Honor And Defend. Lynette Eason
side. “Got away, didn’t he, girl?” Ellen slipped the dog a treat and Carly wolfed it down, proud of herself. Ellen scratched her ears and straightened when she heard footsteps.
“Ellen?”
She spun to find Lee behind her, only slightly winded. “What are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?”
“Sorry, I had to make sure you were all right.”
“I can take care of myself. That’s what I’m trained for, remember?”
Again her words caused a flash of hurt to darken his features. She sighed. She was tired. It had been a long day. But that was no excuse to snap at the man and hurt his feelings. “Again, I’m sorry. I can’t seem to get the filters to line up with my tongue.” She paused. “I appreciate the concern. Next time it might best if you stay back, though.”
The mask fell away and he barked a short laugh. “You don’t have to pretty it up for me, Ellen. You’ve always been blunt. No sense in trying to change now.”
She felt the heat rush into her cheeks. “Well, when you put it that way...fine. Do you have a flashlight?”
“You want me to turn the floodlights on? Or would that put us in the spotlight?”
She hesitated. “I think whoever was snooping out here is gone, but we probably don’t want to make it any easier to spot us should the person double back. I’m nervous enough standing here in the moonlight.”
“Gotcha.”
Because while she’d heard the person drive away and Carly no longer seemed concerned, Ellen felt the need to take all kinds of precautions.
* * *
Still worried that the intruder might return, Lee entered the kennel where he used to keep the dogs he’d loved to work with. That was before he’d had to make other arrangements for them when he was sentenced to prison. Veronica had helped him out with that. He even knew that a couple of them were now working dogs, trained by his sister’s skilled hand and rehomed to help those who needed it. Anger at all he’d lost surged through him and he had to squelch it before it grew.
That was in the past, he reminded himself. He had a future now. A future that included this home, this kennel that he’d built with his own two hands in his backyard. Thankfully, Veronica had hired someone to keep the outside area cut and trimmed while she took care of the house herself. He supposed the house hadn’t been much work since no one was living there. Simply dust and vacuum once a week. His backyard had been another matter, though. And while this area might be empty at the moment, he hoped to fill it up soon with more puppies to train for people who needed them. After all, he still had the rest of his schooling to pay for.
One step at a time.
They’d left the puppies at the training center, so tomorrow he’d get the one golden retriever pup from Ellen. Dash. That little one seemed to need a bit more of his expertise than the other two. He grabbed the flashlight he’d come for and hurried back outside to find Ellen making notes on her phone. “You’re going to report this?”
“Yes. We need to keep everything documented. I don’t want whoever is doing this to slip through our fingers on a technicality. I’ve got the date, time and description of what I heard and saw—and Carly’s reaction, as well.”
He handed her the flashlight and she clipped the phone to her belt then flipped the light on. She aimed the beam toward the ground. “Follow me and let’s use both sets of eyes. You may spot something that shouldn’t be there before I would. Carly will let us know if anyone comes back.”
He moved closer to her. Drew in her familiar scent. He used to dream about that smell while he was in prison—and even before. A combination of vanilla and strawberries. He was glad some things hadn’t changed.
Even while his mind remembered, his eyes scoured the ground. They worked in a grid pattern. Up toward the road, then back. Finally, he pointed. “There. Near the gate.” She moved closer and aimed the light where he indicated. “The grass is pressed down. I’ve been meaning to get out here and cut it, but haven’t had a chance. With the rain a couple of days ago, it seems like it grew about a foot overnight.”
She pulled her phone off the clip and snapped pictures. “I don’t know what good the pictures will do. There aren’t any footprints to cast or anything like that, but I see what you mean about the grass.”
Her light flashed across something shiny in the grass and he bent down to pick it up then stopped. “Do you have a tissue or gloves or anything?”
“Not on me.” She moved closer and looked over his shoulder. Her nearness made him long for things he shouldn’t. She wasn’t going to be around any longer than it took to solve his sister’s murder. He needed to remember that. “I wasn’t planning on working a crime scene,” she said, oblivious to his inner turmoil. Good, he planned to keep it that way. “What is it?”
He drew in a breath and forced his thoughts to the object on the ground. “It’s the clip that keeps the gate closed. Some of the dogs can figure out how to lift the latch so I just use the clip. Someone undid it and gave it a toss.” He stood. “Be right back. I’ve got some paper towels and paper bags in the room I used to use as an office.”
He left her once again to retrieve the items. When he returned, he handed her a paper towel and she scooped up the clip and slid it in the bag. “We’ll send this off to Flagstaff and have them try to find any prints,” she said. “If the person wore gloves, it’ll be a lost cause.”
“Thanks. It’s worth a try.”
“If I were to go inside the gate, where could I get to?”
“Just inside the building I used as a kennel. It’s got some cages and dog runs out the back. I would put the dogs inside when the weather was too cold or too hot for them to be outside. But I keep the door leading into the actual building locked. There’s nothing worth stealing in there—just pet food, a few tools, water buckets, training toys...” He shrugged. “It’s really just a storage area.”
“This makes me nervous,” Ellen said. “Someone shot at us today and now someone is snooping around your home tonight. I don’t like it.”
“I can’t say it’s been the highlight of my week, either.”
She sighed. “All right. Let’s go back to the house. I want to make some phone calls.”
He led the way back into his kitchen. She settled into a chair with Carly at her feet and dialed a number.
“Who are you calling?”
“Two other K-9 officers in my unit. Tristan McKeller and Shane Weston. I’m going to ask them to take turns watching your house tonight.” She bit her lip. “I suppose I should call Chief Jones, too.”
While she made the calls, he rubbed his eyes and considered the past few hours. He had to admit he hadn’t realized what he was signing up for when he’d agreed to work with Ellen. He hadn’t realized how much the past would come back to haunt him. How much he would wish for what could never be. He watched her talk, examining her face, her expressions, her intensity. Beautiful, ambitious, smart... He sighed. And what was he?
Before he’d been arrested and imprisoned, he’d had big dreams. He’d been building his dog-training business and even had two college students who’d worked for him on a part-time basis. He’d also been attending graduate classes that would get him started on the path to becoming a veterinarian. And then he’d walked into a convenience store in the middle of a robbery. The clerk had been shot and he’d tried to save her. The robber had fled, and Officer Ken Bucks had arrived on the scene. Just in time to set him up. He’d held a grudge against Lee ever since a woman Ken loved had chosen Lee over him. Ken had never forgotten it—nor cared that Lee hadn’t returned the woman’s affection.
The anger bubbled, threatening to come to the surface once again. He blew out a sigh.
Why