A Cat in the Attic Mystery: The Secret of Logan Pond Read online

  When I arrived at the pen of the first dog I planned to work with, I found it empty. I turned to the trainer next to me. “Do you know where Roxy is?”

  “She was adopted.”

  I smiled. “Good for her. I’ve been hoping she’d find a forever home.” Roxy was a very energetic shepherd mix who hadn’t been trained as a puppy and was a real handful by the time Naomi got her. Initially, I figured she would end up as one of those hard to adopt dogs who lived out their lives in the shelter, but I’d been working with her for almost two months, and at this point, she actually responded to all the basic commands.

  “I think Naomi replaced Roxy with Nala in your schedule.”

  I nodded and headed toward Nala’s pen. She was an energetic pit bull mix who was cute and funny, and I was sure she was going to make a wonderful companion dog if she could learn to come when called and we could break her of her habits of eating everything in sight, including furniture, and jumping up on everyone she greeted.

  “Hey, pretty girl,” I greeted as I approached Nala’s pen. “How about we work on your recall?”

  She smiled. Okay, there are those who don’t think dogs can smile, but I can assure you that Nala could.

  “Let me just get the leash on you.” I looked her directly in the eyes as I prepared to open the gate to her pen. “Sit.” She did. “Wait.” I unlatched the handle. So far, so good. I knew that Naomi had been working with Nala for the past couple of weeks, and it really showed.

  I opened the gate and stepped inside the pen. I attached the leash to her collar and then told her to heel as we headed out to the lawn area. Of course, heel was a behavior she’d yet to master, so she pretty much pulled me after her until I managed to dig in my heels and get control of the situation.

  The next hour went by pleasantly. Nala still had a way to go before Naomi would deem her ready for adoption, but she was a smart dog, and I knew with regular workouts, she was going to be really special.

  “Roxy got adopted,” I said to Cass when he showed up.

  “Good for her. I was pulling for her.”

  I greeted his dog, Milo, who was both Cass’s best friend and his partner. Milo had been trained as a police dog, and when he was on duty, he was on high alert at all times, but when he was off duty, he was a playful goof just like any other high-energy dog.

  “I’m working with Nala now. She’s really come a long way since she’s been here. I’m pulling for her, and all my trainees, but I really hope we can help Nala work through her behavior issues so someone will want to adopt her.”

  “She’ll get there,” he assured me. “She’s a big dog, and there are a lot of folks who are hesitant to adopt a big dog with behavior problems, but she’ll figure it out. Who are we supposed to exercise today?”

  “The most recent arrivals. Naomi wants them to get a lot of playtime so they’ll begin to relax. Since transitioning from a home with a family to the shelter is rough on a lot of them, she wants to be sure they begin to feel comfortable here as soon as possible.”

  Cass went to the supply room to get the balls and ropes, while I let the dogs that had been selected for playtime into the fenced-in yard. During the winter, we played with the dogs in the indoor playroom, but the snow had melted, and the grass was dry enough to play with the dogs without getting wet, so we decided that outdoors was the superior option.

  “I received an email from Toby today,” Cass informed me. “We’re all set for a video conference at ten a.m. tomorrow. If you want to come to my office at nine-thirty, that will give us time to get set up and get our questions in order.”

  “I can do that.” I tossed a ball across the lawn. “I’m not holding out a lot of hope that Toby will know anything, but it would be nice to pick up even a small clue. So far, this particular cold case is a regular iceberg.”

  “If it was an easily solvable case, someone would have solved it years ago. I was just a kid when Austin went missing, same as you, but I do remember the overall atmosphere in town was one of terror and panic. I really believe everyone involved gave it a hundred and ten percent at the time he went missing. The fact that no trace was found wasn’t from lack of trying.”

  “Yeah, Dex said he looked into things himself at one point and came up empty. I’m not sure why he thought I’d have any more luck than he did, but he asked me to try, so I intend to do just that.”

  Cass bent down and ruffed the terrier who’d jumped up on his leg behind the ears. “You have had an uncanny success rate since you’ve been in the amateur sleuth game. I imagine that Dex is hoping your lucky streak will continue, and you’ll notice something no one else has.”

  “I hope so. For Dex’s sake, if nothing else.” I picked up a frightened beagle mix and cuddled her to my chest. “It’s okay, sweet thing. I’m not sure how you ended up here, but Naomi is going to take good care of you.”

  The poor dog was shaking, so I held her tightly and began to rock slightly as I whispered into her ear. She eventually began to relax. Before I left, I’d tell Naomi how frightened the poor thing was. Knowing Naomi, she’d bring her into her home for a day or two until she adjusted to her new circumstances.

  “I did learn one thing today that you might find interesting. I know I did,” Cass said.

  “Oh? And what’s that?” I asked.

  “There’s a footpath at the south end of Logan Pond. If you follow that footpath, it will lead to the river that feeds into Logan Pond. There is a large flat meadow about a quarter of a mile up the river where people who don’t camp at the pond often set up. On the day it was realized Austin was missing, a wide range search was conducted. The lead investigator noted in his report that there was evidence of a recent camp in this meadow.”

  “How recent?” I asked.

  “Very recent. Not only was there a spot on the grass that was still flattened out from the tent that had been set up near the river, but there was evidence of a very recent fire in the homemade fire pit. The investigator noted that there were still warm coals beneath the layer of dirt someone had used to cover the fire before abandoning the campsite.”

  “So it seems likely that there were other campers in the area on the night Austin disappeared.”

  Cass nodded. “Yes, it does seem likely. Unfortunately, the individual or individuals who camped there were never identified. A search was conducted for any sort of physical evidence that would identify the campers, but none was found. There were heartfelt pleas published in the newspaper for information relating to whoever might have camped there, but no useful information was obtained.”

  “So maybe the second set of campers was responsible for whatever happened to Austin.”

  “Maybe.” Cass tossed several balls in rapid succession, causing most of the dogs to take off in different directions. “Without any physical evidence, it was impossible to know who’d camped there. Initially, the police hoped someone would come forward and admit to being in the area, or perhaps someone who knew who’d been in the area would say something, but no one ever did.”

  “And the person or persons who camped there didn’t leave anything behind? Trash maybe. Something with a fingerprint or DNA.”

  Cass shook his head. “The only thing that was found was a few specs of dried tobacco.”

  “So, the person or persons who camped there probably smoked.”

  “The investigator believed that the person or persons who camped there rolled their own cigarettes. The tobacco left behind looked to have been dropped as someone poured tobacco onto a paper for rolling. There wasn’t enough tobacco to identify the brand or any other distinguishing feature, but it was something I suppose. Something that never led anywhere, but still, it was something.”

  “If the camp was only half a mile from where the boys were camping, it stands to reason that those individuals might have seen or heard something.”

  “Perhaps,” Cass agreed, “but that was a long time ago. The campers were never identified back then, and it seems near impossible to i
dentify them now.”

  I supposed Cass had a point. The second campsite probably was a dead end at this point, but I still had to wonder if the person or persons camping by the river weren’t actually the bad guys in our little drama.

  “Do you want to get dinner tonight?” Cass asked.

  “I do. I need to run over to the main house and talk to Naomi about the change in my training schedule first.”

  “Why don’t you do that while Milo and I put the dogs in their pens and clean-up.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. “I won’t be long.” I handed Cass the balls I was holding and headed toward the main house.

  Naomi’s shelter housed animals in addition to dogs and cats. In fact, she seemed to be willing to take in any animal in need. I looked for her in her small house near the river but ended up finding her in the llama barn.

  “I hoped you’d stop by before you left,” Naomi greeted.

  “I wanted to ask you about Nala’s training. Should I plan to attend the Tuesday class with her, or do you have other plans?”

  “The Tuesday class is fine. I’m going to have both you and Sherry work with her individually during the week. She’s such a sweet young thing. I’d really like to get her placed in the perfect home.”

  “Okay. Tuesdays and Fridays still work for me.”

  “I noticed that she is really good at playing hide and seek,” Naomi added. “If we can get her on board with the behaviors taught in the basic training class, and she isn’t adopted right away, I may try her with the search and rescue group. I was told she was a pit bull mix when she was dropped off, so I know she has terrier in the mix, but I think her mother might have been bred with a dog from the hound family. I like the way she naturally sniffs out her environment.”

  “She’s really energetic, and I can tell that even though she has issues, she wants to please, so maybe she would make a good scent dog. I’ll throw in a game or two of hide and seek while I’m working with her.”

  “Sounds good. I appreciate all the time you put in around here.”

  “I’ve been pretty busy with my job at the newspaper, but my work here is important, so I want to be sure to make time for it.”

  “How is your investigation into Austin’s disappearance going?” she asked.

  “Slowly,” I answered with a definite hint of frustration in my voice. “But I’m not giving up. Cass has been helping a lot, and between the two of us, we’ve managed to gather a few random facts that didn’t seem to come up during the first investigation, but in the end, we’re both totally lost. Unless we can find someone who actually knows something and was too scared to come forward back then but is willing to now, I really think this might end up being nothing more than a wild goose chase.”

  She closed the door on the llama pen. “I suppose that’s always a risk, but it still seems like a task worth taking on. Hope and I have been chatting about it as well. Maybe the four of us: you, me, Cass, and Hope should get together at some point and compare notes.”

  “I’ll ask Cass. How would Sunday work? Maybe we could get together for lunch.”

  “Sunday will work for me. Check with Cass, and then we can call Hope. The library is closed on Sundays, so it might be a good day for her as well.”

  Cass had finished tucking everyone in by the time I returned. He was in the mood for fish and chips, and there was a good place to get fish and chips out near Foxtail Lake. The restaurant wasn’t dog friendly, but Milo was a member of the Foxtail Lake Police Force, and as an officer of the force, he was welcome everywhere. Cass and I found a table near a window and Milo laid down at Cass’s feet.

  “Naomi suggested we get together this weekend,” I said once Cass had ordered his fish and chips, and I’d ordered a seafood salad. “I suggested Sunday, and Naomi thought that might be a good time since the library is closed, and Hope will be off.”

  “I’ll need to see how the weekend goes, but it might not be a bad idea to get together. I know Hope and Naomi have both been doing some digging since you brought up the subject a couple months ago. They are both intuitive and intelligent women, and I’d be interested in hearing what they have to say.”

  “I figured as much, so Naomi is going to call Hope and then let us know. I’m really hoping Toby will have something to add to our current knowledge base. He was actually there when Austin went missing. He must have some sort of idea as to what might have happened to him.”

  “If he does, he didn’t say so at the time of the disappearance,” Cass pointed out.

  I took a sip of my water. “I seem to remember him saying that the older boys didn’t really want him there and that they made him go to bed early while they stayed up and told ghost stories.”

  “That’s what I remember as well. When he got up the next morning, the other boys were still sleeping, so he hung out by the fire, but when Colin got up, he decided to go fishing. It wasn’t until everyone was up that they realized that Austin wasn’t there. They looked for him, but he was never found.”

  I nodded. “All of that is consistent with what all the kids said, but I’m still hoping that someone heard or saw something they were too scared to share the first time around.”

  The waiter brought our food, which stalled the conversation. After he left, I brought up the subject of the new wellness center. “They gave me a free three-month membership. I’m actually really excited to get started. It’s a beautiful facility, and I really haven’t been keeping up the exercises given to me by the physical therapist after my accident the way I should have.” I reached down and rubbed my bad hand with my good one. “I guess I figured there was no point since I was never going to be able to return to my career, but I’ve had a lot of tingling lately. More often than I had in the beginning, so I guess I should get back to the routine the therapist gave me before it gets worse.”

  “I agree. Do you think you should bring up the tingling to your doctor?”

  “I will if it gets worse. It comes and goes. I’m supposed to go to my specialist in New York this summer for a checkup. I suppose that if my hand is still bothering me, I can bring it up then. In the meantime, I plan to get this body in shape. You should join the health club as well. We could work out together.”

  He smiled. “I’d like that. We’d need to go early before I need to be at work or late after I get off.”

  “I usually do my writing early, but I’m sure we can find a couple hours a week to meet at the gym. They have a men’s and women’s sauna and a heated pool, complete with jets that I’m very excited about.”

  “A sauna would be a nice feature on cold winter days.”

  “Did you know that the land on the north end of town near the wellness center was bought by Larchmont Resort? According to the woman I spoke to at the wellness center, they plan to build a huge property with timeshares, a hotel, and weekly condos.”

  Cass lifted a brow. “I hadn’t heard. It seems like if something like that was in the works, the news would be all over town, although Acting Mayor Lewiston seems to have a way of controlling the news to his advantage.”

  “The woman I spoke to brought it up after I asked how they planned to support such a fancy wellness center with our small population. I guess Larchmont contracted with the wellness center to provide a spa and exercise facility for their guests and residents. According to the woman I spoke to, Larchmont has verbal approval for the project from the acting mayor, but the project hasn’t been formally presented to the council.”

  “I guess they want to keep a lid on the whole thing until they have all their ducks in a row,” Cass said.

  “Do you think the council will approve such a huge project?”

  Cass slowly bobbed his head. “I think they might. A resort such as that will bring jobs to the area. It will also bring those willing to invest in new infrastructure. Economically, it would be good for the town, but I realize there will be those who won’t be happy about a huge resort in our little town and you can bet those with lodging properties in
the area will be extra upset.”

  “It seems like growth and development are themes that continue to reoccur. You figure out a way to halt the plans of one developer, only to find there’s another one in the wings with their own project.”

  “Change is a force that can only be denied for so long before it finds a way,” Cass pointed out. “Besides, now that Hugh Lewiston has announced his bid to run for the open seat in the state senate, I suspect that things might change quite a bit at the local level.”

  “Why is that?” I wondered.

  “I hadn’t known about the development until you brought it up, but I had heard that Larchmont is supporting Lewiston in his bid for the senate. I guess the why is beginning to make sense. As you can imagine, a successful run for the state senate will require a lot of money. Larchmont has money. If Lewiston is supporting the development, I suspect the two men have come to some sort of an understanding. Lewiston is a powerful guy in the community. If he wants Larchmont’s project approved, I have a feeling it will be approved.”

  Cass and I continued to chat about the new wellness center, new resort, community events, and life in general while we consumed our meal. After we ate, we each headed toward our own homes. It appeared that Aunt Gracie was in her room watching television when I arrived, so I changed into my pajamas, made a cup of tea, and headed to the attic to jot down the notes I was going to need for tomorrow’s interview with Toby. It had been a very long time, and he’d only been seven at the time of the incident, but I was still hoping he’d have something to share that might give us an additional avenue of investigation.

  I turned on my laptop and then clicked on the small white Christmas lights I’d strung around the room. I found that I liked the subdued light much better than the overhead light when working, plus they were festive. Alastair pushed his way into the room through the partially closed door. I bent down and picked him up, and then I headed to the window seat and settled in to stargaze as I often did in the evenings. One thing I liked about living out at the lake was that Gracie’s property was isolated and free of street lamps and lights from other buildings. It provided a perfect place to view the stars in all their glory.