“What about the animals?” Mattie said. “What’s their disposition?”
“Timber Creek County Humane Society has assumed responsibility for the horses, and they’ll remain under Dr. Walker’s care until he determines if they can be saved or not.” He smiled in a slight way, as if recalling a memory. “Dr. Walker made it clear that no one was to even touch the Doberman but him. He put the dog in his truck as soon as he finished with the horses.”
It was a relief to know that Cole would be in charge of the animals.
McCoy continued. “I want you all to know that even prior to Ms. Howard’s disappearance, I’d been working with the county commissioners to approve a budget increase to add a detective to our staff. There’s no question that our increased crime rate justifies the expense.” He sent Stella a pointed look. “I hope you’ll consider applying for the position as soon as we post it.”
Looking thoughtful, Stella gave him a slow nod.
“Any questions or things you want to add?” When no one spoke, McCoy went on. “I’ve made arrangements for Deputy Garcia to extend his shift through the morning, and Deputy Johnson will also be on duty. You all can have the morning off, but shifts resume as scheduled at one o’clock this afternoon. For now, you’re dismissed.”
With fog descending on her brain, it took a moment for Mattie to orient herself to the day. Wednesday . . . right. She and Robo were scheduled to work, so she’d better get home as soon as possible. Right now she’d trade almost anything for a few hours of sleep. When she pushed her chair back and stood, Robo awakened and scrambled to his feet. He stretched and yawned, haunches in the air.
“Mattie, could I have a word in private before you go?” Stella asked.
“Sure,” she said, hoping it wouldn’t take long. She rested a hip against the table while the men left, closing the door behind them.
Stella searched Mattie’s face for a few seconds before she spoke. “I can tell the past forty-eight hours have been hell for you. I can read the pain in your face.”
Tears prickled Mattie’s eyes, and even though she wanted to argue, she couldn’t speak.
“I know you want to deny it, and I know you’re pushing yourself to carry on as if nothing has happened,” Stella said, the emotion behind her words making her sound angry. “But you’re one hell of an officer, Mattie, and I don’t want to see you break down. You owe it to your training, your career, and—yeah, you owe it to Robo—to take care of yourself. I’m not going to stand by and watch you self-destruct. You’ve got to take care of this now that this investigation is over and get yourself some help, or . . .”
Surprised at the detective’s vehemence, Mattie looked her in the eye. “Or what?”
Stella put on her too-sweet smile. “Or I’ll nag you until you do.”
Placing her hands on her temples, Mattie rubbed the tightness that had formed there. “Good to know. Right now I need some sleep.” She started to pull away, but the need to tell someone the thought that had truly begun to nag at her made her turn back. “You know what’s bothering me the most now, Stella?”
“What’s that?”
“The fact that my mother must have known what was going on, and she didn’t protect me.” Mattie’s throat tightened and she couldn’t say more.
Stella looked thoughtful. “Yeah, you’re probably right. But keep in mind that she was going through her own hell. That’s no excuse to fail to protect an innocent kid, but . . . who are we to judge? At least she recognized that she wasn’t providing what you needed and did the best thing she knew how to do at the time.”
Bitterness flowed from Mattie’s chest into her words. “Yeah . . . relinquish her kids to the state.”
“Hey, we can piss on our parents as worthless idiots all we want, but ultimately we’ve got to take responsibility for who we are as adults. You’ve ended up all right.”
It wasn’t the time to share that all she’d ever really wanted was to reunite her family, and now she wanted nothing to do with them. Her shattered dream hurt more than anything at the moment, but she was too tired to get into it. She pulled a hand down over her face. “I’ve got to go home. I’m due back here at one.”
“Okay, I’ll let you go. But think about what I’ve said, and we’ll talk later. Hey . . . I’m considering that job the sheriff mentioned. I might be your neighbor someday.”
Mattie gave her a tired smile. “Worse things could happen.”
Stella took Mattie by the arm and started walking her toward the door. “And they probably will.”
Mattie slept the hard sleep of exhaustion for five solid hours, and so did Robo. When she awakened a few minutes before noon, she lay in bed disoriented. In the split second it took to remember why she was in bed in the middle of the day, it all flooded her mind—the search for Cole, Carmen’s takedown, the hideous image of that bolt lodged in Juan Fiero.
And Willie’s phone call.
She pushed herself up and sat on the edge of the bed. Robo lay stretched out on his side on his dog bed, and he opened his uppermost eye to stare at her. As if also needing a second to orient himself, he lay still for one eye blink before scrambling to his feet. She realized why the room was warmer than they were used to—she’d forgotten to open the window before collapsing on the bed. And she’d awakened, safe and sound.
“Come here, buddy.”
He came and placed his head on her knee for an ear scratch.
“Thanks for always being there when I need you,” she murmured. “You’re my best friend.”
More refreshed than she’d felt for a couple of days, she let Robo into the yard, watched him long enough for him to do his business, and then called him inside. Picking up her cell phone, she took it off vibrate and noticed she had a message. It was Cole, asking her if she would join him and the kids for dinner.
She took in a breath, thinking about his family. Months ago, she’d believed it to be perfect—loving couple, gorgeous daughters, dedicated parents—and then she’d discovered the flaw in her illusion. No family was perfect. And the pain Cole’s kids were feeling over their own mother’s abandonment was as real as hers. She wanted to make sure that Cole sought counseling for his daughters without delay.
And what about you? Clearly Stella had weaseled her way inside Mattie’s head, because it was her voice that whispered the question.
“Okay,” Mattie said aloud, causing Robo to look up at her. “I just might do it, too.”
The mundane routine of patrol duty and paperwork felt like such a relief, and the last half of Mattie’s shift flew by. She clocked out and left the station in time to drive straight to Cole’s house for dinner. After parking under the tree in front, she unloaded Robo, who wasn’t even trying to hide his delight. Allowing herself to smile, she decided that dogs could teach humans a thing or two about happiness.
Cole opened the front door and stepped out, his friendly grin lighting his face. Dogs and Cole; they always make me feel welcome. Bruno and Belle spilled out into the yard to greet Robo, and the chase was on. Mattie climbed the few steps up onto the porch and allowed herself to be swallowed up by Cole’s warm hug. She was relieved to feel less complicated emotions than those she’d felt during his last embrace. This time, she recognized joy and affection, pure and simple.