Whiskers In The Dark

10

April 15, 2018

Sunday, 6:20 P.M.

A lurid red light washed over the corpse. Harry wished the sheriff’s department would close Jason’s eyes. She, Susan, Arlene, Mary, Tucker, and Pirate waited with the deputy while the ambulance people, a small forensics group, finally loaded Jason onto a gurney. The sun had set at 7:50 P.M., the chill intensified, but the shocking discovery made the air seem cold indeed.

All four women had been questioned but were asked to stay where they were as the other two groups were also questioned, as well as the people at the kennels. Everyone was ordered to stay put.

No reasons were forthcoming, but Harry figured the authorities were aiming to prevent any collusion. No one could warn anyone if the killer was one of a work party. And who would know what Jason’s movements would have been, where Jason was? Then again, one never knows of people’s secret lives. A slim possibility existed that he had been followed, the perpetrator covered by the topography and some evergreen trees.

She knew if anyone in the other two groups had blood on them, that would sink their ship. But no one did. Then she told herself the killer could have changed clothes. She decided to study whoever she could, once allowed back at the Institute. If someone looked as though he or she wore a complete change of clothing, well, maybe. Then she realized she hadn’t truly studied what each person wore. Above all, she felt terrible for Clare.

“Blood has a metallic smell, doesn’t it?” Pirate leaned on Tucker.

“Does. Human blood is strong.” Tucker nudged next to Harry. She knew Harry was upset.

“Ladies, I’m sorry to keep you here so long, but we can’t be too careful in a situation like this,” the slim sheriff advised them. “You all have been most cooperative.”

Finally released, they slowly walked back toward the large stone building a quarter of a mile ahead. No one spoke until the Institute came into view.

“What do we tell the others?” Mary asked.

Arlene lifted her shoulders, then let them fall. “That we found him.”

“Perhaps we might spare them some details,” Susan suggested. “Especially Clare. Why didn’t the sheriff bring her to the body?”

Harry replied, “Aren’t spouses and next of kin the most suspicious people? People are killed by those close to them, not that I think Clare is a killer. Maybe the sight of him would be too dramatic. They wanted to spare her.”

“It’s hard to get more dramatic than finding a man with his throat slit,” Arlene posited.

“Fast?” Mary wondered.

“Not fast enough,” Harry told them. “You bleed out but you know you’re dying. I expect the shock doesn’t totally cover the pain.”

“Harry, we don’t need to know that.” Arlene gently chided her.

“Sorry.”

“Our human is practical even about death.” Tucker was proud that Harry never lost her head.

The four women gathered in the dining room with everyone else. The kennel group replayed how Jason asked for the tractor. Amy had made him promise to be quick about it. He was in a good humor. Each person chipped in their impression of Jason in what no one knew would be his last moments. Mary and Amy comforted Clare as best they could, once she was free of questioning. Everyone felt awful for her. She was especially distressed that she had not seen his body. Mary, through her many connections, was allowed to take Clare to see her husband, who would be sent to the medical examiner’s office in Richmond early in the morning.

The other work party had nothing to say. They had been far away from the kennels, from Jason on the tractor, and also far from Harry’s work party. Naturally, each person expressed dismay and sorrow, but they were one step back from the immediacy of it all.

The dark outside enveloped them. Harry wanted to go to the cabin to let the cats in.

“Given the circumstances, if anyone wished to stay the night, that’s okay,” Amy told them. “There won’t be breakfast tomorrow morning, but you all know you can pick up something once on the road. The bathroom will stay open.” She looked to Arlene. “Is there anything we need to do? Clean out the kitchen?”

“No. I’m sure we can round up coffee. I’ll be staying.”

“Me, too,” Amy said.

“We’ll be in the cabin,” Harry told them. Most of the group did decide to stay, either in the main building or their cabins. The dark proved intense and everyone had the sense to know they were not at their best. No point driving if your concentration would wander. Although many did volunteer to drive Clare back to Montgomery County, Maryland, tomorrow after she saw Jason. The rest of the family had been called.

Harry and Susan grabbed two sandwiches and had drinks in the cooler back in the cabin. As they stepped outside, the stars loomed overhead so low, it seemed they could touch them.

Mrs. Murphy and Pewter rose to greet them, for they’d been sitting on the cabin porch.

“I’m freezing!” Pewter loudly complained.

The dogs shot inside the second Harry opened the door. Tucker and Pirate told the cats everything while Harry knelt down, poking the embers. A few glowed amidst the ashes. She rolled up newspapers, dropping them into the just placed logs, crossed like a box. The papers caught. She arranged smaller logs over the square, then sat in the rocking chair to warm her feet. Susan had put down food for the animals. She, too, sat down, first handing Harry an iced tea. Neither had thought to bring a plug-in teakettle, but the tea was fine.

“I’m famished.” Harry bit into the ham and cheese. “Cold makes me hungry.”

“The sight of Jason has dimmed my appetite.”

“Susan, it wasn’t so bad.” Harry remained calm about it.

“Why would anyone kill Jason Holzknect?”

“That’s what’s shocking, really. The suddenness of it. Now you’re here. Now you’re not. No signs of struggle. He knew who killed him, I would think.”

“They came up behind,” Susan reminded her.

“Yes, but he had to climb down from the tractor. He knew who killed him and whoever did it knew how to do it.”

“I expect quite a number of people know how to kill.” Susan folded her sandwich wrapper.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because of the large number of military and government people, some still active and some retired, in hunting. We’re close to Washington. We get all manner of people flying under false colors.”

“What do you mean?” Harry leaned forward.

“CIA, FBI, defense department people. Ned has alerted me to that. Not that they’re bad. They’re not, but Ned says if someone has a business, they make decent money, live in a decent house, but you never see a lot of people in, say, the insurance agency. There’s always people in the military service doing double duty. They’ve all been taught how to handle various weapons. Often, even though retired, they still have one foot in it even if used as a consultant.”

“I never thought of that.” Harry shook her head.

“We don’t have to,” Susan simply declared.

“Maybe he made a mistake.” Harry wondered.

“For all I know, he stole some money or was sleeping with someone else’s wife.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Jason never gave a hint of, shall we say, such excitements. If anything, he was a bit tedious.”

“Now Harry.”

“Nice enough. Don’t get me wrong. I just don’t think excitement was his middle name.”

“Well, Harry, he’s been murdered. Bam. Under all our noses. He couldn’t have been that dull.”

The fire warmed the chilled cabin. Harry and Susan removed sweaters and took off their boots.

Tucker rose, walked to the door, scratched.

“Oh, Tucker.” Harry reluctantly got up and opened the door. A cold, low air swept by her legs. Tucker halted, then turned back to the fire. Harry closed the door, accustomed to canine changes of mind.

Ruffy had brushed by her, walked to the fire, sat down. The other animals told him about the murder but he knew.

“It’s not over,” the ghost predicted, then lay down before the fire, something he hadn’t done in years.