Three Dog Day (23 page)

“
Come on, man,” Rob said. “Give us something.”

Wayne put a hand on Rob's arm. “This is what we think's going on, Jacko. We think Jerrod Clifton's involved in the copper pipe operation.”

“
He isn't the boss,” Jacko said. “There's a guy in East Nashville who's heading it up. It's a big operation.”

“
And Clifton's garage was convenient. I need a name,” Wayne said. “A name, Jacko, unless you want us to let Clifton know that you ratted him out.”

“
Okay, okay. Yeah, Clifton's just small change. He's a coke head and stored pipe to pay for his habit. The head guy's name is Manny Torres. He started out as a pimp and has moved on to better things.”

“
And we're also suspicious that an auctioneer might be involved in diverting old millwork, fireplace surrounds, etc. Who would that be?”

“
Honest, Wayne, I don't know.” Jacko finished his whiskey and stood up.

“
Okay,” Wayne nodded. “But no money this time. You got overpaid for this information already.” They paid the bill and were about to leave when Marie joined them by the coat check.

“
Hi, big guy. Who's your cute young friend?”

“
This is Rob. He's looking for a little action tonight.” At Rob's horrified expression, Wayne added, “Just messing with you, Rob. But Marie, I do have a question for you. Do you know Jerrod Clifton?” She nodded. “Any idea where he and Manny Torres meet up?”

Marie looked around briefly to be sure nobody was watching. “I know something, but I need money. I have a mortgage, Wayne. My daughter and her kids have moved in with me.”

“
How much?” Wayne asked.

“
I'm going to need two hundred.”

“
A hundred has to do it,” Wayne said. “I'll have more for you next time.”

Marie looked at him intently. “Camille's Bar and Grill. Usually on Wednesday nights,” Wayne pulled a C-note from his roll and handed it to Marie.

Wayne and Rob walked out to the parking lot and got into his pickup.

“
It bothers me that these criminals have to be paid to tell us anything.”

Wayne thought Rob sounded prudish and naïve. “Grow up, Rob,” he said. “Information has a street value. Marie doesn't usually ask for much, but now that she's a grandmother, she's trying to go straight, set a good example.”

“
So you actually care about that woman.” Rob looked at him in confusion.

Wayne snorted, but Rob had hit the nail on the head. He did care about Marie. She had not had an easy life, but she had never hurt anyone. She was just trying to make it like everyone else.

He put his hand on Rob's shoulder. “It's not all black and white, Rob. I've known Marie for years and she has a good heart.”

Rob was going to need a lot of education about life beyond simply having a detective's license, Wayne thought. It might be interesting to pair him with Dory. She certainly had the life experience. The combination might work well.

M
ae had just gotten off the phone with Renee Glasgow, a high-school friend of hers and Tammy's. Renee was back in town visiting her parents. She had completed her combined degree in social work and theology and was an ordained minister who currently worked at a women's rescue mission in Memphis. Renee had agreed to meet with Tammy and Patrick, and to come back to Rosedale and officiate at their wedding in Mae's living room. Mae was relieved, since finding a church and minister who were available on short notice for Valentine's Day had proved impossible.

She heard a knock on her front door and the Tater barked. Mae opened her door to a woman she had never seen before. “Hello.”

The woman wore a green jacket over a gray sweater, jeans and boots. Her eyes were hazel, and she had light brown hair that fell in smooth waves to her shoulders. Giving Mae a friendly smile, she said, “Hi, I'm Gretchen Wilkes. I saw your interview on TV and I want to give the three puppies a home.”

“
Come in.” Mae stepped back, deftly avoiding Tallulah and the two corgis that had accompanied her to the door, and gestured for Gretchen to come inside. “I've got some hot coffee going in the kitchen, if you'd like some.”

With a smile and a nod, Gretchen followed Mae into the kitchen. “Sit down and I'll get you a cup.” Mae indicated a barstool at her island counter, ushered all three dogs into her laundry room and closed the door. She poured the coffee and set it down in front of Gretchen. Before refilling her own cup, she got out the sugar bowl, creamer, and spoons. Then she sat on the stool facing her visitor.

“
Thank you for the coffee.” Gretchen took a sip. “Very good.”

“
You're welcome. Was there a reason you especially wanted all three puppies?” Mae asked.

Gretchen looked away, then quickly back. “Not really. I just thought they were so cute.”

“
They are. Unfortunately, I only have the two females left. The male pup tested positive for the Warrior Gene and had to be euthanized.”

“
That's too bad. I would have taken him anyway.” She set her cup down. “Where are the two females?”

Before answering Gretchen's question, Mae felt she had to explain. “The ASPCA agreed to euthanize all the dogs and puppies that tested positive. If they let those dogs go to new homes and something happened, I guess they'd be liable. And I know they're cute, but three puppies of any breed would be a
lot
of work. True and Pearl Jam are out in the barn if you'd like to take a look at them.”

“
I would.” She stood up. “It's cold out there. You don't need to come with me unless it's locked. I saw the barn when I drove up.”

“
It isn't locked and I do need to make a phone call,” Mae told her. “Go ahead and I'll be right out.”

She quickly called Tammy with the good news about Renee. “I gave her your cell number, so she's going to call you about meeting with you and Patrick this week, before she goes back to Memphis.”

“
That's awesome. We can just do the ceremony and reception at your house and nobody has to drive anywhere else. Thank you so much.”

“
You're welcome. I need to go—I've got someone out in the barn looking at the puppies. Talk to you later.”

“
Bye, Mae-Mae.”

Mae put on boots and her barn jacket and hurried out to the barn. She flipped the wall switch to turn on the overhead lights and saw Gretchen holding True and Pearl Jam.

“
I'll take them both,” she declared, squeezing them awkwardly against her chest. Pearl Jam wiggled vigorously and Gretchen almost dropped her.

There's something weird about her.
“You can have True, the one with the patch over her eye. The other one's already spoken for.” Mae wasn't sure how she was going to do it, but she wanted Pearl Jam to go to someone who knew Ray Fenton. At least he could visit his dog that way.

A sharp frown creased Gretchen's forehead. She squeezed True so tightly that the puppy gave a squeak. “That doesn't do me any good,” the woman said. “I told Anthony I'd ….” She stopped talking abruptly.

“
You're hurting her. Put them back in the pen, please. If you decide you want her, you'll need to go to the ASPCA in Nashville and fill out some forms. There're other pups being fostered in the area, so if you really want more than one, they're available. But you don't seem to be very experienced with dogs, and I'm curious about why one isn't enough.” Mae looked into Gretchen's eyes and the other woman blushed and looked down.

“
You're right.” She looked back up at Mae. “They're for my boyfriend, Anthony.” Her entire demeanor changed when she said her boyfriend's name. She stood straighter and her forehead smoothed. “He said to get at least two.”

Mae tipped her head toward the open barn door. “I think you and Anthony should go to the ASPCA together then, and they'll let me know if you're approved to take this puppy.” She waited until Gretchen left the barn to shut off the light, and then Mae firmly closed the door. Gretchen walked toward her car and Mae watched her drive away before she hurried back to the house. She called the ASPCA and left a message for Mr. Gunderson to call her back, then she called Ben.

“
Hi, babe.”

“
Hi, are you busy?”

“
Nope, just wrapped up a staff meeting. What's up?”

“
Remember when we were talking about the murder case and you said you were looking into animal traffickers—people who wanted dogs for other reasons besides having a pet?”

“
Yeah.” Ben's voice sharpened. “Do you have any ideas?”

She told him about Gretchen Wilkes' awkwardness with the pups and her interest in getting “at least two” puppies for her boyfriend Anthony. “I don't know if it helps, but she drove a dark gray car. I think it was an Altima.”

“
That's very interesting,” Ben said. “I'll see if we can track her down and find out why this Anthony wants multiple puppies. I agree that it might not be for pets.”

“
Thanks, Ben. Oh, one other thing I forgot to ask you. Do you think Matty would want to be the ring bearer for the wedding?”

There was a short silence from Ben's end. “Sorry, I was writing down the details about Gretchen Wilkes.” He cleared his throat. “I think so. I'll run it by Katie, but she'll probably be happy to have a babysitter for Valentine's Day. See you tonight, Mae. Bye.” He was gone.

I'm so frustrated with this broken wrist and lack of energy. I haven't been able to help Ben very much this time. Hopefully he can find Gretchen and that will be a good lead.

After Ben got to Mae's house at eight that night, they shared a late supper of pizza, salad, and a bottle of Chianti. They had just finished eating when his phone rang.

“
It's Wayne,” he said after glancing at the screen. “I need to take the call. Sorry.”

He got up from the table and went into the living room. Using her one good hand, Mae slowly cleared the table, rinsed the dishes and loaded the dishwasher. She could hear that Ben was still on the phone when she turned the water off, so she took the dogs outside one last time. It was a little warmer tonight, in the upper forties, and the stars were bright in the sky above her old farmhouse. The moon was waning—just past full but still lighting up her backyard. She stood on the steps enjoying the fresh air and night sky while her three dogs scampered about for ten minutes or so. When she called them inside, she found Ben back in the kitchen, pouring the last of the wine into their glasses. He handed Mae her glass, then crated Tatie. Titan and Tallulah went to their beds without further ado and Mae and Ben took their wine into the living room to sit on the couch.

“
What did Wayne need?”

“
He was reporting in with some really good news.” Ben smiled and took a sip of his Chianti. “The copper theft case is wrapped up, at least as far as we're concerned.”

“
That's great! What happened?”

Ben told her all about the sting they'd set up using Jerrod Clifton as bait. “We decided to send George along with Jerrod to drive the truck. Clifton called Manny Torres and set up a meeting to pick up the pipes—he said he'd store them at his garage until they were ready to ship them overseas.” He leaned back and stretched his arms above his head.

“
Why'd you send George instead of Rob Fuller or Cam? Or Wayne?”

Ben laughed. “Wayne's too well known in those circles, and Rob and Cam are both too pretty. Plus Rob looks like a cop no matter what he wears. Camille's Bar and Grill is kind of a rough place for either of them to look like they fit in. But out of uniform, George makes a very convincing redneck. And it sounds like he played the part well. Wayne waited out in the parking lot with Rob and Cam in case anything went wrong.”

“
So everything went as planned?” Mae loved watching Ben tell the story. His excitement over the drama was plain to see in his sparkling blue eyes and animated gestures. She sipped her wine and watched him as he continued.

“
Almost everything. Cam called Captain Paula when George backed the truck up to the shed behind the bar. She and Rob snuck around and waited back there, and Wayne stayed in his truck to watch the front door. Good thing he did.” Ben looked at her with eyebrows raised. “The Nashville cops rolled in with sirens blaring and everyone was looking at the area behind the bar. Jerrod Clifton strolled out the front door. Apparently Manny paid Jerrod in product, so he had cocaine on him when his brother pulled up. If Wayne hadn't been there to tackle Jerrod, he would've gotten away.”

“
So it's all over?” Mae set her empty glass down on the coffee table.

“
Yes. Captain Paula's unit will take it from here. We handed Manny Torres to her on a silver platter and tomorrow I'll be able to call Mr. Yancey and tell him we found his pipes. Then we can concentrate on the murder investigation. Since Jerrod tried to flee and got caught holding the coke, he's not going anywhere. I'll have plenty of time to prove he killed Web Johnston.”