Broken Promises (9 page)

“Sounds like a plan.” She nodded. “Shadow can
help too. She’s got a good nose.”

His eyebrow shot up again. “Oh,
right
.
Thought she might have some bloodhound in her.” The irony in his
tone said just the opposite.

“Don’t dismiss Shadow just because she’s a
pretty little thing. All dogs have a wonderful sense of smell.” She
thought for a moment, then added, “Of course, it’s true bloodhounds
have the best noses. What about other search-and-rescue teams in
town? Maybe one that isn’t necessarily affiliated with the
authorities? There’s a trainer who brings his dogs to Jackie. He
sells his dogs far and wide to different police departments. Now he
might give us a hand. For Jackie.”

“We need to get something of hers so the dogs
can get her scent. Clothing would be the best.”

“We’ll need to get back in the house.”

“And the house is still off limits.”

“But
I
can get in, if we wait until
after it’s dark.”

“A covert op. I like it.” He shot her a
wolfish grin, but the serious glint never left his gaze. “Lead me
to this dog person.”

Chapter Eleven

With Bette riding shotgun and the dog safely
stowed away in her wire crate in the back seat, Alex drove past
rolling green hills to a farm west of town. In normal situations,
the peaceful surroundings would lower his blood pressure and chill
out his grim mood.

“Turn at the next mailbox on the right.”
Bette pointed to a large red mailbox shaped like a barn.

Responding with a quick nod, he turned into
the paved drive she indicated.

“The kennels are around back. Jackie and I
did a house call late one night when one of his dogs got into
trouble. Almost had to do a C-section by candlelight when it
started storming and the lights in the barn went out.”

An image he could’ve done without. He
winced.

They drove around an enormous, two-story
house and parked in back. A large barrel-chested man strode out to
meet them with a wide smile and his hand outstretched. “Henry
Rigby,” he said. “Bette.” He nodded. “Good to see you again. Surely
is awful about Dr. Stinnett. Anything I can do to help find her,
I’ll do it.”

Alex grasped the man’s hand. “Thanks so much.
The local authorities are barking up the wrong tree—that’s my
contention, anyway. I’d like you and one or two of your best dogs
to check out the parking lot and the office. That’s where it
happened.” Whatever
it
was.

“Thought sure they’d call out the canine
officer from the sheriff’s office. You sure they haven’t?”

Alex shook his head and swallowed the
bitterness threatening to overcome him. “The authorities’ latest
theory is that she was upset with her husband and arranged her own
disappearance, including taking her son.”

“Kind of extreme, if it were true, and I
don’t believe it of her.” He wagged his head in the negative. “No
one who knows her would consider such a thing. She’s dedicated to
her work and all the animals she cares for.” Rigby motioned for
them to follow. “Only have six dogs right now. Four are young, in
early stages of training. My best bitch is ready to whelp. That
leaves one, but he’s a fine fellow. He’s found more than his share
of lost hikers and campers. We’ll need a sample of Dr. Jackie’s
scent.”

“We’ll have that by tonight. Police have
cordoned off the house. Even though she wasn’t taken from there.”
They crossed the pea-gravel drive, and Alex heard the loud baying
of the dogs long before they reached the kennels. Alex steeled his
resolve and did his best to hold back the shiver sliding up his
spine.

The Sheltie gave a series of sharp barks but
looked as if she’d as soon run as stay. Bette shushed the dog and
scooped her up.
Good, one less canine running around.

Each dog had its own run and a dog house.
They stopped before one. A large, mournful-looking bloodhound
emerged, but his tail wagged, and, although he barked, the creature
didn’t seem overly aggressive.

Alex swallowed hard. “You’ll help us, then?
Handle the dog?” There must’ve been a note of trepidation in his
tone or some other subtle cue, because Rigby gave a bark of
laughter.

“No worry. This dog’s too valuable to hand
over to an amateur.”

Schooling his response to keep from looking
like a cowardly dipshit, Alex nodded. “Good enough. Appreciate your
assistance. More than I can say.” He cut his gaze to Bette, who was
crouched beside the dog’s run and already talking baby talk to the
bloodhound. But the squirming Sheltie didn’t appear any happier
being that close to the bigger dog than Alex was.

“I’d better walk her back to the car before
she gets any more agitated.” Then with a mischievous grin, Bette
said, “Unless
you
want to hold her?”

Smart ass
. “I’ll pass.” He watched the
mesmerizing sway of her hips as she walked back to his rental.
Almost losing himself. Almost forgetting why he was here. What the
hell was he playing at? He had no business leering after her that
way. Dammit. He needed to focus. As for his dog phobia—that would
have to wait.

Rigby chuckled. “Cute little gal, isn’t
she?”

“Uh, yeah.” He gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah,
she is.”
So busted
.

They set a time to meet early the next
morning. Rigby would bring Duke, short for Albemarle’s Duke of
Chiverton, and they would begin a real search for his sister and
her son. Alex shook his head at the hound’s fancy name but kept his
opinion to himself.

~~*~~

Clouds rolled in and promised a threat of
rain while Bette waited with Shadow in the rental car.
Not more
rain
. Wouldn’t that make tracking Jackie all the more
difficult? Seemed like everything that could go wrong was. Damn
Detective Spitz for not organizing a search right away. Valuable
time was lost. Time Jackie and her son couldn’t afford to lose.

She’d watched way too many of those forensics
shows, both the fancy prime-time and the grittier reality-based
ones. The thought of Jackie lying dead in some field left a knot in
her throat. And little Cody? Tears welled in her eyes. She couldn’t
bear the thought of something happening to that darling child. Big
blue eyes like his mother’s. A thatch of pale blond hair with a
mind of its own, no matter how often Jackie damp combed it. The kid
possessed a smile guaranteed to melt the heart of any sensible
person. But this kidnapper wasn’t sensible, was he?

And she was more of a hindrance than a help
to Alex’s efforts to find them. Oh, he’d been polite enough, even
if it was plainly obvious he’d just as soon get rid of her
and
her dog at the first opportunity.

A loud thump on the fender startled her. She
jumped. “What?”

“You looked like you were a million miles
away,” Alex said, his expression grim as he stood gazing down at
her. “That mutt’s not much use as a guard dog. She didn’t even bark
when she saw me coming.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, glared,
and added a touch of heat to her response. “That’s because she
knows you. And she’s
not
a mutt.”

“Right. Looks to me like someone left good
old Lassie outside in the rain and she shrank.” He opened the car
door and eased inside. “Ready for a B and E?” he asked with a look
of anticipation in his eyes.

Insulted by his disparaging Shadow’s lineage,
she balled her fist and jabbed his shoulder. “You’re seriously
pissing me off, Double-O.”

“Sorry. Who knew you’d go all mama bear on
me?”

She raised her fist again. He turned and
grabbed her wrist and wouldn’t let go. “Don’t hit me again. That
would be a federal offense, assaulting an agent.”

She struggled and gazed into his eyes. No
anger there, just something indescribable. Her mouth went dry as
sandpaper, and her heart hammered. “What? Would you really charge
me?”

“I might.” He swallowed hard enough she saw
his Adam’s apple jerk.

In the backseat, the Sheltie whined. Bette
glanced over her shoulder. “It’s okay.” She faced Alex again. “Stop
it. You’re scaring her.”

He gave a small shake of his head but
released her wrist. “You and that dog.”

“She happens to need me.” Bette reached into
the backseat and stuck her fingers through the crate. “Don’t you,
sweetie?”

“How do you know
I
don’t need you
more?”

Her eyebrows shot up at his suggestive tone,
but she chose to ignore it. Besides it might just be wishful
thinking, and no way would she risk his rejecting her again. “You
might need my help for this upcoming B and E, but most of the time,
you act like I’m a major pain in the ass.”

A quick eye roll, then he nodded. “Oh, you
are—no doubt about it.”

About that moment, her stomach growled loud
enough Shadow heard it and whined. “Think we could get something to
eat? It won’t be dark for a while yet.”

“Changing the subject, are you?” he said
somewhat gruffly. “Is Charlie’s still there? I could sure use one
of their thick burgers.”

“Not changing the subject. Not like I can
make my stomach growl on cue. I’m sure Shadow’s hungry too. And
yes, Charlie’s is still there.”

“What about her? I’m not taking her along.
She’d be bound to bark and alert the neighbors.”

“She’ll be all right in the motel room. We
can move her crate from the car, and with some chew toys, she’ll be
content. Probably even go to sleep while we’re breaking into
Jackie’s.”

“Having a dog’s as bad as having a kid.”

“Not so. With a dog, you receive
unconditional love. You don’t get that from your kids—not after
they hit puberty.”

“Hmph.”

“You don’t like dogs. I bet you don’t like
kids either.”

Alex clenched his jaw and turned on the
ignition. “Let’s get something to eat. This conversation is going
nowhere fast. Whatever you think of me, I don’t hate kids. I just
don’t plan to have any. Or get married.” He whipped the car around
and headed back to the highway.

Great. Freaking great
. “Thanks for
spelling that out, Agent MacGregor. I can assure you I wasn’t going
to propose anytime soon.”

“Dammit, Jersey. I didn’t mean to imply you
were. It’s just I have a difficult job, and—”

“A family would get in your way,” she
finished for him.

“Exactly.”

“Surely all agents don’t feel that way?”

“Can only speak for myself. Some do. Some
don’t. I have two friends from the Bureau who’re married. My pal
Jake is with the Behavioral Science Unit, and his wife Caitlin
retired. They already have one rug rat, and he has a teenage
daughter from a previous relationship. They live in
Georgetown.”

“So they made some adjustments. But they
are
making it work, right?” He kept his gaze on the road and
away from her.

“He gave up what he loved doing
best—undercover work. Being a part of the Violent Crimes Task Force
in a major field office has always been my goal. I don’t want to
give it up, and I wouldn’t want to endanger my family…if I had one.
I like being alone. Not answering to anyone but the Bureau.”

“Again, message received.” She chewed her
bottom lip and carefully considered her next words. “But your
friends, they’re happy? And is giving up something for someone you
really love a hardship?”

“Don’t know, since I have no plans to do
anything like that.”

“I’m willing to bet my next week’s paycheck
that you’ve never been in love, have you?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“If you ever fall in love, you’ll know.”

Dammit. What had she just said? Would he
think she was in love with him? She wasn’t. Not really. Inability
to keep her gaze on the street in front of her and not on him
wasn’t any kind of indicator. True, the man was hotter than
Pontillo’s wings. And what being around the man did to her libido
didn’t bear mentioning.

But she most assuredly was
not
in love
with him.

Apparently, he decided to ignore her comment
about falling in love. They fell into a somewhat tense silence as
they sped past the rolling hills and valleys where a fine mist
gathered and eddied among the trees. She shivered and folded her
arms across her chest. The scene was just a little too eerie for
her taste. Where were Jackie and Cody? Were they at least somewhere
warm and dry?

They rounded a curve, crossed the railroad
tracks, and before them lay the city limits of Canandaigua with its
quaint turn of the century houses and well-kept yards. Bette’s
stomach growled again.

Alex turned right on Main and headed south
toward the lake. “Charlie’s still okay with you?” He moved over
into the left-hand lane.

“Yeah, fine…whatever. Just leave us at the
motel. I’ll get Shadow settled for the evening.”

“Suit yourself.” He turned left on Eastern
and drove past the lake and park. Bright summer flowers bedecked
the street as did one of the famous decorated horses scattered
around town. Wind had whipped up whitecaps on the lake. She shook
her head. Likely a storm would wash away any remaining scent trail.
More and more, it seemed as if fate was against them finding any
trace of Jackie and her son.

Chapter Twelve

After leaving Shadow at the motel, Alex
suggested they should go to Jackie’s first and eat later. Alex
stood in the alley behind his sister’s house and pulled up his
hood. Rain had run down his neck, leaving his shirt a soggy mess.
Jersey stood beside him, hunched over and shivering. “Sorry,” he
said. “Bad night for a covert break-in.”

Jersey shot him a brave, if damp, grin.
“Either that or it’s a good one since it’s unlikely the cops—I mean
officers—will be sitting anywhere but in their patrol cars.”

“Good point.” What was it with her and law
enforcement? Most people didn’t have to struggle to call them by
their proper designation. Question for another time. Right now,
they needed to get inside.