Page 90 of Captivating Anika

“Expecting anyone?”

Anika shakes her head, and I continue to the front door while she rushes the pups out back.

I’m surprised to find Special Agent Livingston on the doorstep.

“I should’ve probably called first, but things have been a bit hectic the past twenty-four hours, which is in part why I’m here.”

“Come on in.”

Anika stands by the back door, keeping an eye on the pups, when I lead the agent into the living room.

“Are you okay with dogs?” I ask him.

“Love dogs.”

“Good. Brace,” I warn him, as Anika opens the door again and the herd comes charging in, hoping to make more new friends.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Anika offers, but Livingston shakes his head.

“I’m actually on my way to the airport, but wanted to stop in to give you an update and say goodbye.”

I gesture for him to take a seat, and he wisely chooses a chair instead of the couch, giving him a little control over the pups’ access to his face. It’s clear from the calm way he handles them, he’s used to dogs.

Anika curls up in a corner of the couch, her legs tucked underneath her, which I’ve come to recognize as self-protection. I sit down next to her and put my hand on her knee.

“I just wanted to let you know in the past twenty-four hours, we were able to locate and arrest all key players in the money laundering operation.”

Evans mentioned they were working on that, so it’s great news to hear they managed to get them.

“That’s great,” Anika echoes my thoughts. “So you’ve got Chris as well?”

I get an uneasy feeling when I catch the agent’s reaction.

“Mr. Cooper is no longer any threat to you,” he diplomatically states.

“Does that mean you have him?” I push, recognizing Livingston is circumventing the question.

“In a way. In the process of making arrests, we were able to recover Mr. Cooper’s body.”

Anika shoots up straight. “He’s dead?”

“Yes, and we have reason to believe he may have been dead prior to his brother’s attack on you.”

Obviously, these guys wouldn’t have shared that with the brother, since it was their leverage.

“I’m not sure how to feel about that,” Anika admits. “I would’ve loved some answers on things that still confuse me. Like who vandalized my car?”

“The likelihood is, it was done by some kids hired by Christopher Cooper,” Livingston suggests.

I’m not sure I agree with that assessment, since they never went into the trunk where the casino chips were supposed to have been hidden. The roadkill made no sense either. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to ask him.

“And Kim’s murder?” Anika probes. “Because that makes even less sense and it’s been eating at me.”

The agent gives her a sympathetic smile.

“I understand. It’s something we in law enforcement deal with a lot, unanswered questions. I wish I could give you a satisfying answer, but unfortunately, I don’t have one ready for you at this time.”

He gets to his feet, and both Anika and I do the same.

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