I rolled my eyes. Perfect. We resided in the mountains with nothing but hills surrounding us in every direction.

“Okay, so a woman named Linda who lives over the hill is Sasha’s human,” I said. “What about Charlie? Does she know who Charlie is?”

Their gazes met again and Daisy shook her head.

“What about the man she chased from the barn?” I asked. “Does she know that person?”

After a moment, Daisy replied, “Nope.”

“Can she describe him?”

“It was dark, so no.”

If she’d never seen Charlie or the person she chased from the barn, then it was pointless to ask if they were one and the same.

Pursing my lips in frustration, I clenched my hands at my sides. “How did Sasha end up in Charlie’s barn?”

“She was about to have her babies and she needed somewhere to do that besides the snow,” Daisy said. “So she found the barn.”

“Did she run away from Linda?”

“No.” Daisy replied. “She said she got lost.”

Even though I had the advantage of a talking dog, I was still in the dark about everything. She hadn’t been able to provide me with any of the information I’d hoped, which meant we were still at square one.

“I wish she had some answers for us,” I grumbled.

“Me, too!” Daisy replied, then laid down and let the puppies attack her while simultaneously screaming for help.

“Drama queen,” I said, laughing as she yelled.

After a few moments, she got to her feet. “All you little turds need to leave me alone now. I’ve got places to go and things to do.”

“Oh, really?” I countered. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

She mumbled something, then trotted down to the bedroom.

“A nap,” I sighed. “She’s going for a nap.”

It sounded like a wonderful idea, but I had to get to the store and grab the last of the fixings for Christmas Eve dinner. Glancing at Sasha and her babies, I decided to wait until Jacob returned. I followed Daisy down the hall and took a seat at my desk. After checking my social media accounts once again for any answer to my post, I sighed and stretched out next to Daisy, completely exhausted.

I never made it to the grocery store, but I vowed to go the next day after Trevor and I spoke with Tony Brewer. When Trevor picked me up early in the morning and presented me with a coffee and muffin from the local coffee shop, Cup of Go, I could’ve kissed him. Delicious. The sugar and caffeine were exactly what I needed to get my day started.

Country music played softly through the speakers as we drove out of Heywood. I rarely left the area unless I was on a dog rescue, and in that case, my concentration centered on the road. It was nice to sit back and enjoy the incredible scenery of snow-covered mountains and fields.

“It’s a winter wonderland,” I sighed.

“That it is. I hate the shoveling and the bitter cold in the morning, but man… nature is amazing.”

We rode in comfortable silence, and I didn’t feel the need to fill it. It wasn’t often that I was so relaxed around people.

When we pulled into Tony Brewer’s driveway, I glanced around for a red vehicle, but didn’t find one.

“Looking for something, Gina?” Trevor asked.

I explained my theory about the red paint on Charlie’s fence. “It may or may not have anything to do with Rudolph going missing and Charlie being hit over the head. I just don’t know.”

“And what part do you think Brewer may have played in that if he does indeed own a red truck?”

I shrugged as we exited the vehicle. “I have no idea. I’m guessing, just throwing things against the wall to see what sticks.”

“So no factual evidence?”

“None.”

We trudged through the snow up to the front door. After knocking, we waited a moment, then a man answered.

Trevor smiled. “Tony Brewer?”

“Yes.” In his sixties, bald and wearing glasses, he stood just under six feet and had the heavy build of a man who had worked the land most of his life.

“I’m Deputy Trevor Hutchison. We were hoping to speak with you about the disappearance of your deer from the Tupper Farm.”

“Has Rudolph been found yet?” he asked.

Trevor shook his head. “No. We were hoping you could help us out.”

Brewer’s cheeks turned cherry red as he shook his head and swore under his breath. “Come on in. I don’t know what I can tell you to locate him, though.”

I followed Trevor into the living room where we took a seat on a brown leather couch. A woman peeked around the corner, then came fully into view. “Hi,” she greeted us. “I’m Molly.”

Trevor and I stood to shake her hand. As he reintroduced himself, once again leaving my name out of it, the woman’s gaze bopped from him to me. I couldn’t help but think she seemed a little nervous. Also in her sixties, she stood about my height with gray and black curly hair and was rail thin.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said. “Can I get you something warm to drink? I just put on a pot of coffee.”

Trevor and I declined. Any more coffee and I may levitate out of my chair.

She excused herself and scurried back to the kitchen. Trevor got down to business.

“After you won the contract for the Christmas Festival, you thought it was best for you to keep the deer at Charlie’s place, correct?”

Tony nodded. “I’m having my barn roof redone and I needed someplace to keep them. Charlies seemed perfect. Closer to Heywood, and he gave me a good price.”

“But you didn’t pay him,” I said.

Trevor shot me a glare. There may have been a better way to phrase that.