Cold Trail (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Cold Trail - Chapter Eight

On the eight day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Eight noisy cowbells?

Seven sugar sticks?

Six soft, cuddly cows?

Five chocolate chip cookies?

Four stainless steel milk barrels?

Three days to live?

Two flutes of champagne?

And a Christmas card in a snowflake envelope?

~ * ~

The smell reached Sue's nostrils long before she saw her first cow. They'd walked into a wood and emerged on the other side, where the edge bordered the Igloo farm. A two-board fence was all that separated them from the animals.

She counted eight black and white dairy cows grazing in the shadow of a barn. While she didn't know much about operating a farm, it seemed an insufficient number of animals to maintain a decent production of milk, unless there were more animals inside. A modest house and a huge garage also occupied the acreage surrounded by plowed fields or dense woods.

Rudolph tapped her shoulder, and she looked at him. "Yes?"

"Could you stop ignoring me, and answer my question?" A pout curled up his mouth. "It's very rude, you know."

"Sorry, Rudolph, but when I get absorbed in surveillance, I tend to shut down the people around me."

"That doesn't sound real practical. What happens if someone sneaks up on you?"

That he bought her excuse amazed her. If only he'd let her call Myles or Jack. "That's why I need my partner, Rudolph. Let me call—"

"No." His body tensed, and for an instant, she feared she'd asked one too many times. "I'll be your partner. I'll pay attention to noises while you look at the farm. What are you looking at anyway?"

She had no idea. "On the card, the barrels were marked, so I'm thinking it's related to the milk. You think they milk the cows in the barn?"

"I'm sure they don't do it in the house."

"Very funny." That left the barn and the oversize garage.

Except for a green tractor equipped with a giant rake in the middle of a field, there was no other vehicle anywhere in sight. She didn't see anyone outside, and didn't glimpse anyone through the windows, which didn't mean the buildings were empty.

"Except for the cows, I don't hear anything. What about you, Rudolph?"

"You can hear the cows?" Admiration shone in his eyes. "I hear the bells around their necks, but the cows barely make a peep."

Make a peep? She wondered if she read him right, only to realize it didn't make any difference what sound a cow made. "So we agree? No upcoming vehicle or motor engine?"

"No. Just the wind...and the bells."

Somehow she didn't trust his ears any more than she trusted hers. "You follow me, and if you hear anything you tell me right away, okay?"

"I'm the ears, you're the brain. Got it." He took a step and paused. "Where are we going again?"

Oh brother...why did she accept Myles' invitation again? "The barn, Rudolph. We're going to look inside the barn."

~ * ~

"Not too shabby," Bobby muttered as they entered the small town restaurant.

Jack agreed. He'd shared breakfast with Sue in worse places over the years. Hopefully a staff member would remember who used Sue's credit card to pay for two breakfasts, and left a hefty tip.