Iris Johansen - Dark Summer

That wasn't what Nick called it. He said she was turning into a stick-in-the-mud. He was always urging her to go away, set sail on a cruise, get away from the grind.

Get away from Lester, he really meant. He never mentioned Lester's name, but he'd been with her long enough to know what she was going through.

Maybe Nick would get his way, she thought sadly. She'd almost made up her mind that she'd have to leave this situation behind her.

Her cell phone rang. No ID.

Let it not be Lester.

"Devon Brady."

"Jude Marrok. I have to see you."

She stiffened. "The hell you do. Do you realize what you put me through getting that dog out of Santa Marina?"

"Yes, but I also knew you might be the only one who could."

"It would have served you right if I'd left him there."

"That wasn't going to happen." He repeated, "I have to see you. Can you meet me at your clinic in town?"

"No, I have work to do there."

"It's eight now. I'm in St. Louis waiting to change planes. I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't leave Ned. Take him to your office."

"Don't give me orders, Marrok."

"Do what I say. I'm doing what's best for you."

He hung up before she could answer.

Damn him. Marrok had been as curt and cool as he had been on the island. She still wasn't sure she should turn the Lab over to him. And she certainly wouldn't rush to be at her office to clear her calendar by the time he got there.

She took a leisurely shower, washed and dried her hair, and entered the kitchen a few minutes before nine. "Good morning, Janet. How did you sleep?"

"You know I always sleep good." Janet was turning the bacon. "No tossing and turning for me. You just have to set your mind to it."

Gracie got up from her place beside Ned and bounded toward Devon.

"It's about time you paid some attention to me," Devon murmured. She rubbed the greyhound's ears. "How's your friend?"

"That Lab's been begging me for bacon," Janet said. "Sitting there all pretty and expecting me to throw him a bite. He's teaching Gracie bad habits."

Devon stifled a smile. "And you didn't give in, of course."

"I threw him a few pieces. I wouldn't have done it, but protein is good to heal wounds. Right?"

"Absolutely." She knelt beside the Lab and examined the wound. She gave a low whistle. "But he may not need any help. This wound is doing incredibly well." Marrok had said that Ned healed well, but she hadn't expected the mending to have progressed to this degree. She patted Ned's head. "You're doing good, fella. Keep it up."

"If you're done with that coddling, you might sit down and eat your breakfast while it's hot, so I haven't wasted my time." Janet placed the eggs and bacon on the china plate. "Wash your hands first."

"I'm aware of the hygiene factor." Devon washed her hands at the sink. "Where's Nick?"

"He went down to feed Casper and the cats. Though those cats should be earning their keep being mousers in that barn. I saw a rat the last time I went down there."

"They were raised as house cats." She sat down at the table and started eating. "They'd be here with us if they weren't afraid of the dogs."

"They just like having their own kingdom in that barn, with all of us waiting on them." Janet poured her a cup of coffee. "You spoil them."

"Maybe." She was looking at Ned. He was bright-eyed and moving with only a little stiffness. "Your friend, Marrok, wants you back. What about it?"

Ned's tail thumped hard on the floor.

"Is that a yes? I'm not so sure. I certainly won't turn you over to him until I'm sure you're well on the way to healing."

"He looks good to me," Nick said from the kitchen door. "Better than good."

"I'll take him in and have him checked over just to make sure. Are you going with me?"

"No." He grimaced. "I have to get in the truck and see if I can find Casper."

She stared at him in bewilderment. "What?"

"I must have left the gate ajar when I went into the paddock to feed him last night. It was half-open when I went down this morning." He held up his hand. "Don't worry. No one is going to take Casper. Everyone knows he belongs to you. If I can't find him, I'll leave word with all the farmers in the neighborhood to let me know when they see him."

"I'm not worried about him being stolen. Casper's not too bright. He has a tendency to charge if he gets ner vous. Maybe I should go with you."

"He'll be fine. I think I can handle that donkey. He'll recognize me as the bringer of good vittles." Nick took the keys to the truck from the cookie jar on the counter. "I'll call you when I locate him. Otherwise, I'll see you at the clinic later."

"Okay." She was frowning as she watched him go down the steps. It was odd that Casper had gotten loose. Nick was always very careful about locks. But he was right; the donkey would probably be fine.

"I never left the gate open," Janet said flatly. "Not once."

"And Nick usually doesn't either." She finished her coffee and got to her feet. "Come on, Ned. Let's go to the clinic and check you out. We'll have my friend Dr. Dalks take a look at you, then I'll let you sit with the receptionist and charm all the patients. You'll like Terry. She's a pushover for Labs."

"DEVON BRADY LEFT THE HOUSEten minutes ago," Fraser said when he picked up Marrok's call. "Nick Gilroy left before her. I think he's looking for the donkey."

"Did she take Ned with her?"

"Yes, he looked pretty spry."

"He should. It's been two days," Marrok said. "Are you still at the farm?"

"Yes." Fraser was silent. "Bridget says she thinks… she was nervous last night."

His hand tightened on the phone. "Any sign?"

"No, but I've been keeping my eyes peeled. I'm going to take another look around after I hang up. Bridget isn't often wrong."

No, she wasn't, Marrok thought. In her own way her instincts were as sharp and accurate as Ned's. Bridget would appreciate the comparison. She liked animals better than she liked most people.

Devon had said something like that the night he'd met her. She would probably get along very well with Bridget.

If he could keep her alive long enough to meet her.

"Don't take any chances, Fraser. Your job is to report, not engage. Call me when you finish checking the area."

"I will. I'll see them before they see me." He hung up.

Dammit, he had at least an hour before he reached Denver, and it would be another hour before he could make it to the small town of Bayside.

He didn't have Bridget's gift, but he had a bad feeling. He wanted to be off this plane and able to move.

IT WAS A BUSY MORNING ATthe clinic, and Devon was drawn into the usual hubbub of sick animals and concerned own ers as soon as she walked in the door. She immediately turned Ned over to Hugh Dalks for his exam and didn't have a chance to pop her head into his examining room until the morning was almost over. "How's he doing?"

"You say that he was just operated on day before yesterday?" Hugh shook his head. "I'd never guess it. The tissue is almost completely healed. The stitches are almost unnecessary. I'm tempted to take them out."

"He must have good genes," she said lightly.

"Extraordinary genes." He was rubbing Ned's belly. "Did you know he has an ID microchip in his neck?"

"It doesn't surprise me. That's not so unusual. He's a valuable dog."

"Since you said his own er had disappeared, I thought you might want me to decode it and try to find the address. It wasn't easy. First, I tried the Vera chip RFD reader. Nothing. Then I tried the Avid remote. Still nothing."

"Weird, those are the two most frequently used microchip ID companies."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Then I tried that old Sentar reader that Nick used years ago when they first started to microchip animal. It gave me the code number, but when I typed it into the computer the screen went blank, then it flipped as if it was going to another Web site."