“What do you mean? He wasn’t there?”
“He was there. On a horse in the field.”
“He didn’t greet you?”
“No, and that’s fine. I drove to the cages, played with the dogs for a while, leashed-up Max and Brutus and then was on my way.”
I made a mental note to chide him for not at least saying hi. And when did I become big on manners?
“Alright, well, get in. We’ll drive around to the back.” I opened the passenger door to her truck.
“Uhhh, no,you get in.”
“No ma’am. I’ve been wanting to drive this beauty since I first laid eyes on her.”
“She might disappoint you, Jagg.” Sunny pinned me with a gaze anything but playful—andoh,so loaded.
“Doubt it.” I winked. “Get in.”
Brute eyed me as I settled behind the shiny, wood steering wheel, then he took his place between us. I fired up the engine, a smooth, low rumble. She was definitely no disappointment.
“Max good?” I glanced in the rearview.
Sunny rolled her eyes.
Of course the genius dog was good. I slowly started through the parking lot and rounded the brick building.
“Why did Brute come along for the ride?”
“He has a vet appointment after this. Might get some steroids for his shoulder. Seems to be bothering him more lately.”
I glanced down at the dog, who bowed his head, embarrassed by the conversation. I understood that feeling.
“So,” Sunny said, glancing over her shoulder at Max. “How do you want to do this?”
“We’ll take him to the picnic tables in the back. I’ll bring Griggs’ clothes outside and let him do his sniffing thing.”
“Sounds easy enough.”
Easy enough. Ha. I thought of Colson and how many prying eyes would be watching us from the window.
My next thought surprisingly was…bring it.
40
JAGG
With Sunny and crew waiting patiently outside, I checked Griggs’ clothes out of evidence, logging the time, date, and purpose, leaving everything but a blood sample and rights to my unborn child. Then, I met Sunny and Max under a shaded, grassy area behind the station.
While Max was a bouncing ball of energy, Brute stayed at Sunny’s feet, never leaving her heels. I stepped back and watched Sunny do her thing with Max. The process was interesting. She’d hidden several bags among the trees and shrubbery, each holding various articles of clothing. The bag holding Griggs’ clothes was placed next to a budding sapling. Sunny guided Max to each bag muttering commands, giving him a treat each time they reached Griggs’ bag. After a few rounds of this, Brute tired and meandered over to me where he sat an inch from my boot. I kneeled down, scratched behind his ears, then gently rubbed his shoulder. A massage always helped me. The dog practically melted into my touch as we watched our master work.
“Whose clothes are in the other bags?” I asked.
“Mine in one, one of your T-shirt’s in another, a leash from your brother’s kennel in one, and the rest filled with clothes I got from the thrift store on the way in. Lots of different scents.”
“Good to know the Jagger brothers are covered.”
“We’ll see,” she winked.
