Pasture Postmortem (Mandy Bell DVM Series Book 2)
Page 13
Gillian could sense that she had lost Mandy into her own world of reading and synthesizing information. She took the hint to leave the room, opting to return to her own paperwork at the front of the clinic.
Chapter 29
Mandy was still reading the transcript when Gillian popped in to tell her that Sonya was on line two for her.
"Hello. Oh that's interesting. Spell the name again. OK, thanks," said Mandy. Apparently, Sonya did more digging into the property of Derek's and found that there was a battle a few years back with the adjoining neighbor as to where exactly the north boundary line was. It was settled without lawyers and lawsuits, but it might be important. Mandy started searching for information on the northern neighbor. It did not seem that there was anything more than a brief disagreement settled with decorum between two rational parties.
"Another dead-end," said Mandy to Lyle, who was licking the puppy. Lyle didn't even make eye contact with Mandy, instead focusing on the puppy, bringing her a tennis ball. "I see how it is. You get a puppy and suddenly I am chopped liver?" Lyle left the tennis ball for the puppy and went over to Mandy, licking her hands, making it clear that Mandy would always be her soul mate. The puppy, on the other hand, started whimpering when Lyle left her side. "It's OK, Lyle. I get it. There are things that only another dog can provide for you. I am happy that our little family is growing. Wait until you see what is in store for us."
This reminded Mandy to check in with the bank to see how things were going. She called down there to talk to the residential mortgage adviser. It seemed that no one had yet stepped forward to delay the closing of the house. Mandy's financial information looked to be in order. Therefore, the expected closing would be within a week. They had to wait on the title search to settle any liens associated with the property, which they expected would be a rather long list given Derek's monetary situation. They would be in touch as soon as all of the particulars had been sorted out.
Mandy leaned back in her chair, breathing a sigh of relief. It was a huge move to buy a house and she felt confident that it was the right place at the right time in her life. Christmas would be a whole new experience for her with a whole house to decorate. She could have a normal-sized tree for the first time in easily fifteen years. She had grown accustomed to a one-foot-tall tree that would fit on the dashboard of the RV. Although she had rallied to living in a motorhome, there were some aspects that were slightly depressing. A tree with only five ornaments was one of them.
"Back to the task at hand," said Mandy to Lyle. "We are supposed to be figuring out a murder."
Mandy pulled out the transcript and her pencil to resume skimming for facts that might lead to another angle. The people had recorded everything the professor said during his lucid moment. This included random memories from childhood, messages to his family, and shreds of information from his time as a professor. Mandy kept getting lost in learning about this stranger's life. He had a long and full life before succumbing to the evil disease of Alzheimer's that robs so many brilliant people of their own minds. She had had a relative, Aunt Pat, who had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. They had been rather close Mandy's whole life. She was almost a second mother to Mandy. It was gut-wrenching to watch a sharp and witty woman slowly reach the point where she was stuck forever in the early 50s. Towards the end, all she did was mumble about how she had to get the kids off to school and that there was a pie in the oven that would burn if she didn't get back to it. Mandy finally had to stop visiting her in the nursing home because her presence somehow triggered the distant morning routine again. Unfortunately, she never had a lucid moment once the disease set in. Mandy wondered if the professor's relatives knew how lucky they were to have the opportunity to learn more about the professor's thoughts in between long periods of total confusion.
As she read, she looked to see if he mentioned any links to the Brucetus company. Finally, toward the end of the transcript, she found a section that pertained to her search. He had indeed been the professor of Cruadhlaoich who had been a star pupil, excelling at anything the professor challenged him with. He mentioned that Cruadhlaoich had been so impressive that he had received a grant while still a student to develop a chemical for the agricultural industry. The professor said that he beamed with pride for his talented student. He assumed that Cruadhlaoich would go far in this world, bringing new blood to a normally nerdy field of agricultural chemical engineering. All of this took a turn for the worse when Cruadhlaoich became involved with developing a truly diabolical chemical that had the potential to cause widespread destruction. The preliminary tests showed that it would ruin wildlife, ecosystems, and potentially unsuspecting humans. The professor begged Cruadhlaoich to abort the trials, but greed had taken over Cruadhlaoich's judgment. Fortunately, the partner of Cruadhlaoich in the project, another young and skilled chemistry student, blew the whistle to the media about the negative effects of the chemical. Within weeks, all of the investors pulled out, the company went bankrupt, and Cruadhlaoich disappeared from the radar completely. The professor always wondered what happened to him, but he never re-surfaced again.
"Fascinating," said Mandy, "but who was the partner in the project?"
She kept reading, hoping to find the answer to her question. Instead the professor moved on to explaining which president was his favorite of all of the previous presidents of America. He chose Teddy Roosevelt, which pleased Mandy. She had been reading a book on every president to learn more about the nation's history. She had always been a fan of Roosevelt. She began to relate with the professor the more that she read, wondering if she and him would hit it off if she ever got the chance to meet him. Suddenly, the transcript ended.
"Bummer. Looks like he ran out of clear thoughts. I learned a bit more about the Brucetus mess. At least I know for sure that there is another person involved. There must be a way to figure out who is missing from the cast of characters," said Mandy out loud to no one in particular since Lyle was asleep.
She opted to take a break from thinking so hard to see what Gillian was doing. Stretching her legs might bring in a new perspective. She found Gillian at the front desk, surrounded by piles of office supplies, files, papers, and random items that she had never seen but that must have been hiding in drawers and cupboards.
"What on earth happened here?" asked Mandy.
Gillian appeared from the middle of the front desk explosion, "Oh, hi. Busted. I started with one little project and that prompted me to tear the whole place apart to get rid of some of the stuff we don't need and haven't used in years."
"Are you OK?" asked Mandy.
"Yes, why?" replied Gillian.
"Whenever I start cleaning like this, it's because I am upset about something. Cleaning is like therapy to me," said Mandy.
"Ah. No. I just thought it was time. I think I could use a tea break, though. How about you?"
"I could go for that," said Mandy. They went to the kitchenette to partake in a late afternoon caffeine fix.
"How'd the transcript play out for you?" asked Gillian.
"It shed some light on the matter. I know that I not only need to find more information about Cruadhlaoich but I also need to find his previous partner in chemistry. It seems that whoever worked with him is who basically ruined his career. That has to play a part in this somehow. I am just missing a vital element," said Mandy.
"I see. What if the chemical that killed Derek and Maggie is leading you on a wild goose chase? What if it has nothing to do with whoever made it?" asked Gillian.
"It's a possibility. The one thing that has me perplexed is the motive. Derek literally had no enemies," said Mandy.
"That is tricky. Maybe someone meant to kill someone else and somehow Derek got in the mix," said Gillian.
"I am willing to take any ideas at this point," said Mandy. "I just keep hitting brick walls."
Gerry's voice was sounding off from the front of the clinic. "Hello, anyone here. What happened in here?" asked Gerry.
"We're back here," said Mandy. Gerry joined them and Gillian produced another mug to treat Gerry to a cup of tea. For him, he chose a mug featuring a Boston terrier, which represented his authoritative stance. "Gillian is doing a little spring cleaning."
"Wait, does that mean you have a buyer for the clinic and you are getting it ready?" asked Gerry.
"Don't worry. Gillian just decided to clean since it's slow today," said Mandy.
Lyle appeared to see who had joined the party. When she saw it was Gerry, Lyle positioned herself on the floor between Mandy and Gerry. She didn't want Gerry to have any opportunity to get closer to Mandy than a few feet. Gillian placed three hot cups of tea on the counter with some pecan sandy cookies.
"Do you have any plans tonight?" asked Gerry. Lyle snarled her lip at Gerry.
"Lyle, easy. As a matter of fact, no. I need to check on the Crowley cows. I was going to start cleaning out closets at Anna's but that can wait, why?" asked Mandy.
"I wondered if you want to go to dinner at the Inn. They are serving one of my favorites tonight. Plus, I want to catch up with you about the case," said Gerry.
"Sounds great. I'll meet you at eight?" asked Mandy.
"See you then," Gerry said, placing his mug down on the counter and leaving the girls to finish their tea at a more leisurely pace.
As they completed their break, Joe arrived to pick up Talulah. All of the drawings that Mandy had made to explain the aftercare portion of Talulah's treatment were a huge help. Mandy enjoyed solving puzzles as much as any veterinarian; her favorite puzzle, however, was to figure out the best way to communicate with her client. Even if the information being relayed was bad news, Mandy felt like she had done her job if she saw a light bulb go off in her client's faces. She felt it was her duty to provide the science and medicine for clients to make their own decisions with her guidance. Not many things in life frustrated her more than finding out that a person had been to a veterinarian who had not explained everything in such a way that the client felt empowered. Mandy also found that the results were far superior when a client understood the why and the how behind a medical problem.
Gillian brought Talulah up to the front and when she saw Joe, her entire body started to wiggle in such a way that she was nearly walking sideways. Joe lit up with glee at the sight of his happy hound. The Elizabethan collar didn't affect the reunion. Mandy had explained that it was crucial that Talulah wear it until the sutures all came out to prevent one being prematurely removed. With his instructions and medicine in hand, Joe led Talulah like the queen she was to him out the door to the front seat of his truck.
"Those two are peas in a pod," said Gillian.
"Indeed they are. It's nice to see," said Mandy. "What a great end to the day. Will you give the bobcat an evening snack while I feed the puppy? I will head off after that to check the Crowley cows. And then I'll see you bright and early in the morning for fun with hogs."
"I already gave the bobcat something," said Gillian.
"That doesn't surprise me. You are very efficient," said Mandy.
"I will stay a bit late to finish cleaning up this mess I've made. Is there anything else that needs doing?" asked Gillian.
"I don't think so. Don't work yourself to death. Quiet times are when we are supposed to recharge our batteries, you know," said Mandy.
Gillian rolled her eyes in a friendly way and left Mandy to feed the puppy. Mandy and Gillian were starting to be so comfortable with one another that is was more like a sisterhood than a boss and worker.
Chapter 30
Mandy packed up her things to which Lyle took as a sign that they were leaving. She sat by the puppy in case Mandy somehow forgot to relocate her to the RV for the night.
"I wouldn't forget our little one, Lyle, don't worry," said Mandy to Lyle. She picked up the basket with the heating pad and headed out to the RV. Lyle followed diligently. Mandy already put everything in the Jeep that she needed so she was ready to hit the road. Lyle chose to stay home on puppy watch instead of accompanying Mandy.
"Suit yourself, little Lyle. I won't be too late but I do have to meet Gerry at the Inn for dinner. I'll leave you some kibble for later in your bowl," said Mandy.
Lyle curled up on the rug next to her puppy, watching Mandy leave without moving a muscle. It was clear that this bond between Lyle and puppy grew stronger every day. It would be a real treat to watch them both run and play on the farm together.
Mandy arrived at the cattle yards to find both Crowley boys waiting for her. They had a clipboard in hand and looked like they were on a mission.
"Hi there, Dr. Bell. We thought we might ship off some of the road-worthy girls in the morning, if that's alright with you," said Mr. Crowley. "We have a list of those that look ready. We'll let you be the final judge."
"OK. Let's do a walk-through together. You can point them out and I will say yay or nay," said Mandy.
"Perfect. Here we go. This one had a laceration on her leg. She seems to be weight-bearing fine," said Barth.
Mandy came in closer to the cow to assess the wound. It was healing perfectly. Mandy got out her transport certificate pad to record her number. She would have to have one certificate per beast since they had all been on different drugs for varying maladies. She could fill it all out first thing the next day, delivering the certificates before the transport truck arrived. This would give her a chance to cross-reference with her records as to which drugs were given to each cow and why. The Crowleys seemed trustworthy; her license, however, was on the line if anything was filled out incorrectly.
They moved along through the list of cows. Mandy agreed with all of their choices. It would be a matter of dotting their I's and crossing their T's for the transport to go smoothly. They were able to take half of the cows present which meant that they would have another shipment in a week or two. It was actually better to transport a few at a time like that since they were all recovering from recent injuries. This would ensure they were on a small truck with plenty of room for each cow.
"So, what's the plan, boys?" asked Mandy.
"Well, the truck will be here at nine tomorrow. We'll ship these out and then I might be able to head home and leave Barth to manage the rest of the girls for the last trip home," said Mr. Crowley.
"You in a hurry to leave Crestview?" asked Mandy, jokingly.
"Nah. I like it here. My farm needs me, though," said Mr. Crowley. "And, Barth can handle this without me."
"Sure. That makes sense. Let's look at the sick girl before I head off," said Mandy.
They found the cow in question standing at the back of the yards, drinking water. She didn't seem to be struggling to breathe. The illness had taken its toll on her as her body condition score lagged behind the rest of the girls. Mandy pulled out her stethoscope to listen to her lungs. There was one quadrant that still had more noise than Mandy liked.
"I'll give her another round of meds. That one little lobe of her lungs is being stubborn to heal. It sounds better one day and then raspy the next. I'd like to be safe rather than sorry with her," said Mandy.
"No arguments from us," said Mr. Crowley.
Mandy administered the medications required. She stepped back to survey the herd whom she felt had settled in remarkably well to their temporary accommodation. They would be ready to have more room and an actual pasture to graze. All they had to get through was one last journey on a stock truck. She wondered, given their last ride on a truck, if they would be spooked and difficult to load.
"Do you want me here in the morning to help load?" asked Mandy.
"I think we can do it. There is a well-built loading ramp here that should make it easy," said Barth.
"Since their last journey ended in disaster, they may be spooked. Call me on my cell phone if you need me. I will be vaccinating hogs tomorrow but I don't want any injuries loading up or we'll be right back where we were," said Mandy.
"Scout's honor," said Mr. Crowley, saluting Dr. Bell with his right hand.
"Perfect," said Barth.
Mandy washed her hands off with a water bottle she had in her Jeep. She also changed shirts to one that didn't have sale yard dust on it so she would be presentable enough to go to the Inn. She had worked up an appetite and was ready to see what the special was that Gerry was so excited about. She was fashionably late since the check up on one cow had turned into examining the whole herd for transport purposes. Anyone wanting to meet a veterinarian at a particular time had to expect tardiness almost all of the time. Despite Mandy's best intentions for punctuality, animal health always came first and you can never predict when one might be ill. Gerry didn't seem put off in the least. He had brought some paperwork with him, likely in case of just this type of incident.
"Hello, Gerry. I've waited all afternoon. Tell me what is the special tonight that you couldn't miss?" asked Mandy.
"Hi, Mandy. I don't even know what the special is. As long as Myrna and Merv make it, I am sure it will be a favorite of mine," said Gerry.
"Hmmph. I was expecting some grand explanation about why this meal was so dear to you," said Mandy.
"I can make one up, if you'd like," said Gerry.
"That isn't necessary. I concur that if they make it here, it's got to be delicious," said Mandy. Myrna appeared at the table to overhear Mandy's last comment which made her smile.
"What'll it be, folks?" asked Myrna. "Our special tonight is old-fashioned fish and chips with homemade coleslaw, and a side of corn fritters."
"See," said Gerry, looking at Mandy. "I'll have that and some root beer."
"Ditto, including the root beer. That sounds like a good match," said Mandy.
"Coming up," said Myrna.
"Do you not drink alcohol?" asked Mandy.
"I do, occasionally. I try to stay clear of it most of the time. I like my head clear and my mornings to start without any handicaps," said Gerry.