She tried to lie still so that her muscles would stop their violent shudder, but this time her anxiety had risen too high to reach a calm state. Her breath came in shallow pants as nausea climbed from her stomach into her throat. She fought against the pain in her head and struggled to slow her breathing, but it felt like her body and her brain were disconnected.
I was darted, too. Strange that her memories were coming back to her in bits and pieces. She remembered Robo clearly, but the memory of her own darting seemed dim and blurry. Right before I went under.
She focused hard on her memory of Robo. Was he breathing? Was he still alive? She didn’t know the answers. She didn’t think she’d had time to determine his condition, so trying to remember was useless.
Pain from thinking about her dog threatened to overwhelm her, so she shifted focus back to the breathing lessons that her friend Rainbow had taught her. Slow and steady—inhale … exhale. Her ribcage barely responded. Panting for breath was about the best she could do.
She needed to regain control. Though in her current state, under the influence of whatever drug this guy had used on her, she had no idea how she was going to accomplish getting the upper hand.
When Cole returned to the vacant lot next to Mattie’s, it had been taped off, and headlights from one of the cruisers lit the area where the weeds were smashed.
McCoy parked his Jeep at the edge of the lot, and he and Stella got out.
“I had dispatch send a bulletin out statewide. Every officer in the state will be looking for her,” McCoy said. “I’ve also called in the crime scene unit from Byers County. They should arrive shortly.”
“I’m going to go see if I can turn up anything on the surveillance cameras out by the highway,” Stella said before turning away to sprint to her car.
“Where are the cameras?” Cole asked McCoy.
“There’s one at the feed store and one at the gas station, both installed in the last few weeks. We might be able to get a view of the highway off one of them.”
“I have the dart secured in my truck. We need to get that to a lab as soon as possible to confirm if I’m on the right track about the drug that was used.”
“We’ll turn it over to the crime scene unit. You said that a reversal agent is required?”
“From what I’ve read, the drug shouldn’t even be used without having a reversal agent on hand. Gloves and a mask should be used to avoid human exposure.”
“Can it be deadly?”
“You saw Robo. Without the respirator, he would have died. But I don’t know how large a dose he was given. It might have been a purposeful overdose.”
“But what about death by accidental exposure?”
“The product insert warns about dizziness, nausea, respiratory problems, and unconsciousness. That’s just from exposure. It’s not meant to be used on humans.”
“What is the drug’s purpose?”
Cole explained how the drug was used for immobilizing wildlife that had to be transferred or processed for research studies.
“Who has access to it?” McCoy asked.
“It’s an opioid dispensed by veterinary prescription only.”
“Wildlife managers, then?”
Cole nodded. “I got some of my information from Ed Lovejoy. He said he’d heard of it but never used it.”
“I need to talk to him.”
“I woke him up. As far as I know, he’s at his house. I’ll take you there.”
“I have the keys to Mattie’s vehicle. Let’s take it. Robo will be safer if he’s secured in his compartment.”
Cole hurried to the Explorer with Robo running out front. He loaded into the back as soon as Cole opened the hatch, clearly eager to be inside his own domain. McCoy took the driver’s seat, and Cole gave him directions to Lovejoy’s property, which was about a half mile outside of town beyond the high school.
McCoy gave Cole a sideways glance. “You should know that we ran Ed Lovejoy’s gun against the casing and slug recovered from the ram site. Although the casing and slug are a match with each other, Lovejoy’s gun was eliminated.”
“All right.”
Ed’s place was dark when they pulled up.
“You’re staying here,” Cole told Robo, echoing what he’d heard Mattie say countless times. She always told Robo what was expected of him.
Robo sat and stared at him as Cole opened the door to leave.
They walked through what little remained of a yard. Tufts of grass and weeds sprouted here and there on what consisted mostly of hard packed soil in front of a white, boxy modular home with green trim.
McCoy stepped upon the wooden deck and thumped on the front door. When there was no answer, he pounded harder. A porch light came on and a voice shouted from within, “Hold on, damn it.”
Wearing royal blue boxers, a T-shirt, and a serious scowl on his face, Ed opened the door. He adjusted the scowl somewhat when he took in the fact that the sheriff was his midnight caller. “What is it?”
“We’ve got a situation that I need to talk to you about. Can we come in?”
“I suppose so,” Ed said, opening the door. “The place is a mess.”
Cole followed McCoy inside and verified that Ed’s statement about his home’s condition had been spot on. They’d entered the kitchen area where every horizontal surface was covered with dirty dishes. He wondered if the beige linoleum on the floor had ever benefitted from a wet mop, and a cat’s litter box in need of scooping sat against the wall next to the refrigerator. Dingy white undershorts and socks nested in a pile beneath the kitchen table where it appeared Ed had kicked them off.
They all stood inside the doorway in the kitchen. A brown tiger cat that weighed more than was healthy for her came into the living room from the hallway, crouched, and watched the newcomers from afar. If Cole remembered right, her name was Kit.
McCoy started the conversation. “We need information about this drug that was used on our police dog. What can you tell us?”
Ed glanced at Cole. “Was it BAM or Thianil?”
“Thianil.”
“I don’t know much about it. I’ve never worked with it.” He repeated what he’d told Cole earlier on the phone.
“Do you know of anyone who’s been killed by it?”
Ed shook his head. “We don’t use it that I know of. I mean, maybe it could be used on cougars or coyotes, but not food animals.”
“Who orders the drugs for your department?”
“We use a vet that’s assigned to the project. Cole is handling the order for our next sheep project.”
McCoy looked at Cole.
Cole nodded. “BAM kits—ordered but not in yet.”
McCoy turned back to Ed. “Do you keep any of these drugs on hand?”
Ed gave the same answer he’d given to Cole, explaining how kits were stored at the state supervisory level.
“And that’s Tucker York?”
It gratified Cole that the sheriff had come to the same conclusion he did. Tucker York would have access to the drugs.
“I need to contact him,” McCoy said. “He was in town today. Do you know if he’s still here?”
Hearing that Tucker York had been in Timber Creek concerned Cole. He didn’t know that the supervisor had returned. Could he be the one who attacked Mattie?
“He left,” Lovejoy replied. “Said he was headed to Grand Junction before going back to Denver.”
“I need his cell phone number.”
“Why do you need to talk to him? I don’t think he can tell you anything more than I can.”