Chapter 9

At breakfast in the morning, Nick and Audra dropped a surprise on everyone. "Nick and I are going to take Daisy in to meet the orphans this morning," Audra said with a big smile.

Everyone else smiled, too. "That should be the highlight of their day," Jarrod said. "And Daisy's, too. Have you told her yet, Nick?"

"I told her when I came down this morning," Nick said. "I'm not sure she understood."

"She understands more than we think," Jarrod said. "I don't know how she does it, but I'll bet she knows something special is going to happen today, even if she doesn't know exactly what it is."

Nick gave a look over his shoulder. At her duty spot in the foyer, Daisy looked up. Nick gave her a smile and went back to eating. "I hope she's good with kids, Jarrod."

"Seems to be," Jarrod said.

"Will I need that crate you brought her in?"

Jarrod shook his head. "Put her in the back of a wagon and she'll be fine. I only had her in the crate because the trip was so long. What time are you coming in?"

"About nine," Audra said.

Jarrod suddenly looked like he was thinking very hard. "Tell you what," he said. "Come by my office first."

"Why?" Nick asked.

Jarrod said, "I'd like her to have a look at the place. I might need her skills someday. You know how many unfriendlies tend to come around."

Nobody believed that. They all knew Phil Archer was to be deposed today. "You're gonna use her to sniff out Archer, aren't you?" Nick asked.

"No, she's already sniffed him out a couple times," Jarrod said. He left unsaid that he hoped seeing Daisy would intimidate Archer into being more truthful. "I just want her to have a look at the place, and since you're going to have her in town, why not have her come by today?"

Springer knew what Jarrod was up to, but he didn't say anything. He'd be doing the same thing, if he were taking the deposition. He just smiled.

XXXXXXX

Phil Archer came into Jarrod's office with his attorney, Steven Chandler, only a minute or two before nine and just after Sam Davison arrived. Everyone shook hands, but Jarrod noticed Archer's were clammy, and the man looked more uneasy than he normally did. "Phil, Steve, can I offer you some coffee?"

"No, thank you, Jarrod," Charndler said, and Archer shook his head as well.

"The court reporter is getting set up," Jarrod said, nodding toward his inner office, "and I hope you don't mind if we start a minute or two late, but I'm expecting my brother and sister. They're doing me a little favor. It won't take long, only a minute or two."

Davison said, "Steve, why don't you and Phil go on in and get comfortable at the table in Jarrod's office?"

"Fine," Chandler said, and he escorted Archer into the inner office.

Davison said to Jarrod, "You didn't mention your brother and sister were coming in."

"I didn't know they'd be in town until this morning," Jarrod said.

Davison gave him an odd look, "What do you have up your sleeve?"

"Nothing important," Jarrod lied. "We have a new guard dog at the house. She's a sweetheart, and Audra wanted Nick to bring her in to visit at the orphanage. I wanted her to get a look at my office, in case I decide to use her here at some point."

"A guard dog who's a sweetheart?" Davison asked. "I don't think I believe that."

"She is a sweetheart – to most people," Jarrod said. "She's a fine judge of character, though."

"You want her to have a look at Phil."

"She already has."

Nick and Audra came in then, cutting short the conversation. Nick had Daisy on a leash. She saw Jarrod and gave a tail wag.

"Hello, Daisy," Jarrod said, and then he pointed to the rest of the room. "Look, Daisy."

It was a command neither Nick nor Audra had heard before, but Daisy knew what it meant. Nick let go of the leash. Daisy began to sniff around, alarming Jarrod's secretary a bit before she looked up at Angie and wagged her tail. But then Daisy paused by the door to the inner office – and she gave a low growl.

Jarrod opened the door for her. "Look, Daisy," he said.

Daisy went in, Jarrod right behind her, Davison right behind him. Audra stayed in the outer office, but Nick parked himself in the doorway, watching.

Daisy stopped just inside the door and stared at Phil Archer, who was sitting at the table. Then she gave a low growl. Even the court reporter and Chandler stiffened at that sound.

"Jarrod, what the hell is this?" Archer said.

"Stay, Daisy," Jarrod said, and Daisy quit growling. "Phil, please mind your language. There are ladies here. Daisy is just checking out my office. Daisy, look."

Daisy began sniffing around the office.

"Is that dog vicious?" Chandler asked.

"No, she's well trained," Jarrod said. "What she's doing now is getting familiar with my office in case I want to use her here, and then she's going to go play at the orphanage."

Daisy finished looking around and came back to Nick's side, where she sat down and looked at Archer again. And growled again. As Nick took hold of her leash, he said, "Daisy, stay," and Daisy quieted down.

"Thank you, Nick," Jarrod said. "You can go on. Thank you, Audra!" he called to his sister in the outer office. And then he smiled at Daisy. "Thank you, Daisy," he said.

Nick, Audra and Daisy left then, and Jarrod closed the door to the outer office. "What was that about?" Archer asked again.

"Just what I said it was," Jarrod said. "Daisy's finished now. She knows what my office is like – more important, she knows what it smells like. She has a very good nose for scents, especially abnormal ones."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Chandler put his hand on his client's arm, to calm Archer down. "Phil, we know you're nervous, but it was just a dog. Get yourself together and let's knock this deposition out."

Davison sat down at the table, while Jarrod fetched a file from his desk. He then sat down at the table, too, saying, "Indeed, lets. We can be through with this in an hour or so, I think. Are you ready for the oath?"

Archer cast a wary glare Jarrod's way, and he did not look anywhere else as the court reporter recited the oath. "Do you swear and affirm under penalty of perjury that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Archer still stared at Jarrod, but his glare softened just a hair. "I do," he said.

Jarrod opened his file with a slight smile. "Then let's get started."