He waved them to chairs. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m moving back to town, Rob. I need a car and a job. I thought I would start with you.”
He sat back, gave her an appraising glance. “You must have seen my ad. Though you look good in jeans, we like our receptionist a little better dressed.”
“What?”
“Mrs. Reedy is retiring. Remember her?”
“Of course.” Everyone in town knew the chirpy older woman who sat at the receptionist desk and welcomed everyone to Quinlin Motors with a smile.
“Didn’t you come for the job? We’ve advertised for a couple of weeks, but no one is qualified.”
“I’m not sure I am.”
“Did you continue your education? Is that where you’ve been?”
Lori and Mel exchanged a quick glance. “You could say that. I have a business degree from The University of Houston.”
“Perfect. Mrs. Reedy does more than sit there and look pretty.” He winked. “She files, keeps the guys and gals on the floor on the ball with their paperwork. There are a multitude of duties. If you’re interested, the job is yours.”
“When do I start?”
“Tomorrow. You’ll have a lot to learn in a week.”
“Then you’d better find me a car so I can get here.”
“You’re being too picky,” Rob complained, after an hour of searching for just the right car.
“Not picky so much as limited. My budget is four to five thousand, while I still want a car I can depend on that gets fairly good gas mileage.”
“You’re a car salesman’s nightmare.”
Lori laughed.
“Today, you’ll earn your paycheck,” Mel put in.
“Shit, why didn’t I think of this one earlier? Follow me.”
He led them to the back where the service department was located. “Jim,” he called out. “Where’s that 2008 Ford Taurus that came in yesterday?”
“Over here, boss. We just finished giving it a once over.”
Lori walked around the dark blue car, ran her hands down the sides. “Nice.”
“Find anything wrong with it?” Rob wanted to know.
“Nothing. To be on the safe side we changed the hoses, oil, and power steering fluid.”
“What about the tires?”
“They look new. And the mileage is low.”
“Good.” He turned to Lori. “This is the best I have in your price range.”
“I like it. How much?”
“Since you’re going to be an employee, I’ll let you have it for four. To the public it would be more.”
She gave him a hug. “Thank you. Where’s the key? I want to take it for a test-drive.”
“Give the lady the key. I think she’s sold.”
The mechanic grinned as he handed it over.
An hour later, papers were signed, employee papers filled out, and Lori climbed behind the wheel of her very own car. The first she’d ever owned. When she’d left Lindale, Mel had driven her to Houston, only too happy to try out the used car she’d gotten for graduation. Two weeks later, Mel had moved to Houston as well, and the girls shared an apartment. But that was before Donald Shafer entered Lori’s life and swept her off her feet—before she followed him into hell.
Lori pulled into her mom’s drive, Mel right behind her. After dinner, Mel left to go back to Houston. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she promised.
As Lori stood on the porch and watched her friend drive away, she realized how fortunate she was. She had her mom, Mel, and Doc. Putting a hand on her tummy, she reflected that she also had Coop’s baby. Love filled her soul. Love for this child and love for the father. She missed his smile and everything else about him. And wished with all her heart she had made better choices in her life.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Coop stayed as busy as possible, trying to push Lori to the back of his mind as best he could. It wasn’t working very well. She was in his head every hour of every day. Thor’s handler was due in next week and, as was their practice, over those last few days he put Thor through every phase of his training twice a day to make sure he was perfectly trained.
He’d called Marshall early and asked him to find all he could on Lanie Shafer and to call as soon as he had everything he could dredge up.
Coop went to the pens and let Thor out. The Malinois came over to nudge Coop’s leg. It was going to be hard to let this dog go. He was different from the others. And Lori loved him. Which was no reason to give his leaving another thought. But he did.
Thor grumbled deep in his chest. “What’s the matter?” Thor didn’t bound to the exercise area as he usually did. Was he hurt? Ill?
Thor sat on his haunches, looked up at Coop as if trying to tell him something. Coop got down on his knees, ran his hand over Thor’s sleek back, down his legs. “What is it?” Something was wrong, but Coop couldn’t put his finger on it. Thor whined. Unusual. Thor never whined.
Coop pulled out his cell phone and called Dirk. “Did you notice anything different about Thor last night?”
“He wasn’t as energetic as usual, but I didn’t think anything of it. Why?”
“Something’s not right. I’m calling the vet. How long before you can get here?”
“Give me five.
“I’ll get the others started on their exercises, you’ll have to do the training.”
“Not a problem. Just make sure nothing is wrong with Thor. We need the money.”
By the time Dirk got there and Coop turned the dogs over to him, he was more than worried. And it wasn’t about the money. Thor was special.
By the time he got to the veterinarian’s office, Coop’s stomach was a tense tangle of nerves.
Harry Hopkins, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, met them at the door. “A problem with Thor? That’s unusual. His last checkup was perfect.”
“He isn’t acting himself. Maybe he’s just having a bad day, but I wanted you to check him out to be sure.”
“Not a problem.”
Thor followed the vet into the exam room, went to the table that was lowered so he could get on it, and rode up calmly for the examination. “He’s the smartest of your dogs.”
“Best I’ve ever trained.”
“Let’s take a look.”
Harry was slow, but thorough. The longer he took, the more comments he muttered under his breath, the tighter Coop’s stomach clenched. He couldn’t lose Thor. The thought made him ill. He wondered briefly if it was solely because of the time and training they’d put into the dog. Or was it because Coop had a special spot in his heart for him? Neither. It was because Lori loved Thor and would be devastated if something was wrong with him.
Finally, Harry finished and turned to Coop.
“What did you find?” he asked, his voice cracking. Dammit, Thor was a dog. It didn’t matter. Thor had a personality.
“It doesn’t look good,” Harry said. When he saw the look on Coop’s face, he continued, “He may have superficial keratitis.”
“Lay language, please.”
“His left eye has an abnormality of the cornea. He should see an ophthalmology specialist to be sure. Here, take a look.”
Coop leaned over to look at the eye. It was definitely different than the other one. “It’s discolored.”
“Have you noticed any tearing?”
Guilt stole over Coop. “We’ve been rather busy. I haven’t paid much attention.” Which wouldn’t happen again.
“Left untreated, the cornea will turn milky white or be covered by colored tissue.”
“Will Thor go blind?”
“Let’s have the ophthalmologist take a look before we come to any conclusions.”
“What the hell caused this? We can’t afford more of our animals to come down with something this damaging.”
“I’ve seen your operation. It’s clean, the dogs properly fed and cared for. I can’t tell you for sure. It could be an autoimmune disease.”
&nbs
p; “Will it kill him?”
The vet shook his head. “If I’m right, we caught it early enough. Steroid drops should clear it up.”
“Then you’ll give him a clean bill of health and he can go to the military as planned?”
“That I can’t tell you. I’ll make an appointment for you for tomorrow with the specialist. He’ll be able to tell you more. But don’t look to sell Thor any time soon, if ever. Sometimes therapy is a lifelong one.”
When Coop helped Thor into his pickup, he was numb. This couldn’t happen. Not to Thor.
He wanted to talk to Lori. She would want to know. But he didn’t know where Lori was. He’d sure as hell find out.
“I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this,” Dirk said when they were back at the training facility. “Thor’s our best.”
Coop reached down to rub Thor’s head. “He still is.”
“We can’t sell him now?”
“Maybe never.”
“Jeez! First the Ross and Harper cases put us in the hole, now this. Will we ever recover?”
“Starting tomorrow, we put Kass on an accelerated program. He’ll replace Thor.”
“That’ll help, but we’re short a dog.”
“We have a couple of Belgian Malinois coming in next week. We’ll see how they work out.”
Dirk wasn’t a happy camper. Neither was Coop.
When Dirk headed for the exercise yard with Ajax, Coop put a hand on Thor’s head. Ruffled his fur. Talked to him. “You’re going to get well, Thor. But you won’t be sold. Promise.”
Thor gave a low bark of pleasure.
Later, Coop headed for the office with one objective in mind. Find Lori. Today. It was late when he arrived. Carrie had taken on a divorce case and was following the client’s wife. Marshall and Buster were busy at their computers.
“Anything?” Coop asked Marshall.
He looked up. “Quite a bit. I’ll send it to your computer. I’m going to work on the billing unless you have something else in mind?”
Coop shook his head.
Ten minutes later, Coop finished reading everything Marshall had found on Lori…whose name was Lanie or rather, Elaine Marie; maiden name Woodson. Born in Lindale, Texas, which was a suburb of Tyler, twenty-three and a half years ago. Married six months out of high school to Donald Shafer. Once more he kicked himself for not knowing Lori was so young. But it hadn’t taken Marshall long to find out.
What happened during those five years? There had to be more than what he’d heard at Shafer’s house.
There were several pictures of the two of them: Lori with her hair in either a dignified twist standing tall, head high, as if she were looking down her nose at the photographer. That wasn’t Lori. But it was the woman he found at the lake with her haughty expression and cool eyes.
There wasn’t a single photo where she smiled. She wasn’t happy.
He called Matt. “Has Mallory or Shafer’s hired gun talked?”
“Mallory is surrounded by a half-dozen lawyers and isn’t talking; there’s almost that many with the guy who claims to be nothing but a bodyguard. Have you found Lori? We need her testimony. Plus, she can finger the guy who shot her.”
“We’re looking for her now. We found where she was born. Though her dad died when she was little more than a toddler it’s more than possible her mother is still there. At least it’s a place to start.”
“Let me know. If you don’t have any luck, I’ll put my guys on it.”
Coop went to the online phone directory. There was only one listing for a Woodson in Lindale, Texas. He dialed the number. A woman answered. He asked, “Is Mrs. Shafer available? I would like to speak to her, please.” Though he almost choked on the words, he managed to get them out. The thought of calling Lori, Mrs. Shafer, didn’t compute. The woman didn’t answer. Coop’s hands turned clammy. His heart hammered.
“Who did you say this was?”
“Cooper Browning. She left the scene of a crime yesterday and the authorities need her statement.”
“I’m sorry. She’s at work. You’ll have to call back.” And she hung up.
Work?
How did she get a job so quickly? Or did he have the right Woodson? But, he reasoned, the woman didn’t stutter when he asked to speak to Mrs. Shafer. He was almost positive he’d located Lori.
He picked up his cell phone and called Matt again. “I think I found her.”
“Think?”
“Not positive, but it has to be her. There’s a Woodson in Lindale where she was born. The woman who answered the phone didn’t hesitate when I asked to speak to Mrs. Shafer.”
“I’ll get a couple of guys over there. We need her testimony.”
“The woman said she has a job. I don’t know where.”
“We’ll take care of it.”
Matt hung up, but Coop sat there as if paralyzed. He wanted to talk to Lori. He wanted to find out who she was. Was she the sweet Lori he knew, or the snooty Mrs. Shafer?
He wanted to know if she was invested in her husband’s business dealings. Even more, he wanted to know how she could make love to Coop and tell him she’d never made love before, as if she knew it for a fact, when she’d been married for five years.
He would get the answers. Then he would leave her alone.
He had to close his case, didn’t he?
It wouldn’t be closed today. If he was adjusting to Lori’s identity, she must be as well. She needed time to deal with the changes.
It was as if his world had shifted. He didn’t like it. He wanted it settled. Until he saw Lori and put his questions to rest, it wouldn’t be.
The phone rang. It was Anie. “Can you come lunch, Mr. Browning?”
“Today?” He looked at his watch. It was later than he thought.
“Yes.”
Why not? It was better than sitting here thinking of Lori or worrying about Thor. “Sure. I’ll be there soon.”
He put the cell phone in his pocket and opened the door. Marshall stood there, hand up to knock. “Gotta go, Marshall. Talk to you later.”
Just in time, he thought. Coop didn’t want that conversation with Marshall. If he told Marshall he wasn’t going to bill either one of their large cases, the guy would hyperventilate.
He pulled up at Bill’s thirty minutes later. When he walked in, Anie came to greet him. She looked pretty with a tiny blue bow in her hair and a wide smile on her face. She grabbed his hand and led him to a table in the corner. Zia and Tan Wong sat there, all smiles. It was a far cry from the way they had been at Shafer’s or at the FBI office.
He sat down. Anie sat beside him. He smiled at the sisters. “They let you go?”
“If no leave town, we free.”
He took Zia’s hand. “I’m glad. You should be free.”
“They wanted to thank you,” Anie said. “You saved their life.”
“No need. Tell me what you’ll do now? I understand the nail salon has been closed by the FBI so you don’t have a job.”
“Next week, we go back,” Zia explained, her eyes bright and eager.
They couldn’t. According to protocol, the FBI now had control of not just the nail salon, but also the entire mall.
“How did that happen?”
“Agent Matt tell us if we get green card, we in charge of salon now. We pay fair. Soon, we have enough saved to bring father here. He need doctor.”
Coop leaned back in the chair. Not unusual for the government in cases like this.
He was happy for the women. The dream they had when they left their country was finally going to come true.
Bill came over with a large tray of at least a dozen bowls of savory food. Coop’s stomach growled in approval. “This is a big thanks for all you did to help Anie’s friends. Consider us your friend from now on.” He set bowl after bowl on the table. Coop thought they would run out of room, but finally Bill laid a clean plate in front of each of them. “Help yourself.” Smiling, he went back to the kitchen.
>
Anie and the sisters laughed as he took a bite of one dish after another. Some he liked, others he didn’t care for, but it didn’t matter. The three women were having a great time. They were survivors. Sitting here with them, watching them laugh and talk, hearing them plan their future made him feel better. This was why he’d gone into the PI business.
The payoff was great.
It was much later when he left. The table had been cleared, but the young women still sat there talking and laughing. For the first time since coming here they could make plans and carry them out. They were no longer slaves.
Coop didn’t want to go back to the office, so he went home. He wanted to check on Thor and he hadn’t talked to Shorty since this all went down. She was probably more than upset.
First, he went to the pens and brought Thor back with him to the house. Shorty shot him a look he knew well. He went into the kitchen and sat down, Thor at his feet. “I should have talked to you sooner, but everything happened so fast I didn’t have time.”
“Where’s Lori?” She held up the envelope Lori had sent her. “Did you know about this?”
“What does she have to say?”
“There were five one-hundred-dollar bills in here with a short note. Thank you for all you did for me. I’ll never forget your kindness or will I ever forget you. Give Thor a kiss for me every chance you get and tell Coop I’m sorry. Now you tell me what’s going on.”
Coop told her everything except the part where they’d made love—where he’d fallen in love.
“Where is she now?”
Coop scrubbed a hand over his face. He felt like an old man. “We don’t know for sure, but I have a good feeling she’s back home in Lindale where she was born and grew up.”
“So why aren’t you on your way to get her?”
“It’s not that easy, Shorty.”
“Of course it is. You love her. She loves you. It isn’t complicated.”
His head jerked up. “What?”
“It’s not complicated, Coop. Go get the girl. She belongs here with us.”
“She’s young. She doesn’t need an old man like me in her life.”
“That’s the puniest excuse I’ve ever heard.” Shorty turned her back to him.
“We have a problem with Thor.” He told her what the vet had said.
Wounded at the Lake Page 21
