Bobby shook his head dramatically.“Oh, he ain’t from around these parts.Just visits his niece, I think he said.”
Brantley waited patiently, not wanting to repeat himself.He didn’t give a shit if good ol’ Marty visited the spirit of the elephant out in an empty field.He just needed to know where to look.
“Lemme think,” the guy said, turning and looking at the nearby table.He picked up a statue of a crow, admired it, then put it back.He picked up another statue, this one of a wagon wheel leaning against a wood fence.“This is more your style.”
When Bobby passed the statue his way, Brantley was forced to take it.He smiled, obliging the man.“It’s uh…” In truth, it looked like it had been made by someone who knew what they were doing, but then painted by that person’s four-year-old kid.
“Nine ninety-nine,” Bobby said.“That’s a steal.”
Considering the information he would get out of it, Brantley thought so, too.“I’ll take it.”He saw a matching one and pointed it out.“And that one, too.”
“Oh, it’s lovely.”Bobby picked up the other statue and carried it toward the back.
Brantley followed.
“I’ll get you rung up.”
He was about to remind Bobby that he was looking for someone, but he didn’t need to.
“And I’ll see if I can remember where Marty said his niece lives.I’ve got a map.Give me a minute.”
“Sure thing.”He was starting to think the oblivious ruse was an act to sell the crap he was peddling.
No one said small-town entrepreneurs didn’t know what they were doing.
With another bust, Reese walked out intothe brilliant Texas sunshine, Tesha trotting at his side.
“Someone’s gotta know them, Tesha,” he said absently.“That or we’re lookin’ in the wrong damn place.”
Which was a good possibility.Although plenty of their findings pointed directly to this area, Reese knew it could all be smoke and mirrors, all set up to give the illusion of progress.With their luck, this was just another distraction they didn’t need.
“You wanna go in the hair place?”he asked Tesha, wishing like hell they could avoid it.Having his nostrils assaulted by a myriad of chemicals was not high on his list of enjoyable things to do on a Monday morning.
He could tell by Tesha’s hesitant gait that she wasn’t looking forward to it either.
“It’s the job, girl,” he said, starting down the sidewalk.
His cell phone rang, causing him to stop, praying it was someone who wanted him to do something besides go in that place.
“I got somethin’,” Brantley said without greeting.
Reese glanced across the street, saw his husband coming out of the fine arts store.
Brantley lifted a hand to wave, then pointed in the direction they’d come from.“Meet me at the truck.”
The call disconnected.
“Looks like he loves us, girl.Come on.Let’s go.”
Excited by the prospect of something new, Tesha’s tail wagged as she worked diligently to remain at his side and not follow her instincts that told her to race ahead.Her training was ongoing, and with every passing day, she was learning more and more.The best part was that she was eager to learn.Well, the best part was that he got to train her, but he’d let her think it was all for her.
“Tesha, wait,” he instructed when they reached the corner to cross the street.
She waited, her full attention on him.He knew he could walk across that street and she would remain right where she was until he gave her the command to go.It took a lot of repetitive work to get her to that point, but he no longer had to worry that she would dart out into traffic.
The light finally changed and the Walk sign began to flash.
“Go,” he said, the signal to release her from the wait position.
