of the cab. I tipped him extra as promised, and he finally smiled.
Luckily Dr. Messing was there. She had been the one to help me with Karma, a mastiff I befriended last summer, so I trusted her completely to give this dog the best care.
Time dragged as I sat in the waiting room, damp and shivering, my new outfit covered in dog hair. I tried to make the most of my time by reading the pet magazines on the table but my mind kept drifting back to the woman who had died tonight. Did she have kids? A husband? Friends who were going to be devastated by her death? I couldn't even imagine losing one of my friends or sisters like that. I hoped, at least, she didn't feel any pain when it happened. And who could hit someone and just drive away without trying to get them help? One thing was for sure. Will wouldn't rest until the driver was locked up.
"Hey, you." Will hurried through the vet clinic doors and over to my crumpled form molded to the plastic chair. "Sorry, got here as fast as I could." He held out his hand and helped me out of the chair. "How's the dog?"
I stretched my back and grimaced. "She's sedated and resting."
"That's good. She's going to be okay then?"
"Physically, yeah." I slipped an arm around his waist, under his jacket, as we walked out to his car. "The office manager told me her registered name is Baywater's Silence is Golden, apparently she's a show dog and was microchipped. Her call name is Goldie. She notified the owner, a Victoria Desoto-something—" I glanced up at Will. He had stopped walking. "What's wrong?"
"Victoria Desoto-Roth." His lips tightened. "That means the leash and collar found nearby did belong to her." He glanced down at me and sighed. "The victim of the hit and run. Come on."
My mouth fell open. "So, she was that poor woman's dog? Was she with her when she was hit by the car?"
"Looks like it."
I slid into the seat, trying to fit this information into the puzzle. The blinding light. The impact. Made sense. "So, someone hit this woman and the dog jumped into the water and just swam out to the middle of the bay?"
"Yes."
"Wow. Poor thing. She must have been really traumatized." I suddenly realized what this meant. "Oh no. The clinic will try to call Victoria." But she can't answer. "I wonder if she was married?"
"She had a wedding ring on. That's where I have to go now, to the address on her license and notify the husband." He glanced over at me. "You don't mind waiting in the car while I speak to him, do you?"
"I don't mind." I squeezed his hand. "I didn't know that was part of your job, too."
"Yeah, well, making a death notification is only the half of it. As the investigating detective I have to eliminate the husband as a suspect."
"A suspect? So, you think someone did this on purpose?"
Will shrugged. "There was no sign the driver tried to brake. But, that parking lot is tricky, looks like a road, so the driver could have mistaken it for one. Especially if they were impaired with drugs or alcohol. There was a witness, coming in to dock his boat. He said the driver seemed to be panicking, slipped and fell as she ran to check on the victim. Honestly, I'm thinking a drinking and driving accident. Maybe a tourist who didn't know the area. Or a boat owner. We'll be checking everyone who has a boat docked there."
I pushed up my sleeves, feeling flushed. "So, when the driver saw how bad this Victoria person was injured, they probably took off so they wouldn't go to jail?"
Will shrugged, turning the heater down. "Happens all the time. Witness said the driver seemed to go through the victim's backpack and then tossed it to the side. Maybe looking for an ID. Or money. Who knows?"
I stared out the window. "That woman you were talking to, the one with dark hair, she seemed pretty upset. Was she family?"
"No, that was Jade Harjo, a good friend of the victim. She was actually meeting Mrs. Desoto-Roth there. She said Victoria was excited, that she had an artifact to give her from her
Luckily Dr. Messing was there. She had been the one to help me with Karma, a mastiff I befriended last summer, so I trusted her completely to give this dog the best care.
Time dragged as I sat in the waiting room, damp and shivering, my new outfit covered in dog hair. I tried to make the most of my time by reading the pet magazines on the table but my mind kept drifting back to the woman who had died tonight. Did she have kids? A husband? Friends who were going to be devastated by her death? I couldn't even imagine losing one of my friends or sisters like that. I hoped, at least, she didn't feel any pain when it happened. And who could hit someone and just drive away without trying to get them help? One thing was for sure. Will wouldn't rest until the driver was locked up.
"Hey, you." Will hurried through the vet clinic doors and over to my crumpled form molded to the plastic chair. "Sorry, got here as fast as I could." He held out his hand and helped me out of the chair. "How's the dog?"
I stretched my back and grimaced. "She's sedated and resting."
"That's good. She's going to be okay then?"
"Physically, yeah." I slipped an arm around his waist, under his jacket, as we walked out to his car. "The office manager told me her registered name is Baywater's Silence is Golden, apparently she's a show dog and was microchipped. Her call name is Goldie. She notified the owner, a Victoria Desoto-something—" I glanced up at Will. He had stopped walking. "What's wrong?"
"Victoria Desoto-Roth." His lips tightened. "That means the leash and collar found nearby did belong to her." He glanced down at me and sighed. "The victim of the hit and run. Come on."
My mouth fell open. "So, she was that poor woman's dog? Was she with her when she was hit by the car?"
"Looks like it."
I slid into the seat, trying to fit this information into the puzzle. The blinding light. The impact. Made sense. "So, someone hit this woman and the dog jumped into the water and just swam out to the middle of the bay?"
"Yes."
"Wow. Poor thing. She must have been really traumatized." I suddenly realized what this meant. "Oh no. The clinic will try to call Victoria." But she can't answer. "I wonder if she was married?"
"She had a wedding ring on. That's where I have to go now, to the address on her license and notify the husband." He glanced over at me. "You don't mind waiting in the car while I speak to him, do you?"
"I don't mind." I squeezed his hand. "I didn't know that was part of your job, too."
"Yeah, well, making a death notification is only the half of it. As the investigating detective I have to eliminate the husband as a suspect."
"A suspect? So, you think someone did this on purpose?"
Will shrugged. "There was no sign the driver tried to brake. But, that parking lot is tricky, looks like a road, so the driver could have mistaken it for one. Especially if they were impaired with drugs or alcohol. There was a witness, coming in to dock his boat. He said the driver seemed to be panicking, slipped and fell as she ran to check on the victim. Honestly, I'm thinking a drinking and driving accident. Maybe a tourist who didn't know the area. Or a boat owner. We'll be checking everyone who has a boat docked there."
I pushed up my sleeves, feeling flushed. "So, when the driver saw how bad this Victoria person was injured, they probably took off so they wouldn't go to jail?"
Will shrugged, turning the heater down. "Happens all the time. Witness said the driver seemed to go through the victim's backpack and then tossed it to the side. Maybe looking for an ID. Or money. Who knows?"
I stared out the window. "That woman you were talking to, the one with dark hair, she seemed pretty upset. Was she family?"
"No, that was Jade Harjo, a good friend of the victim. She was actually meeting Mrs. Desoto-Roth there. She said Victoria was excited, that she had an artifact to give her from her
Similar Books
Worldly Philosopher: The Odyssey of Albert O. Hirschman
Jeremy Adelman
When Bruce Met Cyn
Lori Foster
Barrington Street Blues
Anne Emery
Gifted Curse (Curse Trilogy)
C.M. Owens
The Fellowship for Alien Detection
Kevin Emerson
Ride 'Em (A Giddyup Novel)
Delphine Dryden
Dane's Restraint
J.J. Ranger
Four Weeks
Melissa Ford
Dead of Night (Ghosts & Magic #1)
M.R. Forbes
