Page 27 of Kent's Watch
Rita laughed. “That’s what she hit him with once when he did something she didn’t like. I saw her the next day and she told me that it had something to do with some scheme Vickers had cooked up.”
“I’ll look into it. Just a quick question. How do you know Maryann Picket?”
“I went to school with them. Maryann and Elroy married right after graduation. I lost track over the years, but I do know that Vickers didn’t grow up here. He’s only been in town for a few years. I wouldn’t say more than five. When I kicked him out of the facility, that’s the first interaction I’ve ever had with him.”
“Ah, so the shit he’s saying that you and he were dating, and Kent took you away from him are lies?”
“What?” Rita asked in shock. “Eew, as if I’d date a man like that. I only allowed him in the school because Julie and Scott were there as buffers. The guy creeps me out.”
“Good to know. Have a good night,” Jim said as he shook their hands, and turned on his heel to head back to his SUV. Rita and Kent stood there until he pulled out of the parking lot, then turned silently and headed into the store. It turned out that they both stocked up on protein bars, and Kent bought extra dog food and treats for Tate. He was also able to pick up a portable water dish for him. It would fit nicely in the pack. Both were lost in their own thoughts as they shopped, checked out, put their stuff in the truck, and the rest of the drive to Kent’s place.
“I’d ask if you want to come in, but if you’re as tired and pissed as I am, I’ll save it for another time.”
“Thank you. You’re right, I am tired, and pissed. It makes me wonder if he’s put anyone as a ringer into the school to try to get someone else to train their dog as a fighter or a bait dog.”
“Didn’t you have Jake do background checks on them?”
“Yes.”
“Did anyone come back suspicious?”
Kent sucked in his breath when Rita turned her tired expression toward him and grinned. The grin lit up her entire face. “Only you.”
“Only me, what?” He had forgotten what he’d asked after seeing how beautiful she was.
“Only you came back as suspicious.”
“How?”
“Your file came back so redacted, that Jake explained that you were former military. I thought you had lied to me about never training dogs before. That’s why I had Jake do a deep background on everyone. Well, that’s not why. I had him do it the day we kicked Vickers out of the facility. I wanted to know what I missed when I accepted his application, and he kicked Charlie that first day.”
“I totally understand. Did anything suspicious come back?”
“No,” Rita said, and sighed heavily. She turned worried eyes on him. “Should I have him do another deep dive?”
“Why don’t we mention it to him, but how about we do something else.”
“What’s that?”
“First, let’s allow Faulkner to handle him for now. In the meantime, we can always see if there are any fingerprints on his application and get it to Jake to run. Maybe, and this is just a very tired man speaking, but maybe Vickers isn’t who he says he is.”
“Ah, and if he’s booked, and his prints are run, then Jim will be able to find out who he is.”
“Correct. I don’t think there’s anything else we can do at this point. Not until Jim does what he has to do. The only thing we can do is to keep our eyes and ears open, and be very careful if we ever see him again.”
“I agree.” Rita nodded, then shook her head. “Yeah, there’s nothing else we can do. Thank you for today, both you and Tate did a great job.”
“You’re welcome. If you need us again, all you have to do is call.”
“I will, believe you me, I will. Remind me to give you a radio when you come to the clinic the day after tomorrow.”
“Radio?”
“Technically, you’re not supposed to receive it until you pass the course. In my book, after today, you and Tate both passed with flying colors. In a nutshell, the radio is what we use when we get a call. Everyone in search and rescue has one. Unfortunately, we’re only down to Scott and myself. His dog was in the middle of giving birth. That’s why I had this class. We need more people.”
“As much as I want to talk more about this, I need to get inside and shower. But I do have one question before I leave you for now.”
“What’s that.”
