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She pulled out her phone and started to dial. Michael met her eyes and pulled his own phone out. “While you’re doing that, let me ask David what your favorite words are.”
“All right,” Faith said, setting her phone down. “Truce.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Faith’s phone rang, and when they both saw David’s number, they shared a glance. “You think he heard me?” Michael asked.
“If he did, you better apologize,” Faith warned as she answered the phone. “He has a lot of dog friends he can sic on you.”
“Didn’t you see me at the junkyard?” he replied. “Dogs love me.”
Faith rolled her eyes. “Hey, David,” she said into the phone. “How’s your vacation?”
“Soon to be over,” he replied. “My parents had plans this week, so I’m on my way home.”
“What?” Faith said, her smile disappearing. “Why? What about your sister?”
Michael frowned and mouthed, “What’s wrong?”
Faith shook her head and stood. She headed outside. Turk started to follow her, but she pointed at him and shook her finger and the dog sat back down next to Michael.
“My sister has her kids, and they weren’t expecting me for two months. I’m not going to drop in uninvited just because… I’m here.”
Faith caught the momentary hesitation and what it meant. When she was outside, she said, “David, you can’t come back. It’s too soon.”
David sighed. “Faith, I appreciate your concern, but I’m not going to just hang out in Nevada doing nothing for two weeks. I have patients who need my help, and it’s not right for me to just abandon them.”
“So come out here,” she said. “I’ll get a room with you. I’ll have to work, but we’ll have time to spend together at night, and there’s a lot to do in Goldwood.”
“What’s there to do in Goldwood?”
“Well, there’s…” her voice trailed off as she realized the only things to do in Goldwood involved going places where the killer could easily attack him. He hadn’t struck during daylight yet, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t give it a try.
“Faith,” David said with frustratingly gentle patience. “I’m going home.”
“David, you can’t.” she sighed. “Look, I know you think I’m being paranoid, but you need to trust me on this. It’s not safe for you in Philadelphia.”
“Faith, I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself. If you want, I can get a dog and walk with him when I’m out at night. I wasn’t planning to get a dog because… well, I wasn’t planning on it yet, but I can if it’ll make you feel better.”
Faith felt a stab of pain. He wasn't planning to get a dog, almost certainly because he was planning for Faith and Turk to move in with him. Faith hated to think that what was going on now might once more cool him off to the idea of a future with her.
But she couldn’t risk him putting himself in danger. The original Donkey Killer had nearly killed Turk. She didn’t know if the Copycat Killer was as physically imposing as the nearly seven-foot Trammell, but he was able to defeat Gordon hand to hand and beat him to death, and the dog David got would almost certainly not be a highly trained K9 and former Marine dog.
“David, please,” she said, “just a few more days.”
“But it isn’t going to be a few more days, Faith,” David said, his veneer of patience breaking. “It’s going to be a few more days, and then a few more days, and then a few more days, and then months or even longer. I know you’re a good detective, Faith, but I don’t see you finding this guy in two weeks when your colleagues haven’t found him in nearly two years.”
Faith’s heart twisted again, but she kept her cool. “I just need a little time,” she said. “I’m going to get this guy, David. I promise.”
“I know you will, Faith, but I can’t just put my life on hold while… wait, did you say you were in Arizona?”
“Yes. Goldwood, Arizona.”
“Why are you in Goldwood, Arizona?”
“I have a case,” she said.
“So you’re not even working on the Copycat Killer right now?”
