“Right.” Bauer scrubbed his face. “It was a long shot, and I really don’t feel that the guy from two months ago would wait this long to retaliate. You might as well tell Sarah to stop her search.”

  Mags nodded and reached for the intercom button.

  The rest of the day was spent wondering when they might get an update, plus when the next shoe would drop.

  The very next morning, Bauer walked Mags and Toby down to the clinic and stayed with them, knowing in his gut that this gunman would be back. Bauer knew that waiting for the cops to solve this matter wouldn’t help, so he and Badger and Mags had to come up with something themselves.

  Once Sarah arrived, along with a cop with more questions, Bauer had quickly driven to Badger’s and had picked up a few things. Badger’s team had all kinds of stuff going on all the time, so they had a stockpile of goodies. Bauer grabbed some security cams and a whole security system to replace the unsuitable one she had at her home. This way, he could keep an eye on what was happening at the house. Still, if this gunman had skills, he could bust through even this advanced system pretty easily.

  With the cameras set up outside and turned on, Bauer now sat with his laptop for most of the day. All through that remote surveillance, Toby stayed at his side, always wary. The War Dog never quite relaxed enough to sleep, even though Bauer had put a hand down to calm Toby several times.

  When some people came in making noise, Toby became distressed, until he’d finally collapsed again, exhausted.

  “It’s all right, buddy, just rest,” Bauer muttered.

  At that, Sarah looked over at him. “Do you think it’s all right though? This is the strangest scenario I’ve ever seen.”

  “You and me both,” he agreed, with a nod. “Yet we have to trust that we’re getting somewhere.” She just gave him a flat stare. He returned the most confident smile he could manage, but, when she just snorted, he realized that he hadn’t succeeded. She was a tough cookie. “You’re sure you don’t remember anything else about that previous case, huh?” he asked her.

  She shook her head. “I have way too many patients coming and going on a regular basis,” she snapped. “That isn’t one that managed to remain in my head.”

  He didn’t say anything else but wondered about her temper—but honestly the whole scenario was getting to everybody. He knew that it would be even harder on Mags, especially if there were any culpability on the part of her staff. He didn’t even want to go there. But, as the day went by and then the next, with no solution in sight and no answers, he realized just how much damage just the stress of waiting was causing.

  Something needed to break and soon. He just wanted it to happen in the right way. He was trying his best to keep people safe, and it was getting harder and harder to even keep them alert, as one day slipped into several more, and the people around him started to relax.

  Even Toby seemed to relax slightly. “You’ve got to stay on your guard, buddy. This guy is out to get you.” And, of course, that didn’t help either because it just earned him still another glare from Sarah. “Sorry I’m in your hair so much,” Bauer said.

  She eyed him and then shrugged. “From the sounds of things, you’ll be in my hair a whole lot more than I want anyway.”

  At that, his eyebrows shot up. “Meaning?”

  “It’s obvious you have a thing for her,” she grumbled, looking anywhere but at him, “and surprisingly she seems to have a thing for you too. Here I thought you would be some short-term distraction, but you aren’t, are you? That means you’ll be around a bit more than I want.”

  “Why is it you think that’s a bad thing?” Bauer asked. “I won’t hurt her.”

  “You could hurt her without even being aware of it,” she snapped, followed by a heavy sigh and another glare. “And I, for one, won’t take kindly to that.”

  And then he realized what was the root of Sarah’s attitude. It wasn’t so much the whole gunman-dognapping scenario but the scenario with him and Mags. “I don’t want to hurt her at all.”

  “Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll avoid it. It’s easy to hurt somebody and not even be aware that you’re doing it.”

  “I’d like to think I’m aware enough that I would recognize if I was hurting Mags. In fact, I am certain I can manage that. And we’re just at the exploring stage and haven’t had much time, even for that.”

  Sarah shrugged. “So far, yeah, … but that won’t last long. It’s pretty easy to go from that to the ‘let me betray you’ and ‘I didn’t mean to hurt her’ stage real fast.”

  At that precise moment, a phone call tabled the conversation, as she answered the call, relieved at the opportunity to cut him out of the conversation.

  Still, Bauer found it interesting and wondered whether she had had such a bad experience herself that she was imprinting her negativity onto Mags or even keeping Mags’s insecurities alive. Something to consider.

  Later that evening, as he served up dinner to one very tired vet, he stated, “Sarah doesn’t like me.”

  Mags looked up, laughed, and nodded. “Correction. Sarah doesn’t like men.”

  He stopped, startled. “What?”

  Mags nodded again. “She doesn’t like men, … period. She has sworn off men permanently and, in fact, has a full-time relationship with a long-term female partner. I’ve known Sarah for a long time, and frankly she’s much happier that way.”

  “Okay, that makes sense, I guess. I still wouldn’t expect her to be quite so blatantly unhappy with my presence.”

  At that, Mags smiled. “You can’t coax her around to your way of thinking,” she replied, as she accepted the plate and sniffed the air appreciatively. “On the other hand, I can be bribed.”

  He burst out laughing. “One of the easiest bribes I’ve ever had to pay,” he noted affectionately.

  She looked over at him and smiled. “This whole cooking experience has been quite an unexpected bonus.”

  “Apparently, looking after starving veterinarians is a thing,” he teased. “Who knew?”

  “I certainly didn’t,” she murmured. “I thought I was doing quite well.”

  “Maybe you were,” he stated. “I’m not sure how that works in your world. But seriously I was trying to talk to Sarah a little bit today, and she just wasn’t having it. In fact, she called me out.”

  “Was she rude?” Mags asked in surprise.

  “Not so much rude. More like warning me off. Telling me it was a short trip from being a nice guy to being an asshole, basically.”

  Mags gave a short nod. “Now that I can say is something she believes with every fiber of her being.”

  “Wow. I presume she’s not like that with the patients.”

  “Hell no. That is not allowed,” Mags declared. “It doesn’t matter what the circumstance are, we have to treat all the patients nicely. And the owners of the patients too, I should say.”

  He nodded. “Good. I definitely got the impression that she wouldn’t be at all disappointed if I were to disappear off the face of the Earth, preferably before I hurt you terribly, something she is certain I will do.”

  “Yeah, she’s very protective. Don’t take it personally.”

  “I didn’t really take it personally. I was just trying to figure out what her underlying thinking was.”

  “She’s been hurt, a lot,” Mags shared. “Sarah’s much happier in this relationship. Who knows? Maybe that’s why she had to go through all she did, so she could find out where she really belongs. So, as long as you don’t hurt me”—she made air quotes with her fingers—“she’ll be fine. She’ll adapt.”

  “I hope so,” he murmured, “because I certainly didn’t get that impression from her.”

  At that, Mags snorted. “Sarah is a person unto herself. She has been really good for the clinic, so I try not to do anything to upset that applecart.” She looked over at him. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t either.”

  “Wasn’t planning on it,” he stated, looking down at the clinic. “Hadn’t realized just how much went into the day-to-day running of a place like yours.”

  “No, and that’s one of the reasons I would be hard-pressed to replace her, if she got upset.” At that, Mags sighed. “As a matter of fact, right now it would be a disaster, since we’re already short-staffed. Although we have a couple new hopeful hires, who could help us a lot.”

  “Is my presence likely to do that?”

  “I wouldn’t have thought so,” Mags noted, with a contemplative eye on him. “It’s an interesting question though.”

  “It sure is from my perspective, because I don’t want to cause you any trouble. I’m just not sure Sarah would be willing to let me stick around.”

  At that, Mags stared at him, startled. “Was it that bad?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Not on my side, but possibly on hers. Seems she approves of me for you as a distraction only, not anything more serious.”

  “Interesting. I’ll have to see how she is and maybe have a talk with her.”

  “As long as it doesn’t come across as me complaining,” he added.

  “No, that would be deadly. I’ll see how it works out.”

  And, with that, he nodded and didn’t say anything more.

  “And we didn’t get anywhere yet on the investigations, did we?” she asked.

  “No, not as far as I had hoped. The only thing we found out was by cross-referencing the guy still in the hospital. Ken was in foster care for many years, so we’re wondering if the other guy was somebody he met in the foster care system.”

  “I wonder if he goes to any group therapy or something like that,” she suggested thoughtfully. “You know how that’s another place for people to hook up.”

  “Sure, but the shooter and the intruder seem to be at opposite ends of the scales,” he noted.

  “Just because this guy is trying to kill dogs, … I’m not sure that he hates dogs.”

  “Okay, now that is something you’ll need to explain to me. How is it that it’s not somebody who hates dogs?”

  “I don’t know how to explain it from his point of view,” she admitted. “However, it just occurred to me that it’s never quite so clear-cut. First, we can’t think like him. Second, we project our own feelings and moralities onto others. Either way, we don’t know what’s going on in the shooter’s mind.”

  He thought about her words long into the night, realizing that there were all kinds of scenarios where people had a love-hate relationship with animals. Sometimes they could see their way through it, and sometimes they couldn’t. Bauer probably needed to check that out a little bit closer. Kudos to her for making him consider it because it was something that he hadn’t even thought of.

  He’d been going on the basis of somebody hating the animal, whereas it could be the opposite. It could be that he loved animals and had lost one, causing him to snap. Although that seemed completely foreign to Bauer. He wasn’t sure there was any talking to those guys anyway. They got something in their head, and that was it. With that final thought, Bauer fell into an uneasy slumber.

  When he woke up in the wee hours of the morning, he bolted to his feet. He wasn’t sure what had woken him, but something was wrong. As soon as he stepped out of his bedroom, he heard Toby growling, low and deep. The War Dog stood in the hallway landing at the top of the stairs, staring down. Bauer placed a hand on his haunches, letting him know he was here. He whispered, “Just be quiet, buddy. Remember. We’ve got to be quiet.”

  Of course what Bauer really wanted was for this asshole to get inside the house, where Bauer could take him out—prepped and prepared this time, instead of having the shooter take off, after doing whatever the hell damage he thought he had the right to do. Still, the chances of the shooter taking off tonight without causing more trouble was pretty slim. At that precise moment, the bedroom door opened beside him, and Mags stepped out.

  Taking one look, she whispered, “What is it?”

  He held a finger to his lips, and she stepped up to his side and tried to peer down over the railing. Then they heard an ever-so-gentle step. She froze at Bauer’s side, as he motioned for her to go into her bedroom and to call the cops.

  She quickly nodded, looked down at the War Dog, then back at Bauer.

  Bauer nodded. Toby was still not healed enough to go into a full-on fight. Even though the spirit was willing, the flesh was not. So, under duress, Toby was forced back into her bedroom. Afterward Bauer slipped quietly down the stairs. He’d only gone a couple steps when the back door slammed shut, and he heard the sound of someone taking off in the distance.

  Bauer swore, as he raced out behind the intruder. He was less equipped for a dark run in the night, being more prepared for a battle in the house. As soon as he stepped out into the night, intent on pursuing this guy, bullets rang out against the side of the door. He ducked back inside, swearing again.

  She called down from upstairs. “Are you hit?”

  “No,” he yelled back, swearing, “but it’s almost like he baited me to come outside, then started firing.”

  “I wouldn’t be at all surprised,” she said, as she appeared beside him, her hands gently running over his face and shoulders. “Are you sure you’re not hit?”

  “I’m fine,” he muttered, capturing her hands and tucking her up close, “but he’s out there.”

  “You’re not going outside,” she stated firmly. “He has pinned us inside for a reason.”

  “Yeah, and that reason is what I need to figure out, so stay here. Keep your head down, and let me do a quick check.” And, with that, he bounded through the living room and the front entranceway. And then he saw it. Swearing, he picked up what seemed to be an incendiary device or a Molotov cocktail that hadn’t quite started, then threw it outside. When it landed, it exploded into a small gush of flames.

  She cried out beside him, “Oh my God! He wanted to burn us out or burn us down?”

  “That was his plan, but it didn’t go off.”

  “So, what do we have here, an amateur firebomber?” she cried out hysterically.

  “Yeah, seems to be.” And Bauer was even more concerned than before because this was another step further into violence, a step in the wrong direction from de-escalating. This guy was on a mission, and now his aggression appeared to not just be centered on the dog. Now it was directed at them, and that was not good.

  Chapter 9

  It was hard to imagine a rougher night than the rest of that one. Mags slept in fits and starts in the living room, while Bauer sat beside her, just a steady presence, that sense of security, so she could go back to sleep. Finally she muttered, “It’s not that I’m upset.”

  “I know, but it just keeps going around and around in your head.”

  “It just blows me away that we’ve come to this,” she murmured, “from nothing to this.”

  “I get it. I really do. Believe me. I would do an awful lot to keep you from this kind of a nightmare.”

  “It’s not your fault,” she murmured.

  “No, it isn’t, but I haven’t managed to stop it either.”

  She realized he was taking this on as being his fault. As she snuggled against him, she realized she’d spent the bulk of the night curled up in his arms on the couch.

  He asked her, “Do you think we’ve gotten past the point of going on a date yet?”

  She snorted. “Very funny. I’m not even sure we’ve had a date.”

  “Oh, good. That means it’s still out there ahead of us.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Always the comedian.”

  “I’m trying to be,” he admitted, with a forced note of cheerfulness.

  At that, she sat up and looked at him. “You don’t have to always cheer me up. It’s a nightmare, and I get that. But it’s not your doing and I can’t imagine going through it without you.”

  “It is a nightmare, but we are getting there.” She shot him a look of disbelief, and he smiled. “I believe we are. It might not look like it just yet, but I’m a firm believer in positive thinking.”

  “Right,” she muttered, as she sagged back.

  He pulled her into his arms again and whispered, “Just relax. He won’t come back tonight.”

  “What, because of the cops’ presence? Jeez, it seems like they never left, and now they’re back here again.”

  “Unfortunately the cops left long enough for him to show up.”

  “Right, so how does that work?” she muttered.

  “Because he’s watching,” Bauer shared calmly. She shuddered at that. He held her close and whispered, “But so am I.”

  “And yet what would happen to anybody else in this situation? I mean, you happened to be available. I don’t want to say you’re out of work or anything, but you came because of the War Dog. What if I was alone, and this had happened?”

  “Thankfully it didn’t happen that way, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure there’s no repeat performance.”

  “I wish there was some guarantee,” she whispered, “but I doubt that there is.”

  The cops came and talked to them several times, and she answered as best she could. Finally she admitted, “I might not even show up at the office tomorrow.”

  “News flash, tomorrow is Saturday.”

  She stared at him blankly. “Already? Wow.”

  “It is,” he confirmed.

  “Right, well, I still have office hours for a half day.”

  He groaned. “Oh, I was hoping you were closed tomorrow.”

  “I also have a second dog here too.” She looked over to Millie, who was curled up beside Toby on the floor in front of them.

  “Yeah, what’s up with that? I thought Millie was just here for the one night.”

  Mags nodded. “True. But Millie’s parents had a vacation scheduled and a pet sitter lined up, but their friend got ill. So we are serving as a temporary boarding house for Millie.”