Puppy Love and Panic, page 5
“Who throws a puppy in a dumpster?” Trevor asked.
“I don’t know,” I muttered. “And it’s probably best that I don’t.” My visceral reaction to animal cruelty bordered on violence. I had actually broken a man’s nose during a rescue once a few years back. He hadn’t pressed charges against me because he was up to his bloody nostrils in indictments for the animals and other shady activities.
“She’s cute, though,” he said. “A little puff of blonde.”
“Yes. Probably a lab, or maybe a retriever.”
Once she finished with her meal, she began yapping at Daisy. When she didn’t get a response, she nipped at her foot.
Daisy growled.
“Hey!” I yelled. “No growling!”
“I told her to let me finish my food, and then I’d play with her!” Daisy retorted. She then placed her paw on the little blonde head and pressed until the puppy was flat on her stomach. “She needs to learn some manners.”
Trevor laughed as Daisy held her head down.
I sighed and looked at him. Now that I was certain Daisy wouldn’t hurt our newest rescue, I felt confident changing my focus. “Let’s sit down and figure out who murdered Ava.”
Trevor plopped down on a chair at a kitchen table. “I’m exhausted.”
I was too, but I couldn’t rest until I found the killer. After starting a pot of coffee, I grabbed my notebook and pen from a drawer, then took a seat across from him. “Okay, so let’s start at the beginning. Who were the last kids at the party? I have Jacob, Eric, Ava, Oliver, Terry and Bianca for sure.” I wrote down their names. “Now it seems that people are unsure if Gabriel was there or not when Terry served the water.”
“The four kids I talked to at the emergency clinic weren’t certain,” Trevor replied. When the coffee pot sputtered, notifying us it was done brewing, he stood and pulled two cups from the cupboard, then poured us each a coffee. “But when I spoke to Gabriel at the scene, he said he’d left, but come back to find Ava dead and everyone asleep. He’s the one who called 9-1-1.”
“Did you believe him?” I asked, jotting down the information.
“I didn’t see a reason not to. He was really upset.” Trevor set the coffee down in front of me, then took his seat. “And don’t forget Zoe. She was there when I arrived and said she’d been sleeping.”
Next to Jacob, Eric, Ava, and Bianca, I wrote drugged.
“What about Oliver? I asked.
“He was hard to wake, but he said he’d had a lot to drink.”
“So, Oliver, Ava’s boyfriend, was drunk. Zoe fell asleep. Gabriel left and came back.” I tapped my pen against the paper. “And where was Terry?”
“When I arrived at the Willard home this morning, Terry wasn’t there.”
I arched an eyebrow and picked up my coffee. “So she drugged everyone, killed Ava and… took off?”
“Would you hang around if you’d murdered someone?”
Good point.
“We aren’t sure if Oliver and Terry were dating on the side, are we?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, but I think anything is a possibility at this point. Could she have killed off Ava to have a chance with Oliver?”
“I’d never do something like that, but I suppose so. Where does Terry live?”
“She’s about twenty minutes outside of town,” he said. “I just got notification of her address when you walked up.”
I took another sip of coffee, some of it dribbling down my chin to my sweatshirt. I glanced down at the stain.
“I was going to tell you to be careful with that so you don’t stain your sweatshirt, but then I remembered you already had.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. “Let me go change.”
As I hurried down the hall, Daisy ran past me with our little friend at her heels and into the bedroom. I shut the door behind me so I could have a quick conversation with my dog.
Daisy jumped on the bed, but the puppy couldn’t quite make it. As it whined and tried to follow Daisy, my dog stood at the edge and stared down at her. “Come on, you little turd! You can do it! Gina, tell her she can do it!”
I picked up the blond fluffball and set her on the bed, then pulled off my sweatshirt. “What do you want to name her?”
“I get to name her?” Daisy asked.
“Yes.” I pulled out a sweatshirt from my drawer, slipped it on, then sat on the bed. “I’m going to need your help over the next couple of weeks.”
“What do you need me to do?” Daisy sat down next to me. She wagged her tail while the puppy chased it.
“Exactly what you’re doing. Take care of her.”
“I can do that,” she said. “I kind of like her a little bit. I’m glad you found her.”
“Did she tell you where I found her?”
“Yes. She said a bad man put her in the garbage and she was really scared.”
“I’m happy I was there to fish her out.” I shook my head, trying to contain my rage. “I really hate people sometimes.”
“What’s going on with Jacob?” Daisy asked.
“He’s gone,” I whispered in case Trevor had come down the hall. “I don’t know where, but he’s safe.”
“So what happens next?”
“Well, Trevor thinks I had something to do with his disappearance, so I’m hopeful that he allows me access to the case information, but if he doesn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Daisy giggled. “Gina, Jacob’s your son. Of course you made him disappear.” She kept moving her tail, and the puppy continued to chase it.
“Will you help me out these next couple of weeks?”
“Yeppers! I’ll be a very good dog and keep this little brat in line.”
“Thank you,” I sighed. I grabbed the sides of her face and kissed her nose. “You’re the best dog ever.”
Daisy licked my cheek. “I’m going to remind you about saying this when you find the chewed-up sock in the bathroom.”
Chapter 7
I was too tired to be mad. Instead, I walked into the bathroom, found the mangled sock, and tossed it in the trash.
“You didn’t feed me before you left, so I was hungry,” Daisy called while she wrestled with the puppy. “And I think I’m going to name her Mustard.”
Mustard? I hurried back to the bathroom. “Why in the world would you name a puppy Mustard?”
Daisy glanced up at me, then returned to her playing. “Because she’s yellow. And that way I can call her Musty and she’ll answer. It’ll be super cute!”
“What about Goldie or Sunny?”
“What about Twinkie or Cornbread?”
“I’m seeing a pattern here,” I muttered. “That’s okay, we’ll call her Mustard.”
“Yay!” She took the puppy’s head in her mouth. “Look, Mustard! I can fit your head in my mouth!”
A knock sounded at the bedroom door. “Gina?” Trevor called. “I need to head out to go talk to Terry. Are you coming?”
“He’s not that mad at you,” Daisy said. “Go with Trevor. Mustard and I will be good doggies.”
I gave them both a quick kiss, then opened the door. “Yes, I’m going with you. I appreciate you taking me.”
“I was only going to take you if you gave me Jacob’s location,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “But I couldn’t do that to you.”
Throwing my hands in the air, I said, “Trevor, I honestly don’t know where he is. When I left to get coffee, he was sleeping. When I got back, he was gone.”
“Mallory’s on a mission to prove you interfered with an investigation.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell her, or you. I didn’t do anything.”
“Did you make any calls before you went to get coffee?”
I almost lied, but Mallory probably already had my phone records. If not, they’d be in her hands shortly. “Yes. I called Vic to let him know his nephew was in the hospital.”
“Do you think Vic may have taken him?”
I shrugged. “That would be pretty bold of him to saunter into the emergency clinic, break the handcuffs, then walk out the front door with Jacob.”
Trevor narrowed his gaze. “You’re right. Even Vic isn’t that stupid.”
I brushed past him and walked down the hall toward the front door. “Let’s go see Terry.”
We rode in silence and I had the distinct feeling Trevor was trying to decipher just how deep my lies ran. I kept my mouth shut and my eyes on the road.
Jacob’s disappearing act had put Trevor in a difficult position. With us dating, of course he didn’t want Jacob to be hit with charges on a crime he didn’t commit. But at the same time, he had a job to do, and his boss said my son was guilty. He walked a fine line of trying to please both me and Mallory. Yes, I had sympathy for him, but I wouldn’t play by her rules or deviate from my plan of finding the killer. She would not sink her claws into my son.
“I feel like I’m in between a rock and a hard place,” Trevor said. Apparently, his thoughts had mirrored mine. “I’d hoped the circumstances would be different when I finally had the guts to say this to you, but I love you, Gina. I’m not going to let Jacob go to jail for this killing. I’ll do whatever’s necessary to find the real murderer.”
Love? He loved me? Yes, we’d been spending as much time together as possible, but the L-word hadn’t come into play. Frankly, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the statement. My heart had skipped a couple of beats and my stomach clenched. I cared deeply for Trevor, but was I in love? Would I even know if I was? And how did I respond?
“Thanks, Trevor,” I said, laying my hand over his. “I’m glad to know you’re on my side.”
He squeezed my fingers and at that point, I knew we were going to get to the end of the horrible tragedy relatively emotionally unscathed.
“It’s down this street here,” Trevor said. We turned right and he recited the address. I noticed the house just as his phone announced we’d arrived.
The tidy brown home with white trim stood behind a swath of green grass. Daffodils and petunias lined the walkway to the front door. A pickup truck stood in the driveway, so I hoped that indicated someone was home.
“Cute place,” Trevor murmured.
I nodded and stepped from the car while admiring all the pretty flowers. I didn’t have much of a green thumb, although I did try. Every now and then I’d buy something, plant it, baby it, and watch it slowly perish.
We walked up the path to the door and Trevor knocked. I took a deep breath and hoped we could nail Terry to the wall. I imagined her opening the door, confessing, and this whole mess being over. Unfortunately, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy.
A man in his fifties answered. Big and strong with a head of gray hair and a heavily lined face, I guessed he’d made his living working outside.
“We’re here to see Terry Burnell,” Trevor said, flashing his badge.
He furrowed his brow in confusion. “For what?”
“She attended a party last night, and we have some questions.”
“What kind of questions?” he asked.
Trevor sighed. “Like I said, sir, she was at a party. It’s about the party.”
“I’m her father, deputy. Is my girl in trouble?”
“We aren’t sure,” I interjected. “That’s why we want to ask her questions.”
I fully understood Mr. Burnell’s hesitation at fetching his daughter. He wanted to protect her, just as I was doing with Jacob.
“Does she need a lawyer?” he asked.
“That’s up to you, sir,” Trevor replied. “At this time, I’d say the answer is no.”
Seemingly satisfied, he nodded and stepped to the side. I followed Trevor in. Mr. Burnell shut the door and moved past us. “Come on in here,” he said.
He led us into the kitchen and pointed at the table. “Have a seat. I’ll get her.”
I glanced around as I sat down. Someone was very fond of roosters. The cookie jar, the doorknobs and the wallpaper bordering—all roosters.
A moment later, Mr. Burnell appeared from the hallway, his daughter in tow. Based on the way she rubbed her eyes and the white and pink robe she wore, she’d been sleeping.
Probably needed a nap after a night of drugging people.
Trevor stood. “Hi, Terry. I’m Deputy Trevor Hutchinson. I need to ask you some questions about the party at the Willard place last night.”
She sat down across from me. Stringy blond hair framed her round face to her chin. Her red-rimmed gaze met mine, but quickly found its way to the tabletop. I couldn’t tell if she was a bit plump, or if the robe was just really fluffy.
“What about it?” she mumbled as her father laid his hand on her shoulder, then sat down next to her. Trevor took his place by me. “I’m really tired.”
“So you got home late last night?” Trevor asked.
She nodded, her gaze still firmly set on the tiled table. Not surprisingly, each tile held a picture of a rooster.
“Can you tell us what happened at the party? Anything big?”
“Like what?” She glanced up at him.
“Did you argue with anyone?” Trevor questioned. “Or did anyone start something with you?”
She shook her head.
“Did you know that Ava Willard is dead?” I asked gently.
Her eyes welled. “Yes. It’s all over Snapchat.”
“What the heck?!” her father boomed. “Someone died at the party? Was it drugs?!”
Terry flinched and wiped her cheeks.
“There were drugs involved, right, Terry?” I prodded.
“What happened last night?” Trevor asked.
“Nothing!” Terry wailed. “I don’t know anything!”
“I think you do,” I replied. “We have four people who say that you gave them a bottle of water, and then they don’t remember anything else about the night. Did you intentionally drug them?”
“My daughter was involved?” Mr. Burnell yelled. His face had turned a shade of red reserved for tomatoes and cherries. I worried he was having a stroke.
The room went quiet until Terry began sniffing. “I didn’t mean to,” she whispered. “It was only supposed to be Ava.”
I traded glances with Trevor. “Can you explain what happened?”
She finally met my gaze. Anger gleamed in her eyes “Ava was outside with Bianca and two boys. Her boyfriend, Oliver, was passed out in the house. I wanted to talk to him, but I didn’t want Ava to walk in.”
“So… you drugged her?” The two boys she referred to must have been Jacob and Eric.
“Yes. I roofied her,” she spat.
“You gave another girl a date rape drug?” her father asked incredulously. He then turned his gaze to the ceiling. “Lord have mercy. Give me strength.”
“And why did you want to drug Ava?”
“I just told you. I wanted to talk to Oliver, and I didn’t want her walking in on us.”
Confused, I stared at her a long moment. Why would she care if Ava walked in while she was talking to her boyfriend? Unless… unless Terry had other plans besides a simple chat.
“Do you have a bit of a crush on Oliver?” I asked.
She nodded, her gaze returning to the tabletop.
Trevor cleared his throat. “What did you want to talk with him about?”
“About how Ava was cheating on him,” Terry replied quietly. “About how he deserved a better girlfriend.”
“Is that girlfriend you?”
She didn’t answer, but I knew Trevor had nailed it. Terry wanted Oliver for herself. If she was willing to drug his girlfriend, did she have the gumption to kill her as well?
But if Terry only wanted to silence Ava for a bit while she made the moves on her boyfriend, how did three other people end up drugged?
After I voiced my question, she rolled her eyes. “I brought out the waters and they started playing this stupid game where they threw them up in the air. Everyone ended up drinking everyone else’s water.”
“Did you try to stop them?” Trevor asked.
“What was I supposed to say?” she retorted. “I only want to drug Ava so quit drinking her water?”
Her father placed his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands. “Good God,” he muttered. “Please forgive her.”
“What happened when you realized that everyone was going to be drugged?” I asked.
“I left.” She shrugged.
“Are you sure, Terry?” I leaned forward and placed my hands over hers on top of the table. “Are you sure you came home and you didn’t take measures to get Ava permanently out of the way?”
“I didn’t kill her,” she grumbled. “I came home when I realized what was going to happen.”
“We’ll be able to track your movements via your phone,” Trevor stated.
Her father shot to his feet. “And on that note, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. I think we need a lawyer.”
I ignored him. “Where did you get the drugs, Terry?”
“Some guy was selling them outside Hold Your Horses.”
Ah, yes. The shady bar on the outskirts of town. Not a nice place to be, and certainly not appropriate for a young woman such as Terry.
“What did you buy?” I asked.
“Please leave!” Mr. Burnell yelled. “Terry and I need to speak to a lawyer, and then she needs to pray and repent for her sins.”
Trevor nudged me, giving me the cue that the conversation had ended. Terry’s father escorted us to the door in silence and watched us walk down the pathway to Trevor’s vehicle. Once we were in his truck, Trevor pulled away from the curb.
“What do you think?” he asked.
I shrugged and shook my head. “If she admits to the drugging, I don’t see murder as that big of a leap.”
Chapter 8
“So what’s next?” I asked as soon as we were inside his truck. “Who are we interviewing?”
“Right now, I think it’s a good idea to have some downtime,” he said. “It’s been a long day, and I know I’m exhausted.”
