A Face to Die For (Forensic Instincts 6)

Jessie laughed. “Yeah, he’s quite a character.”

“And he knows it,” Dani added. She looked over her shoulder at the examining table. “Could you please set up the room for me so I’m ready for Gomer?” she asked, referring to the guinea pig who was her next patient. “I’ll grab the phone and be back in five.”

* * *

Two hours and six patients later, Dani was still making phone calls at her desk—some return calls and some calls checking in on her recent patients. Thankfully, it was a good day. No bad news to report and no bad news received.

At long last, she pressed end for the final time that workday and let her head sag back against the headrest of her chair, stretching her legs out in front of her.

Damn, she was tired. Her hours were insane, usually seven to seven, with surgery taking up the middle chunk of the day. And she was on call every third weekend, as well. It was pretty draining. But it was even more rewarding. And given the professional competition out there, she felt lucky. She was getting the chance to do what she loved in one of Minnesota’s best veterinary practices.

She’d been hired two years ago, right after graduating with honors from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, having earned her DVM. The staff and the partners were great, the animals they treated ran the gamut from dogs and cats to turtles and iguanas and everything in between, which was giving her a broad spectrum of experience, particularly surgical, which was her passion. Plus, she was less than an hour away from home, so she could drop in on her mom and dad—and get a home-cooked meal—whenever she wanted to.

In an uncharacteristically impulsive move, she’d recently applied to—and miraculously been interviewed by—Metropolitan Animal Clinic, a renowned veterinary hospital in Manhattan, New York. She’d been drawn to the opportunity because of the clinic’s emphasis on cutting-edge surgical procedures. But she was still on the fence about the whole thing. The next step would be a working interview, where she could be observed in action—and that would place her one step closer to making a decision she doubted she wanted to make. It was an amazing opportunity, but it would mean uprooting her whole life. And truth be told, she was becoming more and more reluctant to do that.

No, instinct told her she’d be staying right here, which was just fine with her. Life was good. Not to mention that her social life was looking up. She’d run into her college boyfriend, Gabe Hayward, at a regional veterinary conference. He’d been an animal science major, she’d been pre-vet. They’d broken up for the usual reasons college kids did—to find themselves and their paths in life. She’d heard from friends that he’d gone on to be a vet tech. At the recent conference, she’d learned that he’d expanded his interests and his education and was now a physical therapist for animals—a skyrocketing field. He was still as bright and as hot as she recalled.

That said, she’d learned a lot from him over dinner—about cold laser therapy for animals with arthritis, about water treadmill therapy, about the use of ultrasound. And after dinner, she’d also learned that the chemistry between them was still very much there. The snag was that he lived and practiced in Cleveland, so their renewed relationship thus far had been limited to the few heated nights at the convention, a quick overnight just this week, and a bunch of phone calls and texts. Definitely not what the doctor ordered.

Still, as was evidenced by their recent “quickie,” it was only a two-hour plane flight separating them. The subject of one of them flying over to see the other on their next mutual weekend off had come up in their last round of text messages. If they could make that happen, Dani’s love life—or at least her sex life—would be on the upswing.

And speaking of interesting new people in her life…

Dani picked up her iPhone again, this time migrating to her photos. She scrolled down until she found the picture Sarah had taken of Gia Russo. She’d looked at it a dozen times, and the resemblance never failed to startle her. It was like looking in the mirror and seeing a far more sophisticated version of herself, with a more stylish haircut and some expertly applied makeup. Clearly, a New York girl. But all that was topical. The shape of their faces, their features, even their dimples—they were identical.

Was that conceivable? Obviously, it was. Maybe the concept of a doppelgänger wasn’t so sci-fi-y, after all.

Chatting with Gia was a lot more fun than doing Sudoku puzzles on her iPhone to relax.

Time for another Facebook message.

Angelina’s apartment

West Eighth Street

Lina opened her front door, smiling when she saw Casey and her lovely, refined blonde companion standing there. “Hi.” She gestured for them to come inside, and her gaze shifted from Casey to her colleague. “You must be Claire.” L

ina extended her hand. “It’s great to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Claire replied, returning Lina’s handshake and immediately getting warm vibes from her, as well as from her surroundings. Oak floors. Fuzzy white love seat and butterfly chairs. Bright aqua and hot pink accents, from the throw pillows to the curtains to the wall of picture frames that held an array of family photos. Everything was bold, funky, and eye-catching—just the way Casey had described Lina. “Thank you for seeing us,” Claire added politely.

“Are you kidding?” Lina shut the door behind them. “I couldn’t wait. A real psychic…” She stopped herself. “Claircognizant,” she corrected, “in my living room? I was thrilled when Casey called and asked if you could try picking up vibes here. Brianna should be home in a minute. She ran out to buy something for Bandit’s cage—not that it isn’t already a ferret condo.”

Claire’s lips twitched. There was something instantly likeable about Angelina Brando. She was open, intelligent, and just plain real, despite the fact that her Dolce & Gabbana sundress had to have cost over a thousand dollars.

“I made herbal tea and bought shortbread cookies from a health food store. I hope that’s okay?” Lina glanced quizzically at Claire.

“For claircognizants, you mean?” Claire couldn’t resist teasing her. “Seriously, that was very kind of you. And, yes, I drink herbal tea nonstop and I could eat a whole tray of shortbread cookies on my own. So I appreciate you thinking of me.”

Lina beamed. “I set things up at the coffee table. Brianna has been sleeping on the fluff-couch, as we call it, and a lot of her personal things are out here.” A roll of her eyes as a small racket ensued from a cage sitting atop the end table. “Including Bandit. He’ll be happy to throw wood pellets at you if you’re interested.”

Claire’s brow furrowed, and she walked over to the large metal cage, where Bandit was currently snaking his way through a plastic play tube. She watched him reach the bottom and then snuggle into a plush scarf, blinking at her in curiosity.

“That scarf…” Claire murmured.

“Yes, it’s a Burberry and, yes, it’s cashmere,” Lina supplied with a sheepish look. “I turned out to be a bigger softie than I thought. Bandit was so attached to the thing that I finally gave it to him as a nesting present.”

Claire shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. What was there before, until recently?”