Author's Note: It's amazing how things change over time. When I first wrote this story, the name "Karen" did not have the negative connotation it has come to have in this post-COVID world of ours. I named a Dude Ranch guest "Karen", having no clue that years later it would be pejorative. In any case, I chose to keep the name, because it's a perfectly good name, and this "Karen" is one of the nice ones.
I'm afraid things still will not be much clearer, though danger is lurking closer. The end is also in sight, so hang on tight.
Chapter 9
Dark Horse Candidate
Lou came to the difficult but nevertheless necessary conclusion she would have to kick all the Dude Ranch guests out for the next couple weeks.
"Lisa's family is going to need a place to stay," she explained to Jen over the phone. "They can't all cram into the ranch house, and we're not going to force them to stay in a hotel in town. Let the guests know I'm refunding them in full, but they need to be out right away. Give them an hour to clear out, give or take."
"All right, Lou. I'll get on it right away," said Jen after receiving her boss' request. "And I'm so sorry about Lisa."
"Thanks, Jen," Lou said. "I appreciate it. Let me know when all the guests are gone."
"For sure. 'Bye for now."
Heartland Equestrian Connections
Jen reluctantly knocked on the door to the main cabin. A homeschooling family of four had arrived only three days earlier; Mitch had taken them for a trail ride he turned into an impromptu educational nature walk on the first afternoon they had all enjoyed. Now, they would have to find some other accommodation for their vacation.
The door opened to reveal a forty-something woman dressed casually in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. "Yes?"
"Hi, I'm Jen, the Dude Ranch manager," Jen said, putting on the most professionally apologetic tone she could muster. "We met when you checked in. It's Karen, right?"
"Yes, that's right. What's going on?" asked Karen, a look of consternation creeping into her features. "Have the kids been too noisy?"
"Oh, no, nothing like that," Jen said easily, quelling the woman's worry. "I'm really, really sorry, but we have to close all the cabins right away."
"What? But we just got here the other day," Karen said in dismay, very evidently disappointed.
"I know—and you'll be reimbursed totally," Jen was quick to add. "But, um, there's unfortunately been a death in the owner's family, and she's made the decision to shut things down for the next little while."
"Oh! I'm sorry to hear that," Karen immediately uttered with sympathy. "How much time do we have to check out?"
"I don't mean to rush you," Jen replied. "An hour or so would be really great, though."
Before moving on to the next guest, Jen gave Karen all the necessary details for her compensation owing to the inconvenience.
"Hey, Mitch," Jen spoke into her cell phone. "Have you seen the guy from Cabin Two today? There's no sign of him here."
"Cabin Two? That's our 'Do Not Disturb' guest who just re-booked to the end of the month, right? No, I haven't," Mitch answered. "Last time I saw him was maybe two days ago when I offered to take him on a trail ride or a hike. He said he was okay and was keen to do some hiking on his own. I told him to watch out for predators since there have been some bear sightings again."
Jen nodded wryly. "Well, his truck is still here, so let's hope he hasn't met with some unfortunate accident. That's the last thing Lou needs right now."
"Yeah, no kidding," Mitch sighed. "What do you want to do?"
"Well, Lou wants the guests out of here as soon as possible. Can you take a ride around the usual trails and see if you find him?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"Thanks, Mitch. Let me know if you find anything."
"Absolutely."
"Excuse me," Karen said after Jen ended the call with Mitch. "I couldn't help but overhear—well, we couldn't help but overhear your talk about the guy in Cabin Two."
"What about him?" Jen asked, looking at Karen and the youngster by her side, a boy of about eleven years of age.
"My son just said he thinks he saw him last night," Karen said. "Go ahead and tell Jen what you saw, John-Paul."
The boy stepped forward. "I was kinda half-asleep," he started. "The sound of a motorbike or something in the distance got me up. Then I couldn't go back to sleep for a little while. Then I realised I had to use the bathroom. Well, the outhouse. When I came out from doing my—y'know—business, I saw someone out by the lake, well, on the deck by the firepit."
That grabbed Jen's attention. "Could you identify who it was?"
John-Paul shook his head. "Not really, but it was a guy, and he was bald, like the guy in Cabin Two."
"What time do you think this was?" Jen asked.
"Sorry, I don't know," John-Paul replied with a slight shrug. "It was dark, but the firepit was lit. The man's back was to me. It looked like he bunched something up and threw it into the fire. He was poking at it bit. Then I started feeling kinda guilty for spying on him, so I snuck back inside our cabin. I peeked out and saw him coming back towards the cabins. I'm pretty sure he went inside Cabin Two."
"Thank you for that, John-Paul, that's really helpful." Jen said, her mind turning over this new piece of information. So Mr. Cabin Two was here up to last night, if John-Paul is right. But if that's the case, where is he now?
"Is that all you need to know?" Karen asked.
"Yes, thanks," Jen replied. "Now we at least know the guy was probably here last night. He probably took off early this morning for a hike or something and still has not come back."
"Okay. I hope he shows up," Karen said. "And please tell your boss I'm sorry for her loss."
"I will," Jen said. "Thank you."
Heartland Equestrian Connections
After over an hour of aimless trekking along the trails normally reserved for rides and hikes, Mitch turned back for the cabins. There had been no sign of their missing guest.
"Nothing?" Jen asked when she saw him ride up.
"Not on any of the marked trails," Mitch replied as he dismounted from Maverick.
"That's just so weird," Jen said as she put her hands on her hips and frowned.
"I think it's time we ask Lou if we should open up his cabin," Mitch stated. "I don't care if he doesn't want his space disturbed. What if the guy had a heart attack and he's dead in there?"
Jen went pale in the face, mentally kicking herself for not considering that possibility beforehand. She swallowed. "You're right. I'll call Lou. I really think she should be here to open it up, just in case."
"Okay, so explain again to me why it was so urgent for me to be here," Lou said, wondering why her manager wasn't acting in a very managerial way.
"Because the guy in Cabin Two is still a no-show," Jen answered. "Mitch searched all the usual trails earlier, but he didn't find anything. It's suspicious."
"And he's booked right up to the end of the month, right?" asked Lou.
"Yes. And his truck is still here," Jen continued, pointing at the vehicle. "We've tried the cell number on file. It just keeps getting kicked to voice mail. Now, one of the kids staying here told me he thinks he saw our guy last night out by the fire pit, but he can't be sure. It was late, and it was dark, so, who knows? Lou, what if he's had a heart attack or something in there? I'd be way more comfortable if you're here for something like that."
"Right," Lou said with a pout. "I guess it's time we opened up that cabin."
Jen reached for the master key. "Let's go."
Cabin Two was in near pristine condition. Some of the occupant's clothes were folded on the bed; the latter had been neatly made up in almost military-like precision.
"He's not in here," Jen sighed, almost in relief, the earlier fear of finding him collapsed on the floor or dead of a coronary now vanishing from her thoughts.
Lou frowned. "But if he's not here, then where is he?"
Jen shrugged. "It is a mystery."
"I hope he isn't lost out there," Lou grumbled, glancing out one of the windows. "I might have to resort to getting in touch with his emergency contact on his forms. If he doesn't show up soon, I'll have to involve the police."
"All right, Lou," Jen said with a short sigh. "And once again, I'm really sorry about Lisa. This whole thing is so unbelievable."
"I know. But we'll make it through," Lou said, embracing the other woman briefly. "Thanks, Jen. You and Mitch are hereby excused from Dude Ranch duty for the next two weeks."
"Are you sure you don't want my help for when Lisa's family gets here?"
"I'm sure," Lou said. "We can handle it. Thanks."
After Jen drove away, Lou pulled out her cell phone and dialled her father's number. "Hi, Dad. We've managed to clear all the cabins except for Cabin Two. We can't find the guy who booked it anywhere, and neither Mitch nor Jen has seen him in a couple days. I'm not sure what to do about this. It's crazy. I'm worried."
"Don't be," Tim replied, uncharacteristically calm. "Honey, just call the cops, relax and let them handle it. Everything is going to be fine, okay?"
"Okay," Lou said doubtfully, willing herself to be calm while resisting the urge to ask about how Jack was doing. She wished he would just come home, but knew he needed the time and space away from everything for the present.
Rookie Hudson Police Constable Mike Becket frowned. The Missing Persons report he just tried to file for Samantha Louise Fleming was making no sense.
The name Dov Grosvenor, allegedly belonging to the man booked at Heartland Equestrian Connections, did not match any name in the Alberta Motor Association database. Worse, his truck's registration sticker was fake. Becket probed even deeper and brought his findings—or lack thereof—to his boss, despite knowing how busy he was with a murder investigation.
"Could be something, could be nothing, but we can't find a record of anyone with that name anywhere," Becket said to Chief Parker. "Not in the motor vehicle records, not in any employment records or taxes, no arrest records, zip. No one answers his cell, and his emergency contact number doesn't exist, either.
"He registered under a fake name and provided a false emergency contact number?"
"So it would appear, sir," Becket said. "Everything about him is fake."
"The lengths people will go to for privacy," Parker commented dryly.
"But the biggest red flag, sir? The registration sticker on his license plate is fraudulent," Becket said. "I think this has more to do than just wanting privacy. What should I do?" asked Becket.
"Well, you can't file a Missing Persons report for someone who doesn't exist," Parker said. "I admit it is very suspicious. But until this 'Dov Grosvenor' shows up, or until someone comes looking for him, there's very little we can do, legally. We have no real name and no details to go on. But if he does show up, you know we're going to have a lot of questions for him."
The dog would be a problem, of that much he was sure. No stranger could approach that ranch house during the night without her sounding the alarm. One bark from that animal, and the whole house would be on the alert. Already, there was too much coming and going; people stopping by to offer condolences; too much activity to be able to pin down when the vet would be alone in his barn office. He would have to find some way to get close enough to the mutt, maybe feed her a poisoned doggie treat or something. Whatever he did, it would have to be soon. There could be no witnesses left to what happened to the Stillman woman; no loose ends. Of course the risks were extremely high, but then the payoff would be, also.
Hudson Hawk: Your Eye on Hudson
A Blog.
May 5, 2019
Is it A Case of Mistaken Identity in the Deaths of Stanton and Stillman?
Your watchful Hawk has been tracking these two awful cases pretty closely. One thing to note is the fact Valerie Stanton and Lisa Stillman bear a superficial resemblance to one another. Both middle-aged. Both blonde with blue eyes. (See attached images for comparison.) Both well-known in the world-class equine community.
One fact this blogger learned from an anonymous source is Stanton was riding a horse belonging to Stillman at the time of her death. (Side note: That horse is very valuable; it is not outside the realm of possibility it could also be the target of greedy thieves, which brings to the table a potential motive for the murders of these women.)
But back to the original topic at hand: Is it possible Stillman was the original target, and Stanton was the unfortunate victim of mistaken identity?
Drop your comments or theories below.
I've got my eye on you, Hudson.
-Hudson Hawk
[Photos courtesy the Hudson Times]
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Comment: OMG that is so creepy! I think your right about this town use to be so safe, now I dont know what to think anymore. I just hope the police catch whoever did this awful things. I use to see Lisa Stillman in Maggies Diner. She seemed pretty nice. You'd think someone like her would be too stuck up to have coffee in a place like Maggies but she seemed pretty down to earth to me. I know there were rumors that Valerie Stanton was mean and snooty, but no one deserves to get killed like that. I mean she was just out for a ride. I'm almost afraid to go for a ride myself now with a crazy gunman on the loose. Thanks for keeping us informed like this Hawk.
-PalominoPatty
Comment: Based on the pictures of the two women, I don't think there's any connection. They look nothing alike, really. It's more likely a coincidence. I heard Stillman was loaded, though. Maybe her husband did it. I heard rumours that Heartland ranch is barely scraping by. Weren't they the ones who were put under quarantine a few years back because of a Strangles epidemic and then again when there was an equine influenza scare, right? Business must have dried up because of that. Bet Stillman's widower stands to inherit a fortune with her out of the way. Easy fix to the financial problems they've been having. Sorry, just my opinion.
-AlbertaBoy
Reply: Don't be a dumb***, AlbertaBoy. That's such a load of bull****. I know this family. No, they're not "barely scraping by". Have you ever tried Heartland Beef sold at Garland grocery stores and served at Maggie's Diner? That's this family's beef cattle. There are no "financial problems" for them to fix. Next time keep your "opinion" to yourself.
- GreenRodeo
Reply: Touchy! Get a grip. I don't care if you know the family or not. You have to admit that it's fishy the police have not said anything about a motive, nor have they arrested anyone. And the last person to see Stillman alive was her husband. I'm just putting two and two together. Have a nice day!
- AlbertaBoy
Reply: And how is it you know Lisa Stillman's husband was the last one to see her alive? Go on, share your sources. If not, stop spreading dumb rumours. Hey, maybe you're the one who did it, if we're going to be throwing around baseless accusations!
-GreenRodeo
Reply: AlbertaBoy's source: "Trust me, bro." LOL.
-YYC_Stampeder
Amy opened the ranch house door after hearing a knock. Neighbours and friends in the community had been calling and dropping by in predictable fashion to express their sympathies, so this was not totally unexpected. What did surprise her was who was behind the door this time.
"Jesse? What are you doing here?" Somehow, the elder Stanton offspring was not on her list of likely visitors to Heartland. Memories of the way he had tried to ruin Ty surfaced at that moment, bringing with it long-forgotten anger she thought had been buried.
"Hi, Amy. I know I'm probably the last person you expected to see here, but of course heard about Lisa, and I..." Jessie said while shuffling his feet. "I, uh, wanted to give my condolences in person, and to thank you for your support after my mother... you know..."
She took in Jesse's earnest face and considered his stated reasons for being at Heartland. Val's death seemed to have changed him, and Amy had to acknowledge Jesse had steered clear of Ty ever since he dropped the assault charges. "Of course," she finally said. "Um, why don't you come on in?"
"Thanks," he said, sounding much relieved. He followed her inside where they sat down at the kitchen table.
"Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee? Tea?"
"A good stiff drink would be nice," he said with a sardonic twist of his mouth. "No, I'm kidding, Amy. I really don't plan to stay long. Thanks, anyway. How's Jack?"
Amy bit her lip while her heart took a dive. "He's... coping," she responded slowly. "He wanted some time away from everything, so he went to his fishing cabin for the next few days."
Jesse stared at her. "He went alone?"
"No. My dad went with him. Lou insisted on at least that. The last time Grandpa tried to grieve alone up there, he nearly drowned in the river."
"What about a funeral?"
Amy shook her head. "Not for a little while. Lisa's Aunt Evelyn is overseas right now and has begged for a little time to arrange her travel plans back to Canada. Grandpa didn't want to offend her by saying 'no'. Plus, Lisa had lots of friends in Europe who would want to come, too, so delaying a funeral makes sense right now. Her sister and Ben get in the day after tomorrow, though."
"Right, Ben. I remember when that guy was at Briar Ridge. I'm sorry, Amy," Jesse said. "I mean, I know Lisa wasn't related to you by blood, but I get that you loved and respected her as if she were. This has to be tough on you."
"On all of us," Amy sighed heavily.
Jesse looked at her carefully before speaking again, judging her mood. "Listen, I know things haven't always been easy between us; that my stupid jealousy ruined everything. But...If... if there's anything I can do..."
"I'll let you know," she said with a sad nod, filling in the unfinished sentence, taken aback by his admission of jealousy and his desire to be of some help.
"So, uh, how's Herring?" Jesse asked, awkwardly changing the subject.
"Yeah, he's doing really well, actually," Amy replied, somewhat surprised Jesse was concerned about the horse. "The bear's attack left more than physical injuries, but he's come a long way."
"Well, that's good news," Jesse said. "As you probably know, he was the last horse my mom got to ride. I keep thinking—as morbid as it sounds—Herring probably prevented that bear from dragging her body off..."
An involuntary tremor raced through Amy's frame. "Good Lord, Jesse," she murmured, trying to blot out the mental picture Jesse's words conjured up.
"Sorry," he said, averting his gaze before clearing his throat. "This whole thing has been brutal on all of us. I guess what I'm saying is I'm glad Herring is okay and that Ashley and I had Mom's body to bury. It wasn't the outcome we were hoping for when she went missing, but it could have been a lot worse."
"You're right," Amy agreed, desperate for another change in subject.
A hopeful expression replaced the anguished one on Jesse's face. "Can I—do you think I could see him?"
Amy gladly acquiesced. "Of course! Let's go to the barn."
They walked out into the yard, waving at Georgie as she vaulted over the jumps on Phoenix, Remi dutifully watching from the sidelines, as usual. Amy could not help but remember the time Val had briefly asked to train at Heartland.
"Did you know your mom once asked me to coach her?" she asked Jesse as they reached the stables.
"Really?" he said, a quick smile coming to his lips, as if thinking of happier times. "She never mentioned that. I guess this was when I was away at university in Toronto?"
"Yeah," Amy chuckled. "She told Grandpa it had something to do with her 'Happy List': a list of things she wanted to do that made her happy."
"Oh, was that after her first bout with cancer?"
"That's right," Amy replied. "Showjumping was one of those things."
"Why didn't she just get someone at Briar Ridge?"
"Do I really have to answer that?" Amy asked, a sly smile playing across her lips.
Jesse's face puckered into a puzzled frown for a moment, then understanding dawned. "Ohh, I get it. Coming to Heartland meant she could take time to visit with Jack, right?"
"Ah, that would be my guess," Amy replied.
"Heh. Ashley and I always suspected she was into him," Jesse said. "We thought it was gross, like most teens would."
Amy rolled her eyes. "Everyone knew your mom was 'into' my grandpa. Anyway, here he is," she said, coming to a halt at Herring's stall.
The wounds were healing nicely; Ty's ministrations and Amy's behavioural work—coupled with the intangible assistance from the Remi—seemed to be exactly what the horse needed to recover.
"Hey, boy," Jesse called softly. "How ya doing, huh?"
Herring's tail swayed once as if to acknowledge the greeting. He bent his long neck down to pull at some of the fresh hay lining the floor. Several mute moments passed while the pair watched this activity.
"Jack said some very kind things about my mom at the funeral," Jesse said at length, breaking the silence.
"Truthful things," Amy commented. "In the end, they were good friends."
"And she was grateful for that," Jesse uttered, growing serious again. "I know she was. I know Jack was there for her when she was sick. It should have been me—or Ashley, even, ferrying her to all those appointments, but I was away, and Jack really stepped up. Mom always said she didn't deserve to have such a loyal friend."
Amy reached out and gave Jesse's shoulder a comforting pat. Despite all the previous rancor between them, it seemed the right thing to do.
"Do you—do you mind if I just stay here for a little while longer?" asked Jesse, seemingly flustered by the effort of making the request. "My mother did have the idea she might buy him from Lisa. I don't know who legally owns him now—I guess that might be Jack—I, uh, I'm thinking maybe I might want to pick up where my mom left off."
"You'd want to buy Herring?" Amy asked, eyebrows quirked.
"Yeah, maybe," Jesse responded with a diffident shrug. "I don't know. Maybe I'm being stupidly sentimental, but like I said before, he is the last horse Mom ever rode, so I guess I feel some kind of weird connection."
"I get it," Amy said with a knowing smile, thinking back to how Spartan was the last horse she rescued with her own mother. That simple fact forged an unbreakable bond between them after Marion's sudden death. "Take as much time as you need, Jesse. I'll leave you two alone."
"You will never guess who came by today to express his condolences," Amy said when Ty returned from his shift at the clinic.
Ty raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Jesse Stanton."
"You're kidding," Ty scoffed. "He actually showed his face at Heartland."
"He did," Amy said with a nod. "And to say he might want to buy Herring."
"Seriously?"
"Yup," Amy confirmed. "I don't know, Ty. I think Val's death really shook him. He said he felt like there was a bond between him and Herring, since that was the last horse Val ever got to ride."
"I didn't think Jesse was interested in riding," Ty said.
"No, I don't think it's about riding, necessarily," Amy explained. "I think it's more about taking in and caring for the horse that probably protected Val's body from being dragged off by the bear."
"Well, Herring sure would be treated like royalty if he ever went to live at Briar Ridge. You and I both know it's pretty ritzy. After Hillhurst, Briar Ridge is the most high-end training facility in this part of the province," Ty added. "I guess that guy really has turned over a new leaf."
Amy gave a short nod. "And since Ashley has no interest in being involved with running Briar Ridge in any way, Jesse's got to pick up the pieces by himself. I almost feel sorry for him."
"'Almost'?" Ty echoed, hearing the authentic note of empathy in his wife's voice.
"Okay, I do feel sorry for him," she corrected herself. "Even after all the bad blood between us and Jesse, you and I know first-hand what it's like to lose a parent. It's never easy, especially the horrible way Jesse lost Val."
"Come here," Ty said, stretching open his arms. She went to him and allowed him to embrace her snugly. He then planted a kiss on her forehead and they stood together for a few moments of silence.
"Mmm. What was that for?" Amy eventually asked.
"For being such a caring person," responded Ty. "Even when it comes to people who don't have any particularly redeeming qualities."
Dinner and baby bath-time were over. Ty and Amy had together read Lyndy a bed-time story and put her down for the night. After the horrific events of the preceding days, this routine was a welcome taste of normalcy. The child seemed to be unaffected by the sad, somber mood of the adults around her, and she went down easily in her crib.
The relative calm was about to be broken in the form of another unexpected emergency.
"Ty?!"
Georgie's cry rang out from the barn below.
"Georgie?" Ty answered back, wondering why his niece was shouting.
"Come quick!" the girl was half-way up the steps now.
"What's the matter?" Ty went to the top of the stairs and peered down, wishing she would lower her volume lest she wake Lyndy.
"Something's wrong with Remi!"
There was no mistaking the desperation in the teen's voice; this was clearly something dire. Amy was now beside Ty, also on the alert. Amazingly, Lyndy was still in dreamland.
"I'll be right there, Georgie," Ty finally responded as quietly as possible so as to still be heard, but not loud enough to rouse Lyndy.
"Please, hurry." Now that she knew she had been heard, Georgie lowered her voice, though both Amy and Ty noticed a quaver in her voice that indicated she was far from pacified.
Ty shoved his feet inside his boots and shrugged into his leather jacket. "I'm ready; what's going on?" he asked, opening the baby gate.
Georgie turned on her heel and careened down the stairs, two at a time. "Come with me!" she called. "Hurry! I think Remi's having some kind of seizure."
"A seizure?" Ty repeated with a touch of panic, increasing the speed of his own descent at this piece of bad news. Once in the barn office, he snatched up his vet kit. He raced across the yard behind Georgie to where she beckoned inside the ranch house.
In the living room, Lou crouched worriedly over the twitching dog. Remi's legs were paddling restlessly while a foamy saliva dribbled from her mouth. Ty noticed the rug beneath the dog was visibly wet, a tell-tale sign that Remi had lost bladder control.
"How long has she been like this?" Ty asked briskly, all business-like while pulling on a pair of gloves.
"Uh-a—about, I don't know, four or five minutes now, maybe?" Georgie replied shakily. "I'd just finished washing the dishes with Mom. I called Remi to go upstairs, and she—she dropped and started shaking like that."
"What's wrong with her, Ty?" Lou asked, her own voice indicating her deep concern at seeing the dog in this condition.
"I don't know for sure yet," Ty answered as calmly as possible. He knelt down next to the animal with a needle and syringe of diazepam. "Lou; Georgie, help me hold Remi, but stay clear of her mouth because she might snap and bite in this state."
The two of them drew closer to assist, and Ty managed to inject the drug into a vein in the foreleg.
Georgie asked: "What are you giving her?"
"Something to relax her," Ty replied, keeping note of how the dog was reacting to the medication.
"Valium?" Lou guessed.
"Yes, that's the generic name for diazepam," Ty said.
Georgie's worry still had not abated. "Is she going to be okay?"
"We won't know until we get her to the clinic, Georgie," Ty replied hastily. "The both of you, I need your help again. We need to move her to the truck right away. Georgie, find me a blanket that I can use as a kind of temporary sling."
"Right," Georgie said, and scurried off.
Knowing Cassandra had the overnight shift, Ty said to Lou: "Call Cass at the clinic and tell her I'm bringing Remi in because she's had a seizure."
"You got it," Lou answered, and went to make the call.
Seconds ticked by. Ty could hear Lou speaking with Cass; heard Georgie rummaging in the linen closet. The dog's manic twitching continued. If the relaxant did not start to work soon, he feared the outcome would not be very favourable.
He heard Lou say, "Ty said he gave her Valium. He's coming with her now... Yes... He's got to get her into the truck... Okay... Thank you, Cass."
Yes, thank you, Cass, Ty thought. Knowing his very capable colleague, she was already starting to prep the clinic with all the necessary medical tools, equipment, and drugs they might need so that upon arrival they could administer immediate help to the stricken dog.
"Good girl, Remi," Ty cooed while stroking her coat, relieved to see her spasms were starting to subside in the couple minutes since the diazepam had entered her bloodstream.
"Here's a blanket, Ty," Georgie said upon returning. "Sorry I took so long. It's an old one, so it doesn't matter if she soils it."
"Good thinking," Ty said. "Thanks, Georgie. She's calmed enough now. Let's slide it under her. Please get the door for me while I carry her. Okay?"
"Okay," Georgie said, rushing ahead of him through the kitchen. She opened the door and pushed the screen out of the way so Ty, burdened with the animal, could make an easy exit towards the vehicle. Next was the truck door. Amy appeared right then with the truck keys dangling from her finger and his wallet in the other hand.
"You'll need these," she said.
Ty looked at her with affection at her forward thinking. "Thank you," he uttered gratefully. Amy unlocked the truck and Ty deposited Remi gently into the passenger side.
"I'll be at the clinic," Ty said as he sat behind the steering wheel.
"Right," Amy said, choosing to refrain from delaying him with useless questions or comments.
Seconds later, the truck roared out of the yard towards town.
Next Day
"I got the bloodwork back for Remi," Ty announced as his phone dinged the message from the lab. As soon as the words left his mouth, the family instantly froze, their faces locked in expressions of apprehension. He paused, realising he should have schooled his features a little better. Feeling like the constant harbinger of bad news, Ty intuited they were expecting the worst. "It was poison. Strychnine."
A gasp escaped Georgie.
"Strychnine?" Lou repeated, immediately unsettled.
"It's common to use it around these parts to control the gopher population," Ty said.
"I know, but we don't use that at Heartland. Grandpa hates that stuff," said Lou.
"Exactly," Amy said heatedly. "Someone must have left baited food somewhere around here and Remi got into it."
"No," Georgie spat, shaking her head vehemently. "No way. I've made sure she hasn't been wandering off lately because of the bear sightings. I'd know if she did."
"Are you sure?" Lou asked, fixing her gaze on the teen. "You can't watch her 24/7."
Glumly, Georgie plopped back down in the couch. Lou sighed, placing a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Then how else could she have been poisoned?"
"I don't know," replied a baffled Ty. "I don't think any of our neighbours uses anything toxic like this, either."
Georgie spoke up again. "Do we call the police? Shouldn't Chief Parker know?"
"And tell them what? It's not illegal to use strychnine as a gopher poison in this province, Georgie," Lou said, hating in this instance to be the voice of reason.
"Well, it should be!" she shot back sullenly.
"I agree," Amy put in.
"Symptoms of strychnine poisoning in canines can manifest in as little as fifteen minutes," Ty said reflectively. "But they can also take up to two hours. Georgie, you said Remi was with you the whole time yesterday, right?"
"Yes," Georgie said, sending a glare her mother's way. "She never went outside alone. The only time she was outside was when I was jumping Phoenix and when I walked out with her to do her business."
"Well, since we don't keep strychnine in the house, how did she ingest it?" Amy asked.
"That I don't know," Ty said. "In any case, I took samples of the water and food from her dishes to be tested to rule them out as the source."
"We have to do something," Georgie said, eyes ablaze. "What if it is contaminated dog food? What if happens again to other dogs in Hudson?"
"We're gonna try to make sure it doesn't," Ty said as calmly as he possibly could. "We're still having the contents of Remi's stomach analyzed, so we might get a better idea of precisely what it was she ate that was poisoned."
"That's good, right?" Amy asked tentatively.
"It will tell us what, but it might not necessarily tell us how or where Remi was poisoned," Ty answered.
"Why is this even happening?" Georgie lamented miserably. Her eyes brimmed. "First Val Stanton, then Lisa... now Remi..."
No, Lou thought grimly. First poor Lanny and Paige. A chill descended upon her and refused to lift, despite the warmth of the day. So much evil.
TBC