(Excerpt From Murder at Dawn)
Hungry Black Bears
In this Murder at Dawn excerpt, Patrol Officer Krista Jackson responds to a bear disturbance call.
Chapter 22
Krista’s radio sparked to life. Good grief. It was another bear call. On Blackrock Circle. Krista reported that she was on the way.
Five minutes later, she pulled into the gravel driveway of a shaded home and witnessed a catastrophe in the making. A woman in her late thirties stood beside her Toyota Highlander and shook her fist at the home’s porch. Next to the woman, a young boy—about twelve—held a rock the size of a walnut. The covered porch extended across the home’s front side. Upscale patio furniture on the porch exuded a sense of style and wealth. But the intended charm was lost on the large black bear and two cubs, who were more interested in what appeared to be a home delivery of several boxes.
Krista jumped out of her squad car and hustled toward the danger. Inside the house, a large dog stood with his paws on a window and barked constantly.
“Get off my porch!” said the woman.
The boy threw the rock. Fortunately, his aim was poor, and the rock bounced off the roof and fell harmlessly to the ground. The boy bent to grab another rock.
“Don’t do that,” said Krista.
The sight of Krista’s uniform chastened the boy, and he stood silently to one side.
“Thank god you’re here,” said the woman. “Shoo those bears away.”
“Ma’am, please ask your son to wait in the SUV. It would be best if you did too.”
“Spencer,” the woman commanded, “get in the Highlander.” The boy backpedaled slowly to the SUV’s door but stayed outside.
On the porch, the mother bear—whose nose was buried in a large box—ignored the humans. The bear ate hungrily and messily. One of the cubs slurped castoffs from their mother’s gorging. The second cub pawed determinedly at a smaller package to one side. The second cub successfully penetrated the second package’s wrapping, stuck its face inside the box, and thereby attracted its sibling’s attention.
“Ma’am,” said Krista, “what’s in those packages?”
“It’s a dog food delivery.” The woman stood a little over five feet tall and had brown hair and a petite figure. She pointed at the bears. “Go ahead, get them off my porch.”
“I’m afraid there is not much we can do at this point.”
The woman dipped her head toward Krista’s holstered pistol. “Shoot them.”
“No,” said Krista, calmly but firmly. “We do not shoot bears.”
“Well, then, fire your gun in the air. Scare them away.”
Perhaps a gentle reminder, thought Krista.
“There are plenty of warnings against leaving food outside. I’m sure you’ve seen them.”
A black BMW sports car pulled into the driveway, and a man dressed in workout attire got out. He strolled toward Krista and the woman. His expression portrayed amusement.
“What have we got here?”
“Ajay,” said the woman, “bears are eating our Chewy delivery.”
Ajay laughed. “I swear. I leave to work out, and all hell breaks loose.”
Krista was tempted to laugh as well but restrained herself.
Up on the porch, the mother bear tired of the first package and swiped her paw at another, ripping off its side. This new package must have given off a delightful aroma, for all three bears hurried to consume its contents. Inside, the dog, which Krista guessed might be a boxer or a pit bull, commenced barking even louder.
“Ajay,” the woman cried, “do something!” Then she waved a hand dismissively at Krista. “She refuses to shoot them.”
Ajay raised his eyebrows, approached Krista, and said, “I’m sorry. Sadie tends to get overexcited in situations like this.”
“No problem. The bears will go away quietly in a little while.”
“Excited?” said Sadie, storming toward Ajay. “I’ll give you excited. You were supposed to be here in time for the delivery.”
Ajay lifted his hands. “I ran into a prospective client and gave him a pitch. What did you want me to do?”
Sadie put her hands on her hips and pulled her shoulders back. Krista feared that a standard bear call—which she had handled without incident in the past—now threatened to escalate into a full-blown domestic dispute.
“That’s a two-hundred-dollar delivery,” Sadie said in a threatening tone. “I’m not going to pay for it out of my monthly budget because you were supposed to be here.” Sadie emphasized the point by jabbing her finger into Ajay’s chest.
Appropriately admonished, Ajay said, “That’s fair. I’ll cover it.”
Having had her fill, the mother bear now ambled quietly off the porch and around the side of the house. The two cubs stayed behind for a few seconds to scoop up remnants of the morning feast and then hurried after her.
As a closer, Sadie eyed Krista from head to toe, then said, “Thanks for nothing.”
Back in her cruiser, Krista reported her status. Then Emily called.
“Got a new assignment for you,” said Emily. “Meet Bill at the Mountain Inn front desk. He’ll fill you in.”
Thank you for reading this excerpt. For more wildlife antics and to join Bill O’Shea and his friends as they strive to solve a Wintergreen mystery, pick up your copy of Murder at Dawn.