Page 49 of Shelter for Martina

Bud smiled at the peaceful dog. She seemed happy to be there with them, and she was unbelievably well-behaved. They couldn’t have picked out a dog who was more perfect. He couldn’t wait for the kids and grandkids to meet her. Lucky would make a great addition to their family.

The rest of the day passed quietly. After dinner, Martina helped him clean up the little barn and feed the horses, and he turned the hose on to trickle into the trough. It would take a while to fill that way, and he’d have a chance to remember to turn it off.

They were almost ready for bed when he remembered it. “I’ve gotta go turn off the faucet in the barn,” he told Martina. “I’ll be right back.” Ever since the night the coyotes were there, he took his shotgun with him when he went out, in case there was something out there that needed killin’, and in the country, that could be a number of things. This time, Lucky went with him.

The trough was almost running over, so he shut off the hose and flipped it back over the fence, then gathered the little horses into their new enclosure. It was made with regular fencing, the kind with rectangular holes, with a row of barbed wire across the top. Getting inside there would be almost impossible for a coyote, so the little things were safe once he closed the gate. He threw a flake of hay down so they’d go right on in and latched the enclosure. As soon as the fastener closed with aclink, he heard Lucky growl. Turning, he looked down at the dog.

Her hackles were up, and she looked twice her actual size. Teeth bared, she stared, lips trembling in a snarl, and stared at the tree line, but he saw nothing. Bud closed his eyes to let them adjust to the near darkness, then looked again, but there was no movement and no sound. Coyotes? For some reason, he didn’t think so. Worse yet, he had the distinct impression he was being watched. Ducking inside the little barn, he stood in the shadows there and peered out a crack in the back wall. There was nothing there, at least as far as he could tell, and he was about to turn when he saw it.

A glint of metal.

Sourness spread in Bud’s gut. It wasn’t his imagination—someone was out there. Lucky was still growling, and he watched the dog as she lowered herself to the ground in preparation to attack, but nothing moved. She advanced to the outside back corner of the barn where he could no longer see her, but he could hear her loud and clear. Anyone that near could also hear her, he was sure. Of course, if they had a gun, she wouldn’t keep them from doing whatever it was they were going to do. He waited, motionless and watching, until he heard Martina yell, “Albert? You still out there?” Lucky rose up on all fours and started to bark in the same general direction as that in which she’d been growling. “Albert?”

In seconds, Lucky calmed, and Bud knew Martina’s appearance had caused whoever it was to leave. They knew he wasn’t there alone, and she was in the safety of the house. “Right here, babe. Come on, girl.” Patting his leg, he called the dog to him and, still watching over his shoulder, made his way back to the house.

“What was that about?” she asked as soon as he’d cleared the back door.

“Just spending some quality time with the horses.” Bud kissed her cheek as he walked past. He wasn’t going to tell her what he’d seen. It would only scare her.

His security system had several cameras, and when they’d been installed, Bud had put a piece of black electrical tape over the red lights on them, so no one could tell they were there. That was what he wanted, and he decided that the next morning before he left, he’d check to see if anyone had been outside and been picked up by them. It was dark enough that it was unlikely, but he’d check anyway. Someone had been out there. Lucky knew it. He knew it.

And he was pretty sure he knew who it was.

* * *

God,he hated that damn car! The CrownVictoria was the size of a small state, and when Martina sat down in the passenger seat, he felt like he’d have to boost his cell phone package to international just to call her from the driver’s seat. It’s only redeeming quality was the engine, and he was pretty sure the thing could do a hundred and fifty without breaking a sweat. Would it take a whole tank of gas to do it? Yeah, probably, but in the meantime, it would be a helluva ride.

He’d checked the security cameras, but he’d seen nothing. Whoever it was, they were hiding pretty well in the thicket of trees behind the house.

“Bye, sugar,” he told Martina when he dropped her off at work. She kissed him on the cheek and he grinned like a fool. Yeah, he was stone-cold in love with the woman, and he didn’t care who knew.

Before he went to the post, he drove to the MuhlenbergCounty Sheriff’s Department. He’d asked one of their deputies to bring Marty over so he could talk to the younger man. As soon as Burgess walked in, he lit up. “Hey, detective! Thanks for comin’ to see me. It’s kinda borin’ out there, ya know? You takin’ care of business so I can go back home?”

“We’re trying, Marty. I swear we are. Just thought I’d tell you that we got the guns returned to their owners and nobody’s going to press charges.”

“Oh, wow! Thank you! I appreciate that. I shouldn’t-a stole them in the first place, but at least y’all know I was tellin’ the truth about everthin’. Your idea worked. My daddy’s quit textin an’ callin’ me. You findin’ out anythin’ ‘bout them two?”

“Actually, it’s out of our hands now. KDCI has come to town and—”

“The big dogs?”

Bud nodded. “Yep.”

“Whoa! This is gettin’ real fo sho!”

He figured he’d throw something out and see what happened. “Were you aware that somebody shot out my front and back windshields and caused me to crash my cruiser?”

Marty’s eyes were huge. “Oh Jesus, Mary, an’ Joseph! You okay?”

“Yeah. Got a very, very mild concussion and I’m extremely pissed, but otherwise, yeah, I’m okay.”

“I could-a told you them guys would try somethin’ like that. They’s the kind that’d do that kinda shit. I’m just glad you’re okay. How bad’s your car?”

“Totalled.”

“Wow. So sorry! Yeah, at’s no good. You figure it was one-a them?”

“Yeah. We do. Any idea which?”

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