Page 51 of Special Agent Joseph

“It’s not a lot, Nipotina.” He’d put his arm around her back, hugging her close. “I call it my slush fund. Sometimes, I need a little extra cash, and so I keep it here rather than the safe.”

Thinking back to that moment, she knew what she had to do. If she could get to that cupboard, she’d take the money. Then she’d buy a lot of pills for both her and Raphael. And they’d be happy again. Just the two of them, together, like it was before.

She lunged back on the bed and laid there, trying to formulate her next move. With her head all fuzzy, it wasn’t easy. Suddenly, the door opened and a smaller man in a white coat came into the room. He approached the bed, obviously checking to see if she were sleeping. When he reached her bedside, she leapt up and pushed at him with all her might.

Not expecting such behavior, the poor fellow fell back against the wall, banging his head. He slid down, his eyes closed, and his head at a funny angle. Stunned at her own behavior, first Lucia rushed to his side to be sure he was breathing, and when she saw he was, she pulled his keys away from his hand and got the coat off of him and onto herself. Then she ran to open the door, locking him inside.

Following the exit signs, she ran to the far end of the building. Praying she’d find that the door opened from the inside, she fumbled with the bar, realizing it only stood to reason it would be locked. Shuffling through the keys she’d pilfered, she finally hit on the right one. Once the door opened, she slid outside and stayed close to the building while the bushes provided her cover. Once far enough away from the place, she broke into a staggering run, thankful that she had the stamina. By the time she reached the parking lot, she could barely breathe.

God she was out of shape. A thought occurred to her, and she fumbled again with the mound of keys to find a weird fob that might belong to a car. Sure enough, when she hit the second button, it beeped, and she saw lights blinking from a gray, older model Camry further up the row.

Oh-kay. There is a God!

Chapter Thirty-seven

Joe thought Vinnie had looked terrible earlier when they’d had to help the suddenly frail old man into the house. But this gray-faced Vinnie shocked the bejesus outta him. Shaken, he managed to hide his surprise and talk as if it were just another day. “Hey, boss, any word?”

“Not from Lucia or anyone else.” Vinnie acknowledged Megan with a nod and continued. “Jie figures she came by car. We checked the surveillance videos at the gatehouse, and we saw a vehicle that went slowly past earlier and then drove further on, going out of sight. We figure it doubled back.”

Megan spoke to Joe. “Could be the Camry sedan we passed that’s parked further up the road.” She turned to Jie. “Do any of the guards leave their cars outside the gate?”

“Nope. There’s a parking lot behind the garage where we’re allowed to leave our rides. Do you think it could be Lucia?”

When Megan didn’t reply, Joe spoke in her place. “Megan figures if Lucia came back here, she’s either gotten someoneto give her a lift, or she’s hitchhiked. We never thought of her stealing a car.” He looked at Vinnie. “Does she know how to drive?”

“Of course. On the ranch, everyone is taught early.”

“Right. Which means, if she did take a car, and it’s still here, she could still be out there somewhere. We’re gonna take Jack for a look-see. Do you have anything of hers we can use to help the dog find her?”

Vinnie pointed across the room. “Actually, that’s her sweater on the chair. She left it in here.”

“Good. We’ll be right back.”

Slumped at his desk, his face gray, and his usually manicured hair a mess of flattened sweaty straw, Vinnie’s head moved slightly up and down. In a whiney voice, he stated, “Then you should check the videos. There’s no mistaking that it’s Lucia. Never thought I’d see the day where my baby would steal from me.” Appearing frail, he shook his head in disgusted sadness, a tear running down his cheek.

Unable to stand the enormous self-pity, Megan stomped closer. “What the fuck did you think she’d act like when she found out the man she’d honored and adored all her life was nothing but a lowlife, drug swindling crook?” Joe tried taking her arm and pulling her away, but on a roll, Megan fought him. Swiveling out of his reach, she faced Vinnie again and didn’t hold back. “Christ man, you brought all this on yourself.”

This time, Jie stepped in and blocked her view. Snorting in disgust, Megan saw his pleading stare and swung around to reach for the door. She bounded down the hall, leaving Joe to bring up the rear. When she heard his quiet words floating behind her, she knew if she checked, he’d be smiling that right-sided grin she’d come to love. “Way to give it to him, baby. Fool deserves everything he got.”

Minutes later, Joe drove back through the gate and toward where they’d earlier seen the small, dirty, older-model Camry. He opened the back door for Jack and held the balled up sweater for the dog to sniff. “Go find Lucia, boy.”

Pulling his head away from the article, Jack jerked back, acting unusually edgy, obviously wanting his freedom. Willing to trust the dog’s judgment, Joe let him off the lead. Once free the dog raced towards the car. Circling it once, he eventually bowed down near the front tire on the driver’s side, his feet scratching at the surface under the car. Whining and then barking loudly, he frantically scraped at the dusty gravel, clearly showing he’d found something.

Once Joe joined him, he went to pull Jack away, but the dog wouldn’t move or stop barking. Understanding that Jack wanted him to get down on the ground, Joe did so. “Okay, pal. I’m here. Give me room. Back off, pooch.” Joe got on his stomach and tried to reach under the car but couldn’t see anything in the dark.

Calling to Megan, he said, “Jack’s found something, but I can’t reach it.”

She stepped closer. “I think he’s picked up a scent. Here’s my phone flashlight. See if you can find what he’s after.”

Scanning the beam, Joe saw what the dog had smelled. “Got it.” Joe soon pushed away from the car and sat up, holding a small plastic bag of pills in the flashlight’s glow. “Good dog, Jack. You did it.”

Prancing nearby, Jack barked and circled in obvious joy at the praise. Overcome, he gave Joe a nudge and even licked his face like one would expect from a puppy. Laughing, Joe held the ecstatic dog back so he could stand. “You did good, Jack. Feels great to be a drug buster again, eh?”

Megan had to laugh at the dog’s antics. Even a non-dog owner could tell what the huge German Shepherd was acting out so clearly. He’d done his job and deserved the praise.

Taking the bag carefully by the corner, she lifted it in front of Joe. “Is this the bag of drugs you described earlier. The one Vinnie wanted you to get rid of because they were Lucia’s?”

“Yep. Same one. She must have gotten them back but why would she have thrown them under the car?”

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