Only Her (A K2 Team Novel)(19)

“I’ve got an emergency.” She increased her pace, striding ahead of Maria. About to break into a run, she thought of Maria’s adorable cat, Mouse. Maria and Jake lived in her part of town. Turning and walking backward, she said, “Don’t let your cat out for any reason.”

“What?” Maria walked faster, keeping up with her. “Is something wrong?”

“Someone’s poisoning animals. Just keep Mouse inside, okay? Gotta run.” With that, she turned and jogged to her car.

“Call me tonight,” Maria yelled after her. “I might be able to help.”

Riley doubted it, but she didn’t have time to ask why Maria thought she could be of help. “Sure, okay. Later.” She jumped into her car, and backed out of the parking space. Not caring if she was speeding, she pressed her foot down on the gas pedal. If a cop stopped her, she’d just flash her doctor’s credentials and deal with the fallout when she arrived at an animal hospital instead of a human one.

“Call Emerald Coast Animal Clinic,” she said to Bluetooth.

“Calling Emerald Coast Animal Clinic,” the robotic voice confirmed.

“Update,” she said when her receptionist answered.

“Brooke’s flushing out his stomach. Hold on a sec while I go to your office.”

Riley impatiently tapped her thumb on the steering wheel, waiting for Michelle to come back on the line. Who the hell got off on poisoning helpless animals?

Duncan, the male mixed breed having his stomach pumped, had been her patient since his elderly owners had adopted him from an animal shelter two days before he was due to be euthanatized. Some cold-hearted bastard who’d never been caught had shot Duncan in the left eye when he was a stray. No one had wanted a one-eyed older pet until Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn had chosen him. They loved that dog.

“The Vaughns were standing in front of me when I was talking to you. They’re really upset,” Michelle said, coming back on the line. “I popped my head into the exam room on the way back here. Brooke thinks he’ll be okay.”

Thank God. “I’m five minutes away. Tell her . . . Never mind, she knows what to do. Find out from the Vaughns how long he’s been sick. Be there in a few.”

The Vaughns were such a nice couple, and it would break her heart to have to tell them they’d lost Duncan. Arriving at her clinic, Riley slammed the gearshift into Park, and ran straight to the exam room.

“How’s he doing?” She slipped on a lab coat.

Brooke finished washing her hands. “I think he’s going to make it.”

Michelle poked her head in. “The Vaughns said they took him to the dog park to let him run. They’d been there about ten minutes when they noticed him next to a bush, eating something. Mr. Vaughn brought what Duncan didn’t get a chance to finish. Looks like hamburger meat. He said he thought it was suspicious that someone would leave a chunk of raw meat at a dog park, so he used his poop bag to scoop it up. I put the bag into a sealed plastic one and stuck it in the fridge. Is that okay?”

The poisoned meat evidence combined with the number of affected pets gave Riley hope that the police would finally take her seriously.

“You did great, Michelle. Thanks. Tell the Vaughns I’ll come talk to them in a few.” Riley did an exam, checking Duncan’s vitals, relieved that all his signs were close to normal.

“You’re going to be okay, sweetie,” she said when Duncan licked her arm.

Brooke brought a wet cloth over to clean his face. “I’m so glad we can give the Vaughns good news.”

So was Riley. “I’ll go talk to them. Bring him out when you’ve got him all pretty again.”

After sending Duncan home with his happy owners, she went to her office and called the police again. The dispatcher told her it would probably be the following day before an officer could come by to take a report. That sucked, but not much she could do about it.

She stopped by the front desk. “Michelle, when you get a chance, call the other clinics in the area. Ask if they’ve treated any poisoned animals.”

Thankfully, the remainder of the afternoon was business as usual. “What’d you find out?” she asked Michelle after the last patient of the day had left.

“No, none have had any that appeared to be poisoned. That’s good news, anyway.”

And maybe narrowed down the search to someone who lived in the area of the clinic. What kind of sick mind did it take to enjoy seeing an animal suffer? It made her sad and angry, and she decided to spend a few minutes with Cody’s dogs. That would cheer her up.

“Hey, Sally. You, too, Pretty Girl.” Riley opened the kennel door, stepping inside. Tails excitedly sweeping across the concrete, both sat, as if waiting for permission to greet her.