“You prayed over him while he bled to death,” the stranger replied.
There was a different quality to his voice now.
And now Robert knew who he was and why he was here.He sighed heavily, looking down at his feet for a moment before lifting his eyes to God.“Father, forgive him, for he knoweth not what he—”
The stranger wrapped a garrote around Robert’s neck and squeezed.
CHAPTER ONE
“I’m just saying it’s suspicious.You guys don’t think it’s suspicious?”
Turk, a big, beautiful German Shepherd, elderly but still strong and spry, barked his firm support for Dr.David Friedman's opinion of Dr.Carolyn Maldonado's death.Or maybe he was only repeating his request for some of the steak David was eating.The other two beings in David's kitchen, a beautiful, athletic woman in her late thirties with sandy brown hair and intense dark eyes, and a slightly older man with a wrestler's build, a movie-star face, and just enough sag around his middle to betray his fondness for good food, shared a look with each other.
David felt a pang of jealousy.His wife, Faith Bold, Chief Instructor of the FBI Academy’s K9 School and sometimes field investigator, was partners with this man for over a decade before she met David.They’d even had a brief romantic relationship.He had no suspicions that Faith would ever cheat on him, but the connection she shared with her former partner was unlike anything she and David would ever share since he was a veterinarian and they were FBI.
Faith folded her hands on the table and said, “It’s very suspicious.In fact, I think it’s almost certain that you’re correct.I still think it’s a bad idea for you to dig into her research right now.”
David sighed.“So, we’re back to this now?Come on, guys, we agreed that we were going to pursue this.”
“We did,” Michael agreed, “but we also agreed that we have to be careful as hell.This isn’t just some street gang.”
David rolled his eyes.“I’m aware that the CIA isn’t a street gang, David.”
“Are you aware that if they want to kill you, there’s almost nothing anyone can do to protect you?”Faith asked.
David pursed his lips and looked down at his plate.Several weeks ago, he had seen a patient at his office in the FBI's K9 School, a Marine Corps working dog named Sierra.Sierra had presented with scarring and signs of severe anxiety.Had she been an ordinary patient, he would have recommended an investigation into her living circumstances, but since she was a military working dog, his professional capacity was limited.Working dogs, even ones in training, frequently present with scarring, and the signs of anxiety might not have been clear to every veterinarian.He was forced to give her a clean bill of health.
But he hadn’t left it at that.He’d investigated Sierra and the handler who’d brought her in, Staff Sergeant Miranda Whitaker, and discovered that both were assigned to a mysterious unit known as the 93rdTesting Brigade.
Further investigation had revealed that the brigade was involved in some very shady stuff.They had abused many dogs over the past several years and were currently abusing Sierra and at least twelve other dogs as part of a program that David didn’t fully understand but could possibly have something to do with enhancing the psychological connection between handler and dog.David wasn’t quite ready to believe that they really wanted to create telepathic connections between handlers and dogs.
That further investigation had led to several threats against David from this brigade, culminating in an attempt on his life a month ago when he was on his way home from taking pictures of the brigade’s testing facility at the Marine base in Quantico.Michael had intervened at the last moment and rescued David from his attacker.Shortly after, he’d broken the news to Faith, David, and Faith’s partner, Special Agent Jessica Torres, that the 93rdTesting Brigade was, in fact, a CIA unit masquerading as a Marine unit.
The group had agreed to pursue the investigation, but David was frustrated with the slow pace of their approach and their lack of progress.Sierra was being abused as they spoke.If Turk was in that same situation, they wouldn’t be advocating this kind of caution.
“You’re still limping, David,” Faith said softly.“You still have headaches.”
David felt a pang, and his shoulders slumped.The attempt on his life had involved forcing his car off the road and down a hill.He’d suffered serious injuries and only survived because Michael arrived, killed his attacker, and took him to the hospital.
“It’s a minor sprain and a concussion,” David said.“I’ll be fine.”
“This time,” Faith replied.
They fell silent again.Michael shifted awkwardly in his seat and glanced at Turk, who watched David pensively.Faith also watched David, not pensively but with more fear behind her stern gaze than David liked to see.
He sighed.“Okay, I’ll step back.I just… Cansomeonestep forward?”
Faith rolled her eyes, and David lifted his hands and said, “What if it was—”
“Don’t,” Faith interrupted.“Just… stop saying that.It’snotTurk, but itisyou, and at this point, it should be clear that being a maverick is the wrong way to handle this case.Youdoinganythingvisible is the wrong way to handle this case.
“And Michael is stepping forward.He’s putting his own life at risk helping with what amounts to a personal vendetta of yours.”
“And I’m happy to do that,” Michael said, lifting his finger.
Faith spun toward him, and he clammed up.She sighed and rubbed her forehead.“Babe, I get it.Okay?I do.But please accept that you’re not experienced in this area, and—I love you—but you don’t know how to do this right.”
David’s lips thinned.Heat climbed his cheeks, but Faith was right.He was a veterinarian, not a detective.He didn’t know what he was doing, and thathadgotten him in trouble.But…
