She slowed as she approached his house, peering toward it through the darkness. He’d turned a light on at the front porch, and she could see his cruiser parked out front. The main level of the house was lit behind the curtains. Seemed rather late for him to be awake, but then, who was she to talk? She couldn’t see any activity or tell where Brody was within the house.
After jogging past, Mattie once again picked up her pace. Soon she ran beyond the city limits, where the jagged silhouette of the mountains on her left stood out black against a sky lit by a moon that was almost full. The valley on her right stretched out flat and empty. She’d chosen the highway instead of her usual route up T-hill because tonight she needed a clear path to run. So she continued to go all out on the pavement, making Robo break from his trot into a lope.
Headlights breeched a curve up ahead and tires squealed, bearing down the highway at a speed that had to be exceeding the limit. She wished she was in her cruiser with her radar so she could bust the son of a bitch. She got off the highway and pulled Robo in close, bracing herself to get a make on the vehicle and read the license plate, but the lights blinded her as it raced by, buffeting her with its backlash.
Robo went crazy, barking and trying to chase the vehicle.
“Stop that.” Mattie gave him a quick correction with his leash. She tried to read the rear plate, but the plate light was out. She could tell that the vehicle was a dark four-wheel-drive vehicle of some kind, boxy in back, but that’s all she could get.
Robo continued to bark, staring at the fading taillights, lifting his front feet up off the ground with each woof.
“No, Robo! Stop your barking,” Mattie said, giving him another correction.
Must be the darkness making him so squirrelly.
Knowing she could do nothing about the speeding vehicle right now, Mattie turned to resume her run. She hesitated, though, when she spotted another figure approaching in the night, running along the opposite side of the highway. She unzipped her jacket and touched the handle of her .38, making sure she could get to it.
Charging out to the end of his leash, eyes pinned on the other runner, Robo barked again.
“Is that Robo?” the runner called.
It took only moments for Mattie to place the voice.
“Dr. Walker?”
“Yes, it’s me. Cole.”
“Stop that, Robo.”
Walker slowed his pace, crossing to join Mattie on her side of the highway. “What are you doing out this time of night?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“Ditto.”
He was breathing pretty hard. “Did that guy almost run you down?”
“No, we were well off to the side of the road. He was sure hauling.”
“He caught some air back there by the curve. Too bad you weren’t in your patrol car.”
“Maybe the night shift will spot him when he hits town. We can hope.”
Walker was patting Robo’s side. The dog had greeted him like an old friend, fawning against his legs. She decided to let him, giving him a moment to bond with his new doctor.
“Aren’t you concerned about being out here at night by yourself?” Walker asked.
“I have my partner with me.”
“True, and he’s pretty protective, but still.”
“I’m not sure you should be out here alone either, but sometimes we do what we gotta do.”
“I know. I didn’t think twice until that guy passed me, and then, well, it kind of gave me the creeps for some reason. I think I’ll head back home now, so I’ll turn around and go your way.”
Mattie resumed her jog with Walker falling in beside her. His pace was quite a bit slower than hers, but she felt odd running off and leaving him. Before she could decide what to do, he initiated conversation.
“Do you run at night very often?”
“No, I run in the mornings. How about you?”
“Haven’t done this for a long time.” He puffed for a few moments. “Should do me some good, if it doesn’t kill me.”
That decides it, Mattie thought. She had to stick with him until she could escort him safely to the top of his lane.
“Seems impossible,” Walker said, his short breath making him speak in bursts. “Danger in Timber Creek.”
“Timber Creek has always had its pockets of danger for some.” Didn’t she know from experience? “These homicides just make it more obvious to the general public.”
“I guess . . . you see . . . the bad side.”
Mattie slowed even more so the vet could catch his breath. With a grim tone, she said, “I’ve lived the bad side.”
He paused. Then after a few more strides: “I saw you run once . . . at the high school. My last year of vet school, home on break. You were good.”
“Running reformed me. I was raised in foster care, had a chip on my shoulder. But that’s behind me now.”
“Yeah.” He paused a few beats. “What’s past is past. Or should be.”
They continued on, the darkness feeling intimate as they ran side by side, accompanied by the rhythm of their tennis shoes on the pavement, the puffing of Walker’s breath, and the jingling of Robo’s tags. Every now and then, Robo would sniff the air and make a huffing sound in his chest. He continuously checked behind him, giving Mattie sort of a hinky feeling. She wondered what was out there that caused him to act so worked up.
They stopped at the lane that led to Walker’s house. Mattie opened her mouth to say good-bye, but he spoke before she could.
“One minute.” He leaned against his mailbox, taking in huge breaths of air, his lungs sounding like a bellows. “I’ve got a question.”
Mattie waited for him to catch his breath.
“It’s just the kids and me at home nowadays,” he said when he could talk again. “I’ve told them that if I have to leave the house at night on an emergency, I’ll leave them a note. They can call me on my cell if they wake up. The doors are locked, and we have Belle inside. Do you think that plan is safe enough?”
“You have Belle back? Did she take a turn for the worse?”
“No, Garrett and Leslie couldn’t stand watching her pine for Grace. They gave her to the kids.”
The news filled her with joy. “I’m glad. They seem to love her.”
“They do. They’re pretty sad themselves now. I hope this will help them feel better. Although I kind of doubt if it will make up for everything.”
“It’s a hard thing for you all, losing Grace.”
“Yeah, it is. So do you think they’re safe if I leave them home alone for a few hours when I get called out?”
“Yes, I think citizens are still safe in their homes.”
“What you said earlier, about how running reformed you. It looks like you turned your life around and made something good out of a bad situation.” He paused, apparently taking time to choose his words. “I hope I can help my kids make the right choices. They’re faced with more challenges than I was at their age.”
“You have a strong relationship with your kids. That was something I never had with my father.”
“Yeah, well, it may look that way. But to tell the truth, I haven’t been around much in their lives.”