by Molly Dox
Reggie smiled. "I'll take that as a yes. What do you think about breakfast tomorrow? And if we don't run into any trouble we can even try dinner on the weekend."
"Reggie, are you asking me out on two dates at the same time?"
"It would appear I am."
Poppy grinned. "Two dates in one week? Do you think we might be pressing our luck?"
"I'm willing to take the chance." He wanted to kiss her. And if he didn’t make a move soon, she might mistake it for lack of wanting.
Poppy liked the idea of going on a date with Reggie. She wasn’t sure he was interested in trying a second time, since he hadn’t said anything after their last attempt. They’d grown close over the last year, and though he was about ten years older than she was, it was something that neither seemed to mind or notice.
Reggie Whitehouse was a local sheriff. He’d moved into Paradise Cove after his wife passed. It took him close to a year to put his house on the market, but he was convinced he couldn’t live there anymore without his wife. Having lived in one of the resort trailers for the past year, he’d become like one of the family. Both Martin and Panda were also fond of him.
His skin had taken on a constant tan from being outdoors often, and the years peppered some gray into his hair. Poppy didn’t see him as weathered though, she saw him as rugged and handsome. She hadn’t thought much about dating before Reggie entered her life. In her forties, dating was something that got placed on the back burner.
“What do you say to tomorrow? Breakfast? We could leave around seven. That way you don’t have to worry about check-outs until later,” he suggested.
“Seven? Ugh. You’re really going to get me out that early? Can we try for seven-thirty? Mornings aren’t my strong point.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Sure.”
“Hey Reg, remind me I want to talk to you about something. I’ve got some things to do for now, but tomorrow I’d like to go over a few thoughts with you.”
“Dr. Corbin?”
Poppy arched an eyebrow. “How did you know?”
“Really?”
Poppy blushed. “Fine, you’ve got my number.”
Chapter 4
Panda stopped by on his way home from work. He wanted to check on his dad. He’d been acting funny lately. They’d discovered he had Diabetes and his sugars were off, but it was more than that. His mind wasn’t quite what it used to be. He also knew his sister was itching to hear the details of the latest autopsy. Normally, those kind of things were for work only, but having known Caroline for so many years, and knowing she and Poppy were friends, he decided he’d fill her in on a piece of information that wasn’t released to the public.
The news broke that Dr. Corbin had been euthanized. The killer used her own veterinarian medications against her. What wasn’t released was that she’d been chloroformed first, so that she wouldn’t struggle. She didn’t know what was coming. It appeared that they came up from behind her, covered her mouth and nose, and then brought her to the floor as her body dropped. The medication worked very quickly. She’d been there for only a few hours. He told her that being a place of business; fingerprints were all over. One of his friends, a cop in town said that trying to decide which fingerprints were simply from clients and what might have been the killer’s fingerprints grew fuzzy. Lastly, there were no incriminating prints on the medicine case. There was no breaking and entering. There were no known suspects. Even when talking to the receptionist, she said she knew nothing and had an alibi. She was at the dentist getting a cavity filled.
Somebody did this. If the cops were at a dead end, what made her think she could find any answers? Poppy couldn’t let this turn into one of the unsolved cases that dropped to the bottom of the priority list. She needed to do something.
Caroline’s memorial service was being held over the weekend. It was postponed due to the autopsy, and waiting for Lola to get into town and make arrangements. They would all go to pay their respects. It was such a loss to the community. Dr. Corbin had been the neighborhood vet for as long as she could remember.
As the weekend arrived, Poppy and her family headed to the funeral, while Reggie stepped in to cover the front desk of the resort for the few hours they were gone. He said he’d do his best, but knew it was important to the Pepper family to be there.
On seeing Pat, Poppy went over and offered her condolences. Pat’s arms were wrapped tightly around her chest. She was still visibility shaken. “I’m so sorry about all of this. I’m just crushed over losing Caroline. She’s been such an important figure in the community for ages.”
Pat nodded and sighed, but looked down, rather than at Poppy. “I’m still grief stricken. I just…I’m not really sure what to do with myself. And I guess I need to find another job.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay. It’s a good thing you weren’t in the office.” The thought of two deaths would be even more tragic.
“Yes.” Pat shifted her arms and started fidgeting with her hands. “I wasn’t there. I was at the dentist. I wish I knew more.”
“Oh, that reminds me, which dentist do you use? I need a new one, my other one just retired.”
Pat tripped over her words. “I see Dr. Zigland, over on Main Street.”
“Hmm, that’s odd.” Poppy shook her head. She could have sworn…
Panda cut in. “Poppy, Dad’s sick. I’m going to take him home.”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s complaining about stomach pain. I’ll check in with you later if there’s any news.”
She nodded. “Okay.” When she turned around Pat was gone. The thing is, Poppy was pretty sure Dr. Zigland was sidelined for a little while. He’d broken his arm playing Rugby with the amateur team. She happened to know that, because Dr. Zigland was her dentist and she got a little postcard mentioning he’d be closed for a short bit. It was a little white lie about her dentist retiring. That meant Pat was lying, but why? Did she know something more than she was saying?
She tried to find Pat, glancing around the room, but she was nowhere to be found. Poppy went over to Lola to see how she was holding up. After the funeral and a gathering with sandwiches and snacks at a rented local fire hall, Poppy caught up with some people she hadn’t talked to in ages. While it was a small community, everybody was so busy in their own lives, sometimes time got away from them all. All around, people were shocked to hear of Dr. Corbin’s passing….well, murder.
Poppy made one last visit with Lola before leaving for home. She told her she’d be by in the afternoon at some point the following day to collect a few more folders. She still hadn’t gotten through all the folders she’d taken with her. She meant to, and then something would come up. She promised to make it a priority.
Lola thanked Poppy for her time. “I’m going to put the house up for sale when I have time. I just need to get back to work. My father is going to come by and sort some things for me, and do a couple of repairs that had been overlooked over time. Nothing major, but if I sell, I want it to be ready for showings. I’ll leave the keys with you while I’m in Colorado. Go through whatever files you need. I hope you find something. I wish I could stay and delve through everything with you; I just don’t have the time. To be honest, I have no idea how I’ll even be able to function for the new few weeks.” She clinched her arms in tightly and hugged herself, sniffling, and holding back tears.
Peter Corbin would be back in town. Poppy wondered if he’d been in touch. Lola said they had a private viewing the night prior, and her father was there. He thought it best to stay away, since her mom’s side of the family was less than thrilled with the philanderer.
Poppy headed home, anxious to check on her father. When she arrived, the guys were watching a ball game with their feet propped up. “All better?”
“Gas. It was gas.” Martin barely looked over, keeping his eyes on the game.
“Gas?” She shook her head. “What is it with you and funerals?”
Chapter 5
&nb
sp; Poppy settled at the kitchen table, pulling the files she’d brought home with her. She’d already flipped through the appointment book. While the files might contain interesting tidbits, it was Pat’s obvious fake alibi that stirred up her senses more so. Did the cops not actually follow up on her alibi? She was aching to learn more. Pat wasn’t a good liar, and Poppy wanted to call her on it. Her reaction might be telling. She decided she’d pay her a visit the following day. It might not lead anywhere, but there was some sort of truth she was hiding, and Poppy was determined to find out what it was.
Opening the first folder, she read through recent notes. There was nothing other than the regular check-up information, along with the next folder, and the next which documented which recent vaccines the dog had gotten. Maybe it would be fruitless. There were bookshelves full of folders. She’d been the local vet for ages, and with the small town community, Poppy was pretty sure some of the files had to be outdated.
Poppy sighed and popped open the can of soda that she’d pulled from the fridge before sitting down. Taking a sip, she flipped open the next file, the file of Thom Bryant. Her blood ran cold. There was a note. A note that revealed something the police would want to know about. Poppy scanned the notes and looked through the chart. This could very well lead them to the killer. She was connecting dots and making assumptions. How could she not? But, did Mr. Bryant know about the notes? He wouldn’t have seen what she was writing. To be honest, Poppy could barely make out the doctor’s handwriting.
Dr. Corbin was growing suspicious of Thom Bryant’s intents. She was starting to think he was running a dog fighting ring. She was close to reporting him, and gave him a stern warning. But was that enough for him to kill her? He might have been into an illegal activity, but that was no guarantee of him having been the one to take out Caroline. It sure shined a spotlight on him though.
Poppy called Reggie over to show him what she’d found. He looked over at her after he finished reading. “That could be something big. Nice find. Are you going to call the cops, or do you want me to drop this off on my way to work tomorrow?”
“Not yet,” Poppy said hesitantly. “What I’m thinking is that I’m going to try to find out more about this dog fighting thing, and maybe get him talking.”
“Talking? To you?” Reggie groaned. “Not this time. This guy could be dangerous. It’s very possible he’s killed once, and what’s to say he wouldn’t do it again? He can’t have a heart or a soul if he’s tied up in dog fighting rings.”
“You’re right. I’ll call the police in the morning.” Poppy agreed.
“How about right now, while I’m here.” Reggie pushed for a response.
“Reggie,” Poppy sniped while blushing. “Do you not trust me?”
Reggie shook his head and sat back down.
“Fine,” she called out behind him. “Have it your way.”
Was Dr. Corbin onto something? She seemed convinced he was running a dog fighting ring, but why would she only give him a stern warning and not turn him in? It had to be horrible to see, especially as a vet. Or was she misguided? Was it not actually a dog ring, and they were false accusations? Something was off. She’d run her thoughts by Lola in the morning and then contact the police.
Only when morning rolled around, and Poppy headed to the house, Peter was already there and had changed all the locks overnight. Poppy’s key no longer fit. Knocking on the door, nobody answered. Wasn’t Lola supposed to still be there? More knocking, and finally Caroline’s ex-husband opened. He looked like he’d just woken up.
“What are you doing here?” She was confused. Poppy knew he was doing work, but didn’t think he’d be staying there.
“It’s my home. Why are you so nosy?” Peter looked down at the woman before him.
“Caroline’s home,” she corrected. “Or don’t you remember the part where she threw you out after you cheated on her?”
“And it’s good to see you too, Ms. Pepper.” He growled, and then slammed the door.
Poppy banged at the door again.
Peter opened the door and rolled his eyes. “What now?”
“Is Lola here? I was helping her with some things.” She didn’t want to say what exactly, incase Peter was somehow involved.
“She left late last night. Her daughter was sick, and she has to go back to work. Her husband got her on a red-eye flight.”
Poppy stood, not sure what to say. “I was going through some files for her. Would I be able to have access to the office?”
“No need, I’ll take care of things from this point. See, when we got divorced, she never changed the will. What do you know; we’re neighbors again for a while. I’ll eventually sell the house to help Lola, but no reason I shouldn’t live here for a while, after all, I put a lot of hard work into building it. Good day, Ms. Pepper.” He closed the door, not waiting for a response.
Poppy grunted and groaned out her frustration as she turned away from the close door in front of her. Peter Corbin was a trouble maker, and the idea of him living back in Caroline’s house bothered her. Caroline would have hated knowing that he was staying there.
Great; now she’d have no access to any more information. Peter seemed to move in pretty quickly. Sure, he was going to do some repairs and clean-ups for his daughter, but moving in? Poppy shook her head. What did she want him to do, stay at a hotel? The man would be fixing the home up to sell it. Why did it bother her so much? She couldn’t stop thinking back to when the news came out about his cheating. It’s not like you can keep a secret for long in a small town. Poor Caroline was crushed.
Peter Corbin, though advanced in age, still had his good looks going for him, but his personality more than made up for fifty reasons not to be anywhere near the guy. The divorce wasn’t a smooth process, and there was all sorts of ruckus over Caroline getting the home, after he’d put so much energy into building additions like the office and a large sunroom. Things got ugly, but after enough time, the fire faded and they went their separate ways.
Poppy made her way back home. As she walked into the office grumbling, she looked at her father. “What are you doing?”
“The stupid orange won’t fit in the bottle.”
“Dad? Why are you trying to stuff that orange into there?”
“We’re out of orange juice. I was going to just drop this in there and add water.”
“You don’t want to maybe peel it and squeeze it?”
“Waste of time, it’s just a waste of time. He dropped the orange on the table and headed toward his room with a slight stumble.”
“Wasn’t there a pitcher full earlier?”
“Eh, I had a couple of glasses.”
“Oh dad, it’s too much sugar all at once. Did you drink all of that?” Poppy’s veins rushed with panic. “Move around, Dad, don’t go to bed. Your sugars are probably spiking. Let’s take them,” she suggested, trying to coax him back to the main area.
Slowly, he followed her out. “I’m fine. I’ve been drinking orange juice since I was a kid. Juice is good for you.”
“And full of sugar, Dad. You have diabetes. You need to take this seriously.” She got out his glucose meter for him to test his blood sugars.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He stuck his finger and placed a drop of blood on the test strip.
Poppy shook her head. “Dad, move around, it’s too high. And drink some water to help dilute the sugar in your blood. Do you want me to call the doctor and see what else we should do?”
“I don’t need a stinking doctor. The kid is half my age.” He sat at the table. “I’m tired. I’m going to nap.”
It was never easy with her father. He was in denial about the changes he had to make. It was frustrating to watch. Poppy got on the phone with her brother. “We need to get Dad’s attention. He’s in denial.”
“He’s an old man set in his ways, Poppy. Nobody told him what to eat before and suddenly there are all these rules. I’ll be honest; I’d be pretty annoyed having to change all
my habits at once. It’s going to take him a little time to adapt.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. How much time does he have left…” She sighed.
“It’s going to be okay. He’s getting older. It happens. It happens to all of us at some point; we get old. Not a lot you can do, so it’s better not to stress about it,” he reminded.
“I miss Mom.”
Panda sympathized. “I know. We’ll talk later. I have to go do an exam shortly.”
“Thanks, Panda. I think I just needed to vent.”
“Any time,” he answered.
Chapter 6
Due to the funeral having been over the weekend, Reggie and Poppy pushed their date back a few days. They’d be going to a local Mexican place. It wasn’t the fanciest, but it had the best Mexican food you could find for miles. Everything was fresh and seasoned perfectly. It was the little ‘hole in the wall’ places that Poppy loved the best.
They’d originally considered something fancier, but when it came down to it, fancy wasn’t what Reggie and Poppy were about. Going to their favorite places made more sense. They’d intended to go out to breakfast, but something came up. It was like they couldn’t get things in sync, and yet they saw one another all the time at Paradise Cove.
“Cheap beer and crunchy tacos sound brilliant,” Reggie said, meeting up with Poppy in the office. “Your chariot waits.”
Poppy laughed and went out to climb into his old truck. “I’m thinking Fajitas myself.”
“You look great, by the way,” he couldn’t help himself.
“Thanks,” she said, even though she was wearing the same jeans she’d worn dozens and dozens of times before.
Reggie gripped the steering wheel and before pulling away, he turned to Poppy. “You and me, do you think this could work?”
“I do,” she answered softly.
“Can I kiss you?”
