“Do you have the name of the man that supposedly hired you?” Black pushed.
“Errol Fuller,” he answered.
My heart sank.
I felt more than saw Odin inch closer.
“Why the tracker?” Black asked.
“They both agreed that it was necessary. I have text messages from both of them.” He pulled out his phone and held it out to the sheriff.
Black took the phone and used his thumb to swipe through something.
His eyes moved as he read, his face darkening.
“When did you get contracted to start this security detail?” Black wondered.
“I’ve been tailing her for a few months,” he said. “Ever since she got here. I follow her to the sanctuary every night. I am in my car waiting at the gate every morning when she leaves. I’m just supposed to be here in case her crazy ex-boyfriend comes calling.”
“Joke’s on you,” I drawled. “Errol is my crazy ex.”
The man frowned. “I think you’re mistaken.”
“Mistaken about what?” Odin finally cut in. “She would know if he was a crazy ex or not, seeing as it’s her life.”
This was just getting so confusing.
“What does this ‘crazy ex’ look like?” Creed wondered.
“Flip to the photos. It’s the first one in the roll,” Otto urged.
Black did just that and shook his head. “The man in this photo is Errol Fuller. Do you have a photo of who hired you?”
The man shook his head. “No. I’ve actually never even met him.” He frowned. “Now that I think about it, that sounds really bad. But it’s usual for my company to be outsourced without meeting the clients. My boss just tells me where to go and who to protect, and that’s what I do.”
“So, if you were protecting me,” I wondered. “Then where were you this morning when a dog was attacking me?”
“In the bathroom,” he admitted, looking apologetic. “I’d eaten something that didn’t agree with my stomach.”
“Convenient,” I drawled.
“The truth,” he promised. “You can look at my location. I share it with the big boss. Every single step I make is recorded for liability reasons.”
“Easy enough to check out,” Black said. “You’re coming with me. We’ll have a talk with your boss and find out who, what, when, and why.”
Otto stood up and walked with Black to his police cruiser.
Odin came to me and reached for Peanut’s lead.
Peanut reluctantly got off of me and came to heel next to his owner.
“I didn’t know you had a dog,” I murmured, eyeing the strange pairing.
When you looked at Odin, you’d think that he would have a German Shepherd or a Malinois. Not a cute little droopy-faced bloodhound.
“Went to the shelter to get a cat and came home with him,” he murmured quietly. “His old owner was a search and rescue chick. She died during those fires that ran rampant through here a couple of months ago. He looked sad and depressed, so I took him home with me. Found out really quick that he needed something to do to stimulate him or he’d be destructive. I just got him home from training.”
“Oh,” I said.
