Page 44 of All You Want
The raccoon is dead, but what’s worse is that its paws are cut off, and its tail is wrapped around its neck. I hope it’s not a message of some kind.
“Do you know if they did that after he died?” Tami asks. “Why would they mutilate him?”
“Let me take pictures and put him in an evidence bag.” I march back to my cruiser to get the official camera and bags as well as disposable gloves. “Have you received any notes, text messages, or threats of any kind?”
“No, nothing.” Her eyes flit from my face, and she winces, as if she’s suppressing a piece of information.
I raise an eyebrow. “Even if it’s the smallest thing.”
“No, nothing,” she reiterates. “Everyone in town’s looking forward to the Graveyard Party, and all the visitors have confirmed their reservations.”
I bag the carcass and put it in the car, then walk over to the broken window. “Have you gone inside?”
“No, I called you right away,” she replies.
“That’s the right thing to do. Can you call your groundskeeper and ask him to meet us here?”
“That’s the thing. I can’t get ahold of him.” She checks her phone. “I have a signal, but I keep getting his voicemail.”
“Who is this guy?” I cross my arms to keep the feeling of busting heads inside. “Where did you find him? He’s not a local guy we know.”
“Paul referred him to me. He’s been homeless, but that’s not something to hold against him.”
“Of course not,” I agree. “Did you do a background check? Give me his full name and any prior addresses.”
She hefts a frustrated sigh my way. “Honestly, Todd. Vinnie wouldn’t want to drive me away. I’m the one who’s giving him a job and opportunity to work.”
I don’t want to fight her on that, and what she’s describing is more likely a prank. “Okay, then, text me his information later, and I’ll run a check for priors. Let me go in and see if anything else is damaged.”
She unlocks the front door and starts to follow me in, but I put a hand on her. “I have to see if anyone’s lurking inside.”
“No one’s around. Don’t worry.” She stays back a few moments and peers around me.
I turn on my flashlight and swing it in an arc around the entrance foyer and lobby area.
A multi-tiered crystal chandelier hovers overhead, and the scaffold from where the paint can fell is gone. Delicate floral wallpaper covers the walls, and the trim around the windows and doors is blood-red. A sweeping staircase arches up to a wide landing, and the lobby is filled with portraits and full-sized paintings of Victorian men and women.
She’s done a great job with the restoration, and I’m proud of her, although I’m not going to admit it.
“The lights are working again,” Tami says as the chandelier and fake candles perched on the wall sconces turn on. “I wonder if someone cut the power panel and turned it back on.”
“In that case, they might still be around. Show me where the panel is.”
“It’s in the back.” She locks arms with me and leads me down the corridor and through the empty kitchen.
We exit through a service door, but if anyone was here, I don’t see any evidence. I check the area around the dumpster and down the stairs of the loading dock. It’s full of muddy footprints, but if there’s a fresh pair, it’s hard to tell due to the soggy ground from the recent rainstorms.
“Is there a locked gate on the other side?” I ask.
“No, this leads to employee parking.”
“You might want to put in a gate to keep trespassers out.”
“Advice taken.” She seems less apprehensive now that we didn’t find anyone. “Evan was supposed to meet me here to go over the final details in the bedrooms. Maybe you’d like to take a tour and check out the furnishings?”
“I need to look at the broken window.” I ignore the hopeful way she looks at me, as if this is a social call. I have to be strong, because there’s no telling what my body would do if I’m alone with this beauty in a bedroom.
I hear her footsteps behind me as I make my way to the dining room where the window is. Shards of broken glass lie on the wood floor along with a rock with a piece of paper tied around it.
