Once we arrived at Tony’s house, we slipped out into the bitter cold again and hurried up to the front door. Molly Brewer answered wearing a thick yellow robe and matching slippers. She radiated warmth, and it only soured my mood further as I stood shivering.
“Is Tony around?” Trevor asked.
“It’s a bit late for a visit, isn’t it?” Molly said. “We’re getting ready for bed. Maybe you can come by tomorrow.”
“Nope.” I swung open the screen door. “We’re coming in tonight, Molly. I’m cold and tired and not in the mood for arguing.”
To my surprise, she stepped aside, but not without first giving me a hard glare.
“Tony!” she yelled. “The cops are back.”
After she shut the door, we followed her into the living room. Trevor and I sat where we had before.
“What’s this about?” Tony asked as he came down the hallway, his hands fisted at his sides.
Trevor cleared his throat before speaking. “Well, Mr. Brewer, I was—”
“I have a theory,” I interrupted. “And I’d like you and Molly to listen to it.”
His brow furrowed in confusion. “Theory about what?”
I smiled, happy to have his attention. “Here’s what I think happened. First, you put in a bid to provide the deer for the Christmas Festival, and you won, although I’m not sure why since Doug Miller bid lower than you.”
“Well, I know one of the organizers,” Molly said. “She gave the bid to us because of my friendship with her.”
I nodded, pleased that there was only a little corruption in the Heywood City Hall—well, that I knew of, anyway.
“That answers that question,” I said. “But here’s the thing, Tony. You said you were having your barn worked on, but you aren’t. We drove by it and not one shingle has been replaced.”
“I told you, I need to get some money together,” he replied. “I have a bid from the roofer in Sedona. He’s ready to go when I give him the deposit.”
“Why would you want to pay Charlie to keep the deer if you don’t have any money to pay the roofer or Charlie?”
Molly’s brow furrowed in confusion while Tony paled.
“I think your plan all along was to place the deer, steal one, and blame Charlie. Maybe even try to double dip on the insurance claims. That would be a nice start to getting your roof repaired, right?”
“Are you accusing me of stealing my own deer from Charlie’s barn?” he asked incredulously, as if I’d lost my mind. A bit of doubt crept into the pit of my stomach. What if I’d been wrong about everything?
But I ignored his question. “What color truck do you drive?”
“It’s red,” Molly replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “What is all this about?”
“The night you took Rudolph, it was snowing,” I said. “It got a little slippery on the road out to Charlie’s place, didn’t it? That’s why there’s a red streak of paint on his fence.”
“What’s she talking about, Tony?” Molly asked. “You told me the truck was in the shop.”
I bit my tongue to keep from blurting that I’d just seen it in the barn.
Trevor’s phone rang, and we all turned to him as he answered, “Yes, Sheriff?”
For about thirty seconds, he listened while staring at the floor. Finally, he said, “Yes, ma’am. Thanks.”
After hanging up and shoving the phone in his pocket, he met my gaze for a moment, then smiled. “Tony, I have a warrant to search your barn. You and Mrs. Brewer are to stay here in the house, unless you want to accompany me.”
Now Molly paled. “The barn? There’s nothing in the barn! That’s what you said, Tony!”
As his face turned the color of cherries, his shoulders sagged. “She’s right.” He pointed at me. “Everything this one said is right. I thought I’d be able to put an insurance claim if one of the deer went missing. Loss of income, theft, etcetera.”
“Tony Brewer!” Molly scolded. “What in the world?”
“Am I going to find Rudolph in the barn?” Trevor asked.
Tony stared at his feet. “Yes. Along with the truck.”
I smiled when a car pulled into the driveway. Another deputy had arrived to help Trevor. When he glanced at me, he was also grinning.
“Good job, partner,” he said.
I sat down on the couch, making a mental note to give Daisy a special treat when I got home.
We’d gotten the mystery solved before Christmas. And I couldn’t have done it without my talking dog.
Epilogue
Christmas Eve
Dinner was a success. Even though Trevor had thrown my brother, Vic, in jail a few times, the two got along well. My father laughed and drank right along with them. In his eighties, he’d once been a formidable man who’d scared me at times while growing up, but age had eaten away at his girth. His mind was still sharp, though.
