Trail of Danger

by Valerie Hansen

  “Like this puppy followed you up the stairs, you mean?”

  Reed chuckled. His ploy had worked. Abigail was concentrating on handling the dogs instead of dwelling on her pending trip outside. Anything he could do to relieve her angst was a plus. It was likely that her healing would depend upon taking baby steps, such as initially venturing out with him as her companion and the dogs for distraction. She was certainly acting less afraid than she had when she’d first taken the phone call.

  He gave Jessie the hand signal to stay, turned, and was almost to her door before Abigail called, “Hurry back.”

  That sounded so much better than the state in which he’d found her when he’d first visited, he was thrilled. The sooner she got over her fright and regained her memory of the incident at the carousel, the sooner the NYPD would be able to locate and arrest her assailants. At least, he hoped so. No matter how much he enjoyed the young woman’s company, he was going to have to back off soon. His official duties didn’t allow for much of a social life, not to mention the inadvisability of spending free time with the victim of a crime.

  Jogging along the narrow sidewalk and dodging pedestrians, Reed realized he felt the absence of his K-9 partner. Jessie was so much a part of him, on and off duty, it was as if a critical element was missing. He could count times like this when he’d left her behind on the fingers of one hand.

  The faster he moved the stronger his sense of foreboding grew. He had to get back to Abigail—and to Jessie—as fast as possible.

  FIVE

  Edging sideways toward the sofa, Abigail was surprised to find both dogs keeping her company the way Reed had promised. Once she was convinced they weren’t going to go berserk, she began to relax a little and sat down. One of the dogs stepped on her toes. She didn’t have to guess which one.

  “I’m sorry, Midnight,” she crooned like a mother to her baby, “this just isn’t going to work out between you and me. You see that, don’t you? Hmm? It’s not that you’re being difficult right now, it’s just that I’ve never had a dog, let alone a puppy. I’d probably confuse you so badly you’d never become a police dog.”

  The pup’s brown eyes sparkled, her ebony coat glistening. She wagged her whole rear end and panted at Abigail’s feet, leaving a small damp spot on the right knee of her jeans. “See what I mean? Why can’t you be still and easy to handle like Jessie is? Huh? Look how good she’s being.”

  It took only a moment for Abigail to realize she’d goofed again by calling a name. Jessie, who had been calmly waiting at her feet, leaped onto the sofa next to her and took up the place she had chosen on her initial visit. That left Midnight alone on the floor, and it was clear she didn’t intend to stay there when her canine companion was cuddling up to a friendly human.

  Big, soft front paws landed in Abigail’s lap as the puppy made an unsuccessful leap to join the party. Abby instinctively leaned forward and reached out to keep her from falling. She managed to hug the younger dog’s shoulders, felt the texture of the glistening fur and received a wet slurp under her chin for her efforts.

  “Eww! Stop,” she ordered, chuckling in spite of herself. Rather than push Midnight back down she hoisted her onto the sofa on the side opposite Jessie. To say the pup was overjoyed was an understatement. It immediately crawled closer, succeeding in getting only its front half into her lap.

  There was something very special about the unbridled attention and obvious acceptance of both dogs. When she’d been petting Jessie earlier, Abigail had thought she’d felt mild contentment. Having Midnight draped across her lap, gazing up at her and leaning that blocky head against her chest, was unbelievably comforting. Encircling the puppy in a gentle hug she stroked the velvety floppy ears and heard the youngster actually sigh. Who knew dogs could be so expressive?

  Beside her, a growl rumbled in Jessie’s throat. Was she jealous? Oh, dear. Now what?

  “It’s okay, Jessie,” Abigail said quickly. “I love you, too.”

  That didn’t placate the bloodhound. The quiet growl was followed by stronger rumbling, then a bark. Midnight’s head whipped around. Both dogs were staring at the closed apartment door.

  Abigail scooted forward to perch on the edge of the sofa, her body as still and tense as that of her canine companions. Something metallic was making a scratching sound. The doorknob was moving!

  Before Abigail could decide what to do, Jessie began to give voice in a way that left no doubt she was extremely upset. Whoever was on the other side of that door was definitely not officer Reed Branson. And his K-9 partner knew it.

  * * *

  Finding a parking place directly in front of Abigail’s apartment building was impossible, so Reed flipped on the blue-and-white Chevy Tahoe’s flashing lights and left it idling as close to already parked cars as possible.

  He stepped out. Listened. Heard a dog barking. Traffic noise nearly drowned out Jessie’s angry warning but the closer Reed got to the outer apartment door, the more sure he was. He slammed his palm into the bank of buttons on the intercom and was able to enter almost immediately because several residents responded.

  Howling and guttural barking echoed down the stairwell, giving Reed’s feet wings. He’d reached the second floor landing and was turning to start up to the third when a figure going the opposite direction bumped his shoulder so hard the blow nearly knocked him down!

  Adrenaline enabled him to take the final section of stairway two and three steps at a time. He skidded to a stop at Abigail’s door. Jessie was still barking. Puppy yips were background noise.

  The hallway around him was empty. Reed knocked. “Abigail. Ms. Jones! It’s me.”

  Not only did the dogs fall silent, it was quiet enough for him to hear her footsteps approaching. “It’s really you?”

  “Yes.” He held his badge in front of the peephole. “See?”

  Abigail opened the door and instead of ushering him in, threw both arms around his neck and fell into his embrace.

  At their feet, Jessie was panting and wagging her tail. Midnight was so excited she ran in circles around the couple and wrapped their legs together with the trailing leash.

  Reed braced himself against the doorjamb for balance. “Whoa. What happened? What’s wrong?”

  “I—I don’t know.”

  “Okay. One thing at a time.” He checked to make sure there was no immediate threat, then bent to unravel the snare of the short leash. “There. Let’s go back inside.”

  Abigail didn’t comply as quickly as he liked so he slid an arm around her waist and half carried her through the open doorway. Jessie entered ahead of them with the pup bringing up the rear, much to Reed’s relief.

  He closed the door, then escorted her to the sofa, sat down with her and clasped her hands. “All right. Tell me everything.”

  Although her blue eyes were wide and she still looked frightened, she said, “I think the dogs heard a prowler in the hallway. I—I heard a funny noise and thought I saw the doorknob turning but nobody came in.”

  “Not surprising considering the racket Jessie was making. She’s not trained for personal protection but she knew she was supposed to look after you—and the puppy.”

  “Midnight barked, too. It would have been kind of cute if I hadn’t been so scared.”

  “Well, there’s no way we can prove someone was trying to break in,” Reed said, choosing to keep his stairwell encounter to himself so Abigail wouldn’t be as stressed. Reporting his suspicions to the 60th Precinct would suffice for now, since he had such a poor description of the possible suspect.

  “Do you need a few more minutes or are you ready to leave?”

  The emotions flashing across her pale, lightly freckled face came and went so fast Reed could hardly sort them out. Duty warred with fear. Where determination began and fright ended was less clear.

  Abigail stared at him. “I promised I’d meet Kiera at
the office. I have to go. How much time is left?”

  “About ten minutes,” he said cautiously. “Are you sure you’re up to doing this?”

  “No,” she said with a tremor in her voice, “but I’m going to do it anyway.”

  He got to his feet and held out a hand to her. “Okay then. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  “Dog,” she said with a loud sigh.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “This dog show. What in the world are we going to do with the puppy?”

  The moment Reed’s glance located Midnight he groaned. “Oops. I knew I should have walked her longer before I brought her in. I’ll take care of your kitchen floor, then we’ll take both dogs to my car and be on our way.”

  “Want to tell me again how much fun I’m going to have raising a half-grown pup?”

  Speechless, he just rolled his eyes and hurried to take care of the housekeeping problem. Behind him he heard Abigail giggling. For a short time she had set aside her looming fear and was enjoying the moment. That relief was without price.

  * * *

  “You’re double-parked!” Abigail was peering out through the glass fronting the foyer of her building.

  “We do what we have to,” Reed countered. “There was no place close by and I figured you’d appreciate a shorter walk.”

  “I do.” She would have slipped her hand through the bend of his elbow if he hadn’t needed both arms to carry the floppy pup.

  “Okay, I’ll go first with the dogs. Stick close behind me and you’ll be fine.”

  “I’d rather carry Midnight and let you watch my back,” she said, trying to mask her growing unease.

  “She’s pretty heavy.”

  “I’m stronger than I look.” Abigail extended her arms.

  “All right. We want to make the trip to the car ASAP. Be careful going down the steps.”

  “Oof!”

  “Told you she was a chunk.”

  “It’s fine. I’ve got her.” What she also had was the perfect opportunity to receive more doggie kisses, like it or not. “Eww. Why does she keep trying to lick me?”

  “It’s a pup’s instinctive reaction to its mama. She’s transferring her affection for Stella, her mom, to you.”

  “She thinks I’m her mother?”

  “In a manner of speaking.” Reed led the way to the SUV and opened the passenger side door, and Abigail climbed in, pup and all. One end of Midnight was on the center console, the other hanging off the right side of Abigail’s lap.

  “Give her to me and I’ll put her in the back with Jessie.”

  “Can’t she ride like this, with me?” She scooped up the rear of the gangly pup and gathered her long legs, tucking them under like the hem of a blanket.

  “Not if we follow the law,” he countered. “Being a cop is no excuse for rule breaking.”

  “I suppose not.” Reluctance to let him take Midnight made her pull the pup into a bear hug, which resulted in more wiggling and expressions of joy from her furry burden.

  Horns honked behind the idling SUV. Reed chuckled. “Okay. I’ll put Jessie in the back, then come around and hook Midnight’s harness to a seat belt. You fasten yours.”

  Abigail looked at her lapful, then at the clasp for the belt. “Sure. Easy-peasy. I’ll do that with my extra two hands.”

  She heard Reed laughing as he let his bloodhound into the rear compartment, then slid behind the wheel and reached for the young Lab. Although Abigail tried to help by positioning Midnight for him, the entire operation was anything but smooth. By the time her harness was fastened everyone was breathing hard.

  “Sorry,” Abigail said. “The next time I’ll let you put her in back with Jessie.”

  “I was just about to say the same thing.” Reed shut off the flashers and signaled to pull into traffic. “Which way to your workplace?”

  “Basically downtown Brighton Beach. Do you know where the open-air fruit and vegetable market is?”

  Reed nodded.

  “We’re a couple doors past that. AFS leased a vacant storefront rather than pay exorbitant rent in an office building. Besides, we figured the kids we help would be more likely to wander into a place that looks less official. Know what I mean?”

  “Absolutely. You need to use every trick in the book to bring them in.”

  “We’re not tricking them,” Abigail countered. “It’s all about gaining their trust and providing aid without making them feel as if they have no choice.”

  “The way their parents treated them?”

  She nodded slowly, pensively. “In some cases. Other kids come from situations that were so bad they feel they’re better off wandering the streets with their friends. What they fail to see is how dangerous that lifestyle can be.” A shiver zinged up her spine, reminding her to be cautious to the point of fear.

  Sensing Reed’s glance, she met it with her own eyes. “What?”

  “I just saw you shiver. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” Just remembering being a lost kid myself, she added silently. Traffic had slowed as they’d entered the old shopping section of Brighton Beach and she was relieved to have a reason to change the subject. She pointed. “There. See it? The sign in the window isn’t very big, but that’s the storefront.”

  “Got it. Want me to circle until I find a parking place or let you off?”

  “Oh.” That was a tricky question if she’d ever heard one. If she climbed out right there she could enter the A Fresh Start office quickly, but Reed and the dogs wouldn’t be with her. If she insisted he park and escort her in, she might be late for her meeting with Kiera.

  Abigail made a face at him. “I don’t suppose you could do both, could you?”

  “Sure. Hang on.”

  After angling into a narrow alley between buildings, he used his emergency lights again, circled the vehicle, got Jessie and met Abigail at the passenger door with a satisfied smile. “We’ll walk you in, then I’ll go park and come back for you.”

  Relieved, she asked, “What about my puppy? It’s too hot to leave the poor little thing in the car.”

  One of his dark eyebrows arched and his grin widened. “What did you say?”

  “Midnight.” Abigail was frowning at him. “She can’t stay in a hot car while we go inside.” Climbing out to stand beside him and Jessie, she heard Midnight whining. “See what I mean? She doesn’t want to be left behind.”

  “And if she got bored she’d probably rip the upholstery off any seat she could get her teeth into,” Reed said. “I won’t abandon her. I promise. This will only take a second and I’ll lock her in with the AC running. Now let’s get you inside for your meeting.”

  Abigail had already noticed how much more wary he was acting now that they were on foot. Good thing she hadn’t been up to walking over from her apartment.

  With Reed between her and Jessie, she hurried across the crumbling, cracked concrete sidewalk and ducked into her place of business. There were a few tattered posters taped to the walls, three old metal desks, a sofa with faded brown-and-gray upholstery and a couple of odd chairs. The well-used living room furniture was grouped in a back corner by a refrigerator to encourage more casual gatherings.

  Abigail didn’t see Kiera, but her boss, Wanda, greeted her with a smile. “I’m so glad you were feeling up to this. Kiera insisted she won’t talk to anybody else.”

  “I understand. Where is she?”

  “She didn’t want to wait. I expect her back any minute.” Wanda patted her on the shoulder. “Who’s your friend?”

  “This is...” She hesitated to give his job title where they might be overheard by prejudiced kids, so she merely said, “Reed.” Smiling, she pointed. “And this is Jessie.”

  “We don’t usually allow dogs in here,” the slightly older woman said pleasantly, smoothing her bob
and tucking longer strands of dark hair behind her ear on one side. “But in your case I may make an exception.”

  Flabbergasted, Abigail realized that her boss was flirting with the off-duty cop! She stifled a wry smile. Well, well, well. What a surprise.

  “See you ladies again as soon as I go park,” Reed said.

  “I can comp your parking at the lot around the next corner if you want.”

  “No need. I’m just dropping off Ms. Jones for her meeting.” He nodded politely and started to back away.

  As he turned, his gaze caught Abigail’s and she was sure she saw mirth twinkling in the rich depths. When he winked for her eyes only, she was positive.

  Watching him saunter away with his K-9 partner was enough to dampen Abigail’s joy. Yes, he would be back soon. And, no, she shouldn’t be fearful doing the job she truly believed God had given her, yet she was. There were still too many unknowns lurking in the depths of her subconscious for her to fully relax in any situation, particularly one away from her apartment.

  Before she had time to think herself into a snit, she spotted a familiar pierced and tattooed teenage girl with pink-fluorescent-streaked hair loitering outside the display window. Kiera had shown up.

  Whatever was on the teen’s mind was more important than Abigail’s personal problems, she reminded herself. She’d faced her fears and braved the outdoors to get there. She wasn’t going to blow a chance to offer the girl counseling.

  If her memory didn’t recover soon, maybe she’d take Reed’s advice and see a professional herself. Remaining clueless indefinitely was unacceptable. And dangerous.

  She clutched a file folder to her chest like a shield as the door opened and Kiera Underhill ducked through. The back of her long hair was gathered with an elastic band. She wore silver-and-pink chandelier earrings and a stud in her right eyebrow.

  There had been a time when Abigail, herself, had delighted in marching to a different drummer, and she admired Kiera’s spunk. What worried her was the teen’s antagonistic attitude toward authority.