by Lyz Kelley
She giggled at his feeble attempt at an English accent. He liked the way her mouth lifted into the slight curl at the corners.
“What if…” Her tone grew contemplative. “What if the ‘I’ isn’t a letter, but a slash mark?” That would be J / FB to FP. However, I still don’t know anyone with those initials.”
Now why didn’t I think of that? “You might be onto something.”
He took in a long breath of chilly air, hoping to douse the burning frustration over the lack of professionalism that had destroyed this investigation.
The whole situation reminded him of Reba McEntire’s song, “When the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” only this time the case lacked a suspect, a judge, or even circumstantial evidence. Even a poacher couldn’t be convicted on what the department had paper clipped together.
How ironic.
Her body suddenly tensed. “I feel pavement. Do you see our delivery van?”
He wished she’d been on the case. Her review would probably have been more thorough. “I do. Tony just waved. Would you like to ride back with me?”
“Buddy’s not used to—”
“To riding in cars. You mentioned that the other day. But what happens if you have an emergency, and he’s forced again to ride in a stranger’s vehicle? You might want to test him, prepare him, to see how he reacts. We’re not far from town.”
She dropped her chin to chew on his idea. The longer she debated, the more hopeful he felt.
“You have a good point. We’ll have to find a way to secure him. Riding in a car without a seatbelt makes me nervous.”
“Understood. We’ll figure out something.”
“I’ll let Tony know he and Kym don’t have to wait.” Mara released his arm. “Buddy. Forward. Van.” She gave the command.
With her head up and shoulders back, there was a certain confidence in her stride. Joey wasn’t convinced he’d be that sure of his step if their positions were reversed.
A swell of joy filled him, replacing the earlier feeling of defeat over the lack of vital clues, the inability to know who to trust, and his parents’ high expectations. The tension had felt like a weight loaded bench press bar sitting on his chest.
Mara turned and pointed in his direction. The smile on her face made his heart jiggle with happiness. His obstacles were minor compared with hers. The woman continually showed him how to take one step forward with spirit and poise.
One step.
One fact.
That’s all he needed, one small, critical fact to help solve his brother’s murder. If he couldn’t find one…solving Sam’s murder might just take a lifetime.
Chapter Nine
Thursday morning, Mara enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face and the bristly fur of the large German Shepherd rubbing his head against her leg.
“Gojo, you’re going to make Buddy jealous,” Mara said while rubbing the dog’s stiff ears. “Thanks for bringing him to class, Dave. He’s very sweet and will make an excellent service dog.”
Dave moved closer, his tall frame suddenly blocking the sun’s sensation. “The class was really full today. We didn’t get much time to work together.”
Thank goodness Dave wasn’t a smoker. Not liking how the dog trainer invaded her space, she took a step back, putting Buddy and Gojo between them. “Gojo’s almost ready for service assignment, aren’t you, big boy?” She leaned in to give the dog an atta-boy rub.
“Expect so. I was wondering if you’d like to get a coffee, and talk about finding my next dog to train.”
“That’s nice of you to offer, but I really do need to get back to the flower shop. Karly’s inside if you would like some help. She’s more familiar with the dogs.”
“Maybe next time.” Dave’s displeasure clearly outlined each word.
Not likely. “See you next month.”
“I’ll be here.” Mara stepped back to allow Dave, the other trainers and dogs to pass. The sounds of handlers loading dogs into cars gave her a sense of satisfaction.
“Why didn’t you go for coffee? Dave’s a nice-looking guy.” Karly, the owner of Helper Shelter, draped an arm around Mara’s shoulders.
“In my case looks don’t matter. Dave needs to relax a bit. He makes me nervous. A softer hand gains a dog’s confidence more quickly and easily. I don’t like trainers who use fear to intimidate or crush a dog’s spirit.” If only Dave could learn from Joey. That man had a semi-truckload of patience, with plenty to spare. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“Dave reminded me that next month two more service dogs will be ready to be placed. That means possibly two more fosters.”
Karly’s excitement made her friend wiggle with delight. “Who would’ve thought a year ago that we’d have a full training class schedule with a waiting list? I had two more calls this week of people asking to be put on your list. You sure you can’t manage more classes? Or, better yet, take on a couple service dogs to train? It’s good money. Trainers are telling me they are getting ten-thousand or more per dog.”
Mara groaned, feeling the weight of an already overloaded plate. “Sorry. Once a month is as much as I can do. Tony’s getting better about relieving me at the shop, but he would still rather just handle the deliveries and order the flowers. He panics a bit when someone orders an arrangement and I’m not there to help. And, that leaves no time to properly train dogs.”
“I know. I just want you to be able to get out more. Not be so strapped to the store.”
“Have you been talking to Kym? She said the same thing.”
Like Kym, Karly had been her friend since grade school. In junior high, she’d decided she wanted to be a veterinarian, but grew up with an alcoholic mother and boomerang father. A boomerang because her mother kept tossing the drug user out of the house, and he just kept returning. Alcohol and drugs drained their bank account to the point where it couldn’t cover food and rent, much less veterinary school tuition.
“You do good work here,” Mara praised, squeezing her friend’s waist, hoping Karly accepted the compliment this time.
Karly released a deep sigh. “Getting people to care about these abandoned animals isn’t easy. However, some guy from Leadville approached me last week about hunting dog classes. I’d rather train these dogs as service or companion dogs, but working breeds need to run, so I might not have a choice. I’m determined to put every one of my dogs in a good enough home that they’re never again in danger of being put down.”
The number of euthanized animals in the US was what had fired Karly’s zeal when she was in seventh grade. While researching a paper, she’d learned about the number of abandoned animals killed each year. Since then, Karly’s sole mission in life had been figuring out ways to prevent animals from being killed for no other reason than that they didn’t have a home. Her secondary goal? Finding animals a safe and healthy environment.
“I bet there’s someone in town who’ll teach the class so you don’t have to,” Mara suggested. “I don’t know how you do it with all the kennels and foster families you have to coordinate.”
“Don’t forget the cat room. And if people don’t stop dropping off their rabbits and rodents, I’m going to have to find a room for them as well. Did I tell you someone dropped off chickens last week? What am I supposed to do with chickens?”
A snicker and the familiar spicy sent of Old Spice cologne made Mara turn. A glittery happiness cascaded through her body, and she couldn’t help but smile. “And just what is so funny about chickens, Detective?”
“Boy, you’re good.” The amazement in Joey’s voice gave Mara a bit of a thrill. “You’ve got to teach me that sensory identification thing. Maybe I’ll talk you into coming to Seattle to teach a class.”
A groan started in her belly and worked its way up. “No. Absolutely not. Can you imagine me, luggage, Buddy and his kennel? Just thinking about traveling gives me the heebie-jeebies. How did you find me, anyway?”
“I stopped by the store. Kym said I’d
find you here volunteering.”
You came to find me. Well, crap. How am I supposed to protect my heart?
Like Dave, she’d tell him she was needed at the store, but his awkwardness made her second-guess and drew her curiosity. “Joey, do you remember Karly from school. She’s Kevin’s sister.”
“Kevin Kane and the KK family. I remember,” he said with a flicker in his voice, like a light bulb just turning on in the room. “There’re a couple more brothers thrown in there somewhere.”
One of the smaller dogs barked in the kennel, triggering a cascading chorus of barks in various pitches. “That would be us. It’s feeding time. I’d better get started,” Karly said. “Nice seeing you again, Joey.”
“Karly,” Joey responded, almost dismissively.
Karly squeezed her arm, and Mara turned. “I’ll be in to help in a minute.”
Why the squeeze? Mara pondered.
Since she’d gone blind, people had been giving her signals all the time—both verbal and physical. Without the benefit of body language, interpreting the ambiguous clues became impossible, forcing her to ignore what might have been important information.
She rotated toward Joey. “What’s up? I can’t imagine you want to adopt an animal.”
“I was hoping to get your help.”
“My help?” She couldn’t imagine what assistance she could provide a gutsy, able-bodied man.
“I don’t trust what I’m seeing in the investigation files. I need to recreate Sam’s murder scene and need your visualization skills if you’re up to it. The deputies did such a crappy job collecting the evidence, I decided it might be easier if we start from scratch.”
“I still don’t get how I can help.”
“I’m not sure either, but my instincts tell me if we work together, we can shake something loose.”
Under Joey’s layer of positive certainty, she heard a stitch of desperation. He wanted answers. Since he’d asked, she couldn’t refuse. “If we’re going up Sleeping Bear Trail, I think we should take Gus.”
“Gus? Do I know Gus?”
The slightly higher tone of voice made her wonder if he might be jealous. She sure hoped so. Her pride could use a bit of bolstering.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” She turned back. “Better yet, why don’t you come with me?”
Mara reached for Buddy’s lead, followed him inside, through a second door, down a long line of barking dogs and then stopped in front of the last kennel. The clean smell of Borax meant Karly’s morning had been busy. Mara squatted and reached her fingers through the wire cage.
A sandpapery tongue licked her fingertips. “There you are. I have someone I’d like you to meet. Gus, meet Joey. Joey, Gus.”
“Hey, there.” Joey sounded amused. “Did you win the prize for ugly? Because you’re one gnarly looking mutt.”
“Awww. Don’t hurt Gus’s feelings. I bet you’ll see him in a whole new light by the end of the day.”
“I doubt it, but I’ll keep an open mind.”
Grabbing the Beagle-mix’s halter and leash from a peg beside the door, she opened the gate and released Buddy’s lead. The high-pitched, happy whine of Gus’s greeting lifted her spirits, but added a tinge of sadness. “I wish I could take you home, little guy. Gus, sit.” The wiggling mutt brushed his head against her leg, doing his best to be still so she could attach his halter and leash. “You smell like vanilla. You’ve had a bath. What a good boy.”
She turned to the man waiting patiently for her. “Do you think we all can fit in your rental, or do we need to get the flower van?”
“If I put the back seats down, I think we should be good. It’s only a short drive. Buddy seemed uncomfortable during the last ride, so I overnighted some equipment the Seattle K-9 unit uses to secure their dogs. I just picked it up from the house.”
“That’s really nice of you.” A buzzing sensation made her lightheaded. There was a reason she wanted to kiss this man.
“What’s nice?” Karly’s footsteps grew louder, along with the rattling of a bucket. The dogs’ enthusiasm meant dinner had arrived.
“Joey purchased equipment so Buddy can ride in a car safely. We’re going up to Sleeping Bear Trail. Joey wants some help reconstructing Sam’s crime scene. I’d like to take Gus if you don’t mind.”
“Absolutely. I don’t know why those idiots over at the sheriff’s department didn’t come and get him in the first place. He could have also helped with the missing boy they found too late.” The hollow sound of buckets hitting the floor spoke of irritation. “Joey, Gus may not look like much since he got caught in a fire, but he’s a good scent hound.”
“Can he find a shell casing or maybe a cigarette butt?”
Mara inhaled. Cigarettes and alcohol.
“Maybe,” Karly said. “If you point him in the right direction. A couple of days ago, I took him on a training run, and he had no trouble finding the objects I’d hidden. You should take his pack jacket. The flannel and canvas will help keep him warm.”
“That I think I can do.” For the first time since he arrived, Joey’s voice sounded confident and less stifled.
“Oh, I forgot.” Embarrassed heat burned Mara’s ears. “I promised to help feed the dogs.” Sheesh. A friendly guy comes along and, whoosh, out go my obligations.
“I got it,” Karly said. “If you, Gus and Joey can help this town heal from such a senseless and cowardly act you should go. Take one of the extra kennels off the shelf in the storage room.”
Mara moved toward her friend’s voice, arms outstretched. Arms encircled her shoulders and pulled her in. “You’re awesome.”
A puff of air warmed her ear. “Have fun.” Karly squeezed her a bit tighter before letting her go. “And don’t worry about the store. Let your brother take some responsibility for once.”
Oh, crap, the store. Well, maybe inventory can wait one more day. “Tony takes responsibility, just in his own way.” The defensiveness skipped out of her mouth before she could trip it. Poor Tony. She wished people could see how much he’d changed in the past few years. “I should call him.”
“Don’t you dare,” Karly grunted with a scolding undertone. “He’s not expecting you for another couple of hours. Go. Help Joey with his investigation.”
Buddy nudged her hand, telling her he wanted to play with his friend. She appreciated her little fuzzy toddler, who’d never grow up, was full of go-go-go, and always wanted to play. As a trainer, she shouldn’t let him. He would tire easily and crash too soon, but who was she to prevent her full-time companion from having a bit of fun?
“Joey, would you like some help getting the dogs settled?” She followed the excited noise out to the parking lot.
“We’re good. I appreciate your willingness to help.” At least Joey hadn’t lost all hope. “I need to find answers before I leave.”
That’s right. He needed to get back home.
“Then, let’s get started.”
“Mara, I...”
“It’s okay. I understand. You don’t want to go up to the ridge alone.”
“I’m not sure you know how much I appreciate your help.”
For some reason, his easy baritone made her think about a rush of water over river rock. The jingle of aspen leaves moving back and forth like gold coins in the sun. The fantasy suffused her with a peaceful contentment and filled a void, a deprivation she hadn’t known existed.
She let a slow smile form. “That’s what friends are for, besides it’s nice to feel useful.”
He closed the SUV hatch and jiggled it to make sure the door closed safely with Gus’s kennel tucked in the back. “Then let’s go and get this over with. I feel a craving for sweets coming on. Possibly a nice big slice of banana cream pie.”
Maybe she should have just climbed up his body and given him a smack of sweetness now. A slow-glowing happiness spread through her chest.
“What were you thinking about just then?” Joey took a step closer.
“Decidin
g what type of pie I want.” And kissing you.
Chapter Ten
Joey drove through Elkridge and up the winding valley road toward Sleeping Bear Trail. Tall pines and dormant aspens framed the road as the elevation increased. The wind whistled through the canyon, and sunbeams made the remaining snow from the last storm sparkle.
Reaching the abandoned logging road turnoff, Joey slowed and made a right onto the dirt road, stopping a few yards from the locked gate.
He shoved the car in park and cut the engine. His fingers tapped on the steering wheel to a silent tune while he debated the best approach to gathering more data. “We’ll have to walk from here,” he told Mara. “It’s just a quarter of a mile up the hill. The road is a bit muddy in spots. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
“I’ve got my hiking boots on, and I’m warm. That’s all I need.” Mara zipped her jacket and wound a wool scarf around her head. “Let’s go.”
The mountain air, brisk against Joey’s face, reminded him how much Seattle’s more temperate weather differed. He pulled his wool cap low over his ears. “You sure you’ll be warm enough?”
“Once we get moving, I’ll warm up. What’s the plan?”
He grabbed his computer tablet. “Don’t tell anyone, but I downloaded the crime scene photos. Using the pictures, I want to walk through the scene to get a better understanding of event timing. Your job is to question the data and find alternative explanations. I want to poke at every piece of evidence until we have a clear picture of what might have happened.”
Dozens of crime scene photos, organized in a grid, filled the computer screen. A visual, yes, but not a complete picture. The creepy-crawly sense prickling the back of his neck meant critical details were missing, specific details required in order to uncover what really happened to his brother.
“Do you think Gus will allow me to put on his coat and halter?” Joey asked with a heightened level of skepticism.
“Let’s find out.”
Joey pocketed the car keys and took a deep breath. For the next several minutes, he moved slowly, opening the kennel door, putting on and adjusting Gus’s packs.
