Fall Guy

loves to work. It's a religious experience for him. It's therapy. It's self-defining. It's not the icing on the cake, it's the cake itself.“
    Brody was smiling. He reached out and touched my arm.
    „I know, I know. I get carried away. It's just that most dogs never get the chance to...“
    „You don't have to explain. I know exactly how he feels.“
    „Oh,“ I said. Another thing his wife had complained about, perhaps.
    I ate some pizza. Brody did, too.
    „Sometimes I think it's just easier than real life,“ I said.
    „What is?“
    „Work.“ I leaned back against the rail.
    Brody took a deep breath and let it back out.
    Dashiell began to vocalize, a kind of singsong sound he made to let me know he was running out of patience. I shot him a look and he lay down.
    „It's hard getting the training materials,“ I said. „I know most of the groups training cadaver dogs use chemical scents—you know, the pseudo formulas. But until we understand it all, until we know exactly what the dog's keying on, I'd rather use the real thing.“
    „Any bodies buried here?“
    „Not quite that real. I've used extracted teeth, and some blood products. My dentist has been very helpful.“
    „Good,“ he said again. „How far along is he?“
    Gesturing toward Dash with his half-eaten slice of pizza, getting the dog's hopes up.
    „Maybe halfway to where I'd want him. All the scent work he's done helps. He's got the culture down cold—how to quarter, how to keep his mind on the task at hand. But he still needs more experience with...“
    „The dead?“
    I nodded. Cadaver recovery wasn't something you'd ordinarily talk about, but sometimes, in order to be useful, you ended up doing things you never imagined you'd do. If anyone would understand, I knew Brody would. He took out a cigarette, lit it, kept the match in his hand. He wasn't in any rush to get Parker's cell phone. He had no idea what was on it. But I did. I pulled it out of my pocket.
    „This may be one of the reasons why Parker was so anxious to get back in there and to do it when none of you guys were around. Also, I think I saw him, the guy who wanted to see Parker in hell.“
    „That would be me.“
    „No . .. listen.“ I handed him the phone.
    He flipped it open, then played the messages, his eyes getting darker as he listened.
    „I found this, too.“ I showed him the match-book from Hell.
    He looked down at the phone, but didn't say what he was thinking.
    „The matchbook was in a jacket pocket. I found it when I was packing up Parker's clothes. The cell phone was another story. It was hidden under the couch cushions. That's probably why the uniforms didn't find it. My guess is that Parker was sitting on his stash the whole time. Literally.“
    Brody remained silent.
    „There was cash there, too,“ I said. „It's still back at O'Fallon's apartment.“ I picked up my beer, put it down again. „They really messed up. Parker said they were very young, right out of the academy.“
    Brody had no comment. He just sat there, the smoke from his cigarette curling toward the center of the garden like a graceful wave good-bye.
    „I met the dwarf,“ I told him. „In fact, I played poker with him.“
    „How much did you lose?“
    „I came out ahead,“ I said.
    „No kidding.“
    I wondered if I should add that I'd used the money I'd found as a stake, that there was more there now than when I'd found it.
    „Parker was there,“ I said instead. „And a bunch of his deadbeat friends.“
    „Which ones?“
    „Bill, Ricky and a hairy-looking guy they called Ape.“
    „Nice company you keep.“ He put the cigarette out against the side of the steps, then remembered the can with sand in it.
    „That time when I spoke to Parker,“ I said, „he told me he went out to meet a friend the morning Tim ... of Tim's accident.“
    Brody was studying me now with those sad eyes of his.
    „Who did he say he was meeting, and did you ever talk to . ..“
    „He only gave a first name, said that was all he knew. He said the guy never showed up.“
    „I thought Parker was out all morning,“ I said. „I don't get it. If the guy never showed up ...“
    „He said he hung out, met someone else while he was waiting, got into a conversation.“
    „And does this other person have a name?“
    „Bert.“
    „Bert. Again no last name?“
    Brody shook his head. „Giving useful information to the police isn't one of his priorities.“
    „He say where he met this Bert?“ I