Dogs and More Dogs, Another Murder

by Christa Nardi

  Melina made introductions. “Hi, Vanna. I don’t think you’ve met Sheridan Hendley. The ribbons aren’t really for decoration here. We did a quick check and immediately noted the ones obviously in the worst condition. Those are the crates with red bows. The silver bow crates? Those dogs seem to be in better shape but still need to be checked out. The green bows mean we’ve already managed to get them bathed at least. If we spotted anything suspicious, there’s a note on the top of the crate.”

  The vet exhaled. “Coffee?”

  Luke walked in as she spoke. “I’ll get coffees for all of us.”

  I heard him mutter, “Too bad there’s nothing stronger in the house” and smiled. We all went back to work.

  I wasn’t too sure who arranged it or how, but I was sure thankful when someone announced there was pizza in the kitchen and soft drinks. It was then I realized just how exhausted I was. Usually, I volunteer for about an hour and this was going on three.

  A hand printed notice in red with a hand drawn stop sign was posted outside the kitchen. “Use the bathrooms and wash your hands thoroughly with the antiseptic provided before entering the kitchen. Only wet hands allowed in the kitchen area.”

  I stuck my head in to see who was enforcing this and Willie cleared his throat. “Dr. Barksdale said to stop anyone who had dry hands. Sorry. You can’t come in here.”

  He looked a bit sheepish, hands gripping the paper towels. Although only sixteen, he was a stocky young man, almost my height. I recalled Melina said he played football at Clover Leaf High. I smiled and headed for the bathrooms, running into Maddie and Nedra, hands out and dripping.

  “No more paper towels, Sher. And Doc Barksdale said not to wipe our hands on our clothes.”

  “Willie has the paper towels in the kitchen and he won’t let you in if your hands are dry. Better hurry up and get some pizza!”

  I smiled when I realized Vanna Barksdale was monitoring the bathrooms to be sure everyone washed their hands. She hadn’t mentioned anything contagious, so maybe she was just being careful.

  Blake arrived with more supplies and took over helping with the dogs while we ate. Unfortunately, the media followed him. Although the reporters and videographers were kept at a distance, we could watch the broadcast of one perky young woman from WCLH on the small television in the kitchen while we ate.

  “Early this morning, Blake Buchanan, previously the Mayor of Clover Hill, discovered dogs abandoned and neglected at the old Stoneham place. We’re told more than twenty dogs have been rescued and brought to Clover Hill Pets and Paws. In fact, we just saw Blake Buchanan deliver ten large crates. No one knows how all those dogs ended up at the Stoneham place. There’s some talk that Justine Stoneham was a hoarder and possibly hoarded stray dogs. Then apparently, she abandoned them. No one seems to know what happened to the Stonehams or when they left. We’ll keep you posted and hopefully get some photos later today, as well as a report from Dr. Barksdale.”

  Mrs. Chantilly came into the kitchen and caught the broadcast. She was obviously upset by the report, tears running down her cheeks. Luke stepped in to comfort her and made her sit down and eat something. On the plus side, the media must not have known about the body.

  Exhausted, I let everyone know my plans. “Maddie and I can only help for another hour or so. We need to take care of Charlie and Bella, and get dinner ready. Do we know if there are still more dogs coming in?”

  “Vanna?”

  I turned in the direction of Mrs. Chantilly’s gaze. The vet had joined the group and was eating along with the rest of us.

  “Everyone, listen up. Before I get to Sheridan’s question, please take care when you go home, especially if you have pets. Just as a precaution, if you can change out of the clothes you’ve been wearing – your pants and top –before you enter the house, that is the safest. They should go straight into the washing machine. At the very least, leave your shoes off until you can spray them with disinfectant or bleach.”

  Maddie’s hand went to her mouth and several others mouths dropped. Vanna continued.

  “The last word I got as to whether there were more dogs, was a big ‘maybe’ – they’re still searching under the deck, some areas are obstructed but with space a dog might fit through to get to shelter. Unfortunately, in moving some of the debris, they found some snakes and animal control had to come take care of them. They still haven’t made it into all the rooms upstairs. Too much clutter and the men are not quite as slim as whoever lived there.”

  “How will they know when they’ve found them all?”

  She shrugged and looked to the door where Blake now stood.

  “They’re trying to air the place out. Between the smell and the clutter, you couldn’t even walk in the house without a mask. The dogs we found were still able to whine, howl or otherwise let us know where they were. Once we have the all clear, we’ll bring my dogs back over to see if they can locate any others inside. The reason I came to find you, Vanna, I just got a call. There’s one more mama-to-be on her way over and they’re hoping she waits until she gets here to deliver.”

  Vanna dropped her plate and bolted out the door, almost running into Blake who had to move fast to get out of her way.

  CHAPTER 3

  It was still chilly, but we’d left our coats in the cars and didn’t put them on over our clothes. Melina helped get all of Maddie’s other stuff from her car. She, Nedra and Willie were leaving as well. We were all exhausted.

  Brett texted as we were leaving. He’d seen the news. I let him know we were on our way home. At home, we went into the garage and I scrounged to find the bag of clothes for Goodwill so we could change. The clothes were a bit tight, not exactly fashionable, but served the purpose. Obviously, Bella and Charlie could hear us and welcomed us noisily through the door.

  Showers done and laundry going, we collapsed on the couch. I didn’t have the strength to cook dinner and Maddie had fallen asleep. I texted Brett, “Dinner. Take out?” He responded with a “thumbs up,” which made me smile. Looking at Maddie, with Bella and Charlie curled up with us, I leaned back and rested my eyes.

  The dogs woke us up when Brett pulled in the driveway. He’d picked up dinner from the Seafood Grill & Deli, one of our favorites. As we bustled around, Maddie filled him in.

  “You should have seen all the dogs, Dad. It was amazing. And so many people there. Chief Peabody even came to help with the dogs and the veterinarian and Mr. Blake and some other people.”

  Her eyes brimmed as she continued. “The mamas were so thin and could barely stand up. The pups were hungry and Nedra and I kept feeding them and trying to keep track of who we fed and didn’t.”

  She sniffed and then added, “Luke brought us some thick ribbons of different colors. We started tying a bow around the pups as we fed them. Nedra was gold and I was silver. One of them wouldn’t eat and was really weak. He got a red bow. The vet took him away.”

  I had to admit, as much as I didn’t trust Luke after his harassment of Maddie and other girls, as well as his involvement in various other illegal activities, he’d been indispensable today. Six months and an emergency seemed to bring out the best in him.

  Brett took Maddie in his arms and shook his head. “You all did good deeds today. You helped the dogs and puppies. I bet some of them were cute, but not as cute as Bella, right?”

  “Bella is the best.” She immediately picked up Bella and loved on her. “I’m hungry. Can we eat?”

  At Brett’s raised brows, I responded. “Blake brought in pizza but that was several hours ago. I’m hungry, too and it looks like you got enough seafood salad, coleslaw, and fries for an army.”

  “Were you with the mamas and pups, too?” Brett asked as we each made a plate for ourselves and I grabbed the ketchup.

  “I was in the garage dealing with the rest of the dogs. We also had to use ribbons to keep things straight. We haven’t needed to see a vet since I’ve been here. I really liked Vanna Barksdale. She was efficient and friendly at t
he same time.”

  “Good to know. I guess at some point, Charlie and Bella will at least need their checkups and shots. I saw the media clips about the dogs.”

  “Yeah, the media hounds were at their usual best. Blake wasn’t thrilled and banished them to the edge of the property. Although a shelter, he pointed out that Pets and Paws was private property. That at least got them out of the way. How was your day?”

  “Nothing special.” He shrugged. “And if it was, you’d see it on the news. Investigating tips about a possible car theft ring that may cross not only county, but state lines. The usual check on tips about drug trafficking. One questionable death that probably won’t involve the State Police – ME hasn’t determined cause of death or who the person is yet though.”

  He looked directly at me with the latter part and I caught on he was telling me what he knew.

  “I see. Interesting. Are there any state or local laws on how many dogs one person can have or anything that might relate to the dogs?”

  “There are some local ordinances about how many dogs can be in one house. Of course those vary from district to district. Mrs. Chantilly has a license to run the shelter and all the paperwork is filed and proper. Blake Buchanan saw to that. The Stonehams? I don’t know that they ever filed anything or even which district that property falls within or how the dogs ended up there.”

  Maddie chimed in, “Nedra and I tried to remember if there was anyone named Stoneham in our classes. She doesn’t remember ever knowing anyone by that name. I guess they could go to the Academy.”

  “Melina didn’t remember hearing about that family or knowing them. Blake said they kept to themselves. The kids had left the area some years ago – they’d be adults now. He didn’t know everyone else left the area as well, and he’s their closest neighbor. Maddie, do you remember when you looked up the history of Appomattox and Clover Hill – was there any mention of the Stoneham family?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t remember. That was a long time ago. I’ll check tomorrow, though. I’m too tired tonight.”

  I nodded and we kept eating. When we’d looked at the history of the area before, the focus had been on the Buchanan family and their influence locally and beyond. Pretty impressive family power and Luke was Blake’s grandson. We cleaned up and Maddie excused herself to go watch a movie. Brett was about to say something when my phone chirped.

  “Hi, Mrs. Chantilly. What’s up?”

  “Sheridan, you have to help me. Help Lacie. She works for the police department here, you know. Such a responsible person now. Not like she was before. Runaway. Her sweater. Her backpack. You have to help her. Like Luke.”

  I’d put the call on speaker as she started talking. From Brett’s knitted brows, he didn’t have any better understanding of what she wanted than I did.

  “Mrs. Chantilly, I don’t understand. What’s happened to Lacie now?”

  “Lacie’s a good girl. People don’t understand her, that’s all. You know how it is. Still, teens need a helping hand. Dogs need training and care. They teach responsibility. Not what we saw today. Two more dogs went over the rainbow bridge this afternoon.”

  I cleared my throat. “Where is Lacie now?”

  “She’s at the police station, of course. She works there you know. Now, Glenn Peabody thinks she knows something about Justine’s death. Of course, she doesn’t. She was good with the dogs here. Understood the responsibility, bonded with them. Community service gave her the opportunity to learn to trust in animals, including the two-footed variety. Although I have to say, dogs are more loyal and trustworthy than humans most days.”

  I shrugged and Brett shook his head. Even after six months, I sometimes found it hard to make sense of Mrs. Chantilly’s comments. All mixed up and not always with obvious connections.

  “I’m planning to come in again tomorrow to help out with the dogs. We can talk then, okay?”

  “Okay, Sheridan, I knew you’d help. So smart and savvy. And that husband of yours is certainly a hunk.”

  She disconnected immediately and I burst out laughing, both at her comment and Brett’s open mouth, speechless upon hearing her last comment. She may be a little ditzy, but I agreed – my husband is a hunk.

  CHAPTER 4

  Brett was long gone and I was curled up with Charlie reading Cassidy Salem’s latest mystery when Maddie woke up. Breakfast was waiting for her in the kitchen. She’s grumpy most mornings, so I kept reading until she joined me.

  “We’re going to Pets and Paws today to help with all the dogs, aren’t we?”

  “Do you want to or did you have something else you wanted to do?”

  “I want to help those dogs. There’s no way Mrs. C. can get to all of them. Even with Luke helping.”

  I smiled, proud of her. “You’re right, Maddie. Go get dressed and we’ll go over there and see what we can do.”

  She nodded and disappeared into her room. Much more awake, she emerged, dressed in record time in jeans and a long sleeve tee. She rambled about school, her friend Alex, and the puppies. Meanwhile, I replayed the call from Mrs. Chantilly in my head. When we arrived, it seemed quiet compared to the prior craziness. We went in and Luke rushed past us with a quick “back in a minute.”

  Maddie and I ventured into the kitchen. In the remodel when Mrs. Chantilly took over, the cabinets became lockers and I stuffed our jackets and my purse in one of them. Surprised there wasn’t any coffee made, I put on the pot. Too bad Mrs. Chantilly didn’t have a Keurig. Luke joined us and sat down, winded.

  “What’s up, Luke? You look exhausted.”

  “That’s an understatement. It wasn’t too bad yesterday with all the extra hands and help and Doc Barksdale. Then everyone started to leave and all the dogs needed to go out and some obviously aren’t house-broken or crate trained or strong enough to make it outside. I kept trying to make a chart of all the dogs and their needs…” He shook his head.

  “We came to help. Did you or Mrs. Chantilly try to call Melina? Any of the other volunteers?”

  He nodded. “Melina – and Nedra and Willie – are coming after lunch. Daisy and Susie should be here sometime this afternoon, assuming their flights got in on time. The other volunteers are still on vacation. They won’t be back until Friday or Saturday.” Daisy and Susie were two other volunteers who helped out a couple days a week.

  Maddie’s face lit up at the mention of Nedra. “Wait, I can call Alex and see if he can come help.” At Luke’s nod, she pulled out her phone and walked out of the kitchen.

  “Where’s Mrs. Chantilly and where do you need us to start?”

  “She left early this morning and told me to ‘carry on’ and ‘everything will be fine.’ As if it was a normal day. She didn’t say where she was going, but Lacie stopped by last night and then called first thing this morning. Lacie is a piece of work and Mrs. C. doesn’t get it.”

  I nodded and then realization hit. He still had the same shirt and pants on as the day before and needed a shave. “Luke, have you been here all night? Did you get any sleep? Breakfast?”

  He put his hands up. “I slept a couple of hours. As for breakfast, I’m hoping Mrs. C. brings some back with her. I finished the pizza last night.”

  He shook his head and drank the coffee I’d put on the table. After checking the provisions in the kitchen, I leaned out the door. Maddie was still on the phone.

  “Maddie, is Angie going to bring Alex over?” Angie Champlin was Alex and Karla’s mom, a nurse, and widow. Alex and Maddie had been on the short end of Luke’s shenanigans during the summer.

  At her nod, I continued, “Ask her to bring some breakfast food – Luke hasn’t had breakfast and there’s no human food here.”

  “She doesn’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.”

  I ignored him. “What can we do?”

  He exhaled. “Maddie is great with the mamas and pups. She knows what to do. Nedra, too. If you can help with the others that would be great. I never finished with a listing and we don
’t have names. If you spot something the vet needs to see, they get a red ribbon like you were doing yesterday. She’s supposed to be back later today. I’ll check on the dogs in the back room.”

  I nodded and with coffee in hand went to the garage to see what I could do. It was overwhelming to see so many dogs, all looking needy. More than when I’d left the day before. Some yelping, some barking, some barely moving, one with a splinted leg. Luke had managed to assign a number to each crate and the clipboard indicated the last time the dog or dogs in that crate had food, fresh water, and gone out, and the last time the crate had been cleaned. I got to work.

  By mid-morning, I needed more coffee and a few minutes of rest. Back at the main house, I found Luke snoring at the table, pastry and cereal on the table. Voices filtered in from the front door. Putting my finger to my lips, I diverted Mrs. Chantilly and a woman I guessed to be in her early thirties to the hallway.

  “Shhh. Luke’s asleep.”

  “It’s so good to see you, Sheridan. Blake is a good boy. Luke, too. I know you all have it under control here. I’ll have dog biscuits ready in no time. Did you know there’s a nice young man in there with Maddie? So glad you’re going to help Justine.”

  I started to ask if she meant Lacie and hesitated. She breezed right by me and I looked to the other woman. She was a little taller than me and slim, with brown hair pulled back tightly. Blue eyes and porcelain skin gave her an Asian appearance. She stood very straight, almost regal. Her face reflected no emotion as if what Mrs. Chantilly said made perfect sense.

  “I’m Sheridan, a volunteer here. Did you come to help out with all the dogs?” I reached out my hand to shake and she stepped back. I withdrew my hand and worked at keeping a smile on my face.