Now, though, he had a valid reason for investigating further—without having to say that a “witness” had seen her dead after she’d tried on a dress worn by the victim.
He thanked them all and met Nigel back in the hallway.
When they left, Dr. Wong, Roger, Belinda and Marci all stood in the hall, looking stricken, swearing they’d call if they thought of anything at all.
Outside, Nigel looked at Axel and said, “Everything we touch seems to make this all the sadder—young girl, hard worker, her whole life ahead of her.”
“Want some coffee from the shop down the street?” Axel suggested.
“Sure. You know I tried to order a cup of coffee there once.”
“And?”
“I finally got coffee. After saying I didn’t want a mocha, cappuccino or latte—flavored or non.”
“I’ll do the ordering,” Axel told him.
“You have a picture of our victim? Her name was never released to the media.”
“You bet.”
“They have some kind of food, too. Pastries. But I’ll eat anything right now. If we want all the receipts, we’ll have to get a subpoena.”
“Maybe the owner will just be nice,” Axel said.
“And maybe this dude pays with cash,” Nigel said wearily.
“Maybe there’s some kind of security camera on the place or at least nearby,” Axel suggested. “Let’s go. And yes, I’ll do the ordering.”
* * *
Knowing Axel wouldn’t be coming until the afternoon, Raina agreed to accept a new client at her house in the morning. The request came through a phone call, and she accepted.
It was with a woman named Sara Moore who had a Pekingese who wouldn’t listen to anything.
When the woman arrived, she did so with Jordan Rivera.
Raina smiled curiously as he introduced her to Sara. “Hey, I recommended you,” Jordan whispered to her. “I mean, you are good, and you’re a friend!”
“Thanks,” she whispered back.
Inside, the little Peke began growling at Titan, who simply stared at him as a judo master might stare at an ant.
Sara apologized, but yelled at the dog, giving Raina a great place to start, explaining positive reinforcement.
“But do you have to give an animal food every time?” Sara asked, confused.
She was a pretty woman and Raina grinned at Jordan, who was just sitting on her couch silently, watching what was going on.
She assumed Sara might be Jordan’s latest love or tentative latest love.
“No. Dogs respond to affection as well as food,” Raina explained. And she began working with the Peke, gaining the pup’s trust. First, she resorted to bribery, and then put him through his paces by rewarding him with pets and hugs. Her method had to do with training people to train their dogs themselves. The Peke was a smart little thing and quickly seemed to get the concept.
An hour and a half after they arrived, Raina had the Peke sitting on command and coming to her as well as Sara.
Sara was pleased but uncertain, anxious to come back.
Raina wasn’t sure about making more appointments. She was working with the family of a man killed in the service but determined they would, at least, care for the dog who had been with him and had survived. The poor shepherd was badly damaged. She also had a few appointments with service dogs and their owners and an ex-K9 pooch who was a little too aggressive.
And she wanted to be available for Axel.
When she hesitated, saying she had to check her calendar, Jordan came in on the conversation. “Aw, come on, Raina. Sara rescued this little guy. Someone dumped him dirty and matted in a field by her house. You love to help rescues. Please?”
“If you call on Monday morning, I’ll figure out how to get you in,” Raina promised Sara.
Sara smiled and thanked her and headed toward the door. Jordan followed, but when she was outside, setting the Peke down on the grass for a chance to relieve himself before getting in the car, Jordan hung back.
“What? Getting cozy with the FBI guy?” he teased.
“I do like him,” Raina said.
“Yeah. He seems like a good character. I know you all liked him way back when, too. I can’t help but be curious about this whole thing, though. Bodies do show up in the Everglades. We do have good cops. This guy isn’t even assigned down here.”
“I don’t even begin to understand the legal machinations,” Raina said.
“Well, I’m an attorney. I do,” Jordan said.
“He knows the Everglades.”
“Yeah, that’s why Miami-Dade cops should be working with the Miccosukee police.