Grave Instinct

by Bev Pettersen

  “What I really meant to ask,” she said, “is did you ever screw her?”

  He recoiled so sharply it pushed Gunner’s head off Justin’s shoulder. “Good God, Nikki.”

  The disgust in his voice couldn’t be faked. But she wasn’t going to stop. Investigative questions had a rhythm and she was just getting into it. “Mom thought Erin had a boyfriend. She blamed me for not being able to give her any names. You were around the barn. You owned a car.”

  “You think I seduced an underage girl?” He lifted his fingers off the wheel then tightened them again, his knuckles whitening. “You think I killed your sister and stuffed her in my trunk? Maybe strangled her and dumped her in the quarry? You really believe that?”

  No, she didn’t believe that. Not one bit. But her throat tightened at his bald words and the images they created and for a moment she didn’t trust herself to speak.

  She turned her head, hiding her emotion, blinking out the side window as his powerful vehicle sliced past a blur of trees. California was a great state for murder, with plenty of lonely spots for victims to disappear. Maybe there was even a deserted quarry beyond the ridge. Obviously the Savannah case had left her fragile, opening up old wounds, but part of her envied that family for having a body to bury.

  Erin would have been twenty-eight this year. She might have been a mother now, making Nikki an aunt and Robert a pseudo-grandfather. And she finally accepted the bleak possibility that Erin was dead and her body would never be found.

  “You’re going to have to decide if you trust me,” Justin snapped, misreading her silence. “By the way, do you have any other men on your suspect list? Because you better not question them when you’re alone like this. You might not make it out alive.”

  “Sometimes I don’t even care,” she said, despair clogging her words.

  He abruptly swung the wheel, bumping onto the shoulder of the road. The vehicle spun over the gravel, rocks pelting its underside. Gunner lurched forward, restrained only by Justin’s strong arm. The SUV came to a shuddering stop.

  He cursed. Then his hands were on her shoulders, his eyes drilling into hers. “Don’t talk like that. Ever.” He gave her a little shake. “You had a raw deal and lost your entire family. But you’re brave, tough and resilient. I shouldn’t have let you near that search. It stirred everything up.”

  His fingers felt like a vise over her shoulders and her hands shot for his wrists. If he were an average guy, she could break his hold. But Justin was no average guy and was also skilled at self-defense. They’d compared moves when she’d completed her black belt training. He’d blocked her every time.

  She stared into his glittering eyes, seeing an emotion she’d never seen before. Not aggression or anger, but fear. And then she understood. He was afraid she’d hurt herself.

  “You shouldn’t be working alone as an investigator,” he continued, his voice ragged. “Robert wasn’t thinking straight, letting you take over a one-man business. It’s too dangerous. Especially for an attractive woman like you.”

  “I’m not helpless,” she said. “I could probably break your wrists in seconds.” Probably not, but Robert had taught her the importance of a good bluff.

  Justin snorted, the derisive sound loud in the confines of the car. “A trained man could overpower you. And that dog is no help at all.” He shot a disgusted look at Gunner who was thumping his tail as if this was an interesting new game that he’d be delighted to join.

  “That’s not fair,” she said. “Gunner knows you. If something happened to me, you’re the person I’d want to have him.”

  “Nikki, please.” He squeezed her shoulders even tighter. “Don’t let this knock you down. You have to take care of yourself.”

  She was close enough to feel his pounding heart and his breath was more ragged than when they’d been running through the woods with Gunner. And the last of her despair eased away. She may have lost her beloved sister and both of her parents, but she still had someone who really cared. And for now, she didn’t want to ask any more questions. Didn’t need to.

  She also didn’t want him to worry needlessly.

  “You misunderstood,” she said. “My words didn’t come out the right way. I’m not like my father. You don’t have to worry about me.”

  He lowered his arms, straightened, and purposely wrapped his hands back around the wheel. But when he spoke, his voice was resigned. “Not sure if I can stop.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  The K-9 training complex was a sprawling property surrounded by a six-foot chain link fence. A rectangular building with attached dog runs sat next to a football-sized field sprinkled with agility courses. Nikki spotted at least three obstacles that involved ladders.

  “Is that where Gunner flunked out?” she asked.

  “Don’t know,” Justin said, his voice brusque as he expertly backed into a parking space beside several unmarked cars. He’d barely spoken since pulling over on the road earlier. However, she felt better after clearing the air. Based on his shocked reaction, she was positive he’d never had sex with Erin and even more certain he’d had nothing to do with her disappearance. His concern had been about Nikki’s mental state rather than his own alibi.

  Obviously he’d been hurt by her questions and that bothered her. She’d let the contents of an old file push her to hasty conclusions. She wished he had remained parked on the side of the road longer, but they’d both been processing each other’s comments. It was clear he worried about her emotional health but she wasn’t certain if that concern was related to her as a woman he wanted to date, or as the kid he’d always watched out for.

  “We’ll start outside,” Justin said, turning off the ignition. “I’ll let Tony know we’re here.”

  Nodding, she pushed open her door, gathered Gunner’s ball from her pack and clipped on his lead. He rose but remained rooted. A flurry of barks sounded from the outer kennels but Gunner stayed motionless as a statue.

  “Let’s go, boy,” she said.

  He stepped to the ground. But instead of an agile leap he moved stiffly, lacking his usual exuberance. She glanced across the hood of the vehicle at Justin, but he was talking on the phone, his back to her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, crouching beside Gunner. “Thirsty? Want some water?”

  He didn’t lift his paw or wag his tail, his usual response to any of her questions. He only pressed against her knee. Then she noticed something even stranger; he was trembling. He’d lived here before. Did he think she was bringing him back? Leaving him?

  “Silly.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his head. “I’m not dumping you. I love you.”

  Justin whirled, his hot gaze on her. Then his eyes shuttered. “Come on,” he said as he jammed the phone in his pocket. “Tony will meet us at the second field.”

  She rose and walked beside him, still concerned about her dog. Gunner had stopped shaking but lacked any animation. He wasn’t dragging on the leash but he acted like an aged family dog taking a duty walk rather than an energetic young Shepherd.

  But as they passed a silver-colored horse trailer his head shot up, his ears pricking. Now he looked more like his normal self. And it hadn’t been the other dogs that cheered him up, but the smell of horses.

  “Do they keep police horses here?”

  “No,” Justin said. “But they periodically bring them in so the K-9s can get used to them. Sometimes it works the other way and the horses need exposure to dogs.”

  The stock trailer still carried the distinctive smell of hay and manure. Its presence explained why Gunner was so comfortable around animals. She’d assumed his breeding had left him with an affinity for livestock. But it had also been included in his training.

  “They seem to think of everything,” she said, “in order to turn out good K-9 teams.”

  “Yes, but sometimes a handler doesn’t match up, no matter the pairing. Officers can flunk out too, just like the dogs. Some people just aren’t good with anim
als.”

  “How do you know so much about this place?” she asked, racking her brain. Justin had been promoted from cop to detective. She didn’t remember him ever working on a K-9 unit.

  “Sometimes I have a young horse that needs more exposure,” Justin said, his voice somewhat friendlier than it had been when he first parked. “They let me bring them here.”

  “So you still have your racehorse?” She smiled up at him, relieved to return to their earlier footing. “I remember going with you and your friend when I was in high school. It was a lot of fun.”

  But it had actually been bittersweet, the first and last time she’d been around horses since Erin’s disappearance. When she’d returned home, pumped from the outing, her mom had freaked. “I can’t believe you’re so happy. Don’t you feel guilty seeing those horses? Knowing they’re the reason Erin’s gone?”

  Her mother had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and Nikki’s guilt had mushroomed. She’d dropped all extra activities and spent every minute of her spare time helping in Robert’s new PI office, determined to focus on finding her sister. And Justin stopped inviting her to the races.

  “The horse you saw race that day is long retired,” Justin said. “She had three nice foals. I’ve owned quite a few Thoroughbreds since her.”

  “I never realized.”

  “You had a lot on your shoulders, Nikki. And not much support.”

  Except for Justin. He’d always tried to help. While Robert had been focused on her mother during her illness, Justin had been Nikki’s rock. Her boyfriends had called him “that scary dude,” and she’d often resented his all-seeing presence. But when she’d returned from her six-month sojourn to Japan, broke and homesick, Justin had been the one waiting at the airport.

  He’d listened while she talked about her time in Japan and how much she had missed home, including the fast food. He’d immediately detoured to McDonald’s and suggested she drop by the gym and show him and his girlfriend all her new moves. Minutes later, he’d been called out to a murder scene. He hadn’t even had time to finish his burger. That’s when she realized he was no longer a street cop. And that she really wasn’t keen to meet any more of his girlfriends.

  But he didn’t appear to have a girlfriend now. She squeezed Gunner’s leash, wondering what it would be like to have Justin all to herself, to be with someone whose company she actually enjoyed. Maybe this was a momentous day, a chance to clear the air about Erin and have a new beginning. A new type of relationship.

  A door swung open. Tony stepped out, accompanied by a slight dark-haired woman who looked vaguely familiar. Probably not a dog handler; her heeled boots weren’t made for running. She hurried toward them with a smile on her face, as if confident of her welcome.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” she said to Justin. Still smiling, she turned to Nikki. “Remember me?” she said. “I’m Lara. And I’d shake your hand but I’ve learned to be super careful around K-9s. Wow, you’ve grown up,” she went on, giving Nikki an approving once-over. “Now I see why Tony was in such a hurry to get outside.”

  Lara. Then Nikki remembered. Lara was the woman who had gone to the track with them, back on that memorable day of horse racing. She was part of the mounted police unit and had taught Nikki how to bet. Obviously she was still involved with horses. She and Justin were already discussing one of the geldings she’d trailered in. Apparently the horse had been bitten on his hind leg and was wary of dogs, leaving him a liability on the street.

  “Let’s go to the agility field,” Tony said to Nikki, “while those two talk about their hay burners. And for the record, I was not in a hurry to see you. I always rush my coffee.” He gave a rueful swipe at the brown specks scattered over the front of his shirt.

  “Hardly noticeable,” Nikki murmured. She glanced at Justin but he was deep in conversation with Lara. Seconds later, they turned and headed toward the building. Neither of them looked back.

  “Justin is picking up a K-9 report and Lara’s horses are inside,” Tony said, following her gaze. “We’ll catch up with them later.”

  He guided her to a grassy field where he pointed out a variety of obstacles. Some of them looked fun, like the chain link fence and narrow teeter-totter. All appeared demanding. And a couple of them seemed impossible for any four-legged animal.

  “That’s so steep,” she said, peering up at an angled ladder and attached catwalk. “Hard to believe any dog can do that.”

  “The Malinois don’t have much trouble,” Tony said. “They’re the most agile. On the street if a unit runs into a high fence, it’s easier for the handler to boost them over. A dog like Gunner is thirty pounds heavier.” Tony’s voice trailed off, his eyes narrowing on Gunner who was pressed against Nikki’s thigh, looking everywhere but at the ladder. He was also shivering, even more noticeably than when he’d first stepped from the car.

  “I don’t know why he’s upset,” Nikki said, stroking his head in reassurance. “He was trembling in the parking lot too. At first I thought it was the other dogs or that he thought I was leaving him here. But now I think it’s the obstacles.”

  “Then let’s go inside,” Tony said, pivoting away from the catwalk. “We have training rooms set up with everything from blood to drug caches. I bet he’ll like searching more than he does the agility course.”

  But Nikki’s investigative senses were tingling. Tony’s voice was a little too jovial and for the first time since she’d met him, he wouldn’t meet her gaze. “What aren’t you telling me? What happened to him here?”

  “I didn’t want to upset you.” Tony grimaced, finally looking her in the eye. “But you probably should know. I checked Gunner’s records yesterday. He doesn’t have a hind end problem. That’s the good news.”

  “And the bad?”

  “He had the misfortune to be teamed with an absolute idiot. The officer was determined to make the K-9 unit, at any cost. The first couple dogs he was matched with were disasters. He couldn’t get them around the obstacle course, even after months of training. The dogs either refused or ran away. Gunner was his last chance. The guy was caught sticking him with a cattle prod, forcing him to climb. No doubt that’s why Gunner is aggressive with men and the reason he’ll never scale a ladder. Poor guy thinks he’ll be electrocuted as soon as his paws touch the rungs.”

  “Let’s get him inside.” Nikki wheeled, keeping her voice calm for Gunner’s sake. He was already upset and it wouldn’t help for him to hear her anguish.

  They strode in silence toward the building, Gunner’s trembling fading, his head lifting with every step. But her steps were heavy knowing what he’d endured out in that field and she resolved that he’d never have to look at another damn ladder again.

  “Does Justin know?” she asked, breaking the silence.

  “No, and I’d prefer you didn’t tell him. He’s such an animal lover he’d probably make the officer disappear. The guy’s career is already in the shitter.”

  “Rightfully so.” Nikki spoke through tight lips then stilled, absorbing his words. Of course, Tony hadn’t meant Justin would actually make the man disappear and she shouldn’t take the statement so literally. Though she wouldn’t mind if Justin exacted some sort of revenge on Gunner’s abuser. But already her mind was drawing parallels and she had to remind herself that Erin had never hurt an animal. She’d loved the horses.

  Neglecting to top the water buckets or to add more shavings had annoyed Justin but it wasn’t abuse. Of course, there had been that time Erin lost her temper, yanking too hard on the reins and cutting her horse’s mouth. And she could be overly aggressive with her spurs, especially if she’d been in one of her foul moods. If Erin hadn’t been able to keep up with the boarders, would she have taken her frustration out on Pancho? Maybe bloodied his sides?

  Was there a possibility she had been alive when Justin found her in the clearing but it was him who’d lost his temper? Was that why he refused to account for his missing half hour?

 
Nikki gave her head a disbelieving shake. Not possible. No way. Yet as she followed Tony toward the building, she couldn’t prevent an insidious doubt from worming through her head.

  Tony opened the door and stepped back, his eyes narrowing on her face. “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “Nothing good,” she said.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The main building was a hub of activity, punctuated with exciting barking and a staccato of human commands. Wailing sirens and flashing lights gave it a surreal appearance.

  “That’s the drug house,” Tony explained. “We change the layout depending on the exercise. Detection training for narcotics and explosives starts there, then moves to more challenging sites. The siren gets the K-9s used to the real world.”

  Nikki stared in fascination at the organized chaos. A yellow Lab sniffed at the base of a patio table, a German Shepherd scratched furiously at a simulated office door, and a nimble Malinois balanced over a seesaw before disappearing into a blue tunnel. Only twenty feet away, a man with a bite sleeve skulked menacingly. Seconds later, a black-faced Shepherd launched through the air and grabbed his arm. Someone barked an order and the dog instantly released its hold.

  No one paid any attention to her and Gunner: not the dogs or their handlers or the woman who was jotting notes on a huge whiteboard. It was reassuring that Gunner was no longer shaking, seemingly unfazed by anything inside the building. And now that her dog was relaxed—and she’d blocked out the ridiculous suspicions about Justin—she could concentrate on the exercises and gain a deeper understanding of Gunner’s training.

  “What’s past the far door?” she asked, raising her voice so Tony could hear her over the din. “The one with the skull.”

  “Cadaver training,” Tony said. “For dogs specializing in body searches. The smell in there can be overwhelming. We have everything from teeth, rotting tissue, even placentas.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “Behind us is the entrance to the vet lab and rehab center. And through that green door is the quiet area where we start the younger dogs. Right now Lara has the space booked for a couple police horses. Let’s start in there and come back when the sirens are off.”