Something in his expression alarmed Madison. She had a feeling she knew what he was going to say.
“I doubted she’d ‘found’ a dog in the middle of the night. The EADL had been at it again. They’d broken into a test facility somewhere and stolen the animals used for experiments. I agreed to treat the dog but I didn’t want it in my records.”
Madison knew Rob could lose his license if the authorities charged him with aiding the illegal activities of the Everglades Animal Defense League. She vaguely remembered something she’d seen on TV the morning she’d found Erin’s body. There had been a suspicious fire at a local laboratory that conducted tests for cosmetics companies. It appeared to have been set to conceal the theft of the lab’s test animals and documents. At the time, it had crossed her mind Erin might have been involved. So much had happened that she’d forgotten about it.
“The television reports never mentioned dogs,” she told him. “They said lab animals had been taken, which made it sound like mice or rats.”
“Animal rights are a hot issue. People cut labs slack when testing is for cancer or some other medical purpose, but testing cosmetics on dogs could trigger a lot of negative publicity the company doesn’t want.”
“I see,” Madison replied. “Why did Erin have papers saying she bought Aspen for twenty-five dollars from some woman?”
Rob hesitated a moment, then said, “The way I understand it, when the league ‘liberates’ animals, they shuttle them as fast as they can and as far from the lab as possible. Erin was probably going to drive north, then hand off the dog to someone else who would in turn drive and meet another person. If questioned about the animal, they would have papers.”
“I see. Erin never mentioned anything about doing these things.”
“That’s because she knew you disapproved.”
“True. After the fire at the Attleborough Laboratory back when we were in college, I told her how reckless I thought the group was being. Someone could get killed or injured in a fire. I reminded her a man in Oregon who’d set fire to a lab that tested on animals received a five-year prison term. I told her to stop.”
“Erin was too stubborn to stop. She just didn’t tell you about it anymore.”
Madison nodded, sighed. Erin had never said she would drop out of the group. Every time Madison heard about an incident at a lab, she would wonder if Erin was involved.
Rob gave her a slight hug. She was a little uncomfortable having his arm around her so much. She knew he was only trying to comfort her, but it somehow made her feel disloyal to Erin. Her friend had been devoted to this man and he’d left her. Not that Madison blamed him exactly, but the situation made her feel guilty.
Their split had happened just days after Aiden had left Madison. She’d been in such turmoil that she’d been of little help to Erin. When Madison had finally pulled herself together, Erin seemed to have recovered, as well. She never said exactly why Rob left except they didn’t agree on life.
“Madison,” called a male voice, and she turned to see Erin’s boss walking her way. Beside the heavyset, balding Mr. Pinder were two women in black suits. She assumed they all worked in the Tropical Shades office where Erin had been a sales rep.
“We’ve got to run,” said one of the women. “You know how it is on the 95.”
She nodded; indeed she did. Take the wrong off-ramp on the trip north and you could be history. A fact that had put a dent in Miami’s tourism when several tourists had been killed after taking the wrong exit and finding themselves in no-man’s-land.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Mr. Pinder told Madison. “Erin was a wonderful person.”
“A treasure,” agreed the other woman with him.
“Thank you for coming,” Madison made herself say. She doubted if any of the three had more than a passing acquaintance with Erin. She wasn’t one to be close to employees in an office she used as a base and visited only when necessary.
Within the next half hour, the others gradually left. Twilight gathered over Biscayne Bay and no one remained except the catering crew, who was busy loading up, and Rob Matthews.
“I’ve told them to pack up some of the food for you,” she said to Rob as they stood by the artful cheese display on the buffet table. “I’m sure the gang in your office can eat it tomorrow.”
One of the cheeses was a little strong; the smell wafted up toward her. Madison suddenly remembered malaria-bearing mosquitoes are drawn the fastest by the scent of strong cheese. Humans exuded sweat—particularly from their feet—that was much like cheese and attracted mosquitoes, especially in the tropics. She never ate cheese with a strong smell.
“Thanks. It’s a shame to waste so much,” Rob replied. “What about your office?”
“There’s plenty for both of us and I’m sure the kids in the cube farm will scarf up every morsel.” She didn’t add that she dreaded going to work tomorrow. She was so angry she was afraid of what she might say. Aiden had known Erin for years. True, the two hadn’t cared for each other, but Aiden should have at least put in an appearance at the funeral.
“Maybe we should walk the dog,” suggested Rob.
“Good idea. I’ll get Aspen.” She rushed off toward the bedroom she was using. She’d put the retriever in the room to keep him from slipping out the front door with one of the guests.
“Here, boy,” she called as she entered the bedroom. Aspen jumped to his feet and headed in her direction. She noticed he was moving more quickly than he had when she’d first gotten him. Rob’s partner hadn’t given her much hope that the quality of Aspen’s vision would improve, so she assumed he was becoming accustomed to his surroundings. “How about a walk?”
The dog enthusiastically wagged his tail. He was an intelligent dog. In the short time she’d had him, Aspen had learned what “cookie” and “walk” meant. She grabbed his leash off the dresser, clasped it to his collar and walked him out to the foyer where Rob was waiting.
With a smile, he held the door open for them. Outside, it was still warm and the last remaining light from the setting sun glistened on Biscayne Bay. The beauty of nature was eternal, timeless, she thought, unlike the fleetingness of life, where people could be snatched from you in an instant.
“You know, I’m already attached to this dog,” she told Rob. “I think Aspen must have been someone’s pet. He’s well behaved and knows several commands.”
“No telling where he came from. Some labs are very careful while others take any dogs they can get.”
They paused and waited while Aspen did his business on the greenbelt. An elderly woman dressed to the nines was walking a small white poodle with a Burberry collar nearby.
“What did you tell the police about Aspen?” Rob asked in a low voice.
“Nothing. I took the bill of sale off the counter and stuffed it in my purse before the police arrived. I planned to explain when I went down to the station for the interview, but when Dr. Wallace told me someone had deliberately sprayed stuff in Aspen’s eyes, I didn’t mention him.” She reached down and patted Aspen’s sleek head. “I was afraid they would give him back to those terrible people.”
“You’re absolutely right. They would have.”
“Did you tell them Erin called you about Aspen shortly before she was killed?”
Rob shook his head. “No. I can’t imagine the break-in had anything to do with her death. Those people are fanatics about animals. They don’t go around killing each other.”
“But