Chapter 3
Louise stood at the glass doors to the small veranda off her living room. She stared in the direction of the clinic. She was just far enough away that she couldn’t see the building. With her arms crossed over her chest, she thought about Ice’s phone call. It was hard to believe now two dead men were at the clinic. Both of them killed by yet someone else. When she’d heard the news, she’d been afraid Rory had been attacked and was forced to kill someone. But, no, it couldn’t be that simple. She reached up and scrubbed her face. “What the hell is going on?”
What bad luck that somebody had accidently unloaded a case of drugs at her place. Now she was caught in the middle, but, worse than that, so was everybody she worked with, and her patients. How had Rory known about the security system being compromised? He must have suspected tampering to test it as he had. And he’d been right. So that meant somebody had come in during the day and hacked the system. Or maybe it was possible to do that level of damage from outside.
She thought about how busy it had been today and how many people had come and gone. They had many friends and family walking outside as they waited for animal’s to be cared for. Who knew what anyone was up to?
Levi’s people were looking for a gunman planning things out so he could come back to get what he wanted—when the clinic was empty. That was a saving grace for her patients and staff. The gunmen could have come in with guns blazing and hurt a lot of people and animals. It also made her realize how vulnerable the rest of her drug supply was. But then veterinarian clinics were notorious for getting broken into for the narcotics kept on hand. On the black market, they were worth a lot of money.
What was she supposed to do now? Ice had told her to sit still for the moment. Rory was waiting for the sheriff, and then he’d give a statement. That would take a bit of time; plus the bodies needed to be collected. As the owner she figured she’d be called to the clinic to speak with the deputies; however, Ice had told them Rory was “acting on her behalf.”
That wasn’t far off from the truth. She had brought Legendary Security into this mess. She wondered if Rory was in danger still. She pulled out her phone and sent Ice a message. Does Rory need backup?
The text came back almost immediately. He’s got it.
Relieved, yet knowing she couldn’t relax, she walked into the kitchen and put on coffee. It was late, but she hadn’t eaten, and now her stomach churned with the endless possibilities of her immediate future. She should have just turned the drugs over to the sheriff in the first place. But then how would the bad guys have known she didn’t have them in her possession anymore? It wasn’t like she could put up a big sign on the highway, telling them to go see the local sheriff’s office to collect their drugs. This had to be a decent-size operation if they had delivery trucks moving cases of the stuff. The question was, how the hell had it come to her place to begin with?
Why there? Unless it was a wrong address? A new driver who didn’t know the route? There were too many possibilities, and her mind spun, endlessly looking for answers that weren’t there. Half an hour later, while working on her second cup of coffee, Ice phoned her.
“The delivery truck has been found. It’s on the outskirts of our side of Houston. The driver was shot dead. The vehicle was driven off the road and around a corner, where it was driven into a gully. So it took a little time to find.”
“Oh, my God. Why was he killed? Because he failed?”
“That’s usually the answer.” Ice’s voice was quiet, sad. As if she’d seen too many similar deaths over the years.
“What about the rest of the drugs?” Louise asked. “I presume there was no sign of them?”
“No. The back of the vehicle was empty.”
“Of course it was. So he was supposed to deliver those drugs somewhere close by?”
“Possibly. And he gave you the wrong case.”
“Well, I hope somebody figures it out fast,” Louise said. “I don’t want anybody else coming back and endangering the lives of the people who work for me or the animals. I run a busy clinic.”
“I understand. The gunman wasn’t there long. Just long enough to take out his cohorts. Rory doesn’t think he took the time to look for the drugs. I don’t know for sure. They may have decided the loss of the shipment wasn’t worth getting caught over, or maybe, because they saw somebody was there, looking out for your interests, they wanted to disappear fast after the kills. So the guy’s cleaning up. … Three men are dead now.”
“I wonder if he’s done.”
“Not likely. Not if this truly involves the drug trade. Obviously we’ll keep an eye on you. What we really need is to confirm the contents of those bottles. And we’ll track them backward to find out where they were manufactured and packaged.”
“Yes, I don’t want those drugs to hit the streets.”
“I think they’ve been returned to the drugs’ distribution system, to empty out the contents, perhaps repackage them into a more saleable state. I highly doubt they were ever intended for animal use. That was just camouflage.”
“That would be the one good thing in all of this. I’ll be having nightmares about those drugs being given to my animals for a long time,” Louise said. “Any update on Rory?”
“I think he’s almost done with the deputies. He doesn’t need to stay there. Once he secures the clinic, he’ll return to your place. I’ll have the clinic under surveillance all night.”
“He doesn’t need to come here. He’s got to be tired by now,” Louise offered.
“He’ll stay with you until at least tomorrow. We need to figure out if anyone followed you home.”
“That’s why Rory was so careful when we arrived at the apartment. He was afraid somebody was coming after me. Wanting their drugs.” She groaned out loud. “This is just an incredible state of affairs.”
“It is. But this is what we do. In your case, you were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Yeah, well, I’d like very much to get back to being at the right place at the right time.”
“You are. Sit tight. Make sure you confirm it’s Rory before you open the door.” With that, Ice hung up.
Louise sat on the couch for another hour. Then there was a knock on the door. Almost immediately, she received a text. She pulled out her phone and checked it. Rory. The text read I’m at the door.
She smiled, looked through the peephole, and, indeed, it was him. She unlocked and then unbolted the door. “You know, for a pizza delivery man,” she said, trying for a note of humor, “you’re pretty late.”
He nodded. “Isn’t that the truth?” Entering, he said, “Shut and lock the door behind me please.” He walked the two large boxes of pizza to the kitchen table and said, “Did you eat?” He turned to study her face as he slipped the hat off his head and placed it on the far side of the table.
“No, I couldn’t. Ice has kept me up to date with the news.”
“Good, then I don’t have to tell you.”
She brought over the coffeepot and poured him a cup. “Here’s some coffee, although it’s past its prime.” She sat down at the kitchen table. “You didn’t see the killer?”
“No. I didn’t. I had no idea there was a third man at all,” he said. “Believe me. I feel pretty shitty about that too.”
“Too?”
He gave her a hard glance. “Two men died tonight because I knocked them out and tied them up. If they hadn’t failed in their jobs, they would be alive right now.”
That was a side of him and this situation she hadn’t considered. “Well, I’m glad the killing weighs on you. It should never be an easy thing. At the same time, they broke into my clinic to get illegal drugs. I don’t think they would have given you the same kind of consideration.”
He studied her for a long moment, then nodded. “One did, actually.” He gave her a quick explanation, then added, “But I doubt that largesse would have lasted.” He nodded at the pizza as he flipped open the box. “I’m starved. I didn’t know what you might like. So I brought two choices.”
She looked at the pizza in front of her with more toppings on it than she’d ever imagined could fit. “What is that? Everything but the kitchen sink?” she joked.
“Almost.” He reached into the box, and, holding the piece with two hands, he took a big bite.
The second offering had less varied toppings and lots of pepperoni. She chose one of those. “I can’t remember the last time I had pizza,” she said and took a bite. Almost immediately her taste buds exploded with flavor. Melted cheese, warm sauce and hot spicy pepperoni filled her mouth.
“How is it?” Rory mumbled around his piece.
She grinned. “This one is good. I don’t know about that other one. How can you taste anything when there’s so much on it?”
“It’s a package deal,” he said. He finished his first piece, reached across to the second box and grabbed the largest of the pepperoni slices. As she slowly finished her smaller piece, she stared at him. “How is it you can eat so much?”
He glanced at her, affronted. “You don’t even know how much I eat. Besides, look at that little bite you’ve had. You need way more than that to keep going.”
The truth was, she didn’t. She’d never been a big eater, but she’d always enjoyed watching others enjoy their food. She figured, as long as she was full, that was all that counted. For the next few minutes, they ate in silence. She tried the smallest piece from the heavily laden pizza and admitted, “That’s actually really good.”
“See?”
As he reached for his fourth piece, she finished her coffee and refilled her cup. “Now what?”
He shrugged. “The sheriff has the drugs and the two dead men and knows about the third dead guy. I rigged together your security system for tonight. You’ll have to call the company tomorrow to install a good lockbox system for the drugs. If thieves get past the security system, you’ll want a second deterrent to accessing the drugs in the cupboard.”
She nodded. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my security system. Any intruder is likely after the drugs and not the animals, but I’d feel terrible if anyone hurt the animals while trying to get at the drugs.”
“Upgrading the security will be expensive though,” he warned.
“Isn’t it always?” She sat back and watched as he proceeded to pick up his seventh piece. “Were you expecting company?” she asked, motioning at the still half-packed boxes of pizza.
He shook his head. “I hope not. There isn’t enough to share.” When he was finally full, he settled back and grinned. “That’s just about the right amount for tomorrow’s breakfast.”
She chuckled and then stopped. “Are you staying the night?” Ice had said that, but the notion hadn’t really clicked. What would it be like to have him stay here with her?
“Sure I am.”
“You don’t have to, you know. I’ll be fine.”
He shook his head. “Nope. I’m staying.”
“Why?”
“Maybe it’s not for you,” he said craftily. “Maybe it’s for Rose, the puppy.”
“The puppy?” She stared at him in confusion, not understanding the swift shift in conversation.
He chuckled. “She’s pretty special. I’ve got to make sure you’re still around to look after her.”
“What she is, is a heartbreaker. Don’t forget Anna is looking for families for those dogs.” She hated to remind him but knew the puppies would find permanent homes and most likely were not staying at the compound. No way would Levi let all six puppies remain there. Of course, she’d seen miracles before.
“I know. That’ll hurt. The women are going nuts over them. Then so is Alfred. Anna must have caught Levi in a weak moment to get him to agree to keep the puppies even for a while.”
She shook her head. “Yet here you’re doing all this for Rose.”
He shrugged. “We can’t have Rose suffering because you aren’t there to look after her.” He flashed a big wicked grin and said, “Do you mind if I have more coffee?”
She felt like a horrible hostess. He had brought dinner. She stood. “Why don’t we take it into the living room?”
With full cups, they sat down on the couch, and she rested her feet on the coffee table. “Is there anything to be done overnight?”
“Ice and Levi are on it. We’ve got two men watching the place. The gunman left before the sheriff’s deputies arrived and may not know the authorities now have the drugs, and that will bring someone back to double-check. I’m sure.”
“As much as that terrifies me, I hope they do,” she admitted. “Maybe you guys can capture them this time. Getting answers and making this all go away works for me.”
“It’s hard to say,” he admitted. “If they capture somebody, he might realize the price the others have already paid and not talk at all.”
“But, if he is in custody, he should be safe.”
He gave her a flat look and asked, “Do you really believe that?”
With a wince, she sagged back and shook her head. “I guess, if somebody is determined enough, they’ll get him wherever he is.”
“Exactly.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s after ten now. Actually it’s almost eleven.” He frowned and stared off in the distance, as if thinking.
“Bedtime?” she asked, standing and walking to the kitchen.
“What time do you get up in the morning?”
“I have to be at the clinic before eight-thirty.”
“Okay, if you’re ready, let’s head to bed. We both need sleep. The guys are taking shifts watching over the clinic. I don’t know for sure, but I might get a call-out. I need to grab a few hours while I can.”
Silently she dumped the rest of her cold coffee down the sink and pulled out blankets and pillows from the hall closet. “Will this be okay for the night? The couch isn’t very big,” she said, staring at the sofa that seemed to take up a ton of space in the small living room when she had first bought it and now looked like a love seat relative to Rory.
“It’ll be fine.”
She nodded. In her room she stood for a long moment and then tucked herself into bed. She didn’t know what kind of night it would be for him or for her. Hopefully she’d sleep.
*
Rory crashed on the couch and didn’t wake up for several hours. When his phone buzzed beside his head, he instinctively reached for it and pulled up the message. It was two o’clock in the morning. He read the All Clear message, dropped the phone back onto the table and closed his eyes again.
When he woke up again, it was almost six. He checked his phone, but, outside of another All Clear message, there was nothing. He stretched and sat up. After going to the bathroom, he stood in front of the coffeemaker and figured out how much coffee grounds to use. The pot was smaller than he was used to. He judged the coffee as best he could, turned it on and then stepped onto the small veranda to clear his head.
Louise appeared to be still asleep. He checked his watch. He could give her a bit longer. She had another long day ahead of her. Just being at the clinic would be difficult. She’d be worried about more intruders—or worse, another gunman. Somebody had messed up her security system and most likely during the day while the clinic was open. It was a busy place. It would be easy to overlook a single man. Rory wanted to go back with her and run through the security feed.
He sent a message to Ice, giving her a status update and his plans to head to the clinic with Louise soon.
Check the camera feed while you’re there was her response.
He smiled and said, “That’s the thing about working with pros. You’re always on the same wavelength, all the time. It also means you never have an original idea because everybody else is thinking the same thing.”
Still, it was all good. He turned when he heard the bedroom door open. As he watched, Louise stepped out fully dressed and ready to go to work. She gave him a wan smile and said, “I hope you slept well. Honestly, from my perspective, it was a shitty night.”
He nodded. “Let’s hope it’s the only bad one we have.”
She looked at him and asked, “What are we doing this morning?”
“Having coffee and pizza and then heading to work. I’m coming with you. I want to go over your security feed and see if I can figure out who disabled it.”
She smiled. “Not a bad way to start the day.”