The Case Of The Cupid Caper

Chapter 7

“Okay, everyone, we’re going to work on blind stays today,” Naomi said to the group of volunteers who’d agreed to take a handful of the shelter dogs through the advanced class. “We’ll do a warmup first to get the dogs into the work mindset, but once we have everyone’s attention, we’ll spend the remainder of the session on advanced commands. The idea here will be to put your dog into a down-stay and then walk around the corner of the back wall so they can no longer see you. We’ll start with just thirty seconds before you reappear and release them, but over the next several weeks, we’ll be working our way up to a thirty-minute blind stay.”

I had to admit that Naomi was going to have people knocking down the door to adopt these well-trained dogs once they completed this course and were cleared for adoption. Naomi had chosen intelligent dogs with a high energy level for the course. The truth of the matter was if trained well, an intelligent dog with a high energy level was the best kind of dog to have as a pet or as a service animal, but an untrained intelligent dog with a high energy level could be a nightmare and was the sort of dog that was most often surrendered. I’d never owned a dog before I’d begun volunteering with Naomi, and I’d certainly known nothing about training, but over the past four months, I’d learned quite a lot. If I ever decided to adopt a canine friend, you could bet that he or she would be one of the best-trained dogs in the county.

By the time the advanced training class let out, Cass had arrived with Milo. Talk about a well-trained dog. Milo was Cass’s partner and seemed to understand everything Cass said to him. He was also able to anticipate his needs without a verbal command, even in the most serious of situations. When he wasn’t working, he was a big goofball the same as any other dog. I truly adored him.

“Long day?” I asked Cass, who looked exhausted.

“A few long days. How’d the training go?”

“It went well. I’m working with a dog named Zak, who is not only very sweet but very intelligent. If I didn’t think Alastair would throw a fit, I’d consider adopting him myself.”

“You don’t think Alastair would welcome a dog in the house?”

I laughed. “No, he would not. He’s most definitely a one animal kind of cat. Not that I’m complaining. He has been so great since I’ve been home. He provides support, comfort, and companionship. And he is one heck of a sassy and opinionated editor.”

“He does seem to have his own opinions.” Cass opened the gate to allow the dogs we’d chosen into the playroom. “I suppose if you really want a dog, you can start looking for one after you move out.”

I frowned. “Yeah, I guess. Although, to be honest, it has never once entered my mind to move out. Gracie seems to like having me, and living with her does make it convenient for the two of us to help out with Paisley. Tom and Alastair seem okay with me being there as well, and it’s lovely being right on the lake. I really don’t know why I’d want to leave such a perfect situation.”

“I guess maybe you wouldn’t. For some reason, I had the impression that staying with Gracie was a temporary thing until you could figure out what you wanted to do, but if it’s working for both of you, maybe you do want to make it a more permanent situation.”

“Maybe. I guess I should speak to Gracie about it just to make sure she’s as okay with things as I think she is.” I picked up a rope throw and tossed it across the room. Half the dogs in the room went after it.

“So, how was the town council meeting?” Cass asked after he sent his group running after a ball.

“Intense. Half the members spoke out in support of inviting large corporations to visit Foxtail Lake in the hope of convincing them to build resorts in the area, and the other half threatened bodily harm if they did such a horrific thing. I have to say this is a very dysfunctional group. I don’t know how they are ever going to get anything done if they can’t even have a civil conversation.”

“They aren’t always that way, but expansion is a very hot topic item.”

“Bringing in large resorts would change the culture of the town. I get the fact that an increase in tourism would bring money to the area, but I’m not sure I’m willing to give up everything that makes Foxtail Lake so special. Not that I have the right to have an opinion about things after being gone for so many years, but I love our rustic little town, and I’d hate for Foxtail Lake to become another resort town with glitz but no heart.”

“Yeah.” He tossed the ball again. “Me too. I’m pretty happy with the way things are, but it would be nice to have a budget that would allow for some new equipment. I’m afraid our little sheriff’s office is pretty outdated.”

“So have a fundraiser.”

“We’d have to sell a lot of cupcakes or raffle tickets to afford a new dispatch system or a new squad car,” Cass pointed out.

I lifted a shoulder. “By the way, I spoke to Mayor White today. He seems quite convinced that Dale’s death was nothing more than a horrible accident.”

“He consistently comes down on the side of an accident if an accident is even a remote possibility. I guess I get that. It is his job to bring tourism to the area, and no one wants to spend their summer vacation in a town with a high murder rate, but I think there are times when he intentionally turns a blind eye to the evidence right in front of him.”

“He was quick to point out that while there is evidence to support the idea that Dale had been shot before perishing in the fire, there wasn’t proof that is what occurred.”

“I guess he’s right about that. The coroner found fractures on one of the rib bones he found intact. The fractures are consistent with a gunshot wound, making it appear as if the man had been shot in the chest. But so far, that’s all he found, but I suppose there are other explanations that might account for the damage to the rib. Still, I’m finding it hard to believe that Dale wasn’t able to get out of the house once the fire started unless he’d been incapacitated. He had two exits available to him from his position behind his desk in his office.”

I sat down on the floor, and one of the smaller terriers crawled into my lap. Most of the dogs loved to chase balls and ropes, but some dogs just wanted to cuddle. “Any luck tracking down additional information relating to the patients who seemed to have a motive for wanting Dale dead?”

He nodded. “I was able to find out that Helen Prosect’s husband has a verifiable alibi, so I can officially cross him off my suspect list, which is actually too bad since the guy made a good suspect. I also found out that the woman who had been crushing on Dale actually had reason to do so.”

“So, you figured out who she is?”

He nodded. “I did. I’m obligated to keep her name out of things, but she was able to show me emails Dale sent to her early on, where he seemed to be encouraging an intimate relationship. In fact, they even went out a few times before Dale met Lissa. After his date with Lissa, he tried to cut things off with his patient, but unfortunately, she was already making plans for happily ever after and refused to let him go. It does seem as if she had been stalking him, but after learning all the details of what went on, I can’t place all the blame on her for her obvious obsession.”

“She still might have killed him even if he did lead her on in the beginning,” I pointed out. “In fact, in a way, it makes her a more likely killer in my mind.”

“I don’t disagree, but she had an alibi, which I verified just before coming over here.”

“So what does that leave you with? The guy who’d been acting violently?”

He nodded. “Yes, the man with violent tendencies is still on the list. I still haven’t been able to track down the colleague Dale spoke to about the man if indeed that is what occurred.”

“What about the Denver phone number?” I asked.

“Dale had gone to Denver, and he had made several calls to someone in Denver before his trip, but after tracking down the phone number, I found that the calls he made were to a hotel, so that doesn’t tell me who he met with, if anyone, once he arrived in the mile high city. Keep in mind that Lissa only told us that Dale went to Denver. She didn’t know for certain that his trip was related to any of his patients, and she certainly didn’t have proof that the trip was to meet with the colleague he spoke of.”

“So he might have made the trip for a reason completely unrelated to his job as a psychologist.”

“Exactly.”

I tilted my head back as the terrier began licking my face. What a sweetie. “Okay, so the man with violent tendencies, who has yet to be identified, is still on your suspect list. Who else?”

“I still have someone connected with Clay Barrow on the list even though the FBI doesn’t think anyone associated with Clay knows who Dale really was. I also found a few things in the phone records that I’m looking into.”

“Such as?”

“Such as a strange pattern of calls to and from a blocked number. I’m working on getting the information I need, and it might be nothing more than a series of calls between Dale and his bookie, but it feels like there might be something there.”

The terrier I’d been holding was pushed to the side as a golden retriever decided it was his turn for lap time.

“Had you ever met Lissa before you met her at Dale’s house on the day of the fire?” Cass asked.

“No. I’d spoken with her briefly on the phone to set up the meeting, but that was it. Why do you ask?”

“I noticed that while her calls to him had continued and even escalated in the past few weeks, his calls to her had dried up altogether. In fact, the last call from Dale to Lissa I could find on any of his phones took place more than three weeks ago.”

“Do you think there may have been trouble in paradise?”

He shrugged. “It has occurred to me that Dale had wanted to break things off with Lissa, but she wasn’t having any of it. Did you ever speak to Dale?”

“No,” I answered. “I called and spoke to Lissa. I told her who I was and what I wanted. She’s the one who suggested meeting at Dale’s home, and she insisted on being the one to talk to him about the interview, so I never did speak to Dale.”

Cass tightened his lips. “I’m not saying that Lissa had anything to do with any of this, but I do think I’ll speak to her again. Maybe I’ll specifically ask about the phone records. I suppose there might be a logical explanation for everything.”

“It seems like if she wanted to kill the guy, she wouldn’t have invited me to meet her at the crime scene on the day she carried out her evil plan,” I pointed out.

Cass paused. “How did she seem when you arrived?”

“Hysterical. She was standing in a snowdrift, looking at the house and sobbing. She seemed to be in shock, yet I also noticed her frantically looking around trying to find Dale. She didn’t seem like someone who had just shot the man they professed to love and then set fire to his house.”

“Yeah, I didn’t get that impression either, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to look into their relationship a bit more.”

I gently nibbled on my lower lip. “It seems as if Dale had a lot going on that I would classify as abnormal. His participation in Clay Barrow’s arrest for one, and the fact that it looks like he might have been the one to have initiated the relationship with the patient who became obsessed with him for another. That must be a huge no-no in his field.”

“Yes, I’m sure it is. It does seem that Dale might have been the sort of guy to bring on a number of problems that might have been avoided with better choices. I’m not sure how this will end up, but I’m just getting started. I have some feelers out, any of which might provide a clear direction for my investigation. It might take a day or two to get the information I need, but at this point, I’m feeling positive about things.”

“Did you ever get the rest of the burned documents put back together?”

“Per your suggestion, I’ve had Gwen working on that all day. She said she’d call if she found anything. Unfortunately, some of the documents are destroyed to the point where figuring out what they once said is going to be impossible.”

The golden sitting in my lap must not have thought I was paying enough attention to him since he tried to tackle me to the floor. I pushed him off and stood up. He looked so sad at the turn of events that I found myself ruffing him behind the ears and then giving him a treat I had in my pocket from my training session. “Are you up for dinner tonight?”

“I am. We’re both covered in dog hair, so I’m thinking something causal. Burgers?”

“Sounds good. I’ve actually been in the mood for a burger lately. I was going to stop and get one for lunch, but I ended up not having time for lunch, so I’m starving.”

Cass began gathering the toys in preparation for settling the dogs in for the night. “I guess you did have a busy day. I ran into Lettie, and she told me about the interview the two of you had this morning. She was impressed by the questions you asked and thought you were going to make a wonderful addition to the newspaper staff. In fact…” He was interrupted by his cell. He looked at the caller ID and answered. It sounded as if he was speaking with Gwen. After a minute, he hung up and turned to me. “I need to stop by the office. Gwen is there working on the burnt documents. She said she found something.”

“Okay. Should we skip dinner?”

“No. I don’t think it will take long to see what Gwen has. You can come with me, and we’ll head to dinner from there.”

Gwen wasn’t going to be happy about the fact that I was coming along. She’d made it clear that she considered Cass to be her territory, and I was nothing more than an interloper. I supposed I understood that she saw me as competition for his affections, but the reality was he wasn’t interested in her in the way she hoped he would be, and my being out of the picture wouldn’t change that.

“You found something?” Cass asked Gwen after we arrived at the station.

She shot me an angry look and then turned her focus on Cass. “I might have. I was putting together the pieces of paper the way you showed me to, and I found this.” She handed him a piece of paper that had huge holes in it but had been taped together. He looked at it, raising his brows slightly as he read.

“Good job, Gwen,” he praised.

She smiled.

Then he looked in my direction. “Apparently, Dale had been meeting with Mayor White in an official capacity.”

“So Dale was counseling Mayor White. About what?”

Cass hesitated. “I’m not really sure. I don’t have enough to definitively say what the sessions pertained to yet, but now that I know the two met in an official capacity, it occurs to me that the conversations shared between the two might very well have contained subject matter that Mayor White might possibly be motivated to keep secret.”

“So if he felt threatened by Dale in some way…” I jumped onto the thought train.

“Then he might go to certain extremes to make sure any documents Dale might have relating to the matters discussed be destroyed,” Cass finished.