Handcuffs in the Heather

by Dale Mayer

  “Would the current be a problem?”

  “Not necessarily if it’s slow.”

  “If you say so,” she said with a laugh. “I’m never really sure anymore what is hard work and what isn’t. I would never have considered I could do as much gardening as I have.”

  “You’re learning a lot about yourself. That’s a good thing.”

  “Maybe,” she said. “Being single is very different than what I thought it would be.”

  “Yes,” he said, “but that’s the point. You keep challenging yourself and doing more and more. I’m not against trying out a kayak. It’s been a few years, but it’s quite a unique experience.”

  She looked at him in delight. “Is that something we could rent?”

  “We certainly could, but we could also keep our eyes open for secondhand ones.”

  She looked at the creek, looked at her backyard, and said, “We could just leave from here, couldn’t we?”

  He chuckled. “Of course, that’s one of the benefits of living on the river.”

  She smiled. “You know what? I think that might not be a bad idea after all.”

  “Now that you’ll have all that newfound wealth,” he said, “you can consider it.”

  “Ha, if there is any money,” she scoffed. “Speaking of which, I planned to go to the other hardware store to get a second quote on the deck material.”

  “Good idea. But first, I need to ask you some questions.” At that, he pulled a recorder out of his pocket and laid it on the rock. Then he turned it on, lifted an eyebrow, and said, “Now, tell me exactly what you know about this case.”

  She groaned. “Isn’t that cheating?”

  He chuckled. “No, it’s called using whatever sources I can. And lately you’ve become a hell of a source.”

  She laughed and said that didn’t sound too bad. In fact, it sounded darn good. “Okay, I’ll start from the beginning.”

  And so she gave him the rundown of talking to Peter’s father, Jeremiah, and then to Peter and then the research she had done on Manny and Norbert the banker. Then, when she finally worked her way down to her possible theory, she said, “And, of course, you should know—like you always tell me—those are my theories and not actual facts.”

  He hit the Stop button on the recorder and said, “But that’s not bad. I don’t know if anybody made a connection between Norbert’s and Manny’s deaths before.”

  “Norbert’s death was five days later,” she said. “Then his wife remarried within thirty days.”

  Mack’s eyebrows went up again at that. “That’s awfully fast.”

  “Considering it was a hit-and-run, and nobody was ever charged, my mind immediately goes to the wife.”

  He snorted. “That could be you in that position.”

  “I tried to save my marriage,” Doreen said. “And, of course, now I have no idea why I bothered. But, in Norbert’s case, I think the wife was more than happy for Norbert to disappear. Also all of Solomon’s notes in there talk about the suspected theft from the bank where Norbert worked was an inside job. Or a set up.”

  “I looked that up and printed off a copy to go into the file,” Mack said. “It’s an interesting read, but no charges were ever filed. Norbert died soon afterward.”

  “Which is sad.”

  “Maybe,” Mack said, “but you have to think about that now and realize it might have been not so much a hit-and-run as much as a—”

  “—suicide,” Doreen interrupted him.

  “Exactly.”

  “But he had Manny in his life too,” she said. “Remember that. Although he’d just gone missing so …”

  He gave her a sideways look.

  “I get it,” she said. “Manny was of that lifestyle and obviously not somebody you would expect Norbert to want to spend more time with, but they had a relationship and a long-term one apparently. And you have to consider that anybody with a long-term relationship will have feelings one way or another. Maybe Norbert was happy to end things, or maybe Manny wanted more. But then we also have to remember that ring, and maybe Norbert gave it to him.”

  “What would be the reasoning behind that?”

  “Maybe it wasn’t an engagement ring as much as a friendship ring or a promise ring, and he was promising to get out of his marriage and to run away with Manny.” Doreen studied the rising creek and thought about how she liked that idea. But, when she glanced at Mack, he studied her with amusement. She frowned at him. “What’s so funny?”

  “You are,” he said. “Even after all you’ve been through, you’re still a romantic.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know what makes somebody a romantic, but I wouldn’t have said I was.”

  “Of course not,” he said, “and that’s what makes it all the more endearing.”

  She glared at him, not sure if she’d just been insulted. But, from the grin on his face, she thought he was probably having fun at her expense again. The trouble was, she couldn’t really get too mad at him because she teased him all the time too. “So, we have to find out what the cause of Manny’s death was,” she said. “And seriously, there’ll be a lot more people than we expected in this.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning,” she said, “I suspect it’ll be more than one or two or both involved.”

  “Convoluted as usual,” he said. “Meaning, was there one murderer or two murderers?”

  She raised both hands in frustration. “I think the cases are connected. But I don’t know if Norbert’s wife killed Manny because Manny would run away with Norbert or if somebody killed both of them.”

  “Or there’s no connection at all,” Mack said, reminding her. “Just because we like to weave stories between cases doesn’t mean the stories are true.”

  “Exactly,” she said. “And I get that, but, at the same time, there is a connection. I think it was stronger than we figured. I also emailed you the letter Manny left for Peter. Did you read it?”

  “I did. It’s also in the file. And I’ll talk with Peter now.” Mack stood.

  Doreen jumped to her feet. “Let me come,” she cried out.

  He looked at her, raised his eyebrows, and said, “Why? This will be an official visit.”

  Her mind raced from excuse to excuse, and then she beamed a smile at him. “Because he knows me, and he doesn’t trust the police. I’m sure you’d get a better reception if I went with you. And he’ll be distraught when you give him the news.”

  Mack tapped his toe on the ground for a long moment, then looked down at the animals, and said, “I suppose you’ll want to bring the animals?”

  “Absolutely. Peter met them all last Sunday, when I first met with him. They are great icebreakers.”

  Mack rolled his eyes. “But we must leave now. I have to be back at the office soon.”

  “Take your truck then?” she asked, and he nodded. “Perfect. I’ll be ready in two minutes.”

  At that, she ran back into the house, calling the animals to her. Goliath raced past her and up to the kitchen door. Meanwhile, Mugs was at her heels, while Thaddeus made a weird cackling sound on her shoulder. Inside, she grabbed her purse, set the alarm, locked the door again, and then walked with Mack around to his truck in the driveway.

  The animals got thoroughly excited when they realized they were going for a ride in his truck. She opened the door for Mugs, who jumped up on the floorboard and stayed there quite happily. Goliath, on the other hand, had no intention of staying low and decided to lie on the headrest but ended up across her shoulder. So, Doreen sat down with Mugs at her feet, Thaddeus on her shoulder, and Goliath trying to take over the headrest. It took Goliath a couple minutes until he finally lay down on her lap contentedly. Thaddeus switched sides to give himself more room.

  Mack looked at them and sighed heavily. Then he started the engine and drove down the cul-de-sac. “Are you expecting the town to see you as anything other than the odd animal lady?”

  “Considering Peter called me the bone la
dy,” she said, “I don’t think that’s fair.”

  He chuckled. “I’ve heard you referenced as the bone lady many times.”

  “It’s better than the other name I hear,” she said in a dry tone, “which is the crazy animal lady.”

  Chapter 28

  Wednesday Late Morning …

  Mack parked downtown in one of those metered parking areas and hopped out. Then he put some money into the machine and walked around to open the door for her. Doreen made her way out, having managed to get her new leash and harness on Goliath and one on Mugs. With Thaddeus on her shoulder, she walked across the street. Just before they got to the other side though, Goliath decided he didn’t want to walk with the leash. Doreen had to admit she hadn’t given him much chance to get used to it yet. Goliath lay down, like on strike, until Mack scooped him up.

  “A harness and a leash for a cat? This cat? Goliath?” Mack asked. “Are you serious?”

  “It seemed like a good idea,” she muttered. “But you know what it’s like to get a cat to do anything you want them to do. They start off with all good intentions and then head in the opposite direction.”

  Up ahead was no sign of Peter. Doreen walked around the corner, but he wasn’t there either.

  “Is this where you met him the other day?” Mack asked.

  She nodded. “Right here. I sat on the bench at this end, and he sat on the bench at that end. But he did say he often went to the park to sleep.” She motioned across the street, where they’d just come from, and said, “Let’s go check it out.”

  With the traffic being almost dead, they quickly made their way across the street again. And, once Goliath saw the grass, he seemed much more amenable to walking on the leash. But Doreen knew it would only work as long as he chose to go in the same direction she went. When they finally made it into the park and the heavy trees, Mack spread out a little so they could look around.

  She called out, “Peter! Are you here?”

  Somewhere to the left, she heard a snuffle. She walked in that direction, and, sure enough, there was Peter, curled on the ground in front of a big tree. She frowned and said, “Now I feel like I should have brought you coffee.”

  He opened his eyes, stared at her, and said, “I won’t say no to coffee.”

  “But I don’t have any right now,” she said with a sigh.

  Peter looked at Mugs, who was sniffing him up and down. “Can I pet him?”

  “Sure,” she said.

  He reached out to give Mugs a head scratch. Mugs’s tail went crazy, and that sniffer of his went even more so. And then, Peter’s eyes landed on Goliath, and they widened. “Wow,” he said. “I haven’t seen a cat on a leash before.”

  “You may never again,” she said darkly as she pulled on Goliath to come join them. Goliath just gave her a look, his body going in the opposite direction.

  Peter laughed. “I guess you’ve got a ways to go in that cat training, huh?”

  “Yes,” she said. “Still, it’s all good. We’re getting somewhere, and the more he has time with the leash, the better.”

  Peter didn’t look at all convinced, but then neither was she. Goliath just lay here sideways, his tail flicking, until he rolled over, pulling the leash even farther and forcing her to take a step closer now as he lay on his back with his forepaws in the air, just staring up at the blue sky. “He’s a very unique animal,” she said.

  “That he is,” Peter said. “Now, what are you doing back here?”

  Doreen motioned to where Mack stood.

  “This is my friend Mack,” she said as she motioned for him to join them.

  Peter looked at him and frowned. “He looks like a cop.”

  “He is,” Doreen said cheerfully, “but he’s one of the good guys.”

  But Mack’s presence and size did little for Peter’s suspicious nature.

  “He has news for you,” she said gently. “So, we figured you’d like to hear it personally.”

  Fear filled his eyes. Peter looked up at Mack and said, “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Doreen squatted in front of Peter and said, “They found Manny.”

  His jaw dropped, and his eyes widened. And then he realized what they meant. “Dead?” he croaked.

  She nodded. “I’m so sorry.”

  His eyes filled with tears. “It’s not fair. He never had much of a life.”

  “I know,” Doreen said gently. “And I know it’s not the news you wanted to hear. It’s not the news I wanted you to hear either, but they just found him yesterday, and we didn’t want you to hear about it from the media.”

  Peter wiped his runny eyes with his dirty sleeve. “Thank you,” he muttered, his voice still choked with tears. He looked over at Mack. “When and how did he die? And will you guys care now, when you didn’t back then?”

  Doreen reached out a hand and gently rubbed his forearm. “They tried back then, honest. But it’s hard to know what could have happened to him. Remember? You didn’t have any information to help them out with either.”

  Shamefaced, Peter nodded. “I’m sorry. That’s not fair. I was so high back then that I didn’t know what was important either.”

  Mack crouched in front of him. “Do you have anything new to offer now?”

  “Nothing more than I told her,” he said, with a nod in Doreen’s direction. “But maybe now that you have Manny … Maybe you can find out more?”

  “Hopefully,” Mack said. “That’s the plan.”

  Chapter 29

  Wednesday Noon …

  Mack dropped Doreen and the animals back home an hour later. She’d done what she could to comfort Peter, though there was no comforting somebody who’d lost a friend. Not when first hearing the news. Even though Manny had been gone all these years, in his heart of hearts, Peter had hoped his friend had somehow managed to escape the lifestyle. Instead, he hadn’t escaped anything. Death had come for him early.

  As Doreen hopped out of Mack’s truck and went to shut the passenger’s side door, she looked up at Mack and said, “Let me know the details on her death, please.”

  With all the animals out of the way, Mack backed the truck down the driveway and headed to work. Doreen walked into the house, depressed and upset, because inside she’d hoped Manny had escaped too. As she walked into the living room and shut the door behind her, her phone rang. Nan. “Hey, Nan.”

  “What’s the matter?” Nan asked sharply.

  “Nothing. It’s just a depressing morning.”

  “Oh, dear, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I can’t really talk about it right now,” she said. “It’s just more talking to homeless people, and you know how that lifestyle causes all kinds of hell for the families.”

  “You know what you need?” Nan said. “Some fresh banana muffins.”

  Doreen chuckled. “Nan, I think you’re trying to get me fat every time you think I need something. Whether good or bad, it’s always food.”

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Nan said. “Bring the animals down here so I can cuddle them, and let’s have some tea and muffins.” Then she hung up on Doreen, not letting her protest.

  Doreen looked down at Mugs, who was sprawled at her feet, and at Goliath, who was still on his leash, and asked, “Do you guys want to go see Nan?”

  Mugs looked up at her, his ears lifting as much as his ears could lift because they sure didn’t lift much. Then he woofed. On the other hand, Goliath just stared at her with his gleaming cat’s eyes, while Thaddeus said, “Nan. Nan. Nan.”

  She looked at him and asked, “You want to go see Nan?”

  “Thaddeus wants Nan. Thaddeus wants Nan,” he squawked and did this real stiff-legged walk up and down her shoulder.

  Doreen chuckled and said, “Okay, at least one of you said so.”

  She walked out the kitchen door, leaving her purse behind and resetting the alarms, then headed to the creek where she’d started her day. She left the leash and harness on Goliath, thinking it might be a perf
ect opportunity to get him to behave himself a little more. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep him tethered, but she wanted to keep him safe. Not that they necessarily meant the same thing, but at least it was something.

  She didn’t rush to Nan’s. Doreen was still depressed after the talk with Peter. It was good news about Manny from a closure point of view, but it was a double-edged sword of course. And seeing Peter’s grief so real and so unfettered had been disturbing. At this initial point, nothing anyone could say would make him feel better. He now had to face a reality he had tried to deny for a long time.

  By the time Doreen made it to Nan, she’d worked herself into a better mood. She walked across the stepping stones, watching her step. And when she hopped onto the patio and looked up, Nan gasped in astonishment as she studied Goliath.

  “You’ve got him a harness,” she said in delight. “What a great idea!”

  “I don’t think he thinks so,” Doreen said with a chuckle.

  Just then Goliath walked over to Nan, went up on his back legs, and meowed at her, as if to tell her what a hard day he’d had. Nan crouched down in front of him and gave him a really good loving.

  “You’re such a handsome boy,” Nan said. “And you look mighty fine in that harness. The color is great for you.”

  Doreen raised an eyebrow. It was a brown harness on a golden cat. It was hardly a color combination that was unusual. Still, the little voice Nan was using had the intended effect, and Goliath was purring and rubbing through her arms and butting up against her chin, as if he’d not seen her for weeks and weeks.

  Finally Nan had the presence of mind to realize Mugs was looking out of sorts with all the attention being poured on Goliath. Nan reached out a hand and gently scratched Mugs too. He woofed, and, even though he was lying down, he stretched out into an impossibly long version of himself just so she could reach more body parts.

  Doreen sagged into a chair and said, “The animals are pathetic.”

  Nan chuckled. “They’re honest and asking for what they want. We should all learn from that.”