Page 55 of The Deadly Shallows

“Someone just abandoned him on the doorstep. Tied his leash around the door handle and left him,” Lucy said, turning to fluff the fur on Jaxon’s head. “I’d adopt him in a heartbeat, but my cats would have a fit, so he’s staying here until I’m able to find him a good home.”

“That’s awful someone just abandoned him.” Poor guy. How some people treated their animals . . .

“Are you looking for a dog?” she asked. “He’s really taken to you.”

“I’m a CGIS agent. I don’t have time for a pet.”

Lucy’s lips shifted slightly into an expression of I ain’t buying it. “Working in the area, I know a lot of law enforcement and soldiers who have pets.”

It was an excuse on his part, but it seemed the easiest way out, and he did, in all fairness, work long hours.

“He’s a sweet guy, very easy and trained. Do me a favor,” she said before he could respond again. “Don’t say no. Just take a few days and think about it.”

Caleb shoved his hands in his coat pockets, looking back at Jaxon sitting beside him, wagging his tail. He was a cute mutt, but after Skipper, he’d sworn off having a pet. Having anything his mom could snatch away whenever she capriciously felt like it. After leaving home, the pattern had just stuck.

He shook off the thought. Shook off the blip of memory—of his mom and her wildly shifting moods. Instead, he focused on what was before him.

As Lucy led him down the back hall, they passed four pristine exam rooms, each with a different theme. The first had dog pictures all over the walls and a box of Milk-Bones on the counter. The second room had cat pictures and a glass jar of knitted balls with strings. The third was the bird room. He guessed the final room was for reptiles and exotic pets, since pictures of lizards, turtles, and sugar gliders hung on the dark green walls.

Lucy opened the door at the end of the hall, leading him into a lab and surgical suite. She grabbed a white case with vials inside. “Here you go.” She handed them to Caleb.

“Thanks. Any idea what was making Austin’s dog sick?”

“Not just Dirk. I’ve seen three other dogs from her neighborhood over the past few weeks.”

“Yeah, Austin mentioned there’d been other dogs.” He linked his arms across his chest. “I don’t imagine you’d know if each of their owners’ homes backs to the sound?”

“Sorry.” She shrugged. “I do know they are all on Austin’s street, if that helps.”

“It does.” He looked down at the vials. “So what are you thinking it might be, Doc?”

Lucy shook her head with a sigh. “It’s a chemical, but not one I’ve seen before. Actually, I haven’t seen anything like it before. With any luck, your CSI can zero in on it. Once the chemical is identified, and we can track down where in Austin’s neighborhood it’s coming from, then hopefully we can prevent it from continuing to spread.”

His gut said it was coming from the water, and stopping anything from spreading when a current was involved was nearly impossible. But he’d hold his tongue until they were sure. “Finn is a great crime-scene investigator. We’ll get this figured out.”

“I hope so because I have another dog coming in at eight with suspiciously similar symptoms.”

“Is it from the Wild Pines neighborhood as well?”

Lucy exhaled. “Yes.”

Caleb’s jaw tightened. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

TWENTY-NINE

“Join me for breakfast?” Austin asked after Caleb arrived from the vet.

“Sure. If it’s not too much trouble,” he said, stepping inside the open doorway. Sharing meals together was quickly becoming a habit he very much enjoyed.

She moved to the blender. “I’m making smoothies.”

“Sounds good.”

Minutes later, with smoothie tumblers in hand, they took a seat on the patio love seat. They settled under the blue fuzzy blanket she’d added to the couch. The heaters ablaze, he looked over with a smile. He’d never met someone who enjoyed spending so much time outdoors in winter.

He took a sip of the fruit-and-protein-loaded smoothie. “This is delicious,” he said, half-surprised, as she’d yet to make anything homemade around him.

“Thanks.” She nuzzled deeper under the blanket. “It’s one of my go-to breakfasts. I can just whip it up and take it with me.”