Sherlock Dom by Terry Catasus Jennings

Author:Terry Catasus Jennings
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2021-11-16T00:00:00+00:00

Dom, Steph, and Pancho were all quiet when Dr. Cabrera stopped talking. But she wasn’t finished.

“I’m very proud of my grandfather,” she said. “He was the one who pulled the town together to help the man.” She took a deep breath, as if to bring herself back to the present. “So, now, I’m ready to answer all the questions you have. I love goats. And it’s not just because I’m a vet.” She pointed to the picture in front of her. “That’s Esther’s mother. I won a blue ribbon in 4H with her when I was ten. Esther and I are related.” The vet leaned back on her cushy chair, stretched, and stomped her feet before she crossed them. “So you’re Jean Williams’s granddaughter.” Her eyes moved from Steph to Dom. “And you’re her friend from Mundytown. Welcome to tiny Tapperville.”

“Don’t forget me.” Pancho’s voice came from the phone. “I’m Pancho Sanchez, also from Mundytown.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance.” She nodded to the phone. “And now, how can I help you?”

All three asked the questions they’d written down, and Dr. Cabrera answered. By the time they left, they knew that Esther probably went with someone she knew. Goats aren’t all that crazy about strangers.

“She would have planted her feet or pawed the ground. You would have been able to see signs of a scuffle on the ground. She might have even made a ruckus,” Dr. Cabrera said. “And no, Esther wouldn’t have gone to the marsh unless someone led her there. Goats hate water.”

They learned that Esther often wandered off because Mrs. Ballou had a habit of forgetting to latch the gate.

“Albert’s much older and content to stay where he is,” Dr. Cabrera said. “I was actually trying to make time to look for Esther myself. She should have been home by now.”

“Do you think someone took Esther?”

“What I’m more afraid of is that she might find herself in Lost Town at night and get hurt.”

“Oh!” Dom agreed with the vet on one thing. Esther was in Lost Town. But she didn’t agree that Esther might have wandered there by herself. “We think that someone took Esther.” She showed Dr. Cabrera the picture of the prints on her phone after she let Pancho know what she was doing.

“Mmm. Interesting.”

“Do you know a girl named Marabella?” Dom asked the vet.

“Ah, Marabella Reed. Yes, I do. She’s the star slugger for…”

Dom didn’t let her finish the sentence. “We think Marabella’s in on the crime. We have evidence.”

“Evidence, huh?” The vet leaned in toward Dom. “I would be surprised if that were the case. Marabella’s a little gruff on the outside, but…”

“She was nasty to us,” Dom declared.

Dr. Cabrera cocked her head to one side. “Well, our Marabella might have got your goat, like people say, but that doesn’t mean she’d steal. And it doesn’t make sense. Birdie pays her well for milking Esther.” The vet scrunched her forehead. “I’d be careful. Get to know more facts before calling Marabella a thief.”

The words gave Dom a shiver.

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