Dog Law (A Robin Starling Courtroom Mystery) by Michael Monhollon

Author:Michael Monhollon [Monhollon, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Reflection Publishing
Published: 2013-12-03T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

It would have been nice if Michael Vasquez had been at the desk, or at least a stranger, but of course it was Devon. Her face lit up as we entered, and we were almost at the desk before she recognized me and her expression curdled.

“It’s you,” she said.

“And my little dog, too.” Though it was Brooke who held up Deeks for inspection.

“Michael’s not here.”

“Maybe you could help us.”

“What do you want?”

“Could you tell us exactly what time Sunday Natalie Stevens checked in?” Natalie had been at a party for several hours that evening. If Natalie Stevens had checked into the motel during that time, then it wasn’t my Natalie. My Natalie would have an alibi.

“Maybe,” Devon said.

I waited. Her eyes went from me to Brooke to Paul.

“Who are these people?”

“My investigative team. And my dog.”

“What kind of lawyer are you anyway?”

“The kind who has friends and a dog who loves her. We’re a rare breed.”

Devon rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.

“So you’ll help us?”

“I guess.”

“Thank you.”

She punched buttons on her computer, sighed deeply. “Stevens,” she said. She clicked her mouse as she said, “Natalie…”

“Is there another one?”

She blinked at me. “What?”

“Did another Stevens check in that night?”

“Do you think that’s any of your business?”

“Was it Chloe Stevens?”

“No, it wasn’t, for your information. It was a man.”

“David Stevens?”

“No.”

“Mark?”

Her eyes cut back to her computer screen. She didn’t answer.

“Mark Stevens checked into this motel Sunday night?” I said. “What room was he in?”

“Look, you can’t just come in here and…”

“What room?” I said, stepping toward her.

She stepped back from the desk, putting distance between us. “240.”

“Natalie was in 238, wasn’t she?”

“Let me check.” She extended her arm to lay a hand on her mouse, keeping her distance as if I might come over the counter at her. “Yes,” she said. “238.”

“Where is 240 in relation to 238?”

She gestured at the pad of maps of the hotel that was on the counter. “Right next to it. See?” She tapped on the map and stepped back.

Paul said, “Is there a connecting door?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Devon said.

“Can we go see? Is anyone in there?”

“I can’t leave the desk. And I don’t know if room 240 is rented or not.”

“We’ll do better if we come back when Michael’s here,” I said.

“Oh, let me check.” Devon typed something, waited. “It’s empty. Would you like to rent it?”

“We can’t just have a key? Five minutes.”

A man and a boy came through the door and stood waiting behind us. “Look, Daddy, a doggy,” the boy said in a loud whisper.

“It sure is a doggie. He’s a pretty dog, isn’t he?”

Deeks was straining his neck to sniff at them. Devon poked a cardkey into the gadget next to her computer and slapped it on the counter. She raised her eyebrows at me and gave me a nasty smile. “Five minutes.”

“Thank you,” I said. Brooke let the boy pat the dog, and then we got out of there.

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