Mystery at the Pet Food Corp.

by Eleanor Kittering

  It seemed the way back progressed much faster than the trip going there. Mostly because earlier they had been following someone and keeping their distance and basically driving really slowly. But now returning to Pleasant Falls, things just seemed to whiz by. They were definitely not going to sleep in the car again this time, when they needed to sleep for the night, they would find a simple hotel. Mandy's phone app for tracking Roger worked now and it would beep whenever she turned it on. Roger's new locale was not a protected environment anymore and they could see his location at any point with ease.

  Fred, on the other hand, had an easier time getting a warrant to dig up Stacy Parks' grave than getting the extradition papers approved and paid for. At first, the police department didn't know how they were going to pay for the airfare there and back. They just didn't have the budget for these things. When he spoke with the insurance agency and told them of the snag, they offered to pay for the airfare so the Parks could stand trial in New Jersey.

  He would be leaving the next day for Michigan to pick up the Parks. He didn't mind travelling but he hated travel for this kind of work. On top of everything else, he had to bring along a woman deputy, because the law required a woman to escort the female prisoner and the male to escort the male. Well, in some ways, Fred thought, we're still back in the nineteenth century.

  They dug up the grave and found the amazing life like dummy in the coffin. The evidence lab couldn't believe how well this had been executed; it actually looked like a real person. It would be among one of the exhibits when the trial got under way, Fred's weirdest case ever. Did anything normal happen in the world these days? Fred really didn't know anymore.

  Warrants were also issued for the arrest of the doctor and the arrest of the funeral home manager. Fred figured they had to be in on this. At one point, Fred called Mandy to give her a progress report and see how she fared.

  “Hi Mandy, it's Fred.”

  “Fred, how are you doing with this whole project? We're on our way back to Jersey.”

  “You did the right thing. It's not a good idea for you two to be hanging around up there.”

  “Believe me, we didn't want the Parks to know we were the ones who identified them. I just wanted my cat back. And they were playing a far more dangerous game. You know what? She pulled a gun on the sheriff!”

  “What?”

  “Yep, when the sheriff caught them, she actually pulled a gun on him. Luckily one of the locals saw what was happening and pulled out his rifle aiming at both of them. Since the man looked like an expert marksman, she thought it best to back down.”

  “Thanks for the head-up. I'll go with a higher awareness for violence on my way up there and keep my eye on them. I guess they can't be trusted.”

  “Nope, they definitely cannot. Right now, I'm just looking forward to picking up Roger.”

  Fred said, “You saw that news video? I saw the cat but I couldn't identify him in time, all this other business came up. Nobody knows how those animals wound up walking along the side of the turnpike.”

  “Well, I'm just glad he's safe and sound.” Mandy said, happy to be soon re-united with Roger.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As Mandy and Jill crossed the state line from Ohio to New Jersey, all Mandy could think of was getting Roger back. It had been a trek following Thomas Parks, assuming he had caused Roger's disappearance. But now, things had evolved beyond her wildest imaginary problems. Things truly turned out to be more like a movie than real life. But at least her life had not been in danger. And she did get the bad guys. And for a change she would handsomely rewarded for it, too.

  Still, with all these things on her mind, the thought of Roger stood out above all. The drive would still be a couple of hours and she might not make it before closing time, but at least the animal services people kept him safe and sound. She figured she'd get the scoop later about where all those animals came from. They were all together, so the same culprits took them.

  Back in the Upper Peninsula, Fred and his deputy arrived to pick up Stacy and Thomas Parks. Fred went to Sheriff Logan's office.

  “Sheriff Logan, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  “I'm glad to be able to attach a face to the voice, Captain Stone.”

  “Also, please allow me to introduce my associate, Deputy Wallace.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “So, how has it been since you captured the suspects?”

  “Other than the one time where she pulled the gun on me, they've been quiet. She's been particularly quiet, apologized to me for the gun, said fear made her do it, and the rest of the time she just sits there. The husband is a little more talkative, but she really looks like she's in a trance.”

  “Hmmmm, strange.”

  Stacy's inexplicable behavior to Fred and Sherriff Logan stemmed from a conversation she had with her father, where she explained her predicament. Her father advised her to be calm and polite, pretend some kind of trance-like state and meanwhile he would hire Harvey Schwartz, local counsel, as their lawyer. Harvey, an expert on temporary insanity, would pretty much guaranteed the lightest sentence possible, while at the same time, presenting you as a certified nut. He also said to be nice while in jail so they could get back to Jersey as fast as possible. He couldn't do much for the couple up there. Knowing her father knew how to beat any rap, she followed his instructions accordingly.

  “I'll be honest, Captain Stone…”

  “Call me Fred.”

  “I'll be honest with you Fred, I'm not going to make much of a big deal about her pulling a gun on me. She's been in jail a couple of days, so I think we're even. I've had plenty of people pull much bigger guns on me in these parts, so I wasn't bothered with her threatening me with a gun. You've got much bigger fish to fry and honestly, I don't really want them hanging around my jail any longer than they have to. So, they're yours with my blessings and good luck to you.”

  “Thanks, Sheriff.”

  Fred handcuffed Thomas and Stacy Parks and got ready for their trip to the airport.

  Gwen Fetlock's psychiatric evaluation by professionals proved what every layperson in town had known for years. She was crazy. Or at least dangerously delusional.

  While people put up with her protesting about animals cruelty, now it had escalated from kidnapping animals to intending to blow up buildings. She had graduated from an animal activist to a home-grown terrorist. Most likely, she would spend the rest of her life either in a prison or some kind of psychiatric hospital.

  Mandy and Jill were getting close to Mandy's apartment, but they still had a ways to go to the animal shelter before it closed in thirty minutes. She had to stop home to get Roger's papers to prove her ownership. Once at her place, Mandy jumped out of the car, rushed in, grabbed the papers, rushed out and drove like a maniac to the animal center.

  Once there, with only fifteen minutes before closing time, she talked to the person managing the animal processing.

  “Hi, there, my name is Mandy Cummings. I'm here to pick up my cat, one of the animals recently rescued from the side of the turnpike. Sorry it's so late, but I've been driving down all the way from Michigan, ever since I saw the video of my cat leading the other animals.”

  “Oh, so you're the owner of the ring leader.” the woman said with a smile.

  “Is that what he is??”

  “Well strangely enough, all the animals were following him.”

  “I know, I couldn't believe it either.”

  “Well, do you have his papers?”

  “Yes, here are all his adoption papers, here are pictures of me with him. He's Roger, the cat famous from the mall video.”

  “Oh, he's THAT cat.”

  “Yes, probably got him stolen in the first place.”

  “Well, he's been surprisingly quiet. Now that you tell me who he is, we probably would have taken more caution; he looked like one mean cat in the video.”

  “You're familiar with him?”

  “We're all familia
r with the video, it made the rounds in the office.”

  “Well, he's surprisingly sweet and gentle, he's just protective of me if somebody tries to attack me.”

  *****

  In the meantime, with all these activities going on at the front desk, Colin had been keeping Roger company in the back.

  “Well Roger, it's only a matter of minutes now before Mandy comes to pick you up.”

  In his mind, Roger could understand this man, although he vaguely knew him. The idea of Mandy made him happy.

  “Yep, she's right outside talking to the people so they can release you to her. Sorry about all the trouble Roger, this should have been a nice quiet home for you. And it will be. It's just there have been all the hitches and things nobody ever expected. But that's the thing, Roger, nobody knows the complete future, I can only get glimpses of what trajectory will have the fewest problems.

  “I never dreamed you'd be fighting off a murderer and getting kidnapped. But the good news is all these activities are cutting the number of years you spend here on earth. After the time you protected Mandy from the killer, I put your case up again for a reduced time. And when they saw your performance, they agreed. So, you probably have all of seven years to go. Afterward, you go to the real life.”

  For those of you joining us for the first time, Roger is a re-incarnated New York City detective whose life ended prematurely when assassinated by the mob. To live out the rest of his time on earth, Colin, Roger's guardian angel, made a deal so he would come back as a cat for fourteen or fifteen years, as opposed to fifty eight years in the netherworld, a sort of purgatory. However, because of his heroic deeds so far, the time has been cut to seven years now.

  As Roger listened to Colin tell him about a shorter time period as a cat, he understood all this, but he couldn't reply. Something inside made him happy because of the lesser time period. But he didn't quite know what it referred to. Colin, on the other hand, noticed this trauma hadn't kicked in his man personality. In a way, the tranquilizer helped make Roger mellower during this whole ordeal. It also helped Roger understand the other animals. Roger had been calm, almost saintly calm, instead of acting like the attack cat. The tranquilizer had been a big help in that respect. During Colin's musing, Mandy walked in.

  *****

  “Roger, baby, are you ok?” She rushed over to his cage.

  Roger took one look at Mandy and started to purr and to rub himself against the cage.

  “You see, he knows his mother has come for him,” she told the attendant.

  “Well, he's certainly perked up. He's been pretty mellow all the time he's been here.”

  Mandy took Roger out of the cage, gave him a big hug. Eventually she put him on top of the table while she attached the leash on him.

  “You have a leash for your cat?”

  “Oh, yes, I always walk around town with him like this. He likes it.”

  Mandy and Jill walked out of the animal services building and to her car.

  “Well, now to go home and just relax.”

  Jill said “Yeah, I know what you mean. The last couple of days of playing detective were beginning to wear me down. Even though we stayed at nice hotels, there's nothing like your own bed and your own home.”

  “Yeah, and not have to be thinking about what direction the perpetrator is taking and what he's hiding.”

  “I've had enough of detective work for a while.”

  “Me, too.”

  Finally, they got to Mandy's house. Jill got out of Mandy's car and went to her own.

  “I'll call you later, or you call me if you hear from Fred about what's going on with the Parks case.”

  “Oh, sure, if I hear anything, I'll let you know.”

  Epilogue

  A month and a half later Mandy went by Fred's office to hear about all the developments in the case. Fred had also wanted to see Mandy about possible astrological charts in the future and Tarot readings.

  “Hi Mandy, nice to see you again.” Fred said.

  “Yeah, it has definitely been awhile, I know you've been busy with the trial and everything related.” Mandy said, happy to see Fred again.

  “Getting Stacy and Thomas Parks here from Michigan did not create any difficulties. However, once here, they lawyered up, they paid bail and it's definitely been an interesting month for everyone involved.”

  “I'll say, I've been watching this closely.” Mandy said.

  “You did the right thing in getting a contract with the insurance company. This turned out to be much bigger than anybody imagined.” Fred said pleased for Mandy.

  “The Stacy and Thomas Parks circus made for a surreal experience. I figured, at most, we'd find Thomas Parks taking Roger far away so the commercial wouldn't be done, and I vaguely thought some shady business with the insurance money. I made the deal with the insurance company because of my anger at him for taking Roger. I figured Roger's disappearance came about as a result of Thomas Parks. But we never dreamed we'd find Stacy Parks alive and well.” Mandy continued.

  “Truly a surprise for everyone. A lot of dominoes fell into place when the Parks were found, because they were all in on it. The doctor lied, the ambulance attendants knew it was fake and acted as though she died, the funeral home hosted the dummy. Everybody involved in pronouncing the patient dead had a part covering this up.” Fred explained to Mandy.

  “So, a lot of money must have been paid out.”

  “Yep, usually the way these things are done.”

  “Well, at least they found her guilty.” Mandy said, trying to find something positive.

  “Yes, but we won a Pyrrhic victory. We did all that work, you followed Thomas all the way out to Michigan, we flew them back, the insurance people got their lawyers. And because the Parks got good lawyers, they're spending six months in the county jail.

  “They got lawyers who managed to convince the judge Stacy Parks suffered from a bout of temporary insanity brought on by a mid-life crisis. She wanted to end her Stacy Parks persona, by engaging in this symbolic “death”. Thomas Parks swore he humored her along, due to her mental state, he had no intention of actually going to cash out the insurance policy. So, because the money didn't get lost or stolen, they managed to convince the court Stacy Parks suffered a temporary insanity episode, and they got a slap on the hand.” Fred said, a little despondent.

  “Incredible.” Mandy said.

  “Still, you did save the insurance company $20 million, so they were happy to give you your reward. And you didn't have to testify. You provided the proof and contacted law enforcement. I heaved a sigh of relief knowing nothing happened to put you in harm's way, not like the last time. That's what worried me the most when you called to tell me you were following Thomas Parks, I just hoped he wasn't a loose cannon out to kill people. As it were, he just created a big smoke screen, so people wouldn't know Stacy Parks was still alive. So, you managed to find the bad guys and you're getting rewarded for it.” Fred said, happy for Mandy.

  “I'm very happy about the reward. After the shock of finding the “dead” body and the grief they put me through when I thought I'd lost Roger, I'm glad I'm getting something out of this.”

  “Ah, yes, about losing Roger, I couldn't tell you this before, because of the investigation going on, but it was Gwen Fetlock who kidnapped Roger.” Fred said, nodding his head.

  “What?” Mandy said shocked.

  “That's right. She had kidnapped all those animals over the last two years to keep them from being exploited. She had set up an animal country club in her building. The animals were well treated and well fed. She wanted nothing but the best for the animals.

  “However, police discovered she planned to blow up all these buildings housing companies selling pet supplies or pet food she deemed exploitative of animals. Hedon among the ones on the list. They've been doing an investigation on her to find out if she had any terrorist ties. But no, she just planned her own brand of vigilante justice.” Fred said.

  “W
ow, so she's really a bigger nutcase than anybody ever thought. I'll never forget when she invaded Stacy's funeral. Actually, I think they were made for each other. Crazy Gwen Fetlock demonstrating at a fake funeral. Both were crazy in their own way.” Mandy said, remembering that horrible experience.

  “Well, unlike Stacy, they're never going to let Gwen get out. They found a lot of explosives at her house. Her mental condition has deteriorated to the point where she just lives in a world of her own, talks to herself about someone exploiting animals. They're not even giving her jail time, they're keeping her at a psychiatric ward.”

  “They still have those??”

  “Yes, and only the ultra crazy and violent are kept there.”

  “Well, I don't think she's going to get a lot of visitors.”

  “No, you can be sure she didn't make many friends over the years.”

  “What about Carol Stamis? Did she participate in any of the scams by the Parks?” Asked Mandy.

  “No, Carol actually turned out to be honest. She did most of the heavy lifting at Hedon, and she really wanted the business to succeed.” Fred said.

  “So, she honestly wanted to make the commercial.” Mandy said, a little disappointed.

  Fred said, “I think, from what she told me, Thomas Parks created the biggest problems in the company. Aside from trying to seduce her on the down low, his business ideas usually weren't good. But Stacy usually overrode those because she recognized Carol worked well for the business. It remains to be seen if Hedon will continue to work as a company.” Fred explained.