Gabriel moved back to his desk and played the video, landing at the very end of the clip as the witness focused down the road.
There was a pole with fliers.
He moved that frame into the software that would make it as clear as possible. If he were lucky, he’d be able to read a phone number, and minimally he’d know the area code.
When his phone rang, Gabriel groped around the top of his desk until his fingers found the case.
He checked the screen. “Hey, Cath.”
“Checking in to see how you’re doing after today. Where are you?” Cathy sounded exhausted. It meant something to him that she reached out.
“I’m at the office working. Whiskey’s lying on my coat being a good girl.”
“Whiskey should behave beautifully. She’s a Cerberus Certified K9.”
“True.” Daniel had put all his disposable income into training her so Whiskey could do good in the world.
If Daniel had a job in the military that took him outside the wire, Gabriel might think that do-gooder streak hadsomething to do with penance. But Daniel had been a mechanic for the Army, and he went on to be a state police officer for no other reason than he felt the calling. He wasn’t doing it to atone.
“But Daniel knows I don’t do that kind of thing with my job,” Gabriel said. “Why wouldn’t he give Whiskey to an organization where she’d be of service? This doesn’t make sense.”
“You don’t love Whiskey?” Cathy’s voice turned tight with offense.
“Whiskey is fine as dogs go. But would I choose a bloodhound as my bestie?
“What dog would you choose?”
“I wouldn’t, or I’d have a dog.” Gabriel was tired, too. It had taken a lot of energy to stay focused on the case. Typically, lives on the line usually sharpened his focus. But tonight, he was pushing through.
“You like dogs. We’ve always had dogs.”
“I’m not saying I don’t. It’s just that dogs are a commitment to time and energy, and with my travel schedule. I’m just saying …” He needed to get off the call and get back to thinking.
“You’re not traveling that much anymore. If you didn’t get custody of Whiskey in the will, you might have considered a dog to keep you company.”
“I travel for competitions.”
Her voice was tightening with each exchange. “You can run in the woods closer to home.”
The last thing he wanted was to cause Cathy more grief.
“It’s Danny’s daughter,” she said. “Wouldn’t you change things up for your nephews? You’re my kids’ godfather; should I strip you of the honors?”
Gabriel didn’t answer. But he was sure his sister could feel the dark cloud gathering around her poorly chosen words.
“Okay, not daughter. I apologize about the boys. That was mean. You’re the only one I would trust with my rowdy bunch. But Whiskey is more than a dog. Danny left you custody of his partner. As much as he loved Whiskey, Danny must have believed that you’d give her the best life possible.”
“I’m the chosen one.”
He’d tried to make a joke; it fell flat.
“Okay, this isn’t going well,” Cathy said, “so I’m going to hang up. First, though, I texted you a number for Reaper Hamilton Cerberus Tactical. I don’t know why I said that. You know Reaper. Daniel told me you two became friends during Daniel’s hospice. You probably already have it.”
“Why did you text it to me?” Gabriel asked. “I thought Whiskey was fully trained already. She’s certified, right?”
“She is,” Cathy said. “You talked to Danny most days.”
“We did. But we didn’t talk about his dog.”
