Page 17 of So Smitten

“Well, I saw his eyes all bloody and his neck all burnt up, and I realized he was dead.”

“And that’s when you called the cops?”

“Hell no,” Farmer replied, “I got Macy, and I got out of the house as fast as I could. I drove to a coffee shop and called the cops from there. You gotta understand, agent, this isn’t a good neighborhood. It’s better than Hansen Street, but it’s still not that safe. I was afraid that whoever killed that man might still be around.”

That was understandable. “How long after discovering the body did you call the police?”

“I don’t know,” Farmer replied, “maybe fifteen minutes or so? I didn’t really check.”

Faith turned to Garvey, “and you responded to the call?”

“I did. It sounded an awful lot like the other case, and when I found out it was, I told my lieutenant I wanted on the scene.”

“So what did you see?”

“Everything Mr. Farmer just described,” she said. “The blood from the eyes was new. The killer used a lot more current this time.”

“How’s your dog?” Faith asked.

“She’s good now. I’m keeping her inside for now. Probably for good. I don’t know why they doped her up, but I don’t want to risk her getting hurt. She’s all I have.”

Faith looked down at Turk, who had finished his inspection of the scene and now waited patiently for them to finish. "I know what you mean.” She looked back at Mr. Farmer. “Do you mind if we see Macy for a moment?”

Farmer’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

“Our K9 is trained to detect and remember specific scents. Even though the sedative is out of your dog’s system, it’s possible that traces might still remain on her fur or her breath. If Turk can recognize the scent, there’s a possibility we can use it to track down the murderer.”

Farmer looked ruefully at Turk. “Is he friendly?”

“As long as you and Macy are friendly, he’s perfectly friendly,” Faith replied.

He still looked unsure, but he nodded and said, “All right. She’s in the bedroom. I’ll bring her downstairs.”

He returned a moment later with an old Cocker Spaniel. The dog had red-brown fur with white paws and a white face with a liberal touch of gray on the muzzle. Faith guessed she was at least ten years old, probably older. Why would either of the men have bothered to sedate an old spaniel?

“Does Macy bark a lot?” Michael asked, evidently thinking the same thing.

“Almost never,” Farmer replied. “She’s the sweetest dog you’ve ever seen. I don’t know why they would have bothered doping her.” He chuckled affectionately. “Unless they were afraid of getting cuddled to death.”

Macy was indeed an affectionate dog. As soon as Farmer set her down, she trotted to the waiting agents and waited for pats, which the three of them were more than willing to give. Turk greeted her professionally, dipping his head and carefully sniffing around her. Macy accepted the inspection with good grace, and when Turk was finished, she licked his nose and trotted forward to lean her head against his.

Faith could almost swear that Turk blushed.

“She’s a sweetheart, isn’t she?” Farmer said, beaming at Macy with the love that humans reserved only for dogs and small children.

“She is,” Faith agreed with a smile. “Dogs are wonderful.”

“That they are,” he agreed emphatically. “I just don’t get why anyone would want to hurt them.”

“I’m glad Macy’s all right,” Michael said.

“Me too.”

They left Farmer then, sending Macy off with a round of farewell pats. On their way to the car, Garvey said, “I didn’t want to mention this while Mr. Farmer was present, but the killer continued to shock Mr. Mariano even after he was dead. The coroner said he was cooked on the inside.”

Michael shook his head. He looked sick. Faith looked back at the house and said, “This wasn’t just a gang hit. This was personal.”

CHAPTER SIX

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