The Silence of the Llamas Read online

  “We haven’t put in any claims. We have a high deductible, and the damage was either minimal or hard to estimate. It didn’t seem worth it,” Ben explained. He sighed. “I would have reported it, maybe not at first, but after a few. But . . . well, it upsets Ellie. She doesn’t want the bad publicity.”

  “Not just that,” Ellie piped up. “We’re the newcomers. The outsiders. Most of the other farmers were raised in this community. Some are even living on the farms where they grew up and where their parents grew up. Say we go to the police and report these events—which, up until today, have been mostly just annoying. The police will go from farm to farm, bothering all our neighbors. They might think we were accusing them,” she pointed out. “And it will be in the newspaper. You saw how that reporter acted today. She was just salivating over the sad, negative story and hadn’t paid any attention to our grand opening.”

  Ellie sighed and sunk back against the chair. “We just want to settle in and build our business. When people hear about Laughing Llama yarns, I want them to have a positive association. Not say, ‘Oh, right, that’s the place with all the vandalism. The animal droppings in the mailbox, the llamas hit with paint balls.’ Believe me, I know how this plays out,” Ellie said emphatically. “That is not the public image or the branding we’re aiming for.”

  Lucy glanced at her friends. Personally, she would not be worried about “branding” under such circumstances, but the Kruegers did have a big stake in the success of this farm and their fledgling business. They had more or less put all of their eggs in this basket. Or, rather, all of their hand-spun yarn.

  Maggie and Dana both looked eager to say something, but Ben spoke up first.

  “We’ve talked it through a few times, and that was our reasoning for keeping the police out of it. So far,” he clarified. “I guess we have to report it now. But we do know who’s behind it. There’s no doubt in my mind. It’s Ridley. He’s off the grid and flipped his lid.”

  Lucy nearly laughed out loud at Ben’s rhyme. But she caught herself. This situation wasn’t funny at all. Actually, it sounded a little scary.

  “But why does he do it? Because he’s neurotic and paranoid?” Dana asked, puzzling out the situation with professional terms. “Is he fixated on this farm? Or on you two, for some reason?”

  “Oh, we know the reason. It’s no mystery.” Ben glanced at his wife, who pursed her lips and looked away. “Ridley wanted this property in the worst way. We bid against him. He finally gave up and we won, fair and square.” He glanced around the group, waving his wineglass. “I know his game. He’s trying to scare us off so we’ll put it up for sale and he’ll have another chance to buy it. That’s another reason I don’t want to call the police. That would be playing into his plan. He’ll think his tactics are working and we’re scared. But he’s wrong. He’s not going to chase us out of here. Nobody is. We’re not leaving. Ever.”

  Lucy glanced at her friends. The accusation seemed extreme. But could it be possible? If Justin Ridley was the troubled personality the Kruegers made him out to be, perhaps it was true.

  “Why does he want this farm? You say that he doesn’t cultivate his land or raise any livestock. What does he need it for?” Maggie sounded genuinely puzzled.

  Ellie sat up and took an apple slice with cheese. “He wants to protect it, to make sure no one builds on it. He’d probably let the whole place grow over like his land, the forest primeval. He’s an open spacer,” she added. “I’m sorry, we forgot to tell you about that part of this situation. You know about the open space laws around here, right? The laws are about to expire, and the county has voted not to renew them. So the zoning in this farm area is about to change, big time. But there’s a group around here that wants to keep the laws in place.”

  Lucy knew what open space laws were—legislation that protected rural communities, like the outlying area of Plum Harbor, from overdevelopment; from farmland suddenly transforming to shopping malls and condo communities or gated enclaves of mini-mansions.

  But she didn’t realize that the laws protecting this farming community were about to go off the books. “The laws were changed? When did that happen?”

  “Oh, it’s been fought over for years now,” Dana replied. “A real political Ping-Pong ball. But the county finally voted to let the laws expire a few months ago, and the change will take effect at the start of next year.”

  “I’ve heard something about this, too,” Maggie added. “At a meeting of small business owners. Yes, it’s been a Ping-Pong ball, and it’s about to be the NASCAR of real-estate brokers. I can practically hear them warming up their engines.”

  Dana nodded. “Good point. There will be a scramble for land out here. I’d guess a lot of people are eager to sell.”

  “Absolutely . . . and a lot that don’t want them to,” Ellie explained. “They call themselves the Friends of Farmland. They’re trying to keep the laws in place just within the town limits. Justin Ridley is their ringleader,” she told the others. “The town council is going to have a meeting about this soon. In a week or two, I think,” she added.

  “Friends of Farmland. Right. They’re no friends of mine, I’ll tell you that much.” Ben took a long sip of his wine. “When I think of those poor llamas, the way I found them in the field today . . . who would do that to defenseless creatures? What kind of person? I don’t care about their cause. That doesn’t make it right.” Ben’s voice sounded hoarse—he was getting teary-eyed. He pulled out a tissue and dabbed his eyes. “Hypocrites. How can they claim they want to save the environment . . . and hurt poor defenseless creatures? Don’t they have any heart?”

  “Honey, please. Don’t get yourself all upset again,” Ellie crooned and patted his shoulder. “He talks tough, but I married such a sensitive man. He’s just a big softy.”

  Lucy frowned. People did get passionate about issues like this. Though it was probably best to leave emotions out of such debates.

  Ellie seemed to think it was time to reel her husband in a bit, too. She waved her hand at him. “Now, Ben, I know you’re upset about the animals. But we can’t take it personally. I’m sure none of those people have anything against us. They don’t even know us. We love this farm. It was our dream to move here. I think once people get used to us, they’ll see that we’re committed to staying here. Not just dabblers.”

  “We researched this business for over a year before we even started to look for property or livestock,” Ben told the women.

  “We even lived on a farm in Ohio for two weeks taking, well, llama lessons, I guess you’d have to say,” Ellie added, finally smiling a bit.

  “The point is, we’re committed,” Ben continued. “We’re not here to just flip the property to some development group once the laws expire. That’s what Ridley thinks. I have a sound business plan, and we’re starting off slowly and carefully, trying to build a good name for our product. Ellie’s got other streams of income going to pay the bills. The little shop and her spinning classes. The apple orchard turned a nice profit this season, too. She might even do lessons online. We’ve got a nice website up and running,” he added proudly.

  “We’re not dabblers or dilettantes,” Ellie insisted. “Though I guess I understand Justin Ridley’s point of view. He thinks we’ll get bored here. Or the business will fail and we’ll sell out to developers. I’m sure he doesn’t think we’ll last until the end of the year.”

  “Has he ever said anything like that to you directly?” Dana’s tone was gentle and even curious. But Lucy could see what she was getting at, trying to sort out the facts here from the hyperbole and accusations.

  Ellie shrugged. “We’ve rarely spoken to him. We only see him once in a while. We catch sight of him walking through the woods. Or if we’re in the meadow where the llamas graze, we sometimes see him on the other side of the fence, on his land.”

  “I’ve had words with him,” Ben piped up. “He’s said some nasty things to me. Language I wouldn’t repeat to ladies. But Elli
e has the gist. We’re the city slickers and he’s Nature Boy.” Ben laughed harshly. “I work harder in one day around here than he does on his place in a month. You tell me which one of us is carrying on the great farming tradition. Which one is preserving the pristine beauty of the environment?”

  Lucy saw the conflict very starkly—the urbane Kruegers, with their fine wines and vegetable pâté, clashing with their country neighbors, born and bred in this community. One neighbor, in particular.

  “I can understand why you don’t want to stir up trouble with your new neighbors. Or give the business bad publicity. But this attack on your livestock was more than a harmless joke.” Maggie spoke in a quiet but concerned tone. “Aside from the injuries to the llamas, you may not be able to use much of the fiber on the llamas that were hit with that paint. Not until they’re sheared once or twice,” she added knowingly. “I have to confess, I don’t understand why you and Ben are so reluctant to call the police this time. Aren’t you afraid that if you don’t find the person who did this, it could happen again? Maybe something even worse?”

  “And it is a crime to harm livestock,” Dana reminded them. “You might be putting yourself at some legal risk by not reporting it.”

  Dana’s husband, Jack, was an attorney and had been part of local law enforcement for many years before going back to school to earn his law degree. Dana was savvy about legal matters and made a good point, Lucy thought. One she hadn’t even thought of.

  Ellie and Ben shared a glance. Then Ellie turned to look at Maggie. “I guess I am a little worried now. Ben and I will have to talk this over more. Weigh the pros and cons. But you’re right, Maggie. This was the worst harassment so far. Whoever is behind it really raised the bar.”

  Ben stood up and shook his head. “Whether we tell the police or not, we’re not leaving. We’re not playing into their hands, running off like scared rabbits. Ridley would love that. That’s just what he’s hoping for.”

  Lucy glanced at Ben. She didn’t know what to say. He clearly thought of his neighbor as the opponent, even the enemy, and this was a conflict only one could win. Was that a masculine characteristic, to think in terms of a win-or-lose contest?

  “What about security? Do you have any?” Dana asked.

  “We put a system in a few weeks ago. There are alarms on the corral gates and barn. And we even put up a few surveillance cameras. But with all the people here for the festival, we decided to shut the system off for the day,” Ben explained. “We usually only put it on at night anyway.”

  “But now we’ll put it on in the daytime, too, I guess.” Ellie shook her head. “We moved out of the city to get away from all that. I had some starry-eyed fantasy that we wouldn’t even worry about locking doors anymore . . . poof! There goes that one.” She laughed, trying to make a joke of it, but Lucy sensed she was sincerely disappointed.

  Lucy imagined that the Kruegers had arrived with quite a few fantasies about country living. And that many had gone up with the same “poof” by now.

  Lucy liked the Kruegers and definitely felt sympathetic about their travails here. But from what she’d heard, they had no real proof that their neighbor Justin Ridley was behind the harassment. She didn’t approve of hunting and the thought of guns made her shiver, but just because he knew how to use a gun didn’t mean he’d shot the llamas. The court system still operated on an “innocent until proven guilty” theory, didn’t it?

  She wondered what her friends thought and could hardly wait for the car ride home to exchange impressions.

  Ben was yanking the cork out of another bottle of wine. “May I refill anyone’s glass? This is a terrific cabernet.”

  “None for me, thanks. I’m driving.” Maggie smiled and gently moved her glass beyond his reach. Lucy could see that she’d only taken a sip or two of the first glass he’d poured for her.

  When the others declined, as well, Ben filled his own glass again and sat down.

  “Would you like to stay for dinner?” Ellie offered. “I’m sure I can toss something together.”

  Lucy sensed that Ellie was still upset and appreciated their company. She didn’t have any need to get home but didn’t know about the others.

  “Thank you, but I think we have to get going,” Maggie answered.

  Dana nodded in agreement. “I’d love to stay and visit longer, Ellie. But I’m meeting Jack for dinner in town at seven. I’ll have just enough time to get there,” she noted, glancing at her watch. “Maybe the four of us can get together soon. I’ll call you, all right?”

  “Yes, please do. That would be fun.” Ellie looked a bit disappointed but forced a smile.

  “Oh, and don’t forget our meeting this week.” Maggie stood up and gathered her things. “We’ll be at the shop on Tuesday night this week. Suzanne has some sort of parents’ meeting at school on Thursday. She nearly had a fit when I hinted we might meet without her,” she added with a laugh.

  “I’ll try to make it. It would be a nice break,” Ellie replied.

  Everyone said good night to Ben, and Ellie walked them through the kitchen to the back door, which was closer to Maggie’s car—though not by much, Lucy soon realized.

  The sun had just set and the air outside had grown cooler, a crisp reminder that fall was moving in. Ellie stood at the back door in a yellow patch of light, hugging a sweater around her shoulders with one hand and waving with the other.

  “Thanks again for all your help. See you soon,” she called out.

  Lucy and her friends waved back, their footsteps crunching over the gravel path as they headed in the direction of the field where the cars had been parked during the fair.

  “I should have brought the car around to the house, that was dumb of me,” Maggie scolded herself. “It’s still out in that field, where they had everyone park. Now we have a walk ahead of us.”

  “Oh, it’s not that far.” Dana took the lead with a springy step. “I could use some fresh air. I only had a glass of wine, but it was on an empty stomach.”

  Lucy felt the same, though she had enjoyed a few bites of apple and cheese.

  “This cool air will clear your head,” Maggie said. “It’s a beautiful night. Very quiet out here. I can see why they like it so much.”

  “It is very quiet. And the landscape is lovely, day or night,” Dana observed.

  Lucy thought that was true. She understood the pull of this place. It really was beautiful and unspoiled.

  As they walked along the dirt road that led across the property, she felt the darkness and quiet surround them. The night sky was velvety blue, dotted with tiny points of light—many more stars than were visible back in the village. The sky stretched in a wide, sheltering arc above the open farmland, the orchard and rutted fields, and clusters of trees on the other side of the meadow. Distracted by the view, Lucy stumbled and caught herself by clinging to Maggie’s sweater.

  “Sorry, I tripped on a root or something.”

  “That’s all right. It is dark out here. I wish we had a flashlight. I keep one in my knitting bag. I know that sounds odd, but it comes in handy. Too bad I left it in my car,” Maggie murmured.

  Lucy glanced at her. “At least the moon is out. That helps.”

  “An autumn moon, too,” Dana added. “Though it’s not quite full.”

  The moon was bright, though veiled by wispy clouds and not all that much help once they walked beyond the light of the outdoor lamps around the farmhouse. They continued on, a bit slower, careful of their footing on the rough dirt road. All Lucy could hear were their footsteps and the rustle of the tall treetops in the breeze.

  Suddenly, a long, full-throated howl broke the silence.

  Maggie stopped and turned her head toward the sound. “Good heavens, what was that? Sounds like a wolf . . . or at least a coyote.”

  “It’s a hunting dog,” Lucy replied calmly.

  “Even I knew that. And I’m a cat person,” Dana agreed.

  They heard the sound again, this time a duet an
d even louder. “Whatever it is, it’s coming closer . . . and there are two of them.” Despite Lucy’s explanation, Maggie still sounded alarmed.

  “Maybe it’s a two-headed dog, like the one in the Greek myth, that guards the gates of hell?” Dana was trying to make a joke, Lucy guessed, but the image, along with the howling, was unnerving.

  And she was not entirely correct. “That dog has three heads, Dana. Not that I want to get picky or anything,” Lucy replied.

  “Let’s hope it’s not a dog at all, then. Maybe it’s just that neighbor from hell, out for his nocturnal stroll,” Maggie suggested softly.

  “Sounds about right, from what we’ve heard so far,” Lucy countered.

  Maggie turned her head. She was carrying a bag of yarn and clutched it to her chest. “Very funny, ladies. I hope we’re still laughing a few minutes from now. I think it’s almost here . . .”

  The howling did sound very close now and suddenly broke into a frenzy of barking and even a few snarls. Then they heard the sound of something crashing through a nearby stand of trees and brush.

  Maggie and Dana, who were in the lead, suddenly stopped in their tracks and Lucy bumped right into them.

  They were far enough from the farmhouse so that their voices—even a loud shout—would not be heard. But not close enough to Maggie’s car to break out into a run.

  In fact, they couldn’t even see the car, Lucy realized. They were now walking past a patch of woods. Lucy didn’t remember passing trees, but she had been distracted when they arrived and everything looked so different now.

  Maggie’s car is back there somewhere, Lucy reminded herself. It has to be.

  “Come on, ladies. What are we scared of?” Dana turned, looking at Maggie and Lucy. “We’re all acting so silly. They’re just dogs. Out for some air and exercise. Doesn’t everyone let their dogs out at night?”

  Before Lucy could answer, she heard a sound and turned to see a figure emerge from the nearby stand of trees. All Lucy could make out was a khaki-green barn coat and baseball cap. She stopped again and so did her friends.