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MORE CARS FILLED THE airport parking lot. Tee circled the area once more, just to see if anything had changed with September’s SUV. September’s car sat in the short-term parking in a handicap space, with no handicap designation, an obvious way to gain quick attention (which also didn’t make sense). But aside from a ticket under the wiper blade, the car looked no different than before. Nobody but she and Teddy had disturbed the car.
“So why’d Steele tell Redford the police checked it out?” In the back seat, Karma woofed impatiently. The dog had been cooped up in the rental for too long.
“You ready to go home, honey-girl?” Tee smiled, a bit lightheaded. “We gotta turn in our rental. And grab something to eat before we get on the train.”
Once Tee turned in the car she walked Karma to the nearby pet relief station to take a break. Karma took more time than usual sniffing the area—interested in whatever pee-mail previous visitors had left—and Tee finally had to urge her to finish. They’d missed the early train, so the lunch run it would be. At least they’d gain an hour, with the time difference between South Bend and Chicago, and get in to the city a little after two o’clock. “Let’s go, Karma.”
They trotted past the single baggage claim—empty—and the ticket counters for the various airlines. The ticket agent waved when she recognized Karma again, and Tee waved back. They continued down the long corridor to the train platform, stopping at the South Bend Chocolate Cafe. She didn’t want to risk the headache coming back. Tee ordered a coffee mocha and a cheese omelet bagel to go, with two plates and plenty of napkins. Karma licked her lips, and sniffed the bag. “Soon, we’ve got to hurry.”
Tee stumbled. The numbness in her leg had progressed to include the bottom of her foot. Now that she’d probably be pulled from the case, she’d take time to check it out, once she got home and reported to Redford.
After Tee bought their ticket she carefully plated the egg and bagel sandwich; three-quarters for Karma and a quarter for her. The dog finished in two gulps, before Tee had taken her first bite. After three nibbles of her own, her stomach rebelled, and Tee gave the rest to a grateful Karma.
Only a handful of other passengers boarded the train. Tee settled with a relieved sigh, directing Karma to a place at her feet. Before the train began to move, a man clearly working for the South Shore line made his way down the aisle, taking tickets from some, and selling tickets to others. Tee forced herself to smile—her headache had returned, dammit—and produced both her ticket and her police identification.
He smiled. “Two in one day. How about that.”
Tee stared up at him. “Two what?”
“Dogs. A German Shepherd rode with some woman on the earlier run.”
