There was silence and then Laura said, “I want my lawyer.”
“I can help you with that, but you need to let Bianca go,” Agent Kessler said.
“No,” Laura answered.
Juniper glanced at Maya, and Maya swore she had a doggy grin on her face. Maya knew that unlike the humans in the room, Juniper was hoping the person in the bathroom wouldn’t comply. Rory came back into the building and handed Maya Juniper’s muzzle. Maya placed it on her dog, praying that everything would go as planned and no one would get injured…or worse.
“This is your last chance,” Agent Kessler said.
“Go to hell,” Laura answered.
“Okay.” Kessler stood back.
Josh had found the keys to the buildings when he and Eric were in the dorms and given them to Maya. Knowing that the bathroom was the one spot in this building where someone could barricade themselves, she had made sure she knew which key went to which door. Maya handed the keys to Agent Kessler. She and Juniper went to one side while Kessler slid the key in and started to slowly turn it.
Maya locked eyes with him and gave a little nod. Kessler turned the handle as Juniper flew into the bathroom. Maya and Kessler rushed behind Juniper. The Mal shot forward with incredible speed in a short amount of space and built up momentum to hit Laura and Bianca. The strike had perfect timing and the two split apart, each falling to the side and onto the floor. Juniper spied the gun, and even though she couldn’t apprehend, she kept slamming into Laura until the gun was dropped. Maya took the opportunity to grab Laura’s arm, twist it back, and put her in a lock. Laura started screaming, but Juniper stayed by Maya and continued to bark and growl. Maya was able to get handcuffs on her.
Rory was there to assist too. They stood Laura up and walked her out of the bathroom. Kessler was helping Bianca. Josh stepped forward reaching for his sister and pulling her into an embrace.
Maya breathed a sigh of relief. Bianca was safe. So was Juniper.
“That muzzle strike worked perfectly,” Agent Kessler said with a smile. “You mind patting her down for weapons since you’re a female officer?”
“I don’t mind at all,” Maya said. She took off the muzzle and put Juniper on a stay. Maya asked her to guard as well. If Laura tried anything, Juniper would happily come in and help again.
After frisking Laura, Maya didn’t find anything and stood back. Agent Kessler grabbed Laura by her arm and marched her to his vehicle.
“It’s going to be another long night,” Maya said to Josh, who still had his arm around Bianca as the protective brother. Juniper stood by him, wagging her tail and giving Josh kisses on his hand.
Bianca stepped forward and hugged Maya. “Thank you for saving me.”
Maya didn’t know what to say. Words left her, but she was able to get out, “You’re welcome.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Josh said. “I’m ready to go home and I’m sure Bianca is too.”
Juniper gave a quick bark and Maya smiled. “We both want you home. Let me get Juniper back to her compartment and then we can start sorting through this mess. Bianca, I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to talk to someone and write up a statement. I know that’s probably not something you want to do.”
“I can do it,” Bianca said, with a slight shiver showing that she was doing her best to be brave but was shaken.
“Rory will help you to her patrol vehicle and get you to the station,” Josh said. “I’ll check on you soon.”
Bianca gave a small smile and went out the door with Rory.
Deputy Wilson was still administering medical aid to Tony. Maya and Josh went over to help him.
“I haven’t had a pulse since I started CPR,” he said.
Maya leaned over and gently touched Deputy Wilson’s arm. “He’s gone. No pulse, and look at his eyes. No breathing, plus the amount of blood is too much. It’s okay, you can stop.”
“Okay,” the young deputy said, conflicted feelings showing on his face as he stood.
Maya stared at Tony and then turned away, understanding what Deputy Wilson was experiencing. Death. It was a funny thing. Somehow at the end of the day, no matter how or why, she knew that death would find them all. Once that had scared her, but the longer she worked in this job and after serving in Afghanistan, she was beginning to realize how out of their hands it was.
“Come on,” Josh said as if he’d read her mind. “Let’s get out of here. We need to clear it for Miranda and the other techs anyway. Plus, I’m still technically under arrest and need to get cleared.”
They stepped outside, where the snow was falling softly as the wind had died down. The beauty of the mountains versus what had happened. Another part of life Maya would always think about. How could there be so much beauty along with so much tragedy?
Arriving at Maya’s vehicle, she opened Juniper’s compartment and the Mal jumped in with no hesitation. Maya took off the muzzle, grabbed her blanket, and put it in the compartment for Juniper. Giving a contented sigh, Juniper turned a few circles and then curled up on the blanket.
