The Case of the Unfettered Utonagan

by B R Snow

  “One bag of bite-sized, please. And no skimping. I want the party pack.”

  Chapter 17

  I sat quietly, staring into the fire, my neurons relentless. I toyed with what was left of my dessert then set my fork down and pushed my plate away.

  “Dollar for your thoughts?” Josie said.

  “A whole dollar?”

  “You seem to have a lot on your mind,” she said with a grin. “Offering a penny would be lowballing you.”

  “Well, I should warn you. You get what you pay for. Right now, my thoughts are a mess.”

  “I know I’m going to regret this,” she said. “But do you want to talk about it?”

  “I guess my first question is why would anybody want to kill Peters over a bunch of wolf hybrids?”

  “I think we both know the answer to that one. Nobody would.”

  “Yeah,” I said, sitting back on the couch and rubbing my stomach. “Then the motive has to be jealousy or money. Maybe both.”

  “The wife?” Josie said, then took a sip of Limoncello.

  “That’s what the Chief and Detective Williams think. As soon as Peters will is declared null and void, which it will be, they’re convinced she’s going to get everything.”

  “It sounds pretty straightforward,” Josie said. “The scorned wife seeking revenge and wanting to get her hands on his money.”

  “I suppose,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “Althea is the key to this thing.”

  “But she’s dead.”

  “It’s always something, right?”

  “There’s that sense of humor,” Josie said. “Larry the Loser seemed genuinely surprised today?”

  “He did. And there was no way he was going to get away with it,” I said. “Unless he was playing dumb when he read the thing and tries to tough out whatever threats or lawsuit the wife throws at him. But he was clearly shocked by what was in that version of the will. And he made no effort to hide it.”

  “If the wife was behind it, how the heck did she cross paths with Althea?”

  “That, my friend, is a very good question.”

  “Do you think Larry is going to be charged with Peters’ murder?”

  “I don’t think the cops have any other option,” I said, again rubbing my forehead.

  “Even though the Chief and Detective Williams don’t think he did it?” Josie said, frowning.

  “He was caught red-handed writing himself in as a beneficiary then listing himself as the sole trustee of a multi-million-dollar account. And the only person who might be able to clear him went off a cliff. I think the cops and lawyers call that a smoking gun.”

  “Then I guess you’ll have to figure out what’s going on, right?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “So, you’ve got one?”

  “Right now, all I’ve got is a jigsaw puzzle with a bunch of missing pieces.”

  “You’ll figure it out.”

  “I need to talk to Larry.”

  “Well, here’s your chance,” Josie said, nodding at the end of the bar where Larry was sitting by himself slumped over his drink. “But you better hurry. It looks he’s been here awhile.”

  “Why not?” I said, slowly working my way off the couch onto my feet. “Wish me luck.”

  I headed for the bar and gently tapped the lawyer on the shoulder. He did a half-turn and forced a smile.

  “Hey, Suzy. Have a seat.”

  “No, I think I better stay upright. I almost didn’t make it off the couch.”

  “It’s quite a load you’re carrying. I’ll give you that,” he said, giving me a quick once-over.

  “Load?”

  “Sorry. Bad choice of words.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I heard you had the reading of Jeremy Peters’ will today,” I said, going for casual.

  “Where did you hear that?” he said, raising an eyebrow at me.

  “Small town,” I said, rocking back and forth on my heels. “So, can I assume everyone was happy with the news?”

  Larry snorted then drained the last of his drink. I caught Millie’s eye and motioned for another round.

  “Let’s say I’ve had better days and leave it at that,” he said, crunching an ice cube.

  “Where’s the fun in that, Larry?” I said, gently punching him on the shoulder.

  He stared at me as if I had somehow invaded his personal space then shrugged.

  “I think I’m being set up,” he said, taking a sip of his fresh drink.

  “For what?” I said, deciding to play my cards close.

  “Peters’ murder. What else?”

  “Who would want to do that to you?”

  “Althea is my best guess at the moment,” he said, draining half his drink. “I definitely need to have a little chat with her, but she’s nowhere to be found.”

  “This is none of my business, but what sort of relationship did the two of you have?”

  “At first, it was great,” he whispered. “Then it went south in a hurry.”

  “What happened?”

  “I really don’t know. One day, we’re talking about moving in together, the next she’s making plans to move to Colorado. Without me.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. “Why don’t you tell me what happened today?”

  To my surprise, he did. I listened closely to his description of the reading, a very accurate overview of what we’d heard. When he finished, he stared at me again, obviously waiting for a response.

  “Well?” he said, after a long pause.

  “I have to agree with you, Larry. It sounds like somebody is setting you up.”

  “But why would Althea do it?”

  “What was her involvement with Peters’ will?” I said, tossing my line in the water.

  “She pretty much handled all of it,” he said. “And she also signed off as the witness.”

  “The three of you signed the will in your office?”

  “Nah, I left that to her,” he said, swirling the ice in his glass. “I signed it later after it was written up.”

  “But you met with Peters, didn’t you?”

  “Only briefly. Althea brought him to me as a client. We chatted for a few minutes, then I left the office to study.”

  “Study?” I said, confused.

  “For my Series 6 exam.”

  “Series 6?”

  “Yeah, it’s the test you have to pass to be licensed to sell financial products. You know, mutual funds, annuities, stuff like that.”

  “Sure, sure.”

  “That test is a mother, so I was studying like crazy for months. During that time, Althea pretty much ran my practice. I’d show up for certain meetings and sign off on various documents.”

  “But you read the will, right?”

  “I scanned it,” he said with a shrug. “It was pretty standard, and Althea walked me through the main points.”

  “Geez, Larry,” I said, frowning at him. “You didn’t even read the thing?”

  “Like I said, I was busy. And I trusted her completely.”

  “Got it,” I whispered. “Do you remember anything Althea told you?”

  “I remember Peters’ left the house to his wife. And the guy who was supposed to get control of the money. I vaguely remember some of the names of the other beneficiaries. That’s about it.”

  “Why do you think Althea listed you as a beneficiary and the trustee of Peters’ money?”

  “Obviously it was part of whatever setup this is,” he said, waving his empty glass at Millie.

  “Please, don’t do that,” I said, scowling at him.

  “Do what?”

  “Wave your glass at Millie like that,” I said. “She’s a server, not your servant.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, giving me a confused stare. “Geez, what brought that on?”

  “The people who work here are family,” I said, still agitated. “And family members are to be treated with respect.” Then my neurons flared and I flinched.

/>   “Are you okay?” Larry said. “Is the baby kicking?”

  “No, I’m fine,” I said, taking a few deep breaths. “Who else was at the reading today?”

  “Your new vet was there. Peters left her his wolf research, whatever the heck that is. And he also gave her some hunting lodge out in the woods.”

  “Yeah, she mentioned it.”

  “Not that she’s going to get her hands on it after the wife gets through with me. He gave a rare book to one of his research assistants. And his brother got a thousand bucks. Man, he was not a happy guy.”

  “No, he wasn’t,” I said, deep in thought.

  “What?”

  “I said I’m sure he wasn’t,” I said, recovering quickly. “Was anybody else there?”

  “Just the guy who was supposed to get control of Peters’ funds. Charles Howard.”

  “How did he take the news?”

  “Nothing seemed to faze the guy,” Larry said. “He made a few comments, even laughed a couple of times after it became clear things were heading south in a hurry. But he barely blinked when the wife started talking about getting the will invalidated. If I was about to be cut out of a deal like that, I doubt if I’d be that calm.”

  “Maybe he had something bigger in mind,” I said, unsure where the comment came from.

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t have a clue,” I said, shrugging.

  “He’s a money guy,” Larry said. “And one of Peters’ major investors. But how could there be any money in wolf research?”

  “That’s a very good question, Larry.”

  “Thanks. I occasionally ask them,” he said, taking another long sip from his drink.

  “How many of those have you had?” I said, nodding at his glass.

  “More than one.”

  “You might want to keep a clear head.”

  “I’ll worry about that tomorrow,” he said, draining his glass. He was about to wave it in the air when he stopped and waited patiently until he caught Millie’s eye. He grinned at me. “Better?”

  “Much,” I said, laughing.

  “I just can’t figure out why Althea would do that to me.”

  “Love or money,” I said without hesitation. “Or love of money.”

  “You think she’s getting a cut?”

  “Not anymore,” I whispered, deciding the news about the woman’s death should come from the cops and not from me.

  “Yeah, I imagine whatever scam she was working has probably crashed and burned.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” I said, frowning at the thought of Althea’s car going off the mountain. “Okay, Larry. I need to get going. It’s been a long day.”

  “You’ll get no argument from me,” he said, sipping his fresh drink. “But tomorrow has to be better, right?”

  “As long as you don’t try to drive yourself home tonight, I’m sure it will be.” I caught Millie’s eye and motioned her over. “Keys, Larry.”

  “What?”

  “Give Millie your car keys,” I said. “You can pick them up tomorrow.”

  “You’re taking my keys?”

  “We are,” I said. “Somebody will give you a lift home.”

  “Nah, that’s fine,” he said, handing Millie his keys. “I’ll just walk.”

  “Good idea. The fresh air will do you good.”

  “Okay,” he said, draining his glass. “If I’m walking, then I’m gonna keep drinking.”

  Chapter 18

  I shuffled back and forth on my feet in front of the fire, my movements severely limited due to my condition. But despite my lack of physical progress, my mind was going a thousand miles an hour. Rooster watched me with a puzzled look and eventually had to ask.

  “What on earth are you doing?”

  “She’s pacing,” Josie said as she eyed the appetizer tray on the coffee table in front of her.

  “Thanks for clarifying,” Rooster said.

  “She’s right,” I said, coming to a stop. “It’s the best I can do these days.”

  “I would have gone with marching in place, but that’s just me,” Rooster said.

  Lacey entered the room carrying a pot of coffee and four mugs. She set them down on the coffee table, sampled from the tray, then poured.

  “How are the hybrids doing?” I said.

  “As well as can be expected,” Lacey said. “It’s not much of a life being caged up like that.”

  “How’s the litter of pups?” Josie said.

  “They’re gorgeous,” Lacey said. “I think they’re about a week away from being ready for some solid food.”

  “How much wolf do you think they have in them?” I said, resuming my pacing.

  “More than I care to think about,” Lacey said. “What are the cops saying?”

  “Well, the good news is you’re pretty much off the hook,” I said.

  “Even though Jeremy left me this place?”

  “Nobody knows for sure what he left to anybody,” I said. “But you’re way down the list of suspects.”

  “And Larry?” Rooster said.

  “That’s where it starts to get weird,” I said. “The Chief and Detective Williams are almost positive he didn’t do it. But he’s probably still going to be charged with Peters’ murder.”

  “Almost positive?” Rooster said, raising an eyebrow. “They’re hedging their bets?”

  “I don’t know if I’d call it hedging. It’s more like they’re just baffled,” I said, then took a sip of coffee.

  “I feel bad about spending so much time out here,” Lacey said. “I just start working for you guys, and I end up being AWOL most of the time.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Josie said. “I’m happy to cover it until things clear up.”

  “Thanks, Josie. What are we going to do with them?”

  “I have no idea,” I said. “But one thing we’re definitely going to do is make sure Peters’ wife never gets her hands on them.”

  “She was pretty clear about wanting to put them down,” Lacey said.

  “As were you when you told her over your dead body,” I said. “How did she react when you said that?”

  “She gave me her best death stare,” Lacey said. “But I think she was worried about other things.”

  “Like getting her hands on her dead husband’s money,” Josie said, reaching for a bacon-wrapped jalapeno popper. She nodded her approval as she worked her way through it. “These are excellent, Rooster.”

  “Thanks,” he said, reaching for one. “Chef Claire gave me the recipe. The secret is to grill the jalapenos first.”

  “I wish other secrets were a bit easier to uncover,” I said, resuming my pacing again as I glanced around the enormous room. “If you do somehow end up owning this place, those stuffed animal heads really need to go.”

  “Tell me about it,” Lacey said with a laugh.

  “But I do like that wolf painting,” I said, focusing on the large canvas hanging on one of the walls.

  “Yeah, me too,” Rooster said, studying the painting of a solitary wolf baying while bathed in moonlight. “It really captures the spirit and determination of the lone wolf.”

  “Well, look at you,” Josie said. “Well done, Art.”

  “Art?” Rooster said, frowning at her.

  “Yeah. Art Critic. Jack London would be so proud.”

  “And you call her weird,” Rooster said to Josie as he nodded in my direction.

  “Jeremy used to have that painting in his office,” Lacey said. “He said it was the perfect representation of how he saw himself.”

  “As a lone wolf?” I said.

  “Yeah. The ultimate loner. Forced to fend for himself and spend life on the periphery, never completely trusted by anyone.”

  “The poor baby,” Josie said, shaking her head. “Anybody who messed around with those animals the way he did deserved to spend his life alone.” She focused on Lacey. “What the heck did you see in the guy?”

  “It took some time
before I figured out how…misguided Jeremy was,” Lacey said with a shrug.

  “Misguided? The guy was a nutjob.”

  “Not at first,” Lacey said. “At least, I didn’t see it. But as soon as I did, I got away from him as fast as I could.”

  “Did the cops find anything useful in his journal?” Rooster said.

  “Not really,” I said. “Detective Williams had a tech with a science background take a look at it. But it’s just a collection of drawings, some formulas, a bunch of different quotes, and a lot of rambling passages about mankind’s need to conquer the future.”

  “Conquer the future?” Rooster said.

  “Yeah, it’s a theme that runs through the journal,” I said, then focused on Lacey. “Does that make any sense to you?”

  “Not any more than Jeremy’s other theories,” she said, shaking her head. “He had a bunch of them. Aliens living among us, secret government conspiracies, the evils of fluoride in the water supply. Name the subject, he had a crazy opinion about it.”

  “I can’t believe he didn’t have a ton of stuff written down about his work with the hybrids,” I said, the question again forcing its way to the surface and tormenting me like a nagging tooth. “It seems counterintuitive to the way the guy operated.”

  “It is,” Lacey said. “Jeremy was meticulous about writing things down.”

  “Maybe he decided to get rid of it,” Rooster said. “He might have realized at some point he’d hit a dead end and tossed it in the fireplace.”

  “I’m not sure I agree with you, Rooster,” Josie said. “There are several generations of hybrids caged up out back. That doesn’t sound like a dead end to me.”

  “On the surface, maybe not,” Rooster said. “But who knows what his real goals were? Maybe he just gave up at some point.”

  “And burned his research notes in a fit of rage?” I said, frowning.

  “Stranger things have happened,” Rooster said, protesting.

  “Yeah, but I still find it hard to believe,” I said.

  “Lots of times the truth surprises you,” he said. “One thing I’ve learned the hard way is that it’s easy to miss simple truths. Sometimes it’s hiding in plain sight.”

  “Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” I said softly, rocking back and forth on my heels as I looked around the room. My eyes landed on the wolf painting, and I studied it closely. Then my neurons surged and I flinched.