Page 71 of K-9 in Pursuit

“I told them what happened,” she said.

“I did, too, and I’m sure our stories matched up.”

“Daisy!” She clutched his arm. “Did you find her? They told me they took her to the police station.”

“She’s fine. I took her home, and I promised her a cheeseburger. If she hadn’t distracted Theresa, we might have all been in that alley a lot longer.”

Chloe sat back, sadness returning. “Theresa killed Sharee. She told me such a wild story.”

“Shhh. You can fill me in on the details later.” He moved to sit on the side of the bed. “They told me she choked you unconscious. When they brought you out to the ambulance you weren’t moving and I was so afraid…” His voice broke.

“I’m okay. Tell me what happened in the alley.”

“I got your phone call and knew you were in trouble, but it took me a few minutes to find you,” he said. “When I got there, you were on the ground, not moving, with a scarf around your neck, and Theresa was standing over you with a knife. She threatened me, and then Daisy began barking. Theresa told me to shut her up, but I couldn’t get Daisy to quiet down. Then Daisy went after Theresa, who tried to slash her with the knife. I saw red and jumped her.” He shook his head. “I still can’t believe Daisy went after her. Being gentle isn’t just her nature, it’s been drilled into her with her training.”

“Someone threatened the person she loves most.” Chloe squeezed his hand. “Love can make all of us do things that seem impossible.”

“Theresa Douglas had a twisted view of love,” Brian said, “if she thought killing Sharee would save her marriage.”

“She did. And now she’s lost him and her children. She’ll probably spend a long time in prison.”

“I don’t care about her, as long as you’re safe,” he said. He reached out to touch her throat. “Does it hurt much?”

“A little.” A lot.

He kissed her throat, a silken, soothing caress of his lips. She smiled in spite of the pain. “You’re sure they’re not going to arrest you?” she whispered.

“They’re not.” He straightened. “Try to get some rest.”

She fell asleep with his hand in hers. When she awoke, he was still there, along with a man and woman she didn’t recognize.

“CHLOE, THIS IS my mom and dad.” Brian introduced his folks as soon as he realized Chloe had awakened. She still looked pale, with bruising around her throat, but she was still beautiful. Strong and brave.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chloe,” his father said. He had Brian’s blond hair and boyish face, though he stood several inches shorter and wore wire-rimmed glasses. “Though we wish it was under better circumstances.”

“How are you feeling?” his mother asked. She had short curly brown hair, silver streaks catching the light.

“Better.” Chloe cleared her throat. “Thank you.” She tried to sit up. Brian moved to operate the controls to raise the bed.

“Brian has told us what happened,” his dad said. “You’ve been through a lot.”

“How did you get here so quickly?” Chloe glanced at Brian. “It’s only been a day. Or did I sleep longer than I thought?”

“It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours,” Brian said. “Mom and Dad were already on their way here.”

“As soon as Brian told us he was a murder suspect we had to come here to do what we could,” his mother said. “It’s terrible what happened, but it sounds like he doesn’t have to worry about the sheriff pressing charges now.”

“They arrested Theresa Douglas for Sharee’s murder,” Brian said. “And for attempting to murder you, the break-in of your apartment and probably some other things.”

“Everything happened so fast I’m still trying to absorb it all,” Chloe said.

“Me, too.” Brian had lived with the threat of arrest hanging over him for so long he had a hard time believing the ordeal had ended. Yet in other ways, that horror seemed part of an awful dream.

A commotion at the door made them look over. Connor, Stacy, and a woman he didn’t recognize came in. “We heard what happened,” Connor said. “We came to make sure you’re all right.”

“Doing better now,” Brian said. He shook Connor’s hand and accepted a hug from Stacy.

“I’m Nadia, one of the stylists at Chloe’s salon.” The tall woman offered a hand with bright pink nails. “Hello, Brian. I’ve been wanting to meet you.” Her eyes sparkled with mirth.