We picked apart Red’s theories like a dog with a bone until there was no meat left on it.
When no one else had information to share, they turned to me.
“Dr. Morgan, can you have someone check the lead for fingerprints or any other forensic data?”
“I don’t think they’ll be able to find anything.” He glanced around, unsure whether to continue. When he received a slight nod from Red, he continued. “It was very thin and had been pulled tight. I had to cut it out of the folds of her skin. I don’t think they’ll find fingerprints, but I’ll ask.”
“Great.” I gave him a smile. “Also, maybe they can check if there’s anything that might be used to determine where the lead was purchased.” I glanced at Dixie. “Are there different types of leads?”
“Oh, yes, this one,” she held it up again for us to see, “is wax-coated cotton. It looks and feels like leather. Lots of conformation competitors prefer this brand.”
Dr. Morgan promised to take the scraps of the lead that had killed Naomi to the forensics team for analysis, although his face indicated he didn’t hold out much hope that they’d find anything useful.
I turned to Stephanie. “I know that you and Mr. Jordan need to focus on Dixie’s defense, but I think you both made great progress in finding out information about Warren Keller. I was hoping the two of you . . .”
Theodore Jordan smiled. “I’d love to join forces and see what we can find.”
Stephanie smiled and nodded to me.
“Great. I’m hoping you can also check to see if Naomi Keller left a will.”
I turned to David. “You’re going back to Dixon Vannover’s campaign headquarters, right? See if you can find out if there is any gossip about Brittney and Naomi Keller.”
I turned to Madison and then gave Red a sideways glance.
Red narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“I’m sure you have Naomi Keller’s computer and electronics. I was wondering if Madison could use her, um, special skills to check Naomi Keller’s e-mails and text messages.”
Madison smiled. “I was thinking the same thing.” She turned to Red. “Well?”
He nodded.
Monica Jill and B.J. gave me an eager look. “What about us?”
I looked at Monica Jill. “Didn’t you say that Dixon Vannover was also into real estate?”
“He’s got a finger into a lot of pies, but yes. You want me to ask around and see what I can find out?”
I nodded and then turned to B.J. “I’ve got two jobs for you. I don’t even know if this is possible, but could you check to see if there was an insurance policy on Naomi Keller?”
“I’ve got friends with all the major insurance companies. If she had a policy, I’ll find it.” She smiled. “What else do you want me to do?”
“See what you can find out about June Vannover.”
“You want me to talk to her?”
“No, actually, I was planning to do that. She seemed to open up to me when she learned that I had gone through a similar situation.”
“Well,” Dixie said, “I hope you don’t think that I’m going to sit back and twiddle my thumbs while you all go out and investigate.”
“That goes for me too,” Beau said. “I’ve got a vested interest in finding this killer, and I mean to be in on this investigation from the ground floor.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” I said and smiled at Beau. “David’s going to be investigating Dixon Vannover by talking to his campaign volunteers. Monica Jill is going to look at his real estate dealings. I’m hoping you can talk directly to the man himself.”
Beau gave me a grin. “I’d love to. Now, what angle do you want me to take?”
“You’re a successful businessman. Men like Vannover always need donors. If you were to dangle the idea that you’re interested in making a rather large campaign contribution, I think he’d do backflips.”
“I can certainly do that.”
“What about me?” Dixie asked.
“Brittney Keller seems to have a lot of passion about Greyhounds. I was wondering if you could swing by the Greyhound rescue place and see what you can find out.”
“I’d love to. In fact, I would love to help with Greyhound adoption.”
“Me too.” A man came down the stairs.
We all turned to see who had volunteered to help and were surprised to see Joe Harrison and his Plott Hound, Turbo.
“Joe!” Stephanie rushed over and threw her arms around his neck.
We discreetly looked away to give them a few moments. When they had concluded their greeting, we all took turns welcoming him.
Joe Harrison was tall, dark, and handsome, with piercing blue eyes. He was former military, which is where he had met Red, but now worked in the K-9 division of the Lighthouse Dunes, Indiana, Police Department, along with his faithful four-legged partner, Turbo.
He sat next to Stephanie. “Sorry for crashing the party, but when Stephanie told me about what was happening, I thought I’d come to see if there was anything I could do to help.”
Dixie’s eyes teared up, and she went over and gave Joe another hug. “Thank you.”
“Stephanie can fill you in on the specifics, but . . .” My brain raced, and I had to take several deep breaths to slow it down. “This is perfect.”
Red gave me a concerned stare. “I recognize that look.”
I ignored him and turned to Dixie. “Didn’t you tell me about an organization called Hounds and Heroes?”
Dixie’s face beamed. “Oh my God, you’re brilliant.”
“I wish one of you would fill the rest of us in,” B.J. said.
I gave Dixie a nod, indicating she should explain. “Hounds and Heroes is a nonprofit organization that trains retired racing Greyhounds as service dogs for military veterans. Ever since the passage of Amendment Thirteen in Florida, I heard they’ve been swamped.”
B.J. held up a hand. “Wait, what’s Amendment Thirteen?”
Dixie took a deep breath to slow herself down. “Amendment Thirteen is a law that bans Greyhound racing in the state of Florida, which was the largest Greyhound racing area in the entire United States, with eleven of the seventeen active dog tracks. Concerned citizens and dog lovers have been trying to get Greyhound racing banned for decades, and now it’s finally happened.” She sighed. “Fortunately, or unfortunately, that means finding new homes for all those dogs. I’ve heard there could be as many as eight thousand Greyhounds that were racing in Florida, and over seven thousand were at race-schooling farms.”
Red whistled. “That’s a lot of dogs. What happens to them now?”
“That’s the big question. Greyhound rescue organizations are looking for families to adopt and re-home them. Plus, groups like Hounds and Heroes are training them to help military veterans, but it’s slow work, and there are never enough trained volunteers to help.”
Joe raised his one hand that wasn’t clasped by Stephanie. “Turbo and I would love to help, if we could.” He glanced down at Turbo, who was not wearing his vest that indicated he was working, so he was free to roll on the floor with Chyna and Leia.
“Can I help too?” Mai said. “As a former gamekeeper, I certainly have experience with animals, and I spent two years in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.” She glanced around. “Plus, I want to help.”
“Absolutely, I think all three of you could help,” I said, looking from Dixie to Joe to Mai. “It’s a worthwhile cause, but there are bound to be different people to question, so see what you can find out.”
Dixie nodded. “The dog show world is pretty small. There are bound to be people who knew both Brittney and Naomi.”
Before we left, Red cleared his throat. “There’s one thing you should all know.”
Everyone turned to look at him. I was sitting closest, so I was the only one who saw how tightly his jaw was clenched and the way his scar pulsed.
He took a deep breath. “I was able to stall for a bit, but someone is determined to hang this murder on Dixie.”
She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
“There’s pressure from the top to make a quick arrest.” He looked around. “I’ve got a long track record with the Bureau, and my boss made it clear that was the only reason he was allowing me to drag my feet. Basically, he’s given me one week to find the real killer, or they will take me off the case and arrest Dixie.”
There was a flash of fear in Dixie’s eyes and a cloud of sorrow over Red’s, which ignited a flame inside me. I sat up straight. “Then I guess we better get busy finding the real murderer.”