Fire and Ice (14 page)

The set to her mouth rebuked him. Pain and anger filled Robyn’s heart right now, and it spilled over into the lines of her face and the stiff set to her shoulders. Without her saying a word, he knew she wanted to see justice done and to recover the dogs, not just for her family but for Patrick Isherwood, too.

“Did you call Pat Isherwood yesterday?” Rick asked.

“Yes.”

“How did he take the news?”

She winced. “He didn’t like it, of course. I assured him the other six dogs he left with us are locked in. I even asked Darby and my friend Anna to stop in today and make sure everything’s okay while we’re gone.”

“But you feel as though you’ve got to find those dogs yourself, not leave it up to the state police.” She didn’t answer, but her stricken face roused new longings in him. He wished he could protect her from violence and crime, and beyond that, from feelings of inadequacy and failure.

“I’m going in.” She stepped forward, and he grabbed the sleeve of her parka.

“Let’s think about this for a minute. You know that if we walk in and ask to see the dogs, they won’t let us.”

“You may be right. So? Do you have a better plan?” Her dark eyes sparked with resistance.

Rick wanted more than anything to take the hurt and anger away. Not only to return the dogs to her, but to assure her that this would never happen again. It was beyond his power, but she had come to trust him, and for the last couple of days she’d relied on him in small ways. If nothing more, she might let him bear some of the stress for her.

“Let me go in and ask to see the kennel,” he said. “They might recognize you.”

Her puff of breath formed a white cloud in the cold air. “Or you. You were with me yesterday.”

“All bundled up in a parka. Not this jacket, I might add.” He patted the front of the wool jacket he’d worn to the clinic. “And they might know your face from any number of places. There’s a fetching picture of you on the Holland Kennel Web site, for instance.”

She blinked twice and looked away. “If you think you can distract me with flattery, forget it.”

He smiled. “All right, I’ll save that for later. But it’s true, Robyn. They might recognize you. And have you considered that the thieves might be people you know?”

Her lips twitched. “Someone else in the dog business?”

“Maybe. Or someone in Wasilla who knows a little about your routine.”

Her gaze sought his again. “So, you think we’re wasting our time looking in Anchorage? What do you suggest we do?”

“Since we’re here, let’s go ahead and check this one. There’s just one vehicle in the parking lot.” He nodded toward the ten-year-old pickup sitting in front of the kennel. “Probably the owner is the only person here, or an employee. No customers right now.”

“So?”

“So, what if I go in and inquire about possibly leaving a dog here for a week when I take my vacation. While I’m in there, you can sneak around the back of the building. From the sound of things, they’ve got some pens or tethers out there. You wouldn’t be able to see any dogs that are inside, but you could at least check out the outdoor accommodations.”

She nodded. “Better than nothing, I guess.” She pulled her hood up and arranged it over her dark hair.

He smiled down at her. Now wasn’t the time to mention it, but the image of her sweet face peering out at him from within the circle of faux fur with her brown eyes wide and her cheeks flushed stirred him. Sometime when they were in a quiet, warm place and didn’t have to worry about dogs or criminals, he would tell her how lovely she was.

Had no man seen her beauty before him? It was unthinkable. But why, then, was she still single? Had her independence kept the suitors away? Perhaps her close-knit family deterred them, or her success in business intimidated them. Her seeming assurance might put off some men, he supposed, but he knew she had a wide streak of insecurity that she hid well.

Of course, he made a huge assumption there. Perhaps she had been courted and he knew nothing about it.

“I’m leaving the truck unlocked.” He said it even as he made the decision. “I want you to be able to get in quickly if you need to.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“Be careful,” he said. “If anyone sees you, it’s all right to tell them you’re with me and you wanted to see the dogs. But I’m planning on you staying out of sight. I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes.”

“Got it,” she said.

He hesitated, then bent and kissed her cool cheek. When he pulled away, she was watching him with something like curiosity in her chocolate brown eyes. Sometime he would really kiss her, and maybe that would knock the questions out of that simmering gaze.

“Go on,” he said. “Get to the side of the building and give me a minute to go in and get the guy talking.”

Robyn tiptoed along the side of the kennel building. She ducked low beneath the small window toward the back of the wall. As she approached the rear corner, she looked back toward the street. Rick was out of sight.

She peered around the corner and saw a large, fenced enclosure. Within it, a dozen or more dogs of different sizes and breeds ran free. She couldn’t see any shelter for them other than a lone pine tree that rose near the back of the lot. The dogs had no bedding to lie down on. She ducked back quickly, before they saw her. Already they were barking—one thin hound wailed continuously from a far corner and several more sporadically joined in. She hoped they weren’t left out there too long in the snow with nothing to lie on.

She took another peek. Beyond the large enclosure was another fenced area. This one seemed smaller, though it was hard to tell from her position. Inside she saw a couple of dogs that appeared to be chained to tree trunks. They lay inert on the ground. One looked like a German shepherd-husky cross. Her heart squeezed painfully. Were her dogs and Pat’s in this place? She focused on the dog nearest her—a small beagle cross in the big enclosure. It was so thin she could see the outline of its ribs, and it whined without a letup. Shuddering, Robyn scrutinized the other dogs. She realized she was looking for Tumble, but if he’d been among the pitiful assortment, she’d have recognized him at once.

A loud spurt of barking erupted from inside the building, and the dogs outside took up the yapping. Some of them ran toward the back of the building and threw themselves against the fence.

She concluded that the dogs inside had begun making a ruckus because of Rick’s presence, and those outside chimed in because they wanted to be part of whatever was going on. Even the ones in the far enclosure sat up and peered toward the building. Robyn decided that it no longer mattered if the dogs saw her. They couldn’t possibly make more noise than they were making now.

She ran along the fence, focusing on one dog after another. None of them looked remotely like the glossy, well-fed huskies she had lost. She circled behind the pen and along the edge of the second enclosure. Her steps dragged as she realized most of the dogs within had visible injuries. Some had scabs and scars on their legs and faces. One had red lacerations on its hip, neck, and front legs. None of the wounds were covered. Looking at the hurting dogs turned her stomach and stoked the fire of her anger. She wondered if the animals out here belonged to the owner or were long-term boarders. But this was a new kennel. How had they gotten so many customers? No people in their right minds would leave pets here if they glimpsed the pitiful scene out back.

She came to the edge of the building on the side opposite where she’d started. This side held several windows. Banking that Rick would keep the owner talking in the front, she decided to take a chance and look in.

Inside, she saw a row of screened doors fronting dog cages, three deep. The animals inside yelped and whined, some pressing against the fronts of their cages. Off to her left lay an open door, and through it she glimpsed Rick standing near a desk. She quickly turned her scrutiny to the dogs in the cages. She couldn’t see them well, but one particular bark, deep and insistent, rang a chord in her heart. It sounded like the bass voice of Hero, one of her largest sled dogs.

As the caged dogs moved about, she could make out their silhouettes through the mesh fencing of the enclosure doors. She stared at the cages one by one until she spotted one where the big occupant’s pointed dark ears stood up above a black-and-white muzzle.

Hero!

In a flash of certainty, she knew it was him. Soon she picked out two other cages she thought likely held dogs from Holland Kennel. The others weren’t within sight but could easily be on the side of the room nearer the window.

A quick look toward the open doorway made her catch her breath. Rick was backing away from the desk, nodding. As she watched, he moved out of her line of vision. She’d better head for the truck.

She glanced back toward the yard behind the building. If she took the time to go all the way around the back, Rick would be upset, wondering where she was. And the owner might look out back to see why the dogs out there hadn’t settled down. She decided to chance running across the front parking lot.

Before she acted, movement inside caught her eye. She flattened herself at the edge of the window and watched a man in coveralls enter the room with all the cages. He opened one of the lower tier cage doors and clipped a leash on the occupant’s collar. When he led the dog out, Robyn gasped. The husky he’d chosen was one of Pat Isherwood’s lead dogs. He led it across the room and opened the back door. The dogs in the fenced yards barked and howled louder. The man came back with the leash slack in his hands.

Robyn felt sick. Had he turned Astro out with all those other dogs? What if they fought? Some sled dogs lost their manners when they met strange dogs and weren’t under the owner’s control. They might get aggressive—or the other dogs in the pen might. Some of the valuable huskies could be killed. The man stopped near another cage and turned his back to the window. Time to move.

She ducked low beneath the window frames and dashed to the front corner of the building. Rick stood beside the pickup, staring toward the wall where she’d begun her foray.

When she left the cover of the kennel and ran toward him, he turned, his eyes wide. She scurried to the passenger side of the truck and dove in. Rick hopped in on his side and gunned the engine.

“Wait! He’s got them.”

“What?” The incredulity in his expression was almost comical. His mouth hung open and his eyebrows disappeared under the lock of hair falling over his forehead.

“I saw Astro, and I’m pretty sure Hero’s in there, too. He took Astro out the back. I think he put him in the pen out behind, with about twenty other dogs. They’re all loose in there. Astro will probably get in a fight. They could kill him. And the worst thing is, I think he was going to put the others out there, too. Hero, especially, might get aggressive.”

“Let’s get down the street where he can’t see us if he looks out. Then we’ll decide what to do.” Rick put the truck in gear and drove away. By the time Robyn had her seatbelt buckled, they were half a block down the street. “Why would he put valuable dogs in a pen with a bunch of others?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Some of the dogs outside look sick and emaciated. And some of them have injuries.”

“It doesn’t make sense.” Rick pulled in at the curb and turned to face her. “If he stole those dogs to sell, why take a chance on them getting sick or torn to pieces?”

She had no answer.

“Okay. Tell me everything.”

His patience made her want to scream. “We need to call the police.”

“Agreed,” Rick said. “But are you sure he has them all?”

“No. He may have sold some. I think I saw two others of ours though. There are a lot of dogs in cages in the back room.”

“I figured that. Heard them yelping and saw the stacked cages. It’s not a good situation. I’m surprised anyone brings a dog here to board.”

Robyn sucked in a deep breath. “We need to get the cops here fast.”

Rick took out his phone and punched a few buttons. “Joel? This is Rick. Hey, we’ve located some of the stolen dogs. They’re in a kennel here in Anchorage.” He gave his friend the address. “We need you to send someone fast. We’re afraid the dogs will be hurt. The fellow seems to be putting them together with a lot of strange dogs. Well, I don’t know. I didn’t see it myself, but Miss Holland did. And she’s positively identified at least two of the stolen dogs, with possible IDs on two more.”

Robyn tried to send him a silent message of thanks. A minute later, Rick hung up and sighed. “He says they’ll need a warrant. That could take awhile.”

“Can’t they just come ask to take a look? Those dogs are in danger.”

“Tell me exactly what you saw.”

“Well, out back there are two pens. In the one I went to first, at least ten or twelve dogs were running free.”

“I thought you said twenty.”

She frowned. “I might have.”

“Well, is it ten or twenty?”

“Yes. Somewhere in there.” She looked away. “I’m sorry. I know I’m upset, but I’m not hysterical. I didn’t count the dogs, okay? I’m guessing there were at least ten, possibly twenty, but no more than that. Probably twelve or fifteen.”