Page 66 of Falling For You

"Please get the dog off me." His voice was shaking. "I'm not moving. I'll do whatever you want. Just get the dog off me."

Jeremy kept his eyes on the suspect while I holstered and called it in: animal control for the dog, medical for the bite. We held our positions until both arrived.

Animal control looped the Rottweiler and walked it out. Medical cleaned and wrapped the man's arm, and then Jeremy and I moved in.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you." Jeremy paused. "Do you understand these rights as I've explained them to you?"

The man nodded.

"I need a verbal answer."

"Yes."

Jeremy walked him to the cruiser. The house was tossed. Drawers open, closets emptied, cushions pulled off the furniture. Twenty minutes later, a man in a suit walked through the front door and stopped in the living room, looking at the mess.

"Sir, this is an active scene. Can I get your name?"

"Preston Lockwood. This is my house. My alarm company called me."

I walked him through it. The alarm dispatch, what we found when we arrived, the suspect now in custody. He moved through the house room by room, checking drawers, opening the safe in his office. Same answer everywhere. Nothing was taken.

"Looks like Bruno got to him before he could take anything." He said it with a trace of satisfaction. Then he turned to me. "Where's my dog?"

"Animal control has him in a ten-day quarantine hold. Any dog involved in a bite has to be observed. It's standard procedure."

"Quarantine for rabies? His vaccinations are current. I have the records."

"If that's the case, they may be able to clear him for home quarantine. You'd have the dog back here under observation instead of at the facility." I pulled a card from my belt. "This is the number for Clark County Animal Protection. They can walk you through it. Your dog did a good job tonight, Mr. Lockwood. He's going to be fine."

He looked at the card, then tucked it into his jacket pocket.

"Thank you, Officer."

I finished the report, thanked Lockwood for his time, and walked out. The suspect was in the back of the cruiser, his wrapped arm resting on his lap.

I clapped Jeremy on the shoulder. "Good work today."

"The dog did most of it."

I smiled. "You did the rest."

"We've had a couple of these over the past few months," I said. "Same thing. Picked lock, place tossed, nothing taken. No suspect until now."

"You think this is the same guy?"

"Maybe. We'll see what comes back after booking."

We drove him to the detention center, filed the paperwork, and clocked out. In the parking lot, I tossed Jeremy my keys to hold while I fixed my hair in the side mirror.

"You want to grab a drink? There's a bar on my block. The crew will probably be there."

"Yeah," he said. "I could do that."

We pulled out of the lot and headed toward West Ashmont. Jeremy fiddled with the radio. I leaned my head back against the seat and let the day settle.

Doug would have taken one look at that Rottweiler, looked me dead in the eye, and told me I told you so.

The Lantern was loud when we walked in.