Page 137 of Shhh…It’s A Killer Story

I crossed the room before I realized I'd moved. My hand closed around the veterinarian's wrist. Firm not hard but just enough to stop him.

"Give her some space." My voice came out lower than I expected. Quiet and controlled. The kind of voice that made people stop talking. The veterinarian froze. His eyes flicked to the badge on my belt before meeting mine. I released him immediately.

"Sorry."

I cleared my throat.

"How's Max?"

The veterinarian adjusted his sleeve awkwardly before answering.

"He's stable, Detective."

He glanced toward the kennel.

"Someone injected him with a powerful livestock sedative. Enough to bring down an animal his size without causing obvious trauma."

I felt something inside my chest loosen.

"His heart's strong."

The doctor continued.

"Neurologically he's responding well. No permanent damage that we can see."

He offered a small smile.

"He'll sleep most of today. He'll be weak for a few days after that."

Another pause.

"But he's going to make a full recovery."

I closed my eyes for half a second. The breath I'd been holding since five-thirty finally left my lungs.

"Thank you."

"I'll get his discharge papers."

The veterinarian disappeared through the swinging door, leaving the room wrapped in fluorescent silence. Through the kennel door I could hear Max breathing. Slow, heavy but alive. A sound came from behind me small enough most people would've missed it, a muffled sob.

I turned.

Seraphina stood against the white cinderblock wall, both hands covering her mouth now as fresh tears rolled silently down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook with every breath she tried and failed to steady. Her head stayed bowed, dark hair spilling forward like a curtain, hiding her face from me. Her shoulders rose and fell in small, uneven breaths, every inhale catching halfway before breaking apart.

She wouldn't look at me. She just stood there against the white cinderblock wall, trembling beneath the harsh fluorescent lights. I closed the distance between us. My boots barely made a sound against the polished floor.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

The question sounded useless the second it left my mouth. She let out a small laugh. It wasn't laughter. It was the kind of sound people make when they've cried so hard there's nothing left except air forcing its way through broken ribs.

Slowly, she lifted her head. Her eyes were swollen and red. She looked exhausted. She looked straight at me, and for the first time since she'd stepped onto my porch yesterday, there wasn't a single smile left on her face.

No teasing. No strange little comments. No fearless confidence. Just someone who looked completely worn out. Her lips parted.

"Can...can I have a hug?"

The words barely reached me. They were so quiet I almost thought I'd imagined them. My chest tightened so hard it hurt. Seraphina talked. Constantly. She narrated the world, argued with gnomes, made jokes that never landed where I expected them to. But she never asked for anything.