At the back of the space stretched a work area with a long counter where they prepared food and kept supplies. A small office sat to the side of that.
On first sweep, Caleb saw nothing unusual, nothing that might have upset the dogs.
Max stepped in beside him. “Didn’t see anything outside.”
Caleb nodded and began to walk down the center aisle, Max beside him.
The gates were all latched. All the dogs were accounted for. Water bowls upright. There were no obvious signs anything was wrong.
They slowed near the far end. One of the dogs, a pit bull mix named Tobey, had retreated to the back of his kennel, hackles raised, eyes fixed on the exterior door instead of on them.
Each run had a small door that led outside to a fenced-in area where the dogs could get some fresh air. At night, the doors were locked for safety reasons.
Caleb lifted a hand, signaling Max to stop.
He unlocked the kennel and stepped inside. “It’s okay, boy.”
He let Tobey sniff his hand. The dog accepted his gesture and relaxed, rubbing against Caleb.
Then Caleb walked toward the exterior wall.
Caleb crouched and checked the hardware of the door.
The gate itself was closed, but the door sat crooked in its frame. The latch hung loose, the metal bent just slightly—almost as if someone had tried unsuccessfully to force it open and then shoved it back into place.
Max leaned in beside him. “That wasn’t like that earlier.”
Caleb straightened slowly. This wasn’t damage from wear or cold temperatures.
Someone had tried to get into the kennel through that door.
His spine tightened at the thought.
He already had a list of people with reasons to resent the refuge.
Starting with the Hendersons. Their closest neighbors had made no effort to be friends. Richard and Sarah had bought this land from them. It had been a fair purchase—but the Hendersons claimed this property should still belong to their family, who’d owned it for generations.
However, the family had been behind on taxes, so the county had stepped in and auctioned it. Sarah had insisted toRichard that they give some of the property to the Hendersons, specifically the area where their small, rundown home was located.
But that goodwill gesture hadn’t been enough for the Hendersons. They’d villainized Sarah and Richard instead.
Then there were Richard’s friends. Richard had turned them against the King family by claiming that Caleb and his siblings had stolen land that rightfully belonged to him. But two weeks before Sarah had been killed, she’d secretly met with a lawyer.
She’d had paperwork drawn up, giving this place to her family. In one of his love bombing moments, Richard had actually placed the property in her name. She must have feared her husband would eventually kill her, so she’d been proactive.
Richard had no idea, and he’d been furious when he found out. But the paperwork had stood. A judge declared it legal and binding.
When Richard was arrested, that had sealed the deal. He’d given them a lot of grief in the months leading up to his trial. Even though Sarah had died just over three years ago, it took three and a half years for the trial to start. He’d been out on bail in the meantime.
Finally, as of six months ago, he’d been convicted and started his prison sentence.
However, even though Richard was locked up, he still had minions doing his dirty work for him. Mostly, his lackeys let the Kings know they were keeping an eye on them.
There had been no overt threats. Just glances. Showing up at strange times for strange reasons. Conversations that sounded casual but had undertones of malice.
The unspoken message was clear: We’re keeping an eye on you.
Caleb had a feeling Richard was planning something and waiting for the right moment to enact his plan to get this property back.
