Page 8 of Wandering Souls

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Ray pulled the paperfrom the printer and skimmed over the text, again shaking his head at the audacious crime syndicate they’d uncovered. He thought he’d escaped the problems that plagued new housing estates in Melbourne when he’d moved here, almost seven hours away. Apparently not. Thefts from new home builds were rife here in the Crossing, or rather, had been. Now that he had arrested the individuals behind the scheme, he hoped the new homes could be finished without losing their ovens, dishwashers and kitchen sinks. He tucked the report into the manila folder file and leaned back in his chair.

He glanced at his watch, the anxiety following the morning’s event at puppy school still whirring in his gut. No word yet on Bruce. Not even a report of a dog on the loose. He decided to call the local ranger to see if he’d picked up a stray when Nancy Brown appeared in his doorway.

As was her custom, she knocked on the doorjamb and gifted him with a smile. He wanted to smile back at the old woman who’d grown on him since he arrived. Instead, he raised an eyebrow in question.

She frowned. “You look worried.”

He waved off her concern, preferring to keep Bruce’s disappearing act to himself. He tapped the manila folder instead. “I thought this would be a cushy job.”

She looked at him over her glasses and down her nose. “What, on God’s green earth, convinced you of that?”

The no-nonsense tone of her voice lightened his mood. “This is a country town,” he parried, knowing he only gave her ammunition to chastise the city-slicker. Though she seemed more like his grandmother than a police station’s receptionist, he knew Nancy to be fiercely loyal to the Crossing and she wasn’t shy to let it be known.

Her eyes narrowed. “You won’t want the boss hearing you say things like that. He might send you back to the big smoke.”

“Not a chance,” Ray countered, smiling. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried, lady.”

That broke her. She burst into a grin and chuckled. “There’s someone out here to see you.”

“It’s almost lunch. Can’t it wait?”

Turning away, she was halfway back to reception by the time she called out, “Get your skates on, Detective.”

With a sigh, he pushed up to his feet and prayed his visitor brought him a new case to work on. He left his office and headed down the passage, noting the empty office of the station’s senior sergeant on his way. When he stepped out into reception, a familiar bark caught his attention.

“Bruce?”

The Shepherd wagged his tail as Ray pushed through the swing door at the end of the reception counter. Big blue eyes gazed up at him, expectant, and not in the least apologetic for running off. Ray knelt in front of the dog and took the animal’s face in his hands.

“Mate, where have you been?”

Woof.

Ray rolled his eyes. “Is that all you have to say for yourself? You had me worried, buddy.”

A woman’s laughter caught Ray’s ear, causing him to notice the pair of sneakers beside Bruce. His gaze followed the attached legs upward, noting the shapely limbs until he eventually laid eyes on the woman who sat beside the dog.

The face of an angel stared back at him, her blue-gray eyes mirroring the smile on her lips. Long blond hair trailed over her shoulders, the tresses curling at the ends. But those eyes...

So familiar.

He’d seen them before, but where?

“Hi.” He swallowed and then remembered his manners all at once. He held out a hand, noticing she held the end of Bruce’s leash. “Ray Wells.”

She slipped a hand in his, her grip firmer than he expected as she gave it two strong pumps. “Morning. I found your dog.”

He glanced at Bruce. “So, I see. Where did you find my little rascal?”

Her hand left his to settle on the top of Bruce’s head, quite protectively, he decided. “Down by the river. I was out for a morning hike when I came across him under a bush. Seemed his lead got tangled and trapped him.”

“Hmm.” Ray got to his feet. “Unfortunately, we had a little bit of a misunderstanding this morning, didn’t we, Bruce?” The dog hung his head. “We didn’t do so well at puppy school today.”

A tight smile curved her mouth. “He had some prickles in his coat. I think I got them all out. Other than that, he doesn’t seem to have been injured, though you might want a vet to check him over.”

“Well, I’ll consider myself lucky. Thank you for bringing him to me.”

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