The Case of the Unfettered Utonagan

by B R Snow

  “French onion soup?” Josie said.

  “What?”

  “I’ve been jonesing for some French onion,” she said with a shrug. “I suppose it’s too much to expect that you read my mind.”

  “Uh, yeah,” Rooster said, setting the groceries on the counter. “I’ll leave that to the professionals.”

  “Funny,” Josie said, gently punching him on the shoulder.

  “So, what’s the surprise?” I said, glancing around the kitchen.

  “It’s in the living room,” Rooster said. “Head on in. I’ll be there as soon as I put the groceries away.”

  We walked into the living room and immediately felt the heat from the roaring fire. Lacey was stretched out on a couch reading a book. Lying on the couch with its head nestled against her shoulder was the Utonagan. When she heard us, Lacey put her book down and sat up. The dog hopped off the couch and greeted us.

  “Okay,” I said with a grin. “I’m officially surprised.”

  “Hi, guys,” Lacey said. “We were too. Last night, we heard this scratching on the front door, and when we opened it, Akna trotted in like she owned the place. She said hello then stretched out in front of the fire. And apart from going out to take care of business, she hasn’t gotten more than ten feet away from either one of us.”

  “She must have been a house dog,” I said, stroking the Utonagan’s head. “Before Peters got…sorry, Lacey.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Lacey said through a sad smile.

  Rooster entered and stoked the fire before adding a fresh log. He sat down next to Lacey and petted the dog who was already laying at his feet.

  “You’ve made a new friend,” Josie said.

  “Yeah, she’s a good dog,” Rooster said.

  “Is she showing any strange behavior?” Josie said.

  “You mean wolf-like?” he said.

  “Yeah.”

  “Not a trace,” Rooster said. “But don’t worry, I’m keeping a close eye on her.”

  “Have you found any records around the place?” I said.

  “Of Jeremy’s work with the hybrids?” Lacey said. “Not a thing. I was hoping there might be something on his computer.”

  “No, there’s not,” I said. “And believe me, I’ve been looking.”

  Josie snorted.

  “Shut it,” I said, giving her the evil eye. “He must have everything written down somewhere. Nobody would spend that much time manipulating their genes and not keep track of it.”

  “No, they wouldn’t,” Lacey said. “Especially Jeremy.”

  “What’s the update on the investigation?” Rooster said.

  “That’s right,” I said. “We haven’t had a chance to talk.”

  “So, you do have some news,” he said, giving the dog a final pet before giving me his undivided attention.

  “I do.”

  I spent a few minutes reviewing the past few days in detail. As I talked, both Rooster and Lacey listened closely and occasionally shared baffled looks with each other. When I finished, I got up and stood with my back to the fire. I gently rubbed my stomach as I waited for questions.

  “He wrote himself in as a beneficiary?” Rooster said. “What the hell was he thinking?”

  “That he could get away with it would be my first guess,” I said with a shrug.

  “If Jeremy was dead, it’s not that hard to believe,” Lacey said.

  “But she said Lamplighter’s assistant signed as a witness,” Rooster said. “If the two versions of the will are different, that person would certainly recognize it.”

  “I knew I forgot to mention something,” I said. “The witness is dead.”

  “Althea’s dead?” Rooster said, stunned.

  “She is,” I said. “You knew her?”

  “I did,” he said. “Geez, that sucks. She was a nice kid. A little troubled, but a good person. What happened to her?”

  “Her car went off a mountain road in Colorado,” I said.

  “How convenient for Larry,” Rooster said. “The cops are seriously looking at him, right?”

  “They are,” I said, nodding. “But something doesn’t seem right about it.”

  “I have no trouble making it work,” Josie said. “The guy writes himself into the will, then takes Larry out. After that, the only loose end would be the witness. And, miracles of miracles, her car goes off a cliff.”

  “I know,” I said, frowning. “But still.”

  “Well, far be it for me to question your snooping abilities, but sometimes things are exactly the way they appear.”

  “You’re probably right,” I said. “But I can’t get the look on Larry’s face out of my mind when he heard Peters was dead. I grew up with the guy, and he was never known for his poker face.”

  “He’s a lawyer,” Josie said. “He probably developed it over the years. Along with a host of other wonderful traits. Like staging slip and sue accidents.”

  “That’s a long way from killing two people,” I said.

  “The degree of the crime is often directly proportional to the amount of money involved,” Rooster said.

  “Who said that?” Josie said, glancing at him.

  “I did.”

  “Funny.”

  “I think I’ll make a pot of coffee,” Lacey said, getting to her feet.

  “Sounds great,” Josie said.

  “No, thanks, Lacey,” I said. “I’ve had my daily limit.”

  “Hot chocolate?”

  “Oh, perfect. Thanks.”

  “How about you, Rooster?” Lacey said.

  “Coffee would be great. Thanks.”

  “With a little splash of brandy,” she said, grinning at him. “Just the way you like it.”

  She headed off to the kitchen trailed by the Utonagan. Josie gave Rooster a goofy grin then flashed me a conspiratorially sideways glance.

  “I think Rooster’s got himself a girlfriend,” Josie said.

  “Yes, I noticed,” I said, laughing.

  “Don’t start,” he said, going for indignation but coming up short.

  “Oh, it’s too late for that,” Josie said, glancing around the room. “Yeah, it’s nice and cozy. Tucked way out in the woods.”

  “With a full wine cellar,” I chimed in. “Crackling fire. No chance of anybody popping in to interrupt the flow.”

  “Interrupt the flow?” Rooster said, frowning at me. “You are so weird.”

  “She is,” Josie said, laughing. “But you’re…in love.”

  “What are you, twelve?” he said.

  “I think we touched a nerve,” Josie said to me.

  “Josie, has anybody told you what a total pain in the butt you can be?” Rooster said.

  “Not today.”

  Rooster shook his head then continued.

  “She’s a very nice woman,” he said. “And we get along great. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Are you going to mention the age difference, or should I?” Josie said to me.

  “Age is just a number,” Rooster said, then focused on me. “And I used your mother’s formula. We’re fine.”

  “Her formula?” Josie said, staring at me, confused by his comment.

  “Half your age plus seven,” I said with a shrug. “She calls it the outer-band of the age range for dating somebody.”

  Josie gave it some thought and was apparently running some of the math in her head.

  “Hey, that’s not bad,” she said.

  “Well, I’m happy for you guys. I hope it works out.”

  “It’s way too early to worry about that,” Rooster said. “But I do have to say I’m enjoying our time out here.”

  “You’re convinced she’s not involved in any of this,” I said.

  “I’m positive,” Rooster said.

  “Okay,” I said softly. “But if somehow turns out she is, what then?”

  “I’d be crushed.”

  Chapter 15

  The restaurant parking lot was fuller than we had expected.
We entered through the kitchen and found Chef Claire busily working her way through a long line of orders attached at eye level. She glanced up briefly when she heard us come in, gave us a small wave then barked at Charlie, her sous chef.

  “I’m still waiting for a side of spaghetti.”

  “We’re a minute away,” Charlie said, doing his best octopus imitation as he worked on several plates.

  “What the heck is going on?” I said.

  “There’s some sort of spring boat show going on,” Chef Claire said.

  “Yeah, but that’s over in Kingston,” I said, surprised.

  “Well, apparently, a bunch of them decided to caravan over here for dinner,” she said, motioning for us to get out of the kitchen.

  “Nice to see you get right back into mid-season form,” Josie said, laughing as she headed for the door that led to the dining room. “I thought you’d need at least a couple of weeks of spring training.”

  Chef Claire fired a dinner roll that hit Josie in the back of the head.

  “Nice shot,” I said.

  Josie bent down to retrieve the roll then took a bite.

  “Thanks, Chef Claire,” she said, chewing. “Not as good as the rustic Italian, but not bad.

  “Unbelievable,” I said, then gently shoved her through the door. “I can’t believe you ate that after it was on the floor.”

  “That’s why they give us an immune system,” she said, heading straight for the lounge. “And that kitchen floor is immaculate.”

  “We must have a different definition,” I said, easing my way into one of the stools at the bar. “Hey, Millie.”

  “Hi, guys,” she said, barely looking up. “I’ll be with you in a sec. I’m dealing with a landslide of orders at the moment.”

  “Take your time,” I said, glancing around the crowded lounge and waving to several people I knew. Then my eyes landed on two people sitting on a couch near the fireplace. “Huh? What do you know?”

  “What is it?” Josie said, scanning the room.

  “By the fire,” I said, nodding in the general direction. “Larry the Loser.”

  “Is that Marjorie Young with him?”

  “It is,” I said, frowning. “That’s odd.”

  “It has to be business-related, right?”

  “Let’s hope so,” I said, shaking my head. “She’s way out of his league.”

  “Maybe she has legal problems.”

  “And she called him?”

  Larry got up from the couch and headed for the bar carrying two empty glasses. When he spotted me, he made a beeline for us and came to a stop between our stools. He smiled at both of us, lingered on Josie a bit too long then set the glasses down on the bar.

  “How are you doing tonight?”

  “We’re great, Larry,” I said. “Are you here for dinner or just drinks?”

  “Dinner,” he said. “Assuming a table ever opens up. I didn’t expect it to be this crowded.”

  “Is that Marjorie?” I said.

  “It is,” he said, glancing over at her. “You remember that opportunity I mentioned?”

  “I do.”

  “Well, she’s it.”

  “Really?” I said, surprised. “You’re going to be managing her portfolio?”

  “Only a bit of it for now,” Larry said. “Marjorie said she always starts off new financial managers with just a taste. You know, to see how well they do.”

  “Then she must have a lot of financial managers,” I said, laughing.

  “Yeah, she is loaded, isn’t she?” Larry said with a grin. “Probably right up with your mom.”

  “If the rumors are to be believed, I’m sure she is,” I said, waving to her. “I haven’t seen her in a while. I think I’ll go say hi.”

  I ignored the dirty look Josie was giving me for leaving her alone with the lawyer and made my way through the crowd to where the woman was sitting.

  “Hello, Marjorie,” I said, beaming at her.

  “Suzy,” she said, patting the couch next to her. “Look at you. Please, sit down and get off your feet.”

  “As long as you promise to help me back up,” I said, easing my way onto the thick cushion. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing very well, thank you,” she said, draping an arm over the couch and doing a half-turn toward me. “You’re positively glowing.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “People are always saying that. But I don’t get it. It must be one of those social conventions.”

  “It’s probably better than saying you’re bigger than a house, right?” she said with a grin.

  I laughed and patted my stomach.

  “How’s your mom?”

  “She’s a force of nature.”

  “She is indeed. Please send her my best,” Marjorie said.

  “I’ll do that,” I said, then tossed my line into the water. “I see you’re here with Larry.”

  “I am,” she said, nodding. “Against the advice of my family, I’ve decided to give him a chance to see if he can make me some money.”

  “I see. So, you do know his reputation?”

  “I do,” she said. “But he’s adamant his days of staging accidents are over.”

  “I’m sure he believes that,” I whispered.

  “What’s that?”

  “Nothing,” I said. “It’s none of my business, but he seems like an odd choice.”

  “There’s no doubt about it. He is. But his father was good friends with my late husband, may he rest in peace. And Larry recently called me out of the blue. He said he had just gotten certified as a financial planner, and I was his first call.”

  “And you decided to hire him?”

  “I did,” she said, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “I like to keep all my money managers on their toes. And believe me, when they heard I was hiring Larry, I got their attention in a hurry.”

  “Probably not a bad strategy,” I said, nodding.

  “It might be something for you to consider,” she said. “Because at some point, you’ll have the same problem I do.”

  “When you no longer have to worry about making money, the problem becomes hanging onto it,” I said, reciting my mother’s mantra.

  “You’ve learned well, my dear,” she said, patting my hand. “But don’t worry, I’m sure your mother is several steps ahead of that problem.”

  “Are you sure Larry is up to it?”

  “Rule number one. Make the amount big enough to get the person’s attention, but not enough to hurt you if things go south,” she said. “And Larry’s hungry. I like all my financial advisors hungry. And competing with each other.”

  “You’re giving him a chance to make a fresh start,” I said. “That’s very nice of you, Marjorie.”

  “Nice doesn’t have anything to do with it. Let’s call it a favor with some clearly defined benchmarks attached to it.”

  “Well, I hope he doesn’t screw it up,” I said.

  “Me too,” she said. “For both our sakes.”

  “I should get back,” I said, gently rocking back and forth on the couch to build up some momentum. “Josie gets cranky when she hasn’t eaten.”

  “She truly is a remarkable looking woman,” Marjorie said, studying Josie who was giving Larry her best bobblehead nod as he prattled on about something. “How is it possible she’s still unattached?”

  “She sets an impossibly high standard for herself,” I said, getting to my feet. “And that carries over into what she expects from her relationships. Some people might call it a character flaw.”

  “I’d call it a personal strength,” Marjorie said firmly. “Never settle for close enough.”

  “Good advice. Make sure you share that one with Larry.”

  “Don’t worry. I already have,” she said, extending her hand. “You take good care of yourself, Suzy.”

  “You too, Marjorie,” I said, then headed back to the bar, thoroughly confused with my neurons on fire.

  Chapter 16

  The reading
of Dr. Jeremy Peters’ will occurred on a Thursday in the midst of a cold, driving rainstorm that was rapidly removing the remnants of our winter snow. From the warmth of the van we used to transport dogs, I turned the wipers off then did the same with the engine. We were parked on a dead-end street near Larry the Loser’s house safely out of sight. I glanced over at the Chief who was in the passenger seat then through the rear-view mirror at Detective Williams.

  “You guys okay with the engine off or do you need the heater?”

  “I’m fine,” Detective Williams said. “Are you sure we’re going to be able to hear them?”

  I grabbed the laser microphone from a duffel bag and showed it to the detective. Then I attached it to the side mirror.

  “It’ll be like we’re in the room with them,” I said. “This thing is amazing. It works off vibrations and somehow is capable of going through windows.”

  “You don’t say,” Detective Williams said.

  “That’s right,” I said, mildly embarrassed. “You guys must use these things all the time.”

  “You and your toys,” Detective Williams said, shaking his head.

  “Hey, some people collect stamps. I like hi-tech gadgets,” I said, switching the microphone on. I handed them both earpieces then inserted my own. “Hey, look at that.”

  “What?” the Chief said, following my eyes.

  “Right over there,” I said, pointing. “An actual patch of grass. We’ll be out on the River before we know it.”

  “If it keeps raining like this, the street will be a river,” the Chief said, then spotted a car coming to a stop directly in front of Larry’s office. “Here we go.”

  I picked up my binoculars and scanned the two people who were doing their best to get under the umbrella they were sharing.

  “She must be Peters’ wife,” I said, handing the binoculars to the Chief. “I don’t have a clue who the guy is.”

  “He must be the brother,” Detective Williams said.

  “Probably,” the Chief said, studying them through the glasses. “It’s hard to tell, but I think I see a resemblance.”

  “Where does he live?” I said.

  “Vegas,” Detective Williams said. “He works at one of the casinos. Blackjack dealer.”

  “What about the wife?” I said. “Where does she live?”