"He's been missing for two days," Denise says, her shoulders immediately slumping before she turns, gesturing them to follow after her.
Exchanging a quick glance with Russell, the blankness in his eyes the only real indication that Reid is not at all impressed so far, the pair have no choice but to trail behind her as she kindly holds the door to what Reid presumes is her office open for them. They're immediately greeted with what he supposes anyone would except from a cat-lover: ceramic figurines lined up on a desk, a poster that says 'Have a Purr-fect Day!' over a kitten dangling from a tree branch by one paw, and Polaroids of various cats posted on a cork board with their names written in Sharpie on the white space beneath.
On the other wall is another board, this one covered in photos of dogs and rabbits and birds, all of them also accompanied by names, and Reid wonders whether Denise is the one who takes it upon herself to name the animals that are found running loose. It wouldn't surprise him if she was, she does seem very hands-on and passionate about what she does, just based on the office itself, and he finds himself softening at that.
"Denise," he says gently, hands slipping into his pockets as he steps toward her. She turns to face him, and he has to stop himself from visibly reacting to the tears that are already trailing down her cheeks. Instead, he reaches into his back pocket for his handkerchief and hands it to her, offering a small smile when she takes it with a gracious nod then blows her nose. "Denise, is there any chance at all that Admirable Snuggles could have gotten out from where you keep him?"
"No," she insists, dabbing at her nose again before holding the handkerchief back out to Reid. After he lifts a hand to decline it, she shoves it in her own pocket, walking over to the board with the cats and pointing out the one labeled 'Admiral Snuggles' at the top left of the firs trow. "That's him right there. I'm always the last one out at the end of the night, and I know I locked the doors. No sign of a break-in when I got in the next morning, nothing."
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Exchanging a quick glance with Russell, the blankness in his eyes the only real indication that Reid is not at all impressed so far, the pair have no choice but to trail behind her as she kindly holds the door to what Reid presumes is her office open for them. They're immediately greeted with what he supposes anyone would except from a cat-lover: ceramic figurines lined up on a desk, a poster that says 'Have a Purr-fect Day!' over a kitten dangling from a tree branch by one paw, and Polaroids of various cats posted on a cork board with their names written in Sharpie on the white space beneath.
On the other wall is another board, this one covered in photos of dogs and rabbits and birds, all of them also accompanied by names, and Reid wonders whether Denise is the one who takes it upon herself to name the animals that are found running loose. It wouldn't surprise him if she was, she does seem very hands-on and passionate about what she does, just based on the office itself, and he finds himself softening at that.
"Denise," he says gently, hands slipping into his pockets as he steps toward her. She turns to face him, and he has to stop himself from visibly reacting to the tears that are already trailing down her cheeks. Instead, he reaches into his back pocket for his handkerchief and hands it to her, offering a small smile when she takes it with a gracious nod then blows her nose. "Denise, is there any chance at all that Admirable Snuggles could have gotten out from where you keep him?"
"No," she insists, dabbing at her nose again before holding the handkerchief back out to Reid. After he lifts a hand to decline it, she shoves it in her own pocket, walking over to the board with the cats and pointing out the one labeled 'Admiral Snuggles' at the top left of the firs trow. "That's him right there. I'm always the last one out at the end of the night, and I know I locked the doors. No sign of a break-in when I got in the next morning, nothing."