“Was it bad?” I asked.
“Yeah. Shut down the highway for a bit. I’m surprised you didn’t hear about it.”
“I don’t listen to the news,” I said, shrugging. “My life is much more pleasant without it.”
Trevor tried to sip his coffee, but the puppies were enthralled with the mug and wouldn’t allow him to. After a minute, he reached behind him and set it on the counter.
“Anyway, I was wondering if you’d be interested in heading out there with me this morning,” Trevor said. His hands moved over the little heads vying for his attention.
“Sure. It’ll be nice to get out of here for a bit, but I can’t be gone long. Poor Jacob is home trying to relax, but he’s been helping me with the brood. I’d like for him to get out and see some old friends and stuff.”
“No worries,” Trevor said, standing. “I’ll have you back in a jiffy.”
“Perfect. Let me finish this coffee, and then we can go.”
As I sucked down the liquid energizer, he played with the puppies, which warmed my heart.
“Let’s hit it,” I said. “How are the streets?”
“Clear, but it’s cold,” Trevor replied as he got to his knees, then pulled himself up with the aid of the counter. “I’m getting too old for the floor.”
“That happens after forty,” I snickered.
“All my years of running are really bothering my knees,” he muttered. “These days, I know it’s going to rain before there’s a cloud in the sky.”
“Well, growing old is better than the alternative,” I said. “Welcome to middle age, I guess.”
He leaned over and massaged the inside of his knee. “I guess so.”
Once I had bundled up, I yelled down the hall that I was leaving. Neither Jacob nor Daisy answered me. “Take care of the puppies!” I called, then left the house.
Trevor’s personal truck stood in the driveway, and I also noted he didn’t have on his uniform. How did I miss that?
“Are you off duty?” I asked.
“My shift starts this afternoon,” he replied as he opened the car door for me, then made a sweeping gesture with his arm. “Your chariot awaits, your highness.”
“You better be careful.” I climbed into the truck. “I may get used to that treatment, and then it’ll go to my head. You’ll have created a monster and be very, very sorry.”
“We’ll see about that,” he said. He shut the door, rounded the truck and climbed into the driver’s side. After he fired up the engine, the heat blasted from the vents in seconds. If only my car warmed up so quickly.
As we drove toward the Miller farm, country music sounded softly from the speakers.
“Do you know Doug Miller?” I asked.
“I don’t think so,” Trevor said. “I’ve never been out to his property before yesterday, and I can’t place his face anywhere.”
“Me neither,” I mumbled. “It’s weird we can live in such a small town and not know someone.”
“Well, if he moved to the area recently and keeps to himself out here, there’s no reason for us to meet him.”
The snow-covered trees sandwiching the highway flew by as Trevor drove. I glanced over at his speedometer and snickered. “Don’t you ever pull me over for speeding, Deputy.”
He eased off the gas. “Whoops. Guess I’m just excited to get the ball rolling on the investigation.”
A few more miles passed, then he hit the brakes and turned right. “It’s down here.”
We bounced along the snowy, tree-lined road for a mile, then hit a large clearing where a white house almost completely blended in with the snowy landscape.
“That truck wasn’t here yesterday,” Trevor said, pointing at the blue Ford. “I’m going to take that as a good sign he’s around.”
“Where’s the barn?” I asked. “If he has livestock, he must have a barn, right?”
Trevor shrugged. “I’d assume so. Must be behind the house.”
After parking, we wandered up to the front door. I was always shocked at the silence a farm out in the middle of the forest offered. A few birds squalled in the distance, but the cold quiet gave me a bit of the creeps. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Doug Miller answered his door with a chainsaw and bloodthirsty smile.
I stood a bit behind Trevor as he knocked, just in case.
A man in his forties answered, wearing a red baseball cap, jeans, and flannel shirt. “If you’re selling something, I’m not interested,” he said, glancing from me to Trevor.
“No, sir, Mr. Miller,” Trevor replied, pulling his badge from his pocket. “I’m Deputy Trevor Hutchison. We wanted to speak to you about the Christmas Festival and your deer.”
I noted he hadn’t bothered to introduce me, and I wasn’t sure if I should be offended or not. Probably not. It’s not like he could lie and say I was police.
“What about them?”
“Can we come in for a second?” I asked as my jaw began to chatter. “It’s freezing out here.”
