Page 33 of So Savage

Faith nodded approvingly.“Good man.What did you see when you arrived?”

“I saw the K9 on his side.He was breathing, but he wasn’t breathing well.His pulse was thready, and his eyes were open, but he wasn’t seeing anything.”

Faith frowned.That was different from the previous K9s.They had been asleep, but these symptoms sounded like respiratory distress.“What breed is Delgado’s unit?”

“Dobermann, ma’am.”

“You don’t need to call me ma’am.A Dobermann, you said?”

“Yes, m—yes.”

Interesting.Dobermanns were big dogs.On average, they were twenty pounds bigger than German Shepherds and forty pounds bigger than Malinois.Maybe the killer had increased the dose and overshot the mark.Or maybe therewasmore than one shooter, and this one wasn’t as knowledgeable as the last one.

“There was something else, ma—Special Agent.”

“What’s that?”

Turk barked, and looked at them, wagging his tail.Often, that motion meant happiness, just like in any other dog, but Faith knew Turk very well and recognized this movement as one of concern.She ran to him, Wayne following.When she reached him, she had a good idea of what Wayne had found.

“As you can see, there’s not enough blood for someone to have died here,” Wayne replied.“Just the little bit here, and some drops scattered over about a fourteen-foot radius.”

She raised an eyebrow.“About a fourteen-foot radius?”

“I’m good at spatial awareness, ma’am.I’m planning to become a drone operator eventually.”

“You’re sure?I think you could have a good career in law enforcement.”

He glanced back at the main group, where Hostler was arguing with Marcus about something."I just don't enjoy working with Master Sergeant Hostler.Please don't tell him."

"I might tell him he's an asshole," she replied drily, "but I'll leave your name out of it.So you responded to the scene and found blood but no footprints?"

He shook his head.“A lot of Delgado’s footprints, but none of her attacker.It looked as though he’d tied ropes around his boots.”

“Ropes?”

“Yes.It’s a trick I’ve seen some people use when infiltrating enemy territory before.Well,Ihaven’t seen it, but my brother is a Green Beret.He told me that in Syria, the ISIS fighters would tie cords or strips of cloth over their shoes to make them quieter when they were sneaking into urban areas or military outposts.”

Faith nodded.She’d heard of similar tricks.“And there’s no sign of vehicle tracks anywhere?”

“No.”

That almost certainly meant a male.It was over a mile to the nearest exit, and while a large woman theoretically could carry a woman Delgado’s size out of the base, more than likely, the killer would be a man.

That meant it was possible there was only one killer after all, the same man who had killed Walsh and left bootprints.Maybe he'd learned his lesson and been more careful this time.Or maybe there was more than one killer, and the mastermind behind all of this was some evil vet or K9 supervisor.

“Faith?”Marcus called.

Faith turned to the detective, who jogged closer, his breath escaping in small jets of steam as he approached.Faith was too focused on the case to feel the cold before, but now it seared her lungs and chilled her face.

Marcus slowed and said, “We just got a preliminary toxicology report on the dog.The compound was different this time.”

Faith’s eyes widened.“What was it?”

“An experimental compound that U.S.military veterinarians are testing in limited quantities.It contains phenobarbital and diazepam mixed with a synthetic compound that increases the speed of absorption.Dr.Parker confirmed that particular ingredient is identical to the compound that made the other darts work faster.”

“So why the new compound?”Faith asked.“Why phenobarbital and diazepam and not ketamine and xylazine?”

"Well, there are a few possibilities.The first is that xylazine is a drug that only has veterinary applications, whereas both phenobarbital and diazepam are in widespread use with human patients.It could be easier for the shooter to obtain those drugs."

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