by Abby Deuel
Mandy smiled as Gerry made his departure through the front door. The probability of another murder in Crestview so soon after the last one was slim. There was no reason that she could not dabble in detective work. She’d just have to refrain from getting into danger this time. Veterinary medicine was still her first passion, of course. It certainly seemed that she had a knack for it, despite no formal training in the field.
Chapter 14
Before heading out to do chores, Mandy gave Lyle and Anna some kibble inside. She wanted to be able to have a good look around for evidence of what may be a lurking fox without the dogs scaring it away. It was right on dusk, perfect time for a fox, or any other predators, for that matter, to be milling about. Mandy was extremely careful with her footsteps to ensure that she made as little noise as possible. Given her goal, she went straight to the chicken pen. The head count revealed no additional losses. She saw no evidence of a fox nearby so she began examining the carnage from this morning.
There were no new footprints that could help identify the culprit further. She walked all the way to the stand of woods to see if anything showed up in the dirt. Nothing. The only thing she found was a tuft of hair or fur hanging from the fence near the pool of dried blood. It was such a small amount of fur that she had not seen it this morning. She removed it and put it in her shirt pocket for future examination. She had never tried forensic science but, maybe with her microscope at work, she could identify the kind of animal that had done the damage in her chicken coop. She could find some information to help with animal hair identification.
The hens had two different houses to roost in of an evening. At one time, there must have been more hens as this amount of space was not necessary. Today, however, it was a godsend as one of the houses locked up more securely, thereby making the hens safer from the prowling predator. Mandy coaxed all of the hens into the sturdier house. She made sure they had fresh water and food to get them through until morning.
Then, she walked the perimeter to check for any possible weak areas in the enclosure. Using some scrap lumber from the barn, she found reinforced one area that needed extra stability. She took a few steps back to admire her handiwork, feeling more confident than the fox for round two. She felt more confident that the fox would have to find another food source tonight. With the chickens safely in bed, Mandy checked on the sheep. They were all resting obediently in their paddock, content after their jaunt through the front garden. Mandy threw a few more flakes of hay over the fence for them to snack upon.
Chores were done. Mandy felt content with her new life. She couldn’t ask for a more peaceful setting than this gorgeous farm. She knew that there were so many possibilities for the future. She was the type of person who grew unsettled easily but these surroundings were the answer to her wanderlust. She could develop the grazing and learn how to run an intense farm on a small piece of land. She could always add on a market garden, beekeeping, cattle, alpacas, pigs, an orchard, or any other form of land use that she wanted. No one could tell her not to and there was really nothing to stop her but her own desires.
Mandy went back inside the house to fix herself some supper and relax with her four-legged children. There was no reason to build the entire future in one day. She had some lasagna in the freezer that could heat up in the oven for a low-key meal. While it cooked, she perused her laptop for information on hair identification. The sample from the chicken pen was in her pocket. She pulled it out to put it in an envelope for safer keeping. Anna’s nose perked up, causing her to cross the room to investigate the source of the alluring smell. Upon reaching Mandy’s hair sample, Anna puffed up her hackles and started to growl.
“Whoa, kiddo. It’s just a little bit of fur. There is no reason to be so agitated,” said Mandy. “I don’t even know what kind of animal it is from.” Anna was not going to back down. She was ready to charge Mandy’s hands. Mandy quickly put the fur out of sight and hopefully out of range of smell so that Anna could calm down.
“Your guarding instincts are sure powerful even though you never got to know your mother. Maybe we should let you start spending some time outside with the sheep so you can use your innate skills. Everybody keeps telling me I should. It probably wouldn’t hurt to have you out there to ward off the possible fox.” Anna was checking everywhere she could reach to see where Mandy had hidden the sample.
Mandy figured this was good stimulation for Anna so she let her continue to search. Meanwhile, Mandy checked on the lasagna which was almost ready before sitting back down at the computer. She found an old transcript from a lecture at a university that went through different ways to identify fur and hair samples. The top three animals that Mandy suspected were all similar species: a fox, domestic dog, or coyote. Mandy hoped that there were nuances that would help differentiate the species.
Luckily, she found out that the shape of the scales on the outside layer, or cuticle, of the hair would be different in a dog versus a fox. In a fox, these scales would be prominent and of various shapes. In a dog, on the other hand, the scales would not be prominent. The trick would be to differentiate between a dog and a coyote. The main goal of identification in Mandy’s eyes was to determine the best method of protection for the chickens.
Mandy didn’t consider herself a violent person; she had devoted her whole life to helping animals thrive. However, when an animal killed one of her own in cold blood, she could see herself taking the necessary measures to ensure that it never happened again, even if that involved a trap. Everyone needed to eat to prepare for winter. Mandy just did not want a carnivorous guest on her property. There was too much to lose.
The lasagna was smelling good which meant it was likely time to eat. Mandy put a little spinach souffle in the microwave to accompany her carb-loaded entree. She settled into the dinette to feast on her balanced meal. Today had been a strange day and she had worked up quite an appetite. It was never a good idea for a full-figured woman to eat and then go to bed. Tonight, Mandy would ignore this and let her body rest. She fluffed up her pillows and snuggled into bed. Lyle found her spot on the top of the bed by Mandy’s head while Anna slept with her head under the foot of the bed. Anna seemed to be more of a protector; she was ready should anyone come rushing in uninvited.
Chapter 15
Morning sun tickled Mandy’s nose as she contemplated getting up. The advantage of living in the middle of nowhere was that there was no need for curtains. This turned into a disadvantage if a person was not ready to wake with the sun. With daylight savings coming soon, it would be easier to sleep in as it would be darker later in the morning. The flip-side would be that it would also get darker earlier, cutting into valuable daylight for chores. Mandy’s new life on the farm meant getting used to the fact that Mother Nature was the ruler of all tasks. When she said jump, Mandy should now ask how high.
Anna and Lyle were far more excited than Mandy to greet a new day. They were stampeding back and forth through the house at the first sign of Mandy starting to wake up. They had started a new game of chase every morning. For two dogs, they managed to sound more like a herd of buffalo.
“Alright, alright. Let’s all get up, shall we?” asked Mandy, yawning. She put on an over-sized, plush soft robe to face the change in temperature as she headed off down the hall to let the dogs out. They didn’t seem to notice that the mornings were getting colder with each passing day. Soon, they would not be so excited to run out into several feet of snow. Although, knowing them, Mandy thought, it was likely they would be just as excited to run outside, if not more excited, if there was snow everywhere. It would be Anna’s first winter so Lyle would have to show her the ropes.
Mandy put the coffee pot on since she had beat the timer she’d set the night before. She was in need of a caffeine recharge in order to face the day. The coffee had finished brewing so Mandy poured herself a steaming cup and leaned against the counter in the kitchen overlooking the farm. Once the coffee had reawakened her synapses, Mandy remembered about the ha
ir sample. She retrieved it from the drawer in the kitchen so she could put it in her bag before the dogs came back in with their uber-noses. At the clinic today, she would see what the sample looked like under the microscope.
The dogs were busying themselves but would soon be ready for their breakfast. Mandy saw no reason to disturb them. She scanned the area around the chicken coop and did not see anything obviously wrong. In fact, the whole farm looked as serene as it had the day before. She decided to catch up on some house chores before heading outside. First, the stack of mail on the counter needed attention. It was amazing how much could accumulate in just a few days. Much of the mail was still for Derek so Mandy was having to sort through double the normal amount.
She started checking through it, separating everything into three different piles, when she noticed a letter from her mother, Judith. Anyone who has had a connection with a parent can spot their handwriting at fifty feet. It could be because a parent’s handwriting is the first one that kids typically see a lot of. For Mandy, it was mainly that her mother had incredibly distinctive handwriting. Sadly, it was starting to show a slight shakiness instead of the usual flowing, round letters. She was of a different generation that used cursive as a formal method of communication. Most people nowadays don’t even know how to write in cursive, much less read it.
In no real rush today, Mandy decided to read her mother’s letter now. It was long and would require an additional cup of coffee. Mandy let the dogs in for their breakfast, poured another cup, and settled in to read the latest installment from her mother. She was not one to email or call, instead holding onto the art of letter-writing. Where Mandy was progressive in many ways, her mother was rooted in tradition. As a miner’s wife raising several children, Mandy’s mother had encouraged a simpler way of life. She didn’t embrace technology, opting for activities like gardening and canning over tweeting and skyping. This connection to the past was perhaps what gave Mandy the desire to put roots in a place like Crestview.
In recent years, Mandy’s mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. At first, it was not very apparent; she might repeat a story without realizing it or take longer to find her keys. Unfortunately, it was progressing quickly. Luckily, Judith had been put into a study on Alzheimer’s that enabled her to receive the most up-to-date treatments possible. There had been several recent drugs approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s which were giving hope to a seemingly hopeless situation. It was really hard to watch one of the most vibrant people Mandy had ever known fall ill in such an invisible way. In Mandy’s eyes, it was perhaps the worst disease imaginable. While eating away at a person’s mind, it did not change anything on the outside. A person could be young, fit, and healthy and yet have a brain that had been ravaged by an unforgiving sickness. At least more people were aware of it and talking about it. With more information out there, the struggle seemed less lonely for families and friends of those with Alzheimer’s.
Mandy had not come to accept the inevitable consequences of Alzheimer’s disease, yet. With a science background, she still had hope that someone would crack the code soon enough to help her mother before it was too late. Mandy had devoted a large part of her extra-curricular reading over the last few years to understanding more about the disease. Her quest had not revealed anything earth-shattering. She knew that her mother could stay in this moderate stage for ten years. At times, it felt like a ticking time-bomb. Sometimes Mandy felt guilty for not going to visit her mother more while she still knew who she was. The one thing that her parents had encouraged from a young age was to follow your dreams and live your own life. Maybe now that Mandy had a permanent home, she could schedule in some visits back to the family farm. Admittedly, Mandy now had a farm of her own to consider.
Thinking of her family home, Mandy’s mind wandered to her father, Burt, who was a gruff old miner who scared most people at first glance. He was a lot less scary once you got past his intimidating height and miner’s colloquialisms. Occasionally, he would break out into colorful songs filled with filthy lyrics. Mandy’s friends growing up were not phased by her father’s songs as the mine was part of the community and many parents worked there. Burt’s life below ground may have brought profanity into the house but it had also enabled their family to have a comfortable life. They, by no means, had a dispensable income but they did have enough to cover the basics and then some. His schedule was not always predictable, as the mine used a staggered shift work schedule. Instead of staying on one shift, the workers rotated, giving everyone a chance to be at home during the day with their family. It seemed like he was not around as much as she would have liked for him to have been.
He made up for it by spending the time that he did have off with the kids, showing them the wonders of the world around them. It was not uncommon for them to go camping for a family holiday instead of do something typical like other families who went to Disney world. Burt had the ability to make some of the ordinary aspects of their surroundings seem extraordinary. There was this one time that they had pulled over to watch the sun set over a native prairie area. The whole family sat quietly, observing the scenery, pointing out the way the sun highlighted the petal stripes on this flower or the way the sun transformed a spiderweb into stained glass. It was completely unnecessary for the family to spend large sums of money on entertainment. They could make a car-ride through the countryside feel like a chartered tour of the Alps.
For all of Burt’s attributes, he had also been quite strict with Mandy and her siblings as they were growing up. At the time, Mandy wished he had been more lenient. Now, however, she realized that he had been raised to know what a hard day’s work was and wanted the same for his children. Through the years, Mandy and her father had become much closer, especially now that Mandy knew the importance of feeling secure in one’s life. A savings account couldn’t save a person but the ability to to jump in and work at whatever needed to be done would serve them through thick and thin.
“I see. I know it’s time to get going. Let’s do outside chores and then we can head into the clinic,” said Mandy to Lyle who was all but tapping her foot with her hands on her hip. A collie can make their mood known to a person with one intense look.
Chapter 16
Mandy and the dogs arrived at the clinic to find Gillian humming, prepping the cages for the day’s surgeries. Since there weren’t many animals in the clinic, Gillian had already done all of the clinic duties Emma and Jimbo were basking in the morning sunshine as it spilled into the clinic lobby.
“How’s Clara?” asked Mandy.
“No more seizures that I have seen. The blood work is back. It’s on your desk,” said Gillian.
Mandy retrieved it, reading it as she walked from the office to Clara’s cage. Clara was sitting at the front of the cage, looking as if nothing had ever happened.
“She sure doesn’t look like a sick pup. The blood work shows nothing that needs treatment. I would say that we can send her home today with a very low dose of anti-seizure medicine. I want just enough in her system to prevent another one but not enough to cause a long-term issue,” said Mandy. She was calculating out the dose on a sheet of paper while chewing on the end of the pencil.
“You make it sound so easy,” said Gillian, looking at Mandy’s figures on the paper. “You should have been at our house last night to help Hamish with his homework. He is into some pretty high grade math now. I’m afraid that I am not much help to him anymore.”
“You know that he is more than welcome to call me anytime if he needs help with school. The only subject that I would be of no use is chemistry. Other than that, I’d be delighted to help him,” said Mandy.
“Thanks for that. He didn’t want to bother you but I will make him next time. You ever thought of having kids?” asked Gillian.
“Sort of. I guess I always thought that it would happen in the course of my normal life. I had not really had a plan necessarily but figured that life would unfold naturally. Of course, by now
, I would have already met my Prince Charming and we would be living in our idyllic paradise,” said Mandy. “Since that hasn’t happened, I concluded that perhaps I needed to move on without him. I already bought myself a house and farm. I have a career. Mostly everything has fallen into place.”
“Be patient. You have more than most people and I wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of it falls into place soon. You have a few admirers,” said Gillian.
Mandy blushed. “What?” she asked.
“Trust me on this one,” said Gillian.
“I have become quite content with my solitude. I’m not looking for anything more,” said Mandy.
“You never know,” said Gillian.
“Very true indeed. Life happens. I just decided to take life by the horns and wait for no one to make it complete,” said Mandy.
“I agree with that, sister,” said Gillian.
“I better call Clara’s owner before he wonders what happened,” said Mandy. She picked up the phone, dialed the number, and waited for Bruce to respond. Oddly, there was no sound on the other end. “Hello?”
“I wondered how long it would take you to realize you didn’t dial out. I was already on the line,” said Gerry.
“Cheeky. How did you manage that?” asked Mandy.
“I had just the right timing,” said Gerry. “How are you this morning?”
“I’m well. What can I do for you?”
“I was just calling to give you more information on the recently deceased out at O’Mally’s,” said Gerry. “Of course I’ll deny that we had this conversation.”
“Mum’s the word,” said Mandy, miming that she had locked her mouth and thrown the key into her pocket, even though Gerry couldn’t see her doing this through the phone. “What’ve you got?”
