High in Trial

by Donna Ball

“He had a dog bite on his hand,” Agent Ledbetter added. When I opened my eyes, I saw the faintest ghost of a wan smile touch his lips. “It’s likely that might have affected his aim. The dog might not have been able to save her mistress, but who knows how many other lives she saved today.”

  I entwined my fingers in Cisco’s fur, leaned my head into Miles’s shoulder, and tried very hard not to cry.

  * * *

  “Thank God,” Wyn kept saying. “Thank God no one was killed. Do you know how many of these things don’t end that way? Just… thank God you were able to get the police there in time.” She reached across and squeezed Buck’s hand.

  They sat on the small deck Buck had constructed on the back of his house, sipping beers and watching the sun go down over the treetops. Soon he would fire up the grill and take some steaks out of the fridge, but not yet. For the moment, he just wanted to be still and be with her, and be glad that this time, this time everything had turned out all right.

  He had turned off the television news and the computer and put his phone on “emergency only.” He had talked to Raine, he had talked to Roe; he’d talked to Maude and the Pembroke police chief and the SBI. His office had been giving him updates by the minute. But it was over. For now, at least, it could just be over.

  He said quietly, “I still can’t get over Judge Stockton. I don’t think I ever will.”

  She looked at him with sympathy and with a gentle wisdom beyond her years. “The things that a man—or a woman—will do for love don’t have to make sense. In fact, they shouldn’t.”

  Buck cast her a sharp and argumentative look, but she stopped him with a shake of her head. “It wasn’t Maude he did it for,” she said. “That’s what you’ve got to understand. It was his wife, and Raine. Those were the great loves of his life, and even from beyond the grave he tried to protect them. I hope someone takes the trouble to explain it to Raine that way.”

  After a moment, he smiled at her. “I’ll make sure somebody does.”

  She sipped her beer. “You know,” she said, gazing at the sunset, “Roe was there when it happened. If he’d asked the right questions all those years ago, all of this might have been prevented. But he didn’t.” She looked across at Buck. “You did. You figured it out.”

  He lifted his beer bottle in a toast to her. “I had a little help.”

  She inclined her head in acknowledgment and shared the toast to herself. “Damn straight.”

  He just watched her, smiling. “Which reminds me, I have something for you. A couple of things, actually.”

  He reached into his pocket and brought out a folded sheaf of papers. She took them curiously and her face lit up with relief as she read the first one. “Your filing papers. You’ve decided to run for reelection.” She pressed the papers to her heart for one brief, passionate moment, like a hug. “You’re doing the right thing, Buck. The only thing, for you, this county, everyone. I’m so proud of you!” She leaned forward to kiss him, but he held up a staying hand.

  “There’s a condition,” he said. “Look at the next one.”

  She shuffled the papers until she came to the next set. She murmured aloud, without looking up, “Application for employment, Hanover County Sheriff’s Department.”

  Buck said, “I have a feeling you’ll get the job.”

  She looked up at him with a gathering storm of mixed emotions in her eyes, but he spoke over her. “I need you, Wyn,” he said firmly. “The department needs you. The county needs you. Hell, the biggest mistake I made when I took over was accepting your resignation. Come back. Let’s do what we do best together.”

  Her brow knitted, a dozen conflicting emotions skewed her face. She dropped her eyes to the papers and lifted them again, helplessly, to Buck. “I don’t know,” she said. “I want to, of course, but politically… Buck, this could be suicide. Everyone knows about us. And if you hire me back, it would be like slapping them in the face with it. All you need is one right-wing bigmouth, not to mention the whole issue of nepotism, and not to mention how it would complicate our personal lives…”

  He nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. And if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s complications.”

  He reached again into his pocket and felt two objects there. One was a house key, and the other was a ring. Slowly, and with deliberation, he hooked his pinky around the ring. “So I was wondering,” he said, and he brought out the ring, “what you’d think about getting married?”

  * * *

  The police kept everyone in the pavilion, compiling a witness list and taking statements, until close to dark. When they finally told us we could go, there was an odd kind of reluctance to leave, for even though we were bound by tragedy, we were all nonetheless bound. Cisco said good-bye to Brinkley, and I hugged Sarah even though I couldn’t quite bring myself to meet her eyes. I was glad, for their sakes, that Ginny and Aggie had left with Gunny and the border collies before the drama began, but I felt a real pang of sorrow that I might never see them again. In only a matter of hours these people, and dogs, had come to mean so much to me. At the same time, I knew the pain of seeing them again and remembering what had happened here wasn’t something I ever wanted to experience.

  Miles packed up Cisco’s crate and supplies in the back of my SUV while I said my good-byes and then came back to walk us to the parking lot. A bluish twilight was starting to fall over the South Carolina countryside, and the busy agricultural fairgrounds, which only yesterday had been the site of such joy and colorful activity, seemed bleak and haunted. Some men were loading the blue and yellow panels of the A-frame into a step van, and a lone RV pulled away toward the exit. A car door slammed in the distance. Except for the police vehicles that were parked close to the pavilion, there weren’t more than half a dozen cars left.

  Cisco walked in close heel at my side. After the events of the afternoon, he’d been very, very careful to keep his attention focused on me. I had so much to apologize to my dog for. He hadn’t bargained on this. I’d promised him a fun weekend. He’d promised to do his best. He had kept his promise. I had not.

  Miles held my hand. After a time, I glanced at him uncertainly. “Are you mad at me?”

  He looked surprised. “For what?”

  “For putting you in danger. And me. And everyone. I was worried maybe you wouldn’t want me to hang out with Mel anymore.” And before he could answer, I burst out, “I don’t know why these things happen to me, Miles, I really don’t. I don’t mean for them to. But you’re right. I lead a reckless, dangerous lifestyle, and I’m always getting into trouble, and I should’ve gone to the beach with you when you asked. I’m so sorry.”

  He stepped in front of me, halting my forward progress, and dropped both hands onto my shoulders. Cisco obediently and alertly sat at my side when I stopped. Miles said, “Are you serious?” There was a puzzled, genuinely incredulous frown on his face. “Honey, what happened today wasn’t your fault. It was the fault of a crazy man. Even the police, with inside information and advance warning, couldn’t stop it. How were you supposed to?”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “It’s absolutely the point. And another thing. These things keep happening to you because you’re bright and curious and stubborn and brave and you have a heart as big as a golden retriever’s.” The smile in his eyes coaxed a small, reciprocal one from me. “And I would be proud to have Melanie grow up to be just like you. Only…” He fell into step beside me again, dropping one arm to my waist. “Let’s not take her to any dog shows for a while.”

  “Trials,” I corrected him. “They’re called trials.”

  He dropped a kiss on my hair. “I love you, babe.”

  I said, “I love you back.” I pressed my head briefly against his shoulder and added softly, “Let’s go home, okay?”

  So we did.

  When we got there, a long and complicated story of love, lies, and betrayal was waiting for me, and it was good to have a friend by my side while I heard it. When t
hat story was finished, I would never look at my life, or the people I loved, in quite the same way again.

  Perhaps, after all, that wasn’t such a bad thing.

  ~*~

  Also in The Raine Stockton Dog Mystery Series

  SMOKY MOUNTAIN TRACKS

  A child has been kidnapped and abandoned in the mountain wilderness. Her only hope is Raine Stockton and her young, untried tracking dog Cisco...

  RAPID FIRE

  Raine and Cisco are brought in by the FBI to track a terrorist …a terrorist who just happens to be Raine’s old boyfriend.

  GUN SHY

  Raine rescues a traumatized service dog, and soon begins to suspect he is the only witness to a murder.

  BONE YARD

  Cisco digs up human remains in Raine’s back yard, and mayhem ensues. Could this be evidence of a serial killer, a long-unsolved mass murder, or something even more sinister… and closer to home?

  SILENT NIGHT

  It’s Christmastime in Hansonville, N.C., and Raine and Cisco are on the trail of a missing teenager. But when a newborn is abandoned in the manger of the town's living nativity and Raine walks in on what appears to be the scene of a murder, the holidays take a very dark turn for everyone concerned.

  THE DEAD SEASON

  Raine and Cisco take a job leading a wilderness hike for troubled teenagers, and soon find themselves trapped on a mountainside in a blizzard… with a killer.

  ALL THAT GLITTERS: A Holiday Short Story e book

  Raine looks back on how she and Cisco met and solved their first crime in this Christmas Cozy short story. Sold separately as an e-book or bundled with the print edition of HIGH IN TRIAL.

  Spine-chilling suspense by Donna Ball

  SHATTERED

  A missing child, a desperate call for help in the middle of the night… is this a cruel hoax, or the work of a maniacal serial killer who is poised to strike again?

  NIGHT FLIGHT

  She’s an innocent woman who knows too much. Now she’s fleeing through the night without a weapon and without a phone, and her only hope for survival is a cop who’s willing to risk his badge—and his life—to save her.

  SANCTUARY

  They came to the peaceful, untouched mountain wilderness of Eastern Tennessee seeking an escape from the madness of modern life. But when they built their luxury homes in the heart of virgin forest they did not realize that something was there before them… something ancient and horrible; something that will make them believe that monsters are real.

  EXPOSURE

  Everyone has secrets, but when talk show host Jessamine Cray’s stalker begins to use her past to terrorize her, no one is safe … not her family, her friends, her coworkers, and especially not Jess herself.

  RENEGADE by Donna Boyd

  Enter a world of dark mystery and intense passion, where human destiny is controlled by a species of powerful, exotic creatures. Once they ruled the Tundra, now they rule Wall Street. Once they fought with teeth and claws, now they fight with wealth and power. And only one man can stop them… if he dares.

  Also by Donna Ball

  The Ladybug Farm series by Donna Ball

  For every woman who ever had a dream… or a friend

  A Year on Ladybug Farm

  At Home on Ladybug Farm

  Love Letters from Ladybug Farm

  Christmas on Ladybug Farm

  Recipes from Ladybug Farm

  Vintage Ladybug Farm

  Romance Revisited by Donna Ball

  MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER

  He was a cowboy looking for a wife. She was a lady specializing in brides. They were made for each other... They just didn't know it yet.

  A MAN AROUND THE HOUSE

  He was the answer to a busy working woman's dreams. But was he too good to be true?

  FOR KEEPS

  He's an animal trainer who lives by one rule: never get attached. She's a social worker who knows all too well the price of getting involved. It may take an entire menagerie to bring them together, but eventually they both must learn that sometimes it's for keeps.

  STEALING SAVANNAH

  He was a reformed jewel thief now turned security expert and her job depended on his expertise. But could he be trusted not to steal the most valuable jewel of all-- her heart?

  UNDER COVER

  She's working on the biggest case of her life, and her cover has already been blown-- by the very man she's investigating. Now they must work together to solve an even bigger mystery-- their future together.

  THE STORMRIDERS

  They were thunder and lightning when they were married, and their divorce has been no less turbulent. But trapped together during a deadly blizzard with the lives of an entire community depending on them, they discover what's really important, and that some storms are worth riding out.

  INTERLUDE

  Sometimes a chance encounter is over in a moment, and sometimes it can last a lifetime.

  CAST ADRIFT

  She was a marine biologist on short deadline to find a very important dolphin, with no time to waste on romance. He was a sailor who knew there could only be one captain on his ship-- himself. But two weeks at sea together could change everything...

  ~

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR….

  Donna Ball is the author of over a hundred novels under several different pseudonyms in a variety of genres that include romance, mystery, suspense, paranormal, western adventure, historical and women’s fiction. Recent popular series include the Ladybug Farm series by Berkley Books and the Raine Stockton Dog Mystery series. Donna is an avid dog lover and her dogs have won numerous titles for agility, obedience and canine musical freestyle. She lives in a restored Victorian Barn in the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains with a variety of four-footed companions. You can contact her at http://www.donnaball.net