Page 20 of So Sinister
“Okay,” he said.“Let’s get this show on the road.”
He placed his ballcap on his head, advertising his proud support of the Washington Nationals baseball team, and the three of them hopped into Jeff’s Suburban and headed north to Fairfax.
David looked through the window as the idyllic Virginia countryside passed by.The trees hadn’t reached their full summer coat yet, but the redbud and serviceberry trees were in full display, decorating the roadside with pink, purple, and white.The hummingbirds wouldn’t arrive for a few more weeks, but bees flitted between the blooms, busily gathering nectar and in the process distributing pollen and bringing about the next generation of the forest.
It was a far cry from the concrete jungle of Philadelphia.Pennsylvania had its idyllic locales too, and a hop, skip, and a jump north was the third-largest concrete jungle in the United States, but here the modern world was a guest of nature, not its master.It felt almost sacrilegious that a place like this should hide some of the most disturbing crimes David had ever heard of.
“You good back there, boss?”
“Yeah,” David replied to Jeff.“Just thinking about the 93rd.”
“That why you look like you want to hurt someone?”
David chuckled.“It’s just that dogs are innocent.Not that people aren’t, but… I mean, dogs don’t know any better.Theycan’tknow better.I don’t know.I’m rambling.”
“No, I feel you.Dogs rely on people the way children do.They love people the way children do: with their whole heart.They haven’t learned about evil people or how to avoid them.It’s hard to see people take advantage of that.”
David thought of the way Turk looked at Faith, the complete devotion in his soft brown eyes.“Yes.Exactly.”
Then he thought of the way Sierra looked at Staff Sergeant Whitaker, the haunted despair, the fear, the resignation.Maybe dogs understood more than it seemed.
But no one was looking out for them.Not really.There were groups trying to help dogs in general, but even organizations like PETA and the SPCA didn’t really address the issue of cruelty to dogs.Not effectively, anyway.
Or maybe it’s that most people, when you come right down to it, don’t care.
His lips thinned.He cared.He would do something about it.He would take the risk where no one else would.
“I figure when we reach the house, we’ll drop him off, then pull kitty-corner and watch,” Greg said.“If we see anyone, we’ll get some plates and descriptions and get an ID.Then maybe we can put pressure on the CIA.”
“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” Jeff said.“Plates and descriptions, yes, but I think we need to talk to Faith and SAC Prince before we move forward.I heard Prince has contacts in the NSA who might be able to help.”
“Right.Good idea.”
David smiled.He wasn’t alone.Other peopleweretaking the risk.He had a whole team of people rallying around him, around Sierra and the other dogs.“Thank you guys.I really appreciate you helping out.”
“Don’t mention it,” Greg replied.“My sister has a dog, A Lhasa Apso.Thing sheds like a bastard and doesn’t understand that it’s okay to not bark sometimes.”Jeff chuckled at that.“But it’s the cutest damned thing you’ve ever seen.Likes to sit on my lap when I visit.”
“Yeah, they’re cuties,” David agreed.
The trio shared stories about the various dogs that had touched their lives at one point or another. David felt a growing affinity for the big, gruff FBI agents.They came from opposite worlds, but they were united together against a common threat.A bully that, like other bullies, felt that might made right.
They were going to show the CIA how wrong they were.
The car pulled to a stop behind a beautiful three-story Colonial Revival house that sat on a yard resplendent with geraniums, bluebells, and Dutchman’s breeches.The wide, pantaloon-shaped Dutchman’s breeches appeared to be a favorite of the bees, and a pleasant buzzing accompanied David on his way to the front door.
He took a deep breath, pushed it through his mouth, and knocked on the door.A few seconds later, it opened a crack, and hooded hazel eyes peered through at him.“Hello?”a cautious female voice said.
“Good afternoon, ma’am,” David said.“My name’s Dr.Allen.I was a friend of your husband’s.”
David hadn't considered his opening line until right then.The moment he said he was a friend of Dr.Fenniman's, he wished he had put more thought into it before arriving at her house.Daisy Fenniman's eyes went blank, and she made to close the door."I'm sorry, now's a bad time."
“Wait.”
He put his hands on the door, and Daisy hissed, “Get off my porch.I’ll call the police.”
“Listen, I’m investigating his disappearance,” David said.“I think…” He hesitated.He didn’t want to let her know that he suspected her husband was still alive.“I think it might be related to a case I’m working on.”
“Now?Six months later?”
