Midlife Animal Rescuer for Halloween (Midlife Animal Rescuer Heroes #4)

Prologue

Three Days Ago

“You know it’s okay to take a break now and then, JFK.”

Detective Janice Francoise Kennedy’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as she angled her old Toyota Camry into the next street, her phone pressed against her ear as she navigated her way home that evening.

It was Friday evening, and she was on a call with her boss as if she hadn’t left the Sylva Police Department only minutes ago.

“You don’t always need to have something on your plate,” the chief of police, Greg Anderson, was saying. “You could take a break.”

Janice suppressed a groan. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard him say those words, and to be honest, she was growing tired of hearing them. No doubt, he figured he was doing her a favor, offering her a break from work. To Janice, it sounded like punishment.

“I can’t just sit on my butt and do nothing, Greg,” she told him, slowing her car before a red light. “Isn’t there some new case I can solve? Like a theft? Some fraud? Maybe a murder or two?”

“You almost sound like you’re hoping someone commits a crime,” Greg replied, and she could almost picture him shaking his head in disbelief. “Look, JFK, it’s exactly a week to Halloween. The way I see it, that’s a perfect opportunity to take a break.”

He wasn’t exactly wrong, Janice thought, taking a moment to glance around at her surroundings.

The streets of Sylva were already lined with all kinds of Halloween decorations: fake spider webs and plastic skeletons hanging from streetlamps, a few tombstones and jack-o’-lanterns placed in front of some of the homes.

Even the trees had an eerie look to them, having lost most of their leaves.

Other than her, there were only a couple of other motorists in sight.

A few kids already in Halloween costumes skipped along the sidewalk, and in her side mirror, Janice made out a couple of adults coming up from the opposite direction, holding hands.

They all seemed content—excited, even. It wasn’t exactly holiday season, but between the excitement and relaxation she’d detected in most people all day, it might as well have been Christmas Eve.

“You’re my best detective,” Greg said, and she noted a hint of pride in his voice. “You’ve worked harder than anyone else I’ve met in the past five years, but it’s okay to slow down, you know. I could even grant you a week’s paid leave, if you want.”

The light turned green, and she heard the sound of leaves crunching as the Toyota rolled forward.

A slight movement in the corner of her vision made her turn her head.

Lying in the passenger seat, its eyes focused menacingly on her, jaws parted in a ferocious roar, was a dinosaur the size of her fist.

With a roll of her eyes, she returned her attention to the road. Charlie must’ve forgotten one of his dinosaur figurines in the car. What was this one called, again? Tyrannozoid, or something.

“Besides,” Greg continued, “shouldn’t you be happy that there aren’t any major problems in Sylva right now? For the most part, this town’s crime-free. That’s a good thing.”

Janice couldn’t disagree with that. As a law enforcement officer, maintaining order was her primary goal.

A quiet, peaceful town meant the police department was doing its job, and doing it well.

Still, she couldn’t help finding the current state of things a little odd.

In the past few weeks, not much had happened in terms of crime—except for a couple of DUIs and a vehicle that had been erroneously reported as stolen.

Over the last couple of months, a lot more had happened, although she’d only been aware after the threats had ended, and there hadn’t been much of a mystery to solve afterward.

There’d been that incident in Paradise Woods involving Dale McClinton and his unnaturally large hound.

Not to mention the fight that had erupted at the Annual Town Fair in August, although a couple of townsfolk had claimed they’d heard a commotion around the woods as well, just by Green Sanctuary.

Looking back on it, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that she hadn’t been able to fully tackle those cases. They would’ve brought her too close to Green Sanctuary.

And to Theon Gardener, in particular.

At that thought, a shiver traveled through her body, and she bit her lower lip. How long had it been since they’d last spoken? How long had it been since that night?

I can’t do this, she could almost hear herself saying. I think we need to see other people, Theon.

She pushed past the memory, and realized her foot was pressing a little harder on the gas. Silently chiding herself, she relaxed a little.

“I’ll give it some thought,” she told Greg. “And I’ll get back to you.”

“You do that.” Greg hung up.

She tossed her phone into the passenger seat, next to the dinosaur, and breathed a sigh, bringing the car to a stop at yet another red light. Home was still minutes away.

She drummed her fingers against the steering wheel, her gaze sweeping about until she caught her reflection in the rearview mirror.

Her auburn hair was still tucked into a smooth ponytail behind her head.

A pair of sea-green eyes stared back at her.

Even at forty-two, she knew, she could still be mistaken for someone five or six years her junior.

Almost absently, Janice unbuttoned the top button of her shirt.

She’d tossed her blazer into the backseat of the Toyota, and the seatbelt pressed slightly against her torso, squishing her breasts.

She glanced out the windshield again. The sun was already setting.

She’d dropped Charlie off at home from school earlier and left him with a babysitter.

By now, he was probably wondering where his mother was.

The light turned green, and she resumed driving in silence, observing the streets as her car rolled through them.

For such a small town, Sylva seemed large sometimes.

The town had five ranches, excluding Green Sanctuary, not to mention more streets and corners than she could count on all her digits.

She’d lived here for the past ten years, and sometimes she still couldn’t believe it was only one of three towns in Downing, Colorado.

Just as she rounded a bend, she caught sight of a low fence covered in some graffiti. Janice frowned. She was pretty sure that hadn’t been there before.

Vandalism? Her ears practically perked up at the thought. Maybe that was a case worth pursuing.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Janice,” she told herself, tearing her gaze away from the fence. Perhaps Greg was right, and she did need a break.

She’d worked in law enforcement almost half of her lifetime, beginning as a beat cop and rising through the ranks to become a detective.

Moving to Sylva from Texas had been one of the best decisions she’d made in a while, especially after her divorce.

Among other things, it was a pleasant town to live in.

It was peaceful, a stark contrast to life in the city.

But that also meant less crime. Which meant fewer cases to solve.

Janice decided to take her thoughts off work. Halloween was only seven days away, after all. She should be planning ahead. Maybe she’d head to a party, or hand out treats to trick-or-treaters. Or she could busy herself with finding a costume for Charlie.

She was still pondering her options when she heard the scream.

A blur of movement in the corner of her vision made her turn her head. To her left was a ranch, its gates thrown wide open so she could make out some of the vast property. Janice registered a few barns and tractors, and...and...

What the...?

A man was stumbling toward her from the ranch, his eyes wide with terror.

He looked in his fifties, his mostly gray curls bouncing with each step.

His face was streaked with sweat—or was it tears?

It was hard to tell. Janice lowered her gaze as he approached.

The farmer’s overalls were stained with something dark.

Blood.

It occurred to her then that she was going to collide with the man if she didn’t slow down. She slammed her foot on the brakes just as he reached the Toyota, and he collapsed against the hood, his entire body quivering.

“Crap,” she muttered, unfastening her seatbelt and climbing out of the car. What the heck was going on? She approached the man cautiously, glancing from him toward the ranch in case there was a threat. Her gun was still in the holster strapped to her waist, thank goodness. “Are you okay, sir?”

At the sound of her voice, the man lifted his head. His eyes seemed to grow even wider. He stretched out a hand toward her, and she saw that it was stained with blood. Was it his?

“Help!” he cried. “There’s been a murder!”