“Wow, you got nine?”
“Yep, once they knew they were stuck they were happy to pull the others in with them. As for what’s next, they’ll probably end up in Teen Court.”
Jo nodded with satisfaction. “That’s justice, I guess.”
“Best we’re going to get,” Kate said, then pointing to the flower arrangement sitting on the table asked, “You ever going to tell me who sent these?”
Jo brightened. “You’ll never guess. Doc Tucker sent these to both of us. Here’s the note.” She handed the small white tag to Kate. “It says ‘Congratulations on a Medal well deserved. With affection, Doc Tucker’.”
“What a nice surprise,” Kate said, leaning in to smell the one of the delicate pink roses. “That man is so sweet.”
“I’m thinking of making some brownies then stopping by after therapy today to thank him.”
“Nice idea. He’ll appreciate that. So what else was earth shattering on the news?”
“Oh, my gosh, I almost forgot. They’re predicting a hurricane.”
Kate sat up with a jolt. “What?”
Jo nodded. “Yeah, a hurricane. Looks to be about three days out. They’re not positive about the path, but most of the models have it getting very close if not crossing over central Florida.”
“Well, Lord knows we desperately need the rain and something to break this heat wave. But a hurricane is a little more than I was hoping for.”
“I don’t think we’re going to have much choice. I’m going to do a double check on supplies later tonight and then run out tomorrow and pick up anything I’m missing. You need anything for your place?”
Kate stood looking distracted. “I’m not sure, I’ll have to go home and check. Now that your shoulder is doing so much better and we have that maniac Wilson in jail, I can probably move back home.”
“Want me to pack for you?”
“Ha ha,” Kate said. “Well, I’ve got to get back. When is your therapy session today?”
“Not until later this afternoon. Afterward, I’ll stop by and see Doc Tucker, then I want to run by Paradise Pets and see if I can bump into Sylvia. I’m still hung up on this bird smuggling.”
“What are you looking for?” Kate paused in the doorway. “What do you think Sylvia can tell you?”
“I don’t know,” Jo said standing and closing her laptop. “But I keep coming back to the facts. Rodriguez was involved in bird smuggling. You have that documented. Then, according to Brett Wilson, Rodriguez set him up. So Wilson gets out of jail and the first thing he does is kill Rodriguez for revenge. That’s documented. Brett tells me he’s decided to take over the smuggling operation himself, but he’s tired of taking orders from someone called the Birdman. And although the Birdman told him that he’d take care of me, Brett doesn’t want to wait and so,” Jo lifted her arm that still wore the cast, “I get kidnapped and shot.”
“Don’t forget tossed off a bridge,” Kate added.
“Yeah, well, luckily it was a very low bridge and you found me in time. So I thought I’d swing by the Pet Store and see if Sylvia has any ideas about who might be smuggling. I mean that would be direct competition for her, so maybe she has a theory or suspicion I could check out.”
“Well, just stay out of trouble.”
“No problem, Boss,” Jo said giving Kate a mock salute.
* * *
Jo pulled into the county office parking lot and out of habit looked for black vans. When she didn’t see any she smiled and climbed out of her car. She found Doc Tucker in his office poring over reports.
“Well, hello, Caz, this is a lovely surprise. What brings you to my neck of the woods?”
Jo walked over and offered the plate of freshly baked brownies. “These are from Kate and me. We wanted to say thank you for the flowers. They’re absolutely gorgeous.”
Doc took the plate and inhaled the rich chocolate aroma. “Well, you girls deserve them and it’s about time someone noticed. And now I’ll say thank you for these,” he sighed. “Brownies are a weakness of mine and you even topped them with pecans.” He peeled back the plastic wrap and looked at Jo expectantly. “Will you join me?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.
“Nope, they’re all for you.”
“These are homemade,” he said, savoring a bite.
“Just baked them this afternoon. We know how much you like chocolate.”
He chuckled around the mouthful of brownie. “Just don’t tell my wife. Can you stay and visit for a while? I’m actually not too busy right now.”
“No, unfortunately not today. I’m trying to track down information on bird smuggling. Brett Wilson, the guy who shot me, said he was taking over part of an ongoing operation.”
Doc’s expression turned serious. “Well, that was foolish of him.”
“I don’t think he would have said anything, except he didn’t expect me to live so why not boast a little before you do the deed.”
“And thank goodness you did live. How is your shoulder doing? I know the break in your arm will heal all right but I was more concerned about the shoulder when I heard.”
“It’s getting there,” she said, raising her arm to show how far she’d progressed. “A few more weeks of this pain and torture they call therapy and I’ll be almost as good as new.”
“Well, you do those exercises every day like a good girl. We want you back in tiptop shape.”
“You got it. Thanks again for the flowers. Gotta go.” The door opened and Worm walked in. Jo gave him a fleeting smile then looked back at Doc Tucker. “Thanks again, Doc…see you, Willard,” and with a wave she fled the office.
“Why was she here?” Willard asked eyeing the plate of brownies.
“She and Kate sent me a treat,” he picked up the plate and offered. “Would you like one? They’re delicious.”
Willard carefully took a brownie and sampled. “This is quite good,” he said thoughtfully. “But they’d be better if she used some coffee in the mix to enhance the chocolate flavor.”
Doc just shook his head. “You are a trip, Will, an absolute trip.”
Willard licked the chocolate off his fingers and stared at the door. “She seemed in quite a hurry to leave.”
Doc set the plate back down on the far corner of his desk and turned back to his reports. “You know our Caz, she’s off to try and learn more about the man who shot her.”
“I thought he was already in jail.”
“Oh, he is,” Doc replied absently. “But you know Caz, she’s like a dog with a bone. She’s going to worry this bird smuggling stuff to death until she gets some answers.”
“That’s not a good idea,” Willard said flatly. “She could get hurt again.”
“I know,” Doc replied. “But what can a body do. Now speaking of bodies, did you pick up the information we needed from the Shady Oaks Nursing Home?”
Willard pulled the information from a folder he carried. “I just got back.”
* * *
Jo entered the Pet Palace and was surprised to see Julie at the counter. The girl looked miserable, with swollen watery eyes and flushed cheeks.
“Hey, Julie, what’s happening? I didn’t think you’d be working again this afternoon. Didn’t you work yesterday?”
Julie wiped her eyes with a tissue then blew her nose. “Sylvia called and said she had an emergency. She asked if I could come in for an hour or two and I really didn’t want to tell her no.”
“Ah, no offense,” Jo said stepping closer, “but you should be home in bed. Have you seen a doctor yet?”
Julie sat back down on the stool behind the counter. “Not yet. My mom said if I wasn’t better in a few days she’d take me.”
“Honey, does your mom know how sick you are?”
Julie coughed. “She’s been really busy with this charity event she’s working on. And now with the talk of a possible hurricane she’s gone completely nuts.”
“Does anyone else work here besides you and Sylvia?”
“No, it’s just us. That’s why I didn’t want to let her down when she called.”
“I think you should call your mom to come and pick you up,” Jo said. “I’ll stay here until Sylvia gets back.”
Julie’s eyes started to water again. “Jo, it’s so nice of you to offer but I couldn’t do that. If someone came in you wouldn’t be able to help them.”
“Julie, in your condition, if someone came in I’m not sure you’d be able to help them.” Jo thought for a moment. “Okay, how about a compromise. I’ll stay with you until Sylvia gets back then I’ll drive you home.”
“Are you sure you want to let me in your car? I mean I think I have the flu.”
“I just don’t think you should be behind the wheel in your condition.”
“If you really wouldn’t mind, I’d be very grateful for the ride. Then I wouldn’t have to try and find a friend to come and pick me up.”
“It’s settled.” Jo looked around for a place to sit.
“There are some chairs in the back,” Julie said not bothering to stand. “If you go through the back door, Sylvia’s office is on the left. There are some extra chairs in there that you could bring up.”
“You sit tight,” Jo said. “I’ll get a chair and be right back. Do you want some water or anything?”
“No, I’m fine as long as I have the tissues.”
Jo found the office and resisted the urge to look around, but once in the hallway, she couldn’t resist pushing open the storeroom door and glancing inside. Not seeing anything of interest, she closed the door, and carrying a chair, went back up to the front.
“You know,” she said when she was settled on the opposite side of the counter from Julie, “this isn’t flu season. Are a lot of the kids at school sick?”
Julie started to shake her head then thought better of it. “No, I’m the only one who’s caught this crud.” She laid her head on the counter. “I don’t want my mom to think it’s from working too many hours and make me quit. I really like it here. I’ve just picked up a bug from somewhere.”
“Or maybe from something?” Jo said thoughtfully. “You haven’t come in contact with any sick animals have you?”
Julie looked up. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ve been doing a lot of research and it seems that humans can catch certain diseases from birds.” She looked down the aviary aisle. “But all these birds look really healthy.”
“A human can get sick from being around sick birds?”
“Yeah, it’s got this weird name, ah, chlamydiosis or something like that.”
“Is it fatal?”
“No, I think in humans it produces flu-like symptoms, which is why I thought of it. So have you come in contact with any sick birds?”
Julie thought of the two parrots in the forbidden room and hesitated. “No, I don’t think so. Would a doctor know how to cure it?”
“I guess,” Jo said watching Julie’s face. “If the doctor knew that you had it, I’m sure they would be able to prescribe the right antibiotic.”
“Then that’s okay,” Julie muttered.
“What did you say?” Jo pressed.
“I’m sure I’ll be okay in a day or two.” Julie made herself sit up straighter and forced a smile. “Did you hear about the fiasco at school,” she asked, desperate to change the subject. “Some of my classmates got arrested.”
“Yeah, Kate was telling me about that.”
“Kate? Do you mean Detective Snow? Do you know her?”
“Mm hmm, she’s a good friend.”
“Wow, it’s a small world.”
They both jumped as a door in the rear of the shop slammed closed. “I think Sylvia is back,” Julie said.
Sylvia bustled up to the front of the store and stopped dead when she saw Jo sitting there. “Jo, what are you doing here?”
“Well, I came in to chat with you but I think your assistant here is in desperate need of her bed, so I decided to stay and keep her company until you got back.”
“I hope that was okay,” Julie said tentatively. “Jo has offered to drive me home.”
Sylvia looked from one to the other then at the chair Jo was sitting on. “Sure, that’s okay. Julie you should have told me you were sick.”
Don’t you have eyes? Jo wondered.
“And ah, Jo, what did you need to speak with me about?”
“Nothing that can’t wait for another time. Right now let me get Julie home.” She took the girl’s arm as Julie walked unsteadily around the counter.
“I don’t think I’ll be in tomorrow,” Julie said. “I’m really sorry to be backing out on you so soon.”
“Getting sick isn’t backing out, isn’t that right, Sylvia,” Jo said pleasantly. “She’s not going to be mad at you for something you couldn’t help. It’s not like you’re ditching work to go to a football game or something.”
“Ah, that’s right,” Sylvia said quickly. “You give me a call when you’re feeling better and we’ll get you back on the schedule.”
“Will you be able to manage without me?” Julie asked. “I mean, I know I haven’t been here long, but please don’t give my job to someone else.”
“Of course she won’t,” Jo said firmly. “Okay, Sylvia, we’re out of here. Julie is taking her germs home and going to bed.”
Jo steered the girl out the door and helped her settle into her car. But as she walked around the car to get in on the driver’s side, a black van pulled out from the alley behind the row of stores. Jo stared and tried to memorize the numbers on the license plate as the van moved slowly through the parking lot. “BRM969” she repeated over and over to herself until she got into the car. Grabbing her bag, she dug for a piece of paper and a pencil. Settling for the back of a grocery receipt she wrote down the number.
“Is everything okay?” Julie asked.
“Do you know who drives that van?” Jo asked, gesturing to the van just pulling out of the parking lot.
“That big black one?” Julie looked over at it. “It looks like the one that belongs to Sylvia’s supplier. I’ve never met him, but Sylvia was having a meeting with him once and I had to go out back to take the trash out. I’m pretty sure that was the car he parked back there.”
“Very interesting,” Jo said slowly, “very interesting.” Then giving herself a mental shake she started the car. “Let’s get you home. And I want you to promise me you’ll get to the doctor tomorrow. No more waiting a few days to see if you’re better.”
“I promise,” Julie said. Hoping she could remember the name of the disease Jo had mentioned so she could look it up herself when she got home.
* * *
As soon as Jo had deposited Julie at home, she grabbed her phone and called Kate. “I need you to run a license plate for me. I just saw that van again but this time I got a plate number.”
“I can do that but it will have to wait for a little while. We’ve got a problem here. Brett Wilson was just murdered.”
“What? But he’s in jail.”
“Tell me about it. Everyone over there is going crazy right now trying to figure out what happened.”
“Well, what did happen?” Jo asked slowly. “Do I want to know this?”
“I’ll fill you in when I get home. And I’ll get to your license plate as soon as I have a chance.”
“Later,” Jo said quietly as Kate disconnected.
Once home, Jo greeted the dogs and began to pace. Who could have gotten to Brett Wilson? Another inmate? A fight over something? Things like that happened in prison, but not in the local jail. Who would have had access to him? She took the dogs out back to toss the balls for them. Was the Birdman afraid of what Brett might say? And if that was the case, was the Birdman going to try and come after her next?
Jo went back in the house and, taking her gun from the nightstand, stood looking around the room. Where could she put the thing? She couldn’t very well stick it in her jeans like they did on TV. “I’d end up shooting my foot,” s
he said to Bella who just cocked her head and stared. “I know,” Jo said as she began to pace again. “I’m making all of us crazy.” She finally decided that a high shelf on the bookshelf in the living room would provide the best place.
Back in the kitchen, Jo turned on her laptop. Trying to make herself settle down, she pulled up her emergency hurricane supply list and began to check things off. Immersed in her task she was startled to realize that more than two hours had passed when the phone rang. Going back into the living room to retrieve her phone Jo smiled when she saw Kate’s number.
“Hey, what’s the word at the jail?” she said.
“Are you worried about something?” was Kate’s reply.
“What are you talking about?” Jo stared at the phone.
“Your hair is sticking out all over like it does when you’re worried and you keep running your fingers through it.”
“What?”
Kate chuckled. “The nanny cam on the piano.” se teased. I’ve got my laptop on and I’m watching you pace in the living room.”
“You need to get a life, Snow.” The dogs alerted to someone walking up to the door. “Wait, I’ve got company coming.” Jo did a quick peek out the window. “Oh damn, it’s Worm,” she hissed into the phone. “Gotta go.” She didn’t hear Kate’s parting words as the doorbell rang and the dogs started to bark. “Hush, you guys,” she scolded. “It’s okay.”
She pulled open the door. “Hey, Willard, what’s up?”
“I need to come in,” he said brushing past her.
Jo stepped back in surprise. “Is there something wrong? Kate told me about what happened at the jail.”
Willard stopped in the middle of the room and looked around. “I’ve never been in your house before.”
Still standing at the door, Jo watched him. “No, I guess you haven’t. Is there something you need?”
“What kind of dog is that?” he pointed to Bella who had climbed onto the sofa and was now sitting at attention.
“Her name is Bella and she’s a shepherd. The Jack Russell here in the corner is Blitz.” Midnight sauntered in from the kitchen and stopped dead when she saw a strange man standing in the middle of the room. “But I can’t imagine that you came over here to ask about my pets,” she said. “So what do you need?”