“I suppose so,” Doug muttered, stepping aside.
As I followed Trevor inside with Doug bringing up the rear, I took in the décor. Taupe walls were covered with family photos. I stopped for a second to study one that seemed to have been taken recently based on how Doug looked. I assumed the woman next to him was his wife, and I racked my brain to remember if I’d ever done her nails. I didn’t recall the round face, bright eyes and brown bob. The other two male adults in the pictured I guessed were his kids. Except, they were holding hands. Maybe a son and his significant other?
“My wife died last month,” Doug said from behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I found him staring at the same picture. “She had a heart attack while mucking the stalls. We never saw it coming.”
“I’m sorry,” I replied. “She looks so young.”
“Yes. Forty-seven.” He stepped closer to me and pointed at the two young men. “That’s my son and his husband. They’re coming to stay with me for Christmas.”
“Well, that will certainly be nice,” I replied. “My son’s home from college for Christmas break.”
“You miss them when they’re gone, don’t you?” Our gazes met and I noted the sadness in his eyes.
I nodded, then followed Trevor into the living room. “Thanks for taking the time to talk with us,” I said, taking a seat on the couch.
“Sure. You’ve piqued my curiosity, though. What about my deer?”
Trevor joined me on the very worn, but comfortable, light blue couch.
Doug lowered himself into a black lounger.
“Well, it’s my understanding that you put in a bid for your deer to be used in the Christmas Festival. Is that correct?”
Doug nodded and steepled his hands. “It is.”
Trevor continued, “And we’ve been told that when you didn’t win the contract, you became angry. Is that right?”
“It sure is.”
“Can you tell us why?” I asked.
“Because I got shafted.”
Trevor and I stared at him, waiting for the rest of the story, but it never came.
“Can you elaborate?” Trevor asked. “Clara down at City Hall mentioned you were a bit rude about the whole thing.”
“Sure.” Doug sat forward and placed his elbows on his knees. “First, I came in lower than the other guy on price. Second, I actually work with my deer. They’re very comfortable around people. I’ve even trained them to pull a sleigh.”
“So why weren’t you hired?” I asked. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Thank you,” Doug replied. “You’re right. It doesn’t make a lick of sense, and I got pretty upset about it. I figure there’s either bribery or extortion involved.”
Pursing my lips, I furrowed my brow. “You’re kidding, right?”
He shook his head.
“You mean to tell me that someone is doing something illegal during an event to celebrate Christmas?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Doug replied.
I exchanged glances with Trevor. Was this guy unhinged or was Heywood corrupt?
“So, we’ve established that losing the contract made you quite upset,” Trevor said. “Were you upset enough to sabotage the festival?”
Doug sat back against the cushion, a small smile turning his lips. “What’s happened?”
“Rudolph is missing,” I said. “It seems he was taken from Charlie Tupper’s ranch. Someone also attacked Charlie.”
I studied the man carefully, looking for any remorse or signs of guilt. Not that I really had any idea what I searched for, but I’d caught my son in a couple of lies while he was growing up, and I could always tell with him. Unless it had been mother’s intuition, I hoped I’d be able to detect if Doug was lying.
He simply smiled. “I’m sorry to hear that. Why was Tony Brewer’s Rudolph at Charlie’s place?”
I wasn’t surprised he was aware of who’d won the contract. He’d most likely been told when he lost, or it had been printed in the local paper.
“Brewer was having his barn refurbished,” Trevor said. “He needed somewhere to keep the deer until the festival. Charlie’s place is also closer to town.”
“You aren’t denying you had anything to do with Rudolph disappearing or Charlie being hurt,” I said, narrowing my gaze. “Are you admitting you’ve committed these crimes?”
“Heck, no,” Doug said. “I’m not admitting anything.” But his smile stayed firmly in place.
Trevor cleared his throat. “If you didn’t do anything, do you know anyone who would want to hurt Charlie?”
“I don’t. Sorry, Deputy. I would appreciate it if you could investigate the corruption at City Hall, though.”
He had pivoted the conversation. That, along with his smarmy grin, gave me the feeling he was lying.
“I’ll absolutely look into it, sir,” Trevor said. “But I’d also like to get to the bottom of who hurt Charlie.”
