Page 33 of So Wicked

Turk barked enthusiastically and wagged his tail. Faith gave him a quick scratch behind the ears, then led him and Slade out of the house.

They hadn’t moved fast enough to save Dr. Chen, but if all went well today, they could at least deliver justice for the three victims.

***

The Marion County Animal Shelter was located south of the city. That meant a long, slow ride through downtown traffic. Slade led them on a roundabout path to avoid the worst of the traffic, leveraging his lifetime of experience driving through the city to determine the quickest route to the shelter, but it was still taking forever.

Faith did breathing exercises to keep herself calm, but she couldn’t stifle her irrational fear that Dr. Foster would somehow discover that the police were after her, and run before they could reach her. Turk picked up on her anxiety and laid his head on the center console of Slade’s cruiser so Faith could stroke his fur while they drove.

Slade picked up on her anxiety, too. "You want to call the shelter and let them know that we need to come in to talk to Dr. Foster?"

Faith thought a moment, then shook her head. “No. I don’t know what her relationship is with the others there, but I don’twant to risk someone telling her that we’re on our way so she can run.”

“Good point. Well, we’re ten minutes out, so why don’t you call anyway just to make sure she’s still there? Tell them your K9 needs an emergency exam, and they’re the closest place with a doctor on staff.”

“Not a bad idea,” Faith said. She dialed the shelter, and when the receptionist answered, she adopted a concerned tone. “Hello, this is, uh, Officer Bold with the Indianapolis Police Department. Listen, I have an emergency. My K9 cut his neck on some barbed wire. He’s bleeding badly, and his breathing is starting to get labored.”

“Oh my God. Umm… do you need directions to the hospital?”

"I'm only a few minutes from you guys. I know that you guys have a vet who visits on Thursdays because my cousin got a dog from you. Is she there if we come in really quickly? I just don't have the tools to stop the bleeding."

“Oh, um… Yeah, I’ll let Dr. Foster know you’re on your way in.”

Faith pumped her fist. “Okay. Thank you.”

She hung up, and Slade said, “Damn. You laid that on really thick.”

“Hey, this was your idea.”

“I was thinking a limp or something, not bleeding out. Damn.”

“Well, it worked. Unless you want to chase another suspect through the forest.”

“I mean, the shelter’s in the city, so…”

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Next time, you can call the shelter."

“All right, don’t get all pissy with me.”

She gave him a sideways glance. “You related to a man named Michael Prince by any chance?”

“We’ve been through this. Unrelated but an admirer. He sounds handsome and intelligent.”

She chuckled. “Come to think of it, we have been through this. He’s also very annoying.”

“You have to be nice to me. I gave us this lead.”

“All right, fair enough,” she allowed. “But if it doesn’t pan out, I’m going back to being mean.”

“Works for me.”

They reached the shelter a few minutes later. Turk’s tail wagged in anticipation of the hunt. Faith patted his shoulder. “Probably no chase this time, boy.” At least, she very much hoped so.

The shelter was beautiful from the outside. The paint looked fresh, and the building and lot looked clean. The landscaping was well-manicured, and the sign showed a beautiful Dalmatian puppy looking with big brown eyes at a smiling woman in veterinary scrubs. Text below the sign proudly announced “Healthy, Happy and looking for a home!”

Inside, the building was just as well-maintained. The receptionist sat behind an oak-paneled desk, and the floor was nicely tiled. Not quite stone but far better than the paper laminate found in most businesses of this sort. Faith almost wished she could be here for a purpose other than arresting a suspected killer.

The receptionist’s eyes widened when she saw them walk in. “Oh, you’re the police officer with the K9.” She frowned. “But he looks fine. And you’re wearing an FBI uniform.”

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