Nola’s specialty was with large animals. Pets, or rather pet owners, were not her strong suit according to the partners.
Nola rang the clinic and spoke before Becky, the receptionist, could say hello.
“I’ve got someone coming in with his horse. He’ll be there in ten. Twisted bowel. Dr. Rasmussen should be ready to scrub in.”
“Got it,” Becky said. “Don’t hang up. I need to talk to you. There was a police officer here looking for you,” she said, her voice just above a whisper and laced with a what have you done now tone. “I’ll be right back.” Muzak filled Nola’s ear.
Nola knew what this was about. She’d heard two women talking at the convenience store this morning while in line to pay for her coffee. They were scraping away at their scratch-off lottery tickets while they talked, unaware that she was standing right behind them. “I heard they found that Knox girl’s shoe,” said June, a woman Nola knew from the vet clinic. She lived on a farm outside of town and raised goats. “In the cave where she was murdered.”
Nola didn’t recognize the other woman, but she nodded knowingly. “Really? You know, I always thought the sister killed her. She’s one strange bird.”
June paused in her scratching. “My bet is on the boyfriend,” she said and brushed away the silver dust from her ticket with a flick of her fingers. “It’s always the boyfriend.”
“Naw, it’s the sister. My son went to school with her. Said she had a nasty temper, stabbed a kid once.”
“Really?” June asked and then caught sight of Nola standing behind them. Nola gave them a tight smile but didn’t say anything. They scooted away with their scratch-offs held tightly in their fists.
So it was no surprise to Nola that the police were looking for her. Nola waited for Becky to come back on the line and passed the time by scraping horse shit from the bottom of her boots across the scorched grass. “Like I said, the police were here,” Becky said when she returned. “I said you were at the Niering place. What’s going on?”
“Are they coming here?” Nola asked. “Seriously? I have to get over to Goose Lake to see about a bull.” She opened the truck door, tossed her bag on the seat and climbed inside. “Couldn’t you have just taken a message?” Nola asked, starting the truck and pulling onto the road.
“It’s the police,” Becky said defensively. “What would you have done?”
“I would have taken a message.” Nola sighed and hung up on her. The last thing Nola needed was for a police officer to pull her over in front of a client’s home. It wasn’t good for business. Besides, she promised Richard Madden that she would be there before noon. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard. The police could wait. She had a feeling they would be taking up a lot of her time in the weeks to come.
Nola turned onto a county road, heat rising from the pavement in ripples when a car came into view, flashed its lights, slowed down and then did a quick U-turn. Nola knew the car. A black sedan belonging to her former neighbor, Maggie Kennedy. So this was the cop looking for her, Nola thought with newfound interest.
Nola pressed down on the accelerator, drove a mile and then took a sharp right. A shortcut to the Madden farm. Nola knew these back roads inside and out; she’d been crisscrossing them since she was sixteen. But Maggie knew them too. Nola floored the gas pedal, kicking up gravel as she sped down the deserted road past rows of spindly corn struggling to stay upright in the crumbly, dry earth. I’ve got work to do, she thought. Maggie could wait. It wasn’t like Eve was going anywhere.
THE WILLOW CREEK GAZETTE
December 24, 1995
The identity of a deceased female found on December 22, 1995, in an isolated area just north of Grotto, Iowa, has been released. Grotto Police officials say that Eve Knox, 15, of Grotto was found in an area known as Ransom Caves Friday by an unnamed family member and family friend. The death has been ruled a homicide by the Ransom County Coroner’s Office though the manner of death has not been made available to the public at this time.
The high school sophomore was last seen at the Knox residence around 3:15 p.m. on Friday afternoon. According to police sources, a family member went in search of Knox late Friday evening and came across her body. A call to 911 was made at 9:48 p.m. and emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene where Knox was pronounced dead.
In the days since her death, the Ransom County Sheriff’s Office and the Grotto Police Department, in a joint investigation, have conducted several searches of the area, mainly focusing on the bluffs between her family’s home and the caves.
Ransom County Sheriff Abe Pellitier says that they are considering all scenarios, including that Knox may have come into contact with a drifter passing through the area who caused her harm, but emphasized that all leads are being vigorously investigated. Sheriff Pellitier declined to comment on reports that the mutilated carcass of a dog was discovered near the spot where Knox was found and may be related to the crime.
In the days leading up to her daughter’s death, Charlotte Knox said everything appeared normal. “Eve was her regular, happy self. I can’t believe she’s gone,” Knox said. “I can’t imagine life without her. We’re heartbroken.”
Over four hundred mourners attended a candlelight vigil at the high school in Grotto, Iowa, in Knox’s honor. Funeral services are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 26, at St. Theodosius Church in Grotto.
If you have any information pertaining to the death of Eve Knox, please contact the Ransom County Sheriff’s Office or the Grotto Police Department.
EVE KNOX
Thursday, December 21, 1995
9:30 p.m.
Nick unlocked the door and Eve followed him inside. The Brady entryway, warm and inviting with its dark oak floors and soft lighting, was bigger than Eve’s entire bedroom. Sometimes she couldn’t believe she was inside a house like this, with someone like Nick Brady. He was cute, smart and rich. What he saw in Eve, she didn’t know. But then Eve was beginning to wonder what she ever saw in Nick.
They’d spent the evening in Zeke Berger’s basement eating pizza and playing video games. Well, at least that’s what Nick did. Eve sat in the corner watching the boys shoot and chop up zombies. Later, Zeke came over and sat next to Eve and they talked about tomorrow’s English final and how they both should have been studying instead. Zeke was nice, easy to be around, but Eve could tell by the way that Nick glared at them out of the corner of his eye that he was getting pissed. Then when they were leaving Zeke’s house and walking to the car, Nick suddenly pushed her from behind. Eve tripped, her shoulder catching the side view mirror before falling to her knees.
“Fuck, watch where you’re going,” Nick snapped. “Damn it,” he said examining the damage. “My dad is going to be pissed.”