returned, greeting Raina with an affection that almost knocked her over.
She was glad to see Titan appeared almost as happy to see Axel, especially since Titan was a good judge of people.
“So now what?” she asked Axel.
“We’ll get back to your place and get ahold of Jordan.”
“What he wants to say—it may not have anything to do with any of this.”
“But it does.”
Raina was thoughtful. “It wasn’t Jordan. You saw him. He was bereft. I don’t remember his exact words, but he insisted Jennifer Lowry hadn’t deserved it. He cared for her, and he was stunned and angry. Besides, Titan wouldn’t like him if he was a murderer.”
“I have a lot of faith in the dog, Raina, but even you said there was something off with Jordan. You knew it from when he was at your house, and you knew it after we saw him.”
“I can’t believe he’d be a party to this.”
“Maybe he’s not. Maybe he’s seen or heard something that can help.”
“That has to be it,” Raina said. “I’ll call him while we’re on the way back to my place.”
As they tended to the horses, Andrew returned. He found them in the stables.
“Well, this could be a total waste of time,” Andrew said, “but I suggest we hang out at that camping trip coming up. Your couple-not-official-couple, Loretta Oster and Frank Peters, will definitely be there. They bring the kids in Wednesday night and the bus picks them all back up on Sunday around noon. Campfire tales Wednesday night—you do the pirate ship story best, Axel, as I recall—and then on Thursday they’re doing Shark Valley and the Miccosukee restaurant. On Friday it’s airboat tours, and Saturday the village and their final campfire. Now, here’s the thing. The groups are a bit larger these days, so there are two additional chaperones. But all four of them are supposed to be with the kids from start to finish. I’m not sure what we can get.” He hesitated. “If those two have somehow figured out how to murder people, I don’t know how they can get away with it with sixty pre–high school kids in their care.”
“And,” Axel said, “if this is something organized or for some bizarre special purpose, there’s no reason they’d be at it again so quickly. Still, I do think we should be there. I’ll talk to Nigel and make sure he’s in accord with us. And find out if he has gotten anything else.”
Andrew nodded gravely, looking at Raina. “Wild Thing really likes you. That horse has never been so well behaved. Well, I like to think he likes me, too, but...”
Raina smiled. “I like Wild Thing. Great horse. I hope you’ll... I hope you’ll keep letting me come see him.”
“Of course!”
They headed out a few minutes later. Raina tried to reach Jordan. His phone went straight to voice mail.
Axel had greater success in calling his headquarters. Raina wasn’t sure what was said exactly, but another Krewe agent was coming down with his “unusually gifted” girlfriend.
“Jordan isn’t answering,” she said.
“We’ll just keep trying every fifteen minutes or so until we get him,” Axel said.
When they reached the house, Titan went bounding out the car door. Raina thought he was racing for the house, but he wasn’t.
He was making a beeline for the bushes by the house.
“Titan!” she called, rushing after him. “What is it, boy?”
Axel followed her as she hurried toward the dog. Titan wasn’t upset or growling at anything; he had something between his teeth and he was wagging his tail wildly.
“What the heck?” Raina said.
“Get it from him!” Axel said.
“What?”
“Get it from him—quickly.”
“He doesn’t kill squirrels or lizards or iguanas or birds—he knows better. He’s just found—”
“Whatever he’s found, get it from him.”
He stepped by her. Titan might like Axel, but not well enough to allow him to take some treasure out of his mouth.
She hurried forward herself.
“Titan, drop it!”
For a moment, the dog stared at her.
“Titan, you heard me. Drop it!”
The dog did so, staring at her belligerently.
“What is it?” Axel asked, moving forward to take the mass the animal had dropped.
Titan let out a growl. Raina chastised him.
“I’ve got it!” she said.
She picked up the mystery pile the dog had dropped. It looked like a piece of charred meat.
“It’s someone’s leftovers, I guess,” Raina said.
“On the side of your yard, in the bushes, next to your window?” Axel asked, his voice hard.
He dug in his pocket, producing a plastic baggie with a sealed closure.