She was heading back inside one final time, and barely made it in the front door before her cell phone rang again.
“Who in the world?” she asked herself in vexation. Looking at her cell phone’s caller ID, she saw that it was her boss, Elliott.
“Hello?”
“Kenzie? This is Elliott.”
“Hi, Elliott. What can I do for you?”
“I’ve got a case for you if you’re interested.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“I’ve got the chief of Appaloosa Plains on hold.”
“Appaloosa Plains? That’s funny, I’m actually heading there right now.”
“What? Why?”
“I was hoping to adopt a pet.”
“What a coincidence. This case is about animals, pets in particular.”
“Oh? What about them?”
“It seems people have been calling the police to report their pets missing. Normally it would be a usual response of suggesting the animals ran away or something, but the numbers of missing animals just keep going up. The police think someone’s kidnapping all the pets.”
“Why would they do that?”
“I have no idea, but I’ve got the chief on hold. Should I tell him you’re on your way?”
“Yeah, tell him I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“All right, I’ll give him the message. One more thing – I know how much you love animals. Is this case going to cause problems for you?”
“You mean like a conflict of interest?”
“Exactly.”
“No, there won’t be any problems. Yes, I love animals, but that won’t interfere with the job I have to do. I just want to find the pets and return them to their homes.”
“All right, good luck then.”
“Thanks. Bye.”
A conflict of interest? Her? Never. She couldn’t imagine herself doing anything that would jeopardize her career. She’d worked too hard for it. She knew this case might hit a little closer to home than her others, since it involved innocent animals, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t do her job.
Packing had taken only a matter of 40 minutes before Kenzie high-tailed it out of her house and headed toward Appaloosa Plains. Fall had arrived, and with it, the beautiful golden colors of the leaves. Some of those leaves littered the ground, while others were scooped into piles that kids were jumping into. What better way to spend a Saturday in the fall than jumping into a big pile of leaves?
Kenzie had managed to escape without another confrontation with her mother. She understood why she was so frustrated and that she wanted to be a grandmother, but it seemed to Kenzie that her mother was wanting all kinds of new things for the exact reason Constance mentioned on the phone - she wanted something new and exciting. Russ wouldn't budge on the hot tub, especially in the middle of fall, not to mention the price, but he had allowed Constance to pick out a puppy for the house.
Kenzie smiled as she thought about Flossy. She was a real cutie, and very playful. The only bad thing about her was that she was very noisy, barking at anything that moved, practically. She was already spoiled thanks to Constance, and she hated other animals in her yard, but she was a pretty loyal pooch. One other downside was that Russ would possibly have to put up a fence to keep her from running out into the street.
Kenzie smiled as she thought about Flossy, and her stomach turned over in excitement as she contemplated what kind of dog she wanted to get. She didn't mind cats, but she'd always been more of a dog person. When she was a toddler, she vaguely remembered having a dog. It too had been a dachshund, her parents' favorite breed. It had been a dapple named Pepper. Unfortunately, he'd been taken by the Reaper after a few years. The Howells had thought it too painful to get another dog, but Kenzie had always secretly wanted another pet. A few stray cats had randomly shown up, and she'd taken it upon herself to adopt them. But eventually, they all ran away, usually after jumping up onto some innocent bypasser's leg and biting them in a playful but painful manner. That seemed to happen with every cat that Kenzie brought home, so she finally decided that she was more of a dog person than a cat person. But she still loved all animals, and if there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was to see an animal being hurt in any way.
Appaloosa Plains wasn’t very far from Riverview. It was practically down the road. The golden trees suffused the terrain on each side of the road, while red and yellow leaves fell and dotted the ground. Some locals were raking the leaves up while other yards remained untouched. Squirrels scampered across the ground gathering nuts for the approaching winter season while dogs barked merrily.
All in all, it was a charming sight.
Kenzie looked up at the sky through the windshield. It was getting dark, but it was only almost 5:30. Further proof that fall had arrived. She made it to the police station, which was part of the town's city hall, and entered through the double doors. She made her way to the police station portion of the building until she came to a lobby. She saw a middle-aged man behind the glass. Kenzie approached him and said, “Hello. I’m Kenzie Howell, here to see the chief.”
The man looked up and said, “You found him. I’m Chief Brock Allington. Your boss told me you were coming. Pretty lucky that you were already heading to town.”
“Yeah, and what are the odds that the reason I’m heading to town leads to a case? I was actually coming here looking for a breeder so I could adopt a pet of my own.”
Chief Allington chuckled. “Why don’t you come back to my office?” he said. “I can give you the case files of the reports we’ve gotten so far.”
Kenzie followed the chief down a hallway and they entered a door on the right. Kenzie took a seat in a chair across from the desk. Brock withdrew a few files from a nearby cabinet and read them aloud after sitting in his own chair.
“The first case was reported about a month ago. We’ve had about 20 cases since then. The strangest part is only cats and dogs have been kidnapped. No horses, and no little animals. But we think it’s just a matter of time before they get taken too.”
Brock handed the papers to Kenzie and she scrutinized them closely. As Chief Allington had said, only cats and dogs had been taken so far. But Kenzie didn’t want any more animals to be taken. That wasn’t right. Why would anyone do that? There were plenty of strays around; if someone wanted a pet, they could adopt a stray.
“Actually,” Brock said when Kenzie mentioned this, “we haven’t seen hardly any strays around lately either, except wild horses.”
“Whoever’s doing this must not have any interest in horses. But why are there no strays around either? Has anyone mentioned a reason for why someone would steal their pets?”
“No one can think of any reason. They aren’t even sure when their pets disappeared. People work and leave their pets at home during the day, and then they sleep at night. Some pets sleep outside, and some even stay outside. Most get a run of their owner’s place, so they can pretty much come and go as they please. Anyone could have taken these animals at pretty much any time.”
Kenzie looked down at the files again. It was making her angry, the thought that someone would do such a thing. It was as bad as someone kidnapping a child. Still, she was cautious not to let her frustrations show. She wanted to remain professional so she could solve this case.
“Chief Allington,” she said, “I’m going to do everything in my power to get these animals back to their rightful owners. And I’ll find out who took them to begin with, and why.”
“I’m glad to hear it. We’ll put you up in a hotel…”
“No, that’s okay. I insist. I was on my way to town anyway, of my own volition, so I have no problem paying for the hotel.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, but thank you anyway.”
“All right, well there’s one other thing. This should be in the files, but I’ll go ahead and tell you. Some people are saying a unicorn is kidnapping all the animals, but why, I don’t know.”
“A unicorn?”
“Some people claim they’ve actually seen one running around, although the descriptions of what it looks like vary. We didn’t look into those claims for obvious reasons.”
“Obvious reasons being you don’t believe in unicorns?”
“Unicorns, vampires, werewolves…we focus on the logical and realistic.”
“I see.”
Kenzie held her tongue about how wrong he was about vampires. She hadn’t had the privilege of becoming acquainted with either of the other two mythical creatures, but as far as she was concerned, if one existed, they probably all did. And as a detective, she had to look into all claims. Still, she'd have an easier time believing in anything if she actually saw it with her own eyes.
At last, she stood up and said, “Well, thank you, Chief Allington. I’ll be going now, and I’ll get started first thing in the morning. I need to eat and get settled into the hotel tonight.”
“No problem, I understand. I wish you luck.”
“Thanks, I’ll do my best.”
The two shook hands before Kenzie vacated the office with a copy of the file. She walked back to her car, hopped in, and used her GPS to navigate herself to the nearest hotel. It was called the Ranch Inn, and it definitely lived up to its name with its ranch furnishings in the lobby. Kenzie could picture herself there in the dead of winter, roasting marshmallows in the giant fireplace, or curling up in front of it with a good book.
After she checked in to the hotel, Kenzie carried her suitcases into her room and looked around. Just like the lobby, the place reminded her of a ranch. Animal pictures decorated the walls and a desk was situated against the wall closest to the window. A small closet alcove was to the left of a counter with a sink, and there was a bathroom parallel to the double bed.
Placing her suitcases and evidence kit into the alcove, Kenzie immediately hooked up her laptop. She decided that her first order of business would be to look up any information on unicorns, and see if there were any records of the rumored sightings.
She began browsing the Internet, but she didn't get very far before someone's instant messenger window popped up with a chime.
LifesABeach: Hey girl! How are you?
WolfKen: Hey, Jillian! I'm okay, I'm in Appaloosa Plains.
LifesABeach: Awesome! I hear it's really pretty there in the fall.
WolfKen: It is, and get this - I came here to adopt a pet, and it turns out I was going to come here anyway because there's a case.
LifesABeach: Just your luck, huh? What's the case?
Just then, a second IM window popped up. How fortuitous that it was just the person Kenzie needed to talk to.
WolfKen: Austin! You'll never guess where I am!
WordToTheNerd: Uh...Appaloosa Plains?
WolfKen: How did you know?
WordToTheNerd: I heard about all those animals missing in town, and I figured you'd get called eventually. I know how much you love animals too, so of course you'd say yes. Plus, why else would you be so excited for me to know where you were unless it was in such proximity to my place of residence?
WolfKen: You really are a genius. Your vocabulary alone would give that way.
WordToTheNerd: I consider that a compliment.
LifesABeach: Kenzie? Are you there?
WolfKen: Hold on, Austin. I'm talking to Jill too, let me switch this to a conference.
WordToTheNerd: Okay.
Kenzie clicked the Invite Friend to Chat button, added Jillian, and she jumped right in.
WolfKen: That's better. Now we can all talk.
LifesABeach: Hey, Austin. Long time, no see.
WordToTheNerd: Likewise. How are you?
LifesABeach: I'm good, going back to school for fashion design and styling, and I've got a new bungalow on Sun Song Avenue. It's perfect because it's right by the beach! Oh, and I got a cat!
WolfKen: You got a cat? Let me see a picture!
LifesABeach: Okay hold on. Oh, and tell me what the big case is in Appaloosa!
WolfKen: Well, a bunch of pets are missing. This has been going on for like a month, so the police think someone's kidnapping them. I can't imagine why they'd want to do that, but it makes me mad just thinking about it! I want to find these pets and get them back home.
WordToTheNerd: I bet you do. I've been lucky so far. No one's taken my pets.
WolfKen: You have...a horse and two dogs, right?
WordToTheNerd: Actually, it's two horses and one dog . Hey, why don't you come over and see them tomorrow? I know you're on a case, but it would give us a chance to catch up, and I can show you around town, maybe introduce you to some of the people who've lost their pets.
WolfKen: Do you know who they are?
WordToTheNerd: Well, I don't have the names officially, but there have been articles in the paper about particular families missing their pets. Plus the lack of wild animals we've seen apart from deer and raccoons, and wild horses.
WolfKen: Well, okay, that would be helpful. Maybe the owners know of someone who'd be out to steal their pets. Maybe someone wants a breeding business but doesn't want to fork out the money for the animals.
WordToTheNerd: The joke's on them, they'd still have to pay to feed the animals to keep them alive.
WolfKen: Good point.
LifesABeach: I'm back! Okay, here's Muffy. She's a calico, I love her so much! She's more reliable than some guy who might hurt me. Not that I've given up on guys, I'd just rather focus on my studies right now.
WolfKen: Good for you! Let's see Muffy!
LifesABeach: Here you go:
WolfKen: Awww, she's adorable! She sure looks playful!
LifesABeach: She is, very. And you can see part of my new house there too. I'll have to get you some better pictures of it later. I've just been so busy. You have to come visit sometime, Ken.
WolfKen: I intend to, as soon as I actually get some more time off. And hopefully won't run into a case on a vacation.
WordToTheNerd: I thought you liked your job.
WolfKen: I do, I love it. But sometimes I need a little vacation too, you know?
WordToTheNerd: Understandable. I'm a certified genius but even I want other types of fun once in a while.
WolfKen: Back to the case I'm on now, the police chief said people are supposedly seeing a unicorn around here, and those people are wondering if it's responsible for all the disappearing animals. A unicorn suspect? Really?
WordToTheNerd: You don't believe in unicorns? That argument may not be entirely admissible, since you were always a fan of the supernatural, from television shows to books, in high school.
WolfKen: I didn't say that, I just haven't seen one myself. I have to see something to completely believe it. What about you, Austin? You live here. Have you seen a unicorn?
WordToTheNerd: I'm afraid I haven't received that privilege. But if I did see one, I'd be taking pictures of it assiduously, and would maybe try to document it with a video camera. I could theoretically run tests on it as well, since unicorns are rumored to possess magical powers, but I wouldn't do that because I wouldn't want to bring any harm to the creature.
LifesABeach: Austin! Please, for crying out loud, talk like a normal person! Don't use such big words in everyday conversation. Those should be saved for a book. No offense.
WordToTheNerd: None taken. I tend to only use big words when I write rather than when I speak verbally. Actually, since the subject's come up, I've been hoping to write a novel. A non-fiction one, mind you. The only fiction ones I enjoy are science fiction, as I'm sure you ladies gathered in high school.
WolfKen: I love fiction books. No offense Austin, but I'm not big on non-fiction.
WordToTheNerd: None taken yet again. Everyone has their own tastes. The world would be exceedingly boring if we all had the same opinions on different subjects.
LifesABeach: I love romance novels, and dramas, and...oh shoot! Guys I have to go, Muffy just jumped on top of my fish tank! I'll catch up later! Kenzie, good luck with the case!
WolfKen: Thanks, see you later Jill!
Jillian signed off, leaving Kenzie and Austin in the chat room alone once again.
WolfKen: Her cat jumped onto her fish tank? I realize she loves the beach and all concepts of it, but to have a fish tank with a cat in the house? Yikes!
WordToTheNerd: She probably didn't think it was likely that her cat would attack her fish. She'll hopefully get to Muffy before any lives are lost.
WolfKen: I hope so. Anyway, thanks for the invite for tomorrow. I'd love to catch up, and I've got a copy of the police file here, so I can give you some names on who all's lost their pets. Unless you just want to go by who was mentioned in the paper.
WordToTheNerd: The latter might be the best option, because I don't want to cause complications for you. You might get into trouble for sharing private information with me if you use the file.
WolfKen: Good point. I trust you, but the police and my boss might think differently.
WordToTheNerd: My point exactly.
Kenzie glanced at the clock on the coffee table alongside the wall and saw that it was now going on 9pm. She wanted to get some research done before she had to go to bed, and she wanted to shower beforehand, even though she'd taken a shower earlier at the gym - her hair tended to get excessively oily if it wasn't washed right before she went to bed. She explained this to Austin, and the two agreed to meet the following day. Kenzie promised to stop by Austin's house at 10 the next morning. She signed off and headed for the shower.
Letting the water cascade down her body in a warm, gentle tirade, Kenzie contemplated this case. It really did upset her that someone would want to steal animals, for whatever reason. But if they resorted to stealing pets, animals that belonged to other people, as well, then it was undoubtedly for devious reasons.
And what about the unicorn rumors? According to Austin, unicorns supposedly have magical powers. That would explain how it was able to kidnap animals, but why in the world would it do that? It made no sense. Then again, most of Kenzie's cases didn't make any sense until she untangled the web that usually consisted of lies, evidence, and suspects.
Kenzie finished her shower, stepped out, and began drying her hair. This case, more than any other, she was determined to solve. With the way she felt about solving it, Elliott would most likely accuse her of having a conflict of interest, contrary to what she'd assured him earlier. But at this point, she didn't care. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right? Besides, when she finally solved the case, wasn't that the important thing?
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