Paraskepite- Chapter Ten
#11 of Paraskepite
Chapter Ten
Joseph entered his apartment feeling angry, tired, and soar. He ached all over from climbing that tree and even Marms cheerful greeting did not make him feel any better. He kept wondering who was trying to scare him off and what case he was he back off from. Maybe the animal attacks because the dogs were used but that would confirm there was a killer involved with the attacks.
So far the only conclusion was that it could be a virus or disease making the animals sick. It was his theory that someone could be trying to kill the infected animals so attacking him would only give credit to his idea. It did not seem something a smart person would do but then the criminal mind was not known for its logic. Assuming of course that it did have something to do with the animal attacks.
He picked up his phone and saw three missed calls and two voicemails. He dialed the voicemails to see what they said.
"Hello I'm looking for detective Namer. This is Tom Leblanc at Happy Paws Veterinary Hospital, I have some urgent business to discuss with you concerning the dog you and the owner Rachael dropped off today. Please call me back." The voicemail ended and the second one was again Animal Control asking him to again call them back because it was an urgent matter.
"Hello Animal Control this is Tom, how may I help you?" Tom replied as he answered the call Joseph placed.
"Hello, this is Detective Namer. You asked me to call you back on an urgent matter."
"Ah yes. The dog you brought in today died of unusual circumstances. We notified the owner and she asked that you be informed because you'll want to lead the investigation." Tom said and it took a moment for him to understand what was just said.
"Did you say that I was to lead the investigation? Why do I need to lead this investigation? Isn't that your department?" Joseph asked, confused.
"Yes sir but the animal may not have died from natural causes considering how the body was found. And the owner, again, requested you to look into the matter."
"Was the head of the animal damaged in any way, possibly missing?" Joseph asked but he felt as though he already knew the answer. He wondered if the dog attack tonight was to keep him busy while the killer somehow managed to get to the fortuneteller's dog.
"Yes the head appears to be missing. Can we meet tomorrow to go over all this?"
"Sure I'll call you in the morning." He said then hung up the phone. He turned and saw Marms smelling his sandwich trying to figure out if it was kitty food or not. More than likely he was going to have to share some of it with a little kitty that was like an investigator like him. Marms would insist on tasting it to make sure it was fit for hooman consumption.
Joseph grabbed his sandwich but as he was trying to take it away Marms wrapped his paws around it trying to take it away from him.
"Kitties." Joseph said as Marms continued to examine the wrapped food. The smell of chicken held his interest as he was trying to figure out a way to unwrap it and eat the thing himself. Joseph finally pulled him off and held him as he brought the food into the kitchen and prepared it. He took out a couple of pieces for Marms and placed them into his food dish.
Marms began to chow down on the chicken while Joseph took the rest of the sandwich into the living room to watch some more television. After finishing Marms went over to him and decided to use him as a bed now that his little belly was full.
"Ah kitties" Joseph repeated as Marms fell asleep pirring in his lap.
In another part of the city a man approached a condemned house where the wood was rotting and falling off the house. There was a sign that said 'For Sale' but no one would buy it mostly because no realtor had been contacted to actually sell the place. It was kept in this condition to keep up the roose that it was abandoned and for sale.
The man was followed by three Doberman Pinschers and one had buffalo chicken sauce all over his mouth from a sandwich someone had so carelessly thrown on the ground and he had found. The man led then to some dog crates and put them inside trying to avoid them trying to lick him to death.
"What is all over ya face?" He said as he looked at the third one and took out a cloth and began to wipe away the sauce. "This better not give you diarrhea because I do not want to deal with that." he said but in response the dog tried licking him to make him forget. He realized he was too soft hearted when it came to animals.
He moved on ignoring how the interior matched the exterior of the house except for one room on the first floor. It was the only source of light as it shone through the edges of the doorframe. He opened it and went inside.
"The inside looked like a living room except there were several large televisions stacked on top of each other each set to a different place. They were broadcasting security footage that had been hacked into. An elderly man sat in a chair with a portable keyboard on his lap. He used it to control the monitor televisions.
The walls were lined with bookshelves filled with books the younger man had never read. He sometimes wondered if the old guy had read them or merely used them as decorations so he appeared smart. The younger man hated the older with a passion. He resented that the older was put in charge and he had to answer to him. He was just waiting for the old man to make a mistake and he could then get rid of him.
"What do you think you were doing with that stunt you pulled?" the old man asked not turning to look at him but kept focussed on the TV monitors.
"Well 'hi' it's nice to see you back so soon. How did your day go?" the younger man said sarcastically "Now back to business. Are you talking about the pouches?"
"Yes those damn dogs! Why did you send them after that cop?!" the old man shouted but the younger seemed unphased.
"Relax, that cop was getting too close but a random attack will throw him off trying to figure out who did it."
"Are you stupid? I've looked at the profile of that cop and he is not so easily fooled. He is a detective after all. Since he was working on a case about animal attacks and you send some dumb mutts to attack him,"
"They are not dumb mutts!" the younger man interrupted but his protests were silenced as the old man turned and sternly looked at him.
"That detective may become a liability to us now. This experient has gotten out of control and you go and complicate things, you stupid limey." the old man retorted
"Limey?! Are you daft? I'm Irish can't you bloody well tell by my accent?"
"You were highly recommended for this job but you're starting to outlive your usefulness." the old man muttered to himself but the younger stood there and a big grin appeared.
"If you say so but who else is gonna do your dirty work now that the experience has gone off the rails"
"That's the only reason why you haven't been replaced yet. From now on all orders go through me and you try acting on your own again I can guarantee you and your pets will be replaced."
"Yes sir," He said but the grin had not faded from his lips because his plan was so far working perfectly.
The next day Joseph arranged a time to visit Happy Paws Veterinary Hospital and had arrived on time. He met with Tom LeBlanc as he was just starting his shift and was led to where the dog's body was being kept. Rachael had told them to cremate the animal and box up the ashes but that would not happen until after they had Joseph check out the animal.
"Any idea why she wanted me to investigate her dog dying?" Joseph asked. Tom adjusted his glasses before answering. He was taller than Joseph and a bit thinner but his face had a few spots of rosacea that made it look slightly sunburned due to the redness. He wore a white lab coat and had the dog's file on a clipboard.
"As far as I know it was you that convinced her to get the dog checked out after it bit her. You thought it could be infected by a virus that might be causing pets to bite their owners. I assume she wanted you to be aware of it for the case." he said
"Where was the dog kept before you found it missing its head?"
"We have several cages of different sizes to store animals that are under observailance." Tom led him to the cages and there was one cage that was covered in blood but the dog's body was removed and an outline of how it was found was drawn in chalk on the floor.
"This is where the animal was kept." Joseph asked to verify what he was seeing.
"Yes she was here and she was separated from other animals so we know she was not attacked by an animal in the next holding crate." Tom said
"Any cameras in here?"
"Unfortunately no because this is an old building and it seems it would be too costly to add those. There is a brand new clinic the next town over and I heard they had cameras installed... but that won't help here." Tom replied.
"The dog was sedated because of how violent it was acting correct?"
"Yes and when the attendant went to check on her she still should have been sedated." Tom said
"I'll need to ask a few questions to that person after. So just to recap the dog was here sleeping and no other animals were around? So how could her head have been destroyed?"
"That's what we are not sure of." Tom said
"Have you done an autopsy on the animal or any other tests?" Joseph asked and he leaned in to read the chart that Tom was holding.
"Blood work came back normal for any known viruses but had a high white blood cell count so she could be fighting an infection. The only troubling thing is that the fragments of the brain that we recovered looked as if something may have been eating them." Tom said reading the file but his face was marked with agitation.
"Did a rat or mouse get drawn in by the blood?" Joseph asked as he immediately thought of Shane and how his brain had bite marks also.
"Impossible we run a very clean establishment here. We keep traps set up just in case to keep pests and vermin from infecting and endangering the animals we keep." Tom said and squatted to get a better look at where the body was found. And saw a thin stream of blood that flowed to a drain nearby.
"What could eat the brain and be thin enough to pass through the cage unhindered?"
"Could be parasites." Tom relied then he noticed Joseph looking at him.
"A parasite could do this?"
"It would make sense because over in Africa I've heard stories that there are children that die when their stomach burst open because the parasites in them become too many and too large. If the dog had a parasite in her brain then besides the irrational behavior she was exhibiting, it could have burst open the scalp and that's why we found her like this."
"Tom did you find any parasites next to the body when she was found?"
"No we found nothing which was why we called you to see if you could find anything."
"Anyone here a specialist on parasites?" Joseph asked
"I'm afraid not."
"Is it possible that a parasite that a dog has infected a person as well?" Joseph asked.
"Most definitely we are always telling pet owners to be careful because what their pet has can be passed to them."
Joseph arrived at The Incense Box and found a parking space. He entered the shop and was surprised to find a couple of people shopping. They appeared to be middle aged but they were staring at him since they must have been watching him get out of the cruiser. Perhaps curious why a detective had arrived here.
"Namaste good seeker and welcome, how may I help you?" A woman said and Joseph noticed the side of her head were shaved as if she were in the military but the top portion grew back into a long braid. Her eyelashes were painted so that they looked thick and black like they had been painted together. Her fingernails were extra long but had intricate designs painted on them.
"Hi Detective Namer I'm here to see Rachael."
"Oh sorry sweetie but there was a death in the family and all her appointments are cancelled today. However I do palmistry and astrology so can I help you in any way?"
"Sorry I am here to see her about a case. She was attacked a few days ago."
"Ooh, yes I heard about it from Martha. My name is Cindy by the way. Should you need help we can consult the stars because they are always ready to help us in our time of need. People don't realize how the stars rule all our destinies, they are our friends so we need not fear to talk to them. They will gladly help us because helping us helps them fulfill their duties." Cindy said and Joseph wanted out of here and this nonsense as soon as possible.
"Would you be able to share her home address?" he said and he pulled out his badge and showed it to her. Cindy shuffled off and Joseph stood there with the feeling that the customers were staring at him. The feeling was making him restless and he was struggling to fight off the urge to tell them off. He was relieved when Cindy returned with the address so he could get going.
Joseph arrived at Rachael Miller's home. It was a cute little Ranch style house and the worn mailbox had the last name Miller in big black letters displayed on it. He looked around and felt foolish as he suddenly remembered he had been here before to collect the dog. With everything that had happened he forgot about it.
He knocked on her doog and after a minute or two Rachael answered. Her face was tear marked and she had tried to put on some makeup but the tears had ruined what she tried. At first she looked at him blankly but then she suddenly recognized him and she rushed forward and hugged him.
"I'm so glad to see you." she sobbed
"Ma'am?" he said, confused by her reaction.
"Can you believe Cosma has died?" she said sobbing and wiping her eyes on his suit jacket. He was trying to not get annoyed but she really loved testing his patients and he wondered if she was like this to all strangers she met.
"That's what I'm here about, I conducted an investigation at your request," he said and Rachael wondered why he was acting so formal. "Have you been having any headaches recently?"
"No," Rachael lied and was glad her headache had gone away. She rationalized that it must have happened because she heard the news of Cosma's death and the shock had left her in such a state.
"I fear your dog may have had some parasites in her and she could have passed them unto you."
"Oh don't be ridiculous she was as healthy as a horse... er dog so to speak." Rachael retorted
"We believe that parasites may be the reason why she died."
"Why should I believe that? Do you have any proof?" Rachael asked as she glared at him with tears in her eyes.
"Still you might want to get checked out just to be safe."
"Oh now you care about me?!"
"Ma'am?" Joseph said looking at her in confusion.
"Look, just drop the pretense! You and I need to talk and set some things right." Rachael said wiping the last of the tears away from her eyes as she separated from him. He just stood there looking at her trying to figure out what she was talking about. She knew by his look he was finally understanding that this was about their relationship. Joseph, unfortunately, had no idea they were ever in a relationship or what she was going on about.
"OK I'm listening. What is it you want to tell me?"
"Now is not the right time. With Cosma and everything I need some time to think before I make any decisions."
"Decisions about what?" Joseph asked
"About what you proposed to me. It's a very big decision and one that can't be taken lightly," she said and Joseph scratched his head. Never before had anyone made it seem like going to the doctor for a check up was a life altering decision before.
"OK then." he replied
"Look we'll talk later and straighten everything out once I get things sorted with what to do about Cosma."
"Very well." he said and turned to return to his cruiser. He felt he had done all he could and whether she went for an examination. Still one thing she said was laying heavy on his mind.
"Do you have proof?" it made him realize unless he found some evidence that parasites are involved no one would believe him. The question was how was he going to get proof???