(A Dog is an Angel's Best Friend Part 2)
By instinct, Joei rushed out of the lab and began her search for Nana. She looked around the area, quietly calling out her name.
Joei: *Whispers* Nana? Nana? Come here, girl. Where are you? Come on now. Nana?
Eventually, Joei resorted to getting down on her hands and knees and began crawling around the area in the hopes of getting a clearer view on Nana's currant whereabouts. She searched and searched until she was spotted by…
Dan: Joei? What are you doing?
Joei: Oh, hey, Dan. Don't mind me, I just misplaced something and now I'm just trying to look for it. No biggie. (Stands up while also glancing around the area) So, uh, have you had any luck with Alex's friends and family?
Dan: Uh, yeah. Yeah, they all claimed that Alex was devoted to his job at the shelter and he had no enemies, except for one.
Joei: Only one? Who?
Dan: Well, apparently, he got into an argument with some guy named Eddie last week. They couldn't get his last name but it's still a start. Have you and Ella found anything useful yet?
Joei: Ah, no, no yet. Let's just stay, we' got ourselves a little… 'side-tracked.'
Dan: Side-tracked? By what?
Joei: Uh… (Right from behind Dan, Joei found Nana jumping up to a chair and trying to steal meat from someone else's sandwich left on the table) Uh, by something that requires my attention from over there. (Rushes over to the table) Nana. Nana!
When he looked in the same direction as her, Dan was stunned to see a little puppy in the precinct, eating at the table and Joei trying to catch it.
# Before I had a chance to reach out and grab her, Nana tried running off again with the meat still in her mouth. Luckily, I was able to catch her when she tried making a run for it on the stairs.
Joei: Aha, gotcha, you little run-away!
Dan: Joei, where did that puppy come from?
Joei: Oh… well, when mammy dog and daddy dog love each very much…
Dan: Joei.
Joei: *Sighs* Okay. Dan, this is Nana. Apparently, she somehow stowed away in my backpack and now I'm trying to find her owner while also keeping her out of trouble. Which, thus far is proving to be more of a challenge.
Nana: *Chewing her meat*
Dan: Right, and does Nana actually have an owner we can track down? (He says while petting Nana's head)
Joei: Well, I tried calling the number on her tag, but the person who answered it said she wasn't his. So either, he didn't want this little cutie, or the number was wrong.
Dan: Well, if the phone number couldn't help, then maybe there's a serial number her collar. If you want, I can try tracing it back to wherever it was purchased from. If it was purchased from a local pet-shop, then they should have a record of whoever bought it.
Joei: Really? You'd do that?
Dan: Sure.
Joei: Oh, thank you, thank you, Dan. You're doing me a huge favour. (Hugs him while still holding Nana for only a second) Hear that, Nana? Looks like we've found another way to find your family.
Nana: *Burps from fully consuming the meat*
Joei: And in the meantime, you'll be staying in lab where you can't cause anymore trouble.
# Just before I was about to bring Nana back into the lab, I removed and handed Dan her tag. Although, I had to rush back in because I overheard one of the unis saying, 'Hey, who took the turkey out of my sandwich?!'
At the same time Joei was bringing Nana back into the lab, Dan was about to trace the serial number when he suddenly found himself gazing at her. He watched, as Joei lovingly cared for the little puppy by gently placing her onto the examine table, pulling out a small towel to be used as a blanket, petting her and even scratching behind her ear until Ella came in with a fresh bowl of water.
He didn't have the courage to say it out loud, but Dan has recently developed an attraction towards Joei! He didn't think it was possible since Charlotte Richards, yet there was just something about Joei that was making Dan crazy for her.
As much as he wishes to still be with Charlotte and knowing that she could never be replaced, something in Dan's heart was telling him that perhaps it was time for him to move on with his life. Even if it meant being with someone else.
In his eyes, not only was Joei beautiful to look at, but she was also kind, smart, funny, independent and even though she clearly comes from a strange family, Joei has a way of showing how grounded she's stayed regardless of whatever dysfunctions or adversities she's had to face. Translation… she's proven to be more saner than her brothers.
This proved to be true when she helped him and Ella when they were in their dark places after Charlotte's death. When they were spiralling from their angering pain, Joei was the only one who showed them how to never lose sight of what truly mattered even in the face of grief.
With Ella, she taught her how to still have faith even when times seem more darker then bright. And as for Dan, Joei was the one who called him out when he was letting his own anger and bitterness towards Lucifer get the better of him.
In a way, it was both her and Ella who helped him snap out of his bitterness and make him realize that it was never Lucifer he was truly angry with. Therefore, they're the reason why he started getting help for himself.
Thanks to all of his self-help improvement, Dan now felt more free and in control of his emotions. Within these last couple of months, he's officially overcome his angst, and feels ready to be happy again. In fact, nowadays whenever he's around Joei, Dan feels like, like he's 'being influenced 'to be a better person and to do good things without needing to be ordered or even asked.
However, at the same time, Dan felt unworthy of Joei's affections. To him, Joei deserved to be with someone who is equally perfect as she is. Therefore, she could never be happy with someone like him. A screw-up who's made one bad choice after the next, all for his own selfish intentions and can never truly make up for them. Regardless of all his currant good deeds.
Meanwhile in the lab, Nana had finally decided to take a nap on the towel Joei laid out for her, giving her and Ella the perfect opportunity to get some work done for the case. Although, there were moments when they just wanted to watch Nana sleep.
Joei: Aw. That piece of meat she stole earlier must've been turkey if it made her this tired.
Ella: Well, with all that tryptophan in that tiny little body, it's no wonder she's all tuckered out. *Sighs* She almost reminds me of my old dog, Buttons.
Joei: I thought you said Buttons was a Corgi.
Ella: He was. And boy do I still loath the driver of that Champagne-coloured hatchback with the custom spoilers. *Inhales* Anyway… *Exhales* Any luck finding Nana's owner yet?
Joei: No, but Dan's seeing if he can trace the serial number on Nana's tag. Hopefully, that will lead us to someone. Speaking of, did you finding anything interesting on the victim?
Ella: Actually, I did. After a full frontal examination, I found bruising on the victim's chest and lower back. Almost as if he was roughly shoved up against a table or a counter. Unfortunately, other than a cajillion traces of fur and slobber, which is hazardous for a dude who was surrounded by animals everyday, I couldn't find any humanlike DNA on our vic. However, I did find traces of dog blood on Alex's wound. What about you, did you find anything?
Joei: As a matter of fact, yes. I just made a molding of the dogs teeth that bit Alex during the struggle and check this out. (Shows the molding and reveals to be a rather large fang)
Ella: Whoa, that looks sharper than one of Maze's knives.
Joei: That's because these particular teeth were filed. And that's not all, once I drew a full reconstruction of the dogs mouth, I discovered something even more interesting. Based on the distinctive bite mark on the victim's arm, I was able to confirm that the dog were looking for, has a missing tooth.
Ella: Which actually might explain the dog blood. But the question is, which dog did it come from? I mean, there wasn't any blood in any of the pens at the shelter. Weird.
Meanwhile, at her desk, Chloe was looking through the list of animals that were stolen. Based on the breeds, only a few of them were actual purebreds while the rest were mainly mixed breeds. Meaning, the abductors didn't care about the value the purebreds would've provided for the black-market. If so, then what other value did those animals have?
Before developing a logical theory, Mr Perez arrived along with the rest of his staff. Ready to be interviewed.
Perez: Hello again, detective.
Chloe: Mr Perez, thank you for coming. The interrogation room is this way. (Guides him and the rest of the staff and starts with Mr Perez)
Chloe: Mr Perez, where were you on the night Alex was killed?
Perez: I was at home with my girlfriend all night. You can just ask her.
Chloe: (Taking notes before asking) Mm-hm. I don't suppose you've heard of a man named Eddie, have you? Rumour has it; Alex mentioned having an argument with him over a week ago.
Perez: Oh, yes, I remember Eddie. Eddie Hernandez, a real shady fella if you ask him. He came into the shelter last week asking for a new 'junkyard dog.'
Chloe: And did you provide one for him?
Perez: I didn't. Alex was the one who showed him a few of our puppies that would grow-up to be his ideal 'big and mean junkyard-dog.' Except we didn't have the kind of dog he wanted. He finally left when he asked Alex to show him a Border-Collie puppy that had been recently brought in and then she peed on him. It was actually pretty funny.
Chloe: And is that what lead to the argument?
Perez: Oh, yes, yes. Yes, afterwards, Eddie started threatening the pup that peed on him and when Alex got in the middle, he told him off before putting the Border-Collie back into her pen before things could escalate further. And since we don't tolerate with that sort of threatening behaviour, Eddie Hernandez was officially placed on our 'no adopter list.'
Chloe: And do you think he's capable of orchestrating the theft and having a dog to attack Alex?
Perez: A thug like him, I wouldn't be surprised.
From outside the interrogation room, Lucifer suddenly turned up. When he couldn't see Chloe sitting at her desk, he simply assumed she was currently interviewing a suspect (Which she was). Since he had time to spare, he decided to walk into the lab to see if Joei was doing as he asked and helped Chloe with her issues.
Lucifer: Hello…
Joei: Shh. *Whispers* She's still sleeping.
Lucifer: *Also whispering* Who's still sleeping? (Walks in to see Nana still adorably sleeping on the table) Oh, come now, I thought we had deal. You help the Detective with her issues, she begins talking to me again, we finally resolve problems before I return home and then as a parting gift, I give you the pet of your choosing.
Joei: Firstly, I mainly agreed to do the first part and secondly, this isn't my pet. This is Nana and I'm just talking care of her until Dan finds her owner.
Lucifer: I see, and where is Miss Lopez?
Joei: She went out to get us some snacks from the shop down the road. She's even getting dog-biscuits for Nana
Lucifer: So what I'm hearing is… you haven't spoken to the Detective yet, have you?
Joei: I tried earlier, but it didn't exactly go the way I hoped. But I'm working on it and it was only my first try so just give me a little more time.
Lucifer: That's something I don't have, Jophiel!
Nana: *Barks from being startled awake*
Joei: Great, now you woke-up the puppy. And Ella won't be back from another ten minutes (Tries comforting Nana as she continues to bark) Easy, girl, easy.
But alas, Nana proceeded to bark rather loudly, causing Lucifer to flinch by the sight. She finally stopped when Joei began scratching her back and then Nana began to calm down and then sat gracefully on the table.
Joei: There you go, girl.
Lucifer: Well, I never took you for a dog whisperer, little sister.
Joei: Well, I've encountered millions of dogs during my time on Earth. Plus, I loved watching the Dog Whisperer.
At that exact moment, Dan came in with news regarding Nana's owner. After tracing the serial number on the tag to a local pet-shop located halfway across town, Dan was able track down the name and buyer. In addition…
Dan: You wanna hear the good news or the bad news first?
Joei: The bad news, that way the good news will cushion the blow.
Dan: Okay, well, as it turns out, a guy named Derek Weinberg bought Nana as a gift for his grandmother's 80th birthday.
Joei: Okay, how is that bad news?
Dan: She passed away a couple weeks ago. Although, according to Derek, it was of natural causes.
Nana: *Whimpers while leaning her head against the table from remembering her previous owner*
Joei: Oh, I'm so sorry, Nana. (Lightly rubs Nana with her fingertips)
Lucifer: Wait, if the dog was purchased by the grandson, they why won't he just take it?
Joei: She, Lucifer. Not it, she.
Dan: He said he wanted to take the dog, but his wife is severely allergic to dogs, so they couldn't keep her even if they wanted to. So had her placed into a shelter.
Joei: Okay, hope this will cushion the blow… What is the good news then?
Dan: Well, I did a little digging and guess which shelter Nana was placed in? (Shows Joei a sheet of paper)
Joei: (Reading the sheet) Oh, my goodness. Are you sure?
Lucifer: Sure about what?
Dan: Positive, I double-checked.
Lucifer: Double-checked, what?
Joei: Have you shown this to Chloe yet?
Dan: No, I wanted to confirm it with you, first.
Joei: Well, what are we waiting for; let's go tell her right now. Luci, keep an eye on Nana for a minute(She and Dan exit from the lab together, leaving Lucifer alone with Nana)
Lucifer: Tell the Detective, what? And keep an eye on who? You are aware I'm still here, right? *Sighs* Bloody hell.
Nana: *Squeal barks*
Lucifer: *Sighs* Unbelievable.
At the same time Dan and Joei were about to tell Chloe about Nana, she was already exiting from the interrogation room with another one of the staff members. During her interview with them, Chloe had a lot of promising alibis to look into, but also a new suspect in the case… Eddie Hernandez. Not only did Mr Perez believe in Eddie's involvement, but as did the rest of the staff members.
Furthermore, once Chloe was finally done with the interviews, her attention was soon drawn to the sight of Dan and Joei walking up to her with their new information.
Joei: Hey, Chloe, you're never gonna believe what Dan just found.
Chloe: Okay, but me first. I think we have a new suspect. A salvager named Eddie Hernandez who was last seen having a heated argument with our victim less than a week ago. Do you think you can look into him?
Dan: Sure.
Chloe: Okay, so, what was it that you two wanted to tell me?
At the exact moment, they were about to tell Chloe… Nana was already running out the door, into Joei's arms after Lucifer irresponsibly opened the door, and allowed her to slip out.
Joei: Nana. (Picks her up) What are you doing out here? (Holding her front-faced) Lucifer, didn't I tell you to stay in the lab and watch her?
Lucifer: Oh, you were serious about that?
Nana: (Pawing at Joei's arms while wagging her tail)
From simply looking at her, Chloe thought Nana looked awfully familiar to her. Curious, Chloe looked to Joei and asked…
Chloe: Joei…. Why do you have a puppy in the precinct?
Joei: Oh, well, this is what Dan and I were trying to you. Chloe, this is…
Mr Perez: Nana? Oh, my god, Nana, it is you. I thought she was taken with the others. How did you find her?
The moment she saw him, Nana suddenly started scrimming out of Joei's arms and then ran straight back into the lab while also whimpering in fear. Concerned by her strange behaviour, Joei followed her and said in calm and gently manner…
Joei: Whoa, whoa. Easy, Nana, it's okay.
# That was odd. Why was Nana so spooked?
Perez: Oh, the poor little pup, she most be so traumatized.
Chloe: Okay, can someone please tell me what the heck is going here? Joei, why do you have a puppy? And Mr Perez, how do you know this puppy?
Perez: Oh, I'm sorry, detective, but that is one of our puppies. I recognize Nana from her pink collar. Except, I don't seem to hear or see her dog-tag.
Dan: That's because I used it track down her owner. And when that didn't pan out, I traced the serial number and guess where it lead us? (Shows Chloe the sheet)
Once Dan handed her the document, Chloe was surprised to learn… Nana was placed into Mr Perez's animal shelter! And seeing as how she's presently here in the precinct, indicates that Nana is one of the missing animals!
Chloe: How is this possible?
Joei: (While holding Nana) I guess, she must've escaped during the robbery before she found her way into my backpack when I left it in the van earlier.
Perez: Now that is quite impressive, Well, thank you so much for taking care of Nana. She's luckily to have found you. Now, I'll just return her back to the shelter and get her sorted. And may I say, you've done such an excellent job taking care of her.
Joei: With all due respect, Mr Perez. I think Nana will be much safer here until we've solved this case.
Perez: Oh, I've seen this kind of thing before. Ma'am. You've grown very fond of little Nana. I get it, she's cute and wonderful and I can see that you two have clearly formed some sort of connection, and believe me, you'd be surprised how hard it is to let them go after a long period of time together.
Joei: Yes, I am aware by how attached people are with puppies. But that's not happening right now. I am only thinking about Nana's safety. Besides, your shelter just became an active crime scene, and last I checked, isn't it protocol to evacuate 'all' living beings until the matter is resolved?
Perez: Well… Yes. Yes it is.
Joei: Well, I think for Nana's sake, she should remain here until we've found out what happened to the man who took care of her and all those other animals that were pet-napped.
Perez: Alight, I understand. I admire your concern for Nana. Although, would you consider getting Nana checked out by our veterinarian, Dr. Harvey Grant? (Hands Joei a calling card) Who knows what Nana had to endure during her great escape from those murderous pet-nappers?
Joei: I will consider it, but just so you know, I went to veterinarian school, so I know a thing or two about caring for dogs. As well as every other kind of animal.
Perez: Really?
Joei: Ah-ha. (Notices Ella walking down the steps while carrying a paper-bag) And from where I'm standing, Nana is hungry and her lunch is here. So, if you'll excuse us. (Walks back into the lab with Nana still in her arms)
Moments later, everyone went their separate ways, expect for Lucifer who followed Chloe over to her desk and made another attempt of trying to talk to her. Sadly for Lucifer though…
Lucifer: Detective, sorry to intrude but I thought I'd stop by and see if you got the flowers…
Chloe: Can't talk right now, Lucifer. I have to track down a suspect.
Lucifer: Oh. Well, would like some help? If he's a suspect than perhaps I can persuade him with my mojo, as we both know how helpful it can be.
Chloe: Thank you, but no thank you. I think I'm just gonna ask Dan instead. Now if you'll excuse me.
Lucifer: Very well, but maybe perhaps, when you're done… we can meet up and talk later.
When Chloe didn't responded to his offer, he took it as a 'no.' leaving him feeling quite down. Nevertheless, Lucifer remained resilient to his current agenda. Since Joei failed after her first attempt, Lucifer decided to ask someone else to speak to Chloe on his behalf. Someone who Chloe easily confines in with when she's feeling troubled.
His first choice was Maze, so he tried calling her, but each time he dialled her number, it went straight to voicemail. The reason being was because… unknowingly to Lucifer, Maze had recently discovered his secret. While everyone at home assumed she was off hunting another bounty, Maze was actually tracking down her own mother Lilith. Which led her to a small apartment in Reno.
Thanks to Michael's 'persuasions' and Trixie for providing her the story she required, Maze now knew that her mother had secretly given up her immortality and has been living a mortal life for roughly the last 75 years and Lucifer kept it all a secret from her. As a result, Maze is currently ignoring Lucifer's phone-calls as her method of giving him the silent treatment. Except, Lucifer isn't aware of Maze's feelings of anger and betrayal.
Moreover, since he couldn't reach her, Lucifer decided to find someone else. He looked around the area to find someone who is just as close to Chloe as he, Maze and Joei are. Which proved to be rather challenging because they're the only two in her life who actually know what's really going on with her. And seeing that logic, Lucifer's attention was soon drawn back to Joei.
Meanwhile over at Eddie's scrapyard, Chloe and Dan pulled up from outside the gate. Upon their arrival, they exited from Chloe's car and began walking up to the clean mobile home.
Chloe: So what do you think? Think this Eddie guy seem promising?
Dan: Probably. Although, do you really think he committed the abduction and killed Alex all because he didn't provide him with the junkyard dog he wanted?
Chloe: Well, maybe when he couldn't find the dog he wanted, he decided to plot and sell the animals he stole from the shelter and maybe Alex witnessed what he was doing and then Eddie killed him to keep quiet.
Dan: Sounds like a possible motive. Although, did you see the way Nana reacted when Mr Perez earlier?
Chloe: Yeah, why?
Seeing Nana's response from seeing Perez, reminded Dan of when he and Lucifer solved that case involving the purebred mastiff who wouldn't go to her owner because he turned out to be the killer. What were the odds of reaching the same conclusion with Mr Perez?
Chloe: Well, it couldn't have been Perez, because he has an alibi. I called his girlfriend and she confirmed his story. It's not him.
Dan: Still, why did Nana react that way when she saw him?
Chloe: I don't know. It's not like I have 'the gift' to speak to dogs who've been traumatized.
Dan: Whoa, where did that come from?
Chloe: Nevermind, it's nothing.
Dan: Uh-huh, much like those flowers Lucifer sent you earlier?
Chloe: Oh, you saw those?
Dan: I could see them from above the staircase. You know, as I recall, when we were still together, I always had to buy you flowers after an argument. Which leads to the question, are you and Lucifer having an argument?
Chloe: Oh, Dan it's nothing. Lucifer and I are just having… a little disagreement.
Dan: A disagreement, huh?
Chloe: Yeah, what else could it be?
Dan: Well, it's just that… the last time you said you were having a 'little disagreement' with someone, you and Joei and weren't talking for weeks. Is there something similar going between you and Lucifer?
Chloe: No, It's… it's a lot more complicated than that.
Dan: Well, knowing you two, I'm sure you'll eventually work it out.
Except, Chloe wasn't entirely sure if she could. He may not have lied to her, but Lucifer still kept a massive about her life from her and then pretended to erase it all from his mind. All within the last two years of their partnership. Regardless of it being around the time she never knew or believed in the divine.
Before continuing with their conversation, Dan and Chloe were shortly interrupted by the sound of growling dogs. The pair found themselves facing two Dobermans, a Rottweiler and a Pitbull. All appearing to be less than displeased by the sight of two people stumbling onto their in territory. Thankfully, they were all chained down. However, they continued to bark and growl until their owner exited from his mobile-home, holding a rifle!
The owner of both the rifle and the dogs was indeed Eddie Hernandez himself. He was a tall Hispanic man in his thirty's, with a goatee, speaking in a Jersey accent, wearing a white vest and black tracksuit bottoms, and like his dogs, he too was outraged by the sight of two people trespassing on his property.
Eddie: Hey! What the hell are you people doing on my property!
Chloe: (She and Dan hold out their guns) LAPD, lower your weapon!
Eddie: LAPD? (Lowers his rifle) Sorry. I thought were one of those low-life punks who've been trespassing around here. Don't worry, this things not loaded. It's just scare the kids off. Which reminds me, if this is about one of those delinquents who's trying to sue me all because Gnasher bit him in the ass, then I ain't saying anything without my lawyer.
Chloe: We're not here about the assault charges filed against you and one of your dogs, Mr Hernandez. We're investigating the murder of Alex Garcia, along with the pet-abductions of over a dozen animals that were stolen for the very shelter he worked at.
Eddie: Whoa, whoa, I know nothing about that.
Dan: The murder or the abductions?
Eddie: Nether. Besides, why would I need to steal a bunch of useless mutts when I already got my best pack right here?
All four dogs: *Continuously bark & growl while staring at Chloe and Dan*
Eddie: *In Spanish* Halt! Down!
All four dogs: (Obeying Eddie's command and quietly lie-down)
Chloe: I can see they're very well tamed.
Eddie: Like I said… they're my best pack. Meet, Gnasher (One of the Doberman's), Butch (The other Doberman), Badass (The Rottweiler) and Bitsy (The pitbull).
Dan: Have you ever sent your dogs to attack someone, Eddie?
Eddie: Well, most days I don't even have to. They just see someone stepping in where they don't belong and my boys and gals won't be afraid to pounce.
Chloe: Does that include killing?
Eddie: Whoa, I'll admit, my dogs can get pretty rough around the edges, but I trained to only attack not kill.
Chloe: Not even on the man who got you on the 'no adopters list' after you threatened a smaller dog you wanted to add to your little posse here?
Badass: *Growls*
Eddie: Badass! No! Look, I didn't kill anyone, and neither did any of my dogs. Plus, if I am involved with these so-called pet abductions you're accusing me of, then where are they? Because I am not seeing any lost cats or dogs around here.
Dan: Maybe so, but at the moment, can you please make your dogs bark for us?
Eddie: You want to see my dogs bark? Why?
Dan: We need to see their teeth, because our victim was attacked by a dog with filed teeth, and since you and your dogs are our current and only suspects… We need to examine their teeth.
Eddie: And if I refuse and call my lawyer?
Dan: Then you can show him this. (Takes out and shows Eddie a warrant)
Eddie: Damn, you people got a warrant for my dogs? Now that is just cold.
