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The three of them drove into downtown Carmel. Traffic was steady but not particularly heavy this early in the afternoon.

“The clinic Dr. Patel worked at is on the other side of downtown,” Slade informed them. “She was close friends with another doctor there, Emma Rodriguez. I was just on my way to question her when you showed up and saved my life.” He glanced at Faith. “What changed your mind?”

“I didn’t feel good about leaving you guys out to dry. Especially with a crazy like this on the loose.”

“Well, we’re glad to have you. Honestly, the pace at which these killings are happening concerns me. I’m afraid we’re going to have another body show up before too long if we don’t put a stop to this.”

"Me too," Faith admitted. "Hopefully, Dr. Rodriguez can give us something we can use."

“Your mouth to God’s ears.”

They reached the Indianapolis Animal Hospital Emergency Medical Clinic—Carmel Branch six minutes later. When Turk saw the sign, he began to wag his tail and bark eagerly.

“Never seen a dog excited to see the vet before,” Slade remarked.

“My boyfriend is a vet,” Faith explained. “He’s also Turk’s doctor. They get along really well.”

“That’s good. That’ll make moving in together easier.” Faith’s reaction must have showed on her face because he quickly said, “Ouch. Sorry about that. I’m not very good at minding my own business, I’m afraid. That’s why I became a detective.”

“It’s fine,” Faith said. “And I am glad that they like each other.”

The emergency clinic was a lot busier than Faith would have expected from a city this small. Dozens of pets and their owners sat in the waiting room or stood in line to sign in for an appointment. Nurses flitted in and out, moving the patients through with brisk efficiency. It reminded Faith a lot more of an actual human hospital than David’s clinic. Although she supposed the Philadelphia Animal Hospital was just about as busy.

“Are they always this packed on a Wednesday?”

“This is the first time I’ve been here, but Carmel’s a big dog town. Lots of upper-middle-class people with their purse dogs and families with their big dogs. And this is the only branch of the animal hospital for Carmel and Westfield.”

“Got it. Here’s hoping Dr. Rodriguez has time to see us.”

“She’ll have to make time.”

“Fair enough.”

As it turned out, Dr. Rodriguez was more than happy to make time. The three agents only had to wait a few minutes before Dr. Rodriguez herself stepped into the waiting room and called them back.

Behind the counter, the clinic was just as busy. Barks, meows, snarls, hisses, squawks, and various other sounds greeted the detectives as Dr. Rodriguez led them to her office. Turk shot Faith a concerned look when they passed one door to find a terrified puppy struggling to escape a nurse who was giving it probably its first vaccination shots.

Once in the office, Dr. Rodriguez sighed and gave Turk a slight smile. "Hey, boy. Sorry, I couldn't introduce myself properly outside. I'm Dr. Emma."

She extended a hand, and Turk shook it. She stooped in front of him and gave him a quick visual inspection, no doubt a habit for a vet with man years of experience. Turk behaved well for the inspection, used to this kind of treatment his entire life. K9s were subject to a robust battery of exams at least once a year and usually more often than that, on top of the typical routine medical exams.

“Strong teeth,” she commented. “Good muscle tone. Clear eyes. Joints seem fine. He’s in good shape for a dog who’s been a K9 for… I’m guessing six years now?”

“Closer to seven. He recently turned nine.”

Emma nodded appreciatively. “He looks good. You take good care of him.”

“Thank you.” Faith smiled at Turk and ruffled his fur.

Slade interjected. “I understand that you were close with Dr. Lisa Patel?”

Emma’s smile faded. “Yes. We were good friends.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss.”

Emma nodded. “Thank you.”

“We’ll try to keep this brief,” Faith said. “I’m sure you have a full plate today, and I don’t want to pull you away from your patients.”

"Not so full a plate for me, actually. I'm mostly clearing up some paperwork, then I'm going home. It's going to be a little while before I see patients again, I'm afraid." Her eyes squeezed shut, and tears welled in them. "I just saw her yesterday. Like… I just saw her.”

Faith’s heart went out to the grieving vet. The first difficulty most people experienced when confronted with the death of a loved one was trouble wrapping their heads around the fact that someone could be smiling, laughing and talking with them one moment, and then seemingly the next moment, they were dead. Emma had probably only just been notified of Lisa’s death.

“Really wish we didn’t have to be the bearers of bad news,” Slade said.

Emma sniffled. “Not your fault.” She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. “So, I assume you need to ask me about the last time I saw her, if I saw anyone suspicious and stuff like that?”

“Sure. We’ll start with that.”

She chuckled bitterly. “Well, the last time I saw her was yesterday at the clinic. We didn’t really say much, just a quick greeting over coffee. I had a lot of patients, and she was scheduled for a surgery that ended up taking hours longer than it should have.”

“Why’s that?” Faith asked.

“There was an incident with the patient. The patient coughed during surgery, and the spasm caused Lisa’s scalpel to come into contact with a major blood vessel. I don’t know all of the details. I was actually going to talk to her about it today, but she never came.” She fought tears for another moment, then said, “I do know that the patient survived, and they expect no further complications.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Faith said.

“Yeah,” Emma replied. “Me too.”

“Did Lisa seem different at all to you?” Slade asked. “Any recent changes in mood or behavior?”

“Um…” Emma sighed. “She was a little more stressed lately.”

Faith raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Well… that incident with the patient wasn’t the first time that…” She caught herself and said, “You know, I don’t think I should say anything. I don’t want her or anyone else here to get in trouble.”

“No one here is going to get in trouble with us unless we have reason to believe they were involved in Dr. Patel’s murder,” Slade assured her. “But we need to know the answers to our questions. They’re critical in helping us find the person who did this to Lisa and bringing them to justice. That means you might have to say some things about your colleague that you’d rather not say.”

Emma took a deep breath. “I understand. I hate it, but I understand.”

“I don’t blame you for hating it,” Faith said. “You were about to tell us that the incident with the surgery last night wasn’t the first time there’s been a mistake during one of Lisa’s surgeries?”

“Last night wasn’t a mistake,” Emma insisted. “The patient coughed at the exact wrong time. There was no way to avoid what happened, and frankly, a lesser doctor would have been unable to save the patient’s life the way Emma did.”

“But the other times?” Faith pressed.

Emma sighed. “Just one other time. There was a patient a few months ago, a therapy dog. He was in surgery to have a cyst removed from his gallbladder, and he died during the operation.”

“And it was Dr. Patel’s mistake that caused that to happen?”

Emma looked at the door and bit her lip. “If… Can I say something and not have it repeated in court?”

“I can’t make that promise,” Faith replied.

“But,” Slade interjected, “I will remind you that we’re here to solve Lisa’s murder, not rake her memory over the coals for her mistakes as a surgeon.”

Emma looked down at her desk. “Officially, the death was ruled an accident. Unofficially… Lisa told me that she wasn’t paying attention and accidentally sliced open the patient’s liver. I wasn’t in the room, so I can’t tell if it was her fault for sure or if it was only the guilt talking, but as far as she was concerned, she was responsible for the patient’s death.”

“How did the owner feel?” Faith asked.

“Very much the same way.”

Faith didn’t show her excitement, but she felt it. Now we’re getting somewhere. “What’s the owner’s name?”

“Jack Thompson. He’s an Iraq war veteran who was prescribed a therapy dog to help with his PTSD. That’s what he told us, at least. We don’t have access to his medical records obviously.”

“How did he react when he learned his dog died?” Slade asked.

“Badly. Security had to escort him out of the building. The next morning, he came back and became belligerent and aggressive. When security tried to remove him again, he became violent. They were able to subdue him and hold him until the police arrived. We trespassed him from the property, but he came back again, and when he was arrested again, he shouted… I don’t remember the exact words, but he threatened to kill Lisa.”

Now they were really getting somewhere. “When’s the last time you saw him?” Faith asked.

“The last time I saw him was one month ago. That was the last time he trespassed. I assumed he had been put in jail for violating the trespass order.”

Slade shook his head. “No, they would have processed him and given him a court date. Typical sentencing in that sort of case is a token jail sentence—usually time served—and probation. It actually takes a lot to put someone away for trespassing. A restraining order, however, is a different thing. Did Lisa ever get one?”

Emma scoffed. “No. I told her to, but she didn’t listen. I think she felt guilty, maybe. I don’t know. She just didn’t want to go to court over anything.”

“What about a lawsuit?” Faith asked. “Did Mr. Thompson attempt to sue the clinic for wrongful death?”

“That’s what I heard. Doctors here are technically independent contractors, but from what I’ve overheard, Thompson couldn’t find a lawyer to take the suit. He never lodged one himself, so I assume they told him he couldn’t win.”

“I’m guessing that Lisa’s mistake wasn’t common knowledge,” Faith said.

Emma shook her head. “No. The clinic went with the official story.”

“And she’s had no contact with Mr. Thompson outside of this clinic?” Slade asked.

“Not that I’m aware of. We all thought he was gone. I can’t believe they released him. I thought that his threats would be enough to keep him in jail.”

“Sometimes I wish it was that easy,” Slade opined. “What about Dr. Rachel Summers? Ever hear of her?”

Emma frowned. “Who?”

“She’s the first victim,” Faith said. “She was murdered two nights before Lisa.”

“Ah. I see. No, I’m sorry, I don’t know her.”

“Lisa never mentioned her?”

“No. Not to me, at least.”

The two detectives shared a sober look. That could mean nothing, or it could mean everything. Faith would have to look a little deeper before she could know for sure.

“I don’t suppose you have contact information for this Jack Thompson?”

“The front desk might,” Emma said.

“We’ll ask them. Thank you.”

“Lisa wasn’t a bad doctor,” Emma said. “She was a good one. She just had a bad day.”

“Everyone does,” Slade agreed.

The three agents made their way to the reception desk. While the receptionist found the information they needed, Faith recalled the times Turk had been threatened by killers over the years. She was grateful that she’d never had to kill anyone for it, but there were times when she wouldn’t have hesitated.

She had a feeling Jack Thompson understood that feeling very well.