“He says Mike didn’t want to use the dogs as mules anymore. Wanted to quit. He thought Mike planned to turn on him.”
Mattie remembered Belle’s loyalty. “We owe it to Belle for giving us such a good start on this case.”
“Yeah, we do.”
“Did you ask him if he tried to poison Robo?”
“Yep. He’s the one. Said he wished he’d been able to get the job done. I bet he does, too, since you and Robo are the ones who took him down.”
“What’s going to happen to Tommy O’Malley?”
“That kid’s rotten, Mattie.”
“Yeah, maybe. But he’s still just a kid.”
“He says he was starting to sell for Brennaman right before Mike Chadron got shot. Then he got pulled in to be a runner. They switched their meeting place from the cabin to the mine after Grace got killed, so he and Brennaman would meet up there to transfer the drugs. Must be why Brennaman suggested he bring Sean there.” She shrugged. “For now, he’s cooperating, and he’ll be a witness against Brennaman. We’ll try to keep him in the juvenile system, but it’ll be up to the prosecutor in the end.”
Mattie nodded. There really wasn’t anything else she could do for Tommy, and maybe some juvenile jail time and a good “scared straight” program would do him some good. Just as likely, though, was the possibility of him hooking up with a kid who was bigger and badder than he who would take him in the other direction. Either way, it would be out of her hands.
“I need to get home.” Stella extended her hand. “We couldn’t have closed this case without you, Mattie Cobb. It’s been a pleasure working with you. I hope we won’t be strangers when this is over.”
Mattie shook Stella’s hand. “We could never be that. Thanks for everything you’ve done to help.”
“I’ll be around for a while to wrap things up.”
“I have a couple days off. Back on Friday.”
Stella got into her car. “I’ll see you then.”
“Good-bye for now. Get some sleep.”
Stella seemed to be searching her face. “Appears I could say the same to you.”
Mattie stood by the door as Stella closed it and then stepped back and lifted her hand while she pulled out of the parking space and drove off.
I wonder if Stella could help me find my mother. A shiver passed through her.
She looked down at Robo. He was sitting beside her, deep-brown eyes raised to meet hers, his bandage stark white against his black head. She bent to ruffle the fur on his chest. When he leaned into her legs, she hugged him close and patted him on his side.
Maybe this world wasn’t such an awful place after all. With Robo’s help, she’d overcome her fear in the mine; with Stella’s encouragement, she might reconnect with Willie and maybe her mom; and with Rainbow’s enthusiastic persistence, she might even learn how to make friends. Who knew?
And what about the vet and his family? She hoped they could at least become friends. She didn’t dare wish for more.
One thing she knew for certain—her future could be filled with anger and guilt about her past or she could suck it up and move on. Like her track coach used to say, you have to decide what you want and then make it happen.
“Let’s call your doctor and give him a progress report,” she said to Robo. “And then let’s get our work done so we can go home.”
With him dancing beside her, she turned back toward the office.
Acknowledgments
It takes the support and efforts of many to take a book from concept to substance, and I’m grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way. I want to acknowledge those who played the largest role in the following paragraphs.
I extend my sincere appreciation to the professionals who assisted me with research; any misinterpretation or fictional enhancement of the information these experts provided is mine alone. Retired K-9 Officer/Trainer Beth Gaede of the Bellingham Police Department let me shadow her while she gave tracking lessons to dogs and their owners. She captivated me with stories about the K-9 work she did with her late partner, the real Robo, and she set my imagination on fire. I sensed that theirs was a special bond, and I’m grateful to Beth for allowing me to borrow his name. Owner and operator of Fort Collins Protection Dogs and police chief of Nunn, Colorado, Joe Clingan gave my husband and me a copy of the K-9 training book that he authored, a resource I’ve used repeatedly, and invited me to watch him work with patrol dogs and their handlers. He led an impromptu discussion with those present regarding mistakes a rookie handler might make, and I’m grateful to these officers for their input. Senior Deputy Head K-9 Trainer for Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office Gordon Carroll answered long lists of questions during his valuable time off, giving me specific details to weave into my story. My husband, Charles Mizushima, DVM, assisted me with many aspects of this story, including helping me make Cole Walker know what to do.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my agent, Terrie Wolf, for countless hours of work on my behalf and for her encouragement and support; to my editor, Nike Power, for her brilliant editorial skills, guidance, and unwavering attention to detail; and to the staff at Crooked Lane Books, for bringing this mystery to print. I’m fortunate and honored to have these professionals on my team.
Special thanks to my writing group members, past and present, who helped keep my words flowing through easy times and hard: Leslie Patterson, Linda Richter, Cynthia Slosson, Catherine Cole, Saytchyn Maddux-Creech, Caroline Marwitz, and Brian Winstead, all wonderful writers.
I offer a warm thank-you and hugs to my daughters, Sarah and Beth, for reading several drafts of this manuscript, providing input, and for cheering me on and to my sister, Nancy Coleman, for always being in my corner. Their continuous support means so much to me.
And finally, I want to thank my husband Charlie a second time, for standing beside me no matter what I decide to undertake. From our first date when we missed dinner to care for a pony that survived a pit bull attack to brainstorming crime fiction together at our kitchen table, it’s been an adventure. For everything he does, I give him my gratitude with all my heart.
Killing Trail: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Page 27
