“She’s wonderful, she really is.” Meredith turned toward Molly, who was headed in my and Jessica’s direction. When Meredith saw us, she came forward, waving her hand in greeting.
The two women stood side by side, both talking at once. I raised a hand and they went silent, then glanced at each other with a grin. Molly motioned for Meredith to speak first.
“Thank you. I have enjoyed this class. I won’t have to give up my seat if the other student returns, though, will I?
Before I could say she wouldn’t, Molly said, “Not at all. You’re a natural, Mrs. Carver. I’m very pleased at how well you did, it being your first class, and all.”
Meredith became flustered, and her face turned a deep shade of pink. “I must get home, I want to tell Jack all about the class. I know he’ll want to hear what I’ve learned so far.”
Jess and I nodded at the same time. It was possible we both thought his wanting to hear all about the class was the last thing Jack might have on his mind.
Meredith drew me aside. Molly and Jessica wandered the room looking at all the spinning stations and the progress made. I gave Meredith my full attention, especially when she asked, “Were you at the exhibition hall today?”
“Yes, I’ll be judging the contests.”
“There are vendors at those events, too. You’ll have a chance to speak with Jim Brody, he owns You Need It. You must have ordered from there, am I right? Well, anyway, he knew Evelyn better than most since she worked for him part-time. They weren’t romantically involved, of course, he’s simply adept at getting people to gossip or tell him anything he would like to know. He could be a good place to start your investigation. You are investigating, aren’t you?”
Unwilling to admit I’d already spoken to Jim about Evelyn, I said, “I often order supplies from Jim’s company. As for gossip, I’m glad you mentioned that. I’ll see what I can find out from him concerning Evelyn. She was certainly on the low end of the popularity scale with rabbit owners, the staff, and show organizers.” I put my hand on her arm and softly said, “It’s important that I help Jack with Evelyn’s death.”
“He mentioned you agreed to be his eyes and ears. Most people won’t tell an officer anything.” She patted my shoulder lightly. “You’re a sweet person, Juliette. Be careful, okay?”
Having had her say, Meredith took my nod as her answer and left for home. The other students had gone out the door during Meredith’s chatter. Molly, who had tried to cover a yawn, and Jessica appeared worn out.
I said, “It’s time for both of you to go home. I’ll put things in order. Thanks for your help, Molly, and you, too, Jessica. I hope these extra hours aren’t going to be a problem.”
Both women shook their heads and went on their way. I straightened the shop before I tended to the cash register. I hadn’t expected a deposit, and was pleasantly surprised that Molly had filled out a deposit slip and clipped money to it. Her neat handwritten receipts stated who bought what and for how much, who had paid for this class and who had paid a month in advance. Happily, I took the deposit bag and drove to the bank.
It was after hours for the bank. I slid the bag into the night deposit drop-off and drove away. I caught sight of Carina’s car in the library parking lot as I waited for traffic to stop. I parked next to her car and went inside to search her out. Seated at the far end of a long table, Carina whispered to her daughter as she ran her finger across the page of a book.
I slid into a chair next to them and waited for Carina to finish with Adrian. When she had, Carina looked at me. In silence, her eyebrows rose, her eyes widened, and I took her expression as a question of what I’d found out. I beckoned her to follow me to an empty alcove. She nodded and told Adrian where she would be.
We stood in Adrian’s line of sight for a whispered update. “It is apparent Evelyn was unpopular with the people she worked with as well as those who entered their rabbits in the show. That dislike should have made her change her ways, but it didn’t. Instead, from what I understand, she was more domineering and miserable than ever.”
“I’m not surprised. Do you have any idea yet who might have killed her?”
“Not yet, it’s early days. The show officially opens tomorrow, everyone who needs to be in attendance, will be, which means I might get a better idea of who disliked her enough to kill her.”
While she listened, Carina hadn’t taken her eyes off Adrian. She glanced at me, gave me a nod, and whispered her thanks before she returned to her daughter while I walked alongside.
“Adrian has to read several books for school, and we’ve put it off until now, so here we are.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then.” On the way home, I mulled over how hard it would be to find Evelyn’s killer, or if I even could.
Bun sat facing the door when I walked into the kitchen. I swear I’d seen him tapping one foot when I’d entered the house with the grant packet tucked under my arm.
“You were gone a long time. Where were you?”
“At the bank and the library. It’s nice to know you missed me.”
“I never said I missed you, but now that I think of it, I guess I did. I woke from my nap and you were gone.”
“Bun, you know I’m never far away.”
“Do we have to leave early tomorrow?”
“The show opens at eleven in the morning. We have to be there by ten. Do you want to stay home or go with me?”
“There’s no leaving me behind. I can hear things you can’t, sense what you might not, and help you to stay out of trouble.” With a sniff of his sweet little nose, he continued, “Of course, I’m going.”
“Perfect. I didn’t think you would make me do this by myself. You have keen senses, which makes a huge difference in an investigation such as ours.”
Pleased at my response, Bun rubbed his head against my ankle and then asked for a snack. I gave him one that I hastily put together and left him to it.
The packet of information lay on the table. I opened it and sorted through multiple sheets of paper. Gosh, this wasn’t going to be easy. I leaned back in the chair, browsed each page again, and started to read in earnest.
The clock struck the hour. I realized it was eleven o’clock and I hadn’t finished reading the entire set of documents. I persevered until just past midnight. The pages were completed, folded, and stuffed into the envelope they had come in. There was little hope of the company issuing a grant to Fur Bridge Farm, at least that was my opinion. If it came through, fine, if not, fine. Well, maybe not fine, but I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it, either.
* * *
My internal alarm went off before the clock alarm sounded. I stretched, yawned, and arose in a bleary-eyed fashion. The smell of perked coffee and fried bacon meant Jessica had made breakfast.
Dressed for barn work, I’d only combed my hair, washed my face, and brushed my teeth. The rest could wait until the rabbits were cared for. The table was set and fresh coffee poured by the time I got downstairs.
“You have a late night, or what?”
“I stayed up to fill out the grant forms. I don’t think the grant will come through for the farm, but at least I tried.” I shrugged a shoulder and swigged down the coffee, scalding my palate, my tongue, and my throat.
“Here, put some sugar in your mouth. It will help with the scalding you just gave yourself.” Jess shoved the sugar bowl across the table.
“Oh my, this isn’t any way to start a day. We have lots of work to do, so don’t be clumsy, okay?”
I nodded and rolled granules of sugar around in my mouth until they dissolved. Surprisingly enough, the burn lessened in a few seconds.
“Now, eat your breakfast. After chores, I’ll need a hand in the clinic before you head out for the day. Oh, Molly will be a half hour late, but Jason will be here on time. I played the messages left on the phone in the barn.”
“Glad they called. I can handle the chores alone. You needn’t help me.” I spread cashew butter on toast and slathere
d blueberry jam on top and ate an egg, before I called it quits.
“Great breakfast, thanks, Jess.” She was still eating when I pushed my chair away from the table.
“I’ll be in the barn,” I said over my shoulder. As I passed Bun’s room, I noticed Jessica had already fed him. Okay then, this was a good start to the day.
I’d done double duty by filling the food and water bins as I made my way up one aisle and down another. With cages on each side of the aisles, it took a little longer using this method. It was the way I had started out when I first opened my business. Some cages were empty from rabbits that had gotten new homes. I made a mental note to check on their circumstances once the show was over.
“Are you finished yet?” Bun hopped alongside me as I filled the last dish with food.
“I am. Now for the poop trays.”
“Ugh, those stink. How do you stand it?”
I gave him a look that said he needn’t ask, watched him hop off toward Jessica’s clinic, and then follow her back as she entered the barn.
“I loaded the dishwasher and cleaned Bun’s room. Sorry I got waylaid. I’ll help you with the hoppers.”
“I don’t mind doing it, really. Get your clinic ready for the day, I’ll be in shortly.”
Jess shook her head as I wrinkled my nose and cleaned a poop tray into the hopper. “Come in when you’re done, then.”
Wearing a huge rubber apron and heavy rubber gloves, I scoured and sanitized each tray as I went. The last tray slid underneath the rabbit cage as I said, “Sure thing.”
Removing the gear, I hung it on a rack nailed to the barn wall and washed the gloves in the sink before I moseyed on into the clinic. Grunts and groans emanated from the last exam room.
“Wait a minute.” I rushed in to lift one end of the heavy examination table Jess struggled with.
“Glad you’re here. I can’t get this over to the other side of the room by myself.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to move this? I would have hurried through the chores.”
“Just give me a hand now, will you?”
Together, we hauled the table across the room.
“Anything else you want a hand with?”
“Now that you mention it, I have supplies that were delivered while you were busy.”
Again, we made short work of the job. We went to the front porch of the house and Jess took a seat while I brought out glasses of orange juice.
After a huge gulp, Jess asked, “What did Meredith say last night?”
“She told me about Jim Brody being a vendor at the show. She implied he knows everything that goes on there because people gossip with him and tend to say things they might not share with anyone else. Sort of like when women go to the hairdresser. I read somewhere that hairdressers and barbers know more about the lives of their customers than anyone else. I guess it’s the same with Jim Brody.” I grimaced while thinking about people who shared their secrets.
“Wow, remind me to button my lips when I have my next haircut. I do hear some stuff I’d rather not while sitting in the stylist’s chair. Customers have no clue who listens to what is said, or if anyone is familiar with the person they’ve gossiped about. I think you might have an ally in Jim Brody. Take note of what he says and sort out what’s true and what isn’t.”
“I’ve considered doing just that. We’ll see what I can find out before Sheriff Carver comes by and nags me for information. It’s hard to believe he’s asked for my help.”
“He knows you can get people to talk. Besides, he probably thinks you’d be up to your neck in clues that might help him if he had only asked you to gather them in the first place.”
“We’ll see how that works out. The rabbits should be ready for playtime. Let’s put them in the pen and then I can shower before Bun and I leave. Could you let Molly know I need an inventory of what’s in the shop?”
“Will do.”
We set the rabbits in the pen. I opened the small door that allowed entry into other places they could explore without getting away. Walkabout Willy was fond of getting away from us. Not that he would know what to do if he took a jaunt into the woods. I feared he would end up as a predator’s next meal.
Showered, changed, and ready to go, I packed Bun’s snacks, my lunch, and a small water container in the Bun Bag my mother had sent me, and gathered Bun into his sling. Mom had seen the bag in a market and while it was supposedly for bread and coffee buns, she thought it a fitting gift for Bun. He thought so, too.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Our driving time into Windermere was filled with speculation on how to further our investigation into Evelyn’s background and follow it up to the day of her demise.
“Remember, it’s opening day, and sporting competitions are bound to keep us judges busy. As my-ears-to-the-ground detective, you’ll be in a great position to hear and see what I can’t. I’m depending on you, Bun.”
“I’m up to the job, don’t you worry for a second about that.”
Assured that he wouldn’t go off on his own, I was grateful for his abilities.
“My exemplary wits will be in play from the minute we arrive to the minute we leave. I bet the killer will be in the audience, what do you want me to do if he or she is?”
Conscious of Bun’s overconfidence, I hesitated to answer, then said, “I’d like you to report your findings to me. I wouldn’t want you to come to harm, Bun.”
“That’s doable. I won’t take any chances, honest.”
Once inside the contest arena, I found the space had been reduced. Areas were blocked off, and seating was restricted because of it. Rabbits aren’t large animals and the reduction made it less intimidating for these sweet creatures, as well as less of a possibility any of them would wander off.
I took my place at the end of a long table, with the panel of nine judges. Each of us had large cards, with numbers printed on them, stacked in front of us. When a rabbit had completed his or her skill, we would hold up our numbers and they would be noted by the announcer. At the end of the competition, the numbers would be compared and the winner announced. I couldn’t help but be excited. The rabbits were beautiful, and I looked forward to the events.
“There sure are a lot of contestants. I think that brown-and-white one is going to win. He’s very attentive. You know, one must be focused to meet any challenge.”
Words from the wise. I applauded the contestants as they paraded past us and the crowd of onlookers and then watched them line up for the first skill.
I scanned the room, peeked down at Bun, who was doing the same, and centered my attention as the first rabbit displayed his jumping ability. He was very good at it, and when the bar was raised for the third time, he soared over it, his ears flying backward. The fourth time around, he caught the tip of his right foot on the bar, but sailed over the bar anyway.
The audience had given a loud “aww” when he’d touched the bar, but gave a loud round of applause for the rabbit not slowing but increasing his speed to finish. We had held up our numbers. I glanced down the row, saw the majority had given the creature an eight, and that I had held up a nine.
The day went on in this manner, with a break for lunch around one o’clock in the afternoon. I fed Bun, poured water into his container, and sat quietly on the edge of our stage while everyone else stood in line at the food vendor’s to order lunch. I leaned down and whispered, “Did you hear or see anything out of the ordinary?”
“Not this morning. I have high hopes for this afternoon.” Bun continued to nibble his fare as I pulled a sandwich out of the Bun Bag carryall. After we’d eaten, I connected a leash to Bun’s collar, much to his dismay, and said he only had to tell me when he wanted to ride in the sling.
“We’ll walk around and listen. If you’re in the sling, you might not have as much of an advantage as being on the floor. If you feel uncomfortable, let me know.”
“Good enough.”
Off we went, to make the rounds of every sta
ll and vendor we had time for. Rabbit handlers guided the animals into their cages to rest prior to the next set of skills. One man pointed his finger at another, nearly poking the tip of it into the man’s chest. I sidled closer and heard the pointer accuse the other man of cheating.
“Seamus, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” the man responded.
His voice deep, Seamus accused, “You gave that rabbit somethin’ to hype him up, so he’d be the fastest contestant. I know all about your shenanigans.”
The man shook his head and started to turn away when Seamus grabbed his shirt. “I’m not done talkin’ to you.” Burly and heavy-handed, I wondered if Seamus McKenna had been a schoolyard bully who hadn’t outgrown that bad habit.
His hand was disengaged from the man’s shirt by David Murphy, my escort from the day before. Fascinated by the way he defused what could have become an incident that included fisticuffs, I realized it was time for us to move on. With a light tug on the leash, Bun and I drifted away, seemingly unnoticed.
“I was nearly trampled when people surrounded those two. I think the sling is a good idea. There were a few of the onlookers who were betting on them. I guess this guy, Seamus, does this sort of thing all the time. I heard a woman say she was disqualified from the competitions last year for fighting with another rabbit owner.”
“Hm, very interesting,” I murmured, and perused goods at a nearby vendor stand. I knelt and opened the sling for Bun. He nestled inside, and popped his head and the tips of his two front paws out of the opening.
I smoothed his ears and scratched his forehead. “Better?”
“Very much so.”
I noticed the time and then heard an announcer say the games would get underway in ten minutes. We started toward the arena and were jostled by people returning to their seats.
At the table once again, I put my cards in numeric order while Bun crouched on his mat, which I’d set at the end of our table. Doing so would enable him to acquire more gossip and hear any remarks that might be pertinent to Evelyn Montgomery. Eventually, he focused on the rabbit owners and switched back and forth between them and the audience. I gave up trying to figure out what he was doing and settled on my own job.
Who's Dead, Doc? Page 6
