In Safe Hands (Search and Rescue #4)(123)

Theo gave a rough, humorless laugh. “We’re a pair, aren’t we, Vig?”

The dog didn’t react, didn’t even glance at him, and Theo swallowed a bitter surge of grief, gathering the numbness around him like a security blanket.

“C’mon, Viggy.” The weary resignation in his voice would’ve worried him if he’d managed to care. “Let’s get this over with.”

With a reluctant Viggy in the back of his squad car, Theo pressed the accelerator, flying past vehicles that had pulled over in response to his overhead lights and siren. That low burn of anticipation he usually got when heading to a call wasn’t happening, though. There was no surge of adrenaline, no bouncing nerves. He didn’t feel anything.

Viggy shifted, drawing his attention for a split second before Theo returned his gaze to the road. It was strange having a dog in the back of his squad again. After Goose died, Theo had successfully managed to put off getting a new dog for more than ten months. He didn’t think he’d have the same connection with another K-9 that he’d had with Goose, not ever again. Ever since Theo had picked up Goose from the training facility, the two of them had clicked. Goose had been an amazing partner—a once-in-a-lifetime K-9 officer.

His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror again as guilt burned in his chest. Viggy had been a good dog, too—was a good dog. They just weren’t right for each other. Vig was Don’s partner. At least, he had been.

A dull pain throbbed in his stomach, and Theo tightened his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles whitened.

As they left quaint downtown Monroe and headed toward the west edge of town, Theo slowed. The twists and turns of the narrow mountain road were treacherous even at normal speeds, and Theo didn’t want to plow into one of the vertical rock faces that bracketed the pavement. Monroe was just west enough of the Front Range to be considered a mountain town, rather than in the foothills. Nestled in a valley, the town could be accessed by only two roads—one to the east and one to the west.

As he approached the turnoff to Blank Hill Road, the squirrelly waitress popped into his head…again. For some reason, he was thinking of Jules with unsettling frequency. Theo pictured her smile after he’d told the shady stranger at the diner to back off. It had transformed her face, turning her from pretty to flat-out beautiful.

He realized that he’d been slowing down, as if he was going to turn toward Jules’s house, and he made an annoyed sound as he pressed harder on the accelerator. This preoccupation with Jules had to stop. Despite his resolution, though, he couldn’t help but glance in the side-view mirror to catch the last glimpse of the Blank Hill Road sign.

Maybe he should swing by her place after the call was over. After all, he’d be driving right past again. The house she was renting was isolated, and it was obvious that she was running from something—or someone. He’d do a quick check on her place and then leave. Jules wouldn’t even know he’d been there.

His breath came out in a huff as he got close to the scene. He needed to stop obsessing. Her suspicious behavior just screamed that she’d be trouble, and his life was enough of a mess right now. If only she hadn’t smiled at him like that…

Theo cut his siren as he turned onto the road leading to Green Willow Lane but left his overhead lights flashing until he pulled up behind Hugh’s squad car. The September sun was starkly bright and warm. Theo automatically checked to make sure the window fan ventilating the backseat was on and then froze. How many times had he done the same for Goose? Shaking off the nostalgia and grief, Theo strode toward Lieutenant Blessard, the incident commander. As he passed Hugh’s squad car, Lexie, Hugh’s K-9 partner, barked twice.

“Bosco!” The lieutenant strode over to meet Theo. “You got Don Baker’s dog with you? The search warrant just came through.”

With a tight nod, Theo turned and returned to his squad car. Lexie stayed silent that time when he passed Hugh’s car. As Theo opened the back door and reached to attach the lead to the dog’s harness, Viggy flattened his belly against the floor. Taking a step back, Theo eyed the dog. Vig was the picture of misery.

“I know, buddy,” Theo said softly. Every time he looked at Viggy, Theo was hit with a stab of grief. The dog acted exactly how Theo felt. There wasn’t time to wallow in their mutual sadness, though. They had a job to do. Their fellow cops’ lives depended on him and Viggy doing what they were trained to do, even if their hearts weren’t in it.

“Let’s go to work.” Although he tried to infuse his voice with excitement, his tone remained flat, as did the dog. “C’mon, Vig. Out.”

Theo pulled on the lead, but Viggy resisted for so long that Theo began to worry he’d have to lift the seventy-pound dog and carry him to the scene.

“Viggy…” He hauled on the leash again, and the dog reluctantly climbed out of the car.

“What’s wrong with him?” Blessard asked from just a few feet away. Theo stiffened. He’d been so occupied with getting Viggy out of the car that he didn’t even notice the lieutenant approaching.

Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, Theo kept a tight grip on the leash to prevent Viggy from slinking underneath the car to hide. “He’s been this way ever since Don…” Theo had to stop when Don’s name caught in his throat.

“Yeah.” Blessard eyed the dog with sympathy. “Think we were all knocked sideways by that.”