Search and Rescue

by Valerie Hansen

  “Yes.”

  Viewing his profile, Sophie admired his strong jaw and muscled forearms. He was every bit a chief, in demeanor as well as appearance. The way he carried himself spoke more loudly than words, and his pristine blue uniform fit perfectly, unlike the way the previous chief’s shirt had strained to stay buttoned over his ample stomach.

  Ryder apparently sensed her attention because he glanced to the side. “What?”

  “Nothing.” Sophie was afraid she was blushing. “I was just thinking.”

  “About the shooter?”

  “Right. The shooter. Why assume it was Carrie? I mean, would she suddenly switch to a rifle when her previous weapon of choice was a handgun?”

  “Why not?” Ryder said, continuing to cruise slowly down Main, “She shot my wife and Veronica, but she pushed rookie Mike Riverton down steep stairs and burned down rookie Brian Miller’s house with him in it. Carrie has no known MO when it comes to how she murders her victims.”

  Shivering with those memories, Sophie said, “I just can’t see Carrie accurately aiming a rifle. She’s too scrawny to hold it steady.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. She did miss.”

  “Well, somebody did. Too bad it wasn’t caught on surveillance cameras.”

  Nodding as if pondering the attack, Ryder pulled into a deserted parking lot and stopped beneath a shade tree, letting the engine idle to keep the vehicle cool. “If not Carrie, then who?”

  “How should I know?” She raised both hands, palms up, and shrugged. “I was too busy taking cover to make notes. All I know is there were three shots and they all seemed to be coming from the east side of the depot building. Whoever it was took a big chance of being spotted. Somebody must have seen something.”

  “We’ll sort that out back at the station after I’ve read the reports. That’s one reason I deployed all the K-9s. We may as well make full use of them while they’re still temporarily assigned here.”

  Sophie sighed. “I suppose so. I’ll be glad to get back to running new training classes but I will miss these rookies when they move on. They’ve kind of grown on me.”

  “Me, too,” Ryder admitted. “It’s nice to have more officers. Particularly when their salaries are being paid by the richest woman in town.”

  “Marian Foxcroft.” Sophie thought of the woman who’d arranged to have the newly graduated rookies stay on to solve the murders and mysterious deaths over the past five years. Someone had attacked Marian in her own home—and that person was very likely Carrie Dunleavy. Why, was a question no one had an answer to. “I hope she recovers from her head injury, for her sake and for poor Ellen’s.” Sophie knew that Ellen Foxcroft, one of the rookies, hadn’t been very close to her mother before the attack. Everyone was pulling for Marian. Sophie decided to change the subject. “It’s nice to be able to have all the rookies’ partners around for a little longer, too.”

  “Right. The dogs, too.” He cast a quick glance over his shoulder. “Well, all except for one. What possessed you to send for—Phoenix, is it?”

  “Yes. Phoenix. We have him on a trial basis, just in case he doesn’t work out, but I think you’re going to be surprised. Besides, he was a bargain.”

  Ryder arched his brows. “I don’t doubt that.”

  “Hey, don’t criticize him before you give him a chance. At one time, this dog was very good. He can be again.”

  “What happened to him?”

  Taking a deep, calming breath Sophie explained. “He lost his partner in the line of duty. They were ambushed in an alley. Even though he was wounded, too, Phoenix stood guard over his fallen partner until reinforcements arrived.”

  “And after that he stayed scared?”

  “Not exactly. Several other officers tried to work with him. When that failed, he was sent to rehab training in the southern part of the state, then reassigned, but he was too emotionally fragile to be of much use.”

  “You think you can cure him?”

  “I think I understand him. That’s a start.” She hesitated. “Been there, done that.”

  Ryder was shaking his head. “So, you expect to convince a dog that the death of his handler was inevitable because that’s what you’ve been telling yourself about the loss of your own partner, back when you wore a badge?”

  Wondering if she would be able to sound logical, Sophie paused to gather herself. Her mouth was dry, her palms damp. She knew full well that her narrow focus on the criminal she and her former partner, Wes Allen, had been pursuing was what had cost him his life. Acting as his backup, she’d failed to notice a hidden gunman—until it was too late. Wes had died on the spot and it was her fault. She’d left the force shortly thereafter.

  Sophie suppressed another shiver. Here in Desert Valley she had colleagues who would probably understand. One of them was sitting next to her. Confiding the full extent of her lingering guilt and pain, however, was out of the question.

  “That all happened long ago,” she said. “I’ve found my niche training dogs for law enforcement.”

  “It’s still excess baggage. We all carry plenty.”

  She could tell by the faraway look in his blue eyes that he was remembering his wife, the mother of his little girl. At least he still had Lily to give him solace. Sophie had nothing left but her work.

  Pressing her lips together tightly she considered her personal life. Her best friends were dogs—and that was just the way she wanted it. People had hurt and disappointed her as far back as she could remember. Listening to her parents quarreling, she had often hidden in her room, hugging the family dog and trusting him to keep her safe. Law enforcement had seemed the perfect career choice at the outset but she had quickly realized she was not equipped to accept loss, particularly the death of her own partner. In turning to K-9 training she had, in a way, gone back to the solace she’d found as a frightened child. Not that she was about to admit it.

  “I’ve recovered from my past,” Sophie finally said. “You will, too. Just give it time.”

  Ryder was shaking his head. “No. I don’t ever want to forget.”

  A sense of melancholy enfolded her. She had never come close to finding the kind of love and devotion this man held for his late wife, nor did she ever hope to. A lifelong commitment was the kind of thing dreams were made of and she knew better than to entertain such fancies.

  She had her job, her dogs and a career many people coveted. Heartfelt prayer had led her to Desert Valley and circumstances were keeping her here. That was enough. It would have to be.

  A sidelong glance at Ryder convinced her further. He needed her help and that of the dog she was preparing for him. Call it a job or a ministry or whatever, it was why she was where she was at this moment in time. She would not waste the opportunity.

  While it was wrong to think of hugging away his pain, it was right to support his rise in rank. Merely the fact that he had been promoted to police chief while still technically a K-9 cop was a wonder. Keeping him active and qualified with a dog for as long as he wished to be was up to her.

  She closed her eyes for a moment and thought. Father, thank You. Please stay with me.

  “You okay?” Ryder asked.

  “Fine.” Her voice had a catch in it the first time so she repeated, “Fine.”

  “Do you want me to drop you back at the training center or take you home?”

  “Home, please,” Sophie said. “I want Phoenix to get used to living with his handler again. We may as well start right away.”

  “You won’t take any unnecessary chances? Promise?”

  “Cross my heart.” She made the motion.

  “Okay. I’ll go in ahead of you and check your house.”

  Her “No,” came easily.

  “No?”

  Sophie was nodding. “Thanks, but no thanks. That won’t
be necessary. If there’s anything wrong at my place the dog will alert.”

  “How? By ducking and shaking the way he did at the depot?” The chief sounded cynical.

  Reminded of the shooting incident and the way her own hands had trembled in its aftermath, Sophie covered her emotions by shrugging and saying, “Whatever.”

  To herself, she added, That will make two of us feeling fearful. All her previous efforts to escape the rigors and threats of active law enforcement had been rendered ineffectual the moment those shots had been fired. If she had not been going home with a dog, traumatized or not, she might have welcomed human intervention.

  Ryder was adamant. “Look. Until we know whether or not the attack on you was random, I’m going to pull rank. I’m inspecting your house when we get there. Is that understood?”

  Sophie was so relieved she nearly sighed aloud. Instead, she purposely pouted, scooted lower in the seat and folded her arms, making sure her courageous image remained unspoiled. “Yeah, I get it.”

  In truth, she was thankful. The house she’d been renting for several years sat on a double lot on East Second Street and backed up to undeveloped land, a quiet location that had seemed ideal until she’d started feeling vulnerable.

  Right now, she’d have gladly settled for high stone walls instead of wire fencing, and maybe a turret with an armed guard or two, preferably one like Ryder Hayes.

  If he turned up anybody hiding in her house, waiting to hurt her, she didn’t know what she’d do. But she was pretty sure she knew what Ryder would do—whatever it took to see that she was taken care of.

  TWO

  Ryder had figured Sophie’s objections to his entering her home had been based on its messy condition. One look had immediately changed his mind. She was a good housekeeper. The dishes were washed, the bed made, and a vacuum cleaner stood sentinel in a corner of the living room. There were slipcovers on her padded furniture and an extra throw on the sofa. He could understand that when a person kept bringing new dogs home.

  Satisfied that she’d be fine, he divided the remainder of his day between his office and the depot crime scene. He was a methodical investigator. Usually. This time he felt as if he was missing something, some clue that would better explain why Sophie had been targeted. But what?

  After being fooled so thoroughly by Carrie, he found himself mistrusting everyone, a trait which had gotten him into hot water with Sophie after her predecessor, head trainer Veronica Earnshaw, had been murdered at work. Unwarranted suspicion and hurt feelings at that time meant he’d have to be doubly sensitive about how he chose to dig deeper into Sophie’s past. Looking for someone who may have held a grudge since her days as a police officer was going to be his first objective.

  The most logical choice was to simply question her, although he hadn’t gotten very far when he’d tried that before. There were cut-and-dried facts in her file, sure, but that wasn’t the same as getting her input on old cases.

  Planning to speak with her the following day, Ryder put Titus in his car and started for Lily’s babysitter’s house. Passing the veterinary office adjacent to the training center, he did a double take. There was only one old car he knew of that lacked a backseat and was decorated with decals of various dog breeds. Sophie Williams was out and about.

  He parked at the curb. Bypassing the deserted front counter he headed down the hall to the exam rooms. Phoenix was perched on a stainless steel table while Sophie comforted him.

  Her eyes widened. “Oops. Caught me.”

  “You promised me you’d stay home today.”

  “I believe I promised I wouldn’t make any unnecessary trips.” She’d looped an arm over the trembling dog’s shoulders while Tanya Fowler, the veterinarian, held a stethoscope to his ribs.

  “This is necessary?”

  “Yes,” Sophie replied.

  “And why is that?”

  “Well, you wouldn’t want a sick dog to contaminate our working teams or facility, would you?”

  He eyed the shaking canine. “He’s sick?” Judging by the way Sophie’s cheeks bloomed even before she answered, he doubted it.

  “Um, no, Tanya says he’s healthy.” Sophie brightened. “But you have to agree. We did need a professional opinion.”

  “And now we have one. Let’s go. I’ll follow you home and check the place again.”

  “Don’t be silly. There’s no reason for you to go to all that trouble. I told you, I’m armed.”

  “A handgun is no defense against a rifle unless your attacker runs out of ammo and tries to club you with it.”

  The face she made at him was hilarious. Rather than smile and lose authority he turned away and pointed to the door.

  Although Sophie didn’t hurry, she did comply. Giving the vet a brief hug and thanking her, she lifted Phoenix down and started for the exit.

  Ryder let her pass before he allowed himself to grin behind her back. Of all the trainers and handlers he’d ever known, this one was the most admirable—and the most hardheaded. She had a quick answer for everything and a dry wit that often surfaced at the most needed moments. Working in law enforcement was tough, particularly for men and women who were in it for altruistic reasons, and they often needed the kind of emotional release that laughter provided.

  Sophie was out the door and halfway to her car before he stopped her. “Wait. You forgot something.”

  “What?”

  He’d already scanned their surroundings, satisfied they were safe for the time being. “You never once checked for threats. You just barged out the door as if you were the only person in town.”

  “Like I keep telling you, Phoenix will let me know if there’s danger.”

  “Sure. After he has his own nervous breakdown.”

  The view of Sophie, chin held high, her eyebrows arched and her hands fisted on her hips, was so cute he could hardly keep a straight face.

  “I’ll have you know he saved me at the depot this morning. If he hadn’t held back I might not have bent over and could have been shot.”

  That was enough to ruin Ryder’s day. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about a connection?”

  She shrugged. “Actually, it just occurred to me when you questioned his abilities.”

  “You didn’t hear or see anything to make you duck?”

  “Nope. The first I knew I was in trouble was when the bullets started flying. Which reminds me. How long do you think my SUV will be out of service? I like my car but it lacks a certain dignity.”

  “If I had my way you’d be stuck in your office for the rest of the year. Or longer.”

  It was the rapid way Sophie’s expression changed that focused his attention. She was clearly trying to maintain her bravado and failing miserably. What had he said or done to trigger such a transformation? Even shortly after the shooting that could have taken her life, she hadn’t looked this doleful.

  Concerned, Ryder approached. “What is it? What just happened?”

  “Nothing.”

  He reached out, not quite touching her shoulder, and heard an unexpected growl at his feet. Wonder of wonders, the usually shy dog had stepped in front of Sophie and was prepared to defend her.

  “Whoa.” Ryder withdrew. “Maybe there is hope for Phoenix after all.”

  “There’s hope for all God’s creatures, given the right environment and enough love,” Sophie said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going.”

  She let the dog jump in before she slid behind the wheel of her decal-covered car.

  Because he assumed she’d take off as fast as possible, Ryder jogged back to his idling patrol unit, unlocking the door remotely. Titus was panting but comfortably cool thanks to a special air-conditioning system that functioned whether the car was moving or not.

  It was easy to follow her to
the small house on Second Street. Ryder stayed in his car and observed, just in case. The usual spring was missing from Sophie’s step. She was almost plodding, as if bearing a heavy weight on those slim shoulders. Seeing such a change come over her—and linger—had him worried.

  Somehow, he had caused emotional injury to someone he admired, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what had happened. They’d been talking about her SUV and he’d made some sarcastic remark about wishing she were stuck in her office, but surely that couldn’t have been enough to instantly depress her.

  Puzzled, Ryder kept watching and mulling over the problem until Sophie and the dog were safely inside. Whatever he’d done had also bothered the new dog so it must be something simple. Intuitive.

  “I raised my voice?” he muttered. “I was just worried about her but...” But perceived anger had demoralized her. Perhaps Sophie’s mood had had less to do with what he’d said than it did with his forceful delivery.

  So, who had verbally abused her in the past? And why were the residual effects lingering in her twenties?

  A strong urge to climb out of the car and apologize was not easy to quash. Surely there would be a better time to speak with her in private and express regret. Besides, it might be too soon to approach after inadvertently hurting her.

  That was what bothered him the most, even though it had been unintentional. He would never purposely harm anyone.

  “Except for Carrie,” Ryder murmured. It would be better for all concerned if he were not present for the capture. His respect for the law was strong, yet he didn’t want to have to put it to the ultimate test.

  Modern laws didn’t allow “an eye for an eye” biblical justice. God forgive him, he sorely wished it did.

  * * *

  Before releasing Phoenix, Sophie led him on a comprehensive tour of her house, allowing him to sniff to his heart’s content now that she was sure he was healthy. It was good to have a dog underfoot again, even if she was going to eventually have to relinquish him to a new partner.