by Amy Shojai
September shook her head. “I can’t believe this was all about selling babies. There are plenty of children needing homes, ready to be adopted. Why buy a child?” Combs squeezed her shoulders.
Teddy hazarded a guess. “These folks wanted a particular flavor of baby, made to order. Age, looks, sex, ethnicity. Makes your blood boil.”
She leaned her head against Combs. “What about Judge Southgate? I feel for his daughter. Sharon Southgate lost her whole family. It’s always the innocents who suffer the most.”
Combs kissed her cheek. “Judge Southgate knew Peter and Angela Day for years. I think he and Peter went to school together. We found Southgate’s fingerprints in Angela’s house, and on the ladder in the garage. Circumstantial, but I like him for Angela’s murder. You said Mr. Bleak claimed to be hired to clean up the scene, and frame you. He had no reason to deny Angela’s death, when he took credit for others.”
Teddy jumped in with more explanation. “We know more about Detweiller.” He looked to Combs for permission, and at his nod, explained. “According to the bookkeeper’s files, his Clear Choice Labs got all kinds of creative with payoffs. He took money and got favors to falsify paternity tests. He faked drug test results to terminate parental rights. That all played into the baby trade thirty years ago. But the baby sales dried up nearly twenty years ago.”
“So anything more recent connects to a much more sophisticated organization, one leveraging influence on a broader scale.” Combs took it one step farther. “Once somebody with influence—like a judge, or an alderman—steps over the line, the bad guys can use that to crack the whip and get all kinds of concessions.”
“Any word about Charlie?” Teddy adjusted his glasses. “I worry about that girl. I hope she finds a safe place to have her baby. She claimed Sissie Turpin already had someone lined up to take him or her.” He shuddered.
Combs shook his head. “We’ve got pictures circulating, but she could easily change her appearance and name. We’re not sure she used her real name anyway. Besides, we’re more focused on finding Bleak than a random runaway.”
“A lot of runaways find themselves in precarious situations, through no fault of their own.” September spoke softly, thinking of her mother. She knew Rose had done the best she could. And if Chris hadn’t saved her, she wouldn’t be here today, either. People made the best choice they could in the moment. Everyday heroes, some with two feet, and others with four, blessed the world like wingless angels in unexpected, miraculous ways.
As if he heard her, or at least felt her emotion, Shadow stirred, and pushed his muzzle against her knee. She leaned forward to smooth his brow and whispered in his ear. “You’ll always be my hero, baby-dog.” He thumped his tail, sighed, and settled his chin on her knee.
Combs smiled his agreement. “We tried. We pinged September’s phone with no luck. But we did find Lia’s truck at a rest stop on the Texas/Oklahoma border with no sign of Bleak.”
Teddy choked on his drink, and they stared at him for a moment. He waved his hand dismissively. “I’m fine, really, something just went down the wrong way.”
Combs stood up. “It’s nearly midnight. Everyone have a beverage?”
Lia returned from the kitchen, herding the two kids into the room before her, and carrying a bottle to refill glasses.
Willie carefully closed the dog gate behind them. “Kinsler’s paws are too muddy to come in, and we don’t want to mess up September’s new house. Texas snow gets dirty quick.” He and his sister each had glasses filled with sparkling cider. “Dad, will ya give her the present already? Lia says we’ve got to leave soon.”
September looked up at Combs, wrinkling her brow. They’d planned to exchange gifts later, privately. “You know I hate surprises.” She smiled, the words teasing, finally able to trust enough to enjoy what he’d planned. Maybe an extra crap gift to make her laugh?
But he looked nervous. Combs, a decorated cop, a detective, looked scared. Everyone else in the room grinned, clearly in on the surprise.
“Okay, somebody tell me what’s going on?” When she stood, Shadow bounded to his feet as well, woofing with excitement.
Lia stepped forward and nodded at Combs. “Go ahead. You got this.”
Combs took a big breath, and then turned away from September. He went to one knee, to face Shadow. “Counting on you, Shadow. Like we planned, okay?” Shadow whined, and looked up at September.
What in the world?
“Shadow, bring BEAR!” Combs voice boomed, the authoritative tone familiar to his kids. And to dogs.
“Oh, but his bear-toy got left in South Bend with Kismet...” Her words faded and mouth dropped open as Shadow galloped away. She heard him thunder up the long front staircase, paw-thump down the hall to her bedroom, pounce onto the squeaky bed, and then return with a flourish. He carried a glossy stuffed Mickie Mouse, easily twice as big as his former bear-toy. Shadow laid it at September’s feet.
She looked up at Combs, whose expression of relief made her laugh out loud. “Sweet! You got Shadow a new bear—I mean, a Mickie. Thank you.”
“Straight from the Magic Kingdom. Plus a bit extra, September. Look closer.” Teddy cackled, enjoying the show. The two kids giggled and punched each other.
“On the ribbon.” Lia pointed.
September smiled, and reached for the toy. But Shadow picked it up again, and backed away, whining. He looked from Combs to September, tail lowered, ears pressed flat, and concerned. “Baby-dog, what’s wrong? You don’t want me to take Bear?”
Combs glared at Lia. “I told you this was a bad idea.”
“Will somebody please explain what’s going on?” September sat back down. Shadow gripped the toy, clearly worried. Everyone’s smiles faded.
Clearing his throat, Combs took her hand. “I know that you and Shadow belong together. You’re a package deal. So I know for it to work, for me—for us—to have a future, he’s got to be on board. I wanted to try to make friends with Shadow, and sort of... Oh dammit, what was I thinking?”
It became clear. “You wanted Shadow’s permission.”
“We already said yes!” Willie shouted, and his sister punched and shushed him.
Her eyes filled, and she turned to the big black shepherd. And she knew, as surely as if he’d spoken.
Saw his notched ear, the mark of a bullet meant for her. Traced the white slash of fur he earned protecting her life. His steadfast presence, anchoring her to the here-and-now when horrors of the past dragged her into hell. “Oh, baby-dog, don’t you know that nobody could ever take your place? More family—Combs, and the kids—it just means more to love.”
He stared deep into her eyes, and a tentative wag grew wider, faster. She could read the ribbon message— “Please Adopt Me?” — And the emerald engagement ring it held that matched her eyes.
Shadow pranced forward, pressed the Mickie into her arms, and licked the happy tears from her eyes...that tasted like love.
The clock struck the hour on a new year.
FACT, FICTION & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THANK YOU FOR READING HIT AND RUN, and I hope you enjoyed this fifth book in the September & Shadow thriller series. Interestingly, an accidental meeting between Rose and Cornelia in the fourth book FIGHT OR FLIGHT inspired this story. Weird how that happens. Now this latest installment gives me a jumping-off point for book six, pestering me like an itch ya can’t reach. Thank you for coming along with me on the adventure. There never would have been Thrillers With Bite without you, dear reader, adopting these books. (Can you hear my purrs and woofs of delight?)
After publishing 35+ nonfiction pet books, research fuels my curiosity. While in fiction I get to make up crappiocca, as September would say, much of my inspiration comes from news stories, past and present—the weirder, the better. For me, and I hope for you, the story becomes more engaging when built not just on “what if” but “it happened.” So in each book, I like to include a Cliff’s Notes version of what’s real and what’s made up
.
As with the other books in the series, much of HIT AND RUN arises from science, especially dog and cat behavior and learning theory, the benefits of service dogs, and the horror and reality of black-market babies. By definition, thrillers include murder and mayhem, but as an animal advocate professional, I make a conscious choice to not show a pet’s death in my books. All bets are off with the human characters, though.
I rely on a vast number of veterinarians, behaviorists, consultants, trainers, and pet-centric writers and readers, and rescue organizations that share their incredible resources and support to make my stories as believable as possible. Find out more information at IAABC.org, APDT.com, DWAA.org and CatWriters.com.
FACT: Anita Page, born Anita Evelyn Pomares in 1910, was a real person and star of the silent screen era. She was referred to as a “blond, blue-eyed Latin” and her grandfather hailed from Spain. She retired from acting in 1936, but returned to acting sixty years later, and appeared in four films in the 2000s. Page died at age 98 in 2008, so she and the fictional Tana certainly could have met thirty-odd years ago. Learn more about Anita Page here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_Page
FICTION: Any aspersions cast upon judges or Chicago alderman in the story are, of course, made up. However, there have been questions raised about whether or not Chicago aldermen should be allowed to hold outside employment is a thing, which inspired parts of the story: https://news.wttw.com/2019/01/09/should-aldermen-be-banned-outside-employment-we-asked-them
FACT: Sadly, black market babies are a thing—more so in the past but also under the radar today. TLC's "Taken at Birth" shares untold stories of the "Hicks Babies," more than 200 newborn babies illegally sold or given away from the back steps of a small-town Georgia clinic run by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks during the 1950s and 1960s. The three-night special aired October 9-11, 2019. Here’s a clip on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ESyhEzX7WNo
That’s not the only example. From 1924-1950 more than 5000 children were stolen by Georgia Tann, and re-sold (adopted) with the help of a crooked local judge. Some children were adopted by celebrities including Joan Crawford and June Allyson. Other clients were Lana Turner, Pearl S. Buck and New York Gov. Herbert Lehman. Ric Flair, a future pro wrestler, was among Tann’s abductees. Read more here: https://nypost.com/2017/06/17/this-woman-stole-children-from-the-poor-to-give-to-the-rich/
Think it doesn’t happen in more contemporary times? Check out this 2017 story about children being sold:
https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/12/health/uganda-adoptions-investigation-ac360/index.html
FACT: Chicago aldermen and outside employment is a thing: https://news.wttw.com/2019/01/09/should-aldermen-be-banned-outside-employment-we-asked-them
FACT: Selective disobedience is vital in training service dogs. Whether trained as police K9 officers or for other kinds of service, the savvy dogs must learn to think for themselves. For instance, the guide dog must know to disobey his human partner’s command to “forward” into car traffic, and canine heroes figure out when to follow the most important trail, or take a bullet to save their human handler.
FICTION: Midwives do not routinely work for baby-selling organizations. They are unlikely to have drugs at the ready without a licensed physician on the premises. Also, the drug midazolam (it’s real) isn’t the best one for use during birth, and it does cause memory loss. However, the midwife in the story probably doesn’t care about the mother’s safety, and has access to whatever drugs necessary with or without a medical license. Interestingly, midazolam also can be used to help control seizures in veterinary medicine, so that proved very convenient for my plot.
FICTION: Lab owners do not sell out their test results to the highest bidder—except in fiction stories like mine, and (wow!) occasionally in real life. That part of my story was inspired by 36-year-old Brandy Murrah’s arrest for forging the results of drug tests performed by her A&J Lab, in Alabama. Investigators had to figure out how many parents may have lost jobs, custody of their children, or worse. Read about it here: https://www.theroot.com/lab-owner-arrested-for-falsifying-results-of-drug-tests-1834753568
FACT: Heat-detecting vision goggles do exist, and are different than night-vision goggles that amplify existing light. Instead, these goggles detect heat from living creatures or from hot spots in fires. A better explanation of both can be found at this link: https://www.explainthatstuff.com/hownightvisionworks.html
FACT: I grew up in Northern Indiana. Mount Pleasant Cemetery is real, and does have a historic marker as mentioned in the story. When Teddy needed a new ride, I found his “Nellie- Nova” made in the area. Pretty spiffy, huh? Here’s a link: https://coachmenrv.com/class-b-motorhomes/nova
FACT: Boiled eggs really do explode when microwaved! Hey, voice of experience here (ahem). Also, learn more here: https://www.latimes.com/food/sns-dailymeal-1860438-healthy-eating-hard-boiled-eggs-explode-violently-microwaved-20171207-story.html
FACT: People have died from hot tubs overheating. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2000-04-01-0004010278-story.html
FACT: That bridging maneuver that September used to escape is real. Learn how here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJcaRW1vkEI
FACT—sorta: Blood type inheritance can be complicated, and not only the type but also the genotype influences what the children inherit. Yes, kids can end up with a different blood type than parents. For example, the child of an AB dad and an OO mom could either be AO (blood type A) or BO (blood type B). Further, some blood types are considered universal kidney donors or kidney universal recipients—yet living donor transplants also can be complex. So for purposes of the story, I simply fudged a bit and never specified who had what blood type. Learn more about blood types, and living donors at these links:
https://genetics.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/parent-children-different-blood-type
https://transplantliving.org/living-donation/being-a-living-donor/tests/
FACT: Tick-borne pathogens can cause a variety of serious debilitating diseases in pets, and sometimes humans. Sometimes, people become infected with more than one pathogen, which can make symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment challenging. Lyme disease was first identified in 1975 when a cluster of childhood arthritis cases were reported in Lyme, Connecticut. It's caused by a spirochete, a type of bacteria named Borrelia burgdorferi, which occurs naturally in white-footed mice and deer. The organism is transmitted to people (and dogs) usually by deer ticks, and is most common in the northeastern and Pacific coast states. But it does occur in Texas where it’s carried by the black-legged tick. Typical symptoms in people include a bullseye-pattern rash, fever, headache, and fatigue, but the first sign in dogs usually is limping. If not treated early, Lyme disease infection can spread to your joints, heart, and nervous system, and cause long term problems.
A few years ago, I began to notice a pins-and-needles numbness on the lower left side of my back and abdomen. Within days, the sensation spread until my entire left leg and side, from my belly button down, felt numb. I thought “pinched nerve?” and visited my chiropractor for weeks, until he referred me to a neurologist when nothing improved. I spent nearly a week in the hospital, treated for a lesion on my spinal cord. Although I was tested for Lyme disease, we never got a definitive cause, and although most of the sensation in my left side returned, I still have numbness on the bottom of my left foot. I gave Tee the more typical signs, and a definitive diagnosis, but who knows if her treatment truly resolved the issue? Oh, and to allay concerns, dogs do NOT transmit tick-borne diseases to people (the ticks don’t jump from one host to another). If you work outside in tick country, wear protective clothing, and keep your dogs protected with veterinarian-approved preventives. And if you notice signs, get help immediately.
FACT: Cats can, indeed, do many of the same things as dogs, including sniffing out the missing or predicting seizures. Dogs have been trained to detect the smell of sweat from a patient seizing, and cat scenting ability can certainly detect thes
e differences. In most instances, cats aren’t easily trained, but instead they decide on their own with those with whom they share a strong bond.
Studies reported in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science by Kristyn Vitale Shreve, and Monique Udell shine a new light on feline scent sense. Based on genetics, cats may be even better equipped than dogs at scent discrimination. Mammal scent detection relies on recognizing specialized proteins. Shreve, a researcher in Oregon State University's Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences, says there are three families of receptor proteins in the scent detection organ of mammals: V1Rs, V2Rs and FPRs. She believes the number of V1R receptor gene variants predicts the mammal's ability to discriminate different odors. Dogs have nine, humans have two, but cats have around 30 V1Rs. You can access the study here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159116303501
Given cats’ scenting prowess, and ability to access tiny spaces and heights, it follows that Macy-cat is a good fit for search and rescue operations. Kim Freeman, a specialist in finding lost cats, partners with Henry the black and white kitty to track down wayward cats. Learn more about her at LostCatFinder.com.
FICTION: Shadow and Macy’s viewpoint chapters are pure speculation, although I would love to be able to read doggy and kitty minds. However, every attempt has been made to base all animal characters’ motivations and actions on what is known about canine and feline body language, scent discrimination, and the science behind the human-animal bond.
FACT: Real-life pets inspire some of the pet characters in HIT AND RUN. I’ve held a “Name That Dog/Name That Cat” contest for each of the novels thus far in the series. Since this thriller continues where FIGHT OR FLIGHT left off, some of those same pet names live on in future stories.