Daniel nodded.He was calm once more.“I grew up in Montreal.We were American citizens, but my dad worked for the State Department until I was ten or so.I used to watch every Canadiens game.We never had the money to visit the rink, but I would watch them on tv in my little jersey.”
He sighed and looked over at the woman, who was still glaring at Jessica but thankfully was no longer shouting.“Why do people have to assume stuff about me because I’m a man?”
Faith didn’t feed into that argument.While Meyers stepped away to confirm Daniel’s presence at Lonnie’s Pub during Rebecca Hartley’s murder, she asked, “What about the morning before last?”
“I work for the Quantico Sentry.That’s the Marine Corps paper on the base.I’m not in the Corps, but I deliver to the paper subscribers.I’m at work by five o’clock every morning, and my route ends between eight and nine depending on whether they’re using the roads for exercises.Does that count?”
Faith pursed her lips.If the paper verified that, then Daniel couldn’t have killed Mark Patterson either.She glanced at Meyers and the sergeant nodded at her, disappointment on his face.So, his alibi was good for Hartley’s murder.
“We’ll call them,” Faith told Daniel.“What about the morning before, around nine a.m.?”
“Nine?I was done with work already, so I was either at the Giant Food or home unloading groceries.Ireallyhope I was at the Giant Food.”He laughed nervously.“Do you really think I did this?”
Not anymore.“We’re going to have to confirm your alibis,” Faith told him.She looked at Meyers, and Meyers called the next number.“If those come back confirmed, then you’re off the hook.In the meantime, you might want to pick a different outfit if you’re going to come watch the dogs.Maybe sneakers and a hood that isn’t pulled over your face.”
“Sure, that’s fine,” Daniel said.“I was just cold.You’d think a Canada boy would be used to cold, but I spent the second half of my childhood in California.I got used to warm sun.”
This sunwaswarm to Faith, but that wasn’t important.Meyers looked at her and nodded, shoulders slumped.Faith concealed her disappointment and nodded at Daniel.“Okay.Looks like your alibis check out.I suggest heading home for the day to avoid any more confusion.”
“Yeah,” Daniel said, calm now that he wasn’t being accused of multiple murder.“I’ll do that.”He smiled sadly at Turk.“Maybe I’ll look for a dog.Maybe it’s time.”
“The local shelter has a lot of good animals,” Faith suggested.“Couple of Frankensteins too if you’re looking for another mutt.”
Daniel laughed.“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind a Frankenjunior.Thanks officer, uh, agent.”
“Faith is fine,” Faith replied.“Good luck, Daniel.”
Daniel moved off, and Faith chuckled drily as the woman who had called to report him stared in abject shock before unleashing a stream of invective at Jessica.
“Damn it,” Meyers said when Daniel was out of earshot.“I thought we had him.”
Faith didn’t reply, only sighed and looked up at the sun, which continued to climb and warm the day further.Their killer remained at large, perhaps hiding until the watchful eyes of Jane Q.Public were averted once more.
Or maybe he only waited for them to fall on another hapless Daniel so he could strike while others ignored the real danger lurking in the shadows.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
David’s phone buzzed.A message from Jackie.It was a GIF of a puppy carrying a balloon in its mouth that read GET WELL SOON!In brightly colored letters.
He replied with a GIF of a cartoon mouse with a thermometer in its mouth and a soft smile under half-lidded eyes.He captioned the GIF,thank you, and typed a heart.After a second, the deleted the heart, then sent the message.He was probably overthinking it, but he was in a rather unusual situation.
In his entire career as a veterinary doctor, he had called in sick only once before.That was the first Valentine’s Day he celebrated with Faith, and he called in sick for a far more enjoyable reason than the one that caused him to call in today.
The distant rumble of a diesel engine pulled his attention back to the gate.He lifted his phone and took pictures of the five-ton truck leaving Gate E114 of Marine Corps Base Quantico.This truck had a bed with a hardshell behind its cab, so he couldn’t tell what was inside, but he caught an image of the driver and the passenger riding shotgun.He didn’t recognize either man, and since they were both men, neither of them could be Whitaker anyway, but maybe one of them was Colonel Chastain.
Probably not.In fact, David was pretty sure he was wasting his time here.What did he think he was going to find?A troop of dogs marching in unison while black-clad trainers drove them onward with whips?
Something.Anything.Anything at all that might tell me what’s going on here.
His phone buzzed again.Mary.You’re taking tomorrow off too.If I see your ass at the office, I’ll take a rolling pin to you like you were my own husband.
He chuckled at that but felt a flash of guilt that stifled his smile.His staff was wonderful.Now that Mary had texted him, every member of the veterinary staff at the Academy, including the two other veterinary doctors, had wished him a speedy recovery from the cold he didn’t have.He hated lying to them, even if it was a little white lie.
He laughed at that, a little more derisively.This wasnota white lie.He was spying on a US Marine Corps installation looking for evidence of criminal animal abuse.Once he had that evidence, he would do what exactly?Send it to the Pentagon?Bring it to Faith and get the FBI involved?
No!You willnotinvolve Faith in this!
“Relax,” he told his overactive conscience.“I’m not going to.”
