A Whisker of Suspicion, page 17
Kai grinned. “The trail cams. They’re set up nearby. And if I’m not wrong, we might see some humans walking by. Mountain lion prints don’t explain why they’d start shooting each other, but the pictures may help us fill in the blanks.”
“Ooh, good thinking.” Veronica rubbed her hands together. “Wait, we have to go out to get memory cards, right?”
“Sophie’s tech can access them remotely. She said it’s up and running now. We just need a login from Sophie. We don’t even need to tell her what we’re up to. Technically, it’s even part of my responsibilities at RACC now.”
Veronica sighed. “How are we going to get it from her on a Sunday at noon? Is she such a workaholic that she’s at her office? Or do you have her contact information?”
“Neither. The Armstrongs have a family lunch at Bridges every Sunday. It’s only a short walk downstairs to find answers.”
“If I hadn’t done it a hundred times already in the last twenty-four hours, I’d kiss you, Kai.”
“Don’t let that stop you,” Kai replied in a cheeky tone.
“Bridges first. Then we can partake in other… things.” She snorted. “Are you sure you want to date me? I mean, we didn’t talk about it, but we are dating, right?” Uncertainty crept up her throat and came out as rambling. “I don’t know why I’m talking about this. I mean, we are dealing with goodness knows what—”
Kai put a hand on her waist and pulled her close. “V, I fell for all of you within weeks of knowing you, your thinking about things from every possible angle included.”
“Within weeks?” Veronica bit her lip.
Kai shrugged. “Yeah. I think I just realized it, so I’m a little late to the party myself. I’ve tried to date other people since then, and it’s never worked out. I could never figure out why, but I’m forming a theory that they were not the right people. So yes, I would very much like to call this dating. I’ve never been the kind of guy who can kiss a woman and not care if I talk to her again.” He pulled away and walked to the front door. “So, if that’s settled, can we go find out what happened on RACC’s land?”
Veronica put a hand to her forehead. “It does seem ill-advised to broadcast that as our intention.”
“Fair point.”
“You’re in awfully high spirits for someone who may have heard a crime happen this morning.” Veronica eyed him.
“No, I’m in awfully high spirits because I know we can do our own investigation without anyone knowing that’s what we’re doing.” He tipped his head. “Come on. Let’s go find our friendly local ecologist.”
Chapter 23
Veronica and Kai walked into Bridges hand in hand with Luna trotting happily next to them. Thurston, a key branch on the Riverbend gossip tree, showed no surprise. He plucked two menus out of their holder and walked over to them. “Table for two?”
“Sure.” Kai scanned the restaurant and his eyes fell on the Armstrong family. “Although it may be a second before we sit down.”
Thurston followed Kai’s eyes and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Stu’s back to his old self again. You don’t need to talk to him about all the city stuff anymore.” Veronica suppressed a smile. She’d heard Marlene make a very similar comment about Thurston at the end of their trail workday.
“Glad to hear it, Thurston. We actually wanted to talk to Sophie about the trail cams.”
“Oh, wonderful. What’d you see this time?” Thurston leaned in eagerly. Veronica was sure that their response would be repeated for all of Riverbend throughout the day.
“Luna smelled more bobcat, and we were hoping to see if there was another one on the trail cams we hadn’t caught. Kai and I had a little bet on how many more we’d see.” Veronica looked at him mischievously.
Thurston gave a hearty laugh. “Ah, off to a strong start.” He tipped his head towards the Armstrong family. “Don’t let me keep you.”
Veronica’s hands shook a little with the deception. Lies settled like lead weights in her stomach, but the need to protect Kai and Luna overrode her normally bone-deep need for honesty. She walked over to the Armstrongs’ table where Stu, Everett, and Sophie were eating. They looked up at their approach.
Kai put his hands in his pockets. “Sorry to interrupt your lunch, but I was hoping to chat with Sophie for a moment.”
Everett put down his fork. “Everything okay, Kai?”
Now that they’d gotten Everett’s full attention, Veronica’s drive to solve the problem suddenly felt like a bad idea. Someone had pulled a trigger hours earlier. That person might even be happily devouring a plate of biscuits and gravy at a table nearby, as if it had never happened. Too late to change course, Veronica swallowed hard and clasped her hands together. “Sorry, Sophie, we couldn’t wait. We’ve been training Luna to sniff out bobcats, and I think she was smelling even more yesterday after everyone left. I was wondering if we could get access to the trap camera pictures remotely. I know you mentioned doing it soon, but since we saw you, I thought you might have the login handy…”
Sophie looked down at her half-finished sandwich. “Sure. That’s no trouble at all. Give me twenty minutes and we can head over to the research lab. I left my laptop there, and I have to sign in to give you access. I was also planning on doing a little work this afternoon, so I can flip through the images and reach out if I see anything.”
“Oh, no, that’s not necessary at all,” Kai backtracked. “We don’t want to create more work for you on a weekend.”
Sophie shrugged. “These two are going to watch football, and it gets me out of hearing them shout at the television while claiming it’s quality family time.”
Everett shot Sophie a look. The international language of siblings came through loud and clear. Veronica offered, “They might appreciate you being a part of the action.”
Everett pointed his fork at Veronica. “Yes. Listen to the smart animal doctor. It’s how we show we care.”
Sophie grinned. “Okay, I’ll get you access and then join my brother to listen to him shout when his team gets a touchdown. Or endure his explanations of why the refs made a bad call. For familial harmony.”
“Sounds great, Sophie.” Veronica gestured to an empty table. “We aren’t in a hurry, so we’ll grab something while you finish up, if that works?”
“Absolutely. Bon appétit.” She looked down at Luna, who was waiting extremely patiently to see if Sophie was going to share a bite of her sandwich. “She’s doing amazing. May I pet her, or is she working?”
“Go ahead. It’s okay, Luna.” Luna nearly lunged at Sophie for pets and Sophie laughed, giving her a scratch behind the ears with both hands.
“Alright,” Veronica said, “now that all three of us have accosted you all, we’ll have our lunch. Thanks, everyone.”
Stu nodded, and Everett gave them a wave. “Stay out of trouble, you two.”
Kai and Veronica settled at a table out of earshot of the Armstrong family and ordered their lunch. Once the din of the restaurant was loud enough to drown out their conversation, Kai leaned in. “This feels less smart now.”
“Yeah, I was all in, but what if we see something? Should we tell Finn?” She wrinkled her nose.
“I’ll text Finn and Liam. If they decide the two amateur detectives need to be babysat, I may have to eat a little crow.”
“Happens to the best of us.” Veronica breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t have a lot of practice lying to people.”
“Good to know.” At that point, Marge dropped off their food and a bottle of ketchup for their fries. Before digging in, Kai sent a text message out to his friends, who would hopefully forgive their overexuberance.
A few moments later, Kai’s cell phone pinged. He picked it up and winced. “Okay, only a light scolding. Liam is going to meet us at Indiana Polytechnic with Tank. He’ll be there to chat with Matt Brown, Alexis’s husband. Matt is an engineering professor who works with teams in Riverbend on their research. Alexis is with Finn right now.”
Veronica wrinkled her nose. “Okay, I can handle that if we get to see those photos.”
Kai shook his head. “At least I know I’m not the only reason we’re in this mess.”
A few moments later, the Armstrongs stood to leave. Kai paid the bill and led Veronica and Luna back to his truck for a quick trip over to Indiana Polytechnic.
Chapter 24
After a walk around the outside of the research building to give Luna a bathroom break, Veronica followed Kai to Sophie’s office. She was already drinking a cup of coffee and leaning into her computer. Empty coffee cups littered her otherwise clean desk. She looked up when they entered. “Hey, both. Hi, Luna.”
Luna’s tail thwacked into Veronica’s leg. Veronica gestured to Sophie’s screen. “Finding anything?”
Sophie frowned. “Not yet. The server is up, but everything is still downloading. I’m connecting to the cameras remotely to give you a real-time update, but it’ll take a minute.” She clicked a few times, then scrawled something on a sticky note. She handed it to them. “While we’re waiting, here is your login information.”
“How long does that normally take?” Kai pointed to the screen, currently showing a loading icon.
Sophie stared at her computer. “Too long for my patience. I’m as eager to see those bobcats as you are.” She tapped her fingers against her desk. “I’ll be right back. Don’t break anything.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Kai and Veronica were soon alone in Sophie’s office. Veronica took in the details while she waited. Piles of papers were arranged in stacks on Sophie’s desk, and plastic containers with samples filled the sturdy metal shelving against the wall. Kai peered into the hallway and showed his phone to Veronica. “Liam is in the building, in case our coffee addict turns on us.”
Veronica snickered. “I don’t think Sophie is a criminal mastermind, but good to know all the same.” Sophie’s computer flickered and pictures began to load. She hesitated, then grabbed Kai’s arm. “See if Liam can stall her. Then if we see something, Sophie doesn’t have to get involved. The Armstrongs don’t need any more drama in their lives.” Kai started typing into his phone, then got up and stood by the door. Veronica sat on Sophie’s chair. Luna followed closely and laid down next to her. She began clicking through pictures. There were several animals she expected to see in the land conservancy: deer, squirrel, and the occasional rabbit. She winced at the screen when a bobcat appeared on it in broad daylight, carrying a chicken in its mouth.
Kai whispered from the door, “What is it?”
“Bobcats hunting during the day, eating something with wings. Probably a chicken. They’re exhibiting unusual behaviors, Kai. Maybe Luna was trying to tell us something.” She kept clicking and landed on a picture of the mountain lion, bringing back a kill in its mouth. It was another chicken with white feathers. Not a wild turkey. She narrowed her eyes at the photo. “Where are they getting these chickens?” She looked up at Kai. “No one is complaining about losing chickens. You know Thurston would have heard by now.”
Kai shook his head. “Thurston hasn’t said anything. And Stu would be the first to say something if his chickens had gone missing.”
“Whose chickens are they, then? Stu’s is the only farm nearby. No one is bringing the local wildlife chickens to eat.” The next picture was an empty shot of trees and leaves. It was the first time the camera had failed to detect an actual animal. Sophie’s technology had done a brilliant job thus far, which made her pause for a moment before clicking to the next photo. Then something caught her eye. She zoomed in. She hissed, “Kai, get over here.”
Soon, Kai was squatting next to her to get a better view of the image. “Is that a branch?”
“A branch that has a glint on it?” She zoomed in on the photo.
“But why would someone be hauling metal past a camera?” Kai squinted into the screen. “What is that?”
“No idea. It’s a blur.” She turned to face him. “Someone must have spotted the camera and swung it out of the way. They were almost successful. It’s big enough to be a trap. But why would they be trapping animals on the land?”
Kai winced. “Maybe that’s what sparked the fight we heard. How many criminals can the RACC land hold?” He tipped his head toward the door. “I’ll go keep watch.”
Veronica studied the picture until she heard a noise and looked at the doorway. Kai was gesticulating frantically. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her key ring. She flicked open the end of the memory stick, slipped it into the computer, downloaded the photo, and deleted the original. Veronica flipped through the remaining photos, but there was nothing else worrying. She clicked back to the first photo that had been downloaded, whisked the memory stick out of the computer, stuffed her key ring back into her pocket, and walked back to stand by Kai.
A moment later, Sophie arrived with Liam and his black Labrador, Tank, and another man she didn’t recognize close behind. The stranger was tall with dark hair and brown eyes. He looked like he’d be more comfortable on a military base than at a college, but he wore an IP lanyard and button-down shirt. Sophie gestured to the men behind her. “Look who I found.”
Liam waved. “I stopped by the labs to drag this guy out for a happy hour. Dr. V, this is Dr. Matt Brown, Alexis’s husband. He’s a mechanical engineering professor here.”
Veronica released her hold on the memory stick in her pocket. “Dr. Brown, very nice to meet you.”
“Likewise. And just Matt is fine. Alexis has told me all about you. And Luna.” He tipped his head down towards Luna. “Luna seems like she’s taking well to your training.”
Luna’s ears perked up at her name, but she stayed seated. Veronica tossed her a piece of kibble. “Good girl, Luna. She’s doing great. We were actually just checking in to see if we could find any more bobcats in Sophie’s photos. We’re pretty sure Luna was smelling them.”
“The pictures should be uploaded by now.” Sophie lifted an eyebrow. “Kai, could you resist checking them?”
Veronica laughed, trying her best to sound natural. “It wasn’t Kai. It was me. We spotted a bobcat and our mystery mountain lion. Very exciting. Thanks for helping us get them.”
“Odd, though, don’t you think?” Sophie scratched the back of her neck. “I’ve never heard of a mountain lion around here. I asked Nash if he’s had any run-ins with mountain lions, but he said he usually only sees deer, turkeys, other birds.” She shook her head. “When he’s not fighting off drug dealers in his spare time, he is completely focused on the wild game near the farm. If he doesn’t know anything about the mountain lion, I don’t know who would.”
“Your dad isn’t missing any chickens or anything?” Veronica pushed a little harder.
“Dad hasn’t said anything about it.” Sophie turned to face Kai. “And when have you ever known my dad to keep grievances to himself?”
“Um, let me think about it. Never?” Kai snorted. “Well, now that we have access to the photos, we’ll take a closer look at them on Monday. We’ll let you know if we see something interesting. That work for you?”
“Definitely. And now that the server is online, you should get updates several times a day. I should go back to join the family for that football game…” Sophie looked longingly back at her desk. “Maybe in a few minutes.”
Liam and Matt waited for Kai and Veronica to leave, then brought up the rear. Matt tipped his head towards the end of the hall. “I have an office in the building. Why don’t you both come with me?”
Veronica bit her lip, feeling not unlike she was being sent to the principal’s office, and followed Liam and Matt to Matt’s office.
After they’d all filed in, Liam shut the door behind them. Tank lay down next to him, and Luna sniffed at the new dog. Tank ignored her, and she sat with the encouragement of a couple of pieces of kibble. Liam ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, fair enough, no one told you not to go looking at camera footage. But I’d feel more comfortable if you both went back home and laid low for a little while instead of playing detective. Call me or the police if you see something suspicious. Hopefully, we’ll have a lead soon.”
“Seems reasonable.” Kai crossed his arms. “That said, do you want to know what we found?”
Liam flinched. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Umm, is Matt in the know?” Kai eyed Matt, who was leaning against his desk, examining a metal part.
“Not about this in particular.” Matt put the part down on his desk. “But if Liam’s okay with it, I’d like to be, especially if it involves people in my building.”
Liam gave them a meaningful nod, and Veronica pulled her key ring out of her pocket and detached the memory stick. “There was a flash of metal in this picture. Someone is trapping animals on purpose. We deleted it from the server and the cameras. Sophie shouldn’t even know it exists.”
“Well, if you’re going to be amateur detectives, at least you were thorough.” Liam gave her a gentle smile. “Thank you for that.” He reached for the memory stick. “I’ll get this to Finn and Alex. In your opinion, what was it? More snare wire?”
“The metal looked thicker, big enough to be a cage.” Veronica frowned. “Between that and the snares, it seems like someone is trying to catch the bobcats intentionally. It explains why they’d be trying to hide it, but not why they’re interested in catching bobcats.”
“We’ve seen the cats eating chickens. Maybe Stu didn’t mention the cats because he was fed up with them raiding his henhouse,” Kai offered. “That’s a pretty powerful motivator to trap them. Not everyone sees them as a key part of the ecosystem. Particularly when they start cutting into your already-tight budget.”
Veronica pushed her hands through her hair. “But was he fed up enough to shoot someone who interfered?” She gasped. “Unless the blood was from the mountain lion. We found paw prints. Someone took a shot at Roberta. Why wouldn’t they be willing to kill the mountain lion? Liam, can you have Finn run a test on the blood to see what species it is? We assumed a person was shot, but we just heard people arguing.”
