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The chief glanced over at the whiteboard as he prepared to leave the police station. It was all there. Every victim’s photo, including that of his late wife, Melanie. It didn’t matter how much it hurt him to keep seeing her picture, it had to stay posted. She was an integral part of Carrie’s crime spree; the beginning, the key, for the simple fact she happened to be married to him.
Ryder tore himself away and raced for his car. Enough people had already died at the hands of the madwoman who wanted him, or his blond look-alikes, to fulfill her distorted sense of romantic destiny. It must stop now. They were not going to lose one more life. Not on his watch.
Sirens howling and lights flashing, he and the others pulled out onto Desert Valley Road. Ryder floored the accelerator. Multiple incoming reports had not mentioned any victims, but he needed to see for himself. Sophie Williams might be hardheaded but she was a great dog trainer. He’d hate to lose her.
Was that the only reason his pulse was pounding? he asked himself. Probably not. It was true that all his deputies and the staff at the training center were special to him, yet he and Sophie had occasionally seemed to connect on a deeper level. Which was another strong reason for him to keep his distance. If Carrie imagined that he and Sophie were even good friends it might be enough to put the innocent trainer in the crosshairs. Which was exactly where she had ended up today.
Ryder’s pulse jumped as he skidded to a stop outside the Tudor-style depot. There she was! Sophie was not only on her feet, she was pointing and apparently giving directions to other arriving officers.
Ryder hit the ground running. “Keep your head down.”
“The shooter’s long gone,” she called back.
He stopped beside her, on high alert despite her assurances. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I hate to think what might have happened if I hadn’t bent over when I did.”
Ryder’s jaw clenched. He started to grab her arm, then stopped himself. “Get in the car and fill me in.”
“It’s too hot for that.”
“I’m running the auxiliary air in my unit. Come on.”
“Titus is with you?”
“No. I left him in my office.” When Sophie didn’t move quickly he scowled. “Well?”
“Just a second. I need to coax Phoenix to come with us on his own. I don’t want to muscle him into obedience.”
A mottled, grayish muzzle poked from beneath the damaged SUV as Sophie spoke softly and reached out. Ryder didn’t know what to say. If that sorry excuse for a K-9 cop was supposed to be his new partner, the obstinate trainer had better rethink her plans. No way was he going to accept a trembling basket case in place of a heroic partner like Titus.
The new dog slunk over to Sophie and pressed against her lower legs as she straightened. “This is Phoenix.”
“Um...”
“He’ll come around. He’s already better than he was when he arrived. I had a courier bring him so he wouldn’t be frightened by being treated like freight.”
“I don’t think it helped,” Ryder said flatly. “If he crouched any lower he’d be crawling on his belly like a commando.”
“Trust me.” Sophie gave him a slight smile. “I really believe you and this dog will work out together. He needs a strong, seasoned handler like you, and you need a replacement partner.”
“I need a good partner, emphasis on good.”
“He will be. You know we don’t have the funds right now to bring in a fully trained K-9, and this one deserves a second chance. If it happens he doesn’t work out, we can think about pairing you with one of the younger dogs. They’re just not ready yet.”
“If you say so.” He opened the rear door and waited until Sophie managed to load the dog, then held the passenger side for her. As she slid into the car he was struck by her courage and calm expertise despite the danger she’d just faced. That was part of the problem he had with her. She was very good and she knew it, which made her far less tractable.
Ryder smiled to himself. If she’d gotten a dog with those same tendencies she’d have been quick to send it away as a pet or maybe farm it out to the service dog program that Desert Valley Police Department rookie Ellen Foxcroft had recently started.
He could tell Sophie was studying him as he slid behind the wheel. When she asked, “Why are you grinning?” he decided to tell her.
“Just thinking. If you got a dog half as obstinate as you are, he’d wash out of the program in a heartbeat.”
“There’s a fine line between being dedicated and being foolish. I see myself as dedicated.”
Although he wanted to remain aloof he couldn’t help chuckling. “Dedicated to running things your way, you mean.”
She shrugged, reflecting wry humor in her twinkling hazel eyes. “Hey, if my way is the best way, why not?”
Ryder sobered immediately and glared over at her. “Just make sure it doesn’t get you killed.”
Sophie knew she had barely cheated death at the railway depot. In order to cope and remain functional, she usually relegated troubling thoughts to a separate part of her psyche. This time, however, it was a bit harder to do. The tight expression on Ryder’s face didn’t help.
Sophie was half-turned in her seat, checking on the condition of the dog in the back, when the vehicle began to move. “Hey! Where are we going?”
“Away from here,” he said.
“Why? I told you the danger is over. It has to be with all those K-9 rookies milling around. What did you do, bring the whole team?”
“Yes.”
Viewing his profile, Sophie admired his strong jaw and muscled forearms. He was every bit a chief, in demeanor as well as appearance. The way he carried himself spoke more loudly than words, and his pristine blue uniform fit perfectly, unlike the way the previous chief’s shirt had strained to stay buttoned over his ample stomach.
Ryder apparently sensed her attention because he glanced to the side. “What?”
“Nothing.” Sophie was afraid she was blushing. “I was just thinking.”
“About the shooter?”
“Right. The shooter. Why assume it was Carrie? I mean, would she suddenly switch to a rifle when her previous weapon of choice was a handgun?”
“Why not?” Ryder said, continuing to cruise slowly down Main, “She shot my wife and Veronica, but she pushed rookie Mike Riverton down steep stairs and burned down rookie Brian Miller’s house with him in it. Carrie has no known MO when it comes to how she murders her victims.”
Shivering with those memories, Sophie said, “I just can’t see Carrie accurately aiming a rifle. She’s too scrawny to hold it steady.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. She did miss.”
“Well, somebody did. Too bad it wasn’t caught on surveillance cameras.”
Nodding as if pondering the attack, Ryder pulled into a deserted parking lot and stopped beneath a shade tree, letting the engine idle to keep the vehicle cool. “If not Carrie, then who?”
“How should I know?” She raised both hands, palms up, and shrugged. “I was too busy taking cover to make notes. All I know is there were three shots and they all seemed to be coming from the east side of the depot building. Whoever it was took a big chance of being spotted. Somebody must have seen something.”
“We’ll sort that out back at the station after I’ve read the reports. That’s one reason I deployed all the K-9s. We may as well make full use of them while they’re still temporarily assigned here.”
Sophie sighed. “I suppose so. I’ll be glad to get back to running new training classes but I will miss these rookies when they move on. They’ve kind of grown on me.”
“Me, too,” Ryder admitted. “It’s nice to have more officers. Particularly when their salaries are being paid by the richest woman in town.”
“Marian Foxcroft.” Sophie thought of the woman who’d arranged to have the newly graduated rookies stay on to solve the murders and mysterious deaths over the past five years. Someone had attacked Marian in her own home—and that person was very likely Carrie Dunleavy. Why, was a question no one had an answer to. “I hope she recovers from her head injury, for her sake and for poor Ellen’s.” Sophie knew that Ellen Foxcroft, one of the rookies, hadn’t been very close to her mother before the attack. Everyone was pulling for Marian. Sophie decided to change the subject. “It’s nice to be able to have all the rookies’ partners around for a little longer, too.”
“Right. The dogs, too.” He cast a quick glance over his shoulder. “Well, all except for one. What possessed you to send for—Phoenix, is it?”
“Yes. Phoenix. We have him on a trial basis, just in case he doesn’t work out, but I think you’re going to be surprised. Besides, he was a bargain.”
Ryder arched his brows. “I don’t doubt that.”
“Hey, don’t criticize him before you give him a chance. At one time, this dog was very good. He can be again.”
“What happened to him?”
Taking a deep, calming breath Sophie explained. “He lost his partner in the line of duty. They were ambushed in an alley. Even though he was wounded, too, Phoenix stood guard over his fallen partner until reinforcements arrived.”
“And after that he stayed scared?”
“Not exactly. Several other officers tried to work with him. When that failed, he was sent to rehab training in the southern part of the state, then reassigned, but he was too emotionally fragile to be of much use.”
“You think you can cure him?”
“I think I understand him. That’s a start.” She hesitated. “Been there, done that.”
Ryder was shaking his head. “So, you expect to convince a dog that the death of his handler was inevitable because that’s what you’ve been telling yourself about the loss of your own partner, back when you wore a badge?”
Wondering if she would be able to sound logical, Sophie paused to gather herself. Her mouth was dry, her palms damp. She knew full well that her narrow focus on the criminal she and her former partner, Wes Allen, had been pursuing was what had cost him his life. Acting as his backup, she’d failed to notice a hidden gunman—until it was too late. Wes had died on the spot and it was her fault. She’d left the force shortly thereafter.
Sophie suppressed another shiver. Here in Desert Valley she had colleagues who would probably understand. One of them was sitting next to her. Confiding the full extent of her lingering guilt and pain, however, was out of the question.
“That all happened long ago,” she said. “I’ve found my niche training dogs for law enforcement.”
“It’s still excess baggage. We all carry plenty.”
She could tell by the faraway look in his blue eyes that he was remembering his wife, the mother of his little girl. At least he still had Lily to give him solace. Sophie had nothing left but her work.
Pressing her lips together tightly she considered her personal life. Her best friends were dogs—and that was just the way she wanted it. People had hurt and disappointed her as far back as she could remember. Listening to her parents quarreling, she had often hidden in her room, hugging the family dog and trusting him to keep her safe. Law enforcement had seemed the perfect career choice at the outset but she had quickly realized she was not equipped to accept loss, particularly the death of her own partner. In turning to K-9 training she had, in a way, gone back to the solace she’d found as a frightened child. Not that she was about to admit it.
“I’ve recovered from my past,” Sophie finally said. “You will, too. Just give it time.”
Ryder was shaking his head. “No. I don’t ever want to forget.”
A sense of melancholy enfolded her. She had never come close to finding the kind of love and devotion this man held for his late wife, nor did she ever hope to. A lifelong commitment was the kind of thing dreams were made of and she knew better than to entertain such fancies.
She had her job, her dogs and a career many people coveted. Heartfelt prayer had led her to Desert Valley and circumstances were keeping her here. That was enough. It would have to be.
A sidelong glance at Ryder convinced her further. He needed her help and that of the dog she was preparing for him. Call it a job or a ministry or whatever, it was why she was where she was at this moment in time. She would not waste the opportunity.
While it was wrong to think of hugging away his pain, it was right to support his rise in rank. Merely the fact that he had been promoted to police chief while still technically a K-9 cop was a wonder. Keeping him active and qualified with a dog for as long as he wished to be was up to her.
She closed her eyes for a moment and thought. Father, thank You. Please stay with me.
“You okay?” Ryder asked.
“Fine.” Her voice had a catch in it the first time so she repeated, “Fine.”
“Do you want me to drop you back at the training center or take you home?”
“Home, please,” Sophie said. “I want Phoenix to get used to living with his handler again. We may as well start right away.”
“You won’t take any unnecessary chances? Promise?”
“Cross my heart.” She made the motion.
“Okay. I’ll go in ahead of you and check your house.”
Her “No,” came easily.
“No?”
Sophie was nodding. “Thanks, but no thanks. That won’t be necessary. If there’s anything wrong at my place the dog will alert.”
“How? By ducking and shaking the way he did at the depot?” The chief sounded cynical.
Reminded of the shooting incident and the way her own hands had trembled in its aftermath, Sophie covered her emotions by shrugging and saying, “Whatever.”
To herself, she added, That will make two of us feeling fearful. All her previous efforts to escape the rigors and threats of active law enforcement had been rendered ineffectual the moment those shots had been fired. If she had not been going home with a dog, traumatized or not, she might have welcomed human intervention.
Ryder was adamant. “Look. Until we know whether or not the attack on you was random, I’m going to pull rank. I’m inspecting your house when we get there. Is that understood?”
Sophie was so relieved she nearly sighed aloud. Instead, she purposely pouted, scooted lower in the seat and folded her arms, making sure her courageous image remained unspoiled. “Yeah, I get it.”
In truth, she was thankful. The house she’d been renting for several years sat on a double lot on East Second Street and backed up to undeveloped land, a quiet location that had seemed ideal until she’d started feeling vulnerable.
Right now, she’d have gladly settled for high stone walls instead of wire fencing, and maybe a turret with an armed guard or two, preferably one like Ryder Hayes.
If he turned up anybody hiding in her house, waiting to hurt her, she didn’t know what she’d do. But she was pretty sure she knew what Ryder would do—whatever it took to see that she was taken care of.
TWO (#ulink_3e818567-257c-5edd-8cfc-14a4319a6d54)
Ryder had figured Sophie’s objections to his entering her home had been based on its messy condition. One look had immediately changed his mind. She was a good housekeeper. The dishes were washed, the bed made, and a vacuum cleaner stood sentinel in a corner of the living room. There were slipcovers on her padded furniture and an extra throw on the sofa. He could understand that when a person kept bringing new dogs home.
Satisfied that she’d be fine, he divided the remainder of his day between his office and the depot crime scene. He was a methodical investigator. Usually. This time he felt as if he was missing something, some clue that would better explain why Sophie had been targeted. But what?
After being fooled so thoroughly by Carrie, he found himself mistrusting everyone, a trait which had gotten him into hot water with Sophie after her predecessor, head trainer Veronica Earnshaw, had been murdered at work. Unwarranted suspicion and hurt feelings at that time meant he’d have to be doubly sensitive about how he chose to dig deeper into Sophie’s past. Looking for someone who may have held a grudge since her days as a police officer was going to be his first objective.
The most logical choice was to simply question her, although he hadn’t gotten very far when he’d tried that before. There were cut-and-dried facts in her file, sure, but that wasn’t the same as getting her input on old cases.
Planning to speak with her the following day, Ryder put Titus in his car and started for Lily’s babysitter’s house. Passing the veterinary office adjacent to the training center, he did a double take. There was only one old car he knew of that lacked a backseat and was decorated with decals of various dog breeds. Sophie Williams was out and about.
He parked at the curb. Bypassing the deserted front counter he headed down the hall to the exam rooms. Phoenix was perched on a stainless steel table while Sophie comforted him.
