The Numbers Killer Read online

  Victoria looked forward to getting home early. It was only a matter of time before something would happen and she would be called away by the FBI for a new case. She hated not knowing how much time she had—an hour, a week?—but that was part of the job. It was in her best interest to relish the downtime while she had it. She was only a few miles away from her house when her father called. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he got right to the reason for his call.

  “Fenton is always keeping watch for our names in the media.”

  Victoria coasted the Suburban to a stop sign. “I know he is.”

  “Well, you’ll never guess what he dug up.”

  “What is it?” She looked right and left before easing the car into motion.

  “He found an online newsletter for a shelter in Seville Spain. It’s called the Abigail Heslin Foundation for Animals. It’s a large facility built to house over 700 dogs at a time, with an onsite Vet.”

  “Wow. Really?” She gripped the wheel tighter. “Sounds just like something mom would do.”

  “Yes, I thought the same. Except the shelter didn’t exist until a few years ago, Victoria. Your mother didn’t do this.”

  Victoria sighed. Bracing herself for the questions that would follow—exactly how much did she spend? Did she know that the money was being used wisely, etc.

  “But she would be very, very proud of you.”

  Victoria smiled, and a warm feeling radiated through her. “Thanks, Dad. I hope she would. I’m going to visit the shelter next week. I’m taking Ned with me. We’ll fly back with some dogs and help them find homes here. Can I mark you down to take one, or two, or three? Three is a good number.”

  Her father laughed. “I admire what you’re doing, but I think you know the answer to that question.”

  # # #

  The dogs greeted Victoria in the mudroom with a flurry of huffing, puffing, and smacking their tails against the walls. She stroked their heads as they bounced around her. “That’s right. I’m home, babies.” Izzy shoved her head into Victoria’s shopping bag.

  “No. That’s not for you,” Victoria said, gently pushing the dog’s head away.

  Ned walked in from the direction of the guest wing. With him came the slight scent of a fresh, sporty aftershave or deodorant. She liked that smell. His hair was wet. His skin glistened from his shower.

  “You’re early.” He slid his phone from his pocket. “Did I miss a call?”

  “No. I didn’t call. I had mountains of paperwork to do today. I could only take so much of it, so I left early. I was hoping you could hang out for a while and talk about our trip.” Victoria lifted the bag. “I brought dinner. Hope that’s okay and you haven’t made anything yet.”

  “No. That’s great.”

  She set the bag on the counter. Ned walked forward to open it. “Wow. Is this just for us or do you have friends coming?”

  Victoria laughed. “Just us. I wasn’t sure what you wanted, and I know you’ve been training hard. Thought you might eat a lot.”

  Ned chuckled. “I’m always hungry. Izzy and I just had a long run.”

  “No one else is coming for dinner, but someone is coming to get Leo and Bella.”

  “Oh.” He crouched down and scratched Leo behind the ears. “Hear that, little guy. Hope wherever you’re going is almost as good as this place.”

  Victoria pushed the bag further toward the center of the counter where it was safe from the dogs. “I just need to change my clothes.” She walked to her bedroom and stripped down to her underwear and sports bra. She replaced her work clothes with jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt and went back out to the kitchen. In the short time she’d been gone, Ned had set out plates, silverware, and napkins. He’d transferred salmon, rice, and grilled vegetables from boxes into bowls. He smiled when she entered the kitchen and pulled a chair out for her.

  “Thanks.” The wonderful aroma of the food filled the kitchen as she sat down, feeling warm and relaxed. “So. Only a few more weeks. Have you ever been to Spain? I can’t remember if I asked.”

  Ned tipped the bottle of wine to fill Victoria’s glass. “I spent half my junior year of college studying in Barcelona.”

  “Oh! That’s wonderful. I had no idea. So you speak the language fluently?” She took a sip of wine and set her glass back on the table.

  “Well . . . I used to speak it well. But it’s been awhile.” Ned scooped up a spoonful of rice and ate it.

  “I’m sure it will come back to you once we get there. We’ll check into our hotel and freshen up. Then it’s straight to the shelter.”

  “How do we get all the supplies there?”

  “They’ll be there already. I shipped them last week.” Victoria took another sip of wine. “They’re so glad you’re coming. There are always dogs who need surgery. Many of them were hit by cars. We’ve had a few where their owners didn’t need them anymore so they broke their legs then dumped them far from home so they wouldn’t get back.” Victoria closed her eyes and shook her head.

  “Holy crap.” Ned let his spoon clatter onto his plate. “This is going to be tough.”

  “Yes, it is. And it’s going to be exhausting, but everyone will be so grateful, especially the dogs.”

  Ned smiled. “My dad used to do mission trips to Haiti every two years with some of the physicians from his hospital. That’s what this seems like to me.”

  “That’s exactly what it’s going to be like for you, except your father probably didn’t take any of his patients back to the US with him.” Victoria took a bite of her food and sighed. It was delicious.

  “After the first time he went, he couldn’t wait to go back. Even though a lot of what he saw was heartbreaking.”

  “Yes. Same,” Victoria said.

  The intercom buzzed. Someone was at the front gate. Victoria tapped the code to open it and walked to the front door.

  A woman wearing running shoes, jeans, and a sweatshirt stood on the other side of the door. “Hi. Are you Victoria?”

  “Yes.” Victoria smiled warmly. She liked the woman already.

  “I’m Sarah. I’m Ann’s sister.”

  Leo and Bella ran to Sarah and sniffed her.

  “They know you?” Victoria asked.

  “Oh, they know me all right. I take care of them whenever my sister and Robert need help.” She dropped to her knees and let the dogs lick her chin. “You’re coming home to live with me now.” She stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Being with them will help me cope with losing my sister. This is a good thing.”

  Victoria smiled. “I’m glad you feel that way. I’m sure your sister would be so grateful if she knew.”

  Sarah sniffed and nodded. “Thank you for taking care of them.” She looked around, taking in the beautiful home, and laughed. “They might not want to leave.”

  “Dogs don’t care where they live as long as someone there loves them,” Victoria said. “I’ll go get their leashes.”

  Ned introduced himself to Sarah. “We’re going to miss them.”

  Sarah petted Eddie and Myrtle, her eyes roaming over the house, the dog beds and toys. “I guess you and your wife are really dog lovers.”

  Ned smiled. “Oh. I’m just—”

  Victoria walked back in carrying leashes and a dog food bag. “Here they are. And this is the food your sister was feeding them.”

  “Thank you.” Sarah attached the leash and they watched her leave with the dogs. When she was inside her car, they closed the door and returned to the kitchen.

  “How about a walk?” Ned asked. “After we clean up here.”

  “Sure. Who should we take?”

  “Let’s try and take them all. Three for you. Four for me.”

  She laughed. “Really? This will be a first.”

  They put on their own jackets, and then put sweaters on the dogs to protect them from the chilly air. They headed across Victoria’s backyard to one of the main trails.

  “There’s something I’d like to talk
to you about. Something from, you know, the other night.” Ned said, walking with two dogs on one side and two on the other.

  “Sure. It’s normal and healthy to talk about things like that—the fear, the stress. It’s important to talk it out with someone who will understand.”

  “I was afraid, yeah, I mean, Beth Dellinger was disturbed, but I’m dealing okay with what transpired.”

  “She might be in a coma forever. The doctors aren’t sure.”

  “I know, and I have to admit I feel bad for her, she was not healthy, talking to her dead husband like he was really in the room with us.” He shuddered. “But that’s not what—it’s about something you said.”

  “Me?” Victoria swapped Eddie’s black leash with Myrtle’s pink one as the dogs crossed in front of her.

  “Well, I’m guessing you’ve handled situations like that before, hostage situations. But maybe not where the hostage is someone you know, right?”

  “True. That was a first.”

  “So—I’m going to be direct here—when you said, ‘I was so worried I might lose you,’ were you worried about losing me as in, now I have to find someone new to take care of the dogs? Or was there something else?”

  Victoria smiled, their eyes met. Her heart skipped a beat. “A good dog walker is hard to find, Especially one who . . ."

  “Especially one who?”

  “Maybe I’ll wait until we get to Spain before I fully answer that question.”

  He smiled. “Can’t wait to hear your answer.”

  They couldn’t clasp hands, not with seven dogs between them. Victoria slipped the leash loops up her forearm and reached her free hand over to squeeze Ned’s.

  The End

  Note from the Author

  If you’ve never heard of a Galgo or Podenco before reading this book, I hope I piqued your interest. They are sweet, curious, athletic, beautiful, darling creatures. They are also quite possibly the most abused breeds of dog on the planet. You can learn more about their plight by visiting sites for organizations that rescue them. These are a few:

  Scooby Medina,

  Fundación Benjamin Menhert in Seville

  Galgos de Sol

  The Royal Sighthound

  Hope for Podecos

  Love, Hope, Believe Galgo Adoption

  Sage – Save a Galgo Espanol

  Ready for Book Two?

  Pretty Little Girls

  Book 2 in the Agent Victoria Heslin Series

  Until you know who you can trust, you trust no one.

  The mysterious discovery of a young, unidentified girl in the woods, and the disappearance of a prep school girl from an affluent family lead to a world of hidden secrets more shocking and horrifying than any normal person could imagine.

  Agent Victoria Heslin investigates, but the mysteries only get deeper. Why aren’t the girl’s parents cooperating? And why are local authorities resisting her help?

  When her efforts uncover a complicated sex trafficking operation, Heslin enlists friend and fellow Agent Dante Rivera to go rogue and try to save the girls, before it’s too late.

  Coming in the fall of 2019.

  Note to Readers

  If you have the time, I would deeply appreciate a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I learn a great deal from them, and I’m always grateful for any encouragement. Reviews are a very big deal and help authors like me to sell a few more books. Every review matters, even if it’s only a few words. Click here for Amazon review.

  Jenifer Ruff

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  Books by Jenifer Ruff

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  Everett

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  The Numbers Killer

  Pretty Little Girls – Coming fall 2019

  Thrillers

  Only Wrong Once

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