“Do you think it’s a possibility that the who was simply an accident?”
“A possibility, yes,” Cass answered. “Likely, no. As we’ve discussed, based on the rate at which the fire spread, it really does appear that an accelerant was involved.”
“I have a feeling your investigation is going to get complicated with all the confidential patient files to deal with.”
“I’m sure it will.” Cass tossed the ball one more time. “I guess we should start tucking these guys in for the night. Do you want to grab some dinner when we’re done here?”
“I do. I told Naomi we’d stop by her house and fill her in on what you’ve discovered before we leave. It doesn’t sound like you know a lot at this point, but I could tell she was curious as to what might be going on.”
“Okay, if you want to start rounding up the toys, I’ll start returning the dogs to their individual pens.”
By the time we’d returned all the dogs to their pens, Cass had heard back from the coroner, who informed him that it appeared possible that Dale had died of a gunshot wound to the chest and had been dead long before the smoke or flames had gotten to him. Although Dale’s remains had been burned to the point that cause of death couldn’t definitively be stated, the coroner had found evidence on one of the ribs found with the remains that indicated the man had more likely than not been shot at some point. Since his remains had been found behind his desk, it appeared that someone came into his office, shot him, set the fire, and then left. Cass wasn’t sure if the fire had been set to cover up any evidence left by the murder or if the flame had been set to destroy the records stored in Dale’s office, but given his profession, both seemed plausible.
“So, will you be able to recover Dale’s patient files?” Naomi asked Cass.
“I’m not sure. I hope so. The files he kept in his office are probably ash, although I suppose he might have used a high-quality fireproof cabinet that might have preserved at least some of the information stored within. I guess I’ll have to see what’s left once I’m able to get inside. As for his computer files, I’m sure the computer itself is trashed, but I imagine he must have kept everything in some sort of online storage. Again, I’ll need to do some digging to see if I can find the location of his online storage and his login information and password. Given the destruction caused by the fire, I think it’s going to be an uphill battle to get the information I need.”
“Maybe Lissa knows the identity of some of his patients,” I suggested. “I suppose you can start there and then just build on what you have.”
“That’s the plan at this point,” Cass confirmed. He glanced at his phone. “I guess I should call Lissa and arrange a meeting to speak to her about what she might know that can help pinpoint the killer, assuming there is one.” He glanced at me. “If she can meet with me this evening, I may have to cancel our dinner plans.”
“Whatever you need to do is fine.”
Cass stepped into the other room to make his call while I continued to chat with Naomi. She shared with me that she’d been able to get a lot of her dogs and cats adopted into forever homes before the holidays and that she hoped to continue the trend by taking her most adoptable residents to a huge adoption clinic that was being held the following month in Lakewood. I knew that Naomi took the guardianship of the animals entrusted to her care seriously, and I really had to admire her dedication and commitment to their future happiness.
“Well?” I asked when Cass returned to the main living area where Naomi and I’d been chatting.
“Lissa is willing to speak with me, but she asked that you attend our interview as well. If you are willing to come along, I’m inclined to honor her request.”
“I’m happy to help if I can.” I turned toward Naomi and gave her a hug. “I’ll call you tomorrow about the scent training I promised I’d help out with.”
“Okay. I’m hoping to get my advanced group finalized by next week.” She crossed the room and hugged Cass as well. “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help with this terrible situation.”
“I will. I’ll see you next week.”
Cass always brought his dog, Milo, to the shelter when he came to volunteer, so we loaded Milo into his SUV and headed across town to the address Lissa had provided. I thought he might have asked her to come into the small station where he kept an office, but he informed me that Lissa was staying with her brother and had communicated that she’d be more comfortable speaking to us at her brother’s place of business. I supposed I didn’t blame her. If I’d just witnessed my boyfriend’s death in a fire, I’d probably be feeling pretty fragile and would naturally seek out familiar environments.
The address Lissa had given to Cass was actually a hunting and fishing outfitter located between the pharmacy and the bank. Lissa greeted us when we arrived.
“Thank you for agreeing to speak to us,” Cass said after she met us at the front door.
“I’m so very sorry.” I stepped forward and hugged the woman, who hugged me back with what seemed to be all the force she could muster.
“I appreciate you coming along,” she said to me. “I know we only just met and have spent a total of two hours in each other’s company, but it was a really intense two hours, and I feel like I know you already.”
“I’m happy to do anything I can to make this easier for you,” I assured the woman.
“Let’s have a seat in the back room,” she suggested.
I noticed Lissa’s brother watching us from behind the sales counter. I supposed he worked at the store. Once we were all settled, Cass informed Lissa that he planned to take notes as they discussed the situation. She responded that she was fine with that and wanted to do anything she could to help him find the monster that had done this to Dale.
“Did Dale mention anyone to you that he was having problems with?” Cass asked.
She slowly shook her head. I watched as her expression changed from helplessness to rage. “Dale never specifically said that he felt he was in any danger from any of his patients, but he did have some difficult patients. Sometimes he would share a few details of his sessions with me, but he never mentioned names or anything that might identify these patients. He took his privacy oath seriously.”
“Okay, so what did he tell you?” Cass asked.
She took a breath, it seemed to steady herself before she answered. “He told me about this one patient who had become aggressive. Not toward Dale specifically but toward life and people in general. Dale didn’t feel equipped to deal with this particular disorder and talked about the possibility of referring the guy to someone who might be better able to help him. Dale never mentioned the man’s name, but he did say that the guy seemed to be growing increasingly agitated with each session. As I said, I don’t know the specifics, but I do know that Dale recently consulted with a colleague about the situation.”
“Do you know the name of this colleague?” Cass asked.
She shook her head. “He didn’t say, but I know he went to Denver for an overnight stay recently, and I remember that he said that the man he spoke to about his patient was an expert in individuals who exhibited excessive aggressive behavior. I suppose you can check his phone records. I know he spoke to the man on the phone several times before he decided to make the trip to speak to him in person.”
“I’ll do that,” Cass said. “Is there anything else you can tell me about this particular patient?”
“No,” Lissa answered. “Not really, although I will say that Dale seemed to be intimidated by the guy, which was unusual for him.”
“Would you say he was frightened of him?” Cass asked.