Page 9 of Wandering Souls

With a nod, she leaned down to Bruce to press a kiss to his forehead. To his credit, the pooch accepted the gesture with poise. He touched his wet nose to her cheek, his eyes watching her every move. Ray, too, observed her closely. He didn’t recognize her, had never seen her and was about to ask her name when she stood and held the end of Bruce’s lead toward him. Wary eyes appraised him.

“I did try to call you, but it went to voicemail.”

She sounded miffed that he hadn’t answered. “Sorry. Depending on when you called, I may have been in the middle of an arrest.”

Her pupils flared. “Oh.” She bit her bottom lip, seemingly embarrassed. “Well, take care of him, Detective. He’s a great dog.”

Before he could get a word out, she turned and limped out of the police station. Stunned, he could only watch her uneven gait as she hobbled down the path toward a white Jeep Wrangler parked at the curb. Beside him, Bruce whimpered, and when Ray looked down, he found the dog watching after her intently.

Movement beside him snapped him out of his spell. Nancy took the lead out of his hand. Her wide eyes expected something of him and when he didn’t deliver, she huffed and inclined her head toward the doors.

“Go after her.”

He blinked. Outside, the woman climbed into the Jeep.

“Lordy,” Nancy cursed. “At least find out who she is. You’re not the only one who’s curious.”

She gave him a gentle push but by the time he stumbled out of the station, there was no sign of the Wrangler. He hadn’t even gotten a number plate to ID her by. He stopped on the footpath, the fresh morning air smacking him between the eyes and mocking him for his ineptitude. A beautiful stranger rescued his dog and all he did was say thanks.

Turning, he spied Nancy through the glass doors, shaking her head at him as he walked back. She said something to Bruce and the cheeky grin on her face left him in no doubt she thought him a complete chump.

The sliding doors opened for him and he held up a hand to stay her witty retort. “Not a word, Nance.” He took the lead from her hand. “I think Bruce and I need a walk. Message me if something comes up.”

He left the station and headed to the bakery; certain a strong coffee would help him get his head straight. It had felt like the longest morning in history and the dark gray clouds gathering overhead threatened to drench him. He hurried, Bruce picking up to a trot beside him as they crossed the road. All the while, wary blue-gray eyes haunted him. The sense of distrust he picked up in her seemed out of place.

Okay, so he’d managed to lose his dog during an obedience lesson... it didn’t warrant judgment. She had no idea how difficult Bruce had been when it came to following instructions.

At the veranda outside the bakery, Ray came to a stop and looped Bruce’s lead over one of the hooks provided for pets. He stood over the pup.

“Sit.”

Bruce plopped his butt on the ground.

“Stay.”

The dog stared up at him with apologetic eyes. Unable to stay mad for long, Ray smiled and scratched Bruce’s ears. He was rewarded with a tail wag and promised the dog he wouldn’t be long. Inside the warm bakery, he ordered a strong coffee and a ham and cheese toastie. With Bruce’s disappearance, Ray’s stomach had been in knots all morning, preventing him from even contemplating breakfast.

“I see you have Bruce back.” The familiar voice of Senior Sergeant Neville Wilson boomed behind him. Ray turned and smiled. “That must be a relief.”

He gave a nod. “Absolutely.”

Neville ordered a coffee. “We’ll wait outside,” he said to the young girl behind the counter. “I take it someone found him?”

Together, they left the warmth of the shop and took a seat on the outdoor furniture near Bruce. Neville patted the dog, who lapped up the attention. Ray sat opposite, zipping his coat up to his chin to keep the temperature out. In theory, it might be spring, but the reality in this part of the world was that winter sometimes lingered long enough to greet the summer heatwaves.

“Just dropped him off at the station.”

“How far did he get?”

“I don’t know. She said she found him by the river.”

Neville laughed. “Which one?”

Good question.Ray shrugged, realizing how light he was on details.

“And she was?”

Again, he shrugged. “I don’t know that, either. She practically ran out of the station once she brought him back.” Although he distinctly remembered her limping. “Like she couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”

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