Instead, I was just glad he was on my side.
I made a quick stop at home, stocked up on water and dog food, then slipped into a pair of flair jeans, strapped Cinnamon’s gun around my ankle, and left.
Mace was no match for four thousand pounds of steel bearing down on you.
And I’ll be a witch in hell before I let someone hurt my dogs.
Next, I went to the newspaper office to figure out how the hell to work these goggles.
“Well, nice of you to join us,” Parker said.
I held up my hand. “Not now.”
Parker didn’t say anything more as I marched past him.
Derek was on the phone when I walked in with Thor and Keesha, but he quickly cut the call. Must have been the look on my face. I unfastened the spy wear around Thor’s head, handed it to him, and said, “How do I retrieve the data?”
“Good morning to you too, sunshine.”
I glared at him.
“I hate that look.”
“Then don’t make me toss it at you.”
“Did you get another dog?”
“She’s a guest.”
Derek shrugged his shoulders, reached over and grabbed the goggles, flipped open a latch, and inserted a USB cable. Next, he inserted the other end into his computer and downloaded the video onto his laptop.
We watched several minutes of scenery, sniffing of crotches, poop, melted ice cream on the sidewalk, and the sashay of an Afghan’s ass.
Finally I said, “Derek, fast forward. If there’s a time stamp, it would be around the 9:15 mark that I’m looking for.”
Derek moved the video forward several hours until I said, “Freeze!”
He paused the frame. “Hey, that reminds me, we’re all going to Tastee Freez for lunch. You in?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Things to do.” People to kill.
“Man, why can’t you be a team player?”
I ignored that and asked, “Can you zoom the screen?”
Derek made the screen bigger and I thanked him. I wrote down the license plate of the maniac who tried to mow down Keesha.
I thanked Derek and he said, “Hey, Sydney called. That file is ready. Pick it up anytime. His fee might be a bit pricey since it was no easy task creating an .mp3 file from that older model equipment. Did you want the watch back?”
“Yes, will you tell him I’ll be there this afternoon?”
Derek said he would do that, and he put the video from the doggie cam on an external disk and handed it to me.
I told Parker I was following a lead and that I’d be back right after I talked to Leo. He waved from his open office door and I drove to the police station with the disk in my pocket.
I realize it may not have been the smartest move—walking into a cop shop with a weapon that didn’t belong to me clinging to my ankle—but right now, I was desperate.
Leo was talking to Amy when I entered the building. He looked at Thor, then at Keesha and said, “I see you are traveling with an entourage these days.”
“I’m keeping up my end of the deal. I want you to keep up yours.”
He opened his arms and stepped aside, allowing the three of us to pass. “Come on in.”
I handed him the drive as he settled into his chair. “What’s this?”
“This is video of someone trying to kill Keesha.” I pointed to the fluffy collie and she rested her head against Thor.
“Why would someone want to kill a dog?” Leo asked. He flipped on his monitor and plugged the external disk into the USB port.
“That’s your job, Chief.”
Leo smirked and said, “You’re right. Okay, let’s check it out.”
He frowned after a few minutes and I said, “Oh yeah. You have to fast forward. Thor got the goggles yesterday and I didn’t know how to unload the data.”
“Thor?”
I swung around and leaned over his shoulder. “Wait, stop! There.” I pointed to the image of the car driving away.
“This looks a lot like Thor chasing cars.”
I sighed. “Leo, just run the plates, please. I swear to you, this car tried to plow Keesha down and I want to know why.”
I explained to him the connection between Keesha and Cole. I didn’t tell him about my father’s time capsule because, really, what would I say? Yes, we’re looking for a person named RJ. Might not go over well.
He seemed intrigued then. He plugged in some numbers into his computer and said, after a minute or so, “It’s a rental car.” He picked up the phone, chatted with someone on the other end, thanked her, and hung up. He stared at the phone for several seconds.
“Well? Who rented it?”
Leo looked me straight in the eye and said, “Cole Tripp.”
Chapter 32
Leo called out a search on the car and I left the police station to head to the spy store, really hoping Cole Tripp was not a zombie.
Sydney was behind the counter when I pushed through the door.
“Hi, Sydney, Derek said you had something for me?”
He grinned. “This was a doozy, I tell you, had to do a lot of data configuring to update the technology, but I think you’re all set.”
“You think?”
Sydney said, “Of course, I don’t actually listen to the contents. That would be a violation of the confidentiality agreement I provide to all my customers.”
“Of course,” I said.
“What kind of phone do you have?”
I showed it to him.
“Would you like me to upload it here?”
“That would be great.”
I handed Sydney my phone and browsed the store for a little bit, choosing a few items for myself I thought would come in handy.
After a few minutes, Sydney rang me up and I was out the door, with my purchases stuffed in my bag. It was a twenty-minute drive back, so I let both dogs out and walked them up the block to a grassy patch where they could do their business. Then I purchased two waters from a vending machine, grabbed the water dish from the car, and filled it.
They each took turns lapping up the water, Thor dripping half of his all over poor Keesha’s head. I grabbed a towel from the backseat and wiped her down.
Her eyes were so soulful, she seemed half-human. I wanted to put her in my pocket and keep her safe.
Then the most amazing thing happened. She licked my hand.
My heart melted and we looked at each other for a few minutes longer. She cocked her head as if trying to read my thoughts and I did the same.
Except I was not Fiona.
But I did have something that might help figure this all out.
My notebook was buried beneath the pregnancy test packages, the purchases from the spy store, and my audio recorder. I dug it out, tossed the test packages in a nearby garbage can, and flipped to the page where I had recorded Fiona’s reading notes from her session with the petite, furry girl.
Keesha
Pretty
Girl
Smart
Help
Teach
Show
Fun
Car
Lady
Bad
Man
Sad
Nope. All it revealed was her experience as a prison dog. The last three words I assumed meant it was bad what happened to Cole and she was sad about it.
I have learned over the years that sometimes, in order to figure out how the story ends, you must go back to the beginning.
So that’s what we did.
I played the recording in the car on the drive back. It was fuzzy, but I could make out most of what was said.
I can’t just kill a man in cold blood. You have to get that out of your head. Besides, you always said everything he touched turned to gold. Why don’t you just hit him up for another payoff?
The voice from the phone call. Cole’s voice.
Then, another.
He won’t do it. I tried. That bastard owes m
e. Besides, we need the money if we’re going to build another lab.
No way. I’m done with that. Let’s just stick with the plan, RJ. This gig I got going now with stealing the trailers is going to be good money. The VINs are legit and the buyer in Chicago is a sure thing. We’ll be fine. Remember what Dad always said, stick with the sure thing and don’t get caught.
Dad got caught, Cole. That’s why we ended up in the system in the first place.
Look, I’ve been on probation for two years. If I get busted again, I’m looking at hard time. Only thing that saved me was they couldn’t prove we had distributed.
The money is all gone. We need this. We hit him and I know I can use that as leverage.
With who? Look, you said he knows too much. He may have told someone what he’s got on you.
Not a chance. He’s afraid of me.
Well, what if he changes his mind?
A pause.
What? What are you looking at?
Dead men tell no tales.
What are you doing? Stop it! Get your hands off the wh—
A crash, the sickening sound of metal crunching against metal.
And that was all.
I was shaking with fury as we made our way down to the lake, my resolve stronger than ever.
Thor took off after an unsuspecting rabbit and Keesha and I wandered around the embankment. It was cloudy today, cooler than yesterday, but my blood was boiling hot.
There had to be something here. Something I missed.
I followed Keesha as she sniffed around the trees and pranced through the sand, my focus on the dog’s actions and energy.
She inspected a dead fish, pawed at it a bit. We moved on to some wildflowers, a willow tree, and a fallen log.
I closed my eyes for a moment, sending a message to Cole to present himself.
I waited.
He didn’t show.
I walked closer to the water and tried to call him again.
That was when the white tiger appeared.
And behind me, a branch cracked.
I turned, expecting to see Thor.
Instead, I was staring at a crossbow.
Chapter 33
“The poor dog, in life the firmest friend, The first to welcome, foremost to defend.”
—Lord Byron
I dove behind a tree and an arrow pierced the bark. Another whooshed toward me and I scrambled back around, but I wasn’t fast enough. It sliced across my hip, and the ripping pain doubled me over. The gun was in a holster strapped to my ankle, but I was afraid by the time I retrieved it I would have an arrow in my back. I stood there, perfectly still, wondering what my next move should be.
Then, it was made for me.
“Come out of there or I’ll kill the dog.”
Keesha? Where was she? Or was it Thor?
I took a long, deep breath and limped around to face Becky.
“I take it you’re a fan of the Hunger Games too, huh, RJ?”
“You’re pretty observant. And smart. Do yourself a favor and be smart now. I’m taking the dog. Make a move and I’ll kill you.”
She trained the bow on me with one hand and walked toward Keesha.
I scanned the woods, the lake. No sign of anyone near. Nowhere to run.
“You killed your blood brother. How could you do that?”
“Because he was going to rat me out. Rats deserve to die.”
I heard a rustling above me as a squirrel scurried down the tree. “My father didn’t deserve to die. He told no one about you. I guess you’re less significant than you think.”
She snorted. “Psychobabble doesn’t work on me.”
“Right, I forgot you’re a sociopath.”
She snorted again and said, “Sticks and stones. He thought he was so much better than me. Thought he could say no to me. I deserved that inheritance from Mr. and Mrs. Perfect and they didn’t leave me a goddamn dime! I earned that money!”
What was that supposed to mean? She earned it?
A trace of something crossed her brow. A flicker of movement from the corner of her eye.
Her own face betraying her because she had said too much.
“You killed them, didn’t you?” I said.
She stared me down, deadpanned. Didn’t say a word.
“You’re a monster.”
Her grip tightened on the bow. This wasn’t just anyone in a desperate situation. She truly was out of her mind.
“Sticks and stones.”
Stones. There was a giant rock nearby. If I was fast enough…
In front of me, Keesha crouched to release her bowels.
RJ stared at the dog, eyes wide. She had two arrows left.
She flung the bow over her shoulder and lunged for Keesha.
“Leave her alone, you crazy bitch!”
I dove after RJ, but the collie charged away.
Except it wasn’t the dog the woman was aiming for, it was what Keesha had deposited in the sand. That’s when I knew and I scrambled for it too.
The radiograph, the broken letters on her custom-made tambourine—was that the weapon used to hit Cole on the head? Keesha must have eaten one of the letters that spelled out Nevermore.
Which would place them both at the scene of the crime.
We fought over the feces and RJ got in a good closed-fist crack to my jaw. I grabbed the back of her head and shoved her face in the sand and Keesha’s contribution to it, but she wrestled away and elbowed me between the shoulder blades.
I saw something shiny then and I grabbed for it.
That’s when RJ shoved me hard and flipped to reach for her bow. I shuffled for the gun on my ankle, but the maniac stomped on my wrist and I screamed in agony.
She sprung to her feet and I delivered a roundhouse kick that took her down again.
I flipped my pant leg up and unsnapped the holster on the gun.
But I was too late.
The bow was aimed directly at my heart.
Then, from the rocks above, I heard the low, deadly growl of an animal about to attack.
We both turned to see Thor perched on a boulder, two-inch canines dripping saliva.
He lunged before RJ had time to redirect her aim. The dog came down on top of her, hard. The arrow misfired and stuck in the damp earth below the boulder.
The impact sent Thor and my attacker tumbling through the sand.
I shuffled to my feet, turned, and told Keesha, “Go!” And grabbed the letter. Shoved it in my pocket.
The collie darted off into the forest and I spun back around.
What happened next took place in slow motion
RJ aimed the bow at my Great Dane.
I screamed in terror, reached for my gun.
But I was too late.
My familiar—my pet, my friend—crashed into the water.
Lifeless.
The sound of a demon escaped my throat and I tackled RJ, beating her face raw with my bare hands.
Tears streamed down my checks, mixed with feces, blood, and sand as I delivered blow after merciless blow to a woman I had just met.
The rage, hurt, and scars of fourteen years of loss and agony I unleashed on this one individual.
I couldn’t stop myself.
Then, in the distance, a tiger roared.
Closer, a horse whinnied.
A shy dog barked in protest.
It was the animals who brought me back to reality.
I jumped up and sprinted to Thor.
There are stories where, under duress, people find the strength of ten men. Mothers lifting cars off children. Men hauling cranes off coworkers.
That was the only explanation for what happened on the beach that day, although I don’t remember it.
I was told they found me trying to carry Thor into the vet’s office, the arrow still sticking out of his ribs. Tracey helped me lay him on the floor before she sprinted for the vet.
Doc Zimmerman came rushing out of an exam room. He took one look at me and
said, “We’ll fix him.” He called someone to help and they carried Thor into the back area of the clinic.
He wouldn’t allow me to stay in the room through the surgery, so I washed up in the bathroom, feeling numb. That part, I remember.
I found some bandages for my hip in the medicine cabinet. Dressed the wound.
The waiting room of any doctor’s office or hospital is purgatory on earth. Waiting to hear if your loved ones will live or die. Waiting to hear if your life is about to change. If there will be a void when you leave there.
Waiting for answers.
I sat there, feeling helpless, while a thousand voices rambled through my head. Voices I tried to turn off, but who wouldn’t be ignored.
Because there was a piece of the puzzle still missing.
“You always said everything he touched turned to gold.”
“Dead men tell no tales.”
Grow house—discovered outside of Madison—torched
“Your father was murdered.”
Kansas City state troopers pull over semi-truck—find meth lab
“Look, I’ve been on probation for two years.”
Two years. Something was niggling my mind about that number. Two years.
And then it hit me.
Tracey interrupted my thoughts. “He’s going to be fine. The arrow went about an inch deep. It sliced a muscle, so he’ll have internal and external stitches, but after he’s patched up, he’ll make a full recovery.”
I thanked Tracey, asked her to kennel Keesha, and told her to call me the minute Thor woke up.
I dialed Leo’s private number from the car.
“There’s a woman who was beaten up at Eagle Lake. You might want to get over there.”
“Where are you?”
“On my way to kill my boss.”
Chapter 34
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
—Mark Twain
I marched into Parker’s office and shut the door. Closed all the blinds.
He looked up from the computer and frowned at me. “You smell like shit. Literally.”
“Why did you move here from Madison?”
Parker shrugged. “A fresh start.”
Tiger's Eye (A Stacy Justice Mystery Book Three) Page 18