The Case of the Caged Cockers

by B R Snow

  “Make sure you get some good shots of this area, Cynthia,” Perry said.

  He strolled past the condos until he stopped in front of Captain’s condo. The puppy was rolling around on the floor and pawing at his face. He stopped when he noticed us watching and trotted toward the gated entrance and wagged his tail. Perry leaned down and rubbed Captain’s head.

  “He’s gorgeous,” Perry said, glancing over his shoulder at Josie. “Should we go take a look at him?”

  “Sure, Perry,” she said, unlatching the door to the condo.

  Captain climbed up into her arms, and she held him close to her chest. She turned and headed for the door that led back into reception.

  “Let’s take him into exam room one,” Josie said. “Joe, can you give me a hand while we examine Captain?”

  “Sure, Doc,” Detective Abrams said, then leaned his broom against the wall and headed our way.

  “Since we’re both vets, Josie, I don’t think we’ll need a tech, will we?” Perry said, obviously not happy about having another person in the exam room.

  “I never do anything like this without Joe in the room,” Josie said, casually. “He’s like another pair of eyes for me. I’m sure you understand.”

  “Sure, I get it. I have my favorite techs I always like to work with. Lead the way,” Perry said. “Cynthia, why don’t you stay here with Suzy and get some more photos and background information on the Inn?”

  I looked at Jackson who was staring back at me. We hadn’t discussed how we were going to handle the photographer while Josie and Detective Abrams dealt with Perry. I couldn’t believe we’d forgotten to talk about it.

  I guess I could put the onus on myself for the oversight, but I decided to blame the three cops. After all, they did this stuff for a living; I was just a part-timer.

  “What would you like to see next, Cynthia?” I said.

  “Well, I’m not sure,” she said. “I think I’ve got all the photos I need, and I have to admit that I’m not much of a dog lover.”

  “Really?” I said, frowning.

  “Truth be told, I’m afraid of them,” she said, glancing around nervously at the condos.

  “Then you must meet Rocky and Bullwinkle,” I said.

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” I said. “Let me show you our automatic water system. It’s how we keep all the water bowls full without having to worry about doing it manually.”

  “It sounds lovely,” she said, following me.

  “So is this your full-time job, Cynthia?” I said.

  “Pretty much,” she said, glancing around.

  “Do you have any hobbies?” I said, glancing at Jackson who was trailing about ten feet behind us.

  “Oh, I like dabbling with computers and technology,” she said.

  “Interesting,” I said.

  “And I play a lot of golf,” she said. “It’s a real passion of mine.”

  “I never got into golf,” I said. “It looks like it takes a lot of time to get good at it.”

  “Oh, it does,” she said. “But when you love something, all that time seems well spent.”

  “Oh, I agree completely,” I said. “So what do you usually shoot, Gloria?”

  The woman who was going by the name Cynthia stopped and stared at me.

  “What did you say?”

  “Oops,” I said.

  Her eyes widened, and the woman no longer going by the name Cynthia started to turn around. She opened her mouth as if preparing to call out a warning when Jackson came up behind her, draped a hand over her mouth and pulled her hands back and snapped on a pair of handcuffs with the other. His moves looked like a cop version of a choreographed dance routine.

  I would spend the next several days replaying those few seconds in my head, and I still don’t know how he did it.

  “Okay, Gloria,” Jackson said. “Here’s what’s going to happen next. You’re going to spend some time with Rocky and Bullwinkle in their condo.”

  Gloria’s eyes widened even further.

  “And as long as you sit quietly and don’t say a word, those gorgeous Rottweilers won’t do anything to hurt you,” I said, opening the door to the condo.

  “But if you do anything stupid, like the two gentlemen you sent here last night did, Rocky and Bullwinkle will be more than happy to do whatever Suzy tells them to. Do you understand?”

  Gloria nodded, and Jackson walked her into the condo. She sat down cowering with her back against the wall glancing back and forth at the two dogs who were sitting a few feet away staring at her with a soft throaty growl and the perfect amount of frothy drool hanging from their jowls.

  “I didn’t send those two guys,” Gloria said, unable to take her eyes of the Rottweilers. “I mean I didn’t send any guys here.”

  “Hold that thought for a moment, Gloria,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where are you going?” Jackson said.

  “I think I should get Joe out here,” I said, winking at Jackson. “I need to duck out, and I’m not sure you’ll be able to control Rocky and Bullwinkle all by yourself.”

  “What?” Gloria said, glancing up at us. “What did you say?”

  “Relax, Gloria,” I said. “I just want to make sure the dogs behave themselves when you start talking. And if you’re as smart as your ex-husband says you are, you will start talking.”

  “Suzy, please don’t do anything stupid,” Jackson said.

  “I’ll do my best, Jackson,” I said, punching him on the arm.

  I headed into reception and nodded at Agent Tompkins who was standing outside the exam room. I knocked softly before entering.

  Josie, Perry, and Detective Abrams glanced up from the puppy that was on the exam table.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but you have a call, Joe. It’s your wife, and she sounds pretty upset. You can take it on the phone in the condo area. I think she really wants to talk.”

  Detective Abrams nodded at me, then smiled and went out through the back door of the exam room. Josie glanced at me, and I gave her a slight nod to continue.

  “I hope she’s okay,” Josie said.

  “I think she’ll be fine,” I said, looking at Perry. “She’s seven months pregnant.”

  “Really?” Perry said. “Joe looks like he’s in his fifties.”

  “Second marriage. You know how that works,” I said.

  “More than I care to admit,” Perry said, laughing.

  Josie and I forced ourselves to laugh along. Then Perry refocused on the puppy.

  “I don’t know, Josie,” he said, rubbing the back of Captain’s neck. “I’m not feeling anything except what appears to be a small scab.”

  “You know, Perry, that’s exactly what I thought. I don’t know how he could have gotten it.”

  “Hmmm,” Perry said as he continued to gently rub his fingers along the dog’s back.

  “You don’t think someone was cutting on him, do you?” Josie said.

  “I sure hope not,” Perry said, staring off into space. “That would be bad.” Then he remembered where he was and who he was talking to. “I mean, what sort of person would do something like that?”

  “You know, Perry. I’ve been asking myself the same question,” Josie said.

  Detective Abrams reentered the exam room.

  “Is everything okay?” I said.

  “Yes, everything is just fine,” Detective Abrams said, smiling at me. “She just needs to get a few things off her chest.”

  “I hope you gave her enough time to talk,” I said, smiling back at him.

  “I certainly did,” Detective Abrams said. “Actually, she’s still going strong. I just came back in to do one more thing before I go back to hear the rest of it.”

  “What’s that?” I said.

  “Watch closely,” Detective Abrams said as he reached behind his back to grab the gun tucked inside his scrubs. He pointed it at Perry’s face.

  “Are you out of your mind?” Perry stared at the gun
, then looked at Josie. “Why is your tech pointing a gun at me, Josie?”

  “I guess that’s a reasonable question,” Josie said, shrugging. “Detective Abrams, why are you pointing your gun at him?”

  “Because Dr. Long is under arrest.”

  “That’s preposterous,” Perry said. “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “Save it, Perry,” Detective Abrams said. “Gloria is out there singing like a canary and trying to cut a deal for herself.”

  At the mention of Gloria’s name, Perry’s shoulders sagged, and he staggered backward into a chair and sat down staring at the floor.

  Detective Abrams glanced at the front door of the exam room.

  “Okay, Jeremy. C’mon in.”

  Agent Tompkins, gun drawn, entered.

  “Are we good?” he said.

  “Oh, we’re better than good,” Detective Abrams said. “Dr. Long, I’d like you to meet Agent Tompkins from the FBI.”

  “What?” Perry said. “You’re with the FBI?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “But I do have to say that this dog thing is pretty cool.”

  “And to think that I shared my recipe for red clam chowder with you,” Perry said.

  “Yeah, thanks again for that,” Agent Tompkins said, returning his gun to its holster. “I think my fiancé is going to love it.”

  “Red clam chowder?” Josie said. “That sounds yummy.”

  “Ugh,” I said.

  If you remember, I hate all things fishy with a passion.

  Josie cradled Captain in her arms, and the puppy licked her face. Josie laughed and snuggled the dog tight.

  “You found the chip, didn’t you?” Perry said.

  “Yup,” Josie said.

  “How on earth did you do that?” he said.

  “Does it matter?” Josie said.

  “No, probably not,” Perry said.

  “Perry, why would you do something this stupid?” Josie said.

  “Mostly for the money,” he said, shrugging. “And Gloria can be very persuasive when she wants to be.”

  “Yeah, well, unfortunately for her, so can Rocky and Bullwinkle,” I said, then looked at Detective Abrams. “Are we done here?”

  “Yeah, for now,” he said. “We’ll probably need to talk later to tie up some loose ends, but you and Josie can get out of here. Thanks for all your help. Great job.”

  “Just let us know when you’re done so we can lock up. I think we’ll take the rest of the day off.”

  “Oooh, good call,” Josie said. “Pizza, wine and a WIJ?”

  “Perfect,” I said. “I think Chef Claire has the day off. Let’s ask her to see if she wants to join us.”

  “Sure,” Josie said. “But that means we’ll need to order two extra-large pies.”

  “Good call. I want pepperoni and mushroom on one,” I said.

  “That sounds good,” Josie said. “I’m thinking sausage and onion on the other.”

  “I’m in,” I said.

  “And anchovies,” Josie deadpanned.

  “Do it, and you’re dead,” I said.

  “They don’t taste that fishy when they’re on a pizza,” Josie said.

  “No.”

  “Fine. I’ll get them on the side,” Josie said. “But they’re just not as good that way.”

  “Anchovies on a pizza,” I said, shaking my head. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  “Are they always like this?” Perry said, bewildered by our conversation.

  “This is nothing,” Detective Abrams said, holding Dr. Long’s hands behind his back and snapping on a pair of handcuffs. “You should see them argue over who gets the last slice.”

  Josie and I headed for the house, and I ordered the pizzas as we walked up the path.

  “About forty-five minutes,” I said, putting my phone back in my pocket.

  “That long?” Josie said, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth.

  “I think you’ll make it,” I said, laughing.

  “Maybe. We did good,” Josie said, gently punching my arm.

  “Yeah,” I said, nodding. “About the only thing we didn’t do was figure out who shot Jerome.”

  “I still think the Baxter Brothers had something to do with it,” Josie said.

  I thought about it, then shook my head.

  “No, I don’t think so,” I said. “If they had, they would have been long gone by now. As strange as this might sound, I don’t see a connection between the puppy mill and Jerome’s murder.”

  “You really think it was just a coincidence that he got shot at the same time he was calling us about the puppies he left on our doorstep?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Well, if that’s the case, and there isn’t any connection, then we’re completely missing something.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time,” I said, laughing.

  I reached the verandah and was about to go inside the house when a lightbulb went off in my head. I stood on the porch and stared off into the distance, deep in thought.

  “What is it?” Josie said.

  I walked inside, removed my coat, and bent down to say hello to Chloe. Then I sat down on the couch and stared into the fireplace.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Josie said, picking Captain up before plopping down in one of the overstuffed chairs.

  “It’s probably nothing,” I said. “But remind me to call Detective Abrams in the morning.”

  Chapter 25

  Two days before Christmas, we had our annual dinner at the house for what we called our inner circle. Chef Claire prepared an Italian feast that started with a duck sausage and mushroom soup with polenta dumplings that was a total knee buckler and was followed by a squash risotto, then a creamy chicken asparagus fettuccine. After that, Chef Claire served a baked fish concoction that was surrounded by roasted tomatoes and onions bathing in a red wine sauce. I had to admit that it smelled fantastic but skipped the course and temporarily adjourned to the living room to play with the dogs.

  Chloe and Captain had already become fast friends, and they were rolling around on the floor with Wally, Detective Abrams’s basset hound and Jackson’s bulldog, Sluggo. Tripod sat on my lap watching the scene play out in front of him. Josie had removed the last bandage from his leg earlier in the day, and he was finally ready to transition into his three-legged journey of what I hoped would be a long, healthy life. Finally, the dogs wore themselves out, and all five fell asleep in front of the fire.

  “Okay, it’s safe to come back now,” Josie said, laughing in the doorway.

  I got up and went back to the dining room where Chef Claire was passing around a tray that contained a garlic beef roast. I filled my plate with slices of the roast and generous samples of every side dish within reach and started working.

  “I still don’t know how you figured out that Fullerton was the one who shot Jerome,” Detective Abrams said.

  I swallowed and wiped my face with a napkin, then gently set my knife and fork down on the side of my plate. I took a ladylike sip of water, then glanced at my mother who nodded in approval at my improved table manners.

  Maybe I could pull this off when the situation called for it.

  “It started with a simple what-if question I asked myself. If the murderer wasn’t anyone connected to what was going on with the dogs, who was left? And then it came to me when you mentioned something that Gloria told you,” I said, reaching for my wine glass. “She said that she hadn’t spoken with Jerome since he left Albany and didn’t know how to reach him. And that was just fine with Gloria because she didn’t want anything to do with her brother.”

  “No, she didn’t,” Detective Abrams said. “At least she didn’t after she caught Jerome trying to sell one of the implanted chips. That’s why our working theory was that she was the one who shot him. But her alibi turned out to be air tight.”

  “Where was she when Jerome got shot anyway?” Josie said, pausing to catch her breath.
r />   “She was playing golf with Perry at Pebble Beach,” Detective Abrams said.

  For some reason, Josie and I found that bit of news particularly funny. We laughed until we started to get strange looks from everyone else around the table.

  “Yes,” I said, composing myself. “After Josie and I talked to Fullerton at his office in Albany, we were convinced that Gloria had to be the one who was paying for Jerome’s cellphone. Fullerton’s acting skills were pretty impressive.”

  “So this man Fullerton was the one paying for the phone all along?” my mother said, reaching for a plate of roasted red peppers.

  “Yeah, and he confirmed that this morning when we arrested him,” Detective Abrams. “Suzy was the one who put it together.”

  “That’s my girl,” my mother said, beaming.

  “Thanks, Mom,” I said. “Gloria said that she forced Fullerton to fire Jerome when she caught him trying to sell one of the chips that were implanted in the puppies. After I heard that, I knew that Fullerton’s story about how Jerome had been selling the access codes of his customers was a total lie.”

  “Why would he lie about that?” my mother said.

  “To protect his ex-wife,” I said. “It was obvious when we met with Fullerton that he still loved Gloria. He kept singing her praises, and he couldn’t even take the photos of the two of them off his office wall.”

  “So he was hoping to reconcile with her?” my mother said.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Go figure.”

  “Silly man,” my mother said.

  “And when Detective Abrams mentioned that Gloria had told the FBI that Fullerton had always blamed Jerome for the problems in their marriage, the lightbulb went off in my head. Apparently, Jerome was always telling Gloria that she could do better and that Fullerton was a total loser.”

  “Well, if anybody would know a loser when he saw one, it would be Jerome,” Jackson said.

  “But Jerome did call us and save a lot of dogs in the process,” I said.

  “Yeah, I guess he did,” Jackson said, nodding. “I’ll give him that.”

  “I still don’t understand where Jerome’s phone fits into all this,” my mother said.

  “Fullerton basically hinted, without actually coming out and saying it, that Gloria had kept Jerome’s phone active so that she could stay in contact with him. But after she told Detective Abrams that she didn’t want anything to do with him, I knew that Fullerton had to be the one who’d kept the phone active the whole time.”