I Bet on Losing Dogs - Patrick Jane

520 - Red Velvet Cupcakes

It's been a couple of weeks since Lorelei's death. Kenzie'd stopped feeling guilty about Lorelei, knowing that the woman knew what would happen if she tried to kill Red John. But she was still pissed at Patrick.

She would act very professionally at work. After, she wouldn't answer his phone calls or texts. The small gifts stopped and she was sort of glad, but just more annoyed that the man couldn't apologize.

Now, she was standing in front of Patrick's loft, ready to knock on the door.

"Kenz, I can hear you skulking around out there," Patrick called out. "What is it?"

Kenzie scrunched her nose in annoyance. "We've got a case. You can deal with Red John later."

"Yeah, Missy Roberts. I already broke that wide open."

"I know. The old rafting trip thing?"

"Yep, exactly."

Kenzie held out her phone with a picture of the victim's husband. "Except for Kip Roberts texted a picture of himself to Missy right before she died. He's holding a paddle next to a river with a raft full of idiots."

"Eh. Trick photography."

"The Tahoe cops are gonna go pick him up, but in the meantime, let's go talk to the victim's sister." She sighed after she heard no movements. "Patrick, I need you."

Kenzie stepped back after the door slid open. Patrick popped out and closed the door behind him. "It's nice to be needed." Kenzie let out a soft chuckle. "Anything for you, Kenzie."

🙂

The duo arrived at Emma, Missy's sister. They sat opposite Emma on the couch.

"Very sorry for your loss, Emma," softly said Kenzie. "Were you and Missy close?"

Emma's voice broke. "Missy was like a second mother to me, but, you know, now we're just... in different places in our lives, but I just hadn't seen her in a while."

"Did she say if she was having any problems recently?"

"I knew that she was tired of... staying at home, you know, and– and, like, not feeling useful, and I think that was why she started volunteering... at the bakery."

"Where?"

"Um, the O.G. Bakery. It's this nonprofit where they... they teach ex-cons new skills, you know, like baking and..." She sharply inhaled. "She started there a few months ago."

"Was anybody giving her trouble there?"

"Not that I know of."

"Were Missy and Kip, uh... trying anything to save their marriage?"

"Um... About a month ago, they... went on this radio show with-with this Love Doctor guy, and, um... I think they were seeing him privately also."

"A love doctor, huh?" asked Patrick.

"Some... Buddy... something, I don't know. Um, Henner or..."

"Buddy Hennings?" Kenzie guessed.

After more talking, the two of them left the house and were walking to the car. They were on the phone with Cho.

"He has a talk radio show– 'Prescription for Love' with Buddy Hennings," continued Kenzie. She looked up to see Patrick smirking at her. "What? Res forces me to listen to it when I'm in the car with her."

"I'll go talk to Buddy Hennings, the Love Doctor, and you check out the shady bakery," said Patrick.

"Van Pelt and Rigsby can handle that. I'll go to the radio station with you."