TEST GRABBED A cup of coffee from the pot in the lobby and brought it into her office, shut the door and plopped her weary head on the desk. Claude had been right: she should have gone to bed and not gone for a run. It was harder than ever now to think straight with four hours’ sleep in nearly fifty hours. Her obstinacy had gotten the best of her. Even if she’d lain awake obsessing about the case and about Charlie, it would have been better than running at four in the morning.
Her phone rang. She picked it up, stifling a yawn. “Detective Sonja Test.”
“They killed Sally.”
Test jolted awake now, scrabbled for a pencil and pad. “Who is this?”
“Gregory Sergeant, I’m—”
“What’s happened? Have you called nine-one-one?”
“No. I—”
“Call them as soon as you get off with me. Who is Sally?”
“My lab.”
“Your what?”
“My dog.”
Test stared out the window as her blood drained from her face.
She spoke slowly, in a manner meant to calm herself. “Why do you think someone killed your dog?” She tried to focus on the pencil in her hand but her vision was uncertain, doubling.
“She was frothing blood and I found hamburger she’d eaten and—”
The voice went as muddy as her vision and the pencil dropped from Test’s fingers and hit the floor, far, far away.
“He’s got to pay for this,” the voice said, coming back to her through the clouds.
“Who?” Test said, her voice a whisper.
“Who? That redneck bully who just about knocked me down in the street yesterday. Purposely.”
“Who?”
“Didn’t you hear who I said? King. Jed King.”
“He knocked you down yesterday?”
“I just told you he did. What’s the matter with this line?”
“I don’t know. I apologize. I’ve been awake most of the past fifty hours. Why didn’t you report him attacking you yesterday?”
“He was careful about how he did it. I can’t prove it was on purpose. I scalded my hand with coffee but otherwise I’m OK. I’ve learned that by not reacting to bullies, it defuses them more often than not.”
“Not always.”
“No, not always,” he said.
“You want me to swing by there?”
“Please.”