I lifted a shoulder. “By the way, I spoke to Mayor White today. He seems quite convinced that Dale’s death was nothing more than a horrible accident.”
“He consistently comes down on the side of an accident if an accident is even a remote possibility. I guess I get that. It is his job to bring tourism to the area, and no one wants to spend their summer vacation in a town with a high murder rate, but I think there are times when he intentionally turns a blind eye to the evidence right in front of him.”
“He was quick to point out that while there is evidence to support the idea that Dale had been shot before perishing in the fire, there wasn’t proof that is what occurred.”
“I guess he’s right about that. The coroner found fractures on one of the rib bones he found intact. The fractures are consistent with a gunshot wound, making it appear as if the man had been shot in the chest. But so far, that’s all he found, but I suppose there are other explanations that might account for the damage to the rib. Still, I’m finding it hard to believe that Dale wasn’t able to get out of the house once the fire started unless he’d been incapacitated. He had two exits available to him from his position behind his desk in his office.”
I sat down on the floor, and one of the smaller terriers crawled into my lap. Most of the dogs loved to chase balls and ropes, but some dogs just wanted to cuddle. “Any luck tracking down additional information relating to the patients who seemed to have a motive for wanting Dale dead?”
He nodded. “I was able to find out that Helen Prosect’s husband has a verifiable alibi, so I can officially cross him off my suspect list, which is actually too bad since the guy made a good suspect. I also found out that the woman who had been crushing on Dale actually had reason to do so.”
“So, you figured out who she is?”
He nodded. “I did. I’m obligated to keep her name out of things, but she was able to show me emails Dale sent to her early on, where he seemed to be encouraging an intimate relationship. In fact, they even went out a few times before Dale met Lissa. After his date with Lissa, he tried to cut things off with his patient, but unfortunately, she was already making plans for happily ever after and refused to let him go. It does seem as if she had been stalking him, but after learning all the details of what went on, I can’t place all the blame on her for her obvious obsession.”
“She still might have killed him even if he did lead her on in the beginning,” I pointed out. “In fact, in a way, it makes her a more likely killer in my mind.”
“I don’t disagree, but she had an alibi, which I verified just before coming over here.”
“So what does that leave you with? The guy who’d been acting violently?”
He nodded. “Yes, the man with violent tendencies is still on the list. I still haven’t been able to track down the colleague Dale spoke to about the man if indeed that is what occurred.”
“What about the Denver phone number?” I asked.
“Dale had gone to Denver, and he had made several calls to someone in Denver before his trip, but after tracking down the phone number, I found that the calls he made were to a hotel, so that doesn’t tell me who he met with, if anyone, once he arrived in the mile high city. Keep in mind that Lissa only told us that Dale went to Denver. She didn’t know for certain that his trip was related to any of his patients, and she certainly didn’t have proof that the trip was to meet with the colleague he spoke of.”
“So he might have made the trip for a reason completely unrelated to his job as a psychologist.”
“Exactly.”
I tilted my head back as the terrier began licking my face. What a sweetie. “Okay, so the man with violent tendencies, who has yet to be identified, is still on your suspect list. Who else?”
“I still have someone connected with Clay Barrow on the list even though the FBI doesn’t think anyone associated with Clay knows who Dale really was. I also found a few things in the phone records that I’m looking into.”
“Such as?”
“Such as a strange pattern of calls to and from a blocked number. I’m working on getting the information I need, and it might be nothing more than a series of calls between Dale and his bookie, but it feels like there might be something there.”
The terrier I’d been holding was pushed to the side as a golden retriever decided it was his turn for lap time.
“Had you ever met Lissa before you met her at Dale’s house on the day of the fire?” Cass asked.
“No. I’d spoken with her briefly on the phone to set up the meeting, but that was it. Why do you ask?”
“I noticed that while her calls to him had continued and even escalated in the past few weeks, his calls to her had dried up altogether. In fact, the last call from Dale to Lissa I could find on any of his phones took place more than three weeks ago.”
“Do you think there may have been trouble in paradise?”
He shrugged. “It has occurred to me that Dale had wanted to break things off with Lissa, but she wasn’t having any of it. Did you ever speak to Dale?”
“No,” I answered. “I called and spoke to Lissa. I told her who I was and what I wanted. She’s the one who suggested meeting at Dale’s home, and she insisted on being the one to talk to him about the interview, so I never did speak to Dale.”
Cass tightened his lips. “I’m not saying that Lissa had anything to do with any of this, but I do think I’ll speak to her again. Maybe I’ll specifically ask about the phone records. I suppose there might be a logical explanation for everything.”
“It seems like if she wanted to kill the guy, she wouldn’t have invited me to meet her at the crime scene on the day she carried out her evil plan,” I pointed out.
Cass paused. “How did she seem when you arrived?”
“Hysterical. She was standing in a snowdrift, looking at the house and sobbing. She seemed to be in shock, yet I also noticed her frantically looking around trying to find Dale. She didn’t seem like someone who had just shot the man they professed to love and then set fire to his house.”
“Yeah, I didn’t get that impression either, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to look into their relationship a bit more.”
I gently nibbled on my lower lip. “It seems as if Dale had a lot going on that I would classify as abnormal. His participation in Clay Barrow’s arrest for one, and the fact that it looks like he might have been the one to have initiated the relationship with the patient who became obsessed with him for another. That must be a huge no-no in his field.”
“Yes, I’m sure it is. It does seem that Dale might have been the sort of guy to bring on a number of problems that might have been avoided with better choices. I’m not sure how this will end up, but I’m just getting started. I have some feelers out, any of which might provide a clear direction for my investigation. It might take a day or two to get the information I need, but at this point, I’m feeling positive about things.”
“Did you ever get the rest of the burned documents put back together?”
“Per your suggestion, I’ve had Gwen working on that all day. She said she’d call if she found anything. Unfortunately, some of the documents are destroyed to the point where figuring out what they once said is going to be impossible.”
The golden sitting in my lap must not have thought I was paying enough attention to him since he tried to tackle me to the floor. I pushed him off and stood up. He looked so sad at the turn of events that I found myself ruffing him behind the ears and then giving him a treat I had in my pocket from my training session. “Are you up for dinner tonight?”
“I am. We’re both covered in dog hair, so I’m thinking something causal. Burgers?”
“Sounds good. I’ve actually been in the mood for a burger lately. I was going to stop and get one for lunch, but I ended up not having time for lunch, so I’m starving.”