Old Friends and New, Another Murder

by Christa Nardi

  “Two dogs and their partners came and Tally suggested we should try from a known campsite, even though it wasn’t in line with the flare, while they worked from the flare. Long story short – we met about halfway between the flare and the campground. There was definitely evidence of more than one camper, and some indications they’d been hunting, out of season of course.”

  “Probably why they left before you got there. Wanting to alert someone of their find, but not wanting to get arrested?”

  “Good point, Sher. That’s one possibility. When we saw shell-casings at the campsite, we wondered if they’d killed the man by accident.”

  Fabry added his thoughts. “Only the man had been dead for a while. The coroner will figure out the time element. From the campsite and garbage, the campers had only been there two nights at most. A weekend camping and hunting weekend. Maybe they shot him Saturday and didn’t find him until today. Or someone else shot him before that and they stumbled on him today.”

  “Has he been identified? Reported missing?”

  Brett smiled and lifted his hand to me to tell me to stop. “He wasn’t there camping nor was he in a business suit. Nice pants, polo shirt. Casual. His wallet was thrown from his body – one of the dogs found it first. Tally was going to pay a visit to the address on his driver’s license. We waited for the rest of the crew coming in to take care of evidence and transport the body.”

  “Was he dumped there?”

  “Not clear yet. He was a few feet from the path, his foot the only thing visible from the path, if you were looking at it. The ground cover showed some trampling there. Possibly from whoever found him, possibly from being dragged to that spot, or both. I checked the pants legs and not a lot of dirt I could see. Tests will tell us more, but I think he was killed there, either that or carried to the spot where the trail and woods meet. And that would be a long carry or drag with no indication anything had been dragged.”

  Fabry nodded as he finished speaking and reached for more food. Brett nodded as well and finished off the coleslaw.

  “I’m guessing you two didn’t get lunch, huh?” We all laughed. “Anything else going on?”

  “We can only speculate on the murder until we get more information. It may not even require our presence and then we can definitely go hiking and see the foliage this weekend.”

  Other than when called in for assistance, the State Police tended to let local law enforcement handle their own cases. State Police involvement long term usually was limited to activities that could cross county or state lines, no local crime.

  “Well, Kim called and given how close she and Marty are, she said if you need a place to crash, to let her know.”

  They nodded. “Be sure to thank her for the offer, but I’m hoping we are done after tomorrow. Local problem.”

  “She also mentioned Max was hysterical. To make up for not getting the department head job, he moved toward North Shore.”

  Brett turned to Fabry. “He’s another reason I really hope this is a local problem. Don’t get me wrong, Max has shown he has good points. On the other hand, his arrogance and flamboyant personality get on my nerves. I’ll never understand how his wife, Stella, puts up with his antics.” He shook his head.

  “Sounds like a real character. I almost hope I get to meet him.”

  Fabry stood as he spoke. Brett laughed. “I’ll pick you up at 7 o’clock. Good night, Sheridan, and thanks for the food.”

  After Fabry left, Brett helped me clean up and Maddie came out of her room for a snack.

  “A murder, Dad?”

  He nodded. “I’m hoping it is all resolved tomorrow, definitely by the end of the week. How about a weekend in Sleepy Hollow or some place to go hiking and enjoy the fall weather and colors?”

  Multiple expressions crossed Maddie’s face in rapid succession. Brett looked from me to her as if he was afraid she was ill.

  “What’s the problem, Maddie?”

  “It sounds great, but… the whole weekend? Don’t we need to help out at Pets & Paws? I’m sure I’ll have lots of homework. And Alex… Nedra may need my help.”

  Brett’s mouth dropped and his eyebrows arched. I tried not to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I think your daughter is trying to – as diplomatically as she can – let us know that plans for the ‘whole weekend’ could interfere with her social life.”

  His shoulders slumped. “That right, Maddie?”

  She nodded and shuffled her feet. “I love you, Dad. You too, Sher. But my friends, you know…”

  With that she walked back to her room, shaking her head, snack forgotten. I pulled Brett toward me. He looked so forlorn.

  “I’m so not ready for this, Sher. She’s grown up too fast this past year.”

  I nodded and managed to distract him, at least for a while.

  CHAPTER 4

  A s I drove out to the local shelter, Pets & Paws, something my mother used to say popped into my head. “If it’s Tuesday, we must be in Belgium.” She said it had something to do with month long tours through Europe when she was younger. We’d talked on Sunday and she was excited about taking a cruise sponsored by the housing association. She and my dad were looking forward to it. And that made me feel good.

  I was still smiling as I walked into Pets & Paws and Susie waved.

  “Hey, Sheridan. Glad to see you. Mrs. Chantilly had some appointments this morning and I’m the only one here until Luke gets out of school.”

  Susie was also a volunteer, though it was somehow connected with her studies to become a veterinary technician. Today, she had a blue streak in her blonde hair, blue scrubs, and tennis shoes. Luke was now officially a volunteer, however, he’d started at Pets & Paws as part of his probation and the community service requirement.

  “What can I do to help?”

  “Can you work the back area with the bigger dogs while I do the others? Just holler if you need any help. There’s a new one – dumped and brought in yesterday. She just hovers in the corner. Sad.”

  Shaking my head, I pursed my lips. “I’ll see what I can do. Coffee made?”

  Susie laughed. “You bet. We planned on you coming in.”

  Mrs. Chantilly owned Pets & Paws and lived upstairs. A unique individual, she didn’t quite conform to social norms. The shelter part of the house was the downstairs of the older home. I stashed my stuff in the kitchen, grabbed a cup of coffee, and headed to the back area of the house. Probably the area that would have been called the “great room” or “living room” depending on who was describing it. The larger dogs in larger crates all greeted me. Well, all but one. She looked to be part lab, with a mostly chocolate coat. The white swirls amidst the chocolate reminded me of hot chocolate. Obviously someone agreed and she was named “Cocoa” on the clipboard.

  I kneeled down and talked to her quietly and let her smell my hand. She was skinny and likely malnourished, but not obviously injured. After a few minutes, I moved on and started the routine with her neighbor, Golden. She was a mixed breed, part retriever, and her name reflected the prominent color of her coat. I leashed her and took her out the back door into the dog run.

  While she enjoyed a much larger area to run around in, I cleaned out her crate, replaced her blanket, and refilled her water and food dishes. That done, I played a quick game of catch, toweled her off with a damp towel, and it was back in the crate for her. She knew the routine as well as I did. There were only eight big ones, so I could take my time with them. As I finished with each one, I stopped by Cocoa’s crate and talked to her some more.

  Mid-morning and half way done, I took a break. I found Susie in her favorite place – the mama and puppies area. This was also Maddie’s favorite. There was one mama and pups today. Then I noticed something.

  “Susie, I don’t remember the cream-colored pups and there seem to be more instead of less?”

  “The pups were rescued. The mama didn’t make it. Lolita here is helping out as best she can and I
’m bottle feeding them. Not sure what breed or breeds, but they are cute. We could sure use Maddie’s help.”

  She smiled and handed me one of the cream bundles. He was barely bigger than my hand and very squirmy. I laughed as it took me two hands to hold on to him. We chatted for a while, and then I got back to work.

  I saved Cocoa for last. After my break, she seemed to be watching me as I worked the room. I kept up the routine of stopping to talk to her as I finished with one dog and before the next one. A little concerned she might not come out of the crate or that she’d bolt, I positioned myself on the floor in front of the gate as I opened it. I cleaned the floor of the crate near the door and pulled out the food and water bowls.

  As I talked to her in what I hoped was a soothing tone, I gently and slowly pulled the blanket with her on it toward me. She lifted her head and her tail thumped once. Taking that as a good sign, I continued to work her out of the crate and onto the floor. Poor girl needed a bath. Once she was standing and leashed, we went out the back door.

  She spotted the dog run and backed off. I soothed her. I could only imagine that she had been left in something like that too often. Hooking her leash to a longer plastic chain, I popped back inside to get some shampoo. She sat at the door and waited. I turned on the water and let it run. That didn’t seem to scare her and I was able to get her bathed and toweled off. Inside, I attached her leash to a clip on the wall and she sat there while I cleaned her crate, gave her a new blanket, and fresh food and water. She nudged me and put her head on my lap.

  “You seem to have made friends with Miss Cocoa there. A sorry state if ever. How are you, Sheridan? You and your handsome man involved in that murder?”

  I smiled at Mrs. Chantilly, not quite sure what “look” she was trying for today. She sported a wide-brimmed black hat, a black shift and white vest. A pilgrim came to mind, though Thanksgiving was still six weeks away.

  “I’m good. FYI, Cocoa here is leery of the run. But yes, I think we’re now friends.” I scooted her toward the crate and removed the leash.

  “No worries, Cocoa. Luke or somebody will get you out again later and I’ll be back.”

  “What about the murder? It’s all Blake could talk about. None of the Buchanans are involved are they?”

  The Buchanan family, and especially Blake, had a lot of clout in Clover Hill and the surrounding area. And they’d been involved in one murder right after Brett and I got married, as well as drugs. That had been the reason Luke was assigned community service.

  “Brett hasn’t said much about it. But it happened in North Shore. Any of the Buchanans live out that way?”

  The Buchanans had a long history in Clover Hill with eight brothers as founding fathers. Most of them had left the area, but with each generation the family ties covered more and more of the state. Many of the region’s political leaders were members of the Buchanan clan.

  “You know, we might need to redo the floors and paint in here if we ever have enough room to move these dogs to the front of the house.”

  Anyone else switching topics, I’d be suspicious. With Mrs. Chantilly, it wasn’t unusual though. It happened all the time. The floors were concrete and had been sealed and stained. With metal crates and dog nails, there was some wear evident. I nodded.

  “Could definitely do with a complete washing again if nothing else. Maybe you could identify a Saturday when all of us volunteers could come in and get as many dogs outside at once.”

  “You are always full of good ideas. Rehomed so many dogs. Yes, we need to do that. I’ll put Luke in charge. He’s grown up so much don’t you think?”

  I smiled and nodded. Before she started reminiscing, I made a hasty exit. “Let me know when. In the meantime, I have shopping to do.”

  She didn’t respond and was telling Cocoa about Luke when I left.

  CHAPTER 5

  T he house was quiet when I finally made it home to let Charlie and Bella out. I unloaded the car and fixed dinner. Given Fabry’s appetite the night before, I’d decided on a pot roast and got it in the oven. It seemed eerily quiet and I turned on Pandora for some music as I prepped for my classes later in the week. Alerts beeped on my smart watch just as it rang.

  “Hi, Kim. What’s up?”

  “You won’t believe it, Sheridan. Max has gone off the deep end. They identified the man who was killed. His name was Connor Landry. Apparently, he lived in the same subdivision as Max.”

  “Did Max know him? Is that why he’s upset?” With Max, it could be anything or nothing that got him upset. I was hoping for a more logical explanation.

  “Yes, he knew him. Ali told me – Hirsch told her – Max had a screaming argument with the man a few weeks ago. Accused the man of flirting with Stella and walking his dog to their house on purpose to see her. And not even cleaning up after his dog.”

  “Wait. This Connor person was Max’s neighbor? And Max got mad because he thought the man was after his wife?”

  “Yup. And he knows Brett is up there and he’s ranting about how Brett’s wanted to pin a murder on him since Adam.”

  Brett and I met when my colleague, Adam Millberg, was murdered in the sports center on campus. Max was condescending and tried to dismiss Brett. It hadn’t gone well. They had words and neither ever forgot. Max was a hot head and control freak. He also had a heart of gold, but that isn’t usually what people saw.

  “Brett is not after him. He never was. Max acts guilty with his attitude and refuses to talk to them or loses his temper… This could be bad. Has Brett or Fabry shown up on campus? Even tried to talk to him?”

  “Not yet. Terra’s husband, Joe has been around asking questions. Somehow he got wind of it. And, …” She chuckled. “Sher, your name has come up a few times.”

  Terra was the mainstay in the department though as staff her efforts and those of the other staff member were often overlooked or taken for granted. Joe, her husband, worked for the local paper, such that it was.

  “In a good way, I hope.”

  “In a ‘we have another mystery – where’s Sheridan’ way. So when are you coming to town? Everyone is asking. We all know you won’t be able to stay away if Max is a suspect.”

  I laughed. My curiosity about murders had gotten me into some tight spots in Cold Creek and since. “Hold on. This could all be resolved quickly and have nothing to do with Max. Max isn’t violent – he just doesn’t have a lot of self-control.”

  I hesitated as I repeated what I said. He was short on impulse control and lost his temper easily.

  “Sheridan, you slowed down as you talked and now you’re not talking at all.”

  “Just thinking. No, Max is not the type to plan a murder. And I can’t imagine him in the woods. His pants would get dirty and he might get bit by a bug. Sure, he has a short temper and rants and waves his arms, but actually kill somebody? I don’t think so. Not unless he’s gotten worse.”

  It was Kim’s turn to laugh. “Well?”

  “I’ll see what’s happening. I don’t teach on Thursday, so that’s a possibility. Whole thing may blow over by then.”

  My phone signaled another call, also from Cold Creek. “I have another call. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I disconnected and connected.

  “Hello?”

  “Oh my gosh, Sheridan. You won’t believe what happened. I don’t believe it. And your husband. He’s here and he’s going to arrest me. After all I did for you in the past. You can’t possibly believe I’d kill someone. I couldn’t even kill the mice in my lab when my studies ended. I had to get the students to take care of them. You have to convince your husband, okay?”

  He paused long enough to catch a breath. If his speech rate was any indication, his blood pressure had to be sky high.

  “Hi, Max. Take a deep breath or two. Calm down. Why would anyone think you killed someone?”

  “My neighbor was killed. I’m sure you heard it on the news. Are you trying to trick me? I know that’s what police do all the time
. Ask you a question they already know the answer to. I watch Law and Order you know.”

  “Good show. And I do know someone was murdered in North Shore. It’s been on the news. But how would I know he was your neighbor. Even the new notification I got a few minutes ago with the victim’s name didn’t tell me who his neighbors were.”

  “Okay, so maybe you didn’t know. But your husband’s always been out to get me and now he’s going to arrest me. I think he’s jealous of me, I really do.”

  I rolled my eyes and was thankful he couldn’t see my expression.

  “Max, are you guilty?”

  “What? How could you even ask that question after knowing me for so long? What did I ever do to you?”

  “Max, if you’re not guilty and you just answer whatever questions Chief Hirsch or anyone else – including Brett – asks, it will work out. If you’re worried, find yourself an attorney to advise you.”

  “I’ll ask that attorney who worked for the hostess at the Grill. Do you know his name? And Joe? He’s asking lots of questions, too, and isn’t that a violation of my rights somehow? I’m sure it is.”

  I shook my head even though he couldn’t see it. At least he saved me from having to answer his question and giving him Marty’s number.

  “You don’t have to answer Joe’s questions. He can ask them and you choose to answer or not. He’s a reporter, not a policeman.”

  “Okay. Okay.”

  “Max, I need to get off the phone and check on dinner. It was good talking with you.”

  He disconnected without another word and I stared at my phone. No doubt about it, Max was a being unto himself.

  My phone rang again. Brett.

  “Hi, Sher. We’re going to stay the night here. There are a few complications and we plan to start ironing out the wrinkles first thing in the morning.”

  “Are you going to stay in North Shore or take Kim up on the offer in Cold Creek?”