Catastrophe Cliff

by J A Whiting

  Peter stood and brushed the soil from his knees as Nell moved slowly forward to get a look. “Don’t get close to the edge,” he warned. “The ground seems unstable. I took some photos.” He handed his phone to her so she could see.

  Nell’s stomach tightened as she looked at the photographs and imagined Jennifer’s fall, her attempts to pull herself up, her losing her foothold on the ledge, and then grasping at the branch sticking out of the cliff as she tumbled past. Nell handed the phone to Violet so her sister and Rob could see the pictures.

  “Do you see any colors?” Rob asked his friend.

  Nell nodded and explained the particles she’d seen when they arrived.

  “Red and black,” Rob nodded. “Fear, anger, and death.”

  “It’s hard to tell if there was a struggle or a fight here.” Peter stared at the ground. “The ground is so dry and hard it’s impossible to see if there were footprints that could indicate a conflict took place.”

  Oscar walked up to Nell and let out a whine, and when she looked down at the dog, he wagged his tail and ran to the trail that led to the west. He stopped, looked back at the people, and barked.

  “Oscar wants us to follow him.” Nell took steps towards the dog and when he saw her advance in his direction, he wagged again and bolted down the trail with Iris following after.

  “Let’s go.” Peter was the first to jog to the trail, and the others hurried after the detective.

  Oscar and Iris stopped every now and then to allow the humans to catch up, then the dogs would whirl and begin to run again with Oscar’s nose pinned to the ground.

  Violet jogged beside her sister. “Is Oscar on a wild goose chase?”

  “I don’t think so. When we were here the morning Jennifer fell, the dogs disappeared for a while. I’m going to bet they followed a scent along the trails and are doing the very same thing now.”

  After a fifteen-minute run along the paths, the group emerged at a small gravel parking lot tucked into the woods.

  The dogs sat with their tongues hanging out.

  “Why are we here?” Rob glanced around and wiped the sweat from his brow.

  Nell walked around the parking area. Only about four cars would fit in the lot. The place was off a bumpy dirt road with forest on both sides.

  In a corner of the small lot, Nell saw faint red and black particles shimmering in the filtered sunlight coming down through the leaves. Occasionally, a flash of green or orange sparked among the other specks of color.

  Nell stepped close to Peter and told him what she was seeing. “Are you thinking what I am?”

  “I bet I am.” Peter kicked at the dirt with the toe of his heavy boot.

  “The person responsible for Jennifer’s fall from the cliff parked here that morning,” Nell said.

  “I’d put money on that,” Peter told her.

  Nell turned to Violet and Rob and told them what she was thinking. “The killer must have parked in this lot and then walked or ran along the trail we were just on. He or she must have known where Jennifer was, or was going to be, and waited for her at the cliffs.” She looked down at Iris and Oscar. “The dogs must have picked up the person’s scent when they went up to the top of the cliffs that morning. They must have followed the scent from the cliffs to this parking lot.”

  “But neither dog is a bloodhound,” Rob said. “Can other breeds follow a scent?”

  “A dog doesn’t need to be a bloodhound to track a scent,” Nell explained. “When Violet and I were working the last case when we were trying to find Oscar’s former owner, Adam, we read that all dogs have an impeccable and strong sense of smell. Oscar seems to know how to track by scent. He sensed Adam in the woods here in the state park when Adam was hiding out and Oscar tracked him so we could find him. Because Adam was in the federal witness protection program, I’m going to bet that he worked with Oscar to teach him to use his scenting skills in case they ever got separated from one another.”

  Violet added, “You can teach most dogs to air scent, follow a ground track, or find objects according to how they smell. Scents can remain for a long time in shady areas that have lush vegetation. They can linger on hot sidewalks for more than four days. Most dogs can track a scent left behind for up to two weeks and some well-trained and experienced dogs can track a scent for months and even up to a year. The best chance for a dog to be able to follow scent vapors are within a few days and to do it either in the morning or the evening because the cooler temperatures at those times of day bring the scent back down to ground level.”

  Impressed by the information Violet and Nell shared with them, Rob reached down and patted Iris and Oscar. “Good work, dogs. I had no idea.”

  Nell winked at the canines. “Rob’s an eye doctor. He doesn’t know anything about smell.”

  “You’re right,” Rob said with a smile and then a nod of conviction. “But we all have our own special skills and we’re going to use them to work together to find the monster who killed Jennifer Harding.”

  “How about Jennifer’s fiancé, Kyle?” Violet asked. “I’d put him at the top of the suspect list. I didn’t like him when we met at the hospital. I don’t trust him. He didn’t seem that upset about what happened to Jennifer. He seemed more annoyed with us for bothering him with questions.”

  “I agree. Kyle’s reaction to the accident wasn’t what would be expected,” Peter told them. “That said, people can be outliers in the way they react to a disturbing event. It doesn’t mean he’s guilty.”

  “What about Jennifer’s sister?” Nell asked. “Mari Harding appeared sort of hard-hearted and serious and she didn’t seem that upset about the loss of her sister.”

  “We’ll need to talk to both of them again,” Peter said.

  Violet said, “There were also the two people who rode to the park with Jennifer and her fiancé that morning. They were Kyle’s friends and colleagues. It sounded like they went off on their own to exercise in the park and were planning to run back to town as part of their training plans.” She looked at Peter. “I’m sure they’re on your list of people to talk with.”

  “They definitely are, as well as Jennifer’s two close friends.” Peter nodded. “And we’ll be looking into everyone’s backgrounds. This wasn’t a random attack. Someone had a motive for wanting Jennifer killed.”

  “And he or she carried out her murder in a heartless, vicious way,” Rob added with a tone of disgust.

  “Shall we head back over the trails and go back to the car?” Peter asked. “Does anyone want to look at anything else?”

  Nell asked, “Can we walk over to the kettle pond before we go back?”

  “Sure,” Peter replied. “Why?”

  With a sigh, Nell said, “Because it’s beautiful … and I need to look at something calming and lovely right now.”

  Violet put her arm around her sister’s shoulders and hugged her. “That’s a great idea. Let’s all go sit on the beach for a while and stare at that gorgeous blue water, and remember that the world isn’t comprised of just monsters and murderers.”

  “Let’s go to the pond,” Nell told the dogs.

  Iris and Oscar let out happy woofs and dashed down the trail to the kettle pond, and as the foursome walked along the path, they talked about other things … things that had nothing to do with murder or death.

  But the thought of Jennifer Harding’s last conscious moments of life remained firmly at the back of their minds.

  7

  The owner of the Dots and Prints boutique, twenty-seven-year-old Fiona Locke had long, wavy, dark brown hair and big brown eyes. Her shop on Main Street had fashionable clothes, swimsuits, cover-ups, jewelry, and other accessories. Despite the early hour, the door was unlocked. Fiona was expecting them and when she saw the man and woman come in, she hurried over to greet Nell and Peter.

  “I’m Detective Peter Bigelow. Thanks so much for meeting with us before you open.”

  “I’m glad to do it.” Fiona shook hands with Peter and Ne
ll. “There’s a sitting area back here.” The young woman led them to the rear of the beautifully-decorated shop to two blue velvet sofas and a coffee table set near the dressing rooms. “Please have a seat.” Fiona had a tissue in her hand and she dabbed at the corner of her eye. “I’ve been crying a lot. It comes over me when I least expect it. I think I’m doing fine and then the tears come.”

  “It’s normal,” Peter assured Fiona.

  “I’m sorry we have to talk to you at such a difficult time,” Nell told her.

  “I just can’t believe it,” Fiona shook her head. “Jen and I have been friends for twenty years. We met in grade school. It was bad enough to hear that Jen had an accident at the cliffs, but when I heard it might be a homicide, I just about passed out. I expect a text from her all the time, and then I remember I’ll never get a text from her again.” Fiona’s face nearly crumpled with emotion, but she rubbed at her cheek and took a deep breath and was able to maintain her composure. “Even though I don’t feel like keeping the shop open, I keep regular hours for normalcy sake. I think it helps me to have a routine, to keep busy even though I feel exhausted and depleted.”

  Nell nodded understandingly. “I think that’s smart of you.”

  Fiona agreed. “If I don’t keep busy, I’ll just work myself into a crying jag. How can this have happened to Jen? Who would do such a terrible, terrible thing? She was so nice. She didn’t have any enemies. How did this happen?”

  “Law enforcement is using multiple resources and every avenue to find the answer to that question,” Peter told her.

  “Can you tell us a little about Jennifer?” Nell asked.

  Fiona glanced down and sighed. “Where to start? Jen was a great person. Helpful, smart, kind. She always had your back. She was someone I could depend on, someone I could have fun with, someone I could talk about anything with.”

  “Did Jennifer mention anyone she might have had a run-in with recently?” Peter asked. “Maybe there was someone who engaged in an argument with her?”

  “I don’t think so.” Fiona blinked. “Jen didn’t tell me anything about an argument with anyone.”

  “Did she say anything about someone who was being mean to her? Someone who had words with her over something?”

  Fiona shook her head.

  “Jennifer enjoyed being active? Being outdoors?” Nell questioned.

  “She loved being active. She did everything, hiked, biked, ran, kayaked. She was very sporty.”

  “You must know her fiancé, Kyle McLeod?” Peter asked.

  “Sure. I’ve known him for years.”

  “What do you think of him?”

  Fiona’s eyebrows went up, seemingly surprised by the question. “How do you mean? Do you mean what is he like?”

  Peter nodded. “Yes, that, and do the two of you get along? Do you like him?”

  “Kyle’s fine.” Fiona’s tone of voice didn’t really reflect that she thought Kyle was fine.

  “Did you socialize with Jen and Kyle together?”

  “Sure, we did. My boyfriend and I would have dinner with them, go out for drinks, go for a bike ride, things like that.”

  “Did you all get along?”

  “Yes, we did.” Fiona seemed to be holding something back.

  “Can you describe Kyle?” Nell asked.

  Fiona bit her lip. “He’s intelligent. He’s a math teacher at the middle school. He’s a competitive athlete.”

  “What’s his personality like?”

  Fiona hesitated. “Um, he can be talkative. He knows a lot. He likes to keep busy.”

  Nell noticed that Fiona didn’t say anything about Kyle being nice or fun or good to be around. “You don’t like him much, do you?”

  Fiona was about to protest when her shoulders drooped and she took in a long breath. “Kyle is kind of arrogant. He thinks he’s the best at everything, and he lets everyone know about it. It rubs me the wrong way.”

  “Did you have a good time whenever the four of you went out?” Peter asked.

  “Sure, yeah.” The dark-haired woman nodded. “If I didn’t like what Kyle was saying or how he was acting, I’d just ignore him. My boyfriend did the same. Really? If it wasn’t for Jen, Kyle just isn’t someone we would ever choose as a friend. He’s so competitive … in everything. To be honest, he kind of takes the fun out of some things by always having to be the best. He always has to be right about everything. It’s very tiresome.”

  “You thought Kyle and Jen were a good match though?”

  Fiona sat up straighter. “A good match? Oh, I don’t know. Who can judge other people’s relationships?”

  “Jen seemed happy with Kyle?” Nell asked.

  “Mostly.”

  “Were there issues?” Nell questioned.

  Fiona was giving off a light pink color. Worry? Discomfort? A bit of unease? Fear?

  “You know that whatever you tell us will be held in the strictest of confidence?” Peter asked the woman. “We won’t report anything you say to Kyle McLeod.”

  “I’m not pointing the finger at anyone,” Fiona said. “But Jen wasn’t as in love with Kyle as she used to be.”

  “Was Jennifer seeing someone else?” Peter questioned. “Had she started a relationship with someone else?”

  “What?” Fiona’s eyes bugged. “No, absolutely not. Jen would never do that. She was engaged to Kyle. She would never start seeing someone else when she was engaged.”

  “Was Jennifer having second thoughts about marrying Kyle?” Nell asked.

  Fiona pushed at the hair around her face. “She wasn’t sure what to do. Jen felt that marrying Kyle might be a mistake. She told me he was very bossy, thought quite a lot of himself, could be selfish, could make her feel sort of second-best in everything. This all came out when they started living together.” The young woman lowered her voice even though no one else was in the store to hear her. “Jen was good at detecting bull. Kyle can be kind of slippery. I don’t trust him. Everything is about him. He thinks the world revolves around him alone and the heck with anyone else’s feelings or wants.”

  “Do you think Jennifer would have broken up with Kyle?”

  “She may have, but I just don’t know.” Fiona shook her head and dabbed at her eyes again. “How is it possible that this happened to my best friend? Jen was such a good person. She wouldn’t hurt a fly. She’d do anything for you. Who in the world would want her dead?” Fiona’s tissue was coming close to disintegrating. “Could this have been a random attack? Did someone run into Jen in the state park and attack her? It probably wasn’t someone she knew, right?”

  “We haven’t yet reached a conclusion about that,” Peter told the woman.

  “Do you know Jen’s sister, Mari Harding?” Nell asked.

  “I know Mari. I guess I wouldn’t say I know her well, but the three of us have done things together. Mari’s an athlete, she’s sort of fanatical about exercising, working out, and competing. I like to be active, but Mari is really over the top. I don’t think it’s healthy to be so driven.”

  “Were Mari and Jennifer close?” Nell asked.

  Fiona shrugged. “They saw each other on a regular basis, but close? I don’t think I’d call it that. Jen felt like Mari put her down because she wasn’t as outstanding an athlete as Mari. Jen felt some inferiority about it even though she didn’t have any desire to do what Mari did. I suppose Jen wished she had her sister’s approval for who she was. I don’t think Jen felt appreciated or valued by her sister.”

  Nell asked, “Did Jennifer say those things to you?”

  “Not in so many words, but she alluded to having those feelings. I don’t think you’d need a degree in psychology to figure it out,” Fiona said with shake of her head. “It was pretty obvious.”

  “Had you met Kyle’s friends from work, Joel Bishop and Lindsey Horn?” Peter asked.

  “A few times. I wasn’t impressed with Lindsey.” Fiona rolled her eyes. “She seems very superficial. I think how she looks is the
most important thing to her.”

  “We heard from someone that Joel might have had an interest in Jennifer,” Nell pointed out.

  Fiona said, “I think he did like Jen. She told me once she felt uncomfortable when he was around. She told Kyle how she felt, but he blew it off. He told Jen that Joel was just a friendly person.”

  “Did you and Jennifer see a lot of each other?” Peter questioned.

  “A couple of times a week. Jen was the best. We loved being together. We always had so much fun even if we just went out to get coffee. It was always like that with us from the very first day we met.” As Fiona looked down, her face showed she was lost in thought. “What am I going to do without her?” she whispered. “What am I going to do without my best friend?”

  8

  Nell and Violet sat on the outside patio of their friend, Dani’s, coffee shop-café on Main Street. Iris and Oscar rested near the table watching the bustle of the early morning activity in town. Tall and athletic, Dani, in her late twenties, had brown eyes and long blond hair that she wore up in a loose bun while she was at work.

  The coffee shop was always a busy place with regulars and tourists congregating for delicious coffee drinks, teas, smoothies, breakfast food, and lunch specials. With so many people coming and going all day, Dani usually had her finger on the pulse of what was happening in Bluewater. She’d also been dating Detective Peter Bigelow for years.

  Wearing a navy blue apron, the shop owner sat down at the table with Nell and Violet when she brought them their coffees and breakfast pastries.

  “Is there anything new on the Jen Harding case?” Dani had known Jen on a casual basis when they both took part in evening runs with the area running club. “I haven’t talked to Peter yet today.” Dani had taken the news of Jennifer’s death hard and was eager to have the person responsible brought to justice.