The Mystery Before Christmas
- Автор: Дэйли Кэти
- Серия: A Cat In The Attic Mystery #2
- Год: 2019
- Язык: английский
- Год: Kathi Daley Books
- Жанр: Другие детективы
Электронная книга - «The Mystery Before Christmas». Краткое содержание книги:
I reached out slowly and put a hand on the dog’s head. I gently ran my hand down his neck. He didn’t respond, but I felt confident he was aware of my presence.
“Anyway, long story short, Carolyn told me she is not Secret Santa, and I believe her. So today, I went to visit a man named Haviland Hargrove. I guess he inherited a bunch of money, and he doesn’t work. In fact, it seems like he really doesn’t do much of anything. While he lives on a large estate in a gorgeous home, it seems like he lives a pretty lonely life. During our discussion, he didn’t mention any friends or hobbies. Tom has mentioned him a time or two, so I guess the guy might go to the lodge occasionally. Still, living all alone in that big house seems pretty empty.” I stroked the dog’s head once again. “You know, Haviland might be a good fit for you. The guy lives alone, and I didn’t see any other animals. It seems as if he is a low energy sort of guy, so he probably wouldn’t make a lot of demands on you. I’ll talk to Naomi about it.”
I swore the dog lifted the very edge of his tail in a wave of approval, but I couldn’t be sure. I’d seen stuffed dogs who seemed more animated.
“So anyway, after speaking to Haviland, I’ve decided he can’t be Secret Santa,” I continued. “He certainly has enough money, but Secret Santa has gone to a lot of effort to arrange for the gifts he has presented. I just don’t see Haviland making that type of effort. Besides, Secret Santa knows exactly what his gift recipients need. That tells me he knows these people and is active in the community. Haviland most definitely is not.”
I continued to run my fingers through the dog’s soft fur as I spoke.
“At this point, the only real Secret Santa suspects I still need to speak to are the Simpson brothers and a woman named Mary Anderson, who just happens to have been my third grade teacher. If they don’t turn out to be behind the gifts, I’m really not sure where to look next.” I leaned back against the wall in an effort to support my back. Ever since my accident, I had a hard time sitting for long periods with my back not supported. “I guess I should talk to Cass about it when he gets here. He knows the brothers, so he should be able to arrange for me to talk with them. He might even have new updates on Secret Santa I haven’t heard about yet. He is a cop, so sometimes he hears things before anyone else does. Of course, he’s been pretty busy with his own case, so who knows if Secret Santa is even on his radar. And Hope might be able to help me get an interview with Mrs. Anderson.”
“Callie,” Cass called out.
I looked at the dog. “Speak of the devil.” I sat forward and called out that I was in the training room.
“There you are,” Cass said, poking his head in from the hallway. “Are you taking a break?”
“Actually, this is Barkley. He is a new dog who is dealing with depression. Naomi wanted me to sit and chat with him, so that’s what I’ve been doing. Is Milo with you?”
“Milo is at the vet, getting his teeth cleaned. I need to pick him up when I am done here.” Cass sat down on the other side of Barkley. “Hey, buddy. What’s going on?”
The dog actually thumped his tail, although he still hadn’t lifted his head.
“I’m afraid Barkley’s owner had a stroke and had to go into assisted living. He couldn’t bring Barkley along. The poor guy is feeling lost and out of sorts.”
“Well, I guess so. Poor guy.”
“Naomi mentioned that he is a quiet dog who is used to a quiet environment. Haviland Hargrove comes to mind as a human who might be a good match. I went and visited him today, and it seems like he is living all alone out there on that huge estate.”
“Haviland would be a good choice,” Cass agreed. “I’ll talk to Naomi about it, and if she agrees, I’ll approach him.”
“So, the two of you are friends?”
He shrugged. “Sure. As much as Haviland is friends with anyone.”
“He seems like the sort who prefers to keep to himself.”
“Generally, that is true. He has a small circle of friends, but he isn’t one to want to be social beyond that small circle.” Cass scratched Barkley behind the ears. “Should we grab some dogs and take them into the playroom?”
“You go ahead. I’ll meet you there. I think I’ll sit with Barkley for a while longer.”
“Okay.” He stood up and started toward the door.
“Cass.”
He paused and turned. “Yeah.”
“I’m running into a dead end with my Secret Santa article. Do you think you could make an appointment for me to speak to Dean and Martin Simpson?”
“You still think they are Secret Santa?”
I shrugged. “Maybe. Even if they aren’t, I really need to talk to them for this week’s article about all the Secret Santa suspects.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll call them. If they aren’t busy, we can swing by their place this evening. They live out by the lake, so we’ll just drop your car off on the way. After we drop off your car, we can stop at my place, so I can change and drop off Milo, and then we can meet with Dean and Martin. After that, we can go to dinner, and then I’ll take you home when we’re done.”
“That sounds perfect. And thank you.”
He winked at me and walked away. He sure was sexy in his uniform.
Chapter 15
Dean and Martin were brothers who I estimated to be in their mid-forties. They lived together on a gated estate with a private lake. Several years ago, the brothers had sold a software company they’d started in their garage when they were in their teens for several billion dollars, after which they’d retired to the lake to tinker with their pet projects. I’d never met the men, but based on what I’d heard about them, they were both brilliant and introverted. Cass had told me that they had a small circle of friends they spent time with, but generally, they simply enjoyed each other’s company.
I was grateful that Cass was included in the small circle of friends since I was fairly sure that I’d never have gotten past the front gate without him. Since the men didn’t hang out in town often, it was equally unlikely that I would simply have run into them and convinced them to chat.
“Dean, Martin, this is my friend, Callie,” Cass introduced after one of the brothers, I think Dean, had answered the door and invited us in.
“I’m so happy to finally meet you both,” I said. “And I am grateful that you’ve agreed to take a few minutes to speak to me for my article.”
“Anything for Cass,” said the taller of the two brothers, who I was pretty sure was Dean.
“Let’s head into the living room and talk by the fire,” suggested the second brother, Martin I was pretty sure, who was blond and slightly shorter than his sibling was. “So how can we help you?”
“I guess you have heard about Secret Santa,” I jumped right in after having a seat on the sofa in front of the fireplace.
“We have,” Dean answered.
“I’m doing a story on the man or woman behind the anonymous gifts for the Foxtail News.”
“And you think we are Secret Santa?” Martin asked.
“Are you? You certainly have the financial wherewithal to have purchased what I estimate is more than a hundred and fifty thousand dollars’ worth of gifts so far if you count the new heating system I just found out Secret Santa had installed at the senior center and the new x-ray machine purchased for the clinic.”
“That is substantial,” Martin looked impressed. “But I’m afraid we can’t take credit for these incredible gifts presented to the community, or for the gifts presented to individual residents of the community. Have you spoken to Carolyn Worthington?”