by B R Snow
We climbed in the car, and I started it and turned the heater up. I tried to catch my breath then felt Josie nudge my shoulder. I glanced over at the cannoli she was holding.
“Thanks,” I said, savoring the first bite. “You know, if I felt half as good working out as this cannoli makes me feel, I’d never leave the gym.”
“Maybe you should start with walking. You know, like walking out of the kitchen,” Josie said, laughing.
“You’re one to talk,” I said, reaching for another cannoli.
Then I saw the lights of three cars heading toward us.
“There they are,” I said, turning the car off and getting out.
We greeted Jackson, Freddie, and Detective Abrams from the state police.
“Ladies,” Freddie said, stamping snow off his boots. “We really need to stop meeting like this.”
“Did you save me a cannoli?” Jackson said, laughing.
“Sorry. They’re all gone,” Josie said.
“How did you know they had cannoli?” Freddie said, staring at Jackson.
“I was at their place for dinner tonight,” Jackson said.
“What?” Freddie said. “Was Chef Claire there?”
“Of course.”
Freddie wasn’t pleased by the news and he stamped his feet again. Not much snow came off his boots this time.
“Hey, Detective Abrams,” I said. “How’s Wally doing?”
Wally was the detective’s basset hound we took care of whenever he needed vet care or boarding.
“He’s great,” Detective Abrams said. “He’s going to be four tomorrow. My wife, of course, is throwing a party for him.”
I laughed, then waited for him to turn all business as he always did.
“Would you mind telling me why I’m here standing in the cold at this time of night?” Detective Abrams said.
“There’s a dead body in the phone booth around back,” I said, leading the way.
“Do you know who it is?” Jackson said.
“No, I’ve never seen him before,” I said, glancing at Josie.
That was true. I hadn’t. But I decided not to divulge the fact that I’d gone through the man’s wallet. Judging from the looks on their faces, they hadn’t needed to ask.
Some people just have no faith in others.
The three men huddled around the phone booth and stared down at the body.
“One in the forehead,” Freddie said. “And judging from the condition, my guess is that he’s been out here in the cold for at least a day.”
“Jackson told me that someone called you from this number last night around nine,” Detective Abrams said.
Josie and I retold the story about the call and the subsequent discovery of the box of puppies on our front steps. Detective Abrams and Freddie listened closely while Jackson, who had heard the story before, knelt down over the body and started going through his pockets.
“He had a Syracuse address,” Jackson said, reading from the driver license.
“Albany,” I said without thinking.
Jackson shook his head and laughed.
“You’re unbelievable,” he said, handing the license to Detective Abrams.
“Oops,” I said, embarrassed at being caught red-handed.
“Smooth,” Josie whispered.
Jackson unfolded the piece of paper I’d found earlier.
“It looks like an address of some sort,” he said, studying it. “But these look like map coordinates.”
Detective Abrams examined the piece of paper and nodded.
“Should be easy enough to find with GPS,” he said, then turned to us. “Okay, thanks for calling it in. But there’s no reason for you two to stick around. Why don’t you just head on home and get some sleep while Freddie starts working his magic?”
“That’s a very good idea,” Josie said, glancing at me.
I shrugged and snuck a peek at what was written on my hand. Josie caught it and even in the dim light I could tell she was scowling at me. We waved our goodbyes and headed back to the car.
“You want me to punch those coordinates into my phone, don’t you?” Josie said.
“Yes.”
I started the car and unzipped my coat.
“We don’t have any choice,” Josie said, tapping the touchscreen.
“No, if it’s the location of a puppy mill, we need to know tonight,” I said.
“Should we tell them where we’re going?” Josie said.
“I’d rather not,” I said. “You know how Jackson always reacts when we start poking around.”
“Okay,” Josie said.
“That’s it?” I said. “No complaining, no trying to talk me out of it?
“No. Not this time. Somebody’s messing with the safety and wellbeing of dogs. There’s nothing to discuss.”
I reached over and squeezed her arm as I drove along the empty street. When the street met the highway, I waited for Josie’s instructions. Moments later, she glanced up from her phone and pointed right.
Chapter 5
The coordinates Josie entered into her phone revealed a location that I must have driven past dozens of times during my youth when my friends and I would borrow one of our parent’s car and cruise the desolate back roads, especially during the time of year when it wasn’t possible to be on the River. Following her instructions, I turned off the small two-lane road onto an even smaller dirt road that led us through a thick stand of pine trees and various rock formations until we reached a small farmhouse and a barn. Both structures appeared to be deserted, and when I turned the car lights off, we were surrounded by total darkness.
We grabbed our flashlights and headed for the house to confirm our suspicions that the place was empty. Since our major concern was what we might find in the barn, as soon as we were sure no one was in the house, we headed for the dilapidated structure about a hundred yards from the house. As soon as we slid the door back, we heard barking and the sound of whimpering. I found a light switch, and we both recoiled when we saw the cages and the filthy conditions.
Josie immediately dialed a number on her phone.
“Sammy,” Josie said. “Is Jill there with you? Good. Look, I need you to bring the van to the location I’m going to give you… Yes, we found more… I’m not sure how many yet. Grab a bunch of blankets and towels. Make sure Jill is okay watching the spaniel pups and get out here as soon as you can. And bring my bag and some of those dog treats with the supplements. Thanks.”
She ended the call and dialed another.
“Jackson, it’s Josie. Look, we’ve found the puppy mill, and we’re going to need some help transporting some dogs back to the Inn…Sammy’s bringing our van out, but if you could organize a couple people with either a truck or van and get out here that would be great.”
Josie confirmed the coordinates with him along with a description of where we’d turned off the road and hung up. She joined me near a stack of cages where I was desperately trying to figure out where to begin.
“How many do you think there are?” she said, shaking her head in disgust.
“It looks like a couple dozen. And that includes two litters of lab puppies. If there’s anything that even comes close to good news here, it looks like they were a bit low on inventory at the moment,” I said.
“Or they took the rest of the dogs with them when they left,” Josie said, kneeling down to open the cage of a female lab that stared up at us with a sad, tired expression. “How you doing, girl? Hang in there.”
“I’ll get them some water,” I said.
I collected a handful of filthy bowls that were scattered on the dirt floor of the barn and grabbed the hose that was hanging on a wall. I did my best to wash the bowls, then filled them and placed them on the floor where the dogs were huddled around Josie. The water was a big hit and, except for one, they were all very happy to see us. A scrawny male lab stood in the back of its now open cage cowering and snarling at us. I approached his cage.
“Be careful, Suzy,” Jo
sie said. “If you get bit, you could be looking at a serious round of rabies shots.”
“I know,” I said, sitting down in front of the dog’s cage.
He continued to snarl and started snapping his jaws at me.
“He’s scared to death,” Josie said as she stroked the head of one of the adult females.
“Yeah. And sick and tired of being abused,” I said, holding out a dog biscuit.
The dog sniffed the air, then resumed his throaty growl. I tossed the biscuit in front of him, and he snatched it and wolfed it down. I repeated the process. On the fifth biscuit, he took a step toward me and took one from my hand. Five minutes later, I’d convinced him we were old friends. I stood, and he finally worked his way out of his cage. I say worked because he wasn’t walking very well.
Jackson, coming directly from the murder scene, was the first to arrive. He entered the barn, took a look around, and shook his head.
“At times like these I’m ashamed to call myself human,” Jackson said. “I can’t believe the people who did this come from the same species as me.”
He walked toward us, and the male lab went into a barking frenzy. Jackson stopped in his tracks and stared at the dog.
“You might want to keep your distance from this guy, Jackson,” I said. “It looks like he might have some issues with men.”
“Yeah, I got that, Suzy,” Jackson said, moving closer to Josie. “What do you need me to do?”
“If you could take the three adult females in your car back to the Inn that would be great,” Josie said. “There are two labs and a German Shepherd. They’re in pretty rough shape and are going to need some work. And you’ll probably need to carry them to your car. But they all seem friendly and shouldn’t give you any trouble.”
“You got it,” Jackson said, kneeling down to pet one of the female labs.
A few minutes later Sammy arrived. Five minutes after that, two of Jackson’s friends pulled their vehicles next to the barn. Fifteen minutes later, all twenty-five dogs were on their way to the Inn. Twenty minutes after that, Josie and I were in the back of the Inn with Sammy and Jill deciding how we were going to assign the dogs to one of the condos.
“Well, the litters of puppies and their mamas each get a condo,” Josie said. “Jill, can you get them settled in?”
“You got it, Josie,” Jill said, grabbing a stack of blankets.
“Sammy, can you take the German Shepherd into one of the exam rooms?” Josie said.
“Sure. What do you think’s wrong with her?” Sammy said, stroking the dog’s head.
“Do you see her stomach?”
“Yeah, she looks like she just ate a big meal but I know that didn’t happen,” Sammy said.
“She’s pregnant,” Josie said. “Suzy, I need to take a look at her. Can you handle the rest of this?”
“Sure,” I said.
“After I make sure the German Shepherd is okay, I need to take a look at the male lab with the hip problem. Then I’m going to examine all the puppies. But if you come across any others that look like they need immediate care, come get me.”
Josie headed off, and I went back to figuring out how we were going to accommodate all of our new guests. By the time I finished, the dogs were all fed and watered, and the Inn was at full capacity.
By the time midnight rolled around, Josie and I were finally able to take a break. I was sitting behind my desk, and Josie was sprawled out on the couch drifting off to sleep when Chef Claire entered carrying a picnic basket. We both perked up immediately.
“You’re so good,” I said.
“I figured you’d be hungry,” Chef Claire said, removing a hot tray of lasagna from the basket.
“Unbelievable,” Josie said, staring at the wedge of lasagna Chef Claire cut for her.
Jackson poked his head into the office.
“I thought I smelled Italian,” he said, sitting down.
“If you ever wash out as a cop, Jackson, you’ve got a bright future as a stalker,” I said, laughing.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, grinning at Chef Claire. “How are they all doing?”
“It looks like they’re all going to make it. The male lab might need surgery if I can’t get him walking pain-free,” Josie said.
“What happened to him?” Jackson said, accepting a plate of food from Chef Claire.
“He’s probably been kicked,” Josie said, her eyes dark with rage. “And more than once.”
“If I ever got my hands on whoever did this, I might have to forget that I’m a cop for a while,” Jackson said. “You don’t do those things to a defenseless animal.”
“Not if you expect to call yourself a human being you don’t,” Josie said. “I was worried about a couple of the puppies, but once I got some fluids in them, they perked up.”
“How long do you think they would have lasted in that barn?” Jackson said, taking a bite of lasagna.
“It’s hard to say,” Josie said. “A couple of days, maybe a week.”
“That would have been a horrible way for them to die,” he said.
“Yeah, not to mention the horrible way they had to live,” I said. “What’s the deal with that house?”
“That’s the old Wilkerson house,” Jackson said. “The family moved south a few years ago, and the place has been empty. At least that’s what everyone thought. We’re trying to track the family down in Florida to see if they’ve been renting it out.”
I picked a long string of cheese off the side of my face. I had no idea how I’d managed to miss my mouth by that much. My table manners resolution was apparently going to need my undivided attention.
“What about the dead guy?” I said, ignoring Josie who was laughing at my battle with the cheese.
“You mean Jerome Jefferson from Albany?” Jackson deadpanned.
I made a face and stuck my tongue out at him.
“Yeah, that’s the one,” I said.
“Jerome, as we say in the business, was your basic waste of oxygen,” Jackson said. “Multiple counts of breaking and entering, stolen cars, all the usual suspects. And he was part of a gang that was knocking off fast food joints around Albany a couple years ago. He got caught when he went back to the place they’d just robbed.”
“Went back?” I said.
“Yeah,” Jackson said, laughing. “They got his order wrong. They forgot his fries.”
“I hate when that happens,” Josie said.
“Apparently so did Jerome,” Jackson said. “But before he could have a little chat with the manager, he walked right into two state cops on his way back in. He did a year, got paroled, and then the cops in Albany lost track of him. Which makes sense since he was probably living up here.”
“Did he have any history with puppy mills?” I said.
“Not that we can tell yet,” Jackson said. “But it’s still early.”
“We’re going to find these people, Jackson,” I said.
“Yeah, I was expecting you to say that,” he said. “And I know that nothing I do or say is going to change your mind, but just promise me you guys won’t do anything crazy.”
“Jackson, you have our word that we’ll be the perfect citizens you expect us to be,” I said. “We’re just going to add one new role for the time being.”
“Unhinged vigilante?” he said.
“Exactly,” I said.
Josie polished off the last of her lasagna, then looked up from her plate and nodded at Jackson.
“What she said.”
Chapter 6
The news about the murder and our discovery of the puppy mill spread through town like soft butter on a hot roll. Several locals, including a group of high school students who had done internships with us, dropped by the Inn to volunteer their help, or to check out the dogs that would soon be available for adoption. We were amazed by the immense level of community support we received, and I was more puffed with pride than a marshmallow in a microwave.
And if I didn’t eat l
unch soon, the number of labored food analogies that were creeping into my brain would soon be off the charts. I tapped the horn, and Josie trotted down the driveway in the direction of the SUV. She climbed in the passenger seat, and we headed for town.
“You’re late,” I said.
“Sally Beauchamp stopped by to adopt two of the lab puppies. She was taking her time deciding which two she wanted.”
“That’s a tough decision,” I said. “It’s like trying to decide between Chef Claire’s chocolate-almond and pistachio-cream cannoli.”
Josie shook her head.
“How long have you been making the food analogies?” she said.
“About an hour,” I said, feeling my stomach rumble.
“Let’s get some food into you,” Josie said. “Don’t forget we need to swing by and pick up Chef Claire.”
“I hope she’s ready.”
I stopped in front of a large stone building and parked next to my mother’s new Audi. She’d recently been given the car by her former boyfriend, a car dealer who’d been caught cheating on her. My mother likes to call the car a parting gift. I think she extorted it from the smarmy creature, but we’ve agreed to disagree on that one. Mom swaps out her cars more often than most restaurants change the cooking oil in their fryers, but I have a feeling she might keep this one around for a while.
I really need to eat.
We walked inside and found Chef Claire and my mother talking with the architect who had just completed the design plans for the new restaurant we were opening with Chef Claire. They were staring down at the blueprints that were spread across a makeshift table comprised of an old door and two stools. Chef Claire and my mother were staring down at the plans and nodding as the architect talked and pointed at various spots. I glanced over my mother’s shoulder and listened, then nodded.
When in Rome, right?
“Are you ready?” I said to Chef Claire.
“Oh, hi. I didn’t even hear you two come in,” Chef Claire said. “Let me grab my coat.”
“Hi, Mom,” I said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“Hello, darling,” she said, giving me a quick once-over. “Josie, you’re looking beautiful as always.”
