The Marine's Last Defence. Angi Morgan

where the dog lived and they’d discover the identity of the owner.

      Simple.

      No one was pursuing it. They’d wait on Animal Control to call with the chip’s registered address.

      After contaminating the scene, Jake had been told he was lucky to be holding the dog. Coffee run completed, he’d waited in the car. Warmed the dog. Fed the dog his sandwich from home. Watered the dog. Pacified the dog. Everyone else finished up, the crime scene had been released, and he was now letting the dog do his business near a tree.

      “Hey, Craig,” his partner called to him from across the lot, laughing and slapping the back of another longtime detective. “Make sure you wait around for Animal Control to get that mutt. They’re expecting you to be right here, so you should probably walk the dog in circles until they show.” He laughed some more and threw the car keys. “I’m catching a ride back to the station.”

      Jake caught the keys and didn’t have a chance to ask his partner what they all found so hilarious before the car pulled away. He stood there holding the pup’s makeshift leash, fearing the joke was on him. Yeah, he was darn certain that around the station he’d graduated from the position of rookie to leash holder.

      The last patrolman headed to his car, pointing at the ground. “You got a bag to clean that up, man?”

      Jake shrugged, then shook his head.

      “Seriously, man. You can’t leave that on the ground like that.”

      He shot him a look, hoping the patrolman would back off. “I’ll get something from Animal Control.”

      “You gotta set a good example for the kids over there. Leaving it in a park’s against city ordinances. You’re a cop now.”

      “Sure. I got it.” And he did...get it. The marines were behind him and he was on his own, alone in a city where he barely knew anyone. He’d wanted that after the divorce. No one around to remind him of the six years of humiliation.

      Jake sat in his car and started the engine, thinking of amethyst eyes. A better memory than the wasted time he’d invested with his ex. Should he call Bree Bowman?

      And then what? Say what? Do what? Ask her to meet for coffee? Maybe he’d make it a habit to have breakfast at the diner and try to catch her there again. And breakfast to boot. It wasn’t too far out of his way. Then he might be able to offer a ride sometime. That was a plan he could live with. Slow. No commitment.

      Another twenty minutes went by and more kids on bikes gathered in the parking lot. It looked like they wanted his car out of the way so they could take advantage of the ice and snow.

      He moved to the far edge of the lot to give the boys room. Some of the tricks they performed were amazing. It wasn’t too much longer before Dallas began whining again, soon howling loud enough to attract attention.

      This time she clawed at the window as one of the boys slowly approached from the curb. Dressed in a ski cap, a huge coat that wasn’t zipped, and straddling a bike designed more for tricks than street cruising, the teen waved and gestured to roll down the window.

      “Hey, Dallas. You get lost, girl?” the teen crooned to the big pup and stuck his gloved hand through the window to stroke the silky ears. “Whatcha doin’ way over here?”

      “Do you know this dog or the owner?” Jake asked.

      “Sure, this is Dallas. She belongs to Mrs. Richardson. I ride past her house every day. Weird that she ran away. She sticks pretty close to home even when she gets loose.” The teen continued to pet the pup through the open window. “You a cop? One of the other guys said a drunk froze to death. He got a look at the body bag.”

      “Would you happen to know her address?”

      “It’s five or six houses up on Loving Street. The one on the hill. I can take her back if you want. She’s run next to my bike before.”

      “Thanks, but I better hang on to her. What does the house look like?”

      He shrugged. “We can show you. Nothing to do around here anymore. It’s getting too wet.”

      “Thanks. There’s no rush. Make sure to use the crosswalks.”

      “It’s the second street, mister.” The teen turned and tapped the hood before peddling off through the snow. “Try to keep up.”

      Jake pushed the button to roll up the window and put the car in gear. Dallas turned three circles on the passenger seat before settling. She dropped her head in the crook of Jake’s elbow and looked up with dark brown sad eyes.

      “It’ll be okay, sweetheart.” He scratched the pup’s snout and then picked up the car radio. “You’ll be okay. Somebody with a great yard will snatch you up quick.”

      One by one the boys followed each other, skidding through the parking lot, enjoying the snow and slush. Sometimes, being a kid had its advantages. No worries and no past.

      “Dispatch, Craig to Loving and Winstead. Cancel the Animal Control pickup at White Rock Lake. I’ll call back if needed later.” He turned on the second street, following the kid he’d spoken with while the others continued straight.

      “Detective Craig, no record of a request for Animal Control. Your location is noted.”

      The other detectives were probably having a big laugh at breakfast with this joke. He’d been left holding a dog leash, waiting for the past two hours on Animal Control when they’d never been notified. Some joke.

      But he’d take the hazing. This time it might just work in his favor. When he’d spoken his opinion that the dog had a connection to the murder victim, his partner had put him in charge of the animal.

      He’d either return Dallas to her owner without anyone the wiser or call in the identity of the dead woman. Maybe he’d get the last laugh after all.

      Chapter Three

      Two weeks in one bed. Sabrina could barely believe how much she looked forward to having the same pillow under her head for that long. Living out of a suitcase, shuffling from house to house or a couple of nights in a hotel room had gotten old after the fourth or fifth time. Six months later and she wasn’t any closer to discovering Griffin’s connection to whoever had ordered her death or who they’d referred to as the “higher-ups.”

      She was ready to give up her search and her nomad existence. Griffin had accused her of not having a life. Well, he’d been wrong. Her life had been full of people and pets and things to care about. It was living like this that wasn’t really living. If that even made sense. A solitary life void of friends and fun. Shoot, she didn’t even have a car.

      And to top it off, the first inkling of an attraction she’d had was for a cop. A detective she’d nearly given her cell number to. Yes, she’d lied to the detective about owning a cell. What if he’d actually called? What a stupid move that would have been. But he’d seemed so...so shy.

      She lifted the suitcase out of the slush as she crossed the last street.

      Walking through a little snow wasn’t hard for a girl born and raised in the Texas Panhandle. No, sir, a little snow and ice didn’t slow her down at all. She walked the four blocks from the coffee shop to her next pet-sitting job, pulling her handy-dandy suitcase. Barely any cars passed by. She’d taken the long way around to avoid the park just in case the detective was still nearby. From her view at the diner, it had appeared empty with the exception of one car and the local kids on their bikes.

      Dallas with a layer of snow was a lot different than Amarillo in the same condition. Back home on a Saturday morning all the kids would have been on that hilltop, sliding until their fingers were frozen from grabbing the edge of their plastic or even cardboard sled. She couldn’t let herself think of home.

      Thinking of the people she’d hurt by running away wouldn’t help her get home any sooner. At first, she hadn’t contacted her parents