A Nose for Mischief Page 3

  Alexis nodded but looked a little distant. “While you’re primarily going to be working with the dogs, we may pull you into other projects while you’re here. If you don’t mind.”

  “Of course.” Zoey put her hands on her hips. “If you’re on the fence about giving me something you think is too much and not giving me anything at all, lean towards overwhelming me. I don’t want to sit around and think. I’ve been doing that for months.”

  “Deal.” Alexis smiled her approval. “You’ll have to sign some paperwork and jump through some hoops when you arrive tomorrow. It’s a nontrivial pain in the backside.”

  Zoey lifted an eyebrow. “It’ll take more than that to scare me.”

  “Perfect.” Alexis reached down to give Waffle a pat. “Rest up and we’ll both see you, not scared, in the morning.”

  Chapter 4

  When Zoey’s phone alarm started playing her favorite song, she nearly leapt out of bed, letting the song finish so she could dance sleepily around her room before turning it off. Waking up with any energy was a welcome change from snoozing several times, forcing herself to put on clothes that weren’t pajamas, twisting her hair up into the same tight twist she wore every day when she had a job, and walking like a zombie to the coffee pot with the hope that a warm cup of coffee would give her a jolt of energy or inspiration. While “barely-compensated FBI employee” wasn’t exactly on her list of dream jobs a few years ago, today it felt like she had won the lottery. Alexis was even giving her a fancy title. Zoey was going to be an Animal Behavior Specialist. It likely meant she’d be holding a clipboard and watching the trained agents handle the dogs, but that was fine. She could use a vacation surrounded by cute animals and coworkers who had been thoroughly vetted by the FBI. Zoey dug through her suitcase for a professional pair of trousers and a blouse with loose sleeves. They looked nice without interfering with her work in the lab, keeping her hands free to do manual labor as needed. Surely, they would do for dog training. She slipped on her closed-toed flats and twisted her hair up, then looked in the mirror and nodded at herself. It’d been a while since she’d worn her professional getup, but it all came back more easily than she had expected.

  The two-lane road from her apartment to the facility in Riverbend was a far cry from the busy highways of Denver, but the K-9 training facility still had the standard signage she would expect of a government complex, even when jutting out of farm fields in rural Indiana. She smiled when she got close enough to the Riverbend K-9 Academy sign to make out the details of the image. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was Waffle’s profile. The lettering and image were in standard government colors, but Alexis had managed to leave her touch on it all the same.

  Zoey followed the arrow on the sign towards the facility and tried to picture what it might look like. She thought the road would turn away from what looked like an airport, but instead, it led her directly to it. However, before she could get a closer look at the hangar, she was stopped by an industrial-looking guard shack with armed guards. It didn’t exactly fit the mental picture she’d built of a facility filled with puppies. She slowed to a stop and got a closer look at the barriers and one-way tire spike strips. Her stomach did a little flip. With more confidence than she felt, Zoey showed her identification when it was requested and tried not to openly stare at the guard’s weapons, forcing her eyes back up to the serious face of the person looking back and forth between her face and her ID. After half a minute of nervous waiting, Zoey got their matter-of-fact approval and her ID back.

  The gate rose and she drove towards the parking lot, sneaking glances at the guards in her rearview mirror as she parked the old, but functional, car Alexis had procured for her in a visitor’s space. People she presumed were FBI agents walked by briskly, many with dogs in tow, and scanned their badges at a designated employee entrance. A sign directed visitors to another, less busy entrance. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, both hands still on the steering wheel. She exited the car and looked hopefully for Alexis, but the only other person walking in from the parking lot at that moment was a man in jeans, sneakers, and a navy FBI t-shirt with a black Labrador retriever at his heels. The dog had a glossy black coat almost the exact same color as the man’s neatly trimmed hair. Both the man and the dog were lean and athletic, and she almost laughed at the similarities. If she knew him, she might crack a joke about how dogs and their owners looked alike. His demeanor suggested confidence and experience, but he didn’t look more than a few years older than she was.

  Once he noticed her, the man gave the dog a command, and the dog sat, looking at its handler. The man pushed his sunglasses up on his head. His hazel eyes were warm and immediately softened his intimidating appearance. “Hey, there. You look lost. Can I help?”

  Zoey gestured to the entrance. “It’s my first day. I’m Zoey Butler, coming in to do some work for Alexis Thompson?”

  “Ah, lucky you. She’s the best.” He reached out a hand. “I’m Liam Graham. I’m an instructor here. This is my partner, Tank.”

  Zoey smiled. “Nice to meet you, Liam. And Tank.” Tank swished his tail along the ground but stayed seated.

  “You’ll want to go in through the visitors’ entrance. We’ll see you in a few hours. Welcome to Riverbend.” Liam smiled back, the intelligent twinkle in his eyes making Zoey feel instantly welcome.

  Zoey walked in the visitors’ entrance while Liam and Tank took the employee entrance. Zoey gave her information to another serious-looking person and was directed to a small area of chairs placed in neat rows of four. They were all matching, olive green chairs that must have been placed in the building by a time traveler from the 1980s. The building itself was open and airy with high wood ceilings, an odd contrast to the out-of-date furniture. After what felt like an hour, she rubbed her temples and resisted the temptation to check her phone. A “No Cell Phones” sign hung in the room, and she wasn’t about to lose this job because she couldn’t sit still for fifteen minutes without a distraction. She looked down at her watch. Okay, it had been thirty minutes. Apparently, when Liam said he’d see her in a few hours, he hadn’t been kidding. Finally, a door opened, and a woman holding a clipboard looked at her. She was short, with curly red hair and a no-nonsense disposition. “Zoey Butler?”

  Zoey stood. “That’s me.”

  The woman gave Zoey a formal smile. Unlike Liam, the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Welcome. Come with me, Zoey.”

  Zoey followed the woman into a windowless conference room with two chairs, a single table, and several pieces of what looked like measurement equipment. Time travelers had designed the lobby, but someone from a cop show had obviously designed the conference room. Before she could ask what was going on, the petite woman starting fitting her with equipment. “Good morning, Zoey. I’m going to ask you some questions and would like for you to answer them honestly. We’ll ask you to put this device on your wrist and this small band here on your head. You are being recorded by a number of cameras. If you are unwilling to answer these questions, that is fine. You are free to leave at any time. However, you will not be able to work at this facility if you are unable to complete the interview. I’ll need you to sign this consent form if you agree. Read it carefully, and then let me know.”

  Zoey swallowed hard. Okay. This was okay. She was not hiding anything. However, this was far more interrogation than she’d expected for a job she thought she already had. She looked down at the form and read it carefully. As she’d learned the hard way, one could never be too careful about what they were signing. After several paragraphs of dense legal language, she reached the bottom of the form. It was intimidating, but she could agree to the terms. At least theoretically. When she hesitated, the words we regret to inform you echoed in her head. She signed it quickly before she could change her mind. Looking around the room, she spotted only one camera, which was less than comforting, considering the woman conducting the test had been clear there were more. Well, Zoey didn’t plan to lie. She resigned herself to whatever the interview would bring. This wasn’t her first uncomfortable conversation with the FBI. She straightened her back. “Ready when you are.”

  The woman looked down at the list of questions. “Please state your name and current residence.”

  “Zoey Butler, an FBI apartment down the street from here. The number is 7B but I don’t remember the street name. I’d have to get the address off of my phone. I can tell you what it looks like.”

  The corner of the woman’s mouth raised. Zoey realized the woman had never introduced herself. “Thank you. And you used to work at Future State Energy?”

  The feeling of relief that she wasn’t going to hear “we regret to inform you” began to slowly slip away, replaced by feeling like a criminal just trying to find honest work. Her palms began to sweat. Was this some sort of elaborate ruse to get her in FBI custody? “Yes. But I didn’t—”

  “Just yes or no is fine, Miss Butler. Were you aware of the illegal activities taking place at Future State Energy?”

  Zoey pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “Not until about two seconds before the FBI showed up.”

  “Okay. Are you currently in contact with anyone who was convicted of a crime related to their work at Future State Energy?”

  Zoey’s heart pounded just thinking about the people she believed were her friends. No, she hadn’t talked to anyone, since she didn’t know who had been lying to her. Even though she desperately wanted answers she would never get. “No. I do occasionally get recruitment emails from HR, but I ignore them.”

  “Okay. I have just a few more questions.”

  After another half an hour, the woman with the clipboard finally finished and gave her a gentle smile as she removed the equipment. “Thank you for your cooperatio
n. I know that must have been difficult.”

  Zoey did her best to lift her energy above the level of a wrung-out dishrag. “It was no trouble.”

  The woman lifted an eyebrow.

  “Okay, it was a pain, but you probably already knew that from measuring eighty-three different body parameters. You really didn’t have to wire me up for me to give you a straight answer, though.”

  “I kind of suspected that from what Alexis has told me about you.” The woman gave her a knowing look. Then she glanced away and gave a little shrug. “…And because I was behind the scenes of the Future State case. But we have to do our due diligence. We don’t let just anyone in here. I’m Scarlett Moretti, by the way.”

  “Scarlett, it’s nice to meet you.” Zoey breathed a sigh of relief. “What’s next?”

  “A lot more paperwork. We’ll get through it, and then I’ll take you to Alexis.” Scarlett gave her a sympathetic smile.

  Another half an hour later and one form past a wrist cramp, Scarlett collected the paperwork and placed it in a folder. Zoey looked up at the sound of a knock and the clicking of claws against the hard floor. Alexis and Waffle stood at the door of the room, Waffle wagging his tail. Zoey shook out her wrist, trying to hide the signs of fatigue with a forced smile. “Did I pass?”

  “Yes.” Alexis crinkled her nose. “Sorry I couldn’t be here to help walk you through it. Rules are rules. But I left you in good hands. Scarlett’s the best.”

  Zoey stood up and walked over to Alexis. And the door. “It was no problem.” Waffle nudged his head in Zoey’s hand, and she gave him a quick pat.

  Alexis looked over at Scarlett. “Thanks, Scar. You’re a hero.”

  “Yep. I totally am.” Scarlett shot her a cheeky grin. “Now, to pay me back, you’ll have to let me know how everything goes.” She looked over at Zoey. “It’s not every day we bring a witness into the fold. It almost always gets interesting when we do.”

  Before Zoey could ask what Scarlett meant, Alexis and Waffle started leading her down a wide hallway. Zoey lagged behind, looking at the pictures on the wall as they walked. Old black and white photos of the facility showed small, regional aircraft parked on the pavement outside. “Okay, so this place doesn’t just look like an old aircraft hangar…” She pointed at the framed photos.

  Alexis turned around for a brief moment, her eyes twinkling. “Isn’t it great? Huge amounts of space, and the city practically gave it away in exchange for us bringing the buildings back up to date. I mean, the roof leaks a little when we get a bad rain…”

  “Well, when it’s dry, it’s very charming.”

  Alexis gestured to the ceiling. “It’s the wood beams. We kept them wherever we could.” She pointed at a closed door with a knowing look. “And I have a stash of buckets in the closet until we can finally get someone to figure out how to stop water from getting in.” They reached the end of the hallway and Alexis scanned her badge. It beeped and the door lock flashed a green light. “Ready for your first day?”

  Zoey snorted. “I hope so. After this morning, I might even be grateful the FBI has determined I’m not too much of a national security threat to shovel dog poop.”

  Alexis chuckled. “Good. In this business, there is a fair amount of that.” Alexis pushed open the heavy metal door and Zoey followed into whatever lay ahead.

  * * *

  The fresh air of the yard and sight of enthusiastic dogs and their trainers was the perfect antidote to Zoey’s morning of uncomfortable questions in a small, windowless room. The green space was bigger than she’d realized when she parked that morning, but the misleading appearance was likely a deliberate choice. There was no visibility to surrounding roads here, not even to the parking lot. Large berms led to a high privacy fence with a line of wire running along the top of it. The area held an agility course, several smaller buildings, cars, and even a small mock industrial park area. It wasn’t unlike what Zoey imagined a Hollywood film set might look like.

  Alexis walked her through the nearest yard where a group was starting to gather. She greeted each handler and their dog by name, waiting for the dogs to sit quietly and for their handlers to give the okay before petting them. Zoey followed behind, her mood rallying with each introduction.

  After her brief tour, Alexis pulled her tote bag off her shoulder. It was a canvas tote that read “Bark if you love dogs” in a playful script. “I almost forgot. I brought some books you’ll want to read as you have time. Our work is a little different than what you’re used to, but the scientific method still applies.”

  Zoey hefted the bag. It was surprisingly heavy. She peeked inside. It was a mixture of textbooks, training manuals, and even a memoir of a former dog handler. “I’ll work on this. It might take me a while.”

  “That’s just fine. What you’ll need to know for today is that we exclusively train using positive reinforcement. It’s the most effective method for training our canine partners. We refer to the dogs here at Riverbend as single-purpose dogs, since they exclusively work in detection. However, we train them to sniff out explosives, drugs, people, accelerants, you name it. Some dogs need to focus on one type of smell, other dogs can handle more than one. We use toys and food as rewards, but generally, the dogs find their work to be like play.”

  Zoey looked around the area and saw Alexis’s advice playing out in real time. The yard was buzzing with activity and there were plenty of wagging tails to be found. “Wow. Do all dogs love the work this much?”

  Alexis tilted her hand back and forth. “The ones you see here, yes. We try to be careful to select dogs and handlers who will love the work. Still, even dogs that are bred from working parents and have the best teachers sometimes need to be re-careered. Not all of them are going to think their job is fun and making them do a job they hate isn’t good for anyone. The good news is that most of our recruits love working.”

  “Like Waffle?” At his name, Waffle’s tail began to thump against the ground. He scooped his tennis ball off the ground, gave it a couple of quick squeaks, then nosed it into Zoey’s hand. Zoey gave it a short toss and he pounced on it, squeaking it a few extra times for good measure.

  “Precisely.” Waffle dropped the tennis ball in Alexis’s hand and instead of throwing it, she put one hand on her hip. “Okay. We could talk all day, but I think it’d be better to show you. So, we’ll start with observing. Since we just got some new folks in a couple of weeks ago, it’s going to be a little chaotic. They’re starting on basic skills, working the leash, and agility. Most of the dogs are just under a year old and they’re more easily distracted, but they’re also enthusiastic and interested in the training. Pay attention to the tone of voice the trainers are using. The dogs will look to their handlers for encouragement, as Waffle just demonstrated.”

  Half an hour later, Zoey still had her pen hovering over her notebook, unable to fully explain the organized chaos around her. Liam, the instructor she’d met in the parking lot, walked around the area with Tank close behind, issuing small corrections, while Tank gave the canine trainees a sniff or gamely tolerated their antics, nudging them away when one of the younger dogs started to get a little too excited to play with their new big friend.

  While watching Liam and Tank, Zoey startled at a pressure on her leg. She looked down and saw Waffle, his leash loose as Alexis talked with a pair of trainees close by. She leaned down to pet the big red Lab, who looked up at her to reveal two tennis balls wedged in his mouth. She laughed, and Liam walked up with Tank in tow. “Hey, it’s our newest recruit. You must have passed your polygraph. And made friends with Waffle already, I see.”

  “Waffle and I are old friends.” Zoey wiped her hands on her pants, then brushed the pants a few times to get the reddish-brown sprinkling of fur off her black trousers. “And while I don’t know for sure, I am pretty sure I passed the polygraph. They were a little cagy about saying that outright, so if it’s a trap and you’re here to snap the handcuffs on, I demand to give Tank a pet first.”

  Tank looked up at Liam, tongue hanging out one side of his mouth. While Tank was a Lab like Waffle, his coat was shiny and black, and he was a little smaller and leaner than Alexis’s partner. “I think Tank would agree to that.”