James leaned forward, listening for any sound. This time all he heard was the distant wail of a police siren. That would be the state police. He wanted the satisfaction of this takedown himself. They needed to move out.
“You keep him entertained. We’re going in from the rear.”
Deputy Ward smiled. “My pleasure.” He reared up and shouted, “Sheriff’s department. Put down your weapon and come out. You hear them sirens? State patrol’s on the way, son. You’re done!”
Moving quickly, James and Bogart took up a tactical position at the rear of the building by a dumpster. He hunkered down and stroked his partner. “We just did this yesterday. Textbook. We got this.”
He unleashed Bogart, gave him a good hard pat, took in a quick breath and drew his weapon. When they came even with the back door he placed a strategic kick by the knob.
The crack of wood was as loud as a gunshot as the door flew open. “Revier! Fass!”
Bogart shot through the doorway, barking like a four-footed fanged avenger. James heard a man’s cry of alarm and then the sound of scurrying footfalls as he entered through the door behind his partner. Night goggles revealed a man in silhouette. He heard a shot and saw a flame of report.
His heart stopped. And then he saw Bogart leaping at the man with tremendous ferocity and they went down. The man screamed as James rushed them.
“Put the gun down! Gun down now!”
The man was kicking and thrashing, trying to throw Bogart off, but he was locked on tight. The dog fought back, thrashing and jerking as he held the man down. The man screamed again and again until, finally, James heard him release the gun with a clatter on the floor.
Flipping his night-vision goggles up, he scooped the weapon up out of the way.
Deputy Ward burst through the front door, gun in one hand and a high-beam flashlight in the other. What he saw brought a smile to his face. “Well, lookie there.”
Bogart was still locked into place, all four paws firmly braced along the man’s chest as he clamped the man’s shoulder between his teeth.
“Bogart! Aus.” Bogart released his prey instantly.
James reached into his pocket and withdrew a ball. As it bounced away, Bogart leaped after it like a puppy at play.
The deputy whistled. “Well, what do you know?” It never failed to impress civilians how quickly a well-trained dog could go from vicious attacker to playful pup.
With the deputy standing guard, James rolled the man over and cuffed him. Then he dragged him up to his knees by the back of his shirt and thrust his face into the man’s. “Where is she? Where is Shay Appleton?”
The man sneered at him. “Fuck you!”
James looked up. “Bogart! Fuss!” His partner came running.
The man’s eyes got big. “Okay! Okay! She ran away. Into the woods.” He cowered away from James’s grasp of his collar as Bogart growled. “Don’t let him bite me again!”
James wouldn’t do that but he wasn’t about to let this man know that. He tightened his grip, pressing his knee into the man’s back. “You don’t want to fuck with me right now. Is she hurt?”
The man glanced fearfully from James to Bogart. “I don’t know. She set fire to the place. She’s a crazy bitch.”
*
James drove back to the cabin at breakneck speed. There was no one on the dark country road this time. He found the firemen already beginning to clean up.
He checked with the few remaining onlookers, asking about Shay, but none of them had seen a woman of her description. Every negative shake of a head made his gut twist. Where could she be? With all the commotion of fire and people, she must know it was safe to show herself, unless she was unable.
He block-checked that thought. She was hiding, and he and Bogart would find her. End of story.
The older fireman waved James over when he saw him. “We saved a good part of the structure. Of course, the living room will have to be rebuilt. Damnedest thing. Looks like the fire started under an easy chair. And it wasn’t sparks from the fireplace. The hearth is cold.”
James tucked that information away. Right now he needed to start the search for Shay. “I’ll check with you later. There’s a missing woman out here somewhere.”
With Bogart on the leash, he went first to Shay’s car door. James frowned when he saw the paper patch on the driver’s side. He tore it off, swearing inventively when he saw the word etched into the paint. He had more to make up for than he thought. It made him want to go back and assault an unarmed man.
But the thought of finding Shay pressed him harder.
He opened the car door and picked up a sweater he found lying on the passenger’s seat. He held it up to his nose and inhaled. It smelled of Shay. And, just maybe, forever.
When he’d given his partner a good sniff, too, he gave Bogart the command to search. “Such!” He made a motion with his hand. “Voraus! Such! Shay!”