by Abby Deuel
"I am going to work the horses with Hamish. He has been wanting to do a trail ride so we might do some preparation work with them for that. How about you?" asked Gillian.
"I have made arrangements to go out to Derek's farm with Rhonda to work Lyle with the sheep. We are both crazy. A day off and we find more work to do! I will handle the bobcat so you can have a full day off. I'll check on him before I go out and when I get back in. We can start having longer stints between feedings since he is able to eat more at each one."
"I can take a weekend if you'd like."
"Deal."
"Roast duck for dinner tomorrow?"
"I look forward to it," said Mandy.
Chapter 10
Mandy and Lyle stayed at Anna's house. They woke up leisurely, but early. They both enjoyed a breakfast uninterrupted by anything. They got their belongings together for a day at the farm and headed over to the clinic to feed the bobcat and check the last remaining Warner dog. He was finally starting to show normal neurological function. Mandy offered him some canned food, which he ate readily, also a good sign. She called the Warner boys for them to come and pick him up. They were already in town and came straight away. Mandy explained that it would take a while for him to be strong, but he was at least taking nourishment on his own and showing normal cognition.
The bobcat ate his milk, but still seemed hungry. Mandy offered him a syringe filled with a mixture of milk fortified with baby cereal. He seemed reluctant to try something new. Once she squirted some into his mouth, he noisily took to the variation on the theme. She figured he was ready to start having a bigger gut fill with each meal and cereal would have a longer glucose curve.
Rhonda arrived just as Mandy was putting the bobcat back in his cage. They took precautions to avoid imprinting. They had a noise machine to emit ambient sounds so he would not become accustomed to people's voices or dogs barking. The plan was to release the bobcat back into the wild to be a normal, freed bobcat. Mandy had done a lot of research into the best time to release him, which would depend on when he was able to eat efficiently on his own. In theory, that would be a long way off from now.
For now, it was time to let off some steam with Lyle, Rhonda, and some sheep. They decided to ride in one vehicle. Lyle was not impressed to be ousted from the front to the backseat. She resigned when Mandy made it clear that there were sheep at the end of this ride.
The drive out to the farm was pleasant. The winter weather hadn't yet settled in. They didn't have the roof on the Jeep on so they could enjoy the sunshine as they drove. After a hectic week at the clinic, Mandy badly needed some vitamin D. Lyle's ears were flapping in the wind. Despite Rhonda's attempts to tie her hair back, whisps of it were breaking free and dancing in the wind. All three were looking forward to a relaxing day.
As they came around the corner to the farm, Lyle was bouncing with glee in the back of the Jeep. This was the third trip Mandy had taken out to Derek's farm and Lyle loved every minute of it. She rarely showed so much enthusiasm for a car ride. Her recent trips to the farm had shed a whole new light on the potentials of road trips. Mandy felt fulfilled, knowing that she was finally providing the type of stimulation that her Border collie needed.
Arriving at the farm, they went to the paddock Derek had told Mandy to use for the day. There was a small flock of young ewes, joining together in the distance. One ewe had gone a different direction when Mandy, Rhonda, and Lyle arrived, startled by their presence. Lyle effortlessly crossed the paddock to reunite the stray ewe with the flock. The frost on the ground made her take more deliberate steps to avoid getting frozen feet in the standing puddles. The ewe took a detour into a stand of bushes.
Ever the diligent herder, Lyle trekked into the bushes but instead of emerging with the sheep in her sight, she remained in the bushes and began barking maniacally. Lyle, being a natural quick-study for herding, Mandy had not needed to do much training with her. So she thought it was odd for Lyle to be barking, not normally a characteristic of a herding dog.
"I've never heard her bark like that. We better go see what she's found," said Mandy, already heading that way from their vantage point on the hill.
"Perhaps there is a hurt lamb," said Rhonda as they meandered through the pasture to the location. Lyle was directing them toward the bush with her intense gaze. The ewe had reunited with the flock and there were no other sheep in sight. They approached the bush cautiously. There had been some coyotes sighted in the area recently. Mandy knew enough about the Midwest not to approach a coyote that was active during the day. Normally nocturnal, a day-time sighting of a coyote could indicate an illness, specifically rabies.
Lyle backed off so the humans could get a better look. Her posture indicated that she was ready to protect her people should there be any imminent altercations. Mandy knelt down as Rhonda stood cautiously behind her. Mandy pulled back a few branches of the bush. She leapt back, clearly distraught at her findings.
"Oh my gosh. That's Derek. He doesn't look so good," said Rhonda in astonishment.
Mandy reached down to check his pulse. Nothing. His body was limp and cold to the touch with a bit of frost on the tips of his shoes.
"We better call your husband. He appears to be deceased."
"I will call him right away," Rhonda said, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. She had to move further out of the gully to higher ground to get reception.
Mandy hadn't seen Derek this morning. Since they had been there several times, she was comfortable with the farm gates and layout. They had spoken on the phone and made arrangements for which paddock and sheep they could use for practice. The last time she had spoken to him was yesterday. Now thinking about it, she thought something else was strange. If Derek was in a bush, where was his Great Pyrenees, Maggie? She was typically wherever Derek was and would have at least checked with Lyle since they arrived.
Having been involved with the discovery of Buck Dawson's murdered body, Mandy knew the drill. She wouldn't touch anything so as not to tamper with evidence. Crestview had welcomed her for the most part, with the exception of Larry, the chief. He was still holding a grudge that she had solved Buck's murder before the police force had. If this was indeed a murder, Mandy would not be able to resist investigating. Last time, she blamed it on clearing the name of Crestview in honor of Anna. This time, she had to be honest with herself. She liked the buzz of investigating, putting clues together until she could come up with a plausible explanation. It mirrored how she practiced veterinary medicine. In a hard medical case, her approach involved the same sleuthing techniques she employed when investigating. She would, of course, keep this secret from Larry. No need to create unnecessary ripples in the Crestview pulse.
"Tom, you'll have to come quickly. There has been a death, perhaps even a murder. We are at Derek's farm. You'll see Mandy's truck. We will be waiting there for you." Mandy joined Rhonda as she was hanging up with Doc Tom. "We should wait on the top of the hill so we have a better vantage point to see Tom arrive," said Rhonda.
"Sounds good to me. I'm glad I wasn't alone this time," said Mandy.
"What is it with you and discovering bodies?" asked Rhonda.
"I have no idea," Mandy said. Lyle knew that something had changed the ambiance of the group. She shied away from the sheep, sticking to Mandy like glue.
Chapter 11
Doc Tom arrived within fifteen minutes. He must not have been that far away. He parked by Mandy's Jeep and Lyle showed him the way to the bush. Mandy and Rhonda caught up with them. Tom was unpacking his stethoscope to examine Derek's body, checking for a pulse, pupil reaction in his eyes, a heartbeat, and response to pain. He shook his head and folded up his stethoscope back into his leather doctor's bag.
"Mandy called it correctly. Evidently, Derek passed away right here. I won't know until we take him into the morgue to do a post mortem exactly how he died. I do find it strange that there is no evidence of trauma whatsoever. He seemed young to just drop dead. I have been treati
ng him ever since he moved here and he has never complained of chest pains or any early warning signs for a heart attack. I am just speaking out-loud here. I am not encouraging you to take it upon yourself to get involved," Tom said, making specific eye contact with Mandy.
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," said Mandy. "It would just be nice to know that he didn't suffer."
"Definitely," said Rhonda.
"I will call in Larry and Gerry and an ambulance to get the ball rolling," said Doc Tom. "Where can I get the best reception here?"
"I had to go up the hill a bit. I will follow you," said Rhonda.
Mandy paid her respects to her friend of only a short time and then joined Tom and Rhonda up the hill.
"So much for your relaxing day off," said Tom. "Sorry about this, ladies. Maybe a nice lunch at the Inn? I can wrap things up here and wait for the boys. You don't need to stick around."
"What about Derek's farm? Who will move the sheep and make sure everything is OK?" asked Rhonda.
"He just moved everyone a few days ago. He told me they are on a month-long rotation of each paddock. They will be good for a while. Lyle and I can come to check them periodically. I can take his dog into the clinic for safe-keeping," Mandy said.
"Don't worry yourselves about that right now. I will talk to Larry and Gerry about it. We can all take turns until some relatives are located," said Doc Tom. "You ladies OK to drive?"
"I think we are fine. No visible blood makes for a much less traumatic body discovery. He just looks like he fell asleep," said Mandy.
"OK, well head on in and I will update you when we are done here," said Doc Tom.
"Thanks," said Mandy.
"That's why I love you, Doc Tom. You are always the man with the plan," said Rhonda. Tom tipped his hat in response to his wife. They blew each other a kiss and went their separate ways.
"You up for some lunch?" asked Mandy to Rhonda.
"Always," said Rhonda. "I'm sure sorry that this happened on your long-awaited day off. What was it that Gillian was saying? Bad things come in threes?"
"Yes, I think I have filled my quota for the moment." Lyle licked her neck and leaned into the space between the two front seats.
"Let's start a new one. Good things come in fives. And we'll start with some home-cooked fare from the Inn," said Rhonda.
They drove into town, not stopping to drop Lyle off. She deserved a treat, too. Town was pretty empty. They decided not to mention anything about Derek until they had heard from Doc Tom or Larry and Gerry. There was no need to get anyone jazzed up about what was potentially a natural cause of death. It would be nearly impossible for Rhonda and Mandy to hide something that big from anyone they spoke to. They would have to rally, though.
They got a table in the back, away from foot traffic. Myrna delivered the glorious news that the special of the day was cream of morel mushroom soup. Morels are a true delicacy to Midwesterners. They could only be harvested one to two weeks out of every year. They grew in secret locations, and could not be cultivated. It is one of the most exciting times of the year, when everyone starts skulking around their woods, hunting for nature's delicious gift. Patches of mushrooms on land are guarded from trespassers and kept a secret. The excitement in the air mirrors that of the passion a male elk exudes during the rut or mating season. Mushrooms are the only thing on everyone's mind. They stop bathing, working. They put aside as much time as possible during those few precious weeks when they can capture that flavor.
Lucky for Crestview, Myrna and Merv had a secret hunting location and dried their wears to make soups and pizzas throughout the year. The flavor of anything made with a fresh dried morel rivals any of the most sophisticated exotic foods, and it grows free in the wild, if you know where to look for it. Mandy and Rhonda shot each other a look.
"Yes please!" they said in unison.
"It comes with our artisan loaf and butter. Anything else I can get you ladies?" asked Myrna.
"No. That's perfect," said Rhonda. As Myrna left, Rhonda said, "See, we have already started an upward trend. Morel mushroom soup has got to be the first good thing in the list of five we are to experience."
"See, I've never tried morels, but Anna was always speaking of the mushroom-picking frenzy. I am sad that I missed that. It is nice to know I can try the flavor. I didn't know you could dry them," said Mandy.
"You certainly can. However, it is one of those foods that is very hard to have any leftovers of. Now tomatoes, it's easy to can and preserve them. You get sick of eating them and suddenly no one in town wants any, even if you give them away free. Morels are never given away. They are even hard to buy. No one ever seems to have spare morels."
"Interesting. I can't wait to try them. How do you know so much about them. You're not from here," said Mandy.
"I've lived here long enough to catch the bug. I help Tom hunt every year."
Myrna brought over the steaming, creamy goodness. It was a generous helping, served in a clay pot. The artisan bread was clearly home made and the sight of the butter melting on the toasted bread and the tastefully presented soup made Mandy and Lyle both drool. Rhonda and Mandy took their first slurps. They both purred in ecstasy.
"I'm sorry, Lyle. I will share the bread and butter. This soup is not for dogs," said Mandy.
"That's a first. You always share," said Rhonda.
"Some things are even too sacred to share with a dog," said Mandy.
Chapter 12
After lunch, Rhonda and Mandy headed back to the clinic. They checked on the bobcat, who was ready to eat again. He was growing so fast that it seemed to always be hungry. Emma and Jimbo were ready for their dinner, even though they were about four hours early. Mandy stayed strong and explained to two disagreeable cats that they would have to wait until dinner to eat or they would be sorry when the interval to wait for breakfast felt so long.
Rhonda's phone rang.
"Hello? Yes, she's still with me. Why? Oh my. OK, we'll wait for you here," said Rhonda.
"What's happened?" asked Mandy.
"Derek's dog is falling ill. They are really worried about her. Gerry is bringing her in here for you to look at. They could be being too cautious, but they said she's acting strange," said Rhonda.
"I see. Anything we can do to help. You want to stick around?"
"Of course. We started this journey together today. I'm in it for the long haul," said Rhonda.
Gerry rushed in just a few minutes later, holding Derek's dog in his arms. She was like a wet noodle, hanging over his arms.
"She's really deteriorated since I put her in the car. I have no idea what could've happened," said Gerry. "Can you help her?"
"Let's give it our best shot. Put her on the exam table here," said Mandy. She proceeded to check every nook and cranny on Maggie. Her pulse was weak and thready. She was running a high fever. Her eyes were not responding to the light Mandy shined in her eyes. "This is not good. She is barely with us. We need to get her cooled down and on some fluids first."
Mandy proceeded to prep a vein and insert a catheter. She put the bore on full throttle to start cooling down Maggie. She then hooked up a machine to monitor the pulse while she pondered.
"What can we do to help?" asked Rhonda.
"I'm just processing what could be happening here. It seems like it has got to be a toxin to act this quickly. I just can't think of what. My first mission is to stabilize her. I'm not sure there is anything you guys can do right now. Except, Gerry, can you tell me anything out of the ordinary at all about how you found Maggie?"
"She was laying up by the house in the shade. There was nothing unusual around her."
"Any vomiting or diarrhea nearby?"
"Not that I saw. It looked like she was sitting on the porch, waiting for Derek to come home."
"Was there water and food nearby?"
"Not that I saw. I wasn't imagining she was going to get sick. I was more looking for clues that might shed light on Derek's death."
"A
ny chance I can have a look around?"
"I'll call the chief."
Meanwhile, Mandy kept checking different things on the dog. She sniffed it for evidence of any topical toxicity. The dog smelled of dirt and sunshine, the way a farm dog should. There was no evidence of an accident. There were no scabs, no blood. She checked all of her feet and nails. No scuffing to indicate any road trauma. Nothing. One thing Mandy was sure of and that was that the dog was deteriorating before their very eyes. Nothing Mandy was doing was slowing down her demise.
Gerry returned. "He said you can, if you think it will help save her. I can take you out there. I have strict instructions not to allow you to investigate or catch any details on the Derek case."
"Alright. I promise. I just want to help this dog, for Derek's sake," Mandy said. "Are you OK staying with her. All you can do at this point is make sure the fluids keep running. If you see they are not, first readjust her leg to see if it's positional. If that doesn't work, you can flush it like this," Mandy said as she showed Rhonda how to flush a catheter. "I wish I could do more. I can't get blood work back until tomorrow and I don't think we have that much time. There's no sign of trauma. X-rays won't help us. We don't have an ultra-sound. This is a real mystery."
"Let's head off so we can get back quickly," said Gerry.
"Perfect. If you need anything, call me," said Mandy to Rhonda.
They headed off in the police car. Gerry didn't turn the sirens on so as not to alert the community that anything was amiss. It took a much shorter time with the ability to not follow the speed limit, though. Mandy was thankful for that since time was of the essence.
They arrived at the farm. Gerry showed her where he found Maggie. Sure enough, there was no evidence of a struggle or a sick animal. On the table on the porch was a drinking glass of something. It looked like someone had been sitting there, drinking, and then got up before they finished their glass. Mandy didn't bring Gerry's attention to this in case it was a clue that she might need later. She wanted to appear to cooperate with the law without offering everything her attention to detail allowed her to see. Under the table was another glass that was empty. It was hard to know when these were placed here and how long they had been there. It was such a windy day, anything could have happened to the glass on the floor. Mandy kept checking the area. She noticed a water bowl over by the side of the house. It looked fresh and clean. There was an empty bowl next to it which may have been for food.
