Shattered Lullaby. Laura Scott
“Well, I’m glad to see the cut isn’t too deep,” Dr. Hogan said. “I think we can close it up with glue. Hopefully, it won’t bother her too much.”
The huge wave of guilt rolled off his back. Duchess really would be okay.
“She’ll need some antibiotics, since we don’t know what cut her, along with some pain meds.” Dr. Hogan lifted his gaze to Matt’s. “First, we’ll get this cleaned up, okay?”
He nodded again, grateful that his partner wouldn’t need surgery. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks to God for watching over them.
Praying came natural to him. Growing up in the Callahan family meant they went to church every Sunday, followed by brunch at his mother’s home. His father, Max Callahan, the former Chief of Police, had died in the line of duty over two years ago, but in some ways it felt as if the event that had so dramatically changed their lives had happened yesterday.
The perp who’d shot his father had never been caught, a fact that nagged at him incessantly. And he knew it bothered the rest of his brothers and his twin sister, too. He’d spent some time trying to investigate the case but had gotten sidetracked when he’d been selected for K-9 training.
His father had instilled a sense of serving the community in all six of his children. Most of them had gone into some type of law enforcement work; Marc was an FBI agent, Miles a homicide detective, Mitch an arson investigator, and Matt’s twin, Maddy, a lawyer, working in the DA’s office. Only his middle brother, Mike, had defied his father’s wishes by becoming a private investigator.
“Matt?” Lacy’s soft voice interrupted his thoughts. “I’m glad Duchess is going to be okay.”
“Thanks.” He forced a smile. “Me, too.”
She took the baby bottle she’d used to feed Rory and washed it out in the sink. He couldn’t help but admire how she managed to take care of an infant in less than optimal conditions.
The veterinary assistant came in with a razor and a bowl of soapy water. For the next five minutes, he held Duchess in place while the assistant first trimmed the dog’s fur from the area around the laceration, then used the soapy water to clean it. By the time they were finished, Matt’s uniform was almost as wet as Duchess’s coat.
“Dr. Hogan will be back shortly,” the assistant said, emptying the bowl of soapy water into the sink, then rinsing it out.
An hour later, Duchess was ready to go. She took her antibiotics and pain pills in a ball of peanut butter like a pro. Since the leash was out in the car and he didn’t want Duchess to pull on the glue the vet had used to close her incision, he once again scooped her into his arms.
Lacy went ahead to open the doors for him as they made their way back outside. The moon was high in the sky, and even though he was certain they hadn’t been followed, the tiny hairs along the back of his neck lifted and pricked in warning.
“Take the baby and get inside,” he said, once she’d opened the back hatch.
Lacy quickly scooted into the back seat. He closed the door behind Duchess, then hurried behind the wheel.
Twin headlights pierced the night, and he quickly started the engine and backed out of the parking spot. The headlights grew closer, and he couldn’t ignore a sliver of apprehension.
Should he call for backup? Or was he being paranoid? Probably the latter, so he headed away from the lights, in the opposite direction. At two in the morning, he didn’t expect there to be much traffic on the road.
The twin headlights followed.
He glanced in his rearview mirror at Lacy holding the baby and Duchess stretched out in the back. No way was he going to risk becoming involved in some sort of high-speed car chase.
Grabbing the radio, he quickly called it in. “Dispatch, this is Unit Twenty-one, requesting backup at my current location, about five miles away from the emergency veterinary clinic, heading westbound on interstate ninety-four.”
“Ten-four, what’s the problem?”
He wasn’t exactly sure how to phrase his concerns. “I appear to have picked up a tail, and my partner is temporarily out of commission.”
“Unit Five is only a few miles away. He should catch up with you shortly.”
“Thanks.” He disconnected from the radio, needing both hands on the wheel. The headlights grew brighter as the vehicle behind him began to close the gap.
Was it possible the guy dressed in black, David Williams, had come to finish what he’d started? Matt gave himself a mental kick. He shouldn’t have announced over the radio that he was taking Duchess to the emergency vet. As a cop, Williams likely had a radio in his vehicle. Process of elimination would have made finding him and Lacy way too easy. There were only two emergency veterinary hospitals offering services around the clock in the area.
Swallowing hard, Matt pushed the speed as high as he dared, considering his precious cargo. Even though Lacy was wearing her seat belt, she didn’t have the proper infant car seat for Rory, and he knew if they were hit hard enough, there was a chance she could lose her grip on the baby.
And Duchess wasn’t up to par, either, considering she’d been given antibiotics and pain meds.
The headlights grew impossibly brighter. Was Williams gaining ground?
Where was his backup?
The headlights abruptly shifted, going into the left lane, coming up on his driver’s side. Matt did his best not to panic. He decided to wait until the guy was almost upon him before he would abruptly slow down, hoping the guy would shoot past them.
“This is a good time to pray,” he told Lacy. She looked surprised by his comment. “I’m serious. I know God will watch over us, and we need all the help we can get.”
She gave a terse nod, then began reciting the “Our Father” prayer, which made him wonder if she wasn’t used to praying on the fly.
“Dear Lord, give me the strength to keep us all safe,” he murmured as the lights grew brighter and brighter.
Soon they were almost parallel to his rear bumper.
Now!
He took his foot off the gas and pressed gently on the brake. The vehicle flew past him, and he didn’t waste another moment. Wrenching the wheel to the left, he drove his SUV across the median, crossed the three lanes that were thankfully absent of traffic, and took the next exit he could find.
It was several miles before he could relax enough to breathe normally. But the close call bothered him.
At the moment, he didn’t feel confident enough to take Lacy and Rory to the police station. They would be far too vulnerable there. He didn’t want them anywhere near a place where the ex-husband who happened to be a cop could find them.
Nope. What he needed was a new plan.
There had to be some way to keep Lacy and Rory safe from harm while he tracked down the guy intent on killing them.
Lacy clutched Rory close, determined to hang on to him no matter what happened. She closed her eyes, the scenery flashing past the window making her dizzy. Duchess didn’t much like the rocky ride, either, whining a bit and scrambling to regain her balance.
“Sorry, Duchess,” Matt muttered.
Once again, she was oddly reassured by how much Matt cared about his dog. Not to mention that he’d told her now was a good time to pray. And most important, how he’d looked so concerned when he’d carried the animal in and out of the emergency vet clinic.
Surely, a guy who loved dogs couldn’t be all bad.
After