“Gotcha.” He eyed the doorway, wishing the tech would hurry up with those X-rays. “What’s taking so long?”
“Tell you what. Why don’t you go wait out front for Sergeant Sullivan while I see about your dog? If I need you, I’ll send for you.”
“That makes sense, I guess.” There was no way Linc could divide himself in two, so tending to one task while Roark followed up on another seemed the wisest choice.
Taking a deep, settling breath of fresh Texas air once he reached the sidewalk, Linc was struck by the conundrum he’d just acknowledged. A few weeks ago, there would have been no hard choice to make. He would have opted to remain with his K-9 partner and let someone else fill any other gaps.
Now, however, he saw that his loyalties were being divided, and he didn’t like it. In his mind, he visualized being at war with himself, as if he were both friend and foe in an ongoing battle in which there could be no clear-cut winner. If he directed all his energy toward Star and neglected taking care of Zoe and her little boy, he chanced letting harm come to them. If, on the other hand, he concentrated on the woman and child too much, he could lose Star, as present circumstances painfully demonstrated.
Almost convinced to turn and go back inside, he spotted an approaching taxi. To his chagrin, his heartbeat increased in speed and he felt beads of perspiration welling on his forehead. If Zoe was in that cab, then he’d know she was okay. What if she wasn’t?
Keying his mic, he radioed Captain Blackwood and identified himself. “I’m still at the vet’s. They’re taking X-rays of Star. Roark thinks she’s okay.”
“Good. Call me back when you know for sure.”
“I will. But there’s been another development,” Linc said. “Sullivan has been relieved of duty. She’s on her way to join me here.”
“What? Why weren’t we notified?”
“I imagine we will be. I just thought it best not to wait for the information to go through channels. When she told me, I instructed her to come here instead of my going to pick her up.”
“Good. When I told you to get close to the sergeant, I certainly didn’t mean for you to abandon your K-9 in a crisis.”
“Affirmative. One other thing, Captain. Sullivan’s leaving her private vehicle in a parking lot near her classroom.”
“Why? Wouldn’t it start?”
Linc felt his muscles tighten as if readying for hand-to-hand combat. “That’s not the problem. I figured, given the incident at her apartment earlier today, she shouldn’t try to drive. She was away from the car long enough for it to have been tampered with.”
“Now who’s paranoid?” Blackwood asked. “What do you expect me to do about it?”
“I was hoping you’d ask Nick Donovan and his bomb-sniffing K-9, Annie, or somebody from ordnance to take a look. Maybe have it towed to a safe holding area?”
“You honestly think there’s a chance it’s rigged with explosives?”
“There’s a chance of anything at this point,” Linc said firmly. “Until we uncover the reasons for the strange attacks on her I think it’s prudent to take precautions.” He paused. “Listen, she’s here, so I have to go. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
“All right. And, Colson?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Keep working on her about her brother. There’s a fair chance he’s the one behind the weirdness.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Okay. Now, go see to your dog.”
“I will.”
Linc smiled and held out a hand to Zoe as she climbed out of the taxi. Her fingers were cool yet as soft as he remembered, her eyes sparkling with delight and her lips lifting in the smile that often graced his dreams of late.
She glanced at the mic clipped to the shoulder of his ABU. “Did you just get another call?”
“No. I was reporting in. Security hadn’t been informed of your duty change yet, and I wanted to be sure my bosses were up to speed.”
“Good old bureaucracy,” she said, grinning up at him. “The news will probably reach interested parties at about the time regular base gossip does.”
“Or after.” Linc held the glass door to the building open for her. “No troubles getting here?”
“Other than having to abandon my wheels, no,” Zoe replied. “I realize that old beater isn’t much, but it gets me around okay. I’d hate to lose it.”
“I’m having it checked for you,” he said. “Until it’s cleared, I’ll drive you wherever you need to go.”
“Thanks.” She sobered as they proceeded down a long hallway. “How’s Star?”
“No report yet, but it shouldn’t be long.” Ushering her into the office where the head veterinarian sat behind his desk, Linc saluted and said, “Captain Roark, this is Staff Sergeant Zoe Sullivan.”
The captain rose and returned the salute as Zoe did the same. “My pleasure. I understand you’ve had a rough morning.”
“Yes, sir. You could say that.”
“Well, if you need a break, we can always provide puppy therapy.”
“Sir?”
Roark chuckled. “It’s a standing joke around the kennels. Five minutes sitting in a pen of happy puppies is our standard cure for the blues. Works every time.”
“My son would love it.”
“I’m sure he would.” The vet sobered and gestured toward a gurney being guided past the open door. “There’s Star now. Follow me.”
They joined the dog in the closest exam room where Roark displayed the X-rays on a monitor. “Star’s X-rays show that nothing is broken, but she was so sore they had to administer a light sedative in order to get her to lie still for clear pictures. She’s still pretty groggy.”
Linc was surprised when Zoe dropped her briefcase, beat him to the sleepy canine, caressed her head and bent to kiss her muzzle. “Poor baby. I’m so sorry, Star.”
Not only did Linc’s eyebrows arch, Roark’s did, too. The captain spoke first. “I wouldn’t try that when Star is fully conscious if I were you, Sergeant Sullivan. She might take your nose off.”
“Besides, we don’t want her too well socialized,” Linc added. “It can take the edge off protective responses.”
Zoe backed away, blushing. “I’m sorry. She just looks so pitiful lying there.”
Linc huffed to cover his own tender feelings toward the injured dog. “Yeah, well, she won’t once the sedative wears off.” He looked to Kyle Roark. “How long will she be sidelined?”
“I’d like to keep her here for a day or so, just to be on the safe side. Internal tissue injuries don’t show up on X-rays, and since she is indicating pain, I want her monitored.”
“Okay. What now?”
“I’ll have Airman Fielding take her to Recovery. You can accompany them if you wish, Colson.”
“I don’t know. I...” His troubled glance lit on Zoe. “Is there anywhere you need to go now that we know Star’s going to be all right?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she said with a gentle look and slight smile as she stroked the rottweiler’s shoulder. “I want us to go with Star, so you can be there to comfort her when she’s fully awake.”
The surprised glance the veterinarian shot Linc was nothing compared to his own awe. Despite all her problems and the way most of the base had rejected her, Zoe Sullivan’s heart remained kind and caring. She’d realized how much he wanted to stay with his K-9 partner and was facilitating it for his sake. And perhaps for Star’s well-being, too.
“Lead on,” Linc told the vet tech. “We’ll follow you.”
As Zoe leaned down to retrieve her briefcase, Linc took it from her, then clasped her hand. She didn’t try to pull away. Instead, her fingers laced through his. As far as he was concerned, he’d gladly stay connected like that for the rest of the day.
TWELVE
Seeing S
tar acting so weak made Zoe want to sit with Star on the folded blanket in the kennel run and cradle the poor dog’s massive head in her lap. Only her dress uniform stopped her.
Happily, Linc had no such reservations in his ABU and sat beside his groggy dog, legs crossed.
Zoe leaned against the open gate. “Do you want me to close this?”
“Not yet. After she’s back on her feet, we’ll shut it and leave so she’ll rest. Doc says that’s what she needs most.”
Studying the row of runs she could see from where she stood, Zoe asked, “Is this where all those loose dogs came from?”
“Some of them. We have a lot more room in the Military Working Dog Training Center next door. There are indoor and outdoor housing areas.”
“I saw you catch that one dog. How many are still missing?”
Linc continued to stroke and comfort Star. “At last count, twenty-eight. Since almost two hundred were released in the first place, that’s a fair capture rate, but nobody understands why four of the best trained K-9s have remained missing. We’re all worried about them.”
“What I don’t understand is why they didn’t all just come home. I mean, they’re fed and cared for right here. Why run away and stay gone?”
He shrugged. “The theory in some cases is that since they’re not well socialized before training and a few are also suffering from PTSD, the wilds of the base beyond our developed areas appealed to them. Remember, dogs are basically pack animals. If they have a strong pack leader, they’ll follow him pretty much anywhere.”
“But the base is fenced and patrolled.”
“True. But we do get an occasional stray coyote inside the perimeter, so it’s possible our missing dogs were able to slip out. Or they could be hiding in or around small caves in the rougher terrain the way Westley James thinks they are. There’s also thick woods on base. It’s been searched, of course, but so far that hasn’t helped.” Looking up from Star, he caught Zoe’s concerned gaze and added, “We’ll catch up to them all eventually.”
“Will they still be useful after turning feral?”
“I wouldn’t worry about overcoming that. Our trainers are the best in the business. They’ll be able to handle any setbacks. It’ll just take time and patience.” He continued rhythmically stroking his dog’s shoulder.
“Do you and Star train all the time?” she asked him.
“Practice, you mean? We do our share. Maintaining the K-9’s proficiency is one of the requirements for being a handler. We never stop testing our dogs. Everyday patrols and assignments like the one I have watching you are only part of the picture.”
He fell silent and concentrated on soothing Star. Zoe listened and heard a rumble. “Is she snoring?”
Linc rested his hand lightly on the rottweiler’s head and began to grin. “Uh-huh. She’s had a rough day.” As he slowly got to his feet and backed away, he laid one finger across his lips. “Let’s go and let her sleep.”
Whispering, Zoe questioned that decision, “I thought you wanted to stay with her until she woke up.”
He eased her out and closed the gate behind them. “That was when she was groggy from the anesthetic. This is pure sleep. See how her breathing has changed? Deepened? And watch her muzzle.”
Zoe had to cover her own mouth to keep from giggling aloud. “Her lips flap!”
“I know. I’ve spent so much time with her I can tell how she feels by observation. She’s exhausted but doing okay. And her gums are nice and pink. That’s a good sign, too. According to Captain Roark, that means she’s not bleeding internally. If she were, it would be evident by now.”
Zoe let him cup her elbow and direct her away from the kennels. Their slow passage didn’t rouse many of the other patients housed there. They were out of the veterinary hospital before she asked, “Where are we going?”
“First, I’m taking you home and waiting while you change, since you’re not on duty anymore. Then I thought we’d go see one of the women your brother threatened.”
“I hope she’s here on base, because General Hall ordered me not to leave.”
“She is,” Linc replied. “First Lieutenant Vanessa Gomez is a nurse at the base hospital, and I want to pick her brain about something.”
“Really? What?”
He didn’t answer until they were in his SUV and had pulled into traffic. “We got a preliminary report on the substance that was found at your apartment this morning.”
“They already told me it was fake blood. It was, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. Mostly water and corn syrup with red food coloring and a little chocolate syrup to mute the bright crimson.”
“Sure had me fooled when I stepped in it. I even imagined it smelled like the real thing.”
“Me, too, at first glance. Very realistic. It made me wonder why the person who left it settled for a substitute. I’d think if he wanted to really freak you out, he’d have used the genuine article.”
“Maybe it was hard to come by.”
“That’s one of the details I want to double-check. If Boyd wasn’t behind it and the guy who is didn’t want to harm anyone, he might have tried to steal blood from the hospital. I actually hope he did because that could give us some clues.”
Zoe’s eyes widened. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you teach flying and I’m the cop. Our forensics team figured out what they were dealing with the minute they walked in. Your apartment smelled more like pancakes to them than it should have.”
She smirked at him. “So, cop, what can a nurse tell us that we don’t already know?”
“Since she was threatened by the Red Rose Killer, I thought she’d have some personal insights, maybe something more than the hospital administration gave us. It is in her best interest to speak freely, especially if she knows of a gap in their blood distribution system.”
“Why take me along? I mean, unless you still think I’m hiding something and want to make me feel guilty, there’s no real reason for me to meet this nurse.”
“No, there isn’t. But you do have to stay with me, and I have a few loose ends I can hopefully tie up without the use of my dog, so you’re coming along. I can’t just sit around and wait. It’s driving me crazy to be idle.”
“I understand,” Zoe said, averting her eyes to stare out the window as they turned and crossed Canyon Drive. “I don’t want you wasting time with me when there are bigger fish to fry. It’s just embarrassing to talk to people my brother has hurt or threatened. I hate that I’m related to a serial killer.”
“That’s definitely not the reason I want you to go,” Linc said. “Two heads are always better than one when it comes to spotting anomalies and picking out which ones may be of interest. And you need something to think about besides your own troubles. I figured a diversion might give your brain something to do while your subconscious works on the rest of our unanswered questions.”
Zoe had to chuckle. “Sergeant, if my brain got any busier, my head might explode.”
“Which reminds me,” he said lightly, keeping the conversation from becoming somber, “after giving it a quick look, the bomb boys didn’t find anything wrong with your car, but they did tow it in for further examination.”
“I hope I can pick it up soon.” Linc’s SUV was coming to a stop at the curb in front of her apartment and she reached for the door handle.
“Whoa. Not so fast. I’m going to check your apartment before you go inside.”
“Why? Your evidence people were still here when I left for work and probably stayed most of the time I was gone.”
“Most of the time isn’t good enough. I’ll go in first, do a walk-through, then give you the all clear.”
She shuddered, thinking of the way her home had looked the last time she’d seen it. “I hope they took away everything that was soiled. I mean, I’d hat
e to go back up there and find the same awful red mess I left behind—even if it is fake.”
“Tell you what,” Linc said. “If there are places that need TLC, I’ll take care of those while you change. We can leave the hall door open so we don’t start any rumors.”
She was touched. And wryly amused. “After everything that’s happened to me lately, I imagine my reputation is already trashed. Thanks for trying to protect me from gossip, but I’m less afraid of that than I am of finding another attacker lying in wait. You are more than welcome to inspect the apartment and wait there with me, whether my front door is open or closed.”
“Thank you,” Linc said.
“I’m serious. I trust you implicitly.” Zoe realized she meant that from the bottom of her heart. There might be nobody else she could truly count on except Linc Colson. But that was enough. He was enough.
Watching him don his official blue beret as he circled the vehicle to open her door, she had to fight to keep from once again enumerating his many virtues. This was a good, good man. An admirable member of the Security Forces that kept the base safe. Not only could he be relied upon in a crisis, his presence gave comfort when all was in chaos.
Zoe clasped the hand he offered and carefully climbed down from the truck. His touch was warm, steady, welcome. It seemed as natural as breathing to slip her fingers between his. It was a pity that this kind of supportive contact would cease once Linc’s assignment was over.
Given that nebulous peek into the future, she decided to make the most of these brief moments of closeness. He never needed to know how special he was becoming to her, nor did she intend for their camaraderie to blossom into something more, something deeper. She’d been married once. That was enough. God had rescued her in the nick of time or she might have ended up blamed for John’s illegal transfer of classified data simply because she was his wife.
Thoughts of marriage melded with images of the strong man walking beside her and she nearly panicked. She gently slipped her hand from his.
It wasn’t a lack of interest that caused her to withdraw. On the contrary. She’d broken their physical bond because she did care for him. Far, far too much.
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