Page 16 of Saving Meadow

“I’ve been thinking about the security feeds.” I started, but Mike interrupted me.

“Hold that thought. Meadow’s here.”

I looked out the conference room window, and there she was. Goddamn, she was beautiful. She looked too small standing next to Mandy. And it had nothing to do with her height. Mandy stood tall and confident, while Meadow folded into herself, trying to disappear. That wouldn’t do! There was no reason for a woman so stunning and sweet to be hiding the way Meadow was.

“Close the blinds,” Joel said, as he stacked the police reports scattered about the table.

Mike closed the blinds, and I turned the whiteboards around so the images of the dead girls faced the wall. Mandy would be bringing Meadow in here, and the last thing she needed to see before being hypnotized was a bunch of women with their faces mutilated and mangled.

Sally continued to sit as the women entered the room, her ears had perked up and her body was vibrating with excitement but she hadn’t otherwise moved.

“Meadow, you remember the guys, right?” Mandy asked.

“Oh my gosh. She’s beautiful. I love shepherds,” Meadow said, ignoring Mandy’s question. I mentally high fived myself and glanced over at Mike just in time to see him roll his eyes. “May I pet her?”

“Sure. Sally, up.” Sally stood, and the butt wagging was so intense her tail was making a swooshing sound. “Gentle.” I gave Sally the all clear, and she took off, her nails scraping the laminate floor as she skidded to a stop in front of Meadow and sat.

“Sally?” Meadow asked, and Sally looked up at her, tongue lolling out and all but drooling. I hoped to God she didn’t jump on Meadow and lick her face. That had been the first habit we broke, but as well trained as she was, she was a puppy. And she was excited to meet a new friend. “Her name is Sally?”

“Yeah.” I wasn’t sure where she was going with the question. But suddenly I felt self-conscious about the dog having a human name. “I didn’t name her, Alexandra did.” I felt the need to explain, but when Meadow’s face fell, I regretted trying.

“Well, if you ladies are ready, we’ll get out of your way.” Mike grabbed the folders off the table and headed for the door, Joel right behind him.

I still hadn’t moved. I was overly concerned with Meadow and her interest in Sally’s name.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing. Umm… why?” She was lying.

“Mandy, can you give us a minute?” I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to understand why Meadow’s expression had changed, and why she suddenly seemed… sad, but I did, and I was going to find out.

Mandy left the room and clicked the door closed behind her. Meadow continued to rub Sally’s ears and refused to look at me.

“What just happened?” I asked again.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you walked in here smiling, and now you look like someone told you Santa wasn’t real.”

“You and your wife have a beautiful dog. I’ve always wanted a shepherd.”

“My wife?”

What the hell was she talking about?

“Oh, I’m sorry. Your girlfriend.”

“My girlfriend?”

The light was beginning to dawn.

“Alexandra?”

There it was. She thought I had a woman. So, I hadn’t imagined the attraction. I smiled at the realization and thought back to when she turned from looking toward me with something that looked a lot like longing to icy. It was after I said I was going to check on Sally. The girl was confused.

“Alexandra owns an organization called Homefront. They match vets with dogs. I volunteer there, fostering dogs until their permanent home is ready and the dog is trained to meet their needs. Sally belongs to a vet named Gabe,” I explained.

“Oh. Ummm. I thought…” she trailed off, not finishing her thought.