“You’re right.”
“Consider, Harry, and again this is a function of age, anyone in power, whether political or financial, may not use force, but there is always implied force.”
“Well…” Harry digested this unsettling thought or tried to do so.
“Again, be careful. Maybe it’s better you don’t know.”
“I know you’re right, and I know you don’t want me to stumble into a nest of vipers, but I think I already have. And I think whatever this is involves both power and money, millions.”
“I hope you’re wrong. I fear you’re right.” This time Marvella pecked Harry on the cheek, opened the door, and watched her walk to her Volvo, open the door, and get in.
39
February 16, 2017
Thursday
“No, no. It’s always good to see you, and your wildlife people have helped us.”
“Takes all of us, I think.” Harry felt a tug at her jeans.
“Ask if he has any treats.” Pewter effected a sweet look.
“Pewts.” Harry looked down at Pewter and Mrs. Murphy.
She’d left Tucker and Pirate at home, thinking it might be too confusing and sad for the puppy.
“Hi, Harry,” Raynell called from behind her computer. “Holler if you have questions.”
“Thanks.” Harry walked straight back to Lisa’s office, which was as she’d left it.
The sheriff’s department carefully checked out everything then put it all back in place. There was nothing in her office or on her computer to give them any clues, at least not clues that they could currently understand.
First scanning Lisa’s shelves, with her own notes from Gary’s office in hand, she noticed a few books duplicated. One was The Great Warming by Brian M. Fagan. Of course, there were a few books on reptiles both extinct and current, one recent bestseller on birds that Harry also had read, and Why Birds Sing by David Rothenberg. Gary had most of the dinosaur books, the reptile books, alligators, crocodiles, stuff like that. She pulled a book out, jumped back, then giggled.
“What’s up?” Mrs. Murphy wondered.
“A big rubber spider behind the books.” Harry’s hand flew to her chest as though she’d understood her sensible cat.
“Ha. I have saved you every time we are at Gary’s. I battle real spiders,” Pewter bragged.
Mrs. Murphy jumped on the polished desk, where the book on dinosaurs that Lisa had been reading when she died was closed, sitting on the corner. Harry had pulled it off the bookshelf but hadn’t leafed through it yet. She was hoping it would give her a clue as to the dinosaur fascination.
Harry made notes, checked off those books that were the same. Then she sat down at the desk as Mrs. Murphy investigated the dinosaur book. Pulling open a long center drawer, she took out a sheaf of papers. The frog article sat on top. Gary had the same information. A long magazine piece about when the Blue Ridge Mountains were covered with water interested Harry, as well as the receding of the waters and the upheavals that created the Fall Line running throughout the state. The earth had been lowered to such a degree that running roughly southwest to northeast, waterfalls marked the break just like the Continental Divide in the far West. Tidying up what she’d read, she put them back in the drawer in exact order.
“Pewts. Jump up here,” said Mrs. Murphy.
“I’m happy where I am. I smell treats in this lower drawer.”
“Come up here. It’s important.”
“She’ll open this drawer. I want to be right here,” Pewter argued.
“It’s dog treats.”
“Doesn’t mean I can’t lick them.” Pewter swept her whiskers forward.
“Dammit, Pewter, get up here,” Mrs. Murphy growled.
As the tiger cat rarely swore, Pewter figured out this was important so she leapt up onto the desk as Harry ignored both of them. She was accustomed to working with feline help.
“Put your nose there, right there on the right-hand corner of the book.”
Pewter sniffed, her eyes watered. “Eww.”
“Something bad is on those pages.” Mrs. Murphy sounded firm. “We can’t let Harry open the book.”
“She can’t smell it.” Pewter took a moment, then realized what Mrs. Murphy was saying. “Poison?”
“It’s stung our eyes. We smell something bitter inside. Whatever it is, Pewts, it can’t be good.”
“Let’s push it on the floor.”
“No! Then she’ll pick it up and open it.”
Pewter backed off, as did Mrs. Murphy, putting themselves between Harry and the dinosaur book.
Harry reached for the book to page through a bit, see if there were any notes therein.
“Don’t touch it.” Mrs. Murphy batted her hand away.
“That’s enough.” Harry reached again and this time both cats swatted at her.
Leaning back in the comfortable chair, the human observed her cats. She knew, as do most people who live close to animals, that their senses prove far superior to human ones. Each time she reached for the book, she met increasingly fierce resistance. She paused, then considered she should leave the book where it was. She wasn’t sure why she did this, but she did trust her cats. A human without close ties to a higher vertebrate would think her foolish, but cat, dog, horse owners eventually learned to trust their friends. Puzzled, she closed her notebook, left the office, stopped by Felipe’s door.
“Do you know there’s a rubber spider behind Lisa’s books?”
He nodded. “Raynell told her to put it there.”
Raynell called out, “I am not an arachnophobe but I don’t want to look at spiders.”