Her head snapped back, sharp pain blooming in her cheek, bringing tears to her eyes and blurring her already diminished vision. The sheer force of the blow knocked her off her feet, and she fell against the wall with a hard thud. Unable to hang on, she released him and slid down along the wall, collapsing on the floor in a crumpled heap. The sound of the puppy’s panicked yipping tore at her heart.
“Cocoa,” she managed in a choked voice. It was too late. The heavy door leading outside opened and slammed shut with a loud bang.
The assailant was gone, taking her precious puppy—the one she’d hoped to use one day as her own Seeing Eye dog—with him.
Eva forced herself upright. She rushed back to the main reception desk and picked up the phone.
If only she’d got a better look at the guy, she thought, as she dialed the number for the NYC K-9 Command Unit. Her retinitis pigmentosa was already impacting her ability to see clearly. Especially in areas that weren’t well lit. The dim interior of the kennels along with his baseball cap had shadowed his face.
With trembling fingers, she clutched the phone to her ear, hoping it wasn’t too late to find Cocoa.
* * *
“Hey, Gallagher!”
Finn stood and looked over the edge of his cubicle. “What?”
“Pick up line three. Something about a missing dog.”
K-9 Officer Finn Gallagher abandoned the notes he was reviewing on Chief Jordan Jameson’s murder to pick up the phone. “What’s going on?” The NYC K-9 Command Unit headquarters was located in the Jackson Heights area of Queens but served all five boroughs in New York City.
“One of Stella’s puppies has just been stolen,” Officer Patricia Knowles informed him. Patricia manned the front desk of headquarters, ruling the place with her no-nonsense attitude. “The pup that’s missing is Cocoa, the one donated to the guide dog program.”
“Stolen?” Finn scowled and glanced down at his yellow Labrador retriever, Abernathy. His K-9 partner’s specialty was search and rescue, fitting for finding a stolen puppy. Finn clipped a leash onto Abernathy. All the K-9s were named after fallen K-9 officers, and his was no exception. Abernathy was named in honor of Michael Abernathy, who was killed in the line of duty while trying to rescue a child from his suicidal father. The child had survived, but Officer Abernathy had been hit in the cross fire and ultimately died. “I’m on it. Thanks.” He hung up the phone. “Come, Abernathy.”
Wearing his K-9 vest identifying him as a law enforcement officer, Abernathy was all business, keeping pace beside Finn as he left the K-9 Unit headquarters. The guide dog training center was located in Forest Hills, a ten-to-fifteen-minute drive from Jackson Heights. Finn opened the back of his white K-9 SUV for Abernathy and then slid in behind the wheel.
Rush hour made the ride to the training center take longer than he’d hoped. A beautiful blonde hovered just inside the doorway, anxiously waiting for him.
With Abernathy at his side, he assessed the woman. She appeared to be in her late twenties, her heart-shaped face and stunningly beautiful features framed by long straight blond hair. He scowled as he noticed she was holding an ice pack against a dark bruise marring her cheek. She stepped back and gestured for him to come inside.
“I’m Officer Finn Gallagher. What happened?” he asked with concern. “You were assaulted? I was told that Stella’s puppy has been stolen.”
The blonde offered a lopsided smile. “I’m Eva Kendall, and I’m the one who reported the puppy-napping.”
“You’re hurt. I’ll call an ambulance.” Finn reached for his radio.
“No need,” Eva said quickly. “It’s more important to find Cocoa.”
Finn knew Cocoa was a chocolate Lab. A valuable animal, sure, but worth stealing? He had to believe the other guide dogs at the facility might be worth just as much, maybe more. He looked at Eva. “Tell me what happened.”
She moved the ice pack so she could speak, and he was struck anew by her clear porcelain skin and brilliant blue eyes. He did his best to avoid being distracted by her beauty, focusing on her story. “I came in early to work with Cocoa. The minute I entered the building, I heard thumps and loud barking from the dogs. I feared something was wrong, so I headed back toward the kennels.”
“Alone?”
She lifted a shoulder, then winced as if the motion hurt. “I convinced myself that it was nothing, until I found a stranger grabbing Cocoa from his kennel.”
Finn clenched his jaw, imagining the scenario. Was it possible the chocolate Lab had been targeted on purpose?
“I shouted at him to stop, but he didn’t listen.” Distress darkened Eva’s blue eyes. “He punched me in the shoulder, knocking me to the floor, but I managed to scratch him with my keys.” She gestured to the key ring sitting on the counter. “I thought you might be able to get a DNA sample from them.”
He lifted a brow, secretly impressed she’d thought of that. “We can try. Go on, what happened next?”
“I ran after him and grabbed him from behind, but he hit me again and got away.”
Hearing that the perp had hit her twice had him grinding his teeth in a flash of anger. It deeply bothered him when men used their strength against women. “Are you sure about not calling an ambulance? I think it’s best if you get checked out at the ER.”
“I’m fine.” Eva waved a hand dismissively. “I’ve been hurt worse tussling with my older sister. We used to wrestle a lot when we were younger.”
“Your older sister?” Finn felt a bit confused by the change in topic.
“Yes.” Eva’s gaze reflected a deep sorrow. “Unfortunately, Malina died three weeks ago when she was struck by a car.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He wanted to offer comfort but told himself to focus on the issue at hand. “I have to ask about the attack. Did the guy look at all familiar?”
“No. But I still don’t understand. Why steal a puppy? Especially since we have older dogs here, too. Although it’s possible the older dogs might try to bite more than a puppy would.”
“Good question.” He flipped his notebook shut and cast his gaze around the interior of the building. “Take me along the assailant’s path. I’ll also need to review the security video.”
“The video won’t be available until my boss gets in, I don’t know how to use the equipment. But aren’t you going to head out to try to find him?” Eva asked, exasperation ringing in her voice. “I specifically asked for a search-and-rescue team.”
Finn flashed a wry grin. “Abernathy is the best search-and-rescue K-9 on the force, and, yes, I plan to head out to search for Cocoa. But I need to see the path the guy took, and I need something belonging to either the perp or Cocoa to use, as well.”
Mollified, Eva wheeled around and led the way back through the training center. “There’s a tire iron on the floor near the kennel. I think he used it to break inside the building then dropped it here by the kennel.”
Finn took note of the tire iron on the floor. Metal wasn’t the best substance to use for obtaining a scent, but Abernathy was exceptionally smart. “Don’t touch anything,” he warned. “We may be able to use the tire iron or the keys to pick up the perp’s scent.”
“I won’t.”
He went back to put the keys in an evidence bag, then led his K-9 partner to the tire iron. He pointed at the object and offered the evidence bag of keys as two ways for the animal to pick up the scent. “Find, Abernathy,” he commanded.
The yellow Lab sniffed along the entire length of the tire iron, going back and forth as