Trail of Danger

by Valerie Hansen

  “The trip home from the hospital went all right?”

  “Yes, but I thought...”

  He leaned closer. “What? You thought what?”

  “You’re going to think I really have lost my mind. I thought I heard the voice of one of my attackers on my way home in a taxi.”

  “The driver?”

  “No, no. Passing on the sidewalk. A man yelled and he sounded so menacing I almost jumped out and ran.”

  “Where was this? What street?”

  “I’m not sure. I covered my eyes.”

  “I can take you over the same basic route, if you want. Maybe he lives or works around there.”

  She was so astounded by his suggestion, she was temporarily speechless. Finding her voice, she finally said, “Do you think I want to find him? No way. If I never run into him again it will be too soon.”

  Even as she was speaking, Abigail somehow knew a repeat encounter was possible. It didn’t matter how big the city was or how carefully she moved through it, she could meet her attacker again. And until her memory recovered, she was a sitting duck for any evil he had planned. If only she could remember more. Put faces and descriptions together and help the police.

  But those memories were all gone, sunken into an abyss of her own making and leaving her a prisoner in a cell with invisible bars.

  FOUR

  Watching Abigail unwind while petting Jessie gave Reed an idea. If she continued to refuse to see a doctor about her mental hiccup, perhaps he could help her another way.

  “Jessie sure took to you. You must be a dog lover, too.”

  He noted a flush of her cheeks. “I don’t really know. I mean, I’ve fed strays before but I’ve never had a pet of my own.”

  “Not even when you were a kid?”

  The warmth he’d sensed was swept away by a scowl and a shake of her head. “Sometimes I wonder if I was ever a child.”

  Concerned, he regarded her soberly. “You’re serious.”

  “Very.”

  “Care to explain?”

  “Not really.”

  Although Abigail rested her hand atop Jessie’s head, Reed noticed that she had ceased stroking. The friendly bloodhound did her best to encourage further attention, finally rolling onto her back, all four paws in the air, tail thumping the sofa cushions.

  Reed waited for Jessie’s antics to relax Abigail again before he mentioned his idea. “Since you’re so naturally good with dogs, how about volunteering to foster one of our extra pups.”

  She scowled at him. “Do what?”

  “We received an amazing working dog as a gift from the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, there must have been a miscommunication because Stella delivered a litter soon after she arrived.”

  “What does that have to do with me?” Abigail looked so astonished he decided to play up the underdog, literally.

  “After her pups were weaned and tested for various abilities, most of them qualified for our training program and are being fostered.” Reed paused for effect. “One little female is right on the cusp of flunking out and we’d like to find her a new foster home to see if lots more one-on-one attention helps. I’m not asking you to commit to giving her a permanent home but it will help her develop to her full potential if she’s well socialized and loved while she’s young.”

  Abigail was shaking her head. “I have enough problems without adding a puppy.”

  “You wouldn’t have to keep her. Just get her off to a good start.”

  “Me? I can hardly handle my own life these days and you want to add an impressionable youngster to it?”

  Shrugging, Reed blew out a breath that was so evident it even caught Jessie’s attention. “I just figured, since you were so good at rescuing needy kids, you might be willing to do the same for an innocent animal.”

  Judging by the way Abigail was looking at him, Reed could tell she wasn’t totally buying his analogy. “It’s true. All of it,” he insisted. He pulled out his phone and paged through the photo files, smiling and holding it out for her to view once he located the shot he wanted. “This is Midnight. Look at those sad eyes. How can you refuse to help her?”

  The instant Abigail saw the picture, her whole body reacted and she pouted. “Oh, poor thing. She looks so lonely all by herself.”

  Reed let her take his phone so she could study Midnight in detail. She may have told him no but her body language said otherwise. All he had to do was be patient.

  “What a sweet face. And those floppy ears. Will they stand up like a German shepherd’s when she’s older?”

  “No. We did genetic testing on the litter. They’re purebred Labs like their mama. The only difference is, Stella’s coat is yellow. That’s going to be another problem in placing Midnight if she doesn’t make it through our program. Black dogs are statistically the last to be chosen at the pound.”

  “You’re not sending this poor baby to the dog pound!”

  “Well, I hope not, but...”

  It was all Reed could do to keep from grinning. When her eyes met his he could tell she realized he’d been leading her on.

  Abigail began to smile and slowly shook her head. “You’re good. I could use somebody with a smooth technique like yours at work. You could charm those wild kids into shape in no time.”

  His grin escaped with a quiet chuckle. “Does this mean you’ll take the pup?”

  “No.” She handed his phone back to him. “But I will agree to meet her, no guarantees. You could fill a book with all the things I don’t know about raising a dog.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll teach you.” He stood before she could change her mind and called out to Olga. “I’ll take a rain check on the coffee, ma’am.”

  “You’re leaving?” the older woman asked, peeking around the corner from the kitchen.

  “Not for long. I’ll be back ASAP. I promise.”

  Already thinking ahead, Reed signaled to Jessie, clipped her leash to her collar and headed for the door with a brief wave goodbye. His intention was to leave before Abigail thought it through and had time to change her mind. Once she met Midnight he was pretty sure she’d fall in love.

  With the dog, he added to himself when a stray thought intruded to remind him how attractive the young woman was.

  Reed shook off any whispers of impropriety. He had not come there looking for romance. He’d sought out Abigail because of a sense of duty. When he’d rescued her he’d stepped into her life enough to care, which was not necessarily a wise reaction. Nevertheless, he was determined to do what he could to help. This was a win-win situation. A needy pup would help Abigail heal as well as benefit the less than stellar young dog.

  He jogged down the stairs with Jessie at his side. Midnight might still blossom in the right foster home even though she’d done poorly so far. As long as he stuck around long enough to get Abigail and the pup off to a good start there was a chance of redemption. He could already see her taking Midnight to work with her when she was ready to go back. A loving puppy would help reach the street kids, too, and perhaps show aptitude as a future service dog. They needed the nonjudgmental acceptance K-9s provided.

  Together, Reed and Jessie broke out into the sunshine and headed for his SUV. There was a spring in the dog’s gait and she almost looked as if she was smiling.

  Reed empathized. He was pretty happy, too. If the narrow sidewalk hadn’t been so crowded he might have jogged back to his vehicle instead of settling for a brisk walking pace.

  Suddenly, Jessie gave a tug on the leash that jarred Reed out of his reverie. He paused. Looked behind him. Heard the bloodhound growl and saw the hackles on her back bristle.

  “What is it, girl?”

  Jessie never took her eyes off the people who had just passed. Reed scanned the group. There were too many for him to pick out which one had excited his K-9.

&nbs
p; Given the probability that someone nearby was carrying drugs, he wasn’t too surprised. Even though Jessie wasn’t trained to sniff out illegal substances, she had smelled them often enough on subjects she had tracked.

  But that didn’t mean he was on board with the uneasy feelings Jessie’s behavior was bringing out. The sooner he picked up Midnight and returned to Abigail Jones’s apartment, the better. For everybody.

  * * *

  As far as Abigail was concerned, Olga’s presence was a plus. She would never have asked her friend to keep her company, but since she was already there, she hoped she’d stay.

  The older woman emerged from the kitchen carrying two steaming mugs. “That one has a lot of nerve.”

  “He promised he’d be back.”

  “I hope he’s happy. He made me miss my soap.”

  “We can watch it here,” Abigail offered, blowing on the hot coffee before chancing a sip. “My cable box lets me run programs back to the beginning. You won’t miss a thing.” She reached for the remote. “What channel?”

  “You want I should stay? I don’t want to bother you.”

  “Yes, please. It’s no bother. I—I don’t like being alone all the time.”

  “So get yourself a fella,” Olga said, taking the remote from her and quickly locating the correct TV channel. “Girl like you shouldn’t have any trouble attracting a decent man.” She smiled. “What about the one that just left?”

  A shiver raced up Abigail’s spine and prickled the nape of her neck. “I’ve seen enough bad relationships to stay away from all of them.” She blushed. “I’m not letting any guy move in on me the way...”

  “The way what?” Olga asked.

  Abigail lowered her gaze. “The way my mother used to. That was almost as bad as her insisting I call every one of them Daddy.” Embarrassed beyond words, she wished she hadn’t spoken so bluntly. So truthfully. Yet now that she’d started to bare her soul she yearned to go on.

  “What about your real papa?”

  “I don’t even remember what he looked like. My mother got mad at him once when I was little and destroyed every picture. I have nothing to remember him by.”

  “Did you ask her? Maybe she kept some for herself.”

  Shaking her head, Abigail took another sip before continuing. “I haven’t seen Mama since I was sixteen. I have no idea where she even lives.”

  Olga began patting her free hand. “All right. I’ll stay.” She lifted her own mug as if in a toast to the soap opera. “Now we watch my show. I know some people say I’m foolish to want to see what happens, but you can learn a lot about life this way.”

  “I wish my life was as easy to understand,” Abigail said softly. “I thought I was on the right track, helping homeless teens and doing good for society. Now I wonder.”

  “Nobody ever said doing the right thing was easy. That doesn’t mean it isn’t still right.” Olga paused until the drama switched to a commercial, then said, “You keep the dog your friend is going to bring you, Mr. Rosenbaum will probably raise your rent.”

  Abigail hadn’t thought of that but it fit with the way her days had been going lately. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. She had just about decided to tell Reed to take Midnight back where she came from when Olga added, “Of course, there’s nothing like a big dog barking to scare off thugs.” She chuckled. “Might not be such a bad idea after all.”

  * * *

  Three flights of stairs and a frightened, gangly puppy were a bad combination, Reed mused, breathing hard as he carried wiggly, floppy, excited Midnight up to Abigail’s. Before he had time to put his furry burden down, Jessie barked. The door was jerked open.

  He set the pup on its big feet and smiled as he straightened. The look of astonishment on Abigail’s face added to his amusement.

  Eyes wide, she snapped her jaw closed and pointed. “That’s a puppy?”

  “Uh-huh. She’s about five months old. They grow pretty fast at first.”

  “Yeah.” Remaining in the doorway, Abigail held her hands apart to demonstrate something about the size of a domestic cat. “I was expecting, you know, a puppy. Little? Fluffy? Cuddly on my lap?”

  “Midnight will cuddle you. Give her a chance.”

  Although she did step back, Reed could tell she was anything but sold on his idea even before she said, “All right. Come on in. But this is not going to work.”

  Jessie was first through the door and already on the couch by the time Reed was able to coax Midnight inside. Instead of compliantly trotting along on the end of the leash as she had at the training center and coming up the sidewalk from his SUV, she threw herself down, splayed out on her belly, and was sliding across the wood floor, inch by inch, while he tugged and cajoled. Astonishing! If she’d been trained to resist he’d have understood, but this was a puppy who was supposed to be leash-trained.

  Abigail began to laugh. “Well, that’s good if I need my floor dusted. What other tricks does she do?”

  “She’s pretty good at eating,” Reed joked, knowing he was blushing. “I promise you, she was behaving perfectly when I picked her up at the kennel and put the harness on her. This is very unusual. Working dogs need to be confident and unafraid.”

  “Maybe she senses my moodiness,” Abigail offered. “Don’t judge her by one incident. I’m sure she’ll be fine once you take her back to where you got her.”

  “Mind if I catch my breath first? She wasn’t crazy about climbing stairs, either.”

  Laughing, Abigail said, “What? A big, strong guy like you can’t carry a puppy up three flights without getting winded? Does your chief know how out-of-shape you are?”

  Reed started to argue, then realized she was teasing. “She was hard to hang on to,” he said. “I almost dropped her a couple of times until I figured out she liked her front legs draped over my shoulder.”

  Abigail laughed again. “Can I get you a cup of coffee now, or would you rather have a sports drink?”

  “Plain water’s fine, thanks.”

  Eyeing Jessie and realizing the bloodhound wanted to follow Abigail, Reed unsnapped the pup’s leash and gave Jessie a release command.

  Off they went in Abigail’s footsteps, one after the other, as if they were both tracking. Curiosity moved him to continue watching. He circled an easy chair and walked softly across the hardwood floor toward the kitchen.

  What he observed was a Rockwell picture of Americana. Abigail was standing with her back to the refrigerator door, a bottle of cold water in each hand. The dogs were sitting politely at her feet, tails sweeping arcs on the floor, and acting as if their favorite human was about to serve the tastiest treats they’d ever eaten.

  He waited to see what would happen. He wasn’t disappointed. She began to speak to the dogs as though they were hers.

  “What do you girls want, huh? A drink of water? I can probably manage that, but I’d better ask the officer first.”

  Jessie stayed in place. Midnight, excited by the kind tone of voice, wiggled and circled at Abigail’s feet. Then she glanced over at her canine buddy and managed to resume a seated position without quivering too badly. The pup was smart, all right. She’d learned to beg after one impromptu lesson.

  Waiting to see what happened next, Reed was startled by the loud ringing of a cell phone. He watched Abigail pale as she set the water bottles aside, reached for her phone and looked at the number. It must have been familiar because she quickly answered.

  “Hello?”

  Whatever the caller said caused her to lean against the counter. Was she shaking? Perhaps it was bad news and she needed moral support. Convinced he was right, Reed joined her and the dogs.

  “I—I can’t. I’m not ready,” Abigail said, listening to the caller’s reply before she added, “Are you sure?”

  Apparently the answer was affirmative because her tight grip on the
phone began to whiten her knuckles. He gently cupped her elbow and mouthed, “What’s wrong?”

  Distracted, she lowered the phone. Her eyes were wide and moist, her lower lip quivering slightly. “It’s one of my kids. A girl I’ve been working with for several months. She insists she has to talk to me in person.”

  “Where?” Reed asked.

  “She’s at the AFS office where I work. That stands for A Fresh Start. It’s only about six blocks away, right here in Brighton Beach. I usually walk, it’s just that...”

  “I understand. How about if we go with you?”

  “You’d do that? Really?”

  “Of course.”

  Abigail lifted the phone to her ear again and agreed to the rendezvous. “All right. I’ll manage. Tell her to meet me there in thirty minutes.”

  Her blue eyes were still wide and misty when she ended the call and looked at Reed. “I hope that’s enough time.”

  “It will be if we drive instead of dragging this pup on a leash. I’d like to see her relate to teens.”

  “Some of them are very troubled,” Abigail told him.

  “All the better for temperament testing.”

  “Right.”

  He saw Abigail standing very still and eyeing a purse that sat at the end of the kitchen counter. Clearly, she was far from over the trauma of nearly being abducted.

  “Tell you what,” Reed said, keeping his voice light and pleasant, “I’ll go get my car and come pick you up. How does that sound?”

  The smile she gave him showed great relief. “Sounds good. That way we won’t have to drag Midnight and get her all dirty from the sidewalks.”

  He matched her smile with a wider grin. “I’ll leave them both with you so Jessie can help influence the pup.” After snapping short leashes on his K-9’s collar and Midnight’s harness, Reed handed the opposite ends to her. “You’re in charge.”

  “Hey! Wait. I don’t know what to do.”

  “It’s easy. You just stand where you are or sit back down on the couch. They’ll follow you.”