The Curse Оf Hollister House

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.

“There was a message from Cass on my machine,” Naomi informed me after handing me a tall glass of iced tea. “He is running a little late but will be here shortly.” She looked toward the sky. “Of course, with the short days, it might be dark before you even get started. I suppose you could take a group into the indoor play area. The dogs don’t care if they are taken off the property. All they really care about is getting attention from the humans who come to spend time with them.”

“How many animals do you have here?” I asked.

“Currently, forty-two dogs, six puppies, seventeen cats plus two litters of kittens, five mules, four rabbits, an old dairy cow that I’ve officially retired to my closest pasture, two horses I’m still hoping to place, and a llama with an ornery disposition named Harry, who I’m pretty sure is here to stay.”

“Wow. It must take you all day just to feed and clean up after so many animals.”

“It’s a project, that’s for sure, but I have a volunteer staff who help out a lot. Some of my volunteers help with feeding and cleaning, while others prefer to spend time playing with the animals. I even have someone who handles my bookkeeping. This place runs off donations, so I am careful to keep clean records. So, tell me what you’ve been up to since you left Foxtail Lake.”

“Not a lot,” I answered vaguely. “I left Foxtail Lake to focus on my music. Once I became established, I did some tours overseas, as well as a few concerts in the States. I’d just been booked into Carnegie Hall when I was in an auto accident that damaged the nerves in my left hand, so here I am, back in Foxtail Lake where it all began.”

Naomi gave me a look that assured me that she knew my life story couldn’t be boiled down to a couple of sentences. I knew that she was interested in the details, but I wasn’t quite ready to talk about them, so I asked her about the golden aspens that were planted all up and down the road leading from her property to the main road. They were in full color at this time of the year and simply stunning. There had been some color in New York, not that I’d taken the time to notice, but fall in Colorado could not be outdone.

Naomi must have decided to let me avoid the topic I’d made it clear I didn’t want to discuss and began telling me about the fall garden she’d planted. She offered to show it to me, and we’d both just stood up when Cass pulled onto the shelter road. Deciding to wait for a tour of the garden, Naomi and I headed toward the driveway.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Cass said when he’d climbed out of his sheriff’s department SUV.

“It’s not a problem,” Naomi said. “It was nice to have a chance to catch up with Callie. It’s been a while.”

“Too long,” Cass agreed.

I was beginning to feel weird about the fact that Cass and Naomi were talking about me as if I wasn’t there, so I jumped in and asked about the dog looking out the back window of Cass’s vehicle.

He turned and looked at the huge German shepherd. “That is Milo. He’s been with me a little over two years and, quite frankly, he is the best partner I’ve ever had.”

“He’s beautiful. I don’t suppose he will be allowed to get out and play with the other dogs.”

Cass opened the tailgate and called the dog over to where he was standing at the corner of the vehicle. He took off his vest and replaced the harness he wore with a regular dog collar. “Milo is off-duty now, so he can join us.” Cass stepped aside, and the dog jumped out of the back. He made a beeline for Naomi, who greeted him with a hug.

“So I take it he knows that when he is wearing his harness he is on duty, and when he is wearing the red collar you replaced it with he is off-duty.”

Cass nodded. “Basically. When he is on duty, we don’t encourage social interaction with other dogs or people outside his team on the force, but when he is off-duty, he plays and cuddles just like any other dog.”

Once Naomi had a chance to greet Milo, Cass called him over and introduced him to me. I tentatively reached out and scratched the dog’s massive neck. I swore he smiled at me. “He’s really great. Does he go home with you?”

“He not only goes home with me but he sleeps in my bed.” Cass looked toward the darkening sky. “I guess it is too late to walk the dogs.”

“I’d just suggested to Callie that we bring a few dogs into the indoor play area. They won’t mind if they miss their walk as long as they have plenty of human interaction.”

Cass agreed to the plan, so Naomi went to fetch the dogs we would play with while Cass and I went to find plenty of balls and ropes to toss.

“So, how is the investigation going?” I asked as we filled a bag with toys from the large box where Naomi kept them.

“I feel like the whole process has been stalled by the evidence against Buck, but I’m running some tests on my own to see if I can find evidence of DNA other than Buck’s on the T-shirt that was found near the gravesite. If Buck was setup, as I believe he was, I’m hoping whoever planted the shirt left something else behind.”

“Is Buck even trying to defend himself? It seems that if he was innocent, he would be hollering about being locked up.”

“He isn’t saying a thing. He hasn’t admitted to the killing, but he isn’t claiming to be innocent either. I’m really not sure why he would be so complacent unless someone is either threatening him or bribing him to keep him quiet.”

Naomi entered the play area with ten dogs of various sizes trailing along behind her. Milo looked at Cass with hope in his eye. Cass said a word in a deep, guttural tone that sounded like it might have been German or a variation of it, and Milo took off to greet the others. It was nice to see that although he was obviously a well-trained law officer, he was able to play like a regular dog. Cass and I greeted the canines who came over to say hi. Once we’d said our hellos, we began tossing rope toys and balls for the dogs to chase.

Once we’d spent some time tossing items for the dogs to fetch, we got down on the floor to pet and cuddle those who would let us. Our ninety-minute session flew by, and by the time we were ready to leave, the dogs were exhausted, and so were we.

“Thanks again for coming by,” Naomi said. “Both of you. The dogs can never really have too much people time.”

“It’s always a pleasure,” Cass said in response.

“It really was fun,” I answered. “And I’m happy to come back on a regular basis. Whenever you need me. I don’t seem to have any other commitments at the moment.”

“I’ll look at the volunteer schedule and call you with some dates and times,” Naomi promised.

“I’m picking up a pizza and heading home if you want to join me,” Cass said as he lowered his tailgate and Milo jumped in.

“I’d like that, but I told Aunt Gracie I’d be home and she said she’d make a meatloaf. Rain check? If we can plan it in advance, I can let her know I won’t be home for dinner, which will save her the trouble of making it.”

“How about Friday? We can do a volunteer stint here at the shelter and then drop Milo off at my place and maybe go out after that.”

“Sounds good, as long as we go somewhere casual. If we play with the dogs first, I’ll most likely have on jeans and a sweatshirt, both of which could very well be covered in dog hair.”

“You make a good point. How about tomorrow for dinner? I am usually off at five. I can head home and change and then pick you up at the lake house. There is a new steak house over on the east shore that is really very good.”

“That sounds perfect. I’ll see you then.”

After Cass pulled away, I slipped into my own car and headed home. When I arrived, Aunt Gracie had meatloaf, baked potatoes, and green beans ready to serve. I wasn’t sure how she ate when I wasn’t around, but the entire time I’d been growing up and every night since I’d been back, she’d taken the time to make real food in comparison to the microwave meals I’d made when I lived in New York.

I glanced at the table, which had three place settings. “Is Tom joining us?”

“He is. I hope that is okay. It has just been Tom and me all these years, so it made sense that he would join me for a meal each evening.”

“I think that is a wonderful idea. Tom has always been one of my favorite people. When I was a kid, we would sit out on the dock, and he would tell me wonderful stories about Foxtail Lake and the people who’d lived here over the years.”

“He really is a very nice man, and we do enjoy each other’s company. Most nights we watch television or play a game after we eat supper. Neither of us ever married or had a family, I have to say, my life would have been a lot emptier without him coming around in the evenings.”

“I’m glad you had him. I’m glad we both did.”

“So, how’d it go at Naomi’s place?” Gracie asked as she placed hot rolls in a basket.

“It went well. She’s really built an impressive facility. When Cass and I used to volunteer at the old county-run shelter, it was so depressing, but I think the animals in Naomi’s care will have a good life whether they are adopted or not.”

“She is an exceptional woman. Did Cass bring Milo along?”

I grabbed a stack of napkins and began setting them around the table. “He did. What a beautiful dog. And he’s so smart. Cass mentioned that he made an excellent partner, and after watching him for just over an hour, I can see that he probably is. I’m not sure he can help Cass with the strategizing, but I’d want to have him by my side if I came face-to-face with a bad guy with a gun.”

“Speaking of bad guys,” Gracie said as she handed me a pitcher of water and asked me to pour it into the glasses she had already set out. “I had to run into town to pick up a few things, and I saw Ida Cunningham.” Ida ran the local inn with her sister, Maude. Neither of the women, who must be well into their sixties now, had ever married or had children, like Aunt Gracie and Tom. “She told me that she’d heard from one of her vendors that the sheriff let it slip that he had evidence he wasn’t making public regarding Tracy’s murder. Now, we both know that poor old man from the campground didn’t kill that child, yet as far as I can tell, the sheriff has all but closed the case. If he has evidence that he is not sharing, I think the folks who live in this town ought to call him on it.”

“Cass said that the mayor is putting pressure on the sheriff to get the case closed. The man they arrested isn’t helping the matter. So far, he isn’t defending himself. Cass thinks he is being bribed or threatened by the real killer.” I set the half-full pitcher of water on the counter after filling the glasses on the table. “Cass made it sound as if part of the problem is that they don’t have evidence other than what implicates Buck Darwin. If Ida is right and the sheriff is sitting on evidence, I’m not sure that even Cass knows about it.”

Gracie glanced out the window and waved at Tom Walden, who was walking toward the main house from his little cabin. “Ida might not have her facts straight. A good amount of the time she doesn’t. But it might not hurt to mention the idea of suppressed evidence to Cass. If nothing else, he can do some digging around.”

“Actually, I’m having dinner with Cass tomorrow. I was going to let you know so you didn’t bother to make a big meal, thinking I’d be here.”

“That will work out well for me. Wednesday is bingo night at the church. I usually grab a meal with some of my friends before we head over.”

“That sounds like fun. I’ll keep that in mind for future Wednesdays. I don’t want you to change up your regular routine at all just because I’m here. I might be here for a while, so don’t think of me as a guest who needs to be attended to.”

Tom walked in and hung up his coat on the rack. Gracie smiled at him.

“Of course, I don’t think of you as a guest. This is your home. It always will be. Tom and I want you to feel right at home. Don’t we, dear?”

“Absolutely.” Tom kissed Gracie on the cheek and sat down at the head of the table.

I couldn’t help but smile. Apparently, my hunch about the two of them hadn’t been all that far off after all.