by Donna Doyle
Ms. O’Donnell sat down at her desk, splaying her hands on the surface so she wouldn’t smudge them. “Courtney, I think I might’ve been wrong. I was excited when Gunnar was brought here, because I thought he’d be great publicity for us. I encouraged you to work with him and get him to a point where we could have a situation just like this, one where we could proudly say we had a dog in our care who’d served the community and was looking for a new home. But I’m worried after what happened with the delivery from Russo’s.”
“I know.” Courtney stroked Gunnar’s back sadly. Dogs only ever got one chance. If they messed up, nobody ever wanted to trust them again. She’d heard of too many stories like that, even if Gunnar was the first dog she’d ever known in real life to suffer that way. “I completely understand your concern. I don’t know what triggered him, and I admit it was a scary situation. Think about the percentages, though.”
Her boss frowned. “What do you mean?”
This had been on Courtney’s mind quite a bit ever since the dog had attacked the delivery driver, so she was prepared with her argument. “Gunnar has been around all of us, and he’s never hurt anyone. He’s had plenty of times that he’s been scared here, too. He was nervous when I had him at the police station, but he never made any move to harm a person. When I took him to the Curly Bay Park to join the search party, there were any number of people he could’ve tried to go after. He met several new people up close and personal, and yet he was fine.”
Ms. O’Donnell frowned. “I don’t think that’s any proof that he’s safe, though.”
“Neither is it proof that he’s dangerous,” Jessi pointed out. “There must’ve been something about the delivery driver that triggered him. Maybe he had a bad encounter with a man in a red polo or someone who worked at a pizza place.”
“Or with breadsticks,” Dora said sarcastically.
Courtney was glad that at least someone was on her side, and she looked at Jessi gratefully before she continued her plea to her boss. “I don’t think that incident is any excuse to just write him off. I’m not saying he’s ready to go to his new home yet. It’s too soon, and he needs more work. But I do think his success with the search party was one really big step in the right direction.”
There was a long moment of silence that kept Courtney from even breathing. Ms. O’Donnell owned the Curly Bay Pet Hotel and Rescue, and she was the one who made all the final decisions. Courtney hadn’t known her long enough to know just what to expect from her in a situation like this.
“All right,” Ms. O’Donnell finally said, holding up a finger of caution. “You can take him to the police station to get his reward. But you have to promise me that you won’t let go of his leash for even a fraction of a second, and that you’ll keep him away from people. That includes the officers he knew when he used to work there. I will take absolutely no chances. If this dog ends up freaking out and attacking the newspaper photographer or something, we’re in deep trouble.”
Courtney nodded eagerly. “Of course. Not a problem at all. He really is a good boy, and everything will be fine.”
She hoped she was right as she drove to the police station, and she did her best to give Gunnar a pep talk. “Okay. This is a big deal. I have no idea what kind of reward they’re going to give you, but you have to stay as calm as possible. Just pretend you’re still on the force, and act professional.” Courtney giggled to herself as she imagined what her ex-fiancé Sam Smythe would do if he saw her talking like this to a dog. He’d never been much of a pet person, and even if he’d conceded to having a canine around, Courtney doubted he’d be that close to him.
Chief Hanson himself greeted her at the door to the station. “Miss Cain! So glad you could make it on such short notice. Once I heard that it was one of our own who’d found that girl, I wanted to make sure he got the recognition he deserves. Right this way.” He guided her through the station and into the conference room, where several reporters waited on them.
Courtney’s heart pounded. It all looked very formal. If she were the one getting decorated, she’d be terribly nervous. She did her best not to transfer those feelings to Gunnar, who could probably pick up on them.
“All right. If you and Gunnar could just stand right up here at the front, I’ll say a few words to the reporters. Then I’ve got a medal to put around his neck and a nice big bone to give him. The reporters also asked me to kneel down and have a picture with him.” Chief Hanson grinned, looking just as excited about this as Courtney had been when she’d heard the news.
“Oh. Um. I’m not sure if that last part is a good idea. You see, Gunnar has had some problems ever since Officer Cheatham passed away, and I’m concerned about how he might act.” Her body throbbed with her pounding heartbeat, and she couldn’t remember the last time she was so nervous.
“What, this old guy? Nah. Gunnar and I have worked together plenty of times, and I trust him with my life. It’ll be fine. I promise.” He reached down and petted the dog as proof.
“But you see, my boss—”
Chief Hanson laid a hand on her arm and smiled gently. He was a big man with a shaved head and very kind eyes. “It’ll be fine, and if for any reason it isn’t, I promise I won’t hold you or your business accountable. Okay?”
“Okay.” She had to take him at his word, and she had no reason not to trust him. Gunnar did seem to be doing well around Chief Hanson, and the man was accepting all the risk. Courtney just hoped she wouldn’t regret this.
The chief took a place at the front of the room, not far from Courtney and Gunnar. “Ladies and gentlemen, we recently lost a member of our police family. Officer Cheatham was called home to heaven far too early. We can’t possibly forget the countless efforts he made for the city of Curly Bay, most of those with Gunnar here at his side. Even though Officer Cheatham is no longer with us, his legend lives on in this wonderful dog. Gunnar took part in a community-wide effort in the search for Sophia Parr. Not only did he show up to help, but he was the very one who found Sophia so that she could be returned to safety. It is for his heroic efforts that we honor him today.” Chief Hanson removed a large gold medal from a black velvet box. It was attached to a wide blue ribbon, and he carefully placed this over Gunnar’s head so that the medal hung right in front of his chest.
The reporters were eating it up, snapping numerous pictures during the process. This only encouraged Chief Hanson, who not only knelt next to Gunnar but put his arm around him. Courtney kept her breathing steady, terrified of what might happen. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Gunnar, but the wrong move in front of all these cameras could be horrible for the Curly Bay Pet Hotel and Rescue.
The dog, however, seemed more than happy to get all the attention. He looked up at the cameras as though he knew they were taking his picture, and he even gave the chief a little lick on the chin after the giant bone was presented to him.
“Chief, you mentioned the dog’s handler passed away. Where is the dog living now?” one of the reporters asked.
Hanson turned to Courtney, giving her the floor.
Darn it! She hadn’t come prepared to answer any questions! At least she knew the answer to this one. “He’s currently staying with us at the Curly Bay Pet Hotel and Rescue while he waits for his new home.”
“And what does someone need to do if they’re interested in adopting him?”
A hot tingle spread over her cheeks, and she knew she was blushing. At least they weren’t interested in taking her picture! “We have a standard application process that includes speaking with the candidate’s veterinarian, but Gunnar here is not currently available. He has some work to do before he’s really ready for his next home.”
“Chief, can you tell us more about Sophia Parr?”
Courtney gladly took a step back.
Chief Hanson’s face, which had been the picture of happiness when he’d spoken about Gunnar, turned sober. “Unfortunately, there has been a problem with drugs in our area. We believe that Miss Parr may
have been involved, but I’m not at liberty to say any more on it at this time. Rest assured that the department is doing everything in its power to handle this.”
After several more questions, the mini press conference wrapped up. Courtney smiled as she brought Gunnar out of the conference room. It had all gone incredibly well.
“I really appreciate you bringing him by,” Chief Hanson said as he stepped out behind her. “It’s good to see him again.”
Here was one person Courtney hadn’t spoken to about the dog’s future. “Do you know anyone who might be interested in—Gunnar!”
The dog was suddenly on alert, the way he’d been in the woods. He stood solidly on his paws as he growled across the office. Courtney followed his line of sight and realized he was staring directly at Officer Don Holland.
“Easy, boy,” she said gently, not sure of how to get him out of this state.
“He was trained in German,” Chief Hanson said, standing at her side and watching the dog carefully.
“That would’ve been nice to know,” she grumbled. “What’s the German word for heel?”
But the chief didn’t have a chance to answer her. The dog shot off across the office, pulling so hard that he yanked the leash right out of Courtney’s hand. It dragged behind him as he zigzagged around the reporters, who were still milling about. They immediately picked up their cameras, ready to catch anything newsworthy.
Courtney’s throat closed in horror. Her feet were moving as she went after Gunnar, but she felt like she was stuck in a nightmare where she couldn’t get away from the bad guy. Gunnar was simply too fast. He tucked his body underneath him and soared through the air, landing on Holland’s desk, sliding across it, and barreling straight into the man.
Holland reeled backward, his arms waving in the air as his chair tipped over. He hit the floor with a thump and froze as the dog stood on his chest, growling.
“Gunnar!” Courtney managed to get to Officer Holland’s desk. She reached for the end of the dog’s leash, grateful that at least the dog hadn’t bitten anybody.
The animal moved too fast for her. He turned and began pawing incessantly at Holland’s desk drawer.
“I’m so, so sorry,” Courtney said as she tried to pull the dog away. He was too strong and too determined. Tears stung her eyes as she realized this could be the end of the line for the poor dog. Nobody would want a retired canine who lived in some delusional world where attacking random people was the same as doing his job as a drug dog.
“Just get him off me!” Holland barked.
“I’m really trying!” Courtney pulled on Gunnar’s collar again. He refused to leave the drawer alone, and every time Holland moved a muscle he started growling again.
“Fuss,” Chief Hanson said as he came around the back of the desk. It was an odd word with a strange pronunciation, and Courtney realized it must be one of the German commands the man had spoken of. “Let’s see what you’re going after, boy.”
The dog instantly responded to the foreign command and sat down, waiting patiently for his next order.
“I’ll just die if you’ve got garlic breadsticks from Russo’s in there,” Courtney moaned.
“No breadsticks,” Chief Hanson replied, “but there’s certainly something else that’s interesting. Care to tell me about this, Holland?” He pulled a small bag of a white, powdery substance out of the drawer, holding it by the corner and raising his eyebrow at Holland.
The big officer had pulled himself to his feet and dusted off his uniform. The newspaper reporters were still standing all around, waiting for the next thing to happen, and Holland flashed them a smile before turning back to his boss. “What do you think it is? I happened to find that during a typical stop and search yesterday.”
Hanson stood, his jaw tight. “Then why is it in your desk?”
Don lifted a shoulder casually. “I’m kinda busy around here, Chief. I just didn’t have a chance to get it to the evidence locker. I’ll do that right away.”
Setting the bag on the desk, Hanson glanced up at the reporters. He also gave them a smile, though it wasn’t as confident as the one that’d come from Holland. “Thank you folks so much for coming out to see Gunnar get his award. I’m sorry if we’ve kept you. The front door is right over there.”
A few of them shuffled their feet, not wanting to miss the action, but they couldn’t very well stay in the police station if the chief himself was kicking them out. He was being awfully nice about it, too. They filed out the door, and the silence in the office was heavy until it shut behind them.
Holland pushed out a breath. “Sorry about that, Chief. I’ll make sure I get things buttoned up before I leave the office.”
“I don’t think so.” Hanson bit his lower lip, clearly not happy about this.
Courtney had come around behind Holland’s desk in her effort to restrain the dog. It was in the back corner of the open office space, and with the two officers standing there in front of her she couldn’t leave unless she pushed past them. It put her in an awkward position, and she could feel the tension filling the room. Her curiosity outweighed the discomfort of the current state of affairs, and so she held on to Gunnar’s leash and waited.
Her eyes flicked across the room, finding Detective Fletcher sitting at his desk. His feet were on the floor this time, but he sat leaning back in his chair with his hands folded in his lap. His somber face showed no sign of any surprise or real reaction at all in the chain of events unfolding. He noticed Courtney watching him and casually picked up a file folder, pretending to go through it.
“Don’t worry about it, Chief,” Holland was saying, still trying to act as though everything that’d happened was all purely incidental. “I’ll go get it filed away right now.” He moved forward as though he was going to head to the evidence locker.
“No, Holland,” Chief Hanson said quietly. “You’re under arrest. You and I both know perfectly well that there were no drugs seized recently, certainly not in the way you’re portraying. We follow procedure around here, and we need to figure out what’s going on. Let’s go.”
“But you can’t! This is ridiculous!” Holland spluttered as another officer stepped up to stand at the Chief’s side. “You’ve always had it out for me, Hanson! You never liked that I was doing such a good job on the drug task force, because it was taking all the glory away from you! Well, that’s fine! I’ll get a lawyer, and we’ll battle this out in court.”
The chief, like any other lawman, had heard all this before from countless others he’d taken into custody. “Yep. You do that. Come on.” He gently took Holland’s elbow and escorted him toward a door on the other side of the room.
Courtney kept herself pressed to the wall until they were gone, watching the door close behind the figure of the pompous officer. Her feet felt glued to the floor. She’d been so excited to come here for Gunnar’s award, but she’d never expected something quite like this.
When she turned her head, Detective Fletcher was standing there at her side. She jumped, having not noticed him approaching. “Oh, you scared me!”
“Sorry,” he said with a small smile. He handed over Gunnar’s bone, which had fallen and been forgotten during the chaos. “I just wanted to extend my congratulations to Gunnar.”
“Thanks. Um, do you think it’s all right if I go now? I mean, since it was Gunnar who…” She trailed off as she gestured toward the door the chief had just gone through. Courtney had never been one to break the law or really even bend it, and she didn’t want to get in trouble for leaving the scene.
“That would be fine. We know where to find you if we need anything, but I’m sure Hanson has this under control.” He escorted her to the front door.
It was funny. A month ago, Detective Fletcher had shown up at her apartment to interview her because she was the lead suspect when a purebred dog had disappeared from the pet hotel. She’d been a little intimidated by him at first, and she’d even gotten irritated with him because she knew sh
e hadn’t done anything wrong. Now, Courtney had not only turned to him for advice about Gunnar, but wasalso comforted by his presence after such an odd turn of events.
“Thanks,” she said as he held the door open for her.
“I’ll see you around,” he replied with a nod.
There was something in his face that told her it would be more than pure circumstance, but she let it go for the moment. She and Gunnar had already been through enough that day. The dog’s medal jangled around his neck as they walked to the car.
Chapter Eight
“Look, boy. That’s you right there.” Courtney turned her phone around to show Gunnar the picture of him that was swiftly making its way through social media. The news outlets that’d been at the station for his award had each posted a story, and Courtney had made sure that it was shared to the Curly Bay Pet Hotel and Rescue’s page as well. The views and comments were swiftly ticking upward. Some folks had even mentioned they wanted to adopt the dog, but Courtney and Ms. O’Donnell had both agreed that he wasn’t quite ready for just anyone. He was a special dog, and he needed a special home.
Gunnar looked up from his bone, which had kept him nicely occupied when he was in the kennel, to sniff at the phone for a second before going straight back to chewing. His medal of honor was hanging up in the front office where everyone could see it.
“I guess they really knew how to reward you,” Courtney joked as she scratched his fur.