Part 7 (1/2)
Chapter Four.
Frowning first at the body on one table and then the photographs in his hand, Jon Bowers glanced up at his partner. ”What do you think?”
Kim probed the jagged gash on the corpse's throat. ”He definitely died from the wound in his throat.”
Lifting a magnifying gla.s.s, Jon held it over a photograph. ”Judging from all the footprints, it was a f.e.c.kin' big dog. These prints have close to a five-inch width and five-and-a-half-inch length. Heavy too. I can see marks from the cracks and lines on the pads.”
Kim glanced over his shoulder. ”Any way to find out what kind of dog it was?”
Jon shrugged. ”Maybe. I have a friend who trains all kinds of dogs for movies. He might be able to tell me.”
Kim started to gather his notes. ”The lab should be able to give us more information once they a.n.a.lyze those hairs we found stuck to the guy's hands. What's the priority on the case, anyway?”
”Unless we get another dead guy with his throat ripped out, not as high as it should be. The double homicide from two nights ago still has main priority. State representative 's grandson is more important than a pimp. This guy has no family here except the cousin he was pimping for. Before she was taken to the hospital, she told the officers at the scene she didn't care what happened to the body.”
Gathering up the photographs, Jon shoved them into a manila envelope then looked at his wrist.w.a.tch. ”Look, it's after eleven now. Let's break for lunch. My buddy Frank is at Columbia University for some kind of show or lecture or something so I'll head over there and show him the photographs. If he doesn't know what kind of dog belongs to this paw print, there might be somebody else there who does. I'll see you when I get back.”
”I'll walk out with you,” Kim said as he wheeled the body back to refrigeration then shrugged out of his lab coat. ”I'm meeting my wife for lunch.”
They were barely out the door into the abnormally warm November suns.h.i.+ne when Kim spied Meredythe hurrying up the sidewalk. ”Oh s.h.i.+t.” Grabbing Jon's arms, he pulled him into a crowd of people.
Meredythe saw Kim try to duck out of sight. Waving her arm, she called, ”Kim. Kim, wait a minute.”
”How does she get around so fast?” he muttered. ”Watch yourself with her, Jon. She could get blood out of a stone.”
Jon's head was swinging back and forth. ”Who?”
Before Kim could answer, Meredythe was before them. Not giving her a chance to speak, he said, ”Meredythe, this is my partner, Jon Bowers. Jon, Meredythe Welsh, a very stubborn reporter.”
She stuck her tongue out at Kim as she held out her hand to Jon. ”Pleased to meet you.” Since most of her attention was fixed on Kim, she didn't see the slow smile that spread across Jon's face.
Kim did. Meredythe was a beautiful woman, and his fertile imagination sprouted the seeds of an idea. She and Jon would make the perfect couple. And it would get her off his back.
”I'm pleased to meet you, Ms. Welsh,” Jon said as he shook her hand.
”Likewise,” she answered absentmindedly. Her attention was on the shorter man. ”Kim, I have a couple of questions I want-”
Hands on his hips, her friend scowled. ”Come on, Meredythe. Give me a break. I'm meeting Terri for lunch. Can't you come back later?”
”Maybe I can help you, Ms. Welsh,” Jon interjected hopefully.
Meredythe hadn't really paid much attention to Kim's partner when he was introduced. When she turned her full attention to him, her gaze traveled from his head to his feet. Not bad. Not bad at all. Much nicer to pump a good-looking man for information than a homely one.
Jon Bowers was over six feet tall, blond-haired and blue-eyed with two of the most adorable dimples she'd ever seen, and the wire-rimmed gla.s.ses he pushed back up his nose added to his appeal. He looked scholarly s.e.xy. She really didn't have the time or inclination to get involved with any man, but that didn't mean she didn't like looking. And Jon Bowers was very nice to look at.
She smiled broadly and said, ”Call me Meredythe.”
Kim grinned at the rapt expression on his partner's face. ”Better be careful, Jon. She' ll drain every drop of blood from your body if she thinks it will get her a story. You two can duke it out. I'm going to lunch.” Then he disappeared into a waiting cab.
Jon s.h.i.+fted the manila envelope he carried under his arm and hailed another cab. ”What can I help you with?”
Meredythe paused. Kim she knew she could trust, but this guy? So what if he was good-looking? ”Maybe I should wait until Kim's not so busy.”
He smiled. ”So which forensics' reports from unsolved crimes do you want to see?”
Her eyes narrowing, Meredythe simply stared at him. Good looks and brains. She'd have to be careful with this one. ”Who says I want to see any reports?”
”You're a reporter and Kim's in forensics,” he continued. ”Why else would you need him? Solved crimes are public record. You're looking for something else.”
Meredythe pursed her lips, then smiled. ”Did anybody ever tell you you're too smart for your own good?”
His smile became a grin. ”Only my mother.”
She grinned back. ”How about joining me for lunch? We can talk.”
He smiled ruefully and shook his head. ”Wish I could, but I have to see a man about a dog.”
Her pulse quickened. ”It's about that murder in the park this morning, right? You're going to find out what kind of dog killed that guy.”
Startled, he stared at her. ”Kim's right about you, isn't he?”
With a chuckle she nodded. ”Don't you ever forget it. Mind if I tag along? I'll still buy you lunch.”
As she talked with Kim's partner, Meredythe s.h.i.+fted her body slightly and combed her fingers through her hair. The movement of her arms pulled her blazer away from her braless chest. Widening her eyes slightly, she gave her upper lip a quick lick, once again mentally congratulating herself for taking that cla.s.s on body language and then schooling herself to have the courage to follow through on what she learned. As she had intended, Jon Bowers didn't have a chance.
She smiled mentally as he dragged his eyes away from her mouth. He swallowed. ”Umm. Sure, why not,” he answered with a shrug and opened the door of the waiting cab. ”If you know about the prints, it won't hurt if you know what kind of dog it was. I' m headed out to Columbia University. I have a friend there who might be able to help me.”
She slid into the cab and waited until he joined her and gave the cabdriver the address, then asked, ”Do you have any ideas?”
He tightened his hold on the manila envelope. ”All we know for sure is that it's a large dog.”
”How large?” she asked, eyeing the envelope he held. She'd love to see what was inside.
”Judging by how deep the paw prints are, I'd say he weighed well over a hundred pounds.”
Meredythe's eyebrow rose. ”He?”
He grinned at her. ”With mammals, the male of the species is usually larger and more aggressive than the female. While it's possible that this dog could be female, it probably isn't.”
She looked out the window to hide her momentary distress. ”I guess it doesn't really matter. Either way, the man's dead.”
He admired her profile. ”What did you want to find out from Kim?”
Her glare had him raising his hands, palms forward. ”Hey, you want information from me. It's only fair that you share.”
Biting her lower lip, she stared at her companion. Could she trust him? What did she know about this guy anyway? Sure, he worked with Kim, but then she worked with Harry and he was a sc.u.mball. Oh well, what the h.e.l.l. She wouldn't tell him everything. ”You know the dead man was a pimp?” After his nod, she continued. ”Well, one of his girls, the one involved, saw the dog. She said it was big, black and had a lot of fur, like a sled dog.”