The next morning Rex sat in his home office, sorting papers on his desk. When Sutton came through the door, she brought Kevin. He barked his greeting.
"Hey, you mangy mutt."
Kevin bolted toward Rex, the sound of his paws scratching against the wood flooring. He leaped into Rex’s lap as papers flew across the floor. "Now that's the kind of greeting I live for." Rex reached his arms around the dog's body to give him a big hug.
"See? I told you he needs another round of obedience.” Sutton Drew grinned at her employer, enjoying the swirl of papers on the floor.
With a gentle shove and a downward tilt to his thighs, Rex removed the dog from his lap. "Bork," came the happy reply. Kevin dashed back toward Sutton. Then he took a quick left. He bent over an overflowing basket of his toys tucked into the corner.
Ducking his head, he came up with his favorite. A brown bedraggled bunny, very flat because its stuffing and squeaker had been torn away. Holding it between his teeth, Kevin raced to the door and dropped the bunny at Sutton's feet.
"Play fetch the bunny with him, would you? I'm doing some work here and then getting ready to have coffee with Viv," Rex said.
"Did you get that information I sent you last night?" Sutton tossed the bunny for Kevin. When he ran down the hallway she closed the door, blocking his way back into the office. "The dead man is…"
"I got it. Carmine Nelson. Fifty-five years old. Family with a wife and two adult children. The son is in rehab and the daughter lives up north. Two grandchildren from her first marriage."
Sutton perched on the corner of Rex's desk. She wore black tights with a bright red hoodie that stopped at her thighs. Crossing one leg over her knee, he admired her Nike running shoes. The latest edition, if he wasn't mistaken.
She looked athletic and fit. Her hair, strawberry-blonde, had been slicked back into a high and tight ponytail. After her customary three-mile run she looked cool and calm as ever.
Sutton tapped the desk with her fingernail. "So what are you going to do with that information? You never said." A text alert interrupted his reply. It was from Viv.
Rex sighed. He sent a thumbs-up emoji and set his phone down. "Looks like I'm already late. How about you come with me to the kitchen. I can eat something quick and we can talk more about this Carmine Nelson guy." A scratch came from the door.
"And I can feed Bunny-Boy." Sutton slid off the desk.
Rex piled the papers on his blotter before following Sutton to the kitchen. He smelled coffee; his stomach growled. He didn't like it when he ran late. He loved the leisurely pace, but he had to admit a chocolate chip muffin and a fresh brew with Sutton was worth the time it took to gulp down.
He pulled out a chair at the high-top table. Sutton brought a mug of coffee and the muffin on a plate. "I only have a few minutes. You can clean up the dishes, I gotta get a move on," she told him.
He took a big bite.
Sutton glanced at her iPad screen. "So here's what I got. Have a look and I'll send you the information later." She shoved the device across the table.
Rex read, nodding over the details. "Looks like Carmine Nelson was quite the guy," he said. "Lots of Fluff and Folds in his history. Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?”
"I wouldn't jump to any conclusions." Sutton reached over to grab the last bite of muffin off his plate. "But you and I both know, laundering isn't always about dirty clothes."