Page 19 of More than a Memory
She made a left turn, slowing as the road went from pavement to gravel. Most of the houses sat back from the road and were encircled by large trees. She took several more turns until she was looking at the panoramic lake view and lake-front properties. They were spaced far apart, and many looked to be newer builds, with a few old-style camps remaining, remnants of a bygone era. She felt nostalgic for those simpler times. Before her parents had died, they had spent many family vacations at the lake in cabins just like these. She drove to the end of the lane ending in a cul-de-sac where the Wades’ property sat. It was landscaped with privacy in mind; shrubs and trees surrounding the house with the back facing the lake.
She pulled up and parked, taking Mac with her. Before knocking, she took some time to snoop around a little, looking for signs of inhabitants. There were fresh tires marks in the drive as well as footprints in the mud around the parking area. From the back deck, she peered in the windows and could see dirty dishes in the sink but no sign of anyone. It looked like there were some toys scattered on the floor in the living room but no other signs of occupancy. She was pretty sure whoever had been there had cleared out.
Banking on those odds, she let Mac off the leash to run a little while she snooped further. She crawled up onto a firewood pile to look in a back bedroom but really couldn’t make out anything but a set of bunk beds. She was disappointed that the blinds were drawn on the remaining windows, preventing her from any further observation. Bummer, she thought. She would guess she had not missed them by much.
She called out to Mac and he came running. They loaded up and headed for home. Not a complete bust, since she was sure that Jared had been there. She decided to stake out the entrance leading into this development for a bit before leaving, just in case he returned, but she didn’t have much hope that was going to happen.
About a half hour later, as she was deciding to call it a day, her phone rang and it was Jessica. She was crying and, at first, Darcy was having trouble understanding her.
“Slow down, Jessica. What’s wrong? Are you OK?”
“They’re back,” Jessica wailed. “Thank God! He just dropped them off and acted like nothing had happened!”
“You must call your lawyer immediately and set up a time with her, if you haven’t already,” Darcy said.
“Do you really think I need to do that now?” Jessica asked.
“Yes, absolutely. What’s stopping him from trying this again?”
“I hear what you are saying, but I doubt that he will. I think it was a one-time thing, but I will call my attorney tomorrow, if you think I still should. He apologized and said that, since it was his birthday, and he wanted to spend it with the kids,” she promised.
“I’m pretty sure he knew in advance what day his birthday fell on. There’s no excuse for not getting permission ahead of time and for scaring you to death! If you don’t deal with this now, you will be terrified every time he picks them up for visitation or is late bringing them back. Did the kids seem traumatized in any way?” Darcy asked.
“No, not really. They are a little more clingy than usual, but other than that I think I’m the one worse for the wear,” Jessica said.
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“Yes, Darcy, thanks for everything. You’re not only great at your job, but you’re great at giving emotional support as well. Maybe you should consider becoming a therapist, much less dangerous,” she advised.
“Keep in touch and let me know if you need me. I’ll mail you your invoice after I prepare it.”
Signing off, Darcy felt unsettled because what should be the end of the story had no closure, since he was likely to pull the same stunt again. There would probably be no repercussions for his bad behavior. Since the court system worked slowly, and was usually bogged down, she didn’t have much faith in it stepping in to put Jared in his place. Jared’s mother was more of a problem than a solution, so she feared Jessica was going to have many more similar chapters to this book. Darcy just had to let it go for now and hope for the best.
10
“Now, Millie, I’ve got to tell you that Cluck might not pull through. If she does, it’s going to be a long recovery,” Sam said as he tended to his client’s chicken, who had been attacked by a racoon while roosting in the coop the night before. Millie had found her ravaged body when she went to let the chickens out that morning.
Crying, Millie said miserably, “Oh I just feel terrible about this. I’ve tried to critter-proof the coop, but I’ve obviously failed.”
“Well, I know an old farmer’s trick that I’ve used for years, and it seems to have worked for me, and that is to put a radio out in the coop and keep it on at a low volume all night. It tricks those critters into thinking a human is inside and scares them away. Well worth the small investment. Also, make sure you keep your feed out of the coop at night. It attracts the racoons in the first place. One more suggestion is to reinforce your wire mesh, but don’t use chicken wire; use welded wire, because they can tear right through chicken wire,” Sam said.
“Thank you! I will start on all that today.”
“The next 36 hours will be critical. You’ll have to bring Cluck inside while she’s healing. Do you have a basement or a breezeway you can set up as her infirmary?” he asked.
“Yes, I had already thought of that. I think the back porch will work perfectly. It’s heated and she’ll be safe from predators. I have a large crate I can put her in. I know the other chickens are going to miss her. Especially Matilda.”
“Hopefully, she will heal and be back with the brood in no time. Let’s move her there now. I’ll help you set it up,” Sam offered.
“Oh, Dr. Parker, you don’t have to do that.”
“I insist.”
He had Cluck wrapped in a towel and cradled in his arms as he made his way toward her back porch.
“I’ve given her an injection of antibiotics and a mild sedative. You will need to continue adding antibiotic to her feed and dressing her wounds after application of the ointment I’m leaving with you. Hopefully, she will pull through with your TLC,” he said reassuringly.
“Thank you, Dr. Parker. I mean Sam,” she smiled through her tears. “My chickens are like family, and I feel terrible that one of them got hurt.”