The Case of the Abandoned Aussie Read online

  “Yeah, you could say that,” Josie said, pointing toward the stern. “He’s off the back.”

  “You didn’t touch anything, right?”

  “No, we called you right away.”

  “Good. Hey, Suzy.”

  “How are you doing, Jackson?”

  “Well, since I’m leaving town today, the last thing I need is a dead body to deal with.”

  “You going on vacation right at the start of the summer season?” I said.

  “No, it’s a conference in Vegas. Just my luck. Summer finally arrives on the River, and I have to go to the desert. By the way, this is my summer intern, Alice Wonders. Alice, I’d like you meet Suzy and Josie, co-owners of the Thousand Islands Doggy Inn.”

  I smiled at the attractive young woman who seemed both excited and nervous about what was about to unfold.

  “Nice to meet you, Alice,” I said, then looked at Jackson. “Since when do you get a summer intern?”

  “Ever since your mother called me and asked for a favor.”

  I glanced back at Alice.

  “Do you know my mother?”

  “Yes, I’ve met her a few times.”

  “Please accept my condolences.”

  Alice laughed.

  “She’s okay. Maybe a little quirky,” Alice said, relaxing a bit.

  “I guess quirky is a word for it. Let me guess. My mother is dating your… divorced father?”

  “My uncle.”

  “Oooh, you were so close,” Josie said, laughing.

  “He’s my dad’s brother. Your mom was at a family dinner a couple of months ago, and I mentioned I was majoring in Criminology. So here I am.” She snuck a cautious peek towards the stern. “I’ve never seen a dead body before.”

  “Your mother made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Jackson said.

  “Just because she used to be the Mayor and is on the Town Council doesn’t mean you have to agree to do everything she tells you to,” I said.

  “Yeah, right,” Jackson said, chuckling. “I don’t see you saying no to her very often.”

  “I say no to her all the time,” I said. “But it just doesn’t register. She has trouble processing the word no.”

  Jackson nodded and glanced out over the water.

  “That reminds me. Your mother was speeding again last night.”

  “I hope you gave her a ticket,” I said.

  “No, I couldn’t catch her. Her new one is incredibly fast. What kind of car is it?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her this week.” I looked at Alice. “My mother changes cars like other people change their socks.”

  “I don’t want to deal with it,” Jackson said. “In fact, I hate the thought of it. But I may have to do something. What do you think I should do if I have to arrest your mother?”

  “Call for backup.”

  Jackson laughed and shook his head.

  “Okay, let’s have a look,” he said, heading towards the stern. He noticed the puppy. “Got yourself another dog?”

  I explained Chloe’s arrival and how the phone number on the collar matched the one on the phone of the dead man floating in the water.

  “That’s odd,” Jackson said as he scanned the open water. “No sign of a boat?”

  “No,” I said.

  “I’m going to flip him over,” Jackson said. “I know you two are veterans with this sort of thing but are you sure you want to see this on your first day, Alice?”

  “That’s why I’m here, right?” Alice said, glancing nervously around the boat at Josie and me.

  “Actually, I thought you’d be spending the summer watching me write speeding tickets and deal with drunk tourists.”

  Jackson leaned over the stern and pulled the body closer. He removed the hook from Josie’s rod and handed it to her. He then grabbed the man’s shoulder and flipped the body over.

  “Hey, I know this guy,” Jackson said. “Robert Crawford. He owns Candyland Island.”

  We stared down at the man’s face. Alice wretched, staggered to the other side of the boat and threw up. Fortunately, she managed to hit the water. Josie and I continued to study the body closely.

  “The name sounds familiar,” Josie said.

  “He was a candy magnate,” Jackson said. “He’s owned Candyland Island for a while, but I don’t think he visited very often.”

  “It doesn’t look like he’s been in the water very long,” I said.

  “No, you’re right,” Jackson said. “There’s no bloating. He looks pretty fresh.”

  “For a dead guy,” Josie said.

  “Well, sure. That goes without saying. No visible wounds or signs of a struggle. My guess is that Mr. Crawford was going too fast, probably last night. Then he hit something, probably a shoal, and he and the dog got tossed overboard. That would explain the lack of a boat.”

  “So he drowned?” Alice said as she snuck another quick peek at the body.

  “I reckon so,” Jackson said. “We lose a few people every summer. The River is a dangerous place when people don’t treat it with respect.”

  “But what’s that stuff surrounding his head?” Josie said.

  “I’m not sure,” Jackson said. “But those bees sure do seem to like it.”

  Chapter 3

  I slowed the boat as we approached the dock. Josie hopped out and secured the lines. The boat gently rocked as I climbed out with Chloe nestled under one arm. I set her down on the dock, and she cocked her head at me and wagged her tail.

  “Looks like you’ve made a friend,” Josie said.

  “She’s incredible,” I said, leaning down to rub her head.

  “Uh-oh, I know that look.”

  “What?”

  “That’s your I’ve got a new dog look.”

  “Well, she is homeless at the moment,” I said.

  Josie laughed and started walking down the dock in the direction of the Inn. I looked down at Chloe.

  “You want a ride, or would you like to walk?”

  Not waiting for an answer, I bent down and picked her up, then followed Josie down the dock.

  As we walked up the hill that led to the Inn, the place where Josie and I spent the majority of our time, I noticed a sleek foreign car in the parking lot next to the main building. My mother spied us approaching, and she climbed out. The way the car door opened, it looked more like she was escaping. She clamored to her feet, brushed the hair away from her face, and, hands on hip, beamed at us. For her, she was casually dressed. Forest green silk blouse accented with a yellow scarf; open toe pumps that probably cost more than our monthly dog food bill; and jeans that looked like they’d been spray painted on.

  I had to admit it. She looked magnificent. Once again, I crossed my fingers and hoped that my aging process would go half as well.

  “Good morning, Mom.”

  “Hello, darling. Whoa. What is that smell? Please tell me you haven’t been fishing.”

  “Opening day of the bass season, Mom.”

  She shook her head, obviously disappointed with my ongoing reluctance to accept her definition of what constituted appropriate female behavior.

  “Hi, Josie. Don’t tell me she’s dragged you into the world of lures and fish guts.”

  Josie laughed.

  “What can I say, Mrs. C?”

  “You can say no,” my mother said, then looked at me. “I blame her father.”

  My mother looked skyward and blew a kiss towards the heavens. Even though my dad had been gone a long time, every time his name came up she always took a moment to pay tribute to him. And it always caused a lump in my throat.

  “It was a way for us to get out of the house without you tagging along,” I said, forcing a smile.

  “Funny, darling. Well, what do you think of my new toy?”

  I gave the strange looking car a quick glance and shrugged.

  “It’s nice. I guess.”

  “Nice? It’s a Ferrari, darling.”

  “Italian, right?”r />
  “Good guess,” Josie said.

  “I’ve raised a Philistine,” my mother said, rolling her eyes. “Who’s the little fur ball?”

  “This is Chloe.”

  I offered the puppy to my mother who held up both palms in protest.

  “Silk blouse, darling. Don’t you have enough dogs?”

  “I’ll never have enough dogs, Mom. Isn’t she gorgeous?”

  “Yes, she is. Where did you get her?”

  “She used to be owned by Robert Crawford.”

  “She’s Bob’s dog?”

  “She was.”

  My mother gave me her I’m waiting for more look. So I told her about our adventure that morning. When I finished, she nodded with a sad frown on her face.

  “That’s too bad. I always liked Bob.”

  “Liked how?” I said. It was my turn to give her the I’m waiting look.

  “After his divorce, we dated a bit.”

  “I see,” I said. “What was he like?”

  “Darling, you’re not asking me to kiss and tell, are you?”

  “Definitely not,” I said, feeling my face flush. The thought of my mother sharing details of her romantic liaisons made my skin crawl. “I was referring to his personality. You know, his overall demeanor.”

  “He was… driven. It was like he was on a mission to conquer everything that got in his way.”

  “I see. And did he?”

  “What? Conquer me?” she said, laughing. “Darling, no one conquers me. You know better than that.”

  She was right. I did know better. Score a point for Mom.

  “Okay, moving on to new business,” my mother said. “Tomorrow night. 7:30 at Tondeuse. I’ve found you a delightful young lawyer from New York. He’s in town for a few days, and I know the two of you will hit it off.”

  “Ah, Mom.” As soon as I said it, I wanted to kick myself for sounding like a whiny teenager.

  “There’s no need to thank me,” she said. “But be on time, and play nice. Oh, Sammy Jenkins is coming in today for an interview.”

  “Who?”

  I looked at Josie. She checked her phone and nodded.

  “Two o’clock. I have no idea how it got on my calendar.”

  “I had Jill put it there,” my mother said.

  Jill was one of our staff members at the Inn. She was bright, personable, and a very hard worker. Her only shortcoming was that she was scared to death of my mother. Of course, Mom knew this and took full advantage.

  “I want you to take good care of Sammy,” my mother said. “He’s a good kid. Just not the sharpest tool in the shed if you get my drift.”

  “Another favor to a friend?”

  “Darling, when you have as many friends as I do, you get to do a lot of favors.”

  She reached out and gently touched my face, then rubbed Chloe’s head.

  “Cute dog. Look, I need to run. Don’t forget. Tomorrow. 7:30. Now go take a shower, darling. You stink.”

  She waved goodbye, climbed back into her car, and roared down the driveway. I watched until the car disappeared amid a cloud of dust.

  “They should name a hurricane after her,” Josie said.

  “No, what they should do is name the whole hurricane season after her,” I said.

  Inside, the Inn hummed with its usual morning hustle and bustle punctuated by the occasional bark. I handed Chloe to Josie, who took her into one of the exam rooms. I chatted with a couple of regular customers sitting with their dogs who were getting their annual checkup. Another couple was going away for the weekend and were boarding their black lab, a magnificent animal we loved having around. I sat down behind the check-in desk and reviewed the daily log. Twelve boarders, most of them regulars. Nineteen vet appointments. Josie had a long day ahead of her. Seventeen rescue dogs, up from fifteen the day before. I waited for Jill to finish a phone call, then nodded for her to follow me into my office.

  “Where did the two new rescues come from?” I said.

  “I found them last night,” Jill said. “I was watering my garden when they wandered into my yard.”

  “No tags?”

  “No. So I brought them in. They’re sharing a condo. And I updated the website with their picture and descriptions.”

  “Good. But we’re getting pretty close to capacity on the rescue side, so let’s organize an adoption day for next Saturday.”

  “You got it,” Jill said. “And there’s somebody here to see you. He says he’s here to interview for the summer handler job.”

  “The one my mother had you schedule?” I said, glancing at my watch.

  “Yeah. I’m sorry about doing that without checking with you first. But your mom scares the bejeezus out of me.”

  “Me too,” I said, laughing. “Don’t worry about it. He’s a little early, isn’t he?”

  “He’s a little something,” Jill said.

  Josie entered carrying Chloe. She handed me the puppy, who started licking my face.

  “She looks fine,” Josie said. “Jill, could you see if you can track down her vet so we can make sure she’s had all her shots?”

  “Sure. What a cutie,” Jill said, scratching one of Chloe’s ears. “You want me to put her in one of the condos?”

  “No, she’s staying right here with me,” I said.

  I caught Jill and Josie sharing a smirk.

  “So I’m a soft touch,” I said, cradling Chloe. “Our two o’clock is here.”

  “Really? Well, either he’s eager to get started, or he can’t tell time. Let’s get it done now before my day’s shot.”

  We walked back into the reception area and gestured to the young man sitting in a chair near the window. He shuffled in our direction and stood on the customer side of reception.

  “Hi. I’m Sammy. I think I’m a little early.”

  “Not if you’re in Nova Scotia,” I said, smiling.

  Confused, he glanced back and forth between Josie and me, then spied a glass jar on the counter.

  “Are these for anybody?” Sammy said as he stuck his hand in the jar.

  “Sure, help yourself,” I said, watching him taking a bite. I glanced at Josie, who continued staring at the young man.

  “It’s a nice way to welcome your customers,” Sammy said, chewing.

  “Yeah,” Josie said. “We like to think so.”

  “Good cookies,” he said.

  “Uh, Sammy,” I said. “Those are dog biscuits.”

  “Really? They’re not bad,” he said, then frowned. “They can’t hurt me, can they?”

  “No, I think you’ll be fine,” Josie said. “But if you develop an urge to start scratching and licking yourself, be sure to let us know.”

  Chapter 4

  I sat on the front porch holding the sleeping Chloe as I waited for Josie to finish her last appointment. I wasn’t happy about what we were about to do, but there was no way around it.

  “Maybe they won’t want you,” I said as I stroked her head.

  I looked up at the sound of a car pulling into the parking lot and waved to the driver. Jackson climbed out; then his knees buckled when the dog that had been sitting in the passenger seat scrambled out the open door past him. Jackson shook his head as he closed the car door and followed the dog onto the front porch.

  “Hi, Jackson. Hey, Sluggo,” I said, rubbing the bulldog’s head and ducking the trails of saliva the dog was shaking off its jowls.

  For the moment Sluggo was more interested in Chloe, who’d woken and was staring at the drooling beast that was inching closer. They exchanged looks and sniffs then Sluggo lost interest and sat down and waited for me to continue rubbing his head. He rolled over, and his long tongue dropped onto the deck as soon as I ran my fingernails down his belly

  “Sluggo, have you no shame?” Jackson said, sitting down next to me.

  Josie stepped outside, immediately spotting the bulldog.

  “Sluggo, how’s my boy?” she said, kneeling down to take over belly scratching dutie
s. Sluggo kicked all four legs in the air and snorted with delight. She glanced up. “Hi, Jackson.”

  “Any chance I can get one of those?” he said, grinning.

  “Just as soon as you get four legs,” Josie said, standing up. “You ready to go?”

  “I guess,” I said.

  “Where are you girls off to?”

  “Candyland Island to see which family member is going to take Chloe,” Josie said.

  “Oh, an evening with the rich and famous. You’re moving up in the world.”

  “It’s not an evening,” I said. “We’re just going to make sure that Chloe will be in good hands, then we’re leaving.”

  “By the way, I talked with Freddie and the death is being listed as an accidental drowning.”

  “Did you find out what the stuff we saw in the water was?” Josie said.

  “Yeah. It was maple syrup,” Jackson said.

  “That’s weird. I guess that explains the bees,” I said.

  “That was a lot of syrup,” Josie said.

  “Maybe the guy liked his maple syrup. After all, he was a candy magnate.”

  “Any sign of the boat?” I said.

  “No, nothing. Not even a piece of debris or a boat cushion,” Jackson said.

  “Don’t you find that a bit odd, Jackson?” I said, glancing at Josie.

  “Yes, indeed,” Josie said. “Something about it does seem odd.”

  “Yes,” I said, nodding. “Downright suspicious.”

  “Here we go,” Jackson said, shaking his head. “Look, both of you know it wouldn’t take much for a boat to disappear, especially if it were near the channel when it hit whatever it did. It’s probably miles downriver in a hundred feet of water.”

  “I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “If the boat was in the channel in deep water, why did we find his body in the shallows?”

  “Because he floated?” Jackson said. “Why are you two always doing this?”

  “Doing what?” Josie said.

  “Poking your nose where it doesn’t belong and looking for conspiracies where there aren’t any.”

  “We are not,” I said, protesting. I looked at Josie and shrugged. “Well, maybe once in a while. But you have to admit that it’s odd that a guy who’d lived on the River for years would drown like that.”