Zoe wished she’d worn her Glock and had Freya by her side. The best she could do was corral everybody and move them inside. According to what she’d been told about the trouble in town back in August, assailants had arrived in a car and shot at Sophie with a rifle. At least this guy was on foot and had no visible weapon. If he’d been closer, she’d have drawn her concealed Ruger .380, but at this distance she might as well throw rocks.
Running up to Sean she shouted, “Inside. Now!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure. Just move.”
Sean was already on his feet and scooping up his son.
She could tell by his expression that he was going to follow her orders. “Hurry!”
“What about the dog?”
He needn’t have asked. Angel was right on his heels.
Zoe slammed the door. Breathless, she took a moment to regain the proper demeanor. A police officer was supposed to remain calm in a crisis, rookie or not. “There was somebody loitering out by the farthest fence,” she explained. “We had a shooting incident in the training yard about four months ago, and I didn’t want to take a chance this time.”
“Thanks, I think.” He, too, acted out of breath. “You could have told me with a little less drama. You scared me good.”
“Badly. I scared you badly.”
Sean huffed and shook his head. “Those aren’t the first words that popped into my head, believe me.” He eyed his son. “I cleaned it up for both of you.”
“Good.” She went to one of the windows and peeked through the blinds. “I don’t see him now.”
“I never did. What did he look like?”
“One of the guys at the market that made you so nervous,” Zoe said. “I thought for sure you’d seen him standing there.”
“Nope. I was watching the dog until I heard you holler. After that, it’s a blur.”
“Well, at least you didn’t have a flashback.” She studied him. “You didn’t, did you?”
“No. I didn’t.” He seemed both pleased and concerned. “I can’t get well before we qualify for Angel.”
“I’m sure it won’t happen quickly. You just didn’t have the right triggers this time. Besides, there’s an outside chance Patrick can also qualify. You won’t need two service dogs.”
“True.” He joined her to peer out the window as red-and-blue flashing lights reflected off the glass. “Is that every patrol car in Desert Valley?”
“Looks like it. We have so little crime around here the officers tend to respond whenever they can.”
“You said there was a serial killer?”
“Not anymore. It’s a long story. The former police department secretary turned out to be a psycho who was targeting cops. She was mentally unbalanced and thought she could make Chief Hayes fall in love with her if she got rid of all her rivals. In the process, she also killed officers who happened to resemble him because they didn’t ask her for a date. It was a nightmare.”
“Sounds like it.” Sean stepped back. “I’ve been thinking. Since nobody has bothered Patrick, how about we take him to that day care you mentioned? I suspect you’re right about him being safer if he’s not around me.”
“Granted. And I’ll stop by the house for my other gun.” She displayed the Ruger .380 in her palm. “This is only for close quarters.”
Sean visibly tensed. “You’ll keep it locked up when Patrick is around, right?”
“Absolutely. And I’ll make sure it’s unloaded.”
“What do we do with the dog while we’re gone?”
“It’s about time you started using her name instead of calling her the dog. Angel will go with us, in a portable kennel, and I’ll have Freya ride next to her to set a good example. You’d be surprised how much a smart dog can learn by observation.”
Sean chuckled as he eyed the still-excited canine. “What makes you think Freya won’t learn to act up from watching Angel?”
“I’ll take my chances,” Zoe said, returning his smile. She knew he was referring to the dogs, yet her reply had a double meaning. She was beginning to realize she might be willing to take a chance on caring for Sean again, too. He may have broken her heart once, but he wasn’t the same macho guy he had been. What he needed to realize was that his inner strength was still there, still evident in his actions to protect his son. He wasn’t less of a man than he had been. He was merely a wounded warrior whose invisible scars needed the balm of love and faith, both in himself and in the God he had recently denied.
It was her fondest hope that she could lead him back to a realization of both. She wasn’t fooling herself. Her goals were not nearly as noble as they sounded because she had a vested interest in this matter, too.
She cared for the man deeply. They had both been through a lot since their youth. Above all, she was going to make sure he stayed safe, no matter what it took.
Sean’s first opinion of Desert Valley Day care was not particularly good. It looked more like the usual private home, decorated for Christmas, than a professional place. There was a wreath on the front door, and twinkling lights hung from the porch, just like every other house on the block.
Meeting the two main caretakers, however, helped set his mind at ease. Marilyn Carter and her niece, Josie Callahan, had achieved a welcoming, family atmosphere and were offering sensible parental guidance to the children without a lot of unnecessary shouting.
The roomful of kids was noisy, of course. Most were younger, like Patrick. A brunette, dusky, blue-eyed girl of about ten stood in the background, acting as if she considered herself everyone’s big sister. She was helping younger kids build a castle with blocks and gently admonishing them to share.
He inclined his head toward the group of children and spoke to Zoe. “Who’s that? She looks old for day care.”
“Maisy is Officer Dalton West’s daughter. She’s here after school because he’s been in K-9 training classes, too,” Zoe said. “Dalton is staying in Desert Valley over Christmas vacation, so she’ll probably be here a lot.”
“Maisy will make a good teacher someday,” Josie added, sounding wistful.
Zoe sobered. “I suppose she tends to mother the little ones more because she lost her own mother.”
Sean laid his hand on Patrick’s head while the boy leaned against him. “I understand. It’s hard.”
Josie nodded and began to smile. “That’s why Aunt Marilyn and I stay open so late and accept parents’ flexible schedules. We know what a struggle it can be.”
“Do you have children?” Sean asked.
“No, but Marilyn does.” She turned away. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check the bathrooms.”
“And I suppose I’ll need to fill out enrollment paperwork.” Sean looked to Zoe. “Can I use your address?”
“Sure.” She paused. “It would be a good idea if you agreed to put Patrick in Sunday school, too. That way everybody can get to know you and feel more comfortable with you guys being a part of the day care.”
“Sunday school? I gather you’ll want me to go to church with you, too.”
“Well...”
“I get it.” Sean sighed noisily. “All right. You win. Church it is, but don’t expect me to suddenly go running down the aisle and repent. God gave up on me long ago.”
“Whatever you say.”
He could tell she didn’t mean it. Nevertheless, he would try to make things easier for her while he was there. She had opened her home and arranged for his training. The least he could do was go to church with her.
But it would be hard, he knew. Facing the faith he had rejected and being bombarded with pleas to reconsider was liable to creep into his mind and cause untold problems and spiritual confusion.
How did he know? Because it already was.
Zoe was glad to see Patrick being assimilated into the group. As soon as Maisy West had noticed his difficulty walking steadily, she had taken his hand and begun to lead him from child to child, making introductions. What an adult would have taken days to accomplish, Maisy had done in the space of an hour.
“I think we can leave now,” Zoe said. “Go tell Patrick what we’re doing so he won’t worry.”
Seeing his reticence, she laid a hand of comfort on his arm. “He will be fine here. Very safe. You know he needs the company of other children. They’re not judging him the way adults might and he hasn’t even looked at us for ages.”
“Yeah. I see that.”
Zoe stood back and watched her old friend approach the group of children, crouch and speak to his son as the others listened nearby. One of the boys spoke up, then Maisy followed with further assurances. By the time Sean stood, Patrick was already headed for a play area filled with large wooden blocks and obstacles.
“That gives me a great idea,” Zoe told Sean as he returned to her. “We can run Angel through her paces in the training yard and encourage Patrick to do some of the exercises with her. The physical agility will undoubtedly help him.”
To her chagrin, Sean scowled. “My son is not a dog.”
She had to laugh. “No, but some of his best buddies are. Think of how encouraged he’ll be if he can do what they do?”
“Such as?”
“Oh, I don’t know. We won’t ask him to climb, of course, but I imagine he’d love crawling through tunnels and under barricades.” Enthusiasm for her brainchild grew until she wanted to clap her hands and jump for joy. “It’s a wonderful idea. As a matter of fact, once Angel is certified as a therapy dog for you, you may want to continue training her and take her on visits to hospitals and rehab centers.”
“Whoa. Hold on, lady. We haven’t even taught her to stop jumping on me. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
What she wanted to do was remind him that the Lord could accomplish anything, and that believers should always try their best, but she kept silent. He’d get there eventually. At least she hoped and prayed he would. If she looked back with honesty and candor, she could see how far Sean had already come. It would be wise to concentrate on that rather than focusing on how far he still had to go.
Whatever happened, she vowed to be there for him. How and when was unknown, yet nothing was impossible for God. Even if she had to quit her beloved Arizona job, she would. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. Right now, her fondest wishes were a jumble of unknowns and confused thoughts, so she couldn’t begin to decide what to ask or expect.
In her heart, she knew indecision was okay. No matter how much her mind argued, she would trust in her faith, in her Lord. All she really had to do was exercise patience.
That thought almost made her burst out laughing. There was a joke among believers about never praying for patience unless you wanted to be presented with long, long trials. Well, here she was, in the midst of just such a dilemma, with no end in sight. Welcome to God’s boot camp.
She and Sean left the day care together and checked to be sure the dogs were comfortable in the car. Zoe slid behind the wheel while Sean got into the passenger seat. “Back to the training center?”
“Fine with me. I forgot to ask. Do they feed the kids lunch and snacks?”
“Yes. Are you hungry?” She pulled into traffic.
“I’m not sure. I feel kind of funny, as if I should go back and get my son no matter how safe and happy he is. Does that make sense to you?”
“Of course. You’re getting used to your new life, and he’s a big part of it. You’ll settle down more after you bond with Angel and the three of you become a team.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Zoe chuckled softly. “Don’t you know I’m always right, Murphy?”
“Yeah, well—”
Instant shattering of the side windows on her car interrupted him. Dual instincts made him duck and Zoe tromp the gas pedal to the floor.
She hadn’t seen or sensed danger until it had been obvious. In order to have broken both windows simultaneously, a bullet must have passed from one side of the car to the other. Missing them both. Praise God! And thank Him that Patrick had not been present.
Eyes wide, head swiveling back and forth, Sean was bracing himself on the dashboard and shaking as if he’d been hit. “Where’s the shooter?”
“I don’t know,” she shouted back. “Grab my phone and report it while I drive.”
The desert air felt icy as it rushed through the broken windows. In the rear, the dogs barked, futilely warning intruders to stay away.
Zoe dodged through traffic and headed straight for the police station, hoping whoever had fired at them would be stupid enough to follow.
She slid into the open lot behind the station and jumped out to take up a defensive position behind the car door.
Sean circled the front of the vehicle to join her as cops raced out the back exit and surrounded them.
To her disappointment, whoever had shot at them had been smart enough to disappear. Chief Hayes tapped her on the shoulder and drew her away with Sean while others looked over the vehicle damage.
“We went back and rechecked that stolen red truck after we received the ballistics report I told you about. Most of the prints we lifted belonged to the teenagers we arrested, like I said, but there was one palm print that was unidentified. We ran that through AFIS. I have bad news for you.”
“You got a match.” Zoe wasn’t asking. She knew.
“Yes,” the chief said. “Whoever left that print has a record as long as your arm, including charges of homicide.”
“So, the bullet in St. Louis is from an assassin’s gun, and the print proves he or someone like him is here,” she concluded.
“Afraid that’s how it looks.”
“Then how about putting a guard on Marilyn Carter’s day care for us?” She was speaking to the chief but looking at Sean. “Sean’s son Patrick isn’t the only child who deserves protection. Your own daughter is there.”
Hayes agreed. “Very sensible. What about you two?”
“I’ll keep my guard up and so will Sean,” Zoe said. “When we’re not at my house, we’ll be at the training center. It probably wouldn’t hurt to keep a close eye on that, too.”
“Will do.” Chief Hayes offered his hand to Sean and they shook. “Don’t hesitate to call if you even think you’ve seen something odd.”
Before Zoe could explain for him, Sean spoke up. “I’m here because of a diagnosis of PTSD.” He held out his trembling hands as a demonstration. “Are you sure you want me to call?”
The other man clapped him on the shoulder. “Absolutely. I’ll tell you if it’s too often. I don’t want any more losses on my watch. Got that?”
“Yes, sir.”
Sean’s forceful agreement echoed his time in the military. So did his stiff posture. This was the first time Zoe had been privy to such a clear picture of his background. A lot had been imprinted. A lot would need to be mitigated because it could never be erased. He was the product of his past, as was she. They all were.
The secret to healing, as far as she could tell, was learning to face tragedy and figuring out how to find happiness despite whatever had happened. Service dogs helped in some cases. Counseling and meds in others.
But she wanted more for Sean. She wanted him to have true peace and joy with his son by his side. To accomplish that, she and her fellow officers were going to have to do more than pat him on the back or give him a place to live or even find him the perfect canine companion.
They were going to have to end the reign of terror begun by the thugs who wanted to kill him. And then they were going to have to track down whoever had hired those men to keep it from recurring.
Given the enormity of that task, she didn’t see any way to make it happen without calling upon divine intervention. Whether Sean believed or not, she was going to pray and keep praying. Fervently.
She was also going to stay armed. If God chose to work through her, she’d be ready.