Page 21 of So Savage

She started the questioning.“Mr.Davidson, we’re investigating the murders of Master Sergeant Thomas Reeves and Staff Sergeant Kevin Walsh.Both of them were found dead with their K9s sedated nearby.”

Eric’s eyes widened.“Oh.Wow.Well, I wish I could say it was me, but as you can see, my murdering days are over.Uncle Sam should thank me for the murdering I did for him back when I was healthy, though.I was pretty good at killing people.”He laughed again, and Faith and Marcus shared another uncomfortable look.

“We don’t suspect you of being the killer,” Faith replied, “but we’re hoping you might be able to help us figure out who the killer is.”

Eric smiled a macabre death's head grin that made him look like a character in a horror movie."What's worse in your mind, Special Agent: a general who sacrifices his men when he makes a stupid decision or the sergeant who sends those men to their deaths knowing it's a stupid decision?"

“What’s worse is a murderer who kills innocent people,” Faith replied.“If you know anything about the case, you need to tell us now.”

“Or what?”Eric challenged.“You’ll arrest me?”He laughed again.“I’m just teasing you.I’ll help.Like I said, I’ve got nothing better to do.”

“So you know who’s responsible?”Faith asked.

“Before I answer that,” Eric replied, “Let me tell you why those two deserved to die.”

Faith frowned.“That’s not what we’re here for, Mr.Davidson.”

“Tough shit.I’m dying of cancer before my thirty-fifth birthday, so you will stand there and listen to my story.”

Faith pressed her lips together, but Eric wasn’t wrong.There really wasn’t much they could do to him at this point.They were at his mercy.

“Marcus Reeves and Kevin Walsh didn’t give a rat’s ass about us handlers,” Eric said.“They don’t care about all of the work we put into those dogs.They don’t care how much we bond with those dogs.They don’t care that when it’s all said and done, those dogs are as much ours as the Army’s.Now, lest you think I’m just whining for the hell of it, let me tell you why the Armyshouldconsider that.”

His eyelids started to droop, but just when Faith thought he had fallen asleep, his eyes flew open again.He took a shuddering breath and explained.“We know our dogs intimately.Those are our animals.We know them like we know our own selves.If we think that they can do something, they can do it.If we think they can’t, they can’t.If the Army wants them to do something, and we tell the Army that we need certain things to be in place to do it, it’s not because we’re cowards or selfish or stupid.It’s because we know that if the Army is going to maximize the potential of this tool, they need to protect and maintain that tool’s capability through rigorous training programs for dogs and handlers,andfrequent reevaluations of the curriculum to update it as new information is made available.”

He coughed a little.“Marcus Reeves and Kevin Walsh didn’t push to update the curriculum.In fact, they tacitly defended the outdated curriculum that got Rex, two other dogs and seven soldiers killed.Rather than force the Army to seek accountability, they gave the Army a pardon.That just isn’t acceptable.”

He broke into a coughing fit, and Faith looked down at Turk.She tried to imagine losing him in battle and couldn’t make her mind picture that.What would she do if shedidlose him?

She remembered the time she almost did lose him and the hate she had for the person responsible.It wasn’t hard to imagine someone committing murder over that.Not hard at all.

“The person you’re looking for,” Eric said, “Is Daniel Ross.He used to run a civilian training center for dogs, but it was shut down when in their great hypocrisy, Marcus Reeves and Kevin Walsh both reported him for his ‘violent’ methods.”

Faith's eyes widened."Really?When did this happen?Eric?"

A raspy snore told her that Eric had fallen asleep.She looked at Marcus, who shrugged.Faith decided that they had gotten as much as they needed.Eric was barely clinging to his last thread of life.They could let him die in peace.

And with any luck, they could stop this killer before anyone else died with violence.

CHAPTER TEN

“Go, Bruce!”

Bruce launched toward the target, and Technical Sergeant Maria Delgado admired as she always did the speed with which the big dog ran.He was nearly as heavy as she was, but she’d seen him top thirty miles an hour when he ran.

It wasn’t just his speed that made him impressive, though.He moved with such grace, his muscles rippling beautifully beneath his short coat.At four years old, Bruce was in the prime of his life, and there was something truly incredible about watching an animal achieve peak performance.

And she was responsible for that.Her careful attention to Bruce’s diet, exercise, and training had allowed him to achieve the pinnacle of canine capability.He had won four different K9 competitions in the Air Force and one joint competition, much to the delight of Colonel Braxton, who very much enjoyed lording that victory over the other branches’ representatives.

But as far as Maria was concerned, the best part of the job was the bond the two of them shared.She used to make fun of people who called their pets fur-babies, but she very much understood that feeling now.She would give her life for Bruce in a heartbeat.

A gust of wind chilled her and brought her thoughts back to the present.She shivered and looked ahead to where Bruce should be returning.

Except he wasn’t returning.She frowned.“Bruce?Bruce, come.”

No answer.A chill ran through her.She started jogging forward, pulling her flashlight from her pocket and switching it on.As she brought the flashlight to her chest, something smacked it hard, knocking it from her hand.

She cried out and dropped to the ground, an instinct retained from basic training.When she hit the ground, she saw a little red puffball in front of her that looked like a miniature cheerleader’s pompom.She followed the pompom to the ground, and her eyes widened.The pompom was connected to a dart that was now nearly buried in the snow.

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