Page 21 of Smoky Mountain K-9
The man clamped his lips together and looked away. Carter itched to ask him if this had anything to do with Herrera and the cartel hub they stumbled over a couple of weeks ago, but couldn’t without the man’s lawyer present. He’d make sure to look into that, though.
Mara made a disgusted sound in her throat as Scott continued to be tight-lipped, then moved out of Carter’s way.
He paused as he walked past. “If you have sessions later, you might want to find someone to cover them. We need to bring in a team to search. Make sure there aren’t more drugs hidden. You’ll need to be available for that.”
She nodded, crossing her arms, glare fixed on Scott. Fire shot from her eyes. “Fine.”
Giving the man a soft push to get him going, Carter led him down the corridor, away from her.
“She was pretty mad.” Scott’s voice was soft.
Carter snorted. “You think? You’re lucky she’s a lady, or she might have clawed your eyes out.”
“She was never supposed to know. Why did you have to show up and ruin everything?”
“This is not my fault.” He pushed open the door leading to the main building and led Scott through. Maverick followed.
“Yes, it is. Everything was fine until you showed up.” Anger in his voice, Scott tried to twist away.
Carter tightened his grip. “You don’t want to run. Maverick’s not just a narcotics dog.” He made eye contact with the kid.
Scott blew a breath out of his nose, but complied.
“What in the world?” Pam glanced over as they walked past.
“Sorry for the disruption.” Carter nodded at her and kept walking. He led his prisoner out the front doors and to his car. After loading Maverick into the backseat, and Scott into the front, he called for backup. Maybe there was something to that superstition about not saying the word quiet after all. What was supposed to be a pleasant lunch break just turned into a long afternoon.
Ten
Mara’s phone chirped from the counter as she made dinner. With a quick glance, she saw her sister’s name appear on the screen. Reaching over, she slid her finger over it to answer, then touched the speakerphone icon. “Hi. I’m making supper. What’s up?”
“You want two kids? They come complete with their own attitudes.”
A laugh bubbled out of Mara’s throat. “Uh-oh. What did they do now?”
“I asked them to pick up their junk from the living room. You’d think I asked them to clean up the city dump. It took them an hour—an hour!—to put away their school stuff, two totes full of toys, and pick up the three cups and four bowls in my living room.” Shauna finished with a huff.
Mara chuckled. “I’m sorry. Tell them I won’t send them any Easter candy if they don’t stop complaining.”
Shauna scoffed. “Girl, they’re past the stage of being bribed with candy. I’ve moved on to ice cream.”
The doorbell pealed through Mara’s house, and she glanced up from the skillet on the stove.
“Was that your doorbell?”
“Yeah.” She looked toward the door, contemplating whether to just ignore it, not in the mood for visitors after the day she had. All she wanted was to make some comfort food and relax on her couch with some mindless fluff movie and forget that one of her employees had been trafficking drugs right under her nose. But when she heard a dog bark, her heart lifted as she realized who it was, and she turned back to the phone. “Hey, I need to go.”
A short pause came over the line. “Wait. You said you’re making dinner. Is it for two?” Shauna gasped. “Mara, do you have a date?”
Slowly, a smile spread over her face as an image of what awaited her on the other side of the door entered her mind. It wasn’t an intentional date, but maybe an impromptu one. She hummed into the phone. “No comment.”
“Oh, you better call me later. I need details about this guy. I didn’t even know you were ready to date.”
With a soft chuckle, Mara set her spatula down. “I promise to fill you in. At some point.”
Her sister growled. “You better.”
Mara giggled, then said goodbye. Pocketing the phone, she wandered down the short hall and answered the door. Carter stood on the other side in jeans, a t-shirt, and a fleece-lined corduroy coat. Maverick wagged his tail and barked again.