Megan nodded.
“That includes us.”
Daniel smiled sadly.
“Exactly.”
That afternoon, Maya called.
“Mr. Hayes?”
“Yes?”
“We found something.”
Daniel stood.
“What?”
“The red tape.”
“What about it?”
“The laboratory found traces of another material on the adhesive.”
Daniel's heart began beating faster.
“What material?”
“An industrial disinfectant.”
“Where is that used?”
“Animal facilities.”
Daniel remembered Linda's garage.
Three dogs.
Five feed buckets.
A refrigerator.
Plastic containers.
A labeling system.
And constant traffic.
“Do you think Linda is boarding animals?”
“We're looking into it.”
Then Maya added:
“There is something else.”
“What?”
“One of the dogs Linda claimed belonged to a friend doesn't.”
Daniel frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“The owner reported the dog missing two days ago.”
Daniel felt a chill.
“Where is the dog now?”
“We don't know.”
That evening, detectives searched public records.
They discovered complaints against Linda from three different neighborhoods.
Dogs had repeatedly been left at her home.
Some owners claimed she was providing temporary care.
Others claimed she was charging money.
But none of that proved poisoning.
None of it connected her to Cooper.
Then Eric found something else.
Linda had recently filed a complaint against Daniel.
The complaint stated that Daniel had threatened to harm her animals.
Daniel stared at the document.
“I never said that.”
“That's what she reported.”
“When?”
“Three weeks ago.”
Daniel remembered their argument.
Linda's dogs had barked all night.
He had gone to her door.
He had said:
“If this keeps happening, I'm going to report it.”
That's all.
But the written complaint had changed the wording.
Eric pointed to one sentence.
“She claims you said, ‘One day those dogs are going to disappear.’”
Daniel shook his head.
“I never said that.”
“Do you have witnesses?”
“Megan.”
Megan nodded.
“I was there.”
Eric wrote it down.
Then he asked:
“Did Linda record the conversation?”
“I don't know.”
Maya looked up.
“Wait.”
Everyone turned.
“What?”
“The animal transport company.”
She pulled up a file.
“Remember the SUV?”
“Yes.”
“It belongs to a company called SafePaws Transport.”
Daniel frowned.
“What does that have to do with Linda?”
Maya pointed to the address.
“It's registered to the same street as her sister.”
Daniel leaned forward.
“Her sister?”
“Different house.”
“What's her name?”
Maya looked at the paperwork.
“Carol Mercer.”
Daniel felt uneasy.
Linda had never mentioned a sister.
That night, Cooper finally opened his eyes properly.
Daniel sat beside him.
“Hey, old man.”
Cooper's tail moved.
Daniel smiled.
“You're not allowed to leave yet.”
The veterinarian smiled.
“He knows you're here.”
Daniel scratched Cooper's ears.
Then he noticed something.
A small piece of red material was stuck beneath the dog's collar.
He called the veterinarian.
The material was carefully removed.
It wasn't tape.
It was part of a plastic identification band.
And printed on it was a partial word:
SAFE...
Daniel stared.
Maya was called.
So was Eric.
The evidence was bagged.
At first, everyone thought it might connect Cooper to the animal transport company.
But there was another possibility.
Someone had brought something into Daniel's yard.
Something associated with animal handling.
And they had left behind a trace.
The police obtained a warrant to search Linda's garage.
Daniel wasn't present.
Neither was Megan.
Maya and Eric conducted the search with another officer.
Inside, they found twelve feed buckets.
Six had red tape.
Three had blue tape.
Two had yellow tape.
One had no label.
They also found plastic food containers identical to the one Linda had shown Maya.
Then they found a notebook.
Names.
Dates.
Amounts.
Dog breeds.
Special diets.
Medication instructions.
Daniel's name wasn't there.
Cooper's name wasn't there.
But another name appeared repeatedly.
SafePaws.
Eric photographed every page.
The next discovery was more disturbing.
Behind the small refrigerator was a locked cabinet.
Inside were pest-control products.
Some were legal.
Some were industrial-strength.
One container was open.
The laboratory later found traces of the same chemical on the meat recovered from Daniel's bucket.
That changed everything.
But Linda still denied poisoning Cooper.
“I didn't do it,” she said.
Eric sat across from her.
“Then explain the chemical.”
“I use it for pests.”
“Why was it open?”
“I don't know.”
“Why was the same substance found on meat placed in Daniel Hayes's bucket?”
“I don't know.”
“Why does your garage contain animal feed records?”
“Because I help people with dogs.”
“Why do you use red tape?”
“To organize things.”
“Why did you accuse Daniel before anyone knew what was in the bucket?”
Linda stopped.
Eric leaned back.
“I asked you a question.”
“I saw the dog.”
“You couldn't see the dog clearly from your yard.”
Linda said nothing.
“You entered Daniel's property.”
“The gate was open.”
“You carried a container.”
“I found it.”
“You didn't call emergency services.”
“I was frightened.”
“But you accused Daniel.”
Linda's face hardened.
“He hated my dogs.”
Eric looked at the file.
“That's your reason?”
“He complained about them.”
“Did he ever threaten you?”
“No.”
“Did he threaten your dogs?”
Linda hesitated.
“No.”
“Then why did you tell officers that he did?”
Linda stood.
“I want a lawyer.”
Eric nodded.
“That is your right.”
The search continued.
Near the garage door, Maya found a roll of bright red tape.