litter registrations with medical records from a vet to back them up. He found some male dogs that fit the breeding standards closely enough to pass and bingo, he had another generation bringing in stud fees, and he most likely paid little or nothing for the dogs to begin with.”
“And he got them from breeders?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Drew said. “There are ethical and unethical breeders, just like in any profession. There’s a lot of money and prestige at stake, and not everyone plays by the rules. He may have stolen some of the dogs, or got them from shelters or puppy mills.”
“Why didn’t the people he sold his services to figure out his scam when they got funny colored pups and gun shy bird dogs?”
“My guess is he stayed clear of professionals, and preyed on backyard breeders inexperienced enough to be fooled.”
“So with Owen gone, Theo needed a new vet to sign off on the paperwork.”
“He may have had paperwork stockpiled with Owen’s signature, or he may have been forging Owen’s name since he died. Either way, using a dead vet’s name was bound to catch up with him, especially if he sold his services anywhere locally. People do call and check out these dogs. They’re spending a lot of money, and if they want to know about temperament and health, the vet can give them that information. The reason he came to my office yesterday, besides looking for the black lab, was to demand I provide my signature to the scam.”
“And you told him no,” Scott said.
“Not only did I tell him no, I threatened to go to the police–you,” Drew said.
“I assume he wasn’t pleased with your answer,” Scott said, imagining Theo blowing a gasket.
“Well, first he fired me as his vet,” Drew said. “Then he said I ought to sleep with one eye open, because I was living in a fire trap. And he would know, being the slumlord.”
“Did you know the house next door burned down after the owner refused to sell it to Theo?” Scott asked him. “No one believed it was an accident.”
“I knew it burned down but not how,” Drew said. “Wasn’t that Maggie’s house?”
Scott nodded, tipped his chair back, and ran his hands through his hair, putting these puzzle pieces in place. Drew rose and lit the fire underneath the kettle to make more tea.
“So why didn’t you tell us all this in the station?” Scott asked him.
“Because I hadn’t come to you to report Theo’s breeding scam. I was just bluffing when I told him I would. Not reporting a crime is a crime as well, right?”
Scott thought this over, and decided not to respond.
“Why did you say you didn’t recognize the deceased?”
“Because I didn’t,” Drew said. “I heard who it was over the radio in the squad car when the deputy drove me home.”
Scott mentally cursed whoever it was who gave out the information over the airwaves while they had a suspect in the car. The kettle began to whistle and Drew offered Scott more tea, but he declined. Drew sat back down at the table with his own mug refilled.
Duke flicked his tail over the edge of the large bowl, turned over on his back, and then curled around in the opposite direction. Drew reached out to rub the big cat’s head as Scott had done but drew it back when Duke made a low, ominous sound in his throat.
“So Theo had this fight with you, fired you, and then waited until early this morning to come to the clinic to do what?” Scott said. “Wreck the place? Burn it down?”
“Hannah said he was out to her place looking for the dog. I think he came to the clinic to steal the dog before I could neuter him. Other than the white star on his chest, the dog meets all the breed standards. He could steal the dog, dye the star black, give him new papers, and claim it was his purebred black lab. Wrecking or burning down the clinic afterwards was probably also his plan, just to get back at me.”
“But you would have known the dog was the same one, wouldn’t you? You would
“And he got them from breeders?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Drew said. “There are ethical and unethical breeders, just like in any profession. There’s a lot of money and prestige at stake, and not everyone plays by the rules. He may have stolen some of the dogs, or got them from shelters or puppy mills.”
“Why didn’t the people he sold his services to figure out his scam when they got funny colored pups and gun shy bird dogs?”
“My guess is he stayed clear of professionals, and preyed on backyard breeders inexperienced enough to be fooled.”
“So with Owen gone, Theo needed a new vet to sign off on the paperwork.”
“He may have had paperwork stockpiled with Owen’s signature, or he may have been forging Owen’s name since he died. Either way, using a dead vet’s name was bound to catch up with him, especially if he sold his services anywhere locally. People do call and check out these dogs. They’re spending a lot of money, and if they want to know about temperament and health, the vet can give them that information. The reason he came to my office yesterday, besides looking for the black lab, was to demand I provide my signature to the scam.”
“And you told him no,” Scott said.
“Not only did I tell him no, I threatened to go to the police–you,” Drew said.
“I assume he wasn’t pleased with your answer,” Scott said, imagining Theo blowing a gasket.
“Well, first he fired me as his vet,” Drew said. “Then he said I ought to sleep with one eye open, because I was living in a fire trap. And he would know, being the slumlord.”
“Did you know the house next door burned down after the owner refused to sell it to Theo?” Scott asked him. “No one believed it was an accident.”
“I knew it burned down but not how,” Drew said. “Wasn’t that Maggie’s house?”
Scott nodded, tipped his chair back, and ran his hands through his hair, putting these puzzle pieces in place. Drew rose and lit the fire underneath the kettle to make more tea.
“So why didn’t you tell us all this in the station?” Scott asked him.
“Because I hadn’t come to you to report Theo’s breeding scam. I was just bluffing when I told him I would. Not reporting a crime is a crime as well, right?”
Scott thought this over, and decided not to respond.
“Why did you say you didn’t recognize the deceased?”
“Because I didn’t,” Drew said. “I heard who it was over the radio in the squad car when the deputy drove me home.”
Scott mentally cursed whoever it was who gave out the information over the airwaves while they had a suspect in the car. The kettle began to whistle and Drew offered Scott more tea, but he declined. Drew sat back down at the table with his own mug refilled.
Duke flicked his tail over the edge of the large bowl, turned over on his back, and then curled around in the opposite direction. Drew reached out to rub the big cat’s head as Scott had done but drew it back when Duke made a low, ominous sound in his throat.
“So Theo had this fight with you, fired you, and then waited until early this morning to come to the clinic to do what?” Scott said. “Wreck the place? Burn it down?”
“Hannah said he was out to her place looking for the dog. I think he came to the clinic to steal the dog before I could neuter him. Other than the white star on his chest, the dog meets all the breed standards. He could steal the dog, dye the star black, give him new papers, and claim it was his purebred black lab. Wrecking or burning down the clinic afterwards was probably also his plan, just to get back at me.”
“But you would have known the dog was the same one, wouldn’t you? You would
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