Death is Lager than Life (The Possumwood Mysteries Book 10) by Dey Holly

Author:Dey, Holly [Dey, Holly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Mare Books
Published: 2022-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

“Hazel?” PC called , not really expecting a reply.

The detective trotted out to help the downed goat. She hurried around the donkeys, giving Guinevere a tickle on her muzzle as she passed.

Hazel lay on her side, one hind foot and one horn tangled in the strings of a mylar balloon bouquet that had gradually given up its helium and drifted onto the ground. She was breathing, but sweaty and shaking. The grass was torn up in long gouges where the goat had raked the earth with sharp hooves in the struggle to free herself.

PC stroked her head. “It’s okay, girl. I’m gonna get you out of this.”

She ran to the feed room, found the kitchen shears she kept there, and hurried back to Hazel. It only took a few snips to free the goat, who lay flat, exhausted from her fight.

PC called the vet. Dr. Logan would be out soon—he said he’d divert from a vaccination call and see Hazel first.

The detective sat on the ground, cradling the goat’s head in her lap, until the doctor and his assistant appeared at the back gate. Cordite belatedly raised the alarm, and PC gently laid Hazel’s head on the ground before she rose and scooped the dog up in her arms.

As PC told him what had happened, the veterinarian got out his stethoscope and listened to Hazel’s chest, while his tech took her temperature.

“This healed really well.” Dr. Logan ran his hand along Hazel’s empty shoulder where a leg once extended. “She’s a tough girl. I think she’ll be fine. Might be stiff and sore for a few days, though.”

PC’s eyes lingered on the goat’s smooth chest. “How did she lose her leg?”

“It was what, six years ago, April?”

“Sounds right,” the tech answered.

“Hazel was half-grown, just doing what goats do out in the pasture, when she got bitten by a copperhead. Mrs. Donovan and the farmer brought her in. The farmer was gonna have Hazel euthanized, but Mrs. Donovan said she’d pay for the treatment. It was touch and go. I didn’t think Hazel was going to make it. We couldn’t save the leg, but miraculously, she survived.”

Rose came out the back door and walked across to the wooden fence. She paled when she saw Hazel flat on the ground.

“What happened?” Her voice cracked.

PC gestured toward the pile of spent balloons. “She got tangled up.”

Dr. Logan walked toward Rose. “She doesn’t seem to be injured, just very stressed. I’m going to give her a shot of B-complex. You can spike her water with molasses to encourage her to drink. I think she’ll probably be okay but keep an eye on her. If her temperature becomes elevated, call me ASAP.”

Rose covered her mouth with her hand, and she nodded. Tears welled up in her eyes. PC moved to the fence and set the dog down on the other side of the gate before putting an arm around her mother’s shoulders. Cordite sat on Rose’s feet.

“It’s okay, Mama. Dr. Logan was telling me what a fighter baby Hazel was when she lost her leg.

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