LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter Four

      Dan Casey dropped by Cadell’s place in the morning. Dan had recently married a woman with a young daughter and was now expecting an addition to the family. Fellow deputies, he and Cadell had built a good friendship.

      “So,” said Dan, pausing near the ostrich pen. The birds had been let out into the larger corral but didn’t seem interested in taking advantage of the space. They regarded Dan with the same glare they gave Cadell. Dan shook his head.

      “So?” Cadell asked.

      “Krys wants to come out and see the birds,” Dan remarked, referring to his five-year-old stepdaughter.

      “Krys would be snack-sized for those demons,” Cadell said with a wink. “Bring her anytime I’m home.”

      “And then there’s the puppy she wants.”

      “Ah. Come on in, if you have time. Is she thinking young puppy? The vet has plenty for adoption.”

      “I know.” Dan shrugged. “She likes the police dogs.”

      A chuckle escaped Cadell. “You’re in for it. And I don’t mean from the dog.”

      “I didn’t figure.”

      They walked into the house together. The morning’s coffee had just finished brewing, so Cadell poured a couple of cups and they settled at his trestle table, left over from the days when hired hands ate with the family.

      Cadell asked, “So what’s happening with Krys and what does her mother think?”

      “Well, that’s the other question. Vicki has mixed feelings. She thinks a dog would teach Krys some responsibility but that in the end the two of us would be taking care of most of it. The idea of a puppy is irresistible, but every time Vicki mentions it, Krys gets a very mulish look and says she wants a police dog.”

      Cadell nodded slowly. “Her birth father was a cop, wasn’t he?”

      “Yeah, and Vicki’s wondering how much that has to do with this. It’s hard to tell, but maybe Krys has some lingering fears because of her father’s death.”

      Cadell pondered that as he sipped his first cup of coffee for the day. A lot more would probably follow. “Well, I can give her a well-trained dog that would protect her and obey her. But you or Vicki are going to have to keep the training fresh or you’ll wind up with just another dog. Which might be okay.”

      Dan sighed and rapped his fingers on the table. “The problem is, Krys isn’t being very clear about exactly what she means by a police dog. Does she just want to know it’s a police dog? Does she want it to be able to do certain things? One thing for sure, I am not giving that child a dog that will attack on command.”

      Cadell had to laugh. “I wouldn’t dream of it. A kid that young? One temper tantrum...”

      “Exactly.” Dan grinned. “I don’t think she’d tell the dog to hold us at bay, but by the time she’s a teen that could change.”

      Both men laughed then.

      Cadell spoke as his laughter faded. “I can make sure the dog recognizes certain people as friends, no problem. And I can train it to protect her without an attack command.” He paused and lifted one brow. “You do understand that if the dog perceives a threat to her, he will attack without a command?”

      Dan frowned. “Depends on what kind of threat. I mean, the mailman holding out an envelope...”

      Cadell shook his head. “No, more like a stranger takes her by her arm or hand. Or tries to get her in a car. Come on, Dan, you’ve worked with these dogs before. You must have some idea of how well they can discriminate.”

      “Most of the ones I’ve worked with haven’t been that finely tuned. I didn’t know if they could be. So, okay. I’ll leave it to you.”

      Cadell hesitated. “Wait a sec. I have an idea. I just gave a guard dog to a new friend in town.”

      “Dory Lake? I heard about her from Betty, I think it was.” Dan was suddenly all cop. “What’s the problem?”

      “Her older brother killed their parents. He just finished a twenty-five-year sentence, and Dory is naturally nervous about him being on the loose again.” He didn’t offer anything more than that. Not his place. Dan could look up the same files, if he wanted to.

      Dan frowned. “She might have a reason to be worried.” Then he returned to the subject at hand. “So what’s your idea?”

      “I just thought that with Dory’s permission maybe you and Vicki and I could bring Krys to see Dory’s dog, Flash. He’s a youngster, just two, and trained only to protect. Krys might discover she wants something very different.”

      “I like that idea,” Dan agreed. “It might settle Vicki some, too. I think she’s concerned about putting a potentially lethal K-9 in the hands of a five-year-old.”

      “I wouldn’t do that,” Cadell said. “I hope you know that. But I’d really like to meet Krys again and talk about it. See if we can find out what’s going on in the child’s head.”

      “I’d love to know that, too. It’s not like her dad was a K-9 handler. I don’t know where this came from. But,” Dan said with a shrug, “I often don’t know where Krys gets some of her ideas. She’s a mystery at times.”

      * * *

      AROUND TWO THAT AFTERNOON, Dory stretched and turned off her computer monitors, allowing her recent construct for the graphics scene to render into a high-definition, nearly realistic image. It wouldn’t take long, given the power and number of graphics cards she had, but it did remind her that she needed to take Flash on a longer walk than just around her backyard. She’d also promised to work with him to keep him fresh.

      Perfect time to do her part by the dog and grab something to eat, maybe a sandwich. She and Betty had stocked her freezer with easy-to-prepare foods, although Betty had tsked quite a bit and said Dory had to promise to come over every Sunday for a decent meal.

      Amused, shaking her head, she said aloud, “Flash, walk.”

      She heard the scrabble of his claws on the wood floor in the hall, and by the time she reached the front door he was standing there with his leash in his mouth.

      Smart dog, she thought. Also probably desperate by now. She was sure he was used to a whole lot more activity.

      “I guess nobody warned you that I forget time when I work,” she said to Flash as she bent to connect his leash. “Sorry about that, boy.” She ruffled his fur and scratched between his ears, but there was no mistaking his eagerness. He moved from paw to paw as if he could barely contain his excitement.

      Maybe she should set an alarm to remind her that she needed to make dog time now. She stuffed a plastic bag in her pocket for cleaning up after him.

      “Ready?” she asked. Stupid question. The dog was overready. “Flash, heel.”

      They stepped out the front door together in time to see Cadell pull into her driveway. Once again the official

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