Chapter 9
NINE
Cole had braced himself for the pushback, except it didn’t come.
Kianna had gone into her house and let him drive away.
And for that, he was thankful. He’d meant what he’d said.
Cole didn’t want her to get hurt or die on his watch.
He never should have let her tag along on the hunt for Mackey in the first place.
He turned out of her development and headed toward the police station.
He knew the reason for dismissing her help, but he wasn’t about to admit it to her.
Cole had begun to enjoy her presence. Being around her pushed him to work hard and to think outside the box. Like when she’d mentioned the animal shelter being a possible lead where Mackey might go before escaping with his partner.
Partner.
Cole hadn’t missed the hurt on Kianna’s face when he’d commented about already having one.
He glanced in the rearview mirror to where Titan lay curled up, sleeping.
For Kianna’s safety and his, he couldn’t let her stick around.
He’d pushed the importance of her physical safety.
Which was imperative. But it ran deeper.
If he let himself get too invested with Kianna, sooner or later, it would all be stripped away.
And the sweet moments they’d shared would only be memories of what had once been.
Like the one over dinner, at the hospital. Opening up and sharing about his family with her had reminded him what it was like to have a confidant. A companion in life who witnessed beautiful moments and hard ones.
Another car approached him in the opposite lane. What would he have done if Kianna had died earlier today? He might not blame himself for his father’s health decline, but he would have held himself accountable for Kianna.
Regardless, the glimmer of good moments could be taken away without warning. Like the snow squall snatching the light of the sun and shrouding everything in its path. He couldn’t let himself get emotionally invested when time was fleeting.
Right, Lord? You say that the grass withers and the flowers fade. Only Your Word remains forever. So why put my hope in anything that will disappear?
Not only had it happened in his family, but he also experienced it with his job every day. Life as someone knew it could be gone in a flash.
If he could, Cole would keep everyone he cared about safe and happy. But he couldn’t. So instead, he’d do what he could to preserve goodness and keep evil from winning.
It was time to come up with a plan to catch Mackey before he could collect his money and bail.
Several minutes later, Cole walked into the station and unzipped his jacket.
“Eyyy, Stuart is back.” Officer Anthony Thomas greeted Cole when he walked in, stepping around the front desk, where he’d been talking with Jules, the receptionist, to give Cole a slap on the back.
“It’s good to be where it’s warm.” Cole unhooked Titan’s leash, and the dog trotted over to the food bowl by the seating area.
“This storm is going to break the winter record for Last Chance.” Thomas’s blue eyes widened, and he whistled.
“Let’s hope it throws Mackey off and he slips up.” Cole went over to the water cooler and grabbed a Styrofoam cup, filling it with warm water before opening a packet of hot chocolate.
“Everyone’s in the conference room,” Thomas said.
“Good.” Cole snapped the lid on the cup, then followed Thomas down the hall.
Thomas, Ramble, Tazwell, Wilcox, and Basuto were already seated at the table, laptops out.
Cole greeted everyone, then took a seat.
“Let’s get this meeting started.” Basuto glanced at his watch.
A chorus of agreements followed.
“Did you get to talk with Athers, Cole?” Wilcox asked. “By the time I got there, she was asleep again.”
“I did.” Cole filled them in on the details of his conversation with Rainy. “So we know there’s someone local in cahoots with Mackey. And he wants to take care of his ‘canine currency,’ whatever that means.”
“Who were the visitors or callers Mackey had while in prison?” Basuto tapped his pen on the table.
Ramble clicked away at his computer. “Not many. In the two years he was there, it was mostly people from outside organizations and city officials. And a Benjamin Raider.” The inmate database appeared on the conference TV.
“Who’s that?” Tazwell swiveled in her chair to face the screen.
Cole tapped his pen against the table. “He caught Mackey in the act of selling off a diamond cat collar that one of the foster boys stole before he killed him.” A sour taste filled Cole’s mouth, and he took a sip of the hot chocolate.
Even when Cole had been investigating the case on Mackey to put him away the first time, he couldn’t fathom how this guy’s mind worked.
Using people for his own advantage and peddling the goods to make a buck.
All while discarding a human life. It was sick.
“Benjamin is also the manager of Tiny Paws Animal Shelter.” Ramble glanced up from his computer.
Interesting. “There was supposed to be an adopt-a-pet event tomorrow at the shelter, but it was canceled,” Cole added. “Maybe that’s where we start.”
“Why?” Basuto crossed his leg and steepled his fingers.
“Gives us a chance to talk to Benjamin without throngs of people. Find out more about this ‘canine currency.’”
“I’m with Cole.” Tazwell leaned forward in her chair. “Benjamin knows Mackey; he might be able to shed light on how the guy’s mind works.”
“What if Mackey needs to collect something at the shelter? Could money be hidden there?” Wilcox added.
Cole drummed his knuckles on the wood table. “If there is a payout for him there, with the event canceled, Mackey will show up at the shelter.”
“Let’s get two officers at the shelter, pronto. Thomas, Stuart, you good?” Basuto stood up. “I don’t want to take any more chances of missing this guy.”
Cole agreed. It might not be a solid lead, but it was time to explore every option for the sake of nabbing Mackey.
Unfortunately, that meant Cole wasn’t going to get any shut-eye tonight.
Good thing he was used to night shifts. Another jolt of caffeine would help.
He downed the rest of the hot chocolate.
“Lieutenant.” He nodded, then headed out to get Titan and fill up a thermos of coffee.
The German shepherd lay on the floor, his eyes closed, still near the food bowl. At least one of them had gotten a few moments of sleep.
“Tite.” Cole clapped his hands. “We’ve got work to do.”
His partner opened his eyes but didn’t make an effort to move just yet.
Cole put a cup in the Keurig and let it brew.
“C’mon, boy. Time to work.” Cole whistled.
Titan stood up and stretched.
Odd.
Cole bent over and rubbed the dog’s ears. When he straightened, he caught sight of a pool of vomit near the food bowl.
“What happened, Tite? Not feeling well.”
As if in response, the K-9 projectiled more.
“Aw, man, that’s nasty.” Thomas came over and held his fingers to his nose. “Titan, you can’t be sick. We’ve got a criminal to catch.”
The dog paid no attention to them. He whimpered and curled up on the floor.
Cole poured his coffee, then headed to the bathroom and grabbed a roll of paper towels.
He had to get Titan to the vet. He wasn’t about to take a risk with his partner’s life. No matter how badly Cole wanted to be staking out the animal shelter, his partner’s welfare came first.
“I can’t go with you, man,” Cole said to Thomas while he wiped up Titan’s vomit.
“I’ll go,” Tazwell piped up, sliding her arms into her coat. The overhead system crackled, and the alarm beeped. “Break-in at Tiny Paws.” The dispatcher spouted off the address.
Cole raised a brow.
“Looks like we’re onto something.” Thomas grabbed his jacket from the coat rack.
“Lieutenant, permission to go with Thomas?” Tazwell was fully expecting a positive response, because she already had her coat zipped up.
“Go catch the thief,” Basuto ordered.
Cole grabbed his phone and dialed Brett Filks’s number. The vet picked up on the third ring. “What’s up?” Grogginess filled the man’s voice.
“I know it’s late, but I’ve got an emergency with Titan. He’s throwing up and doesn’t want to move.”
“Bring him in.” The sleepiness in the man’s voice disappeared. “I’ll be there in five.”
Cole carried Titan out to the borrowed car and laid him on the back seat. The German shepherd opened his eyes a sliver, then closed them again. “We’re going to get you fixed up soon, Tite.”
Cole hopped into the driver’s seat and headed to the clinic. If it weren’t for the freezing temperatures and dark night, Cole would have sped down the roads. But he couldn’t risk another accident. Not only because he didn’t want to total a vehicle that belonged to the city, but for Titan’s sake.
“Just don’t puke all over the back seats, boy.” Cole frowned when he glanced in the mirror and Titan didn’t respond.
Cole pressed down a little harder on the gas.
He couldn’t lose his K-9. They’d bonded as working partners, and Titan had become Cole’s best friend too.
As Titan’s handler, Cole did everything with the German shepherd.
They’d built trust. And at the end of the day, Cole always had someone to come home to.
I thought we made a good team.
Kianna’s comment rang in his mind.
He’d pushed her away. All because he was scared of what could happen if he got too close.
But it didn’t matter now. She was gone, and the reality that he could lose his other partner was like a patch of black ice that threatened to send him careening over the edge.
He tried to control the outcomes to make life favorable. After one loss with his dad, he didn’t want to risk the same disappointments with others. He couldn’t seem to alter circumstances, no matter how much he tried.
Rejoice in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you.
The memory verse flooded his heart.
Forgive me, Lord. I’ve lacked gratitude for what You have given me. I need to praise You for what You do give me and trust You to walk with me no matter what comes next.
Kianna had been right.
In an effort to hold on to the good, he’d pushed away any chance of making more memories. All the wasted time he couldn’t get back now.
And what did Cole have to show for it?
Nothing.
No memories were created while he stayed holed up in his little corner, trying to preserve the life he’d once known.
Before he realized how much time had passed, Cole pulled into the vet’s parking lot. He’d driven on autopilot. All the roads a blur. Thank the Lord he’d gotten here safely.
Brett met them at the door and took Titan from his arms.
The dog stirred, then vomited again on the entryway mat of the building.
“Sorry, man.” Cole scanned the foyer. “Let me grab some paper towels to clean it up.”
Brett shook his head. “I’ll take care of it. I want to collect it to send in for testing.”
Cole paced in the waiting room while Brett checked out his partner. He wished he could be in two places at once and find out what was going on at the animal shelter.
Thirty minutes later, Brett walked back out, his lips thin.
Cole stopped moving and his calf muscles tightened. “How is he?”
“He’s alive. But he has bradycardia and some wheezing in his lungs. I have him on fluids.”
The air whooshed from Cole’s lungs, a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.
“I also pumped his stomach. What has he consumed within the last twenty-four hours?”
“Food and water.” Cole frowned.
“Well, based on his symptoms, I suspect he ingested something poisonous. But a toxicology report will confirm. I’m going to get his GI contents delivered stat.”
Cole ran his hand down his jaw, then lifted his radio off his shoulder. “Basuto, can we get the food left in Titan’s dog bowl sent to the lab? Titan’s possibly been poisoned.”
“On it,” his boss replied.
“I want to keep him the rest of the night to monitor his vitals, but I’m confident he’ll make a quick recovery.” Brett swung his stethoscope around his neck. “You brought him in right away, and with his stomach pumped, he will heal much faster and have minimal organ damage.”
“Thanks for making us a priority.” Cole shook the man’s hand.
“You got it. I’ll give you an update in the morning.”
Cole pushed open the front door, and an icy blast greeted his face, waking him up faster than the caffeine. Someone had poisoned Titan and almost gotten away with killing him.
He unlocked the car and slid into the seat, resting his head back for a second before he grabbed the radio. “Any update on the burglary?”
“Thief escaped, but we just got done looking at the security camera.” Tazwell’s voice came through. “Whoever it was had their face well hidden.”
Cole blew out a breath.
Of course they had.
“Basuto, can I have a copy of the footage sent to review? I’m heading back to the station now.”
“Ten-four,” Basuto said.
Cole was reaching for the engine start button when cool metal touched his temple.
“I suggest you listen to what I say, or I pull this trigger.”
Cole lifted his gaze to the rearview mirror, and in the glow from the parking lot lights, he stared into Victoria’s eyes.