In his first leap, he landed in the middle of the teens, scattering them like bowling pins. V, who had been sitting next to Casimiro, was knocked over and treated the sight of Hero's soft furry belly as he leapt a second time.
Right at Casimiro's face.
Casimiro's hand came up out of his jacket holding a 38 revolver.
V and the other teens were screaming, Curtis was yelling, Casimiro was cursing, and Hero was growling like a tiger at feeding time at the zoo — until he got his teeth into Casimiro.
Months of good care and good food had put weight back onto Hero's massive frame. When he hit Casimiro the man, still rising and off balance, went over backwards. The gun went off and the bullet zinged harmlessly into the wall of the bodega, but the report drew not only the rest of the Garcia family, but everyone on Main street out of their stores and restaurants and cars and trucks.
Casimiro landed on his back and Hero quickly shifted his body so that he was above the mans head, his remaining teeth sunk deep into the big man's shoulder. Hero shook Casimiro like a rabbit, and there was a sickening crunch as bone gave way. Casimiro dropped the gun out of a hand suddenly gone numb and began screaming, "Get him off me, get this vicious animal off me." and some much more unkind words in Spanish that I'd rather not repeat.
When all the rest of the town emptied out into Main Street, Officer Delgado and Sgt. Morales were among them. Gripping their guns, both State Police officers ran towards the commotion. Hearing barks and growls, Sgt. Morales spoke into her radio as she ran, calling dispatch and asking them to get Kathy downtown immediately.
The teens made themselves scarce. Victoria scrambled up and backed into the arms of Mateo, who gripped her and pulled her inside the bodega past the shocked stares of their parents. When they got inside, Mateo turned Victoria to look him in the eye and told her, "That man is a very, very bad man. Now, go. Go to your room and stay there."
Victoria's eyes filled with tears, and with a sharp nod she fled to her own room and slammed the door.
Curtis, Sgt. Morales, and Officer Delgado stood at the corner of the bodega with a crowd behind them. In front of them about ten feet away, Hero was holding Casimiro, who continued to scream and yell and try to roll and twist away. Now and then he managed to loosen Hero's grip enough that the big dog would let go, but the determined dog always immediately bit down again, in a new place, with the result that Casimiro was now bleeding from several places on his face, neck, and shoulders. Now and then hero gave the man a shard hake, and he never stopped growling.
Sgt. Morales was looking grim. "Be still, be still and we will call the dog off, but you have to lay still." she shouted at the man rolling around on the ground in Hero's grip. She hoped she wasn't lying. She hoped they could call Hero off.
She did not want to shoot Hero.
And she had a pretty good idea why he might have attacked this particular man.
And she hoped most of all that Kathy got to the scene really soon or Sgt. Ramona Morales might have to do something she dreaded.
Behind her, Curtis put a hand to his chest, moaned, and crumpled to the ground.
Hero’s Testimony
The radio crackled and then the dispatcher's voice came through.
"Kathy, you are needed immediately at the bodega. It's a dog attack."
Kathy sighed. Of all the things she liked the least, dog attacks were a close second to cruelty cases. Hearing it was at the bodega didn't please her any either. The social center for most of the Hispanics living in and around Columbus, there would no doubt be more witnesses than she could stand, all with their own story and agenda. Emotions ran high when it was a dog bite. The dog's owners would claim the animal was provoked, the victim and family would swear it was not and more often than she liked it boiled down to he said/she said and the judge ordered the animal destroyed. Meanwhile the dog was quarantined, the victim had to go to emergency and sometimes endure the dreaded rabies vaccines.
When the call came in, Kathy was several miles north of town cruising up and down the highway looking for some reported loose cattle. The cattle, if they were still around, were a clear and present danger of causing a serious wreck while a dog bite was a done deal. If she procrastinated a little some of the crowd would get over it and leave, and emotions might settle a little bit. It couldn't be that bad — all of Columbus shared one radio channel and she hadn't heard a call go out for an ambulance.
In town, Officer Delgado was standing a little behind and to the side of Sgt. Morales trying to provide crowd control and back up her Sergeant at the same time. Which is why she was the first to see Curtis slump to the ground. Rushing towards him, she used her radio to call for an ambulance even as she shoved people away from the unconscious man. With a glance towards Hero and the big man he was still holding down, she called dispatch again asking for a second ambulance and the rescue squad. She glanced once more at her Sergeant and then, hoping it wasn't the wrong decision, holstered her weapon so she could concentrate on helping Curtis. Gently straightening out his body, she began CPR. Mateo knelt beside her and told her he had taken a life saving class in school. Together they worked to keep Curtis alive until the ambulance arrived from Deming.
Kathy heard the call go out for not one, but two ambulances, and the rescue squad — all for the bodega. Then was shocked when the dispatcher called her again.
"Kathy — you are needed at the bodega right now. Kathy — it's Hero. He’s got hold of someone and won’t let go.”
An ice-cold finger of fear ran down Kathy's spine. When Hero had been in to have those bad teeth taken out, Dr. Cordero had discovered a microchip. The microchip had revealed that Hero's former career was as a police dog, for the city of Chicago. He had been retired, and adopted by his handler — who had since also retired.
Hero was trained as a bite and hold dog. One of the most controversial methods of police dog training due to the severe damage often caused by these dogs. Unlike an untrained dog, that bites and releases, a bite and hold dog is taught to bite down as hard as possible, and to hold. Of the dog bite cases to be hospitalized, the trauma caused by a bite and hold dog can be horrific. Especially so because they are taught to go for the head and upper body.
And nobody knew Hero's command for off.
And — where was Craig?
Her heart pounding, Kathy called in and let dispatch know she was coming as quickly as possible. Her fear only increased when the dispatcher called back with authorization to run Code Three — lights and siren. Feeling like she had been punched in the gut, Kathy flipped the switches and stomped on the gas. Then thought she heard an echo! Glancing at her rear view, she saw the ambulances behind her. Dispatch radioed again asking her to lead them to the bodega since she was more familiar with the town. Kathy acknowledged the call and hung up the radio.
Luckily there was no one in front of them on the highway. Kathy slowed at the Conoco station and made the left, then sped up again trusting the lights and sirens to clear Main Street of pedestrians and the light traffic of a weekday. She cut off the lights and siren a block from the bodega and slowed to look for a good spot to put the truck. The rescue squad truck from the volunteer fire department was already there. They could stabilize but not transport. The ambulances behind her would take care of that.
Seeing the crowd milling around the front of the bodega, Kathy pulled the truck up across the street and parked it. Faces, mostly familiar surrounded her as she entered the crowd. Some showed excitement, others fear, and still more shock. But the ones that frightened her most were the ones who recognized her and showed sadness before they turned away. A voice she recognized as Mateo, the young man who helped at the bodega, started shouting in Spanish and English and the crowd parted for her, and for the ambulance attendants close behind her.
Kathy saw Officer Delgado as she stood up and stepped out of the way, shouting for the ambulance attendants. The rescue squad members were working over someone on the ground, but Officer Delgado reached out and
grabbed Kathy by the arm and swung her to the side. Now she saw Sgt. Morales from the back in a firing stance.
Oh God. In front of her was Hero with a death grip on a big man lying in a puddle of his own blood. The man was still and quiet now, but the dog still growled around his grip on the man's neck, and now and then gave him a shake.
"Sgt. Morales! Officer Tyler is here!" Officer Delgado shouted over the noise. Sgt. Morales nodded and Kathy stepped up next to her. Kathy's heart was quivering high in her throat and tears had sprung to her eyes when she saw the blood. Blood their beloved, gentle Hero had shed.
"Kathy, you've got to get Hero off somehow, and soon, or I'm going to have to shoot him. The man is unconscious. I've got to get him some help." Please dear God, don't make me shoot this dog was running through Sgt. Morales mind, even as she stood rock steady with her service revolver pointed at him.
Hero's gaze was fixed on the big man his teeth were firmly gripping. Blood spattered his face and chest and soaked his feet from the growing puddle beneath Casimiro Po. Hero growled with a fixed, single-minded intensity. For the moment he had forgotten Kathy, forgotten Curtis, forgotten the kind people of Columbus. He had found the bad man, and now he had him. Now his good man, his handler, would surely come back and the other police would take this bad man away and Hero would get his reward for catching the bad man.
Kathy looked at Hero's eyes and knew he was not with them, not right here and now. He had slipped away to a place and time when there were bad people, and good people — and this bad man had hurt Hero and hurt people while Hero watched. Oh yes, Kathy was quite sure that the big, ugly man laying bleeding in this parking lot was the same man who had killed those women and children, and shot Hero. She glanced at Sgt. Morales and their eyes met. Yes, this is him, we are sure of it.
Kathy thought about it for a minute, and then touched Sgt. Morales lightly on the shoulder. "I am going to walk over to Hero and talk to him. He may listen to me and stand down. Or he could go after me. Be ready."
Sgt. Morales gave a sharp nod. She understood.
Kathy walked quietly and slowly over to Hero, making a big circle to avoid at least some of the blood. Squatting a few feet away from him, she began talking to him softly in the singsong voice she used for hurt and frightened animals.
"Hey Hero, hey big boy. My good boy. My good big boy, our good Hero dog. You're a good boy. Good boy. Got the bad guy, didn't you?"
Hero responded to that with a growl and a jerk on the man's shoulder, but a twitch of his ear showed he was listening.
Kathy knew she didn't have a hope of sounding like his old handler — the man who died alone in that house. She didn't have any idea what his signal was for off or release. So she put her hopes in reminding the big dog of the people who took him in, loved him, and nursed him back to health. And reminding him that his job was done.
"Easy boy, easy big boy. You did good. Good boy. Good big boy, Hero. Okay, Hero, all done. Come to me now, Hero. Come on. Come to me. Let's go get some popcorn and see Curtis, okay?"
For the first time the dogs deep rumble ceased. Paused. Hero gave an inquisitive whine.
"That's it. Good boy. All done. Let him go now. Let's go home. Come to me, Hero. Please, come." In spite of her best efforts to be strong, and professional, and calm the last sentence was rendered shaky by the tears welling up in Kathy's eyes and running down her face. If she couldn't get him to let go, soon, Sgt. Morales would have to kill this big, brave dog.
With a final growl and shake, Hero released his grip on Casimir Po and stepped back. He looked apologetically at Kathy, and sat.
Everyone heaved a big sigh and only then realized how silent it had become. Sgt. Morales holstered her gun and Kathy slowly reached out and picked up the end of the leash. Hero stood up and put himself in perfect heeling position and sat again, looking up at Kathy. She knew what he was waiting for, and so she bent down and made much over him, telling him over and over how good a dog he was and trying to ignore the blood coating his face, feet and chest. As if it was just another day, she turned and walked away, Hero at her heels, his thick tail waving gently. Kathy walked him to the Animal Control truck and he hopped into the cage in the back and lay down.
The whoop of an ambulances sired startled her and the wind of it's passing knocked her back against the truck. They tore down Main Street with sirens and lights. From across the street, Officer Delgado approached Kathy, her face a mask of determination and sympathy. Kathy gasped as her mind suddenly flashed to a conclusion.
"Curtis is in that ambulance, isn't he?" she asked when Officer Delgado was close enough.
Her expression changed to surprise, but then the young officer nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid so. All the excitement — "
"He has a heart condition." Kathy murmured, her eyes closing as she started sorting out what to do.
"We gave him CPR. Then the rescue squad came. The EMTs said he was stable, but they are taking him to the hospital in Deming."
Kathy nodded. Her mind cleared.
The other ambulance whooped and turned, tearing off down Main Street towards the highway. Sgt. Morales spoke to some of the crowd, and then walked over to Kathy.
"I seriously don't know what happened yet. But-" she looked Kathy in the eyes and they both knew what she was thinking. Hero had brought down the man who had killed those women. "Look, you need to get to the hospital."
"Yes, Officer Delgado told me. I will take Hero home and put him in the secure kennel, the one we use for bite quarantines. Regardless of whose dog he is, that is where he would be put right now anyway."
"Right." Sgt. Morales nodded firmly. "Good. I have your number and will be in touch. You let us know how it goes at the hospital. We will need to talk to Curtis as soon as he is up to it." She looked back across the street, where Officer Delgado had returned and was starting to get names and numbers and separating certain people to stay to be interviewed.
"Go on. I'm okay, but I need to be going." Kathy reassured the Sergeant who had become her friend.
For a second, the dimple in Ramona's check flashed, "I am so goddamned glad I didn't have to shot that dog." she whispered, and then with a glance at Hero, now laying quietly in the truck as if nothing had happened, she turned and went back to do her job.
Kathy jumped into the truck and backed it around, rocketing back down the street to the little yellow hexagon house that had so captured her heart a year ago. She pulled around back and transferred Hero straight from the truck to the kennel, making sure there was food and water in the bowls and throwing his own old bed into the doghouse there. He seemed to understand, giving her guilty looks and a soft whimper when she told him goodbye. She drove away seeing him stare after her in the rear view mirror. Then, authorization be damned, she flipped on lights and siren and headed for the hospital in Deming.
Let God (Dog) Sort them out
Kathy dashed into the ER waiting room and then bounced impatiently on the balls of her feet at the desk. Hanging up the phone, the receptionist looked up at her inquiringly.
"My husband, Craig Tyler was transported here from Columbus."
"The dog bite?" the receptionist asked, wide-eyed.
"No! No, I'm sorry. But he was there. No, Craig -" she hesitated a second while her throat closed, then was able to go on, "I think Craig probably had a heart attack."
"Just a moment, I'll see what I can find out. And you are?"
Kathy sighed. "I am his wife."
"I see. And your name? “
“Kathy Tyler.”
“And you say you are this Craig Tyler’s wife.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any proof of that relationship?”
“No. I was in a little hurry to come to the ER behind the ambulance and I didn’t stop to pick up my marriage license.”
“Well I am sure you understand we cannot release information to just anyone due to the Privacy Policies of this hospital in accordance with the HIPAA act. Please take a seat."
A few minutes later a different nurse stepped into the waiting room and looked around, finally calling out, "Kathy Tyler? With Craig Tyler?"
Kathy jumped up. "That's me."
The nurse smiled. "Your husband is conscious and asking for you — and for... Hero?"
Kathy smiled with relief. If Craig was awake and worried about Hero, he was doing okay. "Yes, Hero. Our dog."
The nurse looked her over and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else as she motioned for Kathy to follow her. Kathy suddenly realized that the news of a serious dog attack had probably preceded her and the medical personnel might be less than sympathetic to the owners of the dog.
The nurse ushered her into a triage room, where Kathy was relieved to see Craig sitting up in bed, although attached to a heart monitor. She rushed to him and they shared a long, much needed hug. When she could finally bring herself to let go of him, Kathy stepped back with a smile she couldn't wipe off her face.
"I was scared half to death.” she told him.
"Yeah! Me, too!" he answered. "The doctor says I basically just fainted, but they want to keep me overnight just in case. I did have a couple of chest pains, but they did an EKG and a chest x-ray and they think it was just all the excitement and I probably got short of breath. Hero had me up to a run by the time he turned the corner at the bodega. He didn't pull me down though — he looked back at me like 'let me go' so I did and bam he went off like a rocket. Speaking of the devil, where is Hero? Is he okay?"
Serendipity (Animal Heros From The Land Of Manyana Book 1) Page 7
