Page 16 of Chasing Justice
“Heard, okay. If you want to keep working, you can, but at least take a few days off when you pick up the dog. And you still need a doctor’s evaluation. Get that done ASAP.”
“Where do I go for that?” Great. Another counselor telling her how to deal with her issues, but she had to do it if she wanted to work.
“I’ll give you the information. Do you have a pen and paper?”
“Hang on, sir. There’s paper in the center console.” Maya popped open the console and began rooting around for the notebook she and Doug carried in there. She noticed a tiny black-velvet box stuck in the back corner of the compartment. Maya picked it up and flipped the top open. A diamond ring glittered in the cab light.
“You still there, Thompson, or did I lose you?”
“What... Uh, yes, sir. Just a minute. I’m having trouble finding a pen.” Maya put the box with the diamond ring down on the passenger seat and found a pen.
She wrote down the words, but her mind kept going to the ring sitting on the passenger seat. She assumed it was an engagement ring, but for who? She and Doug had shared everything. Well, almost everything. She had to admit that she held back a lot about her military experiences with Doug and of course how the nightmares and PTSD affected her, so why would she expect Doug to tell her he was dating someone, much less going to ask her to marry him?
Chapter Ten
Sunlight glared through the curtains, blinding Maya as she struggled to open her eyes. Sitting up, she heard cans clattering to the floor.Guess I had a few beers last night.As she stood and threw her blanket back onto the couch, beer cans crunched under her bare feet.
“Ouch, son of a...” Maya muttered, gimping her way to the kitchen to start some much-needed coffee. Her head pounded and she closed the curtains to keep light from coming in. After starting coffee, she popped a few ibuprofens to stop her headache.
Grabbing the trash, Maya picked the empty cans up from the floor and couch. Maybe she did need to cut back a little bit. Pops had told her that, but she had blown him off at the time. Maya bagged the cans and set them by the door to recycle.
Promising herself she would get her act together, Maya poured herself a steaming cup of coffee. She opened the fridge for some creamer and discovered there was none left. She grabbed the milk, but it smelled sour, so she poured it down the sink. Her fridge looked like a bachelor lived there, with old pizza and a few more beers in the back. That was it other than some moldy cheese that Maya added to the trash.
Taking in the cabin, she had to accept the whole place looked like a disaster. She had unpacked the basics, but moving boxes littered the floor. Her battered couch was once plaid and now had coffee stains and probably beer stains. The small room adjacent to the kitchen had her bed—when she made it there to sleep. An old rug with bear and moose designs lay over the wooden floor. It need cleaning—vacuuming at least.
Maya sighed and flopped back down on the couch, sipping the coffee and hoping the ibuprofen would kick in soon to diminish her headache. She closed her eyes. She had about a half hour before she had to start getting ready for work. Maybe a shower would help her feel better.
She remembered coming home last night and cleaning up her wounds. Nothing serious, just some scrapes and scratches. Her pants were in the trash and she would need a new shirt, but she could bring that up with Todd when he came into town. Josh’s windbreaker was draped over a kitchen chair. She supposed she needed to return it, but didn’t feel like dealing with him today. Her statement was strewn all over the table. She’d started it, but stopped after her third beer.
After draining her first cup of coffee and starting to feel a little human, Maya gingerly stood up to get another. She noticed her cell phone had a voice mail. She must have slept through the call. Maya typed in her security code and saw the voice mail was from Juniper’s vet.
“Hi, Officer Thompson. This is Dr. Asher. I have some great news. Juniper is making a quick recovery. We see no reason to keep her here for much longer. I wanted to let you know you can pick her up tomorrow. I talked with your supervisor and he told me you would be taking Juniper. Please give me a call and we’ll figure out a time for you to come get her. I’ll give you instructions for her home care.”
Maya sighed and threw the phone across the room. What was she thinking? She couldn’t take this dog. She could barely take care of herself. But at this point, she couldn’t go back on her promise to Doug or to Todd. How the heck would she pick the dog up tomorrow? She didn’t even have a crate for her. Everything would be at Doug’s house. The last thing Maya wanted to do was to visit Doug’s empty house; it would be another reminder that he was gone forever.
But Maya would have to go there today and pick up all of Juniper’s supplies and dog food. She also needed to build a solid fence and kennel. Working dogs were not treated like pets. You didn’t want the dog to like staying home more than going out to work. You never gave a young working dog the run of the house, not if you valued your possessions. They needed kennels, crates, and structure—something Maya didn’t feel like she possessed.
People often assumed that because K-9s were so well trained, they were perfect pets, but in reality, the dogs were high-energy and would entertain themselves. That usually involved chewing, ripping, and digging. Yep, she had a lot of work to do to get ready for a young Malinois to move in. Or Maligator as Maya called them.
Hopefully, Doug kept his spare key in the same spot he always did—a fake log in his woodpile. He’d done that for years, and Maya had given him crap about it, telling him he never changed.
Now she knew he did change. Like buying an engagement ring and not telling her who he was dating.
Maya forced herself to get off the couch and go take a shower. She had to get moving if she was going to answer all these questions.
Chapter Eleven
Maya climbed into what was nowherForest Service Law Enforcement Tahoe specially designed forherK-9. Last night she’d taken out every reminder of Doug in the vehicle and bagged the items up. She adjusted the mirrors and the seat. If Maya was going to do this, she had to make this vehicle hers and not Doug’s.
Behind the passenger seat was a special insert in the vehicle for the dog that had a rubber horse stall mat, dog bed and water bowl. Because of the fluctuating temperatures in Colorado, the insert also had air conditioning and heat as well as a system that monitored the temperature. The door was equipped with a special system that would pop open if a handler needed their dog to assist them since a K-9 was often the best backup available. Along with all the other equipment that law enforcement carried there were special K-9 first aid kits and even a K-9 carry litter.
Maya clung to the steering wheel, apprehensive about picking up Juniper’s items from Doug’s house. What would it be like going through his residence? Even though he had died yesterday, it already felt like years ago.
She felt numb inside.
Doug lived at the edge of town, and it took Maya about twenty minutes to get there. The small town of Pinecone Junction wasn’t much to look at, but the main street was paved. Beyond that there were gravel roads. Small shops lined the street including a local diner and bar called the Black Bear Café, a hardware store, antique store, and a chamber of commerce inviting visitors to learn more about the surrounding area. The Forest Service office was located on the edge of town and painted in the usual brown color. Maybe there had been a sale on brown paint for the government.
Doug’s house was on the east side of town, and as Maya pulled up, she admired how well he had renovated the place. She hadn’t been over since she’d been home. The last time she was at Doug’s house she was on leave and at that point it was still a fixer-upper. The house now had a fresh coat of forest-green paint with white trim, a new front porch with two Adirondack chairs and hanging baskets with marigolds. Maya hadn’t suspected that Doug would be the hanging basket type, but the orange flowers contrasted nicely with the green paint. Maybe she should take a few pointers and think about her cabin. Flowers would help spruce her place up. So would completely moving in.
