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I dropped off Tracy and Bingley at their house, then drove out to Jesse’s, now kicking myself for once again having muddied up my schedule. Jesse’s home was much closer to Fort Collins than my house was, and I had yet to call my neighbor.
As soon as I’d pulled into the driveway, Jesse opened the door and stepped onto the front porch. “Look at me, Allie!” he cried, a huge grin on his face. He turned and walked in a tight circle. “Ta-dah! I feel like myself again! I got a walking cast.”
It was impossible not to share in his glee. My brightened mood continued. He joined me in Dog Face’s training, and we had a wonderful training session. For the first time, I thoroughly enjoyed his company. Furthermore, the dog’s performance was excellent. At the end of our session we gave each other a high five, and then another high five to Dog Face.
As we headed back toward his house, a male dog came out through the dog door and joined us.
“This must be the dog you’re enrolling in the conformation competition. He’s stunning.”
“Thanks! This is Eeyore.”
I positioned myself to be sideways with Eeyore—the least threatening position from the dog’s perspective. I stroked his curly fur and told him how handsome he was. Dog Face trotted toward the back door, and Eeyore followed, his gait flawless. The dogs turned and sat down next to the door to await us.
“Wow,” I said. Jesse smiled with unmasked pride for his dogs.
Jesse resumed his slow but even pace, saying, “Come over to my trailer sometime tomorrow morning, so we can go over the map of the agility course.”
His statement brought Valerie’s snipe to mind, and I suddenly realized its significance. With Jesse having access to a private trailer at the F
fairgrounds for the last two days, he, too, could have been in the vicinity yesterday when Cooper was murdered. He slid open the door, and the dogs entered, wagging their tails.
I stayed put on the concrete pad. “Valerie mentioned you had booked a lot for the trailer starting on Tuesday. Is it already in place?”
“Yep. I booked the space for five days back when I thought my leg would make it impossible for me to drive, and I’d be on crutches the whole time. But it turned out my neighbor works in Fort Collins and has been happy to give me and my dogs rides for the past couple of days. So I’m not moving in until tomorrow morning. And my doc agreed to put me in this cast this morning. Anyway, my trailer is a metallic purple JetStream. It’s right by the road at the intersection.”
“Across the street by the Brunswick Café?” I asked, my heart racing.
Jesse’s stared at me. “I had no beefs with Terrington Leach, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’d hired him to show Eeyore, Dog Face’s brother, after I’d broken my leg. Furthermore, I was still immobilized by my big cast when he was murdered.”
“I realize that. I wasn’t thinking you were a suspect, or anything,” I lied.
“When Kiki called and told me Terrington had died and asked if I needed to find a handler for Dog Face’s brother, I explained someone had already volunteered...back when Cooper was trying to unload his dogs, because of his broken arm.”
“What volunteer? The only volunteer handler I know of for Terriers is me.”
“Precisely.” He grinned.
“But...I’d only agreed to take on a Scottie and a Wheaton. And the Wheaton turned out to be a mistake.”
He gestured for me to go inside, then slid the door shut behind us, two females—judging by their small size—joined Dog Face and Eeyore in his messy kitchen. “Not exactly. Cooper called me a couple of months ago, when he was the Terrier-class manager. He said that he was pushing to get the FCDC to reverse their decision to block Valerie’s and my dogs and asked if he could save a spot for Eeyore. I said no, but he said he was having a hard time meeting his quota of entrees, so he’d give a slot to a fictional Wheaton so no one would give me any grief about registering one of my Airedales when I’d been banned. He also put himself down as the presenter, which was a bit odd, but he claimed that, since he wasn’t allowed to show Terriers, it wouldn’t matter to anyone, but it would help him keep Davis off his back.”
“That’s really convoluted,” I said.
“It is,” he replied, watching Eeyore who was now sitting at my feet, “but it boils down to the fact that you’re showing this handsome guy in the Terrier class on Saturday.”
I hesitated. “I’d be honored,” I said honestly, giving the inarguably handsome Eeyore a pat on his shoulders.
My mood sank as I left his house. Our conversation had reminded me that I still hadn’t performed the first task Kiki had given me—I hadn’t discouraged Cooper from attending the show. I drove a block or two, then pulled over and dialed Cooper’s number.
“Hi, Allie,” Cooper said as he answered his phone.
“Hi. Kiki said she spoke with you earlier today.”
“Yes indeed. My doctor gave me a less-cumbersome cast that allows me to move my fingers. I’m able to show dogs after all.”
“Are you sure you want to do that? I would think presenting dogs with a less-secure cast would really pose a risk to the bone break. Did you tell your doctor about the leader you’d be using? And that you’ll be handling big Terriers?”
“Yes. He said it isn’t a problem.”
Drat. I wasn’t going to get anywhere by sidestepping the matter of his being a murder suspect. “Have you hired a lawyer, I hope?”
He hesitated. “They’re so expensive! I can’t begin to pay the upfront money!”
“But the money is irrelevant when you look at what’s at stake.”
“I know. I know. But I’m innocent. If they can just find the culprit, I’ll be exonerated, and I won’t have to hire a criminal attorney. But that’s also why I need to get as much cash together as I can, as fast as I can. I have to pick up as many canine clients to present as possible.”
Whoops. So much for my talking him out of going to the show. “Shouldn’t your bottom line be to stay out of the lime-light?”
“I wish I could. But, again, I’ve got to earn money. In fact, that’s something I need to talk to you about. It’s a long story, but the Wheaton you were going to show is actually Jesse Valadez’s Airedale.”
“Jesse just now explained that mix-up to me, and he—”
“Would you mind terribly if we switched that back? Let me be the presenter?”
I rolled my eyes. This wasn’t going well at all. I stared out the windshield at a cottonwood tree being buffeted by the wind. “Gee, I don’t know, Cooper. I mean, my loyalties are first and foremost with Baxter. He’s managing the Terrier Class, as you know. I want to do whatever will let that group go smoothly.”
“Of course, but I think—”
“Cooper, the thing is, people at the show are going to be suspicious of you until your name is cleared.” I felt like a heel, but I continued. “You’ll be working with a tender arm that could break a second time. Is the few hundred dollars you’ll make showing some dogs really worth the risk?”
“Yes, Allie. Yes, it is. I am innocent.” He cursed. “I had nothing to do with the murder. I tried to save his life, for crying out loud! I can’t control the rumor mill or what people think about me. I’ve never had a single unsatisfied customer, or problems in a dog show. Now all of a sudden I’m Son of Satan. By trying to save a man’s life.”
“I’m sure that’s incredibly difficult for you.” A pickup truck sped past me.
“It is. But if you’re set on the idea of presenting Eeyore yourself, I’ll be fine. It’s just that he’s a magnificent dog...and I want the honors.” He paused. “I have so much more experience than you do. And I think Eeyore is going to be Best in Show. I need those kinds of credits on my resume.”
“Plus, I’m going to look almost comically small leading him around the ring. But Jesse seemed pretty happy about my showing Eeyore. Maybe that’s the visual Jesse wants the judge to see, and it’s ultimately his decision.”
“True.” He sighed. “You and I bring different skills to the table. In fact, I’ve been thinking. Once this murder gets solved and the murderer is in jail, maybe you and I can team up professionally. Put together a multi-purpose dog-care business.”
Team up professionally? Where on earth did he get that idea? “That’s pretty much what Baxter and I are already doing, Cooper.”
“I didn’t realize that. I thought you were a dog therapist and Baxter was an event manager...and also built customized dog houses.”
“We also run a kennel with a dog-training option. Though that’s on hold for the time being.”
“I don’t suppose you’d be interested in getting another business partner then.”
“I’m afraid not.” I was a little put off by the turn our conversation had taken. Here he was short on cash, and Marsala was claiming he’d stolen her diamond ring. My stomach was in knots, and I hated myself for what I felt like I needed to say next. “I heard something about you having some trouble last year, too. With Marsala.”
There was a long pause. Though I now felt a touch of guilt over my cowardice in bringing this up on the phone, I was glad we weren’t face-to-face.
“Allie,” he said, his voice flat. “I did not steal her diamond ring. I had told my then-wife that I’d forgotten my credit card and needed to buy enough gas to get home. She said to get it from her wallet in the locker room. She gave me the key. She didn’t remember the number, just that it was in the second row from the top, so I was checking each locker with her key when Marsala arrived. She saw me go from one locker to my wife’s locker and take money. I didn’t even know she was there until she finally spoke up.”
“Didn’t your ex-wife back you up on that?”
“Eventually,” he growled. “At first, though, she lied and said I’d taken the key from her without her knowledge and had stolen money from her purse. Let’s just say the ending of our marriage wasn’t easy or kindhearted for either of us. We got to the bottom of it, eventually, but I allowed the police to search me and my car and anything else they could think of. They didn’t find it because I didn’t take it.”
“That’s got to be hard for you to swallow.”
“Tell me about it. Allie. I need this job. I need to prove to myself that things can be normal again. That I haven’t wasted my life. That I’m still a good person.”
I battled a lump in my throat. I didn’t know for certain who was telling the truth, but it was clear Cooper was in emotional pain. “I need to talk this over with Jesse.” Not to mention Baxter. “The Terrier-class competition doesn’t begin until Saturday. I’ll call you tomorrow morning. Okay, Cooper?”
“Sure, Allie. Talk to you then. Goodbye.”
“Wait, Cooper. We should discuss this with Jesse together.” He gave no answer. I glanced at the screen. Cooper had ended the call. His voice had been calm and pleasant. Yet I couldn’t shake my certainty that he had been struggling to tamp down very real desperation.