ground. He
whined weakly and licked Madeline’s hand.
Blood leaked steadily from his side, and
Madeline stripped her hooded sweatshirt over her head, pressing it
against the wound. The blood saturated the material quickly,
coating Madeline’s hands in the sticky substance.
Her mind raced, uncertain what to do. She
remembered the bell ringing over the door. “Hello?” she yelled. “I
need some help back here!”
There were no sounds from the other room. A
sinking feeling descended on her. No one entered. The person
responsible for this had been in the store. The bell sounded
when he left.
Madeline pressed hard on Brutus’ side with
her right hand, fishing her smart phone out of her pocket with the
other. Brutus needed a vet. There was a list of emergency numbers
on the back wall, but she couldn’t risk leaving Brutus to find the
right one.
Blood smeared across the phone’s surface as
she pressed the 911 speed dial at the bottom of the phone. The
police force should be able to find help quickly, and speed was a
factor. With all the blood he lost, she didn’t know how much time
the dog had left.
As she waited for the call to connect, blood
on the wall caught her attention. Not random splatters, but a
message...to her.
Forget what you saw, Maddie, or you’re
next.
***
Donovan grabbed the cordless phone beside his
bed. “Andrews.”
“Why the hell didn’t you answer your cell
phone?”
“Chief?” Donovan swung his legs out of bed
and rubbed his eyes. “I lost the damn thing again. What’s going
on?”
“I need you to get down to Woofy Cuts. I’m at
the station alone until dispatch arrives so I can’t leave, and a
9-1-1 call came in.”
“Shit.” Donovan stood up and pulled on a pair
of pants. “Is Madeline Scott okay? She was going in by herself this
morning.”
“She sounded fine. She asked for a vet but
wouldn’t stay on the line.”
He tried to calm his racing pulse. “How long
ago did she call?”
“Three minutes. Billy Jeffries is on his
way,” Chief Stone replied.
“So am I.” Donovan ended the call and threw
the phone on the bed, pulling a shirt over his head.
He slipped his feet into socks and shoes and
ran a hand over his hair before rushing out the door to his car.
After popping in a few breath mints, he pulled the police cruiser
onto the road and flipped on the emergency lights as he sped to
Main Street.
Madeline might not be happy to see him after
the way he acted last night, but he’d been so frustrated. Why, out
of all the women in town, did he lust after the one who couldn’t
care less? Most women threw themselves at him. Look at
Christy—she’d begged for breakup sex. So why didn’t Maddie want
him?
What really mattered to him now, though, was
whether she was okay. If she asked for a vet, it sounded like a
problem with the dogs, but he’d feel a lot better once he knew for
sure she was safe.
He pulled into the parking lot at Woofy Cuts,
cutting off the lights and hopping out of the car just as Billy
Jeffries, the local veterinarian, disappeared through the front
door. Donovan entered on his heels, looking around the empty
storefront.
“Maddie?” he yelled. “Where are you?”
“In the back. Please hurry!”
Panic laced Madeline’s voice, and Donovan
raced for the back door. The blood-covered mess in the middle of
the room arrested the breath in his throat for a moment. He was no
stranger to bloody crime scenes, but seeing Maddie in a pool of
blood made Donovan’s heart tumble in an uncomfortable flip-flop.
The dog next to her whined, his tail thumping against the floor
when Maddie whispered something to him.
Billy bumped Donovan out of the way,
approaching Madeline. “What happened here?”
She turned to face them, a tear tracking down
her cheek and turning red as it crossed through smears of blood.
“Someone tried to choke Brutus, but I got the rope off his neck.
They stabbed him or something. Help him!”
“Keep the pressure on the wound,”
whined weakly and licked Madeline’s hand.
Blood leaked steadily from his side, and
Madeline stripped her hooded sweatshirt over her head, pressing it
against the wound. The blood saturated the material quickly,
coating Madeline’s hands in the sticky substance.
Her mind raced, uncertain what to do. She
remembered the bell ringing over the door. “Hello?” she yelled. “I
need some help back here!”
There were no sounds from the other room. A
sinking feeling descended on her. No one entered. The person
responsible for this had been in the store. The bell sounded
when he left.
Madeline pressed hard on Brutus’ side with
her right hand, fishing her smart phone out of her pocket with the
other. Brutus needed a vet. There was a list of emergency numbers
on the back wall, but she couldn’t risk leaving Brutus to find the
right one.
Blood smeared across the phone’s surface as
she pressed the 911 speed dial at the bottom of the phone. The
police force should be able to find help quickly, and speed was a
factor. With all the blood he lost, she didn’t know how much time
the dog had left.
As she waited for the call to connect, blood
on the wall caught her attention. Not random splatters, but a
message...to her.
Forget what you saw, Maddie, or you’re
next.
***
Donovan grabbed the cordless phone beside his
bed. “Andrews.”
“Why the hell didn’t you answer your cell
phone?”
“Chief?” Donovan swung his legs out of bed
and rubbed his eyes. “I lost the damn thing again. What’s going
on?”
“I need you to get down to Woofy Cuts. I’m at
the station alone until dispatch arrives so I can’t leave, and a
9-1-1 call came in.”
“Shit.” Donovan stood up and pulled on a pair
of pants. “Is Madeline Scott okay? She was going in by herself this
morning.”
“She sounded fine. She asked for a vet but
wouldn’t stay on the line.”
He tried to calm his racing pulse. “How long
ago did she call?”
“Three minutes. Billy Jeffries is on his
way,” Chief Stone replied.
“So am I.” Donovan ended the call and threw
the phone on the bed, pulling a shirt over his head.
He slipped his feet into socks and shoes and
ran a hand over his hair before rushing out the door to his car.
After popping in a few breath mints, he pulled the police cruiser
onto the road and flipped on the emergency lights as he sped to
Main Street.
Madeline might not be happy to see him after
the way he acted last night, but he’d been so frustrated. Why, out
of all the women in town, did he lust after the one who couldn’t
care less? Most women threw themselves at him. Look at
Christy—she’d begged for breakup sex. So why didn’t Maddie want
him?
What really mattered to him now, though, was
whether she was okay. If she asked for a vet, it sounded like a
problem with the dogs, but he’d feel a lot better once he knew for
sure she was safe.
He pulled into the parking lot at Woofy Cuts,
cutting off the lights and hopping out of the car just as Billy
Jeffries, the local veterinarian, disappeared through the front
door. Donovan entered on his heels, looking around the empty
storefront.
“Maddie?” he yelled. “Where are you?”
“In the back. Please hurry!”
Panic laced Madeline’s voice, and Donovan
raced for the back door. The blood-covered mess in the middle of
the room arrested the breath in his throat for a moment. He was no
stranger to bloody crime scenes, but seeing Maddie in a pool of
blood made Donovan’s heart tumble in an uncomfortable flip-flop.
The dog next to her whined, his tail thumping against the floor
when Maddie whispered something to him.
Billy bumped Donovan out of the way,
approaching Madeline. “What happened here?”
She turned to face them, a tear tracking down
her cheek and turning red as it crossed through smears of blood.
“Someone tried to choke Brutus, but I got the rope off his neck.
They stabbed him or something. Help him!”
“Keep the pressure on the wound,”
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