Page 12 of Colorado K-9 Rescue
To her surprise, she received a smile and it transformed everything about him.Stop it, she told herself again.He’s being nice because now he knows he needs you. Otherwise, he never would have called.
“Please, just call me Evan.”
“I’ll stick with Agent Knox.”
“Fine.”
“Good,” Mckenna said. “Mocha is ready to go be with Lily. Make sure you follow my lead.”
“Follow your lead?” Evan’s face changed back to his dark, serious look. “Just remember who the investigative agent is here.”
Mckenna locked eyes with him and said, “If anyone can help, it’s Mocha. Right now, your job is on hold.”
Evan muttered an agreement and opened the door to Lily’s room. Mocha edged his way in first. Mckenna allowed him to have a slightly longer leash and he went over by Lily and sat on his haunches, perking up his floppy ears and then letting them droop back down.
Lily stared out the window with no reaction.
Mckenna drew in a deep breath. She’d had a tough time talking about her experience, but this was worse than she thought.
I’ll have to let Mocha help her and see if she responds.
“Hello, Lily,” Mckenna said, softly, taking a seat near Mocha, who continued to watch the young woman. “I’m Mckenna Parker and I’m a victim services response team member. I’m here to help you. More importantly, this is Mocha. He’s a special dog that works for the FBI. If you’d like to pet him, you can. Mocha is great at comforting people in a time of need.”
No reaction.
Mocha stood and took a couple of steps closer. He gently laid his head on Lily’s arm, giving it a couple licks and then staying quiet.
“Are you okay with him doing that?” Mckenna asked. “If not, let me know. You don’t have to say anything. You could tap a finger or blink twice.”
No reaction.
“Okay, I’m going to let him sit with you for a little while. You don’t have to say anything to any of us until you’re ready.”
Mckenna heard Evan clear his throat like he was going to say something. She shook her head no. Evan opened his mouth to argue and Mckenna shot him a glare. “Stay quiet,” she mouthed at him.
She understood him better than he thought. Having a sister as an agent helped with that: Mckenna knew that Cassidy would want to run this investigation her way. Evan was even worse about it given his “outgoing” personality. His lips tightened and cheeks flushed a little red, but he didn’t speak. Mckenna needed him to back off right now. Give Lily space—something he didn’t seem to understand.
Lily’s parents stood in the corner, staring at their daughter. Mckenna motioned for them to sit down. She could feel the pressure in the room, and it was getting to her. She could only imagine how much it was affecting Lily.
Taking in the hospital room brought back memories for Mckenna.
I had been sedated at first because the panic was overwhelming. I remembered slicing myself open escaping through the window. I couldn’t even remember how many days I’d been missing, but I hated the sound of the hospital with the beeps and cords coming out of me. My parents and Cassidy had stared at me like I had been broken.
Like I was a science experiment.Mckenna rubbed her side where she could still feel the scars. She’d covered them up with a tattoo. She loved the design, but ultimately the scars were stillthere. They always would be. She noticed Evan watching her with curiosity and she dropped her hand back down.
They waited.
The clock ticked. Each second lasting longer and longer.
Mocha continued to leave his head on Lily’s arm, closing his eyes like he was going to enjoy a nap. He took a deep breath and Mckenna heard Lily do the same. Mocha responded by putting a big paw on her arm and leaving it there.
Her dog had more patience than any human.
Staring out the same window as Lily, Mckenna watched the treetops sway in the breeze. Sun glinted off the windows of city buildings. She didn’t know the city well, but at times it could be pretty too. Nothing like the mountains, though. The mountains were still her escape. Growing up on her parents’ ranch, Mckenna had learned to love open spaces, cloudless nights where the stars could be seen for miles and the high mountain peaks dotted with snow. That was her special place. Would she ever have anyone to share it with?
A slight noise came from Lily and Mckenna turned back to the young woman. Mocha still had his head and paw resting on her arm. Tears were streaming down Lily’s face. Mocha sensed the change and, paw by paw, climbed onto the bed with her. Mckenna was thinking about asking him to get off when sobs came from Lily, and she wrapped her arms around Mocha. Mocha licked her face.
“I killed her.”
