Chapter 13
When Br ynn arrived at home, she was pleasantly surprised to see Tillie. She was there visiting Wes, Brynn was certain. She walked in and the two of them were sitting at the kitchen table sampling Wes’s soft cheeses.
“This one is too sour.” Tillie puckered her face.
“Noted,” Wes said.
“Hello! How’s it going?” Brynn hated interrupting what appeared to be the two of them concentrating on good stuff.
“Oh hey,” Tillie said, standing and opening her arms to give Brynn a hug. Brynn and Tillie had gotten close during the investigation of the church fire.
“How was the meeting?” Wes asked.
“Okay, but you and I are going to man the booth tonight.” She opened a drawer and fished out a spoon.
“What about the girls?” Wes said.
“The girls will be fine. Well, our girls will be fine. I’m not sure about Jewel. Schuyler’s going to swing by. Has she left the barn?”
“No,” Wes said.
“Maybe she’s homesick,” Tillie offered.
“Maybe. I thought she was going to fit right in, but when I walked into the barn this morning she was curled up into a little ball.” Brynn dipped her spoon into the first sampling and brought it to her mouth. She plopped it in and swirled it around and swallowed. “Tillie’s right. It’s too sour.”
Tillie beamed. “What did I tell you? World-class taste buds.”
“How’s everything going with you?” Brynn sat down at the table.
“Good. I’ve been busy helping Mom and Dad on the farm.” Tillie’s family owned the local apple orchard and they ran a little family store, displaying their products. “We’re all a little freaked out about the two deaths.”
“Yeah, we are, too.” Brynn watched Wes for a reaction and there wasn’t any. He seemed to have worked through his nervous fear.
“Everybody knows Wes is innocent. They have to follow protocol,” Tillie said. Her amber eyes held a flicker of concern.
“Sure,” Brynn said. “He has nothing to worry about.”
A knock at the door, followed by it opening, interrupted their conversation. “Yoo-hoo!” It was Schuyler, there to see about Jewel.
“We’re in here,” Brynn said.
Schuyler popped her head in. “Hello. I’m going to go over to the barn and check Jewel out.”
“I’ll come with you.” Brynn stood.
The two of them left through the front door.
“What a miserable day,” Schuyler said, wiping her brow.
“Yeah, it’s so humid. I feel like I’m swimming instead of walking.”
They opened the gate to the field. Freckles ran over to greet Schuyler. “Hey, girl, how’s life treating you?” Freckles’ tail wagged furiously as Schuyler petted her. “Okay, now we’ve got to see about your new friend.”
Brynn and Schuyler walked the short path to the barn, with Freckles at their feet. Brynn had left the door open, in case Jewel decided to join the other cows in the field.
“Hey, girl,” Schuyler said as she crouched down next to the cow. Jewel lifted her head. Brynn watched as Schuyler worked her magic. Her touch always seemed to ease the animals—with or without her acupuncture needles. She began to hum as she petted the cow. The cow’s tail flopped up and down. “Her eyes look clear.”
She peered into the cow’s ear. “Ears look good. Has she eaten?’ ”
“Not today, but yesterday she did.”
“Hmmm. Let’s get you up and moving,” she said. She stood and gently pulled the cow. Jewel lifted herself to a standing position.
Brynn’s heart raced. She was standing. That was a good thing.
“She’s not eaten much or regularly for a while. She may be having some digestive issues.”
“Makes sense.”
“Movement should help. Their first reaction to a little stomach pain is often to curl in a ball and not move. Which is the worst thing for them.” She led the cow to the barn door. Jewel followed but wasn’t happy about it.
“She also doesn’t like this heat. It’s got to be uncomfortable for her.”
“I’ve been making sure she gets plenty of water. I’m not sure what else I can do.”
“Is the creek low?”
Brynn nodded. “When it stormed the other day, there wasn’t much rain. It’s not rained hard in a while. We need a huge rain. But nothing.”
“She’d probably love a bath,” Schuyler said as she tugged on the cow’s red collar until she was out of the barn completely. “Like a nice cool hosing off.”
“We can do that.” Brynn’s heart went out to the shaggy little cow. She had been alone with her owner for years. She wasn’t used to being with other cows. She was definitely shy and having a hard time fitting in. Besides all that, Schuyler thought she had a bellyache. She must be miserable with all that hair in this heat. But she was one of the cutest cows Brynn had ever seen.
Wes and Tillie came around the corner. “Yay! She’s up!”
“Hello, Jewel,” Tillie said, and walked over to her. “Do you remember me?” The cow’s tail flipped around.
“She needs a cool hosing off,” Schuyler said.
“I’ll get the hose,” Wes said, and disappeared around the corner of the barn to fetch it.
“I have to get going,” Schuyler said. “I’m needed over at the fairground. Some animals don’t like this show business. Every year, I’ve got to deal with nervous animals.”
As Brynn turned to walk her back to her truck, she noticed the sheriff’s car coming up her driveway. Schuyler stopped in her tracks. “What does he want?”
“Probably me,” Wes said, coming up behind them with the hose. “He might have more questions.”
“Why don’t they leave you alone? You discovered a body. End of the story.” Tillie flipped her strawberry-blond hair in a huff.
“A body that was shot,” Wes said. “Murdered. He’s just doing his job.”
Even though it was sweltering, cold swept through Brynn. Of course Wes was right. The sheriff was just doing his job. But dark doom washed over Brynn as the sheriff approached the house.