“And what about Shane’s mother?” asked Jamison.
“Katherine McClellan died a while back. Cancer. She and Shane were really close. A lot closer than he and his old man. After that, it was just Shane and his father. Not the best of situations. Katherine acted as a buffer between the two. After she was gone, well, it wasn’t pretty.”
“Sounds complicated,” said Jamison.
Kelly nodded. “It is.”
“I take it you and Shane are friends. You’re close to the same age.”
“We all went to high school together. Caroline too. Yeah, we were all good friends. Pretty much inseparable.”
“Getting back to the case, Hal Parker was hired by Hugh Dawson,” said Decker. “To hunt down a wolf?”
“Yep.”
“Wolves are a problem around here?”
“They certainly can be. Them and wild dogs. Coyotes, mountain lions. They can devastate a herd.”
“What else can you tell us about Hugh Dawson?” asked Decker. “You said he was big and gregarious but could take your head off if need be.”
“That’s pretty much all you need to know about the man. I’ll leave it to you to form your own impression when you meet him.”
“And you said his wife died in an accident?” said Jamison.
Kelly nodded. “It was really tragic. The worst sort of accident, because it was like a perfect storm of connected events. Maddie Dawson was caught in her car in a blizzard and died from carbon monoxide poisoning.” Kelly shook his head. “Fortunately, she probably would have gone unconscious before she knew what was happening. Still a helluva way to go.”
“Yeah,” said Decker. “But a lot better than what happened to Irene Cramer.”
“IT LOOKS LIKEthe house on the TV showDallas, only twice the size.”
Jamison made this comment as she drove them up a long cobblestone driveway that was bracketed by two rows of large trees with full, leafy canopies.
“Where does Stuart McClellan live?” asked Decker.
“He has an apartment in a building in downtown London.”
“An apartment?” said Jamison. “Isn’t he richer than Dawson?”
“He’s been through so many booms and busts that I think he now hedges his bets.”
“And his son?”
“Shane has a little farmhouse and some land on the western edge of the county. Bought the place right after he came back.”
“Came back from where?” asked Jamison.
“Fighting overseas. He was in the army. Joined up right after he graduated from high school. He likes it simple. Hunts during the season, drinks his beer, works for his old man, gets yelled at for not doing it well enough, and tries to enjoy life. It’s no secret the father doesn’t think the son is up to taking over his fracking operations.”
“And what do you think?” said Jamison.
“Shane’s no dummy and he works hard. We’ve hunted together a lot. He’s sharp, methodical, and knowledgeable about stuff he cares about. He just doesn’t care for business. It’s not how he’s wired.”
They parked in front of the house and got out. Kelly led the way up the steps to the double front door.
“So what will it be for us?” asked Decker. “Gregarious, or do we get a knife in the back?”
“All depends on what and how you ask him, I guess.”