“What did you guys find today?” Bay asked, grabbing another onion ring from the chief’s plate.
“We found out that Penny had bruises on her body but definitely bled out from the wound in her throat,” Landon replied.
“So an animal did kill her?” I couldn’t help but be surprised.
“We were just talking about that,” Jack countered. “The medical examiner can’t say with any certainty that a weapon wasn’t used. If it was a weapon, she’s not sure what it was. She hasn’t ruled out teeth, though.”
“There were also multiple strains of animal DNA in the wound,” Landon added. “The medical examiner can’t identify it. She came up with, like, three animals instead of one. It’s … odd … and a little gross when you add in the teeth ripping the flesh.”
Huh. And there went my appetite. “So … it was Bigfoot?” I had trouble wrapping my head around the sentence, but that seemed the obvious choice now despite Penny’s personal life.
“We honestly have no idea,” Landon admitted. “We either have to find a weapon that could make that wound pattern or start searching the woods for a predator big enough to kill a grown woman.”
“And we’ve ruled out a bear, right?” I pressed.
“Bears are big and clumsy,” Terry supplied. “Whatever killed Penny was cunning and it boasted the ability to use thought.”
“And move a body,” Bay added.
“There is that, too,” Terry conceded. “There wasn’t enough blood at the scene to account for the volume missing from Penny’s body. That means she wasn’t killed where we found her.”
“Maybe someone cut her throat in one location and didn’t realize that she wasn’t dead until they transported her someplace else,” Bay suggested. “Maybe half of her blood volume was lost in the original spot, but she really did bleed out and die in the woods.”
“We’re not ruling anything out, but we can’t rule anything in either,” Chief Davenport said. “All I can say with any certainty is that no one should take anything for granted … and that includes you and your cousins. No running around the woods without proper supervision.”
“I’m not nine,” Bay argued. “I can take care of myself.”
“Were you in the woods with your mother and aunts last night?” the chief challenged. “I got a complaint that there was some naked dancing.”
Bay shot an accusatory look in my direction, causing me to instinctively raise my hands in protest. “It wasn’t me.”
“It was Margaret Little,” Landon said, handing Bay a french fry. “You know she complains every time she thinks you guys are dancing. She calls in four times a month, even though you guys are only out there one night a month. He’s messing with you.”
“Do I even want to know how you know that?” Chief Davenport challenged.
Landon shrugged. “I can promise there’s always wine involved.”
“And bacon poems,” Bay teased.
Their earlier skirmish forgotten, Landon wrinkled his nose as he kissed the corner of Bay’s mouth. “I’ll recite that for you again tonight.”
“Don’t do that.” The chief reached around Bay and flicked Landon’s ear. “I’m not joking about wandering around in the woods, Bay. If there is an animal out there … well … I don’t want you coming up against it.”
“I’m not worried about an animal,’ Bay said. “I’m worried about a human that acts like an animal.”
“Either way, everyone needs to be careful,” the chief warned. “We have no idea if this was a one-time thing or just the beginning.”
And that right there was a terrifying thought.
16
Sixteen
Landon and Chief Davenport agreed to allow Jack to accompany them on their second search of Penny’s house. I was understandably surprised by their easygoing attitudes, but given the shift in the investigation they were open to new ideas and felt Jack fit better into their world than ours given his doubts about man-eating monsters right from the start.
Landon insisted Bay tag along – which I found equally weird – and that left me to decide what I wanted do. Ultimately it wasn’t difficult. I was keen to see Penny’s home base. I’m a busybody by nature. Even though it looked likely that our expertise might be needed to track an animal rather than a human after all, I couldn’t shake the suspicion that an important clue remained overlooked.
I rode with Jack as we followed Landon along the streets leading out of town. We were alone, so I took the opportunity to study Jack’s features. He didn’t look happy.
“Do you wish I hadn’t come?”
“Huh? What?” Jack jerked his head to me, seemingly ripped out of some reverie. “No. It’s fine. Just don’t touch anything when we get there.”
“Are you angry with me?”
“I’m not happy with you for taking off with Bay this morning without asking whether it was a good idea. But you came back in one piece, so I guess I don’t have anything to complain about.”
“But … why were you angry in the first place?”
“Good grief.” Jack kept his right hand on the steering wheel and rubbed his forehead with the left. “You never stop asking questions, do you? It’s as if you can’t just sit there and be quiet for five minutes.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Is that really another question?”
I opened my mouth, something snarky on the tip of my tongue, and then snapped it shut. I didn’t need him or his stupid attitude. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared out the window, the foliage blurring as I let my mind wander. The only problem I had is that my mind refused to drift very far. It kept circling back to Jack and his stupid comment, like a shark scenting blood in the water.
“I don’t ask a lot of questions,” I exploded, after what felt like at least fifteen minutes of insufferable silence.
“Two minutes and forty-five seconds,” Jack noted, glancing at his watch. “Is that a new record?”
If I could have kicked him in his naughty bits without risking a car accident I would have done it. “Whatever!”
Jack heaved a weary sigh, dragging a hand through his hair as he kept his eyes on Landon’s tail lights. “Can I ask you something?”
“That’s rich coming from the guy who doesn’t like questions.”
Jack ignored the sarcasm. “Where do you think Chris is today?”
Despite my determination to pretend Jack fell into a black hole and I couldn’t see or hear him, the question caught me off guard, and I jerked my head in his direction. “What do you mean?”
“Where is Chris today?” Jack repeated.
“I … don’t know.” Hmm. Where was he headed with this line of questioning? It couldn’t be good.
“Why don’t you know?”
“Is this some sort of game?” I tugged on my limited patience to keep from exploding. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, so why don’t you just tell me.”
“Well, you’re an employee of the foundation, which means you should be doing what your boss says, right?”
My heart twisted as I bit down on the inside of my cheek. “Did Chris say something to you?”
“No, because I told him I had you running errands,” Jack replied.
“You did?”
“I did. Charlie, I get that you’re enthusiastic and this is the first time that you’ve been in the thick of things, but you need to remember that you’re an employee. You can’t just do whatever you want to do whenever the mood strikes. We have a chain of command, and you, my dear, are at the bottom of it right now.”
“But … I went with Bay,” I protested, immediately realizing how lame the argument sounded. That didn’t stop me from piling on. “I was trying to help her.”
“And Bay is her own boss – er, at least from what I can tell – and she was doing the work she needed to do,” Jack argued. “Landon and the chief spent the morning investigating and talking to the medical examiner because that’s part of their job description.
Hannah did the same because that’s part of her job description.
“Millie spent the morning nursing a hangover because she can pretty much do whatever she wants,” he continued. “That left Laura and Chris to go back to the scene. They set up cameras so they could record the area and they made plans for potential overnight visits to that spot – which I really don’t want to think about right now. They did the work, though. They were there. Did you know that?”
“I … no.” I swallowed hard, shame washing over me.
“I didn’t think so,” Jack said. “Chris came looking for you this morning to help him go through the footage. He thought you would be excited.”
“I would’ve been happy to do that,” I said.
“Yes, but you weren’t around,” Jack pointed out. “This was after you stole one of the rental vehicles and took off with Millie last night. This was after you watched the Winchesters dance naked under the moon.”
“You did that, too,” I protested.
Jack’s grin lit up his handsome face at the same time it made me want to punch him. “I like your enthusiasm and I think you’re competent … when you want to be. You still have a boss, Charlie.”
“I know. I just … when Bay said she was going back I thought I could offer her some help. I wasn’t trying to shirk work. Honestly, that’s not who I am.”
Jack’s expression softened, although only marginally. “I get that. I think you are a hard worker. I think your biggest problem is that you get distracted and abandon important tasks because you see something shiny and new to focus on. That said, you’re lying about why you went with Bay this morning.”
“I am not.” The words were out of my mouth before I took the time to ascertain whether or not they were true.
“You went with Bay because you’re fascinated with the Winchesters,” Jack said, ignoring the tinny quality of my voice. “You think there’s something off about them – and I don’t disagree – but they’re not why we’re here. I think they have a few secrets too, but I don’t think one of them is that they’re hiding Bigfoot in Tillie’s greenhouse.”
I swallowed the ball of self-doubt pooling in my throat. “I don’t think they had anything to do with Penny Schilling’s death. I just … thought I would offer my help. It was a mistake. It won’t happen again.”
“Good. See that it doesn’t.” Jack tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he followed Landon’s Explorer into a condominium development. From what I remembered of my drive to the resort, it was located about halfway between Hemlock Cove and the main resort building.
“Just out of curiosity, what did you tell Chris I was doing?” I asked, my voice low as I unfastened my seatbelt.
“I told him you were conducting research at the newspaper,” Jack replied. “He thought that was a good idea.”
“I did that yesterday.”
“He doesn’t know that.”
“Okay, well, thank you … I guess.” I reached for the door handle, but Jack stilled me with a hand on my arm.
“Charlie, I’m not trying to be the bad guy here. You need to pay attention – maybe get your head out of the clouds – and focus on the job you were hired to do.”
“I’ll do better.” I meant it. It was my third day on the job and I was already slacking. That’s not how I was raised. The guilt settled in my stomach like a hard, immovable ball.
“Okay.” Jack forced a smile, his dark eyes searching my face. “This is a fun gig if you relax and enjoy it. But there is work to do.”
“Yeah, I’ve got it.”
“Okay.”
I gripped the door handle, raising my head as I did. Bay stood in front of the Tahoe staring, her expression unreadable as she glanced between Jack and me. Somehow I knew what she was thinking, but she was so far off she needed another ZIP code to be in the right area.
This was so not how I saw this day going.
PENNY’S CONDO was really a condominium in name only. It was clear that the facility had once been apartments – and low-quality ones at that – and I couldn’t help feeling unbelievably sorry for the woman when I saw how messy the one-bedroom was.
“Who lives like this?” I asked, horrified as I stepped around a plate of half-eaten food – it looked to be rotting spaghetti, but I couldn’t be sure given the mold – sitting in the middle of the tiny living room. “Did someone break in and do this?”
“No, this is how she left it,” Landon replied, riffling through a stack of mail. “Women are messier than men in some instances. When I first started dating Bay she left her underwear around the guesthouse. She wasn’t the only one. Thistle and Clove did it, too. They didn’t think anything of it. So when I sat on the couch I’d find my head leaning against a bra and panties. It was … distracting, to say the least.”
“Was it dirty?” Jack’s expression was grim. “Like … were they stripping in the middle of the living room and just leaving their panties behind?”
Landon narrowed his eyes as he glanced over his shoulder. “That’s my girlfriend you’re picturing.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t,” Jack argued. “I was simply asking a question.”
“I know exactly what you were asking, because I asked it, too,” Landon countered. “I pictured them having pillow fights and giggling. That’s not what was happening.”
“What was happening?”
“Don’t answer that question,” Chief Davenport growled. “I don’t want to know what they were doing. Those are my sweethearts. All three of them.”
“Even Thistle?” I asked, dubious.
“Even Thistle,” the chief replied, not missing a beat. “She looked like an angel when she was little. So did Clove and Bay. Bay had all of that light hair, and I swear there were times I looked at her and saw a halo.” He took on a wistful expression. “I won’t allow whatever story you’re about to tell to tarnish that halo.”
“No, it’s not,” Landon argued. “There’s nothing nefarious or dirty about the story. Well, actually that’s not entirely true. All three of those girls were filthy. They refused to clean up after themselves. They’d strip on the way to the shower and just leave panties and bras behind. I was so disappointed when I learned the truth.”
Bay poked her head out of the bedroom. “You know I can hear you, right?”
“That’s why I’m talking so loud,” Landon replied.
Bay rolled her eyes. “Did you notice that the window in here doesn’t latch properly?”
Landon stilled, amusement from his storytelling skills fading as he moved in Bay’s direction. “No. Are you sure?”
“Would I have said it if I wasn’t sure?”
Curious, I followed the rest of the group into the bedroom. Penny was apparently even more slovenly when it came to this small space, because I had to take a step back when I saw the mountain of laundry heaped on the bed. “Did she leave that, too?”
“No, we came in here and did laundry when we were bored,” Chief Davenport deadpanned, watching as Landon looked over the window. “That wasn’t like that when we were here yesterday.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Landon agreed, his hand automatically moving to Bay’s back. “Someone was in here after we left.”
“Who?” My mind momentarily flashed to a picture of Bigfoot climbing through the window. “You don’t think it was an animal, do you?”
“Not bloody likely.” Landon rubbed his chin and shot Jack a hard look. “You guys were out watching us last night. Before that, where were you?”
“Do you think I’m a suspect?” Jack’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. “Why would we break into this place?”
“I’m not suggesting you killed her,” Landon clarified. “I’m simply suggesting that you might’ve broken in here to investigate. If you did, we need to know now.”
“They weren’t here,” Bay interjected, taking me by surprise with her fortitude. “Charlie and Millie attended a party at the resort. Bernard and Jack followed them. They weren’t in this apartment
.”
Landon let out a relieved breath. “Okay. Wait … how do you know that?”
“Yeah, how do you know that?” Jack challenged.
Bay pointed at me. She almost looked haughty in turning the tables to become the resident blabber. “Charlie told me.”
“You have a huge mouth,” Jack grumbled, shaking his head. “You don’t have to answer every question people pose. You know that, right?”
I shrugged, unbothered. “I saw no reason to lie. We weren’t doing anything wrong.”
“Except for trespassing and drinking with underage minors,” Bay offered.
I narrowed my eyes. “Really? Is this because I told Landon what you said to Phyllis Grimes?”
Bay grinned. “Maybe. They won’t do anything to you anyway. The resort is in a different town. They don’t have jurisdiction.”
“Oh, well, that’s a relief.” I brightened as I locked gazes with Jack. “See. No harm, no foul.”
“I’m an FBI agent,” Landon reminded me. “I have jurisdiction wherever I want.”
I deflated a bit. “Oh, well … hmm.”
“Yeah, big mouth.” Jack muttered. “Get out of their line of sight so they forget you’re a lawbreaker.”
“You were with me,” I complained, following him out of the bedroom.
“I’m smart enough not to admit things like that,” Jack said, moving toward the kitchen. “See if you can find anything in the living room, okay? And keep out of trouble.”
I shot him a dark look. “The only thing I’m going to find in the living room is the bubonic plague. Did you see the mold on the spaghetti?”
Jack’s grin was utterly charming when he flashed it in my direction. “So definitely don’t eat it.”
“Yes, I’ll try to refrain from eating the weeks-old spaghetti.”
Jack snickered as he opened a cupboard. “Investigative work isn’t as much fun as you thought, huh?”
“Now who can’t stop asking stupid questions?” I challenged, my cheeks burning as I slid around the offending plate. “Seriously, though, who lives like this?”
“Someone who didn’t care about cleanliness,” Jack replied, his expression sobering. “Penny Schilling had a plan to get out of here. I think she was focused singularly on that. She didn’t care who she stepped on to get what she wanted.”
The Bigfoot Blunder (A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 15
