“Okay.”
“And, Angie, I want to teach you how to work this computer program to check in patients. That would help us out a bunch.”
Cole felt relieved to have Tess take on his children for the morning. Hearing the front door open for the first customer of the day, old Mrs. Holly and her sick cat, he moved toward the lobby to greet her and get started with the day’s schedule.
Once involved with his clients, and with Tess to keep his daughters occupied, the rest of the morning went much more smoothly. He was wrapping things up around noon when Tess told him he had a call from a Tiffany Markley. He picked up the extension in the exam room, tucking the phone onto his shoulder with his chin while he started to clean up after his last patient.
But when the woman said, “I’m calling about some Bernese mountain dogs owned by Mike Chadron,” she had his full attention.
“Yes?”
“I own a boarding kennel just south of Denver, and Mike left his dogs with me Saturday morning. I see that you’ve signed off on his health records.”
“Yes, how many dogs did he leave with you?”
“Ten.”
That matched the number he’d found in his records when Mattie had asked for it. “Are his dogs still with you?”
“Yes, they are. That’s why I’m calling. Mike said he’d call me back yesterday and arrange a time to pick them up this morning, but I haven’t heard from him. He doesn’t answer the phone number he left with me. I wondered if you might help me get in touch with him.”
That might be difficult. “I hate to break the news so suddenly, but Mike died last Saturday night.”
“Oh my goodness, that’s terrible. What happened?”
“It looks like a suicide. But the police have been looking for his dog trailer and his dogs.”
“His trailer is parked behind my kennel. I told him he could leave it there. Oh my word!”
“Yes, it’s a shock. I need to get your name and number so that I can pass it on to my contact at the sheriff’s office here. Her name is Deputy Mattie Cobb. I’m sure she’ll be calling you soon.”
Cole wrote down the information. “Tell me, have the dogs been sick?”
“Well, that was odd, too. Mike said he’d tried a new diet for the dogs, a raw chicken diet, and it gave them diarrhea. He said he didn’t want them to be stressed by transporting them while he went back home to pack. He said he planned to move to Canada.” She paused to take a breath. “My goodness, what am I going to do with these dogs?”
“Talk that over with Deputy Cobb. The sheriff’s office may want to come get them. I have another question before I let you go. Have the dogs’ feces been normal?”
“Yes, they seemed to be recovered by the time he brought them to me.”
“They’ve all been eating and drinking?”
“Yes, I haven’t had any problems with them.”
“Have there been any foreign objects in their feces?”
“Good gracious, no. Why do you ask that?”
The dogs must have expelled the cocaine on Friday night, just like Belle. “It’s not important. Do they appear to be healthy now?”
“As far as I can tell.”
“That’s good. I’m going to call Deputy Cobb right now, so please stay by the phone. I’m sure she’ll want to speak with you immediately.”
As he was saying good-bye, Angela poked her head through the door, looking much less grumpy than she’d been earlier. The morning’s activity must have been good for her. “Dad, we’re hungry,” she said.
“Why don’t you guys walk Belle to the house and fix yourselves some sandwiches? I’ve got to make one more call and then I’ll come, too.”
“Don’t take forever, okay?” She gave him a stern look.
“I won’t, Angel.”
After she left, Cole swiped to his contact list and called Mattie. She answered after the first ring.
“Hello, this is Mattie.”
“Have I got good news for you,” he said.
“I could use some about now.”
“Just got a call from a kennel owner near Denver. She’s got Mike’s dogs.”
“You’re kidding!”
“I kid you not.” Cole relayed the information he’d just learned, including the woman’s name and phone number. “I told her to stay by the phone.”
“I’ll call her right now. Stella’s here at the station. We’ll talk to her together.” Sounding in a hurry, she said good-bye but spoke again before he could disconnect. “And Cole?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. You’ve made my day.”
“It’s my pleasure. I thought I might.”
Smiling, he disconnected the call. Tess came into the room to help him finish cleaning up. Instead of her usual pleasant countenance, she wore a look of concern. While squirting disinfectant on his exam table, he decided to preempt a lecture and start the conversation himself. “I heard Sophie tell you about the divorce.”
She nodded, and he thought she looked relieved that he’d brought it up. He’d been right to suspect that she meant to do it herself if he didn’t beat her to it.
“I wanted to tell you that if you need help with the kids or anything, just call,” she said. “Tom and I would be glad to step in and take care of the girls if you need us. What’s two more with our crew?”
Cole felt a wave of relief that took him by surprise. Though things really hadn’t changed, just knowing that someone was willing to help with his burden eased the weight on his shoulders. And knowing that Tess knew something about raising kids and was actually good with his children presented an extra bonus.
“I may have to take you up on that. This afternoon, I have Angela watching Sophie at the house while I run ambulatory.”
“I’ll check in about midafternoon and make sure they’re doing all right. And have Angela call me if she has a question or needs help with anything. Sophie’s a little sad today.”
Cole sighed. “I can’t tell you how much it means just knowing you’re willing to help out.”
Tess gave him a scolding look. “If you’d told me you needed it, I’d have offered sooner.”
“You’re a lifesaver.” Feeling somewhat more lighthearted than he’d been in days, he went out to his truck to join his girls for lunch.
Chapter 24
Stella called another meeting to summarize new findings for the case. Mattie hoped to finagle a seat behind Brody so she could observe him, but when she and Robo entered the room, she saw that he’d taken a seat toward the back. It would be awkward to sit even farther behind him, so she grabbed a chair and pulled it toward the side of the room where she could look at him now and then without having to turn around in her seat. She directed Robo to lie down near the wall beside her.
Once Sheriff McCoy had taken his seat near the front, Stella began. “Nice you could all make it,” she said, looking pointedly around the room at Brody and Mattie, as if to indicate how odd it was that they’d chosen to distance themselves. “We have some new developments and additions to the case, so I wanted us all to be on the same page.”
Picking up her marker, she went to the dry-erase board and wrote the word “Diary” on the grid under “Victim 1: Grace Hartman.” “Now that we’ve found the girl’s car, we can add more information. You all know about the diary. The important items gleaned here are the presence of another vehicle at the crime scene, a ‘gray SUV kinda like’ a Honda CR-V, and I’m using the girl’s words here,” she said, writing it down.