Кэти Дэйли - The Case Of The Cupid Caper

It was beginning to sound as if there were quite a few folks in the community who wouldn’t be all that upset about Mayor White’s demise, but I seriously doubted that any of the folks mentioned killed him.

Several of the other trainers came in while we were chatting, so Naomi called everyone together to begin the training session. I had to admit that I was impressed with Naomi’s commitment to making sure the dogs she placed in forever homes were healthy and mostly free of negative behavior patterns that could very well land them right back in the shelter. Once the training class was done, I headed toward the playroom where Cass and I normally played with a group of dogs for ninety minutes. During the warmer months, we’d use the time to take the dogs out for a long walk around the property, but during the winter, we made do with endless games of fetch. I always enjoyed these sessions, but I had to admit that I wasn’t having nearly as much fun as I did when Cass was doing the shift with me.

Once the shift was over, I called Cass as we’d arranged, and he suggested we meet at the Pinewood Diner for a meal. The diner was a casual dining establishment located on the lake about halfway between Aunt Gracie’s place and Cass’s cabin. I wondered about Milo, who’d been with Cass when I’d last seen him, but Cass informed me that he’d actually gone home to change his clothes and drop Milo off in anticipation of my call.

Once we’d settled in and ordered, I asked Cass for an update regarding the murder cases he was working on.

“Both men were shot, or at least that appears to be the case,” Cass began. “Given the amount of damage to Dale Conover’s remains, we can’t know with any certainty what happened, but based on the marks the coroner found on the ribs of the deceased, a gunshot wound is likely, so I’m going with that theory for now. What we do know is that the remains of both men were found in their home office, which had been set on fire. If not for the link between the two men that seems to exist, I’d be looking carefully at men and women in the community who had a problem with Mayor White’s progressive views of expansion and redevelopment, but I’m not sure how Conover fits into the whole redevelopment thing.”

“It feels like the murders are personal,” I said. “Was Mayor White married?”

“Divorced. His marriage ended before he moved to the community. He never talked about his ex, but I do know that he has taken a couple of long vacations to visit his children, who I believe are in high school.”

“So both men were single at the time of their deaths. We know that Dale Conover had been dating Lissa, and according to her, they were still dating at the time of his death. I wonder if Mayor White was dating anyone.”

“I don’t know,” Cass admitted, “but I really doubt the man’s dating life will come into play. As we discussed earlier, the obvious link between the men is that Mayor White was seeing Dale professionally. My gut is telling me to follow that lead.”

“I guess that is the most obvious link at this point. Did you find anything in the files you managed to retrieve that might provide a clue as to why Mayor White was seeing a psychologist in the first place?”

“Not really. I did find documents that had random words from which I could build a theory, but it would really be nothing more than a guess. The files relating to current cases are so damaged as to render them pretty much useless. I’m still hoping to get into Conover’s laptop. I don’t know if he kept patient files on the computer, but I’m hoping at the very least that there’s a link to the online file system I suspect he must have maintained.”

“What about eyewitnesses?” I asked. “Did Mayor White’s neighbors see anything?”

“One of his neighbors remembered seeing a blue sedan parked on the street a few doors down from Mayor White’s residence just before noticing smoke coming from the house. He didn’t notice make and model, nor did he get a license plate number, and there is no way of knowing if the occupant was in any way connected to what happened. I’ve canvassed the neighborhood, and no one else that I’ve spoken with admits to having seen anything. Most of the residents were at work when the fire occurred.”

“A blue sedan isn’t much of a lead, but it may come into play at some point. I don’t suppose that other than the doctor/patient link, there are any other links between the two men.” I wondered. “Was Dale Conover involved in local politics?”

“Not that I know of. Certainly not here in Foxtail Lake. I’m looking into his political affiliations. I’m also looking into their dating lives as well as their friends and business acquaintances, although I don’t think we’ll find our answer there. Still, while it’s early in the investigation and I can’t say for certain that the fact that White was seeing Conover professionally is the link that got both men killed, it’s the lead I’m aggressively following, and it’s the motive I suspect will explain why the men were not only shot but burned as well.”

Chapter 11

Saturday

I’d arranged to give Paisley a piano lesson on Saturday, but Dex had called and asked me to cover the grand opening of a new bakery in town as well as the art and craft show being held at the community center. I also needed to reschedule the interviews I’d canceled the previous afternoon after finding out about the fire at Mayor White’s home if I still believed the interviews were worthwhile.

I knew I needed to manage my time, so I decided to get up early and go over my notes for my Cupid series in the hope of coming up with a rough outline for my column that was due on Friday of the following week. Maybe interviewing matched couples wasn’t the best use of my time. Maybe I should do as Dex suggested and refocus my energy on identifying the person behind the successful matchmaking.

Of course, what I really wanted to do was to dig around in the two recent murders. I knew Cass was working on them and I had all the faith in the world that he’d eventually be successful in figuring out what had led to both men’s deaths, but covering hard-hitting news for the regional paper rather than dances and bake sales, was what I really wanted to do. I knew that Dex would assign the story to Brock, and rightfully so given his years of experience, but perhaps if I came up with something relevant and timely, he’d go ahead and print it.

“So, what do you think, Alastair?” I asked the cat who was sitting with me in the window seat in the attic. The attic window seat was where I always went to think. There was something about sitting high up in the house and looking down on the lake beyond the yard that seemed to give me clarity. “Do I make time in what is already a really busy schedule to poke around in the two local murders, or do I focus on the jobs assigned to me and then spend the afternoon with Paisley as I’d promised her I would?”

“Meow.”

“Yes, spending time with Paisley is important, although Gracie is working on the sewing room today, and I know that Paisley would enjoy working with her on the space they plan to share probably as much as she’d enjoy hanging out with me.” I leaned back a bit, pulling the cat to my chest. I scratched him under his chin, and he began to purr. “Of course, by working on the murder cases when no one has asked me to do so, I suppose I’ll be stepping on both Brock and Cass’s toes. I don’t want to do that either, and it’s not like I have a lead to follow up on. Cass and I both think that given the fact that Mayor White had been seeing Dale Conover professionally, it’s likely their sessions provide the motive behind both deaths. I guess I should just follow up on the stories assigned to me and leave digging around in the murders to the professionals.”