“Good call,” Jo agreed. She hesitated then asked, “Any word on Marnie?”
Sam shook his head. “Wyatt tailed her for a few hours last night. Said it was mind-numbingly boring. She went home and stayed there.”
Jo frowned. “That seems... too easy.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Sam said.
Reese strode in, her normally cheerful face creased with a mix of exasperation and determination. “Derek and Leanne are processed and gone,” she announced, her tone clipped.
Jo looked up from her desk, noticing the slight furrow in Reese’s brow. “Everything okay, Reese?”
Reese sighed, holding up a small, colorful packet. “Look what I found in the supply closet, buried behind a stack of printer paper. Again.” She shook her head,clearly annoyed at the disruption to her orderly domain.
Sam leaned back in his chair, a knowing look crossing his face. “Let me guess. Another one of Major’s secret stashes?”
“Exactly,” Reese confirmed, her eyes scanning the room for the culprit. “I swear, that cat thinks he’s running some kind of underground treat operation in my supply closet.”
As if summoned by the mention of his name, Major stretched atop the filing cabinet, his green eyes laser focused on the treat in Reese’s hand. His tail swished back and forth with barely contained anticipation, one paw stretching out demandingly.
Lucy, who had been dozing near Jo’s desk, lifted her head, suddenly alert to the possibility of snacks.
Jo shot the German Shepherd a warning look. “Don’t even think about it, girl. That’s definitely not for you.”
Reese, despite her annoyance, couldn’t resist Major’s silent plea. She took a treat out of the little bag and tossed it onto the top of the cabinet. The cat stopped it from sliding off with surprising dexterity and immediately settled down to enjoy his prize.
“I don’t know how he keeps getting into the treatdrawer,” Reese muttered, straightening a stack of papers on her desk.
“Sorry, Reese,” Sam said, though his amused tone suggested he found the whole situation more entertaining than problematic. “We’ll try to keep a closer eye on his treat-hiding activities.”
Reese nodded then seemed to remember something. Her face brightened slightly. “Oh, there is some actual case-related news. The lab results came back on that hair tie we found at the crime scene. There were roots attached to the hairs.”
The atmosphere in the room shifted, all attention now on Reese.
“That’s great,” Jo said, leaning forward. “Any matches?”
“I’m running it through CODIS now,” Reese replied, her efficiency shining through despite her earlier frustration. “It could take a while to get a hit, if we get one at all. But it’s a solid lead.”
Sam nodded, standing up. “Good work, Reese. Keep us posted on that. Jo, Lucy, and I are heading out to talk to Bruce Benedict about Garvin’s will. Let us know immediately if anything comes up with those DNA results.”
At the mention of an outing, Lucy’s ears perked up, but her eyes remained fixed on Major,who was making a show of enjoying his treat atop the filing cabinet.
“Come on, Lucy,” Sam called, grabbing his jacket. “Time to go.”
Lucy whined softly, clearly torn between her duty and the possibility of Major dropping some crumbs.
Sam sighed, a hint of a smile on his face. “All right, how about this? We’ll swing by Brewed Awakening. I think they just got a fresh batch of those doughnut holes you love.”
The magic words “doughnut holes” had Lucy on her feet in an instant, suddenly the picture of a dutiful police dog ready for action.
Jo chuckled, reaching for her own jacket. “Well, that did it. Let’s go see what Bruce has to say about Garvin’s sudden change of heart.”
As they headed for the door, Reese called after them, “I’ll let you know as soon as we get anything on those DNA results. And Sam?”
He turned back.
“Maybe we should think about getting a lock for that treat drawer.”
Sam nodded, his expression a mix of amusement and resignation. “Add it to the budget request, Reese. Though something tells me Major would find a way around that too.”
