Lucy and Officer Beatty exchanged a quick glance and then the younger woman closed her notebook and rose. “I’m going to make some inquiries about Mr. Cooper. To do so, I’ll need his date of birth, place of business, and last known address.”
After Jane supplied the necessary information, the two law enforcement officials went outside to converse in private. A few moments later, Lucy announced that she planned to grab a bite to eat with her fellow officer.
“We’ll leave for Quincy’s Gap at seven-thirty,” James told her. “I want to give Jane time to pack what she and Eliot will need for the rest of the summer and then we’re gone.”
“Got it.” With a wave, Lucy followed Officer Beatty to her squad car.
Back in the kitchen Jane stood in front of the refrigerator, frowning as she peered inside. She ran her hands through her wavy brown hair and then opened the freezer door.
“I didn’t get a chance to shop for groceries today,” she apologized. “I’m afraid we’ll be dining on frozen mac and cheese and a side of canned green beans. I can melt fresh grated Parmesan over the noodles, but that’s as close to gourmet as we’re going to get.”
“I’ve never met a bowl of macaroni and cheese I didn’t like.” James pulled her to him and held her close. “Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”
Jane wiped her face and smiled bravely at him. “Go ask your son which toys he can’t live without this summer while I fire up the oven. I’ll keep the wine corked until we get to your house. I’m already imagining myself drinking several glasses tonight.”
“Me too,” James answered as he headed out of the kitchen. Pausing, he added, “And it’s not ‘my’ house anymore, it’s ‘ours.’”
_____
Night was falling in a curtain of deep blue by the time Officer Beatty dropped Lucy off at the curb. James, who was placing two suitcases in the Bronco, swiveled around and searched her face. “Did you find out anything about Kenneth?”
“Other than he’s got a squeaky clean record, no.” She was clearly disappointed. “Not even a speeding ticket within the last three years.”
James dropped his arms to his sides, deflated. “So that’s it?”
“There’s still the question of his whereabouts,” Lucy said. “We called his office and were told by his secretary that he’s on medical leave. She referred us to one of his partners, but that guy wasn’t exactly forthcoming with information. Since we have no evidence against Kenneth, we had no choice but to back off when the partner refused to answer our questions.” She tossed her purse into the back seat. “Don’t worry. I’m not giving up. I have a feeling about this guy.”
“Thank you, Lucy.” James hastened inside to collect the rest of Eliot’s things. He finished loading the truck as Lucy and Jane spoke in hushed tones in the kitchen.
“We’re all done, bud.” James carried his son fireman-style, already dressed in his dinosaur pajamas, and loaded him into his car seat. “Last call for Quincy’s Gap!” he yelled in the direction of the house.
Jane shouldered her purse, turned off the lights, and locked the front door. “I can’t begin to guess why Kenneth would be on medical leave,” she whispered to Lucy as they walked across the lawn. “He didn’t have any health issues when we were together. And I don’t like the idea of him not having to show up for work for several days in a row. It means that he was free to come here.” Her voice was strained. “I cannot understand why he’d want to scare me like this. Assuming he’s the bad guy.”
Lucy put an arm around Jane. “Don’t let him get to you.” She gestured at the truck. “He doesn’t have the power to break the three of you apart, right?”
Anger flared in Jane’s eyes. “No, he does not.”
“Hold onto that truth and he loses, no matter how he tries to upset you.” Lucy opened the back door and pretended to be nervous. “Oh! I don’t know if it’s safe to sit next to a T-Rex,” she said with a shiver. “His teeth look very sharp.”
Eliot raised his plush dinosaur and laughed. “He’s not a T-Rex! He’s an Allosaurus. He only bites mean people.”
“Then I might need to borrow him sometime,” Lucy stated solemnly. “We could make him an honorary deputy.”
All the way back to Quincy’s Gap, Eliot questioned Lucy about being an officer of the law. He was especially interested in how she got assigned to work with the K-9 units and wanted to hear about Lucy’s dogs even though he had never heard of the rock stars Bono, Benatar, or Bon Jovi were named after.
When James pulled into his driveway, Lucy insisted on doing a sweep of the house before anyone else went inside. After receiving an all-clear signal, James walked Eliot to his room and kissed his son goodnight. He still had to run Lucy back to the library so she could retrieve her Jeep.
“I really think you should get a dog,” Lucy counseled as they drove through the sleepy town. “Did you know that the sound of a barking dog is the number one theft deterrent. A big canine with a mouthful of teeth and a deep growl is much better than some electronic alarm. No one’s going to stick around long enough to tack notes to your birdhouse if they know they risk the chance of being bitten.”
James envisioned a wolfish-looking dog sinking a row of razor-sharp teeth into Kenneth’s leg. It was a supremely satisfying image. Back when Jane had left him for Kenneth, James had looked up his rival on his law firm’s website and had been sickened to see that not only was Kenneth the youngest partner in the firm’s history, but he also looked like a Calvin Klein model.
“I’d want a kid-friendly dog breed, not Cujo.” James said as he shook off the memory of Kenneth’s headshot. “I know your German Shepherds aren’t child-eaters, but they are enormous and can be rather intimidating.” He grew thoughtful. “I could ask Willow. She volunteers at the local shelter and I bet she could recommend the perfect pooch for our family.”
The ringing of a cell phone interrupted Lucy’s reply. “It’s Sullie,” she mouthed and then cooed, “Hey, Sugar” into the phone. Whatever Sullie said in return wiped the smile from her face, replacing it with a tightening of the lips and a quick glance out the window. “We’re coming up on the turnoff now,” she told him, her voice tinged with urgency. “I’m with James. I’ll explain later.”
James wondered why Lucy was now sitting ramrod straight in her seat, every muscle tensed.
“Turn here!” Lucy directed before he had a chance to ask. The Bronco’s tires screeched on the asphalt as James obeyed. He sped down a gently curved road leading to a thoroughbred farm and a development of upscale houses built at the feet of one of the Shenandoah Valley’s beautiful blue hills. The residences of Bridle Path Road were some of the wealthiest in the county, and James couldn’t imagine why Lucy suddenly needed to take a detour in this direction.
“Lucy?” he asked, slightly put out. “Would you like to tell me where we’re going?”
She was clearly trying to read the brass numbers secured to the mailbox posts. “Sorry. I don’t want to blow by the house. It’s number two-fourteen.” She tapped on the window. “That was one-eighty, so we’re getting close.”
“To what? It’s been a long day and though I am so incredibly grateful to you for—”
“Sullie’s found a body!” Lucy interrupted hotly. “He hasn’t even had time to identify the victim but there’s obviously been a struggle and he needs back-up ASAP so he can secure the house.” She took a shallow breath and continued. “He was responding to a neighbor’s 9-1-1 call and has only been inside for about five minutes. The EMT guys are already en route, but I couldn’t drive by without stopping to help. What if the perp is still around?” Even in the dark, James could see the glimmer of excitement in her eyes. “Here it is!”
James drove up a long driveway illuminated by solar lights. Sullie’s cruiser was parked in front of a detached two-car garage. When James pulled in behind the brown sedan Lucy said, “You’d better stay here.”
James hesitated for a moment, but then he followed her up a brick p
ath lined with miniature boxwoods to the double entrance doors of a stately white Colonial. A faint strip of light escaped from between the front doors, one of which was slightly ajar.
“Sullie?” Lucy shouted into the foyer.
James heard the thuds of a heavy tread on the floorboards above their heads. “Upstairs!”
Lucy shot a warning glance at James. “Don’t touch anything.”
Though he was tempted to remind her that this was hardly his first crime scene, James kept his mouth shut and followed her up the carpeted staircase. A strange odor hung in the air.
“Do you smell that?” he whispered. “It’s familiar …”
Lucy sniffed. “Reminds me of that nasty incense Gillian likes to burn during her home meditation sessions.”
“Yes, that Patchouli stuff.” He looked at the rich wood of the banister and the expensive chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. “Seems out of place in this environment.”
They’d reached the top of the stairs by then and James was glad to see that the hall lights had been turned on. Sullie popped out from a room at the end of the corridor and glared at James. “What’s he doing here?”
Lucy looked over her shoulder as though she’d forgotten she wasn’t alone. “I drove him up to Harrisonburg because the Birdman made contact with his son. He was bringing me back to my Jeep when I got your call, so I had him make a detour.”
Sullie stared at James for a moment longer, as a range of emotions flitted over his face. Trust won out over suspicion, however, for his blazing eyes softened and he nodded at James in apology. “Is your kid okay?”
“He’s fine, thanks.” James gave the other man’s hand a hearty shake. “My whole family is going to need your protection until this guy is caught.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.” Sullie straightened his shoulders, looking like a linebacker prepared to drill an unsuspecting receiver deep into the turf. He then snapped back into professional mode. “E.T.A. for the paramedics is five minutes. The vic’s in here.”
Sullie handed Lucy a pair of gloves. As she put them on, she turned to James. “You need to stay in the hall. This is a crime scene now.”
“How can you tell?” he asked, but as he moved to the threshold of the spacious bedroom, he realized that it was a dumb question.
The first thing he noticed was the pair of legs sticking out from behind the bed. It was hard not to fixate on them for they were encased in a pair of purple and green striped socks. James had a flash of the Wicked Witch’s feet protruding from beneath Dorothy’s farmhouse. However, while the witch’s corpse was pinned under a home, this corpse was positioned between the wall and the bed, creating the illusion that the rest of the woman’s body was hidden from view beneath an ivory dust ruffle.
James’ gaze traveled around the room, taking in the rumpled bed, the overturned bedside table and the lamp lying askew on the carpet. The bare bulb threw circular shadows onto the back wall, creating the mirage of an eclipse in the center of the floral wallpaper. Books and picture frames were scattered at the base of a cherry dresser, leaving only the incense holder containing a single stick of fragrance on its polished top. A poster tacked to the wall next to the dresser caught his attention. He recognized it as one of Tia Royale’s animal rights posters. Looking around the room again, James counted ten different posters, some of which appeared much older than those he’d seen during Tia’s recent demonstrations.
Lucy spent a moment absorbing the scene before she stepped carefully across the carpet to kneel down next to the body. James could only see the top of her head as the four-poster bed blocked his view. “Do you know her?”
“Yes. So do you.” She peered at him over the coverlet. “It’s Tia Royale.”
James was flabbergasted. “Is this her house?” He’d pictured her living in a dimly lit apartment decorated with futons, beaded curtains, lava lamps, and shag rugs.
Sullie opened a door leading to the walk-in closet. “Lots of plain dresses, jeans, and T-shirts in here. Some rolled-up banners with pictures of dead pigs and cows and chickens.”
“This is her room then,” Lucy said with a sigh. “I know the girl rubbed folks the wrong way, but who would want to kill her?”
Standing anxiously in the doorway, James stuck his head into the room. “How did it happen?”
“She might have been strangled. There are bruises on her neck.” Lucy suddenly seemed to realize that James was out of place at a crime scene. “You’d better go. Sheriff Huckabee won’t be happy if he knows I brought you here.”
James wanted to be of assistance, but he knew he would only impede both the paramedics and deputies if he stayed. Thanking Lucy again, he solemnly wished both her and Sullie good luck and then headed downstairs.
Just as he was about to leave, he heard a noise coming from one of the rooms toward the back of the house. Fearing the killer might still be inside, James raced up the stairs two at a time and frantically asked Lucy and Sullie to investigate the rooms on the bottom floor.
“I did a preliminary sweep after I found the body,” Sullie told Lucy as they responded to James’ plea. “No sign of disturbance except in the victim’s room.”
Sullie took the lead, turning on lights with one hand while holding his gun out in front with the other. Lucy had also drawn her weapon and was walking slightly behind Sullie, training her gun to the side while also checking to make sure no one was sneaking up from behind. The couples’ movements were so synchronized and graceful that they seemed more like dancers in a Russian ballet troupe than two sheriff’s deputies on the hunt for a murderer. James followed in their wake, every muscle tensed as his blood surged through his body and his heart pumped at a frenzied pace.
Upon entering the kitchen Sullie immediately lowered his weapon. “Here are our intruders.” He relaxed and pointed toward a side door facing the detached garage.
“Awww.” Lucy holstered her gun and grinned.
James pushed past her and saw the pet flap built into the door. Alongside the door was a bowl of water and an empty ceramic dinner plate. Two animals gazed up at the three humans with hungry eyes. Lucy squatted down and stroked the head of a little schnauzer and then reached out to pet a tortoise-shell tabby. The animals responded eagerly to her attention and soon, a chorus of barks and meows echoed in the kitchen.
At that moment, a pair of male voices shouted, “EMTs!” and entered the house. Sullie dashed out of the kitchen and as Lucy turned to go, James held her by the elbow. “What about these two? What will happen to them?”
“I’ll have to call animal control in the morning.” She glanced at the dog and cat and then jerked her eyes back to James’ face. “Unless someone else takes them now.”
James didn’t even hesitate. “I’m bringing them home with me. If I have to sign papers or something later on, I will. But I won’t leave them here with their caregiver lying dead upstairs. These two need food and a quiet place to sleep.”
Lucy nodded and hustled out of the kitchen while James rummaged around in the cabinets until he found a stack of Alpo cans and another of Fancy Feast. He gave a can to each animal, surprised that they were so good-natured over having to share the same plate. By the time they were finished, the noise level had increased within the house. James loaded a grocery bag with canned and dry food and was relieved to discover a pair of pet carriers in the far reaches of the pantry.
He placed the carriers on the floor, got down on his knees, and reached out to the animals. They both came right to him, snuggling against his leg.
“I’m James Henry,” he told the friendly pair as he examined their collars. “Nice to meet you, Snickers,” he said to the smiling schnauzer. And with a laugh, he spoke to the cat. “And you too, Miss Pickles.” He pointed at the carriers. “I know it’s late, but I’m going to take you someplace safe. Come on,” he gently pushed each animal into a crate. “We’re going home.”
When James returned home carrying two animal crates, a bagfu
l of dog and cat food, and a litter box, Jane was speechless. As he quietly explained what happened on the way to drop Lucy off at the library, James unlatched the metal doors of the crates and coaxed Snickers and Miss Pickles out. Both animals took their time exiting their carriers. They each put their front paws on the floor and then paused, sniffing nervously. When James mentioned Tia’s name, Snickers released a soft whine and James pulled the small dog against his chest.
Jane listened, horrified, as he described Tia’s thin legs, clad in those silly striped socks, sticking out from behind the bed.
“I’m relieved not to have seen more than that,” James declared with feeling. He set out a water bowl and two dishes of kibble for the animals. “She was just a girl, really, and so infused with vitality. She had a whole life to lead yet. I didn’t like her, Jane, but when I saw her pets, I couldn’t just leave them there to be collected by animal control in the morning. I felt like I owed her something for having been there, for having seen what I shouldn’t have seen.”
Nodding, Jane reached out and scratched Miss Pickles under the chin. “What if Tia’s family wants to reclaim these guys? I know you were acting out of kindness, James, but Eliot is going to go berserk when he discovers these two tomorrow. He will love them instantly. How can we let him become attached to these sweet creatures when they might be taken away in a day or so?”
“I hadn’t thought that far,” James confessed. “When I saw the faces of her pets and thought of how passionately she fought for animals …” He broke off, smiling as Miss Pickles began to bat about a rubber band across the kitchen floor. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to create any more drama for us.”
Snickers licked Jane’s hand and she giggled. “You did the right thing, honey. We’ll simply explain to Eliot that we’re acting as a foster family and that these animals might not be staying with us permanently.” She kissed the mini schnauzer on the crown of his head and smiled. “I always wanted a dog when I was a little girl, but my father was allergic to anything with fur. I had goldfish instead. Not very exciting pets, let me tell you.” Snickers rolled on his back, put his paws in the air, and gazed at Jane with a look of pure adoration. “Oh, I hope we do get to keep you both! Come here, Miss Pickles. Let Mama get a look at you!”
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