And speaking of being followed...
A black SUV seemed to be dogging them. It was back several car lengths, yet changed lanes whenever he did. His hands tightened on the wheel. His little boy was strapped in, of course, but that didn’t mean it would be safe to take evasive action, particularly if excessive speed was involved. Where were the cops when you needed them?
Sean whipped around a corner, determined to find a patrol car or police station. He checked his mirrors. The SUV was gone. Had he merely imagined it trailing them? Imagined was the key, wasn’t it? His mind was good at seeing enemies around every corner and behind every door, the way they’d been in Afghanistan. His body had come home, but part of his mind was still over there, still caught up in the fighting.
He couldn’t afford to show signs of instability. If the authorities concluded he was an unfit parent, they might take Patrick away. Worse, with no other close relatives available, they might place him with his negligent maternal grandparents.
The only thing that mattered to Sean was his own assurance that Patrick was absolutely safe with him. If he’d thought otherwise, he’d have stepped back and voluntarily relinquished custody.
Glancing in the rearview mirror at his curly haired look-alike strapped into the narrower backseat he smiled. “You getting hungry, buddy?”
Patrick nodded.
“How about a quick burger? You like those, don’t you?”
Another nod.
“Sorry,” Sean said, urging speech the way the therapist had. “I don’t quite understand you. Can you say yes or no?”
The little boy looked back at his daddy with eyes as blue as the sky, smiled and said, “No.”
“Did you just make a joke?” Sean’s eyes misted.
Patrick’s grin spread as he said, “Yes,” and Sean was so excited by the possibility he almost let his pickup truck drift to the curb.
In moments, however, his pulse returned to normal. Patrick began to chant, “Yes, no, yes, no,” as if neither word meant anything to him.
Monitoring the traffic behind him, Sean picked up some fast food, then headed for the highway that would take him southwest to Desert Valley. He might not have an abundance of friends willing to stand with him, but at least he had one.
He’d checked his side-and rearview mirrors repeatedly and had seen no sign of the SUV that had worried him before. Nevertheless, the sooner he reached Zoe Trent, the better.
* * *
“Sean’s an old college friend who just got out of the army on a medical discharge,” Zoe told lead K-9 unit trainer Sophie Williams. “I was hoping you could have a word with Ellen Foxcroft and see if she can work him in to the therapy dog program.”
“And leave who else out?” Sophie was scowling.
Zoe knew her position as a rookie K-9 officer from Sophie’s most recent graduating class gave her very little influence. Nevertheless, she had to keep trying. “Maybe, since I’ve offered to hang around DVPD until after the holidays and sub, I could volunteer my services to you in my downtime and we could squeeze in an extra student and dog. There’s no place else I need to be, and I don’t have to report to work with Freya until after the first of the year.”
Looking for moral support, Zoe laid her hand on the Belgian Tervuren’s head and scratched behind her silky, erect ears. Fellow students had teased her about being assigned to a dog whose fur almost matched her own dark brown hair. That was fine with her.
“All right. I’ll speak to Ellen for you,” Sophie said.
Zoe thought she’d better give Sophie a little more information about Sean, including that he and his son would be staying with her. She explained about the PTSD. “And he’s a widower. His wife overdosed while she was supposed to be watching their son, Patrick. The boy survived almost drowning but was left with brain damage. It’s a really sad story.”
“Well, sounds like he has a good friend in you,” Sophie said. “All right. As soon as your friend gets settled, bring him in for an interview. What do you intend to do with Sean’s son while he’s being assessed and maybe trained?”
“I thought I’d see if Marilyn and Josie would accept him in their day care. Patrick does have special needs, though.”
Sophie nodded. “Lily likes it there, and Ryder and I are pleased with the facility. She’s not my stepdaughter yet but it won’t be long.”
“Hey, if the police chief approves the place and so do you, I’m sure that’ll put Sean at ease.” Encouraged and uplifted by her trainer’s support, Zoe laid a hand lightly on Sophie’s arm. “Thanks. This means a lot to me.”
“Don’t thank me,” Sophie said. “Nothing has happened yet.”
“But it will, God willing,” Zoe countered with a grin. “This is the perfect time of the year. Patrick can go to Sunday school and maybe even participate with other kids in the Christmas pageant.”
“We can always use another shepherd or angel,” Sophie said. “Lily and I are playing Magi. I’m working on camel costumes for Ryder’s old dog Titus and another yellow Lab. Probably Tristan McKeller’s Jesse.” She paused. “Come to think of it, Tristan’s a former soldier. Maybe he can offer your friend some advice.”
Zoe stopped smiling and shook her head slowly, thoughtfully. Tristan, a Desert Valley police officer, was a good guy, but... “I don’t know. Sean may not want to air his problems. It will all come out if and when he qualifies for the Canine Assistance program, of course, but since I didn’t ask if I could tell anyone else, would you mind keeping the story to yourself?”
“Of course,” Sophie said. “You did mention he had some kind of trouble in St. Louis, though. If it follows him here, I will need to share his story with Ryder.”
“I understand. And thanks.” Sighing, Zoe remembered her old friend Sean and his boyish good looks. She’d had a crush on him from the first moment she’d laid eyes on him, and when he’d proudly announced his plans to marry coed Sandra Shepherd, it had nearly broken her heart.
Hopefully whoever broke into his apartment doesn’t figure out where he’s gone, she thought, realizing she did believe his story of the attack. If thugs came after him here, their actions would certainly be taken seriously. The advantage she—and Sean—had while in Desert Valley was her close ties with the police department and the Canyon County K-9 Training Center.
Nobody was going to pull the wool over the eyes of the officials here, let alone fool trained dogs whose senses were so well honed.
The previous batch of rookies and their K-9 partners had helped nab a serial killer. If anyone should be scared of coming to Desert Valley, it should be criminals.
Zoe smiled. Strangers here stood out like bright blossoms on a Cholla cactus in December. Nobody was going to bother Sean and his son. Not while she and her friends were on duty.
