting at Alison’s bedside. He got to his feet when Dawn walked in and gave her a nod. Turning to his sister-in-law, he said, “Alison, this is Detective Cimarron. Would you be up to answering some questions from her?”

  Alison used the tablet and the communication app to indicate that she was. Over the next few minutes, Dawn established that Alison had no memory of the attack on her or the murder of Zoe Ballentine. She remembered Marc Foxe and how he had terrorized her and her children, but her last memory was of driving into town with Marc and Sherri to pick up supplies several days prior to the abduction of Kit and Zoe.

  Seeing that Alison was quickly tiring, Dawn ended the interview. Alison shut her eyes and apparently drifted off to sleep. As Dawn was approaching the door, the nurse asked Luke to leave as well so that she could perform some necessary tasks. Luke fell into step beside Dawn and left the room with her.

  “Thank you for not staying long,” Luke said. “She really needs to rest right now.”

  “I understand. How are you doing, Luke?”

  “Fine. The kids and I are doing just fine, under the circumstances. We’re going to stay here for a few days, but then we have to return home on Thursday. That’s when they’re holding the Coroner’s Inquest, and
Kit, Danny, and I all have to testify.”

  “I know. I’ll be there as well to provide my own testimony. So will Special Agent Rikovsky. I’ll see you then. In the meantime, if you need anything, just give me a call.”

  “I’ll do that. Goodbye for now, Detective Cimarron.”

  “Goodbye, Luke.”

  *****

  Three days later, in Cliffsend Municipal Courthouse, the Coroner’s Jury returned a verdict of justifiable homicide regarding the death of Damon Marcus Foxe. Dawn stopped to talk briefly to Luke, Kit, Danny and Sherri after the verdict. She learned that Luke and the kids were immediately heading back to Mountpelier, but Kit was returning to Des Moines with her stepfather. She would not have much time to rest at home before Spring Break ended, however. Zoe’s parents had invited Kit and Red to spend the upcoming Easter holidays with them, but two days after Easter Sunday, Kit had to return to college and resume classes.

  After bidding goodbye to Kit and Red, Dawn returned to her own car. She was just about to open the door and climb in when she heard her name being called. Turning, she saw Rick, whom she had spoken to only briefly before the inquest began, striding toward her.

  “Just wanted to let you know that we’ve finally located Cy Prezlocki,” he said.

  It took Dawn a few seconds to process that bit of information through her memory banks before she had it. Cy Prezlocki was the one person Marc Foxe might have confided in while he worked at the Brown River Ranch. Rick was still hot on the scent when it came to finding the remains of Samantha Hartingen.

  “That’s good news, Rick,” she said. “Where did you find him?”