He nodded and said, “Okay.I’ll back off and let the pros handle it.”
He sounded like he was being honest that time.Faith really hoped he was or the serious problem they were going to have might be David getting shot to death in the name of “national security.”
And Faith wouldn’t be able to do a damned thing to stop it.
CHAPTER TWO
Faith checked her phone as Jessica parked their rental car in the parking lot of the Plano Animal Shelter.When they landed, she got a text from her former partner, and current Special Agent-in-Charge of the Philadelphia Field Office Michael Prince.In the middle of something right now.Will set something up immediately after.
That was good.David was under guard, and Michael was on the case.Michael knew her well enough to know that priority one was taking this completely out of David’s hands.It would be okay.
She took a deep breath, released it slowly, and stepped out of the car.Turk jumped after her, giving her yet another questioning look as they walked into the animal shelter.
“I’m fine, boy,” she lied, reaching down to ruffle his fur.
Plano was a satellite city of Dallas and Fort Worth, a little too dense to be suburban but not dense enough to be considered urban sprawl.Traffic at this time of night was light but not empty.It was consistently ranked as one of the safest cities both in Texas and the United States, which could be why the Plano Police Department wanted their help with this one.
Murder wasn’t unheard of here, but this had all the hallmarks of an unusual killer, potentially one of the highly organized spree killers Faith specialized in, and potentially one whose motivations revolved at least partially around animals.The victim was an employee at an animal shelter, and she’d been killed in one of the animal pens with a note taped to her forehead.
They were greeted outside of the building by a tall, athletic police sergeant in his mid-forties.He shook Faith’s hand and nodded curtly.“Frank Hansen.”
“Faith Bold,” Faith replied.“Nice to meet you.This is my partner, Jessica Torres, and my K9 unit, Turk.”
Turk barked professionally, and Frank tipped the wide-brimmed Stetson hat he wore to the dog.He shook Jessica’s hand, and Faith suppressed a wry smile at the way his eyes widened.Jessica was a naturally blond, blue-eyed, athletic woman with a dazzling smile.Faith was no slouch herself, but Jessica would be right at home on the cover of a magazine.Besides, Faith wore a bright silver wedding band.
Yep, that’s right.I’m hitched to a wagon drawn by the world’s dumbest ox.Too bad for me, he’s an adorable idiot.
“Body’s in here,” Frank said.
He hooked a thumb over his shoulder and led the three agents into the building.Faith scanned the interior as they headed to the crime scene.The lobby was sparsely appointed, featuring a gray-painted counter, beige walls, and the thin, rough carpet that Faith thought of as motel special.A few vinyl-upholstered chairs sat against the window across from the counter.
“This is a city facility?”she asked.
“County,” Frank replied.“That’s why it’s so welcoming and pretty.”
Jessica giggled, and Frank flashed her a slightly hopeful grin before his smile faded.“I should warn you guys.It’s not a pretty sight.”
“We’re used to that, unfortunately,” Faith replied.
Frank pushed open the door to the animal storage facility.Faith’s lips thinned when she saw the steel cages with bare concrete floors.They were all empty now, the animals having been removed temporarily while they looked at the crime scene, but Faith could imagine the poor dogs forced to stay here in these four-by-six-foot metal and concrete boxes.What was so hard about making the place a little more comfortable for the animals?They had feelings too.
“Nice place,” Jessica quipped.
“Welcoming and pretty, like I said,” Frank remarked.
He pointed at one of the cages near the back of the room, and Faith got her first good look at the body.Sarah Garrett was thirty-six years old, the same age as Faith.She had the same light brown hair color as well.She was a little plumper than Faith, but not overweight, and according to the brief bio Faith had read on the flight over, she was known for rehabilitating tough cases, dogs that others had no luck with.
And now, she was dead.A railroad spike had been shoved through her mouth so it came out the back of her skull.Her teeth rested on the head of the spike, and her eyes were permanently fixed in an expression of shock.She was sitting up against the back of the cage, and a scrap of paper was taped to her chin, not her forehead after all.It read KILLER in scrawled handwriting.
Jessica whistled.“Wow.Someone really did not like her.”
“He really didn’t,” Faith said.
“Why the note, do you think?”Jessica asked.
“So, we knew why,” Faith replied.“In the killer’s mind, this was a justified death.They believed this woman was responsible for someone else’s death, or maybe another dog’s death.She wasn’t punished the way they believe she should have been, so they took that into their own hands.The note is to explain to us that this was the right thing to do.This wasn’t just a murder.It was an execution.”
“With a… what is that?A railroad spike?”
