"Oh, Doc doesn't have anything to do with this," Skye insisted.
"That's not what you told me last week. You came right in here and said that Betty King was trying to coerce money out of the doc to keep quiet regarding Paws and Pines."
Michael swallowed hard, turning his back to the two women across the room. I don't think Skye will realize I can hear every word. But what's that about Paws and Pines…
To anyone paying attention, Michael might have been mistaken for an overgrown naughty schoolboy sent to the corner for misbehaving. He hovered in the corner, his back to the women across the room. I feel like a cat trying to hide behind the curtains with his tail sticking out for everyone to see. But so far Janis isn't addressing me, so I'll keep pretending to look in my toolbox. He inhaled deeply to calm his nerves.
"Please tell me everything you know that the doc is keeping secret about the animal shelter." Jets's voice sounded firm.
When Skye didn't respond right away, Michael bent over his toolbox to find a piece of sandpaper. He stood up and ran the paper against the wall, still on alert.
Skye's voice trembled. "As you know, the doc is a man who devotes much of his time to charity. He works countless hours down the hill at the Native clinic for women and children. And then he's our Lily Rock resident doctor three days per week."
Jets growled. "I'm not doing a job interview here. We all know Doc's a great guy and how he gives money to small businesses and causes. Especially here in town. He's part owner of the new brewpub project and an Old Rocker. Blah blah blah. What I want to hear about is the animal shelter."
Michael kept sanding the wall, minding his own business, waiting for Skye's response.
The topic of Paws and Pines was not new to him. It so happened that he and Janis were together just a year ago when they'd wandered about Paws and Pines together. In the search for the baby Jesus statue, they'd come across boxes of CBD supplements and bottles of red pills filled with diphenhydramine, a well-known over-the-counter antihistamine.
Janis voiced her concern later, after she'd been hired. "Don't people use diphenhydramine to put themselves to sleep?"
"Sometimes people give half a tablet to a kid just to make them stop coughing and of course, to get some sleep themselves," Michael added.
"I don't know about kids," she'd said at the time. "But Paws and Pines is the quietest shelter I've ever been to. Dogs don't bark even when people come around to visit." When Michael just shook his head, Jets added, "Somebody needs to look into that."
Michael lifted the sandpaper off the wall, realizing the repetitive scratching had caused him to check out. Now there was an uneven dip in the wall's surface. I'll cover that later. Won't show after I paint. Better start paying attention to what I'm doing.
"Dr. May runs a very efficient animal shelter," Skye said in a loud voice. "But Betty King thought otherwise. She'd found out about a few complaints."
"What do you mean, complaints?" Jets's voice lowered.
"A few people misunderstood Doc's use of perfectly natural over-the-counter remedies. He's a qualified doctor, you know, even if not for animals exactly. But those complainers couldn't leave well enough alone."
"So Betty found out. Did she put in a complaint herself?"
"No, but she accused Doc of drugging the animals at Paws and Pines. She told him she'd tell everyone in town that he'd been officially warned by the animal rescue people too."
"I haven't been here long, but I know how the people in Lily Rock love their animals. Especially dogs, they just go gaga over Maguire. So maybe Betty had a point. Maybe Doc needed a reprimand, or at least a callout from his community." Jets's rational summary made no difference to Skye.
"How could you say that!"
Perhaps sensing a further reprimand from Doc's favorite fan, Janis changed course, this time in a calm voice. "Okay, so you don't agree with me. No problem. I can talk to the animal rescue folks down the hill if I want more information."
At that moment Michael snapped his tape measure closed. "Ouch," he said aloud. His thumb began to bleed.
"You okay over there?" Jets asked.
"Got some blood. I'll rinse it in the sink." I can spend some time rinsing and looking for a Band-Aid. Plus it's closer so I can hear better.
Skye didn't even look up, she kept defending the doc. "I think Betty King slandered the doc and that she wanted to undermine his reputation in our community. That's not legal. That's why I came to you."
Jets cleared her throat. "And like I told you before, defamation of character claims are very hard to prove. On the one hand, I suppose Doc has a lot of money and that he, if anyone, could take Betty to court and most likely win. But on the other hand, I think Betty was right. Doc had been cited for drugging the animals. He'd have a hard time proving he was innocent if what she said was actually true."
Michael watched out of the corner of his eye. Jets tapped her fingers on the table. "So where were you yesterday morning, from nine to ten o'clock?”
"I was sitting behind my desk in the doctor's office," Skye responded promptly. "You can ask Doc. He's my alibi."
Jets must have had enough. She snapped, "And you bet I will ask Doc. And I'm going to look into the Paws and Pines complaints while I'm at it. We're done here. Plus I have another interview coming up." She closed her iPad with a nod.
Skye stood up as her cell phone rang. She answered as she walked toward the door. "Yes, how are you, Marla? Another appointment? Still feeling under the weather. Have you taken those supplements Dr. Callahan prescribed? I know they're expensive. That's why we'll help you grow your own herb garden in the spring. Meadow is on board to talk to you after the holidays. But until then you have to buy the prescribed herbs from Meadow."
Michael kept listening. She's talking to Marla. I haven't seen her for a few days. Sounds like she's still not feeling well.
As Skye exited through the doorway, Jets pointed toward her back, gesturing for him to shut the door.
Once he stood by the table, she spoke first. "I don't have another interview today. I just told her that because she was starting to annoy me with her Doc is so wonderful talk. Starting again tomorrow morning at eight o'clock. Can you get here by then?"
"Sure." He held up his sore finger. "This may be a workman's comp situation. Are you prepared to pay?"
She laughed. "Don't bother with the paperwork. I'll bring my Scooby Doo brandaids tomorrow."
He laughed, walking across the room to gather his toolbox as Jets made notes on her iPad. He turned around when he heard her ask, "I have a good notion to call the doc in for questioning. Any thoughts?"
Michael paused. "I'm not sure that would go well. He's an icon in Lily Rock and you might stir up more confusion, which won't help with this particular case."
"My thoughts too," Janis confirmed. "But so you know? I'm going to look into the Paws and Pines situation the first thing next year. Something is not right there."