“Do you know why he wanted to join the team?”
“Yeah.” Mack had told him the story in confidence, but now that he was dead, it probably didn’t matter if he shared the story. “He had a daughter that went missing when she was about four or five. It sounded like they didn’t find her in time to save her. I think joining the rescue team was a way to help him deal with that.”
“Oh my gosh. That’s terrible.”
“Yeah, but, unfortunately, it happens. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea for him to get involved. A lot of these searches don’t have a happy ending, and I worried it would bring back all the pain and anguish he’d already been through. But he seemed okay with it. I think he just wanted the chance to make a difference, because he’d felt so helpless all those years ago.”
“That makes sense. Did he and Coco go on many rescues?”
“Yes. Most of the time, our searches take place during the summer, when kids get lost in the woods. I know Mack and Coco have also searched through the rubble of a couple of tornadoes, and… I think maybe one earthquake. But mostly, he’s stayed close to home. I’d say he’s been in on about ten to twelve in the last year or so.”
“Were any of them happy endings?”
“A few.” He smiled. “In fact, recently, there was a little girl who got lost, and he and Coco found her. That was a good day.”
The back of my neck tingled. Holy hell. Was it the same search Willow had helped with? Maybe Lance had met her? “Were you there with Scout?”
“No. I was out of town on business, but Mack told me all about it. I think it did his heart good.” Lance remembered their conversation and how happy Mack had been. “That little girl was about the same age as his daughter when she disappeared, so you can imagine how it made him feel to find her alive.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet.” This had to be the same little girl. It was too recent to be a coincidence. But hadn’t Dimples told me that Willow was the person who’d found the lost child? Was there more to it? Did Willow know Mack, or have something to do with Mack’s death? But how could she be involved? And why would she kill Mack? I didn’t pick up that vibe from her, but some people hid their dark side really well, even from themselves.
How did Austin fit in with all this? I knew he hadn’t killed his dad, but he’d seemed angry about the whole search-and-rescue thing. Was that because he knew about his sister? I remembered him thinking that not all rescues turned out right. There was some definite resentment there. But it could easily be attributed to Austin not wanting his dad to go through that pain again.
“Uh… do you know what Austin thought about all this? He knew about his sister, right?”
Lance nodded. “Yeah, but he never knew her. He was just a toddler when it happened, so he was spared the trauma. I honestly don’t know, but the fact that he gave up Coco kind of tells me he wasn’t a fan.”
“Yeah… but I’m not so sure that’s why he did it.” It wouldn’t hurt to tell Lance Austin’s reasons, even if I only knew because I’d read his mind. “You know that Mack put Coco in the back room, right?”
At his nod, I continued. “Well, I think somehow Austin is convinced that his dad did it to protect the dog. He’s sure that if Coco had been there, he might have stopped the killer, and Mack would be alive.”
Lance considered it. “He’s not wrong.”
“Yeah, I agree. So why did Mack put Coco in the back room? Whoever killed him had to be someone who didn’t like dogs, right? Did Mack ever tell you about anyone who didn’t like Coco?”
“Not that I recall, but I guess there are a lot of people who are afraid of dogs, especially dogs like Coco.”
“Yeah… afraid… or allergic.” Hadn’t Reed Gardner mentioned that his wife was allergic to dogs? Had she really taken a sleeping pill? Even so, why would she kill Mack? That didn’t make any sense, but, since I hadn’t met her, I couldn’t rule it out. I glanced at Lance. “Is there anything else you can think of? Maybe someone who held a grudge against him?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay.” I checked my watch. If I left now, I had just enough time to take Coco home and eat a quick lunch before my appointment with Bob Spicer. “I need to go, but thanks for chatting with me.”
“I wish I could have been more help.”
“Oh, you’ve helped a lot, and I think Coco’s had a great time.” We looked at the dogs. They were plopped down next to each other in the grass, and both of them were panting from their play.
“I’d better give them some water before you go.” Lance turned on the hose and filled a bucket with water. As they drank, he turned to me. “It was good to meet you. Like I said before, if you need to leave Coco with someone, give me a call.”
“I will, thanks.” Coco finished drinking and came to my side. “Did you have a good time?” He woofed yup. I laughed and patted his head. He barked stay. I shook my head. “Nope, sorry bud, but we’ve got to go home.” Coco barked come back. I chuckled. “Sure we can come back sometime. I think Scout would like that, right Scout?” Scout barked yup. “Okay, I guess it’s a date.”
I smiled at Lance, and his gaze narrowed. He was thinking what the hell? It was like I was talking to the dogs, and they were talking back. He’d only seen something like that once before. No wonder Coco had picked me. I had a real affinity with animals.
Oops.
His gaze narrowed. “Have you ever considered
