Turk didn’t answer her, but a cry of shock and fear from over the hill ahead did.Turk bolted toward the sound, and Faith sprinted after him, drawing her handgun and pulling back the slide.“Call nine-one-one!”she called to David over her shoulder.
Turk bounded over the path, and Faith tensed further.She didn’t like when she couldn’t see Turk.Ninety-nine times out of a hundred he could handle himself effortlessly when set upon by evildoers, but she’d been there for the few times he was outmatched, and while he might not always look it, hewasan older dog.
“Turk!Wait!”
She crested the hill and saw Turk standing next to a woman who lay unconscious on the side of the path.A small Yorkshire terrier yapped crazily next to her head, hopping completely off the ground with each cry of alarm.
Faith quickly scanned the area and saw no one suspicious nearby.A couple stood about five yards away, staring uncertainly at the body.Their golden retriever stood protectively in front of them.The woman clung tightly to her boyfriend’s waist.Faith assumed she was the one who had cried out in alarm.
She holstered her weapon and jogged to the woman.She looked to be in her early sixties, in good shape for that age.She was Caucasian, five-five, and one hundred ten pounds or thereabouts.
Faith logged all of that information instantly, her law enforcement training kicking into gear even though she was rapidly discerning that this wasn’t a crime scene but a medical emergency.She knelt next to the body and pressed her fingers to the woman’s neck.She had a strong pulse, thank God.
The terrier yelped in alarm and snapped at Faith when she reached for her owner’s neck, but Turk nuzzled her, and she calmed down a little.She still trembled and looked at her owner in terror.Poor thing.
“Mama’s gonna be all right, sweetie,” Faith said soothingly.
“Is she dead?”the nearby woman asked.
“No,” Faith said.“She passed out, though.”
“Why?”the male half of the couple asked.
His light tenor voice trembled, and he looked as ashen as the bloodroot flower.Maybehewas the one who had screamed.
“I don’t know,” Faith said, “but emergency services are on their way.”
More voices gasped and exclaimed softly as other parkgoers approached the scene.The woman stirred and moaned.Her eyes blinked open, and she muttered, “Damn.I must have passed out.”
She tried to push herself up, and Faith said, “Try not to move.Emergency services are on their way.”
“It’s all right,” she mumbled.“Can you just hand me a candy bar?I should have one in my purse.”
Ah.Faith understood now.This woman was diabetic.She reached into the woman’s bag and pulled out a chocolate bar, which she unwrapped and handed to the woman.
David jogged over a moment later.“Faith?The ambulance is on the way.Is everything all right?”
“I think so,” Faith said.“Her blood sugar dropped, and she passed out.”
“I’m fine, really,” the woman said.She looked around sheepishly at the small crowd of people and dogs gathered around her.“Sorry to cause trouble.”
“No trouble at all,” David replied, offering her his heartthrob smile.“And I still want the paramedics to take a look at you.You hit your head pretty hard.They need to make sure you didn’t suffer any serious injuries.”
The woman didn’t seem happy with that, but no one could argue with that smile.She nodded and sighed.“This is so embarrassing.”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed.We’re all just glad you’re all right.”
Turk lifted his head and stood at alert again, just as he had when he first smelled trouble.The fallen woman, rapidly recovering now that she was eating sugar, looked at him in wonder.“Did he smell my blood sugar drop?”
“Some dogs are trained to detect changes in blood sugar,” David replied.“Turk isn’t trained specifically for that, but he’s detected it before.He’s an incredibly intelligent dog.”
“I’ll say,” the woman replied.She looked at Turk, who was now staring intently into a stand of trees nearby.Her brow furrowed.“Um… Can I thank him, or…”
“Hold on,” Faith said.The chill in her spine had returned.“What is it, boy?What do you smell?”
A moment later, Turk barked and trotted toward the trees.Faith got up and followed him, eyes widening when she saw another dog, an American Staffordshire Terrier, approaching.The dog was limping and trailing a leash behind her.Flecks of brownish red matted the fur on her muzzle.
Oh God.
