by Dale Mayer
“And that’s what we don’t want to have happen,” Mary said. “It’s just too terrible to contemplate. But the police really don’t have much of a way to stop a stalker.”
“I know,” Jessica said. “Not until he crosses the line.”
The name was there on the mailbox, just as Greyson had been told. Joe Hinds. He walked up to the front door and knocked. After a few minutes, he could hear footsteps from the inside.
Finally the door opened, and a man in his midsixties stood there, glaring at him. “I’m not buying anything,” he said.
“Good,” Greyson said with a smile. “I’m not selling anything. I wanted to ask you about the fender bender you saw a few weeks ago.”
Joe snorted. “I don’t want anything to do with insurance either,” he said.
“That’s not what I’m asking about,” he said. “I’m looking for a War Dog that was at the rescue center near the accident site. The dog went missing around the same time, and I wondered if you’d seen it.”
“What’s this about a War Dog?” His eyebrows shot up and then pulled together, giving him a thick unibrow. “I don’t know anything about a War Dog.”
“I understand,” Greyson said. “During the aftermath of the accident, while everybody was stuck in traffic, did you see a dark shepherd-looking dog loose around the scene?”
He looked at him in astonishment. “How did you know a dog was there?”
Greyson took a slow, deep breath. This was the first hint that he was on track and that the dog had been near the accident. “Where was she when you saw her?”
“Barking at the man who hit the young woman.”
“So that was the accident. A man drove into the car of a young woman?”
Joe nodded slowly.
“Okay, did you recognize either of them?”
“I think I’ve seen the woman around,” he said. “It was worse because her little boy was in the back seat.”
At that, Greyson’s heart slammed. “Was the baby crying?”
He nodded. “Yes, and the woman looked pretty shocked by it all because the other guy was damn rude about it.”
“But he hit her, you said? Or were you talking about his vehicle hit her vehicle?”
“Yeah, he kind of—I think he was pretty threatening to her, but I’m not too sure how that all went down,” he said. “The dog started barking at him and chased the man back into his truck.”
“Then what did the dog do?”
“I don’t really know.” He paused. “The guy got back in his truck, and the woman got in her car, and everybody disappeared again. I could finally get home. It was only a few houses away, for heaven’s sake,” he said, with a wave of his hand toward the road.
“So, you didn’t catch sight of where the dog went after that?”
“Took off into the bushes, as far as I know.”
“But the dog appeared to be more protective of the woman and the child?”
“Either that or he didn’t like the yelling,” Joe said. “I had a dog like that once. Anytime anybody raised their voice, he got upset.”
“Did it sound like the dog was upset?”
Joe looked at him and frowned. “It sounded more like the dog was upset at the man doing the yelling. But I can’t say much more than that.”
“Well, that’s good to know. Thank you.” Taking a look around, Greyson asked, “Have you seen the dog around since the accident?”
“No, I don’t think so,” he said, “though I didn’t really get a good look. He was some kind of a shepherd-looking thing. Other than that, it was just a dog.”
“Okay. Thank you for your time. You’ve been very helpful.” Then he stopped and said, “You mentioned the woman was from around here. Any idea where?”
“I’ve seen her drive up and down the road, so she must live around here somewhere. There probably aren’t more than thirty houses along here, so you might spot her car in the driveway.”
“Good enough,” he said. “Any details on the car?”
“Small silver car, Pontiac, I think.” He stepped back to close the door.
“Thanks again,” Greyson said, and the door closed with a sharp click.
Not exactly friendly but at least he’d shared some information that was useful. He had confirmed that the dog had been there at the fender bender.
As Greyson walked up the street, he was looking for the small silver Pontiac, wondering where the woman lived. And what the dog had to do with any of this. He checked on one side of the road, then came down the other side. When he was at the very top of the block, he came across a small silver Pontiac parked in a driveway. A big driveway. The same one he had traced Kona to.
He walked up, checked the vehicle, and found a ding to the fender and some paint transfer. He walked up to the front door and knocked. When a woman answered the door, he smiled, loving the sight of the happy toddler in her arms.
“Sorry to bother you, but I’m here looking for a dog that’s gone missing.”
Immediately he could see her walls go up, and she stepped back slightly.
He held up his hands in a nonthreatening manner. “I’m here on behalf of the War Dogs program. A dog was at the shelter down the road. On the day that you were involved in a fender bender, the dog went missing.”
Her face cleared a little bit, as she looked from him to her car and then back to him again. “A shepherd-looking thing?”
“Yes, a Malinois-shepherd cross,” he said. “Have you seen it?”
She nodded slowly. “I saw it today.”
His eyebrows shot up, and eagerly he asked, “Where?”
“I think it got into my neighbor’s garbage,” she said.
He frowned at that because it wasn’t typical behavior for one of these dogs, but, if she was starving, then maybe. “And that was today?”
“A few hours ago, yes,” she said, and she pointed down the road. “He went in that direction.”
“Did you see it the day of the accident?”
She wrinkled her face and nodded. “I guess you can call it an accident,” she said. “It was more of a threat though.”
“What do you mean?”
She winced and said, “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” Then she stepped back as if to close the door.
He stepped forward and immediately saw fear cross her face. “I’m not here to hurt you,” he said in a soft voice, “but I would like to know what you meant. Anything that involves the dog is something I need to know about. I’m trying to recapture the dog. She served a lot of good years in the military, and I’d like to see to it that she has a decent retirement life.”
“I hear you,” she said, “but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about it. I thought I saw it leave the alleyway a few hours ago.”
“That’s fine,” he said, “and I’ll certainly check it out. I’ll stake out the alleyway and see if that’s where she’s getting food from. What I really need to know is what you saw at the accident.”
“All of a sudden, he was there,” she said with a shrug. Her son made an odd sound and reached up, patting her cheek. She smiled, kissed him on the tip of his nose. “It was a particularly disturbing scenario,” she said, turning her attention back to Greyson. “The other guy hit me with his truck and then came out and started yelling at me. I was really worried for my son. He was crying, and, the next thing I know, the dog was there.”
“Did you recognize this man?”
She shook her head. “No.” Then she opened her mouth and added suddenly, “He said it was a message from my ex.”
He stared at her in shock. “What?”
She nodded. “At first I wondered if I’d misheard him,” she said. “The dog got between us and was barking threateningly at the man. He was getting really ugly about the dog, but it seemed like the dog was more of a danger than he was. He got back into his truck and sped off. And, because we’d already stopped all the traffic, I jumped into my car and headed straight home. The dog bolted off to the s
ide somewhere. Obviously I was pretty upset, and so was my son, so we took the rest of the afternoon and just stayed in the house together.”
“That sounds like a perfect answer to a very rough day,” he said, as he reached out a gentle finger and stroked the little boy’s cheek. “Something is so very innocent and sweet about this age, isn’t there?”
“There is,” she said. “Anyway, I don’t know what else I can help you with.”
“Thank you. You’ve helped a lot,” he said with a smile. “Have you seen the driver again?”
He watched as she hesitated.
“Okay, so how much of an ex is your ex?”
She winced. “I didn’t think there was a problem. I was pregnant at the time we split, and he didn’t want anything to do with our baby. I’ve never had anything to do with him since. Then, all of a sudden, that accident happened, and since then, it just feels like I’m being watched all the time.”
He didn’t like the sound of that at all. “Has the dog been hanging around?”
“You know what? I think it has. I was worried about it because it looked really dangerous. But it’s never attacked me or even come anywhere close to me.”
He took a step back, trying to give her a bit of space. “Do you mind if I check your backyard? I’ll go up and down the alley anyway, but I would like to see if maybe the dog could have been in the backyard space as well.”
She hesitated.
He nodded and said, “You’re right to be alarmed,” he said. “I know I’m not a threat, but you don’t know me at all.”
“If we’re in the house, and the doors are locked,” she said, “I’d be okay if you checked out the backyard. I actually wouldn’t mind if you did check it out,” she admitted, “because I keep getting this feeling of being watched, you know? I don’t know. Maybe it’s the dog.”
“That’s possible too.” He looked up and down the block. “What’s the fastest way to the alley?”
She hesitated.
He said, “Look. I’m not asking to get into your backyard right now,” he said. “I don’t want you to feel threatened and especially not with this guy giving you trouble,” he said. “There’s enough craziness in the world, and I don’t want you to think that I’ll add to it.”
She just smiled at him, but he could see the relief on her face. “I think if you went down that way, there’s a break between the houses with a pathway. The alley turns and goes off into the block behind us.”
He immediately started walking that way, then turned back and said, “I’ll go down that way and come back up your alleyway. So if you see somebody looking in your backyard, you’ll know it’s just me.”
She nodded and smiled.
He headed down the block, and, as he got down a couple houses, he turned to look back and saw she was still standing there, watching him. He lifted a hand, then turned and left.
Chapter 5
Definitely an interesting man, but Jessica wasn’t sure she believed his story. Except that she had seen the dog herself. And, if he was looking for that dog, she wanted to help. She went back inside, and, with her son playing with blocks on the floor, she quickly pulled up Google and searched for War Dogs and the War Dog program. What she read made her heart squeeze tight. Those poor animals. To think that one might be loose out here, who was expected to go to a family and retire, just broke her heart.
With Danny still playing happily, she walked over to the glass back doors and stared outside. Just then she caught sight of the stranger. What was his name again?
She thought he said Greyson, but she couldn’t remember his last name.
He lifted a hand and waved at her from over the fence. She waved back. At least he was honest when he said that he was going into the back alley.
She watched as he disappeared from sight, going up the alley, and then came back a few minutes later, heading back down the alleyway again.
Now she felt foolish for not trusting him. She picked up Danny, opened the glass doors, and walked to the alleyway gate. She opened it. “Well, you might as well come in and take a look.”
He smiled and stepped inside. She didn’t know why he didn’t feel threatening. Especially at a time when it seemed like so many men out there made her uneasy. Instead, there was almost a comfort to having him around. That made her suspicious, but of herself, not of him.
He wandered around the yard, checking through the brush and nodded to himself.
“What does that mean?”
“Her hair is on the cedars out here,” he said, pulling some forward to show her.
“Oh,” she said, “I didn’t even think to look for signs like that.”
“I’ve been tracking her this whole time,” he said. “Not that it’s easy to see when it’s been so long, but this is recent.”
“I thought I’d caught glimpses of a dog in here,” she said, “so it makes sense to me.”
“Yes, it does.” He wandered around. “And you know a dog like that can jump a fence like this pretty easily, right?”
She stared at him in astonishment. “They can?”
“Six feet from a standstill without a problem,” he said with a smile. “And Kona, in this case, is a hell of a dog. Well-trained and obedient, but she’s gone a bit wild, without all the rules and restrictions she is used to in her world. Before, every waking moment was filled with something for her to do. She knew where to sleep, when to sleep, and how long she could sleep for. But now, all that military structure has been ripped apart in her world, and she’s got to be scared.”
“I can imagine.”
“Listen,” he said, pulling out another Titanium Corp business card, writing his number on the back. “If you see her again, even if you’re not sure it’s her, give me a call.” He hesitated and then said, “I hate to think of you being alone here, so if you think that somebody’s watching you, and you have any confirmation of that, please call the police.”
She half expected him to say she should call him, so it was a bit of a letdown when he said to call the police.
“There isn’t a whole lot the police can do,” she said with a shrug. “Unless he comes in and attacks me, what will they do?”
“At least they can start a file and warn everybody else that he’s out here. Sometimes it’s all a predator needs to avoid coming after you again because they don’t want added trouble.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “If it’s related to my ex—which makes no sense to me—but, if that’s the case, the amount of potential trouble won’t make any difference.”
“Understood,” he said. “If you feel like you can’t call the police, then at least call me, okay?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. You look almost as dangerous as the man I saw.”
He stopped, looked at her in surprise, and said, “Maybe. For the other guy, but I’ve never hurt a woman in my life, and I sure don’t intend to start now.”
She smiled, and, for whatever vague reason she may have had, she believed him. “Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate it.”
He nodded. “I’ll head back down and around. See if I can figure out where the dog has been staying.”
“Well, as soon as it’s dark, the dog will probably be back here for the neighbor’s garbage,” she said. “What he calls garbage and recycling are his pizza boxes still half full of pizza. He doesn’t throw the pizza in the garbage or the box into the recycling. He just throws it all in together in the trash.”
“So the dog may be hanging around here because it’s an easy food source,” he said. “That’s good to know. So, if you see me,” he said with a direct look, “know that I’m out here searching for Kona. So don’t get freaked out.”
She smiled and nodded, then waited until he went out the back alley. She shut the gate firmly behind him and walked back into the house. There was something comforting about his offer, his voice, his explanations, but, at the same time, she knew both her mother and her sister would say Jessica should be running in t
he opposite direction. They would think that anybody who said to expect to see him out back in the dark but to trust him was just bad news.
And maybe it was, but something just seemed seriously solid about him. She didn’t know anything about him, and, of course, knowing his first name but having forgotten the second didn’t help her either. She stared down at the phone number and placed it on the kitchen counter when she walked in. Hopefully she’d never have any reason to call it. But, if she did, she suspected she’d call him before she called the cops. What the hell did that say about her?
Greyson staked out the alleyway for the next several evenings. He parked the vehicle at the end of the alley and watched quietly, then slept for a few hours and got up and walked around. A couple times he used whistles he was sure the dog would recognize from the military. He’d worked around military dogs enough to understand a lot of basic commands and the whistles. But the dog had to get past whatever was going on in her head these last three weeks or so to recognize and to trust it. And that was tough too.
Still, he wanted the dog to be calm and relaxed. Not terrified. The first night he saw nothing. The second night he thought he saw a shadow at the far end of the alley from where he was parked before it took off. On the third night, when he thought he saw the shadow, he let out a whistle. The animal hesitated, and he whistled again and gave Kona a command to come. The dog approached him, slowly and still hesitant. He crouched and said, “Hello, Kona. You’ve had a rough time of it, haven’t you, girl?”
The dog’s head lowered in distrust, but her tail gave a tiny wag. Greyson held out a hand and said, “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s been a pretty rough go, hasn’t it?” There was a sharp bang as a neighbor’s door slammed behind him, and Kona twirled and took off again. But Greyson had made some headway. Not a whole lot but a little bit. And he now knew that this was a regular route for the dog.
He came back earlier the next evening, hoping for a little more daylight.
He walked up to the back of the house of the woman with the little boy. He’d looked her up and found that her name was Jessica and that Danny was her son. The neighbors had been talking pretty freely about her. And although Badger had found no police report on the fender bender, he’d gotten everything Greyson needed from the DMV off her license plate.