Page 56 of K-9 in Pursuit

“I heard.” He raised onto his elbows and joined her in staring at the dog. Daisy stood, her body rigid, all attention focused on the front of the building.

Then Chloe heard the scrape of metal on metal. A key in the lock of the front door.

Chloe groped for her phone while Brian reached for his pants. She punched in 911.

“Emergency response. What is the nature of your emergency?”

Daisy erupted in barking, toenails scrabbling on the tile as she raced toward the front of the building. “Someone is trying to break into my shop,” Chloe said, raising her voice to be heard over the din. As Brian raced past her, she gave the 911 operator her name and address. “Hurry,” she said, before ending the call.

Her phone immediately rang again with a call from the 911 operator, but she ignored it, instead pulling on the leggings and sweater she had worn earlier and following Brian to the front of the shop. He had switched on all the lights and the front door stood open, cold air rushing in. But there was no sign of Brian or Daisy.

“Brian!” she shouted. Had the intruder taken him somewhere? Was he outside, hurt? She moved toward the door and almost collided with Brian as he reentered, red-faced and panting.

“Whoever it was got away,” he said. “Daisy must have scared him off.”

Daisy followed Brian inside and shook herself. A siren wailed, growing louder before dying right outside the door. Then an amplified voice demanded, “Come out slowly, and keep your hands where we can see them.”

Chloe looked down at her bare feet. “We’d better do as they say,” Brian said.

“You’re right.” She grabbed a pair of the cheap flip-flops they handed out to pedicure clients, then followed him outside, hands raised.

The two officers lowered their weapons. “Ms. Anderson,” one—Deputy Schneider—said. “You called about a break-in?”

“Someone tried to get in the front door,” she said. “They ran off when Brian’s dog started barking.”

Schneider’s attention shifted to Daisy, who sat beside Brian, panting gently. He looked back at Chloe. “Did you get a look at this person or persons?”

She shook her head. “Did you, Brian?”

“I saw someone running away, but I couldn’t tell much about them. They were dressed in dark clothing and moving pretty fast.”

“You two seem to be drawing a lot of attention,” Schneider said. “Any idea why that is?”

“No,” Chloe said. “We haven’t done anything wrong. I wish whoever this is would leave us alone.”

The other deputy examined the front door. “This doesn’t look like it’s been tampered with.”

“They had a key,” Chloe said. At his quizzical look she added, “The key was in the purse that was stolen earlier today.”

“I don’t think there’s anything more we can do here,” Schneider said. “I’ll file a report. If your burglar comes back, give us another call.”

“You’re not going to look for them?” Chloe asked. “They left on foot. They might still be out there.”

The two deputies exchanged a look she couldn’t interpret. “We’ll drive around, see if we spot anyone suspicious,” Schneider said. “But they’re probably long gone.”

The two left, and Chloe locked the front door behind them. “I don’t think they believe us,” she said. “They act like we’re making this up to get attention or something.”

“I don’t think anyone believes you made up the break-in at your apartment,” he said.

She hugged her arms around herself, suddenly cold. He drew her close and she leaned into his embrace. “That feels so wonderful,” she said.

“To me, too,” he said. “It feels…right.”

Yes, being with him felt right. In spite of so much that was wrong.

BRIAN HAD BEEN reluctant to leave Chloe Friday morning, but she assured him she was all right. “Better than all right,” she had added, with a kiss that had him wanting to drag her back to bed. “I’ll be fine. Now go save lives.”

He wasn’t exactly saving lives, but midmorning found him gliding down the last slope before the base area, towing a rescue sled containing a fourteen-year-old girl who had twisted her knee. “You’re doing great, Allie!” her mom, who skied alongside the sled, called.