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“Yep.Every morning at the start of the shift, we all get together in a conference room and run through every single case and any notes we have on it.Then Her Royal Majesty offers her opinions on our work along with pointers and sometimes even instructions that sound like something out of a first-year criminal justice course.”

Faith winced.“Ouch.That sounds painful.”

“It’s annoying as hell is what it is.If you ask me, she’s got a long way to go before she’s ready to run a field office.”

Faith smiled.“Well, there you go.They might talk to you about the job after all.”

“God, I hope not.”

“You could always say no.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

There was the tiniest breath of a pause before Michael answered, just enough to let Faith know that a part of him was considering the job.She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but she didn’t want to wrestle with that right now.

Fortunately, duty called and pulled her mind back to the present.Marcus opened the door and lifted a hand to Faith.“All right.We’ve got some answers.”

Faith gave him a thumbs up, then said, “I have to go, Michael.I have an interrogation to do.”

“Super jealous.Take lots of pictures.”

She laughed.“Whatever that means.Bye, buddy.”

“Goodbye.”

She hung up, and Marcus asked, "Boyfriend?"

“No, partner.So what do you have for me?”

Marcus grinned.“Oh, so much.”

Faith’s spirits lifted a little more.If Marcus had evidence linking Daniel to the crime, then this could be the first case in years where Faith was able to catch a killer before he claimed another victim.Faith didn’t believe in omens, but considering the more vicious murderer prowling the streets of her hometown, she’d happily take that as a positive sign.

Maybe the shadow Jethro Trammell had cast over the world was finally lifting.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Daniel was slumped over the table in the interrogation room when the three investigators walked in.His head lifted, and he stuck his lower lip out in a disgusting approximation of a pout.“What the hell’s taking so long?You guys left me in here for hours.”

“It took a while to search your apartment,” Marcus explained, taking a seat across from Daniel.“You had a lot of hidden compartments there.”

Daniel paled.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Ooh,” Faith said.“Playing stupid won’t work anymore.See, we have a lot of pictures now.Also fingerprints and an astonishingly large amount of astonishingly illegal drugs.”

Daniel swallowed.“I want a lawyer.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Marcus said, laying out the pictures his officers had taken.“These ones here are the scars and bruises we found on Caesar.”

Turk growled low in his throat at that.Daniel flinched and said, “You have to show dogs who’s Boss.They'd tear you apart in a second if you didn't.You have to be the alpha."

“I think we already proved that your methods don’t work,” Faith reminded him.

"Of greater concern to me," Marcus added, "are the copious amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine.We're working with the DEA to tally the total amount, but we're fairly confident that we're going to be looking at seven figures' worth.Yours, or your clients?We know that you've been training security dogs for a lot of warehouses along the shore.Do you distribute for them, too?"

“Lawyer,” Daniel said hoarsely.He was white as a sheet now and trembling a little.

“Sure, sure, we’ll get there.I haven’t shown you my favorite part yet.”