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“I’ll make phone calls while you check on the dog,” Quinn said as he parked at the vet clinic.
“I won’t be long.” She slid out and walked up the ramp into the small building. The sounds of a dog whining and a printer printing filled her ears as she opened the door. The smell of antiseptic and fear stopped her forward motion. Until she’d served in Iraq and Syria, she hadn’t believed an emotion could have a scent. It did. And it was one she would never forget and always triggered a need to protect herself.
“Dela. Mom said you’d be coming by.”
The friendly voice reminded her she wasn’t in a dangerous situation. With a shake, she focused on Travis.
He watched her from behind the counter and the keyboard he was typing on.
“I wanted an update on the dog. Well, Eats a Lot.”
“Seriously? You named him that?” Travis stood.
“I didn’t. It’s what his previous owners called him.” The wide grin and mischief in the young man’s eyes were contagious. She grinned back at him. “What do you think I should call a pony-sized dog?”
“King Kong. Goliath. Godzilla.”
“Funny. He’s too cuddly looking to be any of those names.”
“How about Teddy Bear?” Travis motioned to the backroom. “Do you want to see him?”
She followed the young man back into a room with half a dozen cages. The largest one on the floor held her dog.
He whimpered. Dela knelt in front of the cage and put her fingers through one of the squares.
His tail thumped and he licked her fingers. Her chest expanded with pride that she’d helped this animal.
“I see you and the dog have bonded already,” Molly said from behind her.
Using the cage, Dela shoved to her feet. “According to Grandfather Thunder, he is now my dog. The owner doesn’t want him. His name is Eats a Lot and he’s only eight months old.”
“I figured he wasn’t a year old yet. He’s going to grow some more. Are you ready to handle a dog the size of a horse?” Molly led her over to a counter where there was a file laid out.
“I think he’ll train easily. He’ll have to realize we are both disabled and act accordingly.” Dela had had a good feeling about the animal ever since it looked at her after she’d put him in her car.
“We’ll be keeping him for a week. That way he stays down, and we can clean and bandage the stub. I left about eight inches on the leg. This type of amputation causes less trauma to the bone.”
Dela nodded. She knew all about leg amputations. “Thank you for taking such good care of him. Is there anything he needs that you can’t provide?”
“It would help if you could bring in some food and maybe a chew toy?”
“I can do that. I’ll try to bring it in tomorrow.”
“We heard about the body at the casino,” Molly said.
Dela stared at her. “How does this get around so quickly?”
Molly laughed. “Because a relative of nearly everyone on the rez works at the casino.”
“Maybe you can find out if anyone had a problem with Tristan Pomroy who worked in accounting.” Dela said it as a joke but the look on her friend’s face said she would ask around.
“Are you ready?” Quinn walked into the room with Travis a step behind him.
Molly’s face lit up. “Dela, where have you been keeping this guy?”
Embarrassed by her friend’s outright ogling, she said. “Dr. Molly Taylor meet FBI Special Agent Quinn Peirce. We’re working the homicide together.”
“Lucky you.” Molly held out her hand. “Pleased to meet you Special Agent.”
Quinn grinned. “The pleasure is mine. Where’s this dog that isn’t Dela’s dog, but is her dog?”
Molly laughed and pointed to Eats a Lot’s cage.
Quinn studied the animal and then stared at Dela. “That’s not a dog, it’s a horse. Do you think you can handle him?”
Tired of everyone telling her that the dog was too big for her, Dela glared at him. “I’m getting tired of people telling me about the limits they think I have. He’s perfect for me. Let’s get going.”
She stomped to the door, mostly on the good foot, and faced the room. “Molly, I’ll be back tomorrow with the food and settle the bill.” A thought came to her. “Otis said he couldn’t keep the dog home. Is he fixed?”
Molly winked. “He is now. And I gave him a microchip in case he takes off after you get him home.”
“Thanks.” She nodded toward the door, staring at Quinn. “I thought you were in a hurry?” Dela continued out through the reception area and to the car, where she slid into the passenger side and waited for Quinn.
He slid in behind the steering wheel and started the vehicle. “I didn’t mean you couldn’t handle the dog. It’s going to be a big animal to feed and keep under control for anyone. I thought it was going to be a lap dog.”
“Don’t mention the size of the dog to my mom. All she saw was a picture and told me I shouldn’t keep him.”
“I don’t know where you live.” He backed out of the clinic parking area and faced Mission Road.
“Turn left and keep going until I tell you to turn.” She leaned her head back on the seat to rest.
“Don’t fall asleep. I don’t know where I’m going,” Quinn said.
“I’m not. I’m just resting my eyes. Tell me when we pass Mission Market.” She dropped into oblivion.
“Dela, I just passed the market.”
Quinn’s words confused her. They were sitting on a rock on a mountain. Their backpacks were beside them. Why would he be talking about the market?
Her body swayed.
“Wake up. Hey. You told me to tell you when we passed the market.”
She shook awake, even though her eyes didn’t want to stay open. “Take the third road to the left and follow it to the end.” She dropped off again.
♠ ♣ ♥ ♦
A car door slammed and her body shook.
“Dela? Dela, wake up,” Quinn’s voice filtered through her slumber.
“Oh no! What happened? Is she hurt?”
Her mother’s raised voice, snapped Dela’s eyelids open. Mom stood in the open car door, leaning over her.
“Dela, honey, are you hurt?” Mom picked up one of her hands and patted it.
“Mrs. Alvaro—”
“It’s Ms. Bolden. Who are you?” her mom asked.
“Special Agent Quinn Pierce. I’m working with your daughter on the homicide at the casino.”
Dela drew in a deep breath and sat up. It had been several years since she’d been so tired she’d fallen that deep asleep in a blink of an eye. “I’m fine. I’m here to get some clothes and get back to the casino.”
She stood, wobbled a moment, and had both her mom and Quinn grabbing for her. She shoved away their hands and walked toward the house.
“Is she always this surly when she wakes up?” Quinn asked.
Dela wanted to flip him off but just kept walking. Her mother hadn’t seen the hardened soldier side of her and Dela didn’t plan on revealing it to the woman who gave her a life.
She left her mother and Quinn conversing in the living room while she found a duffel bag and tossed in a pair of pajamas, toiletries, a couple sets of clothes, liner liners, liners, socks, a prosthetic sleeve, and her running foot into the bag. She didn’t plan on staying there too long. If they were lucky the leads from Pomroy’s computer would help them find his killer. Unless it was a random killing, which she doubted.
Entering the living room, she found Quinn looking through a photo album. Dela crossed the room and tore it from his grasp. “What are you doing looking at that?”
“Learning more about you.” He grinned. “You looked cute in pigtails. You should try them out as an adult.”
“In your fantasies. Let’s go.”
Mom entered the room with glasses of iced tea and cookies.
“This isn’t a social visit, Mom. We have a killer to catch.” Dela stood by the door, holding her duffle bag as the other two grabbed glasses of tea and leaned back in their respective chairs.
“Sit down. I’m sure you could wake up a bit more before we get back to the casino,” Quinn said, between sipping his iced tea and nibbling on an oatmeal cookie.
Sighing, she set the duffel bag by the door and sank onto the other chair. Her mom smiled and handed her a glass of tea.
“Have you found a place to move to yet?” her mom asked.
Dela started to roll her eyes and though better of it. The action would only make her look the age her mother treated her. “No. I haven’t had time since we found a body at the casino.”
“You know you don’t have to move out. I enjoy your company.” Mom glanced at Quinn. “I bet if you could live with your mom, you would.”
He choked on a bite of cookie.
Dela grinned behind her drink. “Yeah, Quinn, would you live with your mom if you could?”
His blue-gray eyes turned the coldest she’d ever seen. “I would not live with my mother. But then she wasn’t much of a mother.”
Dela found this information about his past interesting. She’d have to see if she could round up information about Special Agent Quinn Pierce.
“I’m ready to go if you are.” Dela downed the rest of her drink and picked up three cookies as she stood.
Her mom remained sitting, watching Quinn.
He stood and strode to the door, picking up the duffel bag. “It was nice meeting you,” he said before continuing out the door.
“I like him,” Mom said, finally standing and walking to the door with her.
“He’s good to have on your side, I guess. I’ll call you when I’m coming home. I can’t promise when that will be.”
“I know. You want the head of security job and finding the killer could get it for you. But I worry. It’s my job.” Tears glistened in her eyes.
“I know. Even if it frustrates me, it’s nice to know someone cares.” She gave her mom a one-armed hug and headed out to the vehicle.
Quinn sat behind the wheel, his sunglasses on, and face forward.
Dela slid in, buckled up, and waited until he had the vehicle headed toward the casino to say anything. “We all have things in our past we are running from. Don’t let it make you lose track of who you really are.”
He glanced over at her. “It’s something I tell few people.”
“Then my mom and I are honored you told us. It won’t be repeated by either of us.” She pulled out her phone and called Marty. “We’re on our way back. Anything new pop up?”
“Kenny said no one in eight-thirty-four called for a maintenance man. I’ve pulled the video of the stairway for our time frame and guess what?”
“Those cameras weren’t working either.” This was starting to irritate her. Who turned off the cameras?
“Correct.”
“Who on the staff watched those cameras last night?”