by Kate James
Emma put on a bright yellow jacket to keep her warm and to alert any hunters who might’ve chosen to trespass on her property. For the latter reason, and especially since Max could easily be mistaken for a wolf at a quick glance, Max sported a bright red-and-yellow bandana.
Although there were the occasional rounds of fire, she hadn’t heard any close enough recently to suspect that hunters were trespassing on her land. Maybe the combination of her signage and the notifications to the Department of Environmental Conservation was finally working. She still wasn’t prepared to take chances with herself or her dogs.
She and Max entered the forest near the crest of the driveway through one of the trails that crisscrossed her property.
They weren’t too far into the woods when Max tensed and emitted a deep throaty growl. Emma grabbed his collar and held tight as he strained against it. Clearly Max sensed something that Emma didn’t. Max was neither aggressive nor territorial, so his reaction was abnormal and disconcerting.
On full alert, Emma scanned her surroundings for movement and listened for any unusual sounds. She heard a rustle ahead and to their left. Her eyes trained on the spot, she noticed the swaying of the brush.
Through the trees and shrubs, she saw a form, black and large. Her breath clogged in her throat. She felt the adrenaline rush and her heart hammered against her rib cage.
It had to be a black bear.
She knew black bears were present in abundance in the woods, but she’d never encountered one before. They weren’t usually aggressive and would generally flee if they had a choice. They were only truly dangerous if they were protecting a cub, if they felt cornered or, in rare instances, if they became predatory. She’d heard of isolated cases of the latter, and the outcome was, more often than not, tragic. And she was standing no more than fifty feet from a black bear that was not retreating.
Max continued to growl and strain against her hold. With the dog nearly a hundred pounds, most of it muscle, Emma was uncertain how much longer she could restrain him, and she was terrified of the consequences if he pulled free. For the time being, whether due to Max or his own reasons, the bear was holding his position and not advancing.
Although Emma’s distress left a metallic taste in her mouth, her mind was working frantically. The bear was still concealed by the brush, but Emma sensed this bear was not protecting a cub and it definitely wasn’t cornered. A bear’s sense of smell was extraordinary, as was his speed, remarkably so for a creature of its size. If he wanted to avoid them, he could’ve easily done so before they’d even become aware of him.
This bear was intentionally staying where it was despite the aggressive stance taken by Max. That terrified her.
For the moment, they seemed to be at a standoff. The bear didn’t leave, but thankfully, he wasn’t charging, either. On the other hand, Max’s hostility was escalating. He was more than likely feeding off her anxiety and was fueled by his instinct to protect. He tried repeatedly to lunge forward, letting out a series of menacing barks. Desperately, Emma continued to hold onto him with both hands and all her strength. Her shoulders were screaming from the effort, her hands were numb, the skin raw where the leather collar rubbed against her palms.
Unless the bear retreated, Emma couldn’t see the confrontation ending well for her and Max.
Yet the bear still didn’t advance. Emma started to think they might have a chance, if she could control Max and they could cautiously back away.
The next instant, it was all out of her control.
A silver-gray blur streaked past Emma and toward the spot where the bear was. It was Theo, snarling and barking, fur standing on end, and ready to do battle. With the moment’s loss of her concentration, Max tore loose from her grasp and joined Theo behind the shrubs, the two of them forming a protective barrier between the bear and Emma.
Emma was panicked now for Max and Theo, but all she could do was add her voice to the clamor of the dogs, yelling at the top of her lungs in as deep a voice as she could manage, hoping the bear would have enough and leave.
Then she saw through the shrubs the black form lunge and she heard the yelp of one of the dogs. An anguished “no” tore from her throat, her fear and anger at a peak.
Without logical thought, she grabbed a large branch from the ground and rushed forward to where the dogs were. To her immense relief, when she pushed through the brush, she saw the bear some distance away, retreating deeper into the woods. The form appeared smaller than she would’ve expected and moved awkwardly, perhaps an indication that one of the dogs might have injured it.
The adrenaline rush abating, Emma called the dogs. Despite not entirely taking their attention away from the direction the bear had gone, they obeyed.
Tears of relief welled in her eyes and she hugged the dogs to her. She gave silent thanks that they appeared unharmed and had not given chase. Their bodies were still tense and quivering, and she tried to mollify them with soft words and gentle strokes.
Running her palm along Max’s side, to her horror it came away wet. Lifting her hand, she saw blood. She scrambled to her knees to examine Max. She couldn’t see clearly through his thick fur, which was matted with blood. She prayed the cut wasn’t too deep. Regardless, she knew he needed attention as soon as possible. She led the dogs back to the cottage at a moderate pace, fearing if they went quicker, the exertion could cause Max to lose more blood.
Inside the cottage, she got Max settled and formed a compress with a towel, before she rushed to the phone to call Josh’s cell number.
No answer.
She tried his office number next. When Sherri answered cheerfully, she felt a modicum of relief. “Sherri, I need to speak with Josh. It’s urgent.”
“He’s with a patient right now. What’s wrong?”
At the sound of a soft whimper, Emma glanced over at the dogs. Max had dislodged the towel covering his wound aside and was licking it. Theo was beside him, nuzzling him reassuringly. Watching the dogs, Emma leaned against the wall behind her and slid down to the ground. With a strangled cry, she cradled her head in her free hand.
“Take a deep breath, Emma. What’s wrong?” Sherri mollified on the other end of the line.
“Tell Josh it’s an emergency. See if he’ll take my call. Please,” she implored.
In moments, Josh was on the line. “Emma, are you okay?”
“No. I mean yes. It’s Max.” She was struggling not to cry. “He...he’s hurt. He was attacked by a bear.”
“How bad is it and where is he?” Josh’s voice sounded calm and authoritative. It helped steady Emma.
“He’s here. At home with me. The bear must have swiped his side with his claws. Max is bleeding.” Her words hitched on a sob. “Can you see him right away if I bring him in?”
“Stay where you are, Emma. I’ll come to you. Try to keep him from moving too much. Place a compress on the wound and see if you can stop or at least slow the bleeding. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Please hurry.” The final words were said in a whisper and likely lost to Josh as she heard the line disconnect before she’d finished.
Josh pulled into Emma’s driveway no more than fifteen minutes after they’d spoken. He must have driven above the speed limit the entire way, to make it in such a short time. Having been watching for him, Emma opened the door before he could knock.
Max was still lying on his side, the white towel, now stained red, covering his wound. Theo remained near him as Max’s self-appointed protector.
Josh asked for warm water and more towels. With soft words, he reassured Theo that his friend would be fine and gently nudged him out of the way. When Emma returned, he was kneeling beside Max. She sat cross-legged on the floor and gently stroked the dog’s head.
“Explain to me what happened,” Josh asked as he worked efficiently and competently to
clean Max’s wound.
“I told you on the phone—”
“No,” he interrupted. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you,” he added quickly. “Tell me exactly what you saw.”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure,” she began, her voice faltering. “I left Theo in the cottage. Max and I were walking in the forest when Max must’ve heard or scented the bear. We’re lucky the bear didn’t attack us. I tried to hold Max back. He was growling like crazy. As aggressive as I’ve ever seen him.” The terror washed over her again at the recollection, and she struggled to steady her breathing. “Oh, God...” She dragged her fingers through her hair.
Josh glanced up. “Emma. Emma,” he called to her tenderly. “As much as I want to, I can’t help you now. I need to concentrate on Max.” His tone was soothing. “All three of you are safe and Max’ll be fine. You don’t have to finish it now, if you don’t want to, but I’d like to understand what happened.”
Scraping her teeth over her lower lip, she nodded. “Before I knew what was going on, Theo was there and Max broke free. Theo and Max rushed into the brush where the bear was and scared him off, but not before the bear took a swipe at Max.” As her gaze shifted to Max and then Theo, standing alert a few paces away, her vision blurred and she felt the tears finally spill over. Recounting the events, she realized the dogs had probably saved her life. But Max was injured as a result and she sought reassurance. “He’ll be okay, as you said?”
“Yes. I promise. The wound isn’t deep.” He glanced up at her briefly as he finished cleaning and disinfecting it. “How did Theo get out?”
“I don’t know. As I said, I’d left him in the cottage.”
“Were there any windows open?”
She considered for a moment. “Yes, a couple slightly in the great room. The weather was too nice not to let the fresh air in.” Before Josh could ask, she was up and rushing to the great room. The screen of the window closest to the forest had been knocked out, the casement frame was cracked and open. “Theo forced the window open.”
Josh nodded. “He must’ve heard Max and known the two of you were in trouble and came to your rescue. With his size, a partially open window wouldn’t be an obstacle if he was determined to get out.”
Emma sank down on the floor across from Josh again and stroked Max while he stitched up the gash.
When he was finished, he raised his eyes to meet Emma’s. “Did you actually see the bear?”
“Yes. He was right there. In the bush. I could see him rustling around. And also when he was running away.”
Josh wiped his hands with a disinfectant towel and touched Emma’s knee. “But did you actually see him?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” She shook her head in confusion. “He was there, in front of us. He clawed Max...”
“Max wasn’t clawed.”
Emma’s gaze dropped to her dog, the cleaned and stitched cut on his side, as she struggled to make sense of what Josh was saying.
Josh pointed to the dog’s flank. “See how straight and narrow the cut is?” Emma nodded. “And it’s a single cut. That wasn’t done by a bear. Max was cut with a knife.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“OH, GOD. OH, MY GOD. What are you saying?” Emma’s eyes were huge. “It was a bear. I saw him.”
“Did you?” Josh’s voice was quiet, gentle.
“Yes. He was right there. Behind the bushes.” She gestured with her hand, as if seeing it in her mind’s eye.
Josh finished bandaging Max and stayed silent, letting Emma work things through.
“All black...but I didn’t actually see him. He—he was mostly concealed by the brush. When he was running away, I saw him...”
Josh could see from her expression that something was troubling her. “I remember thinking he was smaller than I’d expected.”
Finished with Max, Josh wiped his hands again and reached out to link his fingers with Emma’s. “We’ll have to call the sheriff to report this.”
Josh called Chad Atkins from Emma’s office for privacy. Their friendship gave him easy access to the lawman. He wanted to explain the situation to Chad, and what he suspected.
Josh knew that Chad was a shrewd and fair man, who valued law and integrity above all else. He’d been sheriff of Sanctuary Cove for six years now and took his job very seriously. In fact, Josh understood that Chad considered it as more than a job. He saw it as a grave responsibility, a true calling to serve and protect. He was both thorough and pragmatic in discharging his responsibilities. He also had well-honed instincts that were right far more than wrong.
He listened to Josh explain what had transpired. “My intuition tells me you’re correct, and it wasn’t a bear that Emma Meadows and her dogs happened upon in the forest. It just doesn’t sound like customary bear behavior to me.”
“Then what do you think happened?”
“Could have been a hunter trespassing again. She’s reported them a couple of times. Because of the consequences, they might do something like this to avoid being caught. Odds are that’s what it was.”
Josh thought back to when Emma took the tumble off the stepladder because of the ATV and whether the driver had intentionally startled her. “Do you think this guy in the forest would have hurt Emma?”
“I doubt it. That would be going too far, but I don’t like what I’m hearing. I’ve got some time right now. Mind if I stop by to talk to her?”
“I’d appreciate it. We’ll be here.”
Josh joined Emma in the kitchen again. “Chad’ll be here shortly,” he advised her. She was still sitting with Max, Theo stretched out next to them.
She stayed there until Chad knocked on the door.
Josh made the introductions. Chad declined the offer of coffee and requested a glass of water instead as he settled in a chair in the great room. He took notes and asked the occasional question as Emma explained exactly what had happened. He covered much the same territory as Josh had, but in more detail.
“But you didn’t actually see the bear?”
“That’s correct.”
“Is it all right if I have a look at your dog’s injury?”
Emma had put Max and Theo in her office when the sheriff had arrived, to keep Max from getting excited. She rose to take the sheriff to him, and Josh followed them.
As Chad crouched down beside Max, Josh lifted the bandage for him. When Chad was satisfied, Josh reapplied the bandage and they walked back to the great room.
“I have to agree with you, Josh. That’s a knife wound, but the cut doesn’t look like it was done with a hunting knife.” He turned his attention back to Emma. “And from what you told me, if it was a hunter you startled in the woods, he would’ve had ample opportunity to retreat into the forest while you still had a grip on Max, isn’t that right?”
Emma nodded.
Chad shifted his gaze to Josh. “You still having trouble with that, ah...” He gave Josh an apologetic look. “The woman you were seeing for a while a few months ago?”
Josh glared at Chad. “C’mon, Chad. You can’t be serious. She might be unstable but she’s not crazy enough to skulk through the woods carrying a knife and cut a dog.”
Emma shifted her focus from one man to the other.
Chad spread his hands. “Just saying, Josh. We have to consider all possibilities.”
“Okay.” Josh combed his hair back with his fingers. “Not so much in the last few weeks. But this is beyond mischief. I couldn’t see her using a knife.”
“You know the saying—desperate people, desperate measures. Though I agree it’s unlikely,” he conceded. “Emma, can you say for certain it was a man?”
She let out a short, nervous laugh. “I didn’t even know it was a person. The form was large enough that I believed it was a bear. That would make me
think it was a man rather than a woman, but I can’t be sure.”
“There’s something else you should know,” Josh interjected. “Tell Chad about what happened at the funeral for Private Laurence,” he said to Emma. “Both with the soldier’s father and with your ex.”
Emma paled. “You don’t think this has anything to do with that?”
Josh lifted a shoulder and let it drop again. “As Chad said, we have to consider all possibilities. You should give him the full picture.”
She held Josh’s gaze for a long moment.
“Might as well tell me what that’s all about,” Chad said, drawing their attention to him.
Emma outlined the run-ins they had with Mr. Laurence and with Richard. “In addition, Daniel Leighton, the reporter I told you about?” At Chad’s nod of acknowledgement, she continued. “He believes he’s been followed, and he believes Senator Morgan is responsible for it.”
Chad leaned closer, his interest apparently piqued.
Emma succinctly repeated what Daniel had told her before concluding, “They filed a report with the NYPD. If you would like the contact information, I can get it for you.”
“That would be helpful.” Chad exchanged a meaningful glance with Josh, and Josh was glad he’d given Chad a heads-up about it. “If anything else happens that you consider suspicious or relevant, call me. Now, would you mind taking me to where it happened?”
They left the dogs in the cottage, and Josh and Chad followed Emma along the trail. When she indicated the spot where she believed the person had been, Chad searched the area carefully. Bending down and examining the ground, he found something of interest and picked it up. He showed Josh and Emma a couple of spent bullet casings.
“Did you hear any gunshots either before or during your walk?” he asked Emma.
Emma shook her head.
Chad looked toward the cottage. “At this distance, if you were inside, I’d think you’d hear a shot, but you never know. If you had the water running, or music playing, maybe not.”