about it.
âWell, there were a couple of things. I was pretty sure there was somebody ahead of me on the road as I ran by Lancasterâs pasture. He was far enough away I never actually spotted him in the moonlight and he didnât have any lights on. By the time I got to the bridge over Catfish Creek, I thought he was gone. Or she. And I didnât see or hear those kids.
âThe other peculiar thing was that Hailey knocked me down just after we passed the bridge. Thatâs the only time sheâs ever done that on one of our runs. Then a motorcycle blasted out of the brush just ahead of us.â
âDamn,â Wynn exclaimed. âIâll bet the biker was the killer and Hailey saved you from getting hit by that arrow. That wolf is smart enough to be human.â
Smarter, in Mad Dogâs opinion. Certainly smarter than Wynn, who had just leaped to yet another in a string of ill-considered conclusions. Of course, leap often enough and sooner or later you might get one right. Mad Dog had thought he heard something whoosh by, but the pain of the road burn had erased that memory until now.
âYou saying I might have been the target?â Wynn and Parker turned and looked at him with fresh appraisal in their eyes, making it clear neither had considered the point until heâd been foolish enough to suggest it.
âIt
was
a Cheyenne arrow,â Parker said. âAside from those pretend Indians in that pasture, how many Cheyenne live in this county?â
She had a point. Mad Dog knew there were people he annoyed, what with his vociferous opinions on local and national issues. International too, since heâd been ranting against Americaâs new foreign policy adventure, the conquest of Iraq. But no one was angry enough to want to attack him. At least he didnât think so. Still, it made him wonderâand it reminded him Hailey was out back in the Mini. If somebody wanted to hurt him, they might be willing to do it through her.
âBe right back.â He startled the deputies by sprinting down the hall to the back door.
The Cooper sat there with its windows open, empty. âHailey,â he shouted. A mockingbird made indecent suggestions from a nearby elm. A gentle breeze rippled through its leaves and ruffled flowerbeds in the back yards behind the courthouse. Hailey didnât respond. Mad Dog stepped back into the hall as the pair of deputies arrived behind him, Wynn with his pistol drawn, apparently worried that Mad Dog was attempting to escape.
âI was just looking for Hailey,â Mad Dog explained. Something thumped against the door as he closed it. âMaybe thatâs her now.â He opened the door again but the lot behind the courthouse remained empty of wolves or people. There was another thump, however, as he again pulled it closed.
Deputy Parker pushed by him. âLet me look,â she told him, hand on her own sidearm. When she got like that, Mad Dog knew there was no point in arguing.
She inched the door open and peered around its edge. Mad Dog watched her check out the parking lot, then scan the environment beyond. When she was satisfied, she slipped her head out and took a look at the outside face of the door. She pulled her head back and looked at him with wide eyes and a puzzled expression. Mad Dog brushed past, and checked out the back of the door for himself, before she grabbed his belt and yanked him back in.
There were two arrows embedded in the doorâs hardwood surface. Cheyenne arrows. Apparently, Mad Dog decided, he was the target.
***
What Judy had in mind was sort of a Meg Ryan look. Like sheâd seen in that movie on the dish the other night, the one where Meg went off to Paris chasing her old flame and fell in love for real. Judy wanted to take her old flame to Paris and fall in love with him all over again. And look young and cute and perky in the process.
Instead, she looked like an extreme version of the girl who
âWell, there were a couple of things. I was pretty sure there was somebody ahead of me on the road as I ran by Lancasterâs pasture. He was far enough away I never actually spotted him in the moonlight and he didnât have any lights on. By the time I got to the bridge over Catfish Creek, I thought he was gone. Or she. And I didnât see or hear those kids.
âThe other peculiar thing was that Hailey knocked me down just after we passed the bridge. Thatâs the only time sheâs ever done that on one of our runs. Then a motorcycle blasted out of the brush just ahead of us.â
âDamn,â Wynn exclaimed. âIâll bet the biker was the killer and Hailey saved you from getting hit by that arrow. That wolf is smart enough to be human.â
Smarter, in Mad Dogâs opinion. Certainly smarter than Wynn, who had just leaped to yet another in a string of ill-considered conclusions. Of course, leap often enough and sooner or later you might get one right. Mad Dog had thought he heard something whoosh by, but the pain of the road burn had erased that memory until now.
âYou saying I might have been the target?â Wynn and Parker turned and looked at him with fresh appraisal in their eyes, making it clear neither had considered the point until heâd been foolish enough to suggest it.
âIt
was
a Cheyenne arrow,â Parker said. âAside from those pretend Indians in that pasture, how many Cheyenne live in this county?â
She had a point. Mad Dog knew there were people he annoyed, what with his vociferous opinions on local and national issues. International too, since heâd been ranting against Americaâs new foreign policy adventure, the conquest of Iraq. But no one was angry enough to want to attack him. At least he didnât think so. Still, it made him wonderâand it reminded him Hailey was out back in the Mini. If somebody wanted to hurt him, they might be willing to do it through her.
âBe right back.â He startled the deputies by sprinting down the hall to the back door.
The Cooper sat there with its windows open, empty. âHailey,â he shouted. A mockingbird made indecent suggestions from a nearby elm. A gentle breeze rippled through its leaves and ruffled flowerbeds in the back yards behind the courthouse. Hailey didnât respond. Mad Dog stepped back into the hall as the pair of deputies arrived behind him, Wynn with his pistol drawn, apparently worried that Mad Dog was attempting to escape.
âI was just looking for Hailey,â Mad Dog explained. Something thumped against the door as he closed it. âMaybe thatâs her now.â He opened the door again but the lot behind the courthouse remained empty of wolves or people. There was another thump, however, as he again pulled it closed.
Deputy Parker pushed by him. âLet me look,â she told him, hand on her own sidearm. When she got like that, Mad Dog knew there was no point in arguing.
She inched the door open and peered around its edge. Mad Dog watched her check out the parking lot, then scan the environment beyond. When she was satisfied, she slipped her head out and took a look at the outside face of the door. She pulled her head back and looked at him with wide eyes and a puzzled expression. Mad Dog brushed past, and checked out the back of the door for himself, before she grabbed his belt and yanked him back in.
There were two arrows embedded in the doorâs hardwood surface. Cheyenne arrows. Apparently, Mad Dog decided, he was the target.
***
What Judy had in mind was sort of a Meg Ryan look. Like sheâd seen in that movie on the dish the other night, the one where Meg went off to Paris chasing her old flame and fell in love for real. Judy wanted to take her old flame to Paris and fall in love with him all over again. And look young and cute and perky in the process.
Instead, she looked like an extreme version of the girl who
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