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The puppy wiggled, lifting his head. “I don’t think he’s hurt, just cold.”
“Then get him inside. We’ll talk later.”
“This is horrible.” She kissed the puppy’s head, allowing me to help her to her feet. “I tried to revive the mother. I tried.”
I cupped her face, trying to drag her attention away. “Baby bird. It’s okay. You did your best. Just cuddle the puppy and go to the cabin.”Now. Run. Don’t stop.My tone was more imploring.
Wren swallowed hard. “Find the motherfucker who did this.”
“I plan on it.” I waited, watching her closely as she headed back to the cabin before yanking my phone into my hand, dialing Gage. As I waited, I checked the dog’s collar for tags. “I’m so sorry, Sofie.” While the dog’s name was proudly displayed on a golden metal tag, there was no other identification.
Goddamn it. Voicemail. “Gage. You need to call me as soon as possible. I’m at your cabin. Not only was at least one dog shot but there were visitors during the last day or so.” I left it at that, hunkering down once again to take another look at the fallen baby. I’d seen some shit in my day but to hunt and kill animals was at the tops of my list for the most heinous behavior.
It was beginning to feel more like a vendetta or act of revenge. Bart came to mind. He was twisted enough to do something like this. Since I’d thrown out that Wren was my girlfriend, had he purposely hunted her down? Maybe so, but why kill a dog? I glanced in proximity to where the front of the house was located, and it was entirely possible the dog had been used as a warning. It took a sick bastard to do something like killing an innocent animal.
The entire situation was beginning to smell.
I trudged through the woods, moving deeper into them, quickly comprehending that there was no trail of blood. That meant the dog had been strategically placed along with her puppy. Wait a minute. There were other cabins within a couple hundred yards, but the area was very remote. Bart would have no way of knowing she wasn’t coming home last night. And there was no way it had been a random dumping, not with the house positioned so far off the road. I listened for any sounds, walking at least fifty yards in either direction.
Then Gage returned my call, the connection shitty.
“You found what?” he asked, his tone incredulous.
I repeated what I’d said. “The mother dog has a collar.” I noticed something closer to the back of the cabin. “Plus, I smell chlorine trifluoride.”
“Hold on. You’re certain of it?”
“I’m pretty damn certain. Once you get that shit in your nostrils, you can’t get it out.”
“Goddamn it,” Gage hissed. “I’m on my way. Don’t touch anything.”
“Yeah, well, the puppy needs some attention, and I won’t be here. I’m taking Wren to stay with me until this shit blows over.”
Gage sighed. “Under the circumstances, I think that’s a good idea. I’ll need to call in hazmat as well as the fire department. There’s no telling how much of the compound there is.”
I walked another fifty yards. Then I stopped short. “Shit.”
“What is it?”
“A body. A man. He’s been shot.” I studied the area, noticing additional footprints. Now there were three sets of them and from the distance each footstep was apart, I’d say they’d been running.
“I’m repeating myself, Phoenix. Do not touch a damn thing.”
“You need to find these bastards, Gage, because I’m at the point of hunting them down myself.”
“I’m working on it, and I don’t need to issue you another warning. For all we know, the dogs could have been caught in crossfire with hunters.” I heard the glitch in Gage’s voice. He didn’t believe it any more than I did.
“That’s bullshit and you know it. Someone is sending a message. Work harder, Gage. This shit is getting personal and I’m not letting anything happen to my family.”
He exhaled. “I’ll have my deputies scour the area and give you a call.”
“You do that. Incidentally, the dog’s name was Sofie. Said so on a tag. Ring a bell?”
When Gage’s breathing became ragged, I bristled. “What do the dogs look like, Phoenix?”
“What the hell does that matter?”
“What the fuck do they look like?”
