by Mary Behre
“What are you talking about?” Shelley stopped and faced him. His dizzying barrage of questions too much to absorb. She instead focused on the first one. “You can’t skip ahead in veterinary school. I graduated last year.”
“You’re not old enough to have gone all the way through.” Jack waved at her. “Hello, you’re my age and I’m just getting started. Well, I will start next semester anyway.”
“First, you’re twenty-one. I’m three years older than you. Second, I graduated from high school with my Associate’s Degree.”
“Seriously? You took college classes in high school?”
Something about the tone in his voice set her teeth on edge, but still she kept her voice light. “Yes, and you could have done it too. I went from there to the university where I finished up my Bachelor’s in twenty-four months because I didn’t take summers off. Then I enrolled in veterinary school. I didn’t skip anything.”
Jack frowned at her then gave her a very obvious once-over. “You’re . . . you’re a nerd? But you’re . . . hot. Well, for a vet who dresses like my grandmother.”
“Did you just compare me to your grandmother?”
Jack just grinned.
Shelley’s eyes were going to pop out of her head if she listened to this guy another second. Without responding, she spun on her heel and closed the distance to her office door. Once inside the tiny space, she propped up the wooden and plastic mesh baby gate across her doorway, designed to keep Hercules from wandering in there while she was out. Setting Lucy on the ground, Shelley gave her pet a stern frown then added aloud for good measure, “Behave, I mean it.”
Lucy shook her head and sneezed indignantly, then pranced beneath Shelley’s desk where her small travel cage rested. After climbing inside, she curled up into a tight ball and did what ferrets did best. She went to sleep.
“What do you want me to do with the guinea pig?” Jack asked. All questions about her age, her clothing, and her career seemingly forgotten. He leaned over the mesh gate rather than crossing into her sanctuary.
Shelley stepped over it, carefully.
“Thanks, Jack. Leave the guinea pig in the examination room. I’ll get to him in a little bit. I’ve got plenty of paperwork to finish before Dr. Alexander returns. So if you want to get started on Mrs. Hoffstedder’s beagle, that’d be great.”
“No problem,” Jack said and disappeared into the back.
The smell of cinnamon and pine cones permeated the receptionist area. The scent was an instant soother for her nerves. Now that the dogs in the spa had settled down, all was quiet. Peaceful.
Settling into the chair, she pulled up the afternoon schedule on the computer. The muscles in her shoulders began to ease. At barely noon, she had an hour before the next client . . . er, guest, was set to arrive. Fifty guaranteed crazy-free minutes.
She exhaled a relieved sigh. A little more tension slipped away.
Breathe, relax. This Wednesday isn’t that bad.
“Uh, excuse me . . . Dr. Morgan?” Jack’s voice sounded a little too tentative. A little too respectful.
She glanced up to find the young intern standing before her. His gaze bounced around the room. He looked everywhere but at her.
An icy sensation slithered into her stomach, making it shrink. “What did you do?”
“It wasn’t my fault,” he said, a little too quickly. “I didn’t realize you’d left the front door open.”
The front door?
“I certainly wouldn’t have let Hercules wander through the clinic unattended if you’d told me that the place was open for business,” he rushed on. “Or that you had some kid carrying bags of food inside from the shed. I would have locked him up.”
“Him, who?” The words were out of her mouth nanoseconds before the answer slammed into her.
Hercules. The dog. The dog.
“Are you telling me that Hercules, Dr. Alexander’s prized St. Bernard . . .” Her voice pitched higher with each word. “The one he calls his only true baby is missing?”
“Not my fault.” Jack held up his hands.
From behind him came a sound of someone sniffing back tears. “I’m so sorry Dr. M. I didn’t see him by the door until after I’d opened it. I tried to stop him. I had him real good for about a minute.”
Beau stepped out from behind Jack. His blue T-shirt was torn from the shoulder to the wrist down one sleeve. Worse, he had an ugly patch of road rash on his upper left arm, which disappeared up the torn shirt. His glasses were askew and hanging by a leg.
She raced around Jack and checked Beau’s injuries. Pointing at the intern, she ordered, “You, go chase after him.”
“Yeah, see, I can’t run. Remember, I tore my ACL doing that Mud Run with the Barbie Twins back in September?” He gestured to the brace on his knee. He wasn’t on crutches anymore, but that didn’t mean he was cleared to go chasing a dog back and forth across town.
“Shoot, shack, shipwreck!” she cursed, kicking off her ridiculous heels. What she wouldn’t give for a pair of sneakers and jeans right now. “Jack, help Beau get cleaned up. There’s a sewing kit in my desk, get it out and we’ll repair his shirt. See if you can fix his glasses. Make sure the rest of the dogs are locked up tight. Do not answer the phone for anyone. Let it go to voice mail. And for the love of that St. Bernard, if Dr. Alexander returns before I come back, do not tell him you let his dog escape.”
“What do I say?”
“I don’t know. Tell him I took Herc for a walk or something.”
“Right, like he’ll believe that one,” Jack scoffed. “Dogs hate you, remember? So maybe you aren’t like Dr. Dolittle after all, huh.”
“Jack! Focus.” Shelley headed for the door then called over her shoulder, “Let’s hope Dr. Alexander doesn’t beat me back here.”
Shoving open the door, sunlight poured in along with a blast of unseasonably warm November air, belying the sodden state of the area after last night’s downpour of sleet and rain. Well, at least she wasn’t running in her stockings in the rain or snow. This time. Yeah, like that single bit of good news made up for the fact that it was a Wednesday and she was about to run outside on the still wet and most likely muddy ground.
Please let me convince the dog to come back before anyone in town sees Hercules doing his Born Free impression.
That would just put the stale dog treat on her already rancid dog food bowl of a day.
• • •
TIDEWATER POLICE DETECTIVE Devon Jones pulled his black Lexus into the parking lot of Elkridge Veterinary Clinic. He cut the engine, imagining what he’d say when he saw Shelley again.
Her email to him last week had been like a gift from God. He’d been searching for her for weeks. Even going so far as to track down her fiancé—his former roommate—and that was all kinds of a suckfest. Since Camden Figurelle, that rat bastard, was in Africa. In the Peace Corps. There was no way to get in touch with him, if it wasn’t an absolute emergency.
What the hell was with Cam going into the Peace Corps, anyway? They were supposed to be married by now.
Shells. Shelley Amanda Morgan.
He’d spent the last few weeks searching for Figurelle, since the wedding should have happened last summer. Cam’s family had listed the engagement in the society section of the Baltimore Sun. Dev read it, marked the date, and noted with some disappointment he hadn’t received an invitation. Not that he’d have gone. As much as he wanted Shells to be happy, he hadn’t wanted to watch her marry the wrong man.
But she hadn’t married Cam. Maybe Shelley had come to her senses and seen the prick for what he was and given him the old heave-ho. The thought brought a smile to Dev’s face.
Still, wrong man or not, at least Cam had been a link to Shells. Without the connection, Dev had been stumped in the search for her. It had been by the grace of God that he’d kept his same email from college. The same email she’d contacted just two days ago. Dev pulled his smartphone from his inside jacket pocket and clicked to her s
aved email. He read it again, although by now he had it memorized.
Hey Dev,
It’s me, Shelley Morgan. I know it’s been a long time but I could use your help. I heard you’re a police officer now but what I need is to use your puzzle-solving skills. Speaking of the police, I remember you wanted to be a police detective. Did that ever happen?
Anyway, I was wondering if I could convince you to leave Tidewater for a few days and come to Elkridge. It’s a little town on the border of Suffolk and Tidewater. Great place. Friendly people. Quiet community. Low crime. Sounds like heaven, right?
Well, something strange is going on. I think. See, there’s this private zoo. Since I moved here last June there have been a number of unexplained disappearances of animals. I’ve tried contacting the USDA, but they’re no help. It’s hard to explain in an email but I just know something is wrong. I’ve tried investigating this on my own, but I can’t piece it together. Plus, I have to be careful how much noise I make. People in small towns talk, you know.
I can pay you for your expertise. A little. If you could come and take a look around. I’ve got some papers, animal records, and old newspaper clippings. Maybe I’m paranoid and there’s nothing really wrong here. But if I’m not, then your time could save the life of an animal. Or ten.
Email me back and I’ll give you directions to the veterinary clinic where I work.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Shells
He clicked off the phone and put it back in his pocket. Maybe he should have replied to her email or called first instead of just driving over. But what could he say?
“Hi Shells, long time no see. Can you believe it’s been three years since graduation? Time sure flies and all that. While I want to know about this mystery you’ve unearthed, I’m more interested in the fact that you and Cam aren’t together anymore. See, I’ve been crazy about you since the first time you smiled at me. Had you not been Camden’s girl in school, I would have moved heaven and earth to get you into my bed. I also have something you’ve been looking for. If you’ll just come back to Tidewater with me, I’ll show you.”
Yeah, that would go over really well. He sounded like a stalker or like he was just hoping for a quick and dirty one- night stand. And a one-night stand was absolutely not what he wanted. Although he’d settle for it if that’s all he could have.
Dev gave himself a mental shake. He’d come to give her news she’d once told him she never thought she’d hear. Her older sister, Jules, was alive, well, happy, living in Tidewater, and searching for Shelley.
The news of her long-lost sibling should be enough for Shelley to forgive his disappearance after graduation three years ago. But really, he hadn’t known what to say. And Camden had made it pretty damned clear that Dev was not welcome in their lives. Plus, it’s not like Shelley called him, even once, in all that time.
Okay, so she’d been busy getting her veterinary license and building a happy life with Cam-the-sack. At least, Dev had thought she’d been happy until a few days ago. Although he couldn’t quite ignore the pinch to his ego that she hadn’t called him sooner. After all, they had been friends.
Christ, he was starting to sound like a freaking girl. First, brooding over feelings and worrying about why she hadn’t called sooner. Next, he’d want to start a knitting circle.
Okay, so his motives for coming here weren’t completely altruistic. He was man enough to admit to himself that if a hint of the spark he’d felt for her back in college still ignited when he saw her again, he’d do it. He’d ask her out . . . this time, no one would hold him back.
He’d use the next few days to let her really get to know him. Help her with her little zoo problem and take her to see her sister, Jules. Maybe then he’d have finally earned the right to spend time with the most graceful, caring woman he’d ever met. Because he certainly hadn’t earned it that afternoon all those years ago when she’d been getting mugged while he’d been . . . elsewhere.
Sweat dampened his palms. His silk tie became noose-like around his neck. Digging a finger beneath his collar, he tugged it loose, only to re-tighten it again moments later. He checked himself in the rearview mirror, rehearsed his “I found Jules” speech in his head, and sat for another two minutes.
Enough of the stalling crap.
Dev shoved open the car door and stepped onto the damp cobblestone. His Ferragamos crunched over the wet, gritty street.
With a deep breath, he glanced around the nearly deserted road and took in the picturesque little town. Despite Elkridge’s location on the scenic James River—with no elks or ridges in sight—the place lacked one key element Tidewater was known for.
Salt air.
This afternoon, the scent on the warm November wind was rife with apples and cinnamon from the local shops. Refreshing and sweet.
Just like Shelley. Assuming she was as perfect as he remembered. Right. Like she could be anything other than the sweet, shy girl he’d crushed on so long ago. She’d probably be so grateful he came to help her solve her mystery and found Jules on top of it that she’d ask him out.
And now he was dreaming. Come on, man!
While he and his partner had wrapped up the biggest case Tidewater had seen all year, there were others that still needed his attention. A few days were all he could afford to spend away from the office. He’d really only taken the five days because he’d foolishly hoped he’d . . . what? See Shelley and she’d finally fall in love with him? They’d run off to Vegas and get married?
Right and we’ll have a unicorn and Elvis stand up for us at the ceremony.
Exhaling hard, he started to make his way toward the white washed brick building with the “Elkridge Animal Clinic” sign hanging over the front door.
A huge blurry mass appeared so quickly in front of him, it seemed to pop into existence from nowhere.
Blam!
It flew at his chest, knocking him to the ground. Dev’s head smacked the pavement. Tiny stars burst to vibrant multi-colored life in front of his eyes.
The something was large and furry, and pinning him. Still he managed to get a hand free. He reached for his sidearm, which . . . Shit! He’d left locked in the trunk of his car.
The damned beast burrowed its muzzle against his cheek and rumbled a deep, throaty growl.
A bear?
Cold fear slid down his neck. Or that might have been the animal’s bloodthirsty drool. He might be a city boy, but he’d heard all about bear attacks in little towns like this one. He held perfectly still, eyes closed, playing dead as he tried to get a sense of the animal’s size. If it were a bear, it couldn’t be more than a cub, given its size.
Relief at the thought evaporated at the next.
Where there’s a cub, there’s a mama bear somewhere. Throwing caution to the wind, Dev rolled onto his side and into a ball, protecting his head, face, arms, and torso.
The animal seemed to tighten its hold on him. Its breath coming hot and nose-hair curling against Dev’s ear.
He was going to be eaten by a bear in the middle of this damned street while everyone in Elkridge was out to lunch. Trying to curl more tightly, he elbowed the beast in a front leg. It yelped.
Wait. Bears don’t yelp. Plus, it wasn’t trying to bite him. No, it was pawing at his arms, not painfully. Playfully.
A long wet tongue slid across his hair, his ear, his cheek. And that growl he heard was followed by a deep woof. A dog, he was pinned by a dog. A great bear of dog, but definitely the canine species as opposed to the Ursus americanus.
Dev slowly rolled onto his back then drew his arms away from his face only to throw them up again when a slobbery tongue swiped from one cheek across his nose to the other. “Ugh. Serious dog breath. You need a breath mint, Fido.”
Shifting onto his side, he attempted to scoot out from beneath the beast but the dog took it as a game and began licking him in earnest down the neck of his suit. If he hadn’t needed a shower before the dog knocked him down, between rol
ling on the cobblestone and the sloppy dog kisses, he certainly needed one now.
Hoping not to hurt the animal that clearly was looking for a playmate, Dev pushed at the beast’s midsection in an effort to make a break for it. He’d barely touched the dog when someone yelled, “Stop it, you big bear! You’ll hurt him.”
Okay, that wasn’t the first time in his life he’d been called a bear. Still, the words stung his pride. He might be considered by the average person to be bear-like due to his large size—he was short compared to some of his cousins—but he wasn’t an animal. He was a police detective. A cop. A friggin’ hero.
Although, at the moment he was in the least heroic position. Ever.
“Hercules, stop before you hurt him. You bad puppy,” the voice said, closer now. “I’m really sorry about Hercules. Are you okay down there? Give me a minute. I’ve almost got his leash on him.”
Ah, Hercules was the dog’s name. She was calling the dog a big bear.
The relief coursing through him at the knowledge was quickly overshadowed by a sickening realization. He knew that voice.
There was a distinctive sound of a clink of metal on metal and the dog was suddenly off him. “I’m so sorry,” she said; then she laughed. The sound more an exhalation of air than joy. “I’m really, really sorry. He doesn’t normally do this. But I guess all creatures crave freedom, right? Are you . . . are you hurt?”
His gut shrank at her musical voice. Now? She had to show up and see him covered in dog drool and muck, lying on the ground, pinned there by a playful bear-dog?
Maybe if I’m lucky, she won’t recognize me beneath the slobber?
“Dev?” Her voice was closer now. He could feel her breath against his chin as she leaned down to look at him. “Is that you?”
“Uh . . . yeah.” Dev lay there for a moment. His arm still firmly over his eyes and his head throbbing. His luck was good for buckets of suck.
“Why bless your heart. Devon Jones, it is you.” She sounded positively gleeful. “What are you doing down there?”
“Playing possum with Fido.” He tugged his arm away and blinked open his eyes. The starbursts were gone but he’d have a nice knot on the back of his skull later. It was already coming up.
