Rose Hill by Pamela Grandstaff

Maggie’s father Fitz, who seemed a little vague, and was slurring his words. Scott knew Fitz took strong pain medication and also drank a bit to ease the pain of his back injury, and thinking he must be in a lot of pain, he didn’t linger.
     
     
    Phyllis was still off sick from the diner, and her mother Pauline was too busy picking up the slack for questions about Theo’s fight with Ed. Scott stopped in at the station to ask Frank to follow up with Phyllis and Pauline, and to find out if Skip had found any clue as to Willy Neff’s whereabouts. Skip had come up empty so far. The last anyone had seen of Willy was when he left Hannah’s place with Theo around 12:30 the night of the murder.
    No one they interviewed had heard the break-in at the veterinary clinic, although all the neighbors in the area heard the party in the insurance building going on until well after 2:00 in the morning. A couple of neighbors remembered being awakened by their dogs barking in the night. Scott wished people in real life were more like people on television programs, and could report something happened at “12:07 exactly” instead of “sometime after midnight.”
    Scott consulted his notes and then asked Frank to follow up with Trick on the sale of the glassworks, and with Gail Godwin, who cleaned Theo’s house, to see if she knew who had stood up Theo for dinner. He asked Skip to call in at every business in town to see where Theo went during his last day, and whom he harassed. Both officers had been putting in a lot of extra time, so Scott told them they could expect overtime wages, which made them happy. Scott really appreciated his team, and knew Frank’s family could use the extra money. He would worry about balancing the station budget later.
    Scott did an electronic background check on veterinarian Drew Rosen, which came up clean, and then called the emergency vet clinic where he used to work. His former supervisor only had good things to say about him, and the office manager said there had been no malpractice claims made about his work.
    “We miss him,” the office manager said. “We keep hoping he’ll come back.”
    Scott spent some time updating his notes and crossing things off his many lists, and then looked over the evidence again. The photo of him and his friends as teenagers, along with the threatening note, had him stumped. He knew he shouldn’t involve Ed, but he needed to ask him who had access to photos he took as a teenager.
     
     
    Scott found Ed at work, the knot on his head a little less swollen but still a lurid purple and yellow. Ed was on the phone, and did not look glad to see his best friend. It felt awkward in a way that pained Scott, but until this case was solved his visits to Ed, no matter now well intentioned, would always seem official.
    Scott waited to speak until Ed hung up the phone.
    “I don’t believe you had anything to do with Theo’s death,” Scott said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to keep you in the loop with what’s going on, but I can’t give Sarah any reason to shut me completely out, you understand?”
    Ed’s jaw worked a bit, but he looked Scott straight in the eye as he responded.
    “My job sometimes places me in difficult situations, too. I do understand.”
    “I need your help with something, off the record. Way, way off the record.”
    Ed looked surprised.
    “I’d be glad to help, Scott. You know you can trust me.”
    Scott showed him the photocopy of the threat card and the photo.
    “Holy cow ,” Ed said, sitting down on a stool at the worktable. “This is one I took. Where did this come from?”
    Scott told him about finding it in Theo’s unopened mail.
    “So he never saw it.”
    “I don’t see how he could have.”
    “Who do you think sent it?”
    “That’s what I need help with. Who would have copies of your photos from that summer?”
    “I didn’t get multiple copies of my prints back then; I couldn’t afford it. My Dad sent my rolls of film