Ash Before Morning
Bayview Veterinary Clinic, Caldmere
A fire in the supply room of Bayview Veterinary Clinic gutted the back wall and destroyed the drug cabinet — but the ketamine was already gone before the first flame caught.
Everyone has something to hide.
41. Only vet in Caldmere. Big, bearded, gentle. Universally liked. Came from a Vermont large-animal practice. There is a sadness he manages carefully — it surfaces late at night when the kennels are full.
24. Finishing biology at Bellwick. Competent, direct, world-weary. First-generation college student working three jobs. Manages the clinic's drug inventory more carefully than Sam does — and has noticed discrepancies.
The most talented performer in Caldmere and she knows it. Charismatic, competitive, insecure beneath the bravado. Funny in a way that occasionally draws blood.
Can you name the culprit?
Read the case file, interrogate the suspects, and make your accusation — five guesses to crack it. The deduction board and the solution are for detectives only.
Caldmere, Maine.
A small town on the Maine coast where everyone knows everyone, and nothing is quite what it seems. Explore the locations and characters behind every case.