Кэти Дэйли - The Curse Of Hollister House

“I’ll be there.”

“Great. Do you know where Naomi moved once she took the shelter private?”

“The old Johnson farm.” Aunt Gracie had told me that Naomi had not only stayed on with the shelter but had taken it over and privatized it.

“That’s right.” Cass shuffled some of the paperwork on his desk. I couldn’t help but notice that the tension around his eyes had returned. “So, you are here to discuss the Tracy Porter case.”

I nodded. “I’m sure you must realize how eerily similar her murder is to Stella’s.”

Cass looked me in the eye. “I do realize that, and no, I don’t think the man I have in custody is actually the one who killed Tracy. To be honest, the whole thing is just too neat. In my experience, if someone is going to go to all the trouble to kidnap a young girl and then kill her in a violent and unusual manner, he isn’t going to be so sloppy as to leave a load of evidence behind.”

“So why arrest the guy if you don’t think he’s guilty?”

“The problem I’m faced with is that physical evidence was found at the burial site that links to Buck Darwin. Buck has been hanging around since before Tracy went missing, and when I interviewed him about the items, he was either unable or unwilling to provide an explanation for where he was at the time Tracy was believed to have been abducted, or why things like a T-shirt with his DNA on it was found so close to the location of her temporary grave. I know the evidence suggests that Darwin is our guy, and while I normally am one to follow the evidence to its natural end, in this case, I believe it may have been planted. I told the sheriff that I didn’t think Darwin was the one despite the evidence, but he is being pressured by the mayor to make an arrest, and so far I can’t prove Darwin wasn’t involved in Tracy’s death, so I had no choice but to bring him in.”

“I see. Doesn’t whoever is mayor now want you to find the real killer?”

Cass ran a hand through his thick dark hair. I could see the pain and indecision in his eyes. “Frank White is the current mayor, and he just wants the case closed. The entire community just wants the case closed. People are scared, and the consensus is that people will continue to be scared until the killer is behind bars.”

“I don’t really get that line of reasoning, because having the wrong person behind bars shouldn’t make anyone feel safe, but I guess I understand why you arrested the guy. Are you still digging around, or is the real killer going to get off scot-free?”

“I’m still digging around, but Mayor White has already issued a press release telling everyone that Tracy’s killer has been found. Based on all the speculation and gossip going around, I don’t think anyone believes that, but White is sticking to the story.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Maybe, but there are folks in a position to make my life miserable who don’t want me to continue to investigate the murder, so I’m being forced to tread lightly. The mayor has only been in town for a few years, and the sheriff just transferred from the Denver office six years ago. Neither man was here when Stella died. If they had been, they might think differently.”

I felt my stomach churn at the memory of what had happened to Stella. I remembered her smile and the way she’d always known exactly what to say when I was feeling down. I didn’t even remember what we’d argued about that caused her to walk home alone that day, but the odds were it had been my fault. Even I had to admit I’d been a testy kid, with strong opinions and very little patience. Most of the arguments I’d entered into had originated with me. “We need to get this guy. The real killer. For Stella. We need to make him pay for what he did back then and, apparently, what he is continuing to do.”

“We will. One way or another, we will.”

Chapter 3

Tuesday

As I’ve already mentioned, a woman named Naomi Potter runs the Foxtail Lake Animal Shelter. And as I’ve also mentioned, Naomi went to the same high school as Cass and me, and had, along with us, done her community service at the county shelter. Naomi had a tender heart and couldn’t bear to see unwanted animals euthanized, so she started taking dogs and cats who could not otherwise be placed into her home. According to Cass, she’d started out small, but as word got out about her willingness to shelter strays and no longer wanted pets, she’d needed more space, so she sold her home in town and purchased fifty acres with both a house and a barn just outside the town limits. Over the years, she’d added large animal pens, a heated kennel, and well-equipped indoor and outdoor play areas. She’d even added a shallow pond for the dogs to splash around in during the hot summer months. Cass had indicated that Naomi’s goal was to match as many of the animals in her charge with loving humans as possible, but it was clear it was also her goal to make them as comfortable as possible while they waited for those new homes.

“Callie!” Naomi greeted me with a hug. “I was so happy to hear that you were home. It’s been a while.” She pulled back slightly, her blue eyes boring into mine. “You look great. Really great. And I love your hair. I always knew you’d look good with bangs.”

“You look fantastic as well.” I smiled at the petite woman who’d grown leaner and stronger with years of physical labor. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a braid and the golden tan she sported from hours outdoors negated the need for makeup. I looked around the area surrounding the pasture, where I’d found Naomi tending to several small mules. “It looks like you’ve really built yourself something fantastic here.”

“The animals are my passion, and I’ve worked hard to do what I can to save as many as possible. Cass may have already told you this, but I started off by taking hard-to-place animals into my home, but once word got out that I provided a home-away-from-home for shelter animals, everyone began bringing them to me. The kill shelter in the next town over officially closed their doors two years ago after everyone stopped taking their discarded animals to them, which I consider to be one of my more significant victories.”

“That’s wonderful. I am really happy to hear that. Cass told me he volunteers here and I’d like to do so as well, at least for as long as I am in town.”

“And how long will that be?”

“I’m not sure. A while at least.”

“Well, I’m happy to have you for as long as you are in the area.” She took my arm and began to walk me toward the small house where she lived.

“I noticed that you have an obstacle course set up behind the house.”

“In addition to running the shelter, I also offer dog training,” Naomi informed me. “A well-trained dog is a lot more likely to find a wonderful forever home than a dog with behavior problems. All my charges undergo a beginner’s class. My best students are provided with advanced classes, which is where the obstacle course comes in.”

“That’s really great.” I hugged Naomi’s arm. “I mean it. I know you and me and Cass volunteered for the shelter in the beginning to meet our community service requirement, but you have definitely gone the extra mile.”

Naomi indicated that I should take a seat at the outdoor table on her covered porch. Two lab puppies wandered over to say hi after she went into the house to fetch us each a glass of iced tea. I bent down to scratch the two rambunctious dogs behind the ears. Growing up in Hollister House, I’d never had a dog. Gracie had had several cats over the years, but for some reason every time I brought up the idea of a puppy, she changed the subject. I supposed the world was made up of dog people and cat people. Gracie was most definitely a cat person. I can’t say as I was either exactly. I enjoyed the cats who lived in the house over the years, but they were Gracie’s cats, not mine. After I left Gracie’s home, I’d been too busy to have a pet of any sort. I wasn’t sure why Cass and I had settled on the animal shelter as our community service project, but the odds were, Cass had wanted to spend time with the dogs, and I’d wanted to spend time with Cass.