Laura Scott - Blind Trust

Did someone have a grudge against the training center? Had the pup been taken as a way to ruin their reputation? He made a mental note to ask Wade Yost for a list of employees who had been fired in the past year.

Finn waited fifteen minutes before Wade showed up. The director was roughly five feet eight inches tall with a husky build. He had dirty-blond hair and nondescript features.

“Eva? What happened? How did you let Cocoa get away?” Yost demanded.

“I tried my best to prevent it,” Eva said. “I’m sorry.”

“The man attacked her,” Finn said, speaking up on her behalf. He shot the director of the training facility a narrow glare. “She’s fortunate she wasn’t seriously injured or killed.”

“Yes, of course,” Yost said, backpedaling. “Eva, I’m so sorry you were hurt. Do you want to take the rest of the day off?”

Finn glanced at her and she rubbed a hand over her shoulder.

“Maybe. But first Officer Gallagher wants to see the security video.”

“Yes, I do,” Finn said. “And you don’t seem to have a security system, correct?”

“With all the dogs in here, didn’t think I’d need one.” Wade Yost led the way to his office and the computer screens he had sitting on a table in the corner. The director went over and pulled up the video feed, going back a few hours. There was no sound from the video, and a heavy silence fell among them as they watched.

Finn rested his hand on Abernathy’s silky head. He saw Eva entering the guide dog training facility through the front door. The cameras were only on the outside of the building, not on the inside. They waited, watching various cars driving by on the street, as the timer clicked through. Nine minutes later, the door abruptly swung open and a man dressed in black rushed out. The guy instantly turned left, the same way Abernathy had tracked him, then disappeared from view. The man’s face was averted, a ball cap pulled low on his forehead as if he’d known exactly where the camera was located.

“Do you have another camera?” Finn asked. “Something pointing down the street?”

“Afraid not,” Yost said. “The other camera points to the parking lot in the back of the building.”

“That might show him breaking in,” Eva pointed out.

Yost went to work pulling up that security feed. As Finn watched, he could see a tall man wearing black from head to toe, along with the baseball hat pulled over his brow, coming out from behind a dumpster. He again kept his head down as he made his way to the back door. Using the tire iron, he opened it up and disappeared inside. Once again, the angle of the camera made it impossible to see his face beneath the rim of the cap.

Finn blew out a frustrated breath. “I want copies of the video going as far back as you have it.”

“Should be about a week’s worth,” Yost said. “Maybe eight days at the max.”

Great, that was just great. The video they had wasn’t helpful, and Eva hadn’t got a good look at the guy. He’d still have Eva work with a sketch artist, but at this point they had very few clues.

Finn turned toward Eva’s boss. “Tell me, do you have a list of employees who were let go in the past twelve months?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Yost looked uncomfortable as he glanced at Eva, then back at Finn. “I’ll, um, get that for you.”

Yost rummaged around in his desk drawer, then pulled out a sheet of paper. He glanced again at Eva before handing it over. “You’ll, uh, keep that confidential, won’t you?” he asked.

“Of course.” Finn didn’t understand why the guy was so uncomfortable until he scanned the list, his gaze stumbling across a familiar name.

Malina Kendall-Stallings.

Eva’s older sister.

Eva could feel Finn’s intense gaze boring into her and desperately wished she could see him more clearly. Unfortunately, he was standing with his back to the large window overlooking the street, and the light coming in behind him cast a shadow over his face.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, finally breaking the strained silence.

“No, of course not.” Carefully, Finn folded the paper her boss had given him and tucked it into his pocket. “Wade, do you mind if I take Eva down to the station with me? I’d like her to work with a sketch artist. We need all the help we can get identifying this assailant in order to get Cocoa back.”

“That’s fine,” Wade agreed. “Eva, why don’t you take the rest of the day off? You were planning to leave early anyway, right?”

“Yes, I was.” Normally working with the animals relaxed her, but since her brother-in-law, Pete Stallings, had just left town to attend a conference, she needed to pick up her three-year-old nephew, Mikey, from his preschool program. Spending extra time with him would be nice. The poor little boy was struggling after his mother’s death just three weeks ago.

She picked up her purse from the counter, wishing there was a way to get out of going with Finn. She really didn’t want to work with the police sketch artist, knowing that what little she’d been able to see of the man wasn’t enough to recreate a good likeness. Yet she wasn’t about to reveal her degenerative eyesight issues to Finn Gallagher, either. She knew only too well that men treated her differently once they discovered the truth. Sure, her ex-fiancé, Rafe Del Rosa, had denied breaking off their relationship because of her diagnosis, but she knew the truth.

Rafe was an artist and the ability to see was very important to him. The fact that one day she wouldn’t be able to see or appreciate his work had bothered him. Considering they’d met at one of his art exhibits, she could somewhat understand.

Despite what she’d heard on the rare times her parents had taken them to church, love did not conquer all.

Losing Rafe, her sister, Malina, and all too soon her vision had been three life-changing events too many. She’d turned away from the church, unable to believe that all of this adversity was part of God’s plan.

There was no plan. Wasn’t she living proof of that?

“Eva? Are you ready to go? Joey, our sketch artist, will meet us there.”

She realized Finn and his yellow Lab, Abernathy, were hovering near the main entrance, waiting for her. She shook off her depressing thoughts and moved toward him.

She wasn’t blind yet. She cleared her throat. “How far away is the K-9 headquarters?”

“In Jackson Heights. Don’t worry, I can drive you home afterward.” Finn held the door open, and in the bright sunlight she was able to see him more clearly. Earlier, she’d been too worried about Cocoa to notice, but now she could see just how broad Finn’s shoulders were and how handsome he was. His dark brown hair was longer than most cops she knew generally wore it, a lock falling over his forehead and his green eyes were incredible. There was a tiny part of her that wanted to take the time to memorize his features so she could picture him in her mind’s eye forever, but she gave herself a mental shake.

A relationship was out of the question. In a few years she’d be deemed legally blind. Her diagnosis was such that her field of vision would narrow over the next few years, until she could only see through a small circle. She’d already accepted the fact that she’d spend the rest of her life alone. At least she had her nephew, Mikey, to help care for. And the dogs she trained were also important to her.

She didn’t need anyone else.

“Where do you live?” Finn asked.

“Not far. I don’t need a ride home, but maybe you could bring me back here to the training center. I live a short subway ride away.”

“We’ll see,” Finn said, his tone noncommittal. She sensed he wasn’t the type to take no for an answer, but she didn’t need his help.