by Tracy Weber
“Listen, lady,” he growled. “I paid good money for that dog, and I intend to get it back. I’m selling her.”
“To whom?” I asked, incredulous. “She doesn’t like other dogs, and she’s not healthy. Didn’t you notice how skinny she is? She needs expensive medication.”
Trucker Man’s upper lip lifted, exposing a cruel-looking grin. “Guess that drunken bum didn’t get much of a deal when he stole that worthless mutt, now did he? He should have stuck to raiding garbage cans and selling newspapers.”
My fists clenched so hard that my fingernails practically drew blood from my palms. If I’d been a cartoon, steam would have poured from my ears. How could this cretin talk about George that way?
“Listen, you son of a bi—”
I stopped mid-sentence, frozen.
Did he say drunken bum?
How did Trucker Man know about George? I thought he had no idea who took his dog. My mind raced, searching for answers. I hadn’t told him about George, that much was certain. But maybe I didn’t have to. Maybe George hadn’t been as invisible as he thought. Maybe Trucker Man knew about George all along …
I took a step back, feeling suddenly vulnerable. Could Trucker Man be George’s killer?
Trucker Man’s eyes narrowed; his lips barely moved. “What did you call me?”
Prickly uneasiness tingled down my spine. Time to get the heck out of Dodge. I fingered my keys and cautiously backed away. I’d just ease on over to the car, hightail it back to Seattle, and call Detective Johnson. He could deal with this cowboy-booted psychopath. I hadn’t come here to face off with a killer, anyway. All I wanted was to get rid of a dog. Like I’d already told Betty …
Then it hit me. Of course. Betty.
Betty and I had discussed Bella’s history that night at the rescue. She must have told Trucker Man about George, though I was surprised he gave her the chance; he didn’t strike me as much of a conversationalist. I glanced up at my would-be assailant. Trucker Man glowered and grumbled under his breath, but he made no move to attack. Frankly, I couldn’t blame him for being angry. I’d be grumpy, too, if a stranger showed up on my doorstep and started calling me names. Give it a break, Kate. Not everyone who pisses you off is a killer.
I took a deep breath, relaxed my hands, and consciously let go of my keys. Trucker Man was obviously a jerk; he might even be a wife beater. But that didn’t make him a murderer. My overactive imagination was getting the best of me again—or at least I hoped so. In any case, I’d have plenty of time to puzzle this through later. Bella was my priority now.
I held up my hands, hoping to mollify him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
He didn’t reply.
“My point is, you can’t sell this dog. Nobody in their right mind is going to buy her. And if they do, they’ll bring her back as soon they take her to a vet. You’ll end up right back where you started—with a sick dog and no money. You’ll either have to spend a fortune on Bella’s treatment or put her down. And I’d hate to see her put down.”
Trucker Man smiled in a “gotcha” sort of way. “Well, then,” he said in a low, threatening tone, “at least I’ll get the pleasure of shooting her.” He looked pointedly at his truck. The gun rack mounted on top couldn’t have been more ominous. My entire body flashed hot, then cold as I imagined Bella cowering in front of one of those awful hunting rifles.
I desperately wanted to hold my ground. I wanted to show that sociopath that he couldn’t get away with bullying women and defenseless animals. I wanted to prove I was more of a “man” than he’d ever be. But I couldn’t help myself. I flinched and took several steps back.
“You wouldn’t—”
“Unless, that is, you’re interested in buying her. You seem mighty attached to that mongrel.”
I swallowed hard. “How much do you want?”
“I paid $800 for her.”
I had the money. It was a significant part of my dwindling savings, but I had it. I seriously considered calling his bluff. No one would have blamed me. The money I had left in savings was my only emergency cushion, and it was already worn dangerously thin.
We’re trained, in our culture, to take care of ourselves first. Even flight attendants tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before helping those around you. But they never tell you what happens afterward. How do you live with yourself if you survive and the person next to you doesn’t?
I could never leave Bella here. I’d never forgive myself.
“Fine. Eight hundred it is. Let me get my checkbook.” I turned toward my car.
He stepped in front of me, blocking the way. “Not so fast, pretty lady. I also fed this mutt for three months. I figure that’s worth at least another few hundred.”
“Are you kidding me? There’s no way—”
“Don’t test me,” he snapped, raising a fist.
I flinched, waiting for impact. Trucker Man froze. We locked eyes for several uncomfortable seconds. Finally he lowered his arm and smiled disingenuously. “But since I’m in a generous mood, I’ll let her go for an even grand. That seems like a pretty good deal if you ask me.”
“You win.” Trembling with an odd mixture of fear, frustration, and disgust, I grabbed my purse, ripped out the check, and slapped it in his hand.
“This had better not bounce,” he snarled.
“It won’t.” I jumped into the car before he raised the price again. “Bella, we’re out of here.” I peeled away from the curb, wishing I could splash that creep in even more slime. I settled for giving him a nasty look and mentally showing him the finger.
I whispered a prayer to the universe as Bella and I drove away. “Please don’t let him cash that check today.” Until I got money transferred from savings, it would bounce to high heaven. But I wasn’t about to stiff this guy on purpose. My arm still throbbed where he grabbed it; it would be black-and-blue there tomorrow.
I’d been threatened and bruised, and my only crime was buying a dog he didn’t even want. I couldn’t help but wonder: What would Trucker Man do if someone stole from him? Would he be capable of worse violence—even murder? A stray thought nibbled at the edges of my subconscious—a detail just out of my grasp. But I was too full of angst and adrenaline to puzzle it out then. My only goal in that moment was to escape. I pressed down on the accelerator and sped back toward Seattle, where Bella and I would presumably be safe.
seventeen
Twenty-four hours later, I still felt oddly elated—especially since I’d just spent a thousand dollars I couldn’t afford to buy a dog I had no intention of keeping. Still, we take our victories where we can, right? On to my next contest. Mocha Mia was my battlefield. My target, Rene. I fired off my first verbal volley before her plate hit the table. I didn’t even give her a chance to complain about her “World’s Best Grandma” coffee mug.
“I can’t believe you went and schemed with Michael behind my back. I feel like a call girl, and you, well, you may as well be my pimp.”
Rene didn’t even pretend to look guilty as she snarfed down her salted caramel brownie. For a moment, I considered a trade: forgiveness for a bite of sweet, salty, chocolate-laced decadence. Rene read my mind and pulled her plate closer. The word share was not part of her vocabulary.
“What did you expect me to do?” she said between mouthfuls. “Leave the evening up to you? Without my help, you never would have figured out that this guy is perfect for you.”
“What do you mean, ‘perfect for me’? I barely know the guy! And you know him even less. Unless, that is, you two traitors have been conspiring even more than I realize.” I sternly shook my finger. “If so, you’d better fess up now.”
My fictional hissy-fit had no effect. Rene stared back, completely relaxed and self-satisfied, as she licked the last crumbs of brownie off her fingertips. I exacted revenge by not pointing out the smear of caramel
hanging off her chin.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but I asked anyway. “Tell me the truth, Rene. Did you tell Michael to shave off his beard?”
“Well, I may have mentioned that you had a thing about facial hair, but he was planning to shave it off anyway—for Bella. He really has a thing for that dog, which proves he’s almost crazy enough for you. How does he look without it?”
“Gorgeous.” I sighed. “Simply gorgeous.”
Rene’s lascivious grin spread ear to ear. “Ha! I knew it! So spill. Tell me every last disgusting detail. Now that I’m an old married hag, I have to get my kicks vicariously. Your sputtering love life will have to do.”
“Spare me. You and Sam will still be making out like newlyweds when you’re old and toothless, feeding each other butterscotch pudding in a nursing home.” I paused and tried to look bashful. “Besides, a nice girl like me doesn’t kiss and tell.”
“But there was a lot of kissing, right? And maybe a little—”
“You’re right, he is perfect for me,” I interrupted, hoping to change the subject. “He’s broke, he works too hard, and”—I looked at her pointedly—“he obviously shares my terrible taste in friends.” I smiled in spite of myself. “But you’re right. I do like him. A lot.”
Rene leaned back in her chair, looking positively pleased with herself. “Now all I have to do is keep you from discovering his faults before the infatuation phase is over.” She rested her chin in her hand and tapped an index finger against her lips. “Hmm … perhaps another visit to the pet store is in order …”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“You know me better than that—of course I would!”
I threw my wadded-up napkin and hit her square on the nose. “That’s five points for accuracy.” I smirked.
Rene smiled back. “I do love you, you know. I only want you to be happy.”
I took a deep drink of my triple cappuccino and sighed. “Honestly, Rene, what would make me happiest right now is having my life back. And that means getting Bella out of my house and figuring out what happened to George. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to his murder than the police realize.” I idly drew shapes in the coffee’s foam swirl. “The answer has to lie in those ten days George and Bella were gone. I can’t stop thinking about it. Where did he go, and who did he spend that time with? Bella’s test results took three days, and I’m sure it took George a couple of days to get to Sarah’s and back. But that still leaves almost five days unaccounted for. I can’t help but think the answer lies in that missing time.”
“Have you gone to that place he worked yet?”
“The Dollars for Change office? No, but I will. First I have to come up with a good cover story. The ‘I need to find a home for the poor lost dog’ routine only gets me so far. The minute I start asking questions, people know I’m up to something. I’m not exactly Nancy Drew.”
Rene perked up. She looked like a toy poodle begging for a cookie. “That’s because you need a partner! Ooh, ooh, ooh! Take me with you, please? We’ll have so much fun!”
I gaped at her incredulously.
“Don’t you ever read mystery novels?” she continued, brimming with excitement. “You can’t snoop alone. There’s always a sidekick!”
“No. Freaking. Way,” I replied. “I haven’t forgiven you for meddling in my date with Michael yet. I absolutely will not, under any circumstances, encourage you to snoop around in something else.”
“Please, please, please? I’ll be good, I promise!” She practically started drooling.
“What makes you think you’ll be so much help, anyway?”
“Come on, Kate, be real. You’re cute and all, and women like to confide in you—probably because of all that woo-woo yoga energy. But when it comes to men, straight-up sex appeal does it every time. And I’ve got you beat in that department, hands down.” She batted her eyelashes. “One little wiggle of my derriere, and the guys in that office will spill all of their deep, dark secrets. They won’t be able to help themselves. You, on the other hand, will have to talk to the women. I don’t know why, but women don’t seem to trust me.”
I sure didn’t. But Rene had a point. Double-teaming seemed to work in all of my favorite police dramas. Maybe it was that whole good-cop, bad-cop routine.
“Well, I suppose I could use the company. But if you misbehave, I swear I’ll—”
“We’re outta here!” she said, jumping up. “Put that coffee in a to-go cup. We girls are going on an adventure!”
I paused before opening the door. “Rene, are you sure Sam will be OK with this?”
“Honey, what Sam doesn’t know won’t hurt him one little bit. Besides, how much trouble can we get into, anyway?”
_____
While I drove to the Georgetown office of Dollars for Change, Rene prepared for her role. She unbuttoned the top buttons of her blouse, freshened her lipstick, and brushed out her hair. After wiping the caramel off her chin, she gave herself a final come-hither look in the mirror, removed her wedding ring, and placed it in the glove box. She clearly planned to take no prisoners.
We walked into the tiny, clean, and basically deserted office a little after eleven. A busy-looking receptionist typed at a computer, while a balding, ponytailed man with a scruffy blond beard poured burnt-smelling coffee into a Styrofoam cup. After adding two sugars and a hit of nondairy creamer, he meandered to a makeshift cubicle created from a single partition and two short filing cabinets.
Rene whispered in my ear. “You take her. I’ve got handsome back there.” She ambled around the room, pretending to examine the assorted newspaper clippings tacked along the wall. She eventually arrived at the coffee area, where she stopped to pour a glass of water.
“Good morning, can I help you two?” asked the friendly-looking receptionist. She wore red oval-shaped glasses. They perfectly matched the heart trapped in the center of her spider web tattoo. Her name plate read Tali Rodriguez.
“Hi. I’m Kate, and I sure hope so. This is kind of awkward, but I was hoping to talk to someone in your Human Resources department.”
“You’re looking at it. We all pretty much do everything around here.” She took off her glasses, seemingly confused. “Are you here for a job? You don’t seem like one of our typical vendors.”
“Oh, no, sorry, I’m not. Actually, I’m a friend of one of your vendors, or at least I used to be. He died recently. I’m trying to locate his family, and I thought you might have his emergency contact information.”
I launched into Bella’s story. I basically stuck to the truth, though I may have exaggerated about the direness of her circumstances. I might have even hinted that she only had a day or two left before she’d be sent to the great doggy playground in the sky. I certainly didn’t divulge the fact that I had already spoken to George’s daughter.
As Tali and I talked, I surreptitiously monitored Rene’s progress. She continued to wander around the room, pretending to be engrossed in the posted articles. She made her way to the ponytailed man’s makeshift office, leaned against one of the file cabinets, and started whispering. Not long after, I heard girlish giggles and the deeper voice of an appreciative male.
Did he seriously offer her a cigarette? And did she take it? I couldn’t help but be amused at the thought of Rene, a militant nonsmoker, trying to look sexy while gagging on a menthol light. She leaned in closer, suggestively touching her hair and playfully punching her new friend in the arm. Pulllease. Sidekick indeed. All she would get from this sort of behavior were the guy’s phone number and an embarrassing outbreak of some social disease.
Rene was useless. Our sleuthing success would be solely up to me. I flashed a winning smile, fully expecting Tali to give me everything I requested.
She responded by shaking her head. “I’m afraid I can’t help you. We don’t keep many records here. Frankly, some of
our folks have disappeared from their families for good reason. They’d just as soon stay lost, if you know what I mean.”
“Maybe you could connect me to some of George’s friends, then. Did he hang out with any of the other vendors?”
Tali’s reply was firm. “I’m sorry. We don’t give out any information about our staff members. These folks lead difficult lives. Many of them have been traumatized—abused even. I understand your dilemma, but our vendors are finally taking steps to improve their situations. We won’t do anything that could jeopardize that. Unless you have a court order, my hands are tied.”
“But the dog—”
Tali’s courteous tone vanished.
“The dog is irrelevant. Society may not treat these people much better than animals, but they are certainly more important than some dog. Now, I’m busy, so if you don’t mind—” She put her glasses back on and resumed typing.
I was completely out of cash, and I suspected bribery wouldn’t work with Tali anyway. I was about to give begging a try when Rene sidled up beside me and whispered, “I’ve got it. Let’s go.”
Her ponytailed friend stood up in his cubical. “See you at seven, Suzie! I’m looking forward to our date!” Rene grabbed my hand and practically dragged me to the door.
“Suzie?” I asked as we bolted for the car.
“Well you didn’t expect me to give him my real name, did you? I’m a married woman! Now hop in, we’re off to the U district!”
_____
“What’s at the U district?” I asked as we pulled onto West Marginal Way.
Rene smiled in triumph. “While you were trying to defrost the ice queen at the front desk, I was busy making friends with Ralphie.”
“Ralphie?”
“His real name is Ralph, but I call him Ralphie. Men love it when you give them cute little nicknames.” She scowled. “But that’s beside the point. Are you going to listen to my story, or not?”
