“This place, it’s special.” Carter rubbed his belly and sighed. “If I could bottle the smell and atmosphere, I’d make millions.” He glanced around the room. “I wish we had a place like it in Snakeskin Gully or Jo had set up shop here.”
“It reminds me of visits to my grandma, which were few and far between.” Kane smiled. “I’d eat all my meals here if I could and I figure by the flow of people through the door, many townsfolk feel the same way.” He sighed. “I’ll order some pies and have them delivered to the office, in case Jenna and Jo haven’t eaten yet.”
“Any excuse huh?” Carter chuckled. “I figure we go and walk the dogs; they’re getting restless.”
Kane finished his coffee and nodded. “Sure.”
Jenna hadn’t called to give them an update but Kane assumed she was insisting on a rape kit examination on Dawn and it would take time to organize a place for her to stay. He closed his laptop and looked at Carter. “There’s a dog friendly area in the park we can use and then we’ll head back to the office. I’m done waiting here for them. I’ll send her a message.”
“Good thinking. It will be crazy when Jo and Jenna arrive. They must be swamped. They haven’t added any reports to the files.” Carter collected his things and stood. Beside him Zorro snapped to attention, ears pricked and ready for action. “I guess it’s gonna be a long night.”
After ordering a takeout delivery, they stashed their laptops in his truck and Kane led the way across Main and into the park. One end of the park had an enclosure with swings and slides for young kids to enjoy but they headed in the opposite direction and let themselves into a fenced area reserved for dogs. Here the dogs could run unrestrained and had access to the perimeter of a wooded area through an open gate. The trees backed onto a line of houses set behind a high fence on Maple Drive. The local council had created a safe environment for dog lovers.
Kane closed the gate, grabbed a plastic bag from the dispenser, and pushed it into his pocket. He patted Duke on the head. “Off you go and have some fun.”
Beside him, Carter surveyed the area. “Is it safe? Zorro goes kinda ballistic when I give him the order to let loose.”
“Very.” Kane looked at Zorro. The dog’s entire body was trembling with excitement and his teeth clicked together making him look as if he was smiling. “I’ve never seen him so excited. Maybe he can encourage Duke to walk around some?”
“Playtime.” Carter flicked his fingers and Zorro bounced into the air.
Amused, Kane watched what could only be described as a doggy happy dance. The Doberman jumped and wiggled and then dropped down on his front legs before leaping away again. He rolled in the grass with his legs running in midair. The next moment he sped off like a greyhound out of the starting gates and flashed toward the woods. Within seconds, he came shooting back with a stick in his mouth. He dropped it neatly at Carter’s feet and barked.
“Okay.” Carter picked up the stick and hurled it.
Zorro took off and skidded to a halt, throwing up dirt as he retrieved the stick and dashed back to Carter. Kane soaked up the sunshine and watched Carter play with his dog for some time. All the while Duke sat by his feet his head following the action. He rubbed Duke’s ears. “I guess you prefer to watch, huh?”
To his surprise, Duke wandered off toward the woods. He shrugged and turned to Carter. “I think I hurt his feelings.”
“Nah.” Carter threw the stick again. “He’s just doing his own thing. Bloodhounds are motivated by different things. They like to rest for the time they’ll need their energy but Zorro here has pent-up energy he must let out. Sitting around all day isn’t his style.” He indicated with his chin toward the open gate. “What’s Duke picked up?”
Kane jogged over to the gate and grinned at Duke. His dog was attempting to negotiate a two-yard-long tree branch through a yard-wide gate. After repeated attempts, Duke dropped the branch and barked at him. Trying not to laugh, Kane walked through the gate, picked up the branch and tossed it over the fence. “There you go. What are you planning on doing with it?”
Duke followed him, picked up the branch and carried it to where Carter was standing. Bemused, Kane followed. He raised an eyebrow at Carter. “Maybe he wants you to throw it, javelin style?”
“You don’t know much about your dog, do you?” Carter shook his head slowly. “I guess you haven’t raised him from a pup, huh?”
Kane frowned. “Nope, he was a rescue. I found out later, from Atohi, that his cousin trained him as a tracker out on the res.” He shrugged. “I’m getting to know what he doesn’t like but he’s never collected tree branches before.”
“Ah, that makes sense.” Carter bent and rubbed Duke’s head and sides. “He’s saying, Zorro might be fast but he only brought back a tiny stick and I found the whole branch.” He took the stick Zorro had found and it fit neatly against a missing part of the tree branch. “That is one smart dog. Don’t underestimate him.”
“Never have.”
A whistle came from behind them and Duke did his happy dance and took off bounding toward the gate. Kane turned to see Atohi Blackhawk heading in their direction. He raised his hand in a wave. “Now there’s a man who understands Duke.” He frowned. “I wonder what’s happened, he doesn’t look too happy.”
He heard a growl and beside Carter, Zorro was baring his teeth. “You’ve met Atohi before, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, sure. Nice guy.” Carter flicked his fingers and Zorro sat beside him not making a sound. “Zorro senses people’s emotions. I figure Atohi is here to deliver some bad news. It looks like playtime is over.”
Kane walked toward his friend. “Problem?”
“You could say that.” Atohi fell in step beside them as they headed back to the gate. “I went with Rowley to Dead Man’s Drop, a fishing hole out at the bottom of the falls. They pulled a young woman’s body from the rockpool and Wolfe figures she’s the missing girl you’ve been hunting down in Louan. He’s taken the body back to the morgue and is running a DNA comparison against the bodies from the explosion.”
“Why didn’t he call one of us?” Carter went over to a tap and rinsed his hands. “If it’s Sophie Wood it’s an FBI matter and Rowley shouldn’t have been involved. Did they process the scene?”
“Trust me, Rowley is a by the book guy.” Blackhawk stopped walking and balled his fists on his hips. “He and Wolfe have worked together many a time and Wolfe’s team doesn’t miss anything.” He snorted, clearly agitated by the slight on his friends. “The call came in from the forest warden, the information Rowley received was he found a body floating in the lake is all.”
Kane slapped him on the back. “I appreciate you letting us know. Wolfe wouldn’t bother us unless he has a positive ID and that will be an hour or so away. We’ll head back to the office and wait for his call.” He smiled. “I’ll give Jenna and Jo the heads up.”
“See that you do.” Blackhawk grinned at him. “I’m heading to Aunt Betty’s to grab some takeout and then I’m heading home. You know where to find me if you need me for anything.” He turned to Carter. “Nice seeing you again, Agent Carter.” He gave them a wave and hurried across Main.