The Killers Amongst Us: Chimera Dawn Chronicles by Declan Conner Page B

was familiar enough with the mayor to have his
name and number listed. The mayor was married. He scrolled to the outgoing
calls, when the battery died. He slipped the shoulder strap of his aluminum
case off of his shoulder, took out an evidence bag and put the cell phone
inside, then stowed it in the case. The purse followed the cell phone into his
case. There was no sign of a struggle, and he set off back to the reception.
    At the top of the landing, he opened a door. It was the
vet’s office. He ambled over to her computer and switched on the power. When
the screen saver powered up, he saw the words he dreaded. ‘ENTER PASSWORD’ and
he sighed. He chewed on his lip. It was a problem that would have to wait for a
forensic expert. Shaw turned off the computer, when he saw a bank statement on
the desk and picked it up to study. She was seriously overdrawn. Mrs. Fisher
was right. No wonder she couldn’t afford an assistant. He walked over to a
paper stack in the printer tray. They were all customer accounts. The top one
was headed ‘Overdue Account’ and addressed to Mrs. Fisher, for numerous visits.
The bill was for fifteen-hundred dollars. He shook his head and looked through
the rest. A fifteen-hundred dollar debt in his old stomping ground of Compton
LA would have been motive enough for a homicide, but Mrs. Fisher was the least
likely suspect to have a hand in this case.
    Most of the papers were business accounts for farmsteads. He
glanced at a row of files on a shelf. One was marked ‘Telephone’ on the spine.
Shaw grabbed the file. There were accounts for May and June for the surgery land
line and for her cell phone. He unclipped them from the file and stacked them
with the other papers. He opened his case, then tucked the papers in a side
pocket. With the case closed and strapped over his shoulder, he took one last
look around. The battery charger for her cell phone was plugged into an
extension socket. Shaw reached down and unplugged the charger, then slipped it
into his pocket as he carried on walking to the hallway.
    His mind was fixed on obtaining this month’s phone records
for the surgery and her cell phone, when he arrived at the reception desk. He
rummaged through the filing drawers of a cabinet. There was nothing of
interest, only old pet magazines. Relatives would need to be found and
informed. Maybe they would know if she had a secret lover. Maybe they’d know if
it was Ed Grimes. He’d have to tread lightly. It was never easy telling family
they’d lost a loved one. Accident, natural, or homicide, it was always the same
empty gut feeling walking up the path. He almost walked past the desk, when he
glanced and saw the answer phone. He tapped the PLAY button. The majority of
the messages were from Mrs. Fisher asking when she’d be open. He pressed STOP
and removed the tape. He opened the desk drawer. All that was in there were a
few pens, and a blue book with ‘APPOINTMENTS’ written on the front.
    He picked up the book and kissed it, then held it to his
chest. He realized that the book could be as important as any phone record in
unraveling the mystery.
     
     
     

Chapter 8
     
    PARKED outside the vets, Shaw fidgeted his backside on
his car seat. He opened the appointment book and thumbed to the day’s page. The
names and times were spaced half an hour apart, from Mrs. Fisher at 9:00 a.m.
    Some of them listed the owners and the names of the animals,
with some just quoting the pets’ names. He flicked the page to yesterday’s
entries. There were twelve appointments up to 4:00 p.m. After that there was a
line drawn and below that, the names of two farmsteads. The last one was over
at Claymore, with 6:00 p.m. written at the side of the address. Shaw knew the
address, a smallholding, rearing mainly chickens and with a few goats. They had
dogs, but he hadn’t seen them. The owners locked them in the barn when he had
occasion to visit after reports of a stolen prized rooster. The couple,