poison or tranquilizers. Your lab will be able to tell you for sure.”
Ella walked back to her unmarked tribal cruiser, retrievedan evidence bag from the storage compartment, then labeled the outside with a marker and put the tainted meat inside it. “I’m going to put this into your refrigerator forthe moment. You and I need to have a talk.”
“You’re connecting this to the bomb,” he said with a nod.
It hadn’t been a question so she didn’t answer. “You’ve recently acquired some new, exotic-looking electronic equipment. You’ve also taken time to install a top-notch deadbolt and that motion detector,” she said looking directly at him. “What’s going on?”
Putting the dog at stay, Ford startedto pick up the shattered glass on the porch and Abednego’s carpet. Among the pieces, he found a pellet. “You probably noticed these,” he said, handing it to her, then pointing to another pellet in the wall. “This could have been the work of kids looking for something to steal.”
Ella gave him an incredulous look. “Kids who can pick a hundred-dollar deadbolt, bring tainted meat for the dog, andjust happen to strike on the same afternoon that some lunatic tries to blow you up? You don’t believe that any more than I do.”
Making sure there was no more glass around, Ford took Abednego by the collar. “Let’s go inside. Then we can talk.”
Ford closed the door before switching on a desk lamp, then turned off the living room light. “It’s clear they never got beyond the door,” he said, walkingto the hall and taking a look inside his office. “Nothing was touched.” He bent down to pet the large mutt. “Good boy!”
“So what were they looking for, Ford?” Ella demanded. “What’s put a bull’s-eye on you?”
FOUR
F ord’s gaze remained on the dog. “You
do
have a need to know, so that’ll help,” he said at last. “But I need to make one call—in private.”
“All right. I’ll be in the kitchen. Just stay away from the windows, okay? And keep the lights low.”
“Understood. Will you take Abednego with you and give him a large slice of cheese from the fridge? He earned it today.”
Ella took the dog by the collar and led him away from Ford. It wasn’t easy. All ninety pounds of him wanted to stay with Ford.
“If he resists, just say the word c-h-e-e-s-e in an upbeat tone,” Ford said. “He’ll follow you into Hell itself for that.”
Ella glanced down at the dog and said, “Abednego, cheese! Let’s go, boy! Let’s go get some cheese.”
Abednego looked up at her, his tail startedwagging, and before she knew it, the dog was barking and pulling
her
into the kitchen.
Ella placed the tainted meat in the refrigerator, then brought out a one-pound brick of cheddar and, using a kitchen knife, cut a generous chunk. The dog swallowed it in two chomps, then barked for more. Ella gave him a secondslice, this time about the size of a sugar cube, then started moving toward the hall,hoping to eavesdrop, but Abednego began barking again.
Suspecting that had been part of Ford’s plan all along, Ella returned to the kitchen. With Abednego insistent on more cheese, there was no chance of her slipping away anyway. Taking advantage of her experience with dogs, she decided to turn it into a training session. Every small piece of cheese came only after he’d sat, laid down, or spoke.
She was working on rollover when Ford came back into the kitchen. He took one look at the pieces of cheese still in her hand and started laughing. “Hey, who’s training who around here? Or is that whom?”
“The big guy and I hardly ever get quality time together like this. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Ford reached down to scratch the dog behind his ears. “You’re spoiled, my friend,but I don’t know what I would have done without you today.”
“Tell me you weren’t counting on him keeping me in the kitchen,” Ella added with a smile.
He looked up at her and
Ella walked back to her unmarked tribal cruiser, retrievedan evidence bag from the storage compartment, then labeled the outside with a marker and put the tainted meat inside it. “I’m going to put this into your refrigerator forthe moment. You and I need to have a talk.”
“You’re connecting this to the bomb,” he said with a nod.
It hadn’t been a question so she didn’t answer. “You’ve recently acquired some new, exotic-looking electronic equipment. You’ve also taken time to install a top-notch deadbolt and that motion detector,” she said looking directly at him. “What’s going on?”
Putting the dog at stay, Ford startedto pick up the shattered glass on the porch and Abednego’s carpet. Among the pieces, he found a pellet. “You probably noticed these,” he said, handing it to her, then pointing to another pellet in the wall. “This could have been the work of kids looking for something to steal.”
Ella gave him an incredulous look. “Kids who can pick a hundred-dollar deadbolt, bring tainted meat for the dog, andjust happen to strike on the same afternoon that some lunatic tries to blow you up? You don’t believe that any more than I do.”
Making sure there was no more glass around, Ford took Abednego by the collar. “Let’s go inside. Then we can talk.”
Ford closed the door before switching on a desk lamp, then turned off the living room light. “It’s clear they never got beyond the door,” he said, walkingto the hall and taking a look inside his office. “Nothing was touched.” He bent down to pet the large mutt. “Good boy!”
“So what were they looking for, Ford?” Ella demanded. “What’s put a bull’s-eye on you?”
FOUR
F ord’s gaze remained on the dog. “You
do
have a need to know, so that’ll help,” he said at last. “But I need to make one call—in private.”
“All right. I’ll be in the kitchen. Just stay away from the windows, okay? And keep the lights low.”
“Understood. Will you take Abednego with you and give him a large slice of cheese from the fridge? He earned it today.”
Ella took the dog by the collar and led him away from Ford. It wasn’t easy. All ninety pounds of him wanted to stay with Ford.
“If he resists, just say the word c-h-e-e-s-e in an upbeat tone,” Ford said. “He’ll follow you into Hell itself for that.”
Ella glanced down at the dog and said, “Abednego, cheese! Let’s go, boy! Let’s go get some cheese.”
Abednego looked up at her, his tail startedwagging, and before she knew it, the dog was barking and pulling
her
into the kitchen.
Ella placed the tainted meat in the refrigerator, then brought out a one-pound brick of cheddar and, using a kitchen knife, cut a generous chunk. The dog swallowed it in two chomps, then barked for more. Ella gave him a secondslice, this time about the size of a sugar cube, then started moving toward the hall,hoping to eavesdrop, but Abednego began barking again.
Suspecting that had been part of Ford’s plan all along, Ella returned to the kitchen. With Abednego insistent on more cheese, there was no chance of her slipping away anyway. Taking advantage of her experience with dogs, she decided to turn it into a training session. Every small piece of cheese came only after he’d sat, laid down, or spoke.
She was working on rollover when Ford came back into the kitchen. He took one look at the pieces of cheese still in her hand and started laughing. “Hey, who’s training who around here? Or is that whom?”
“The big guy and I hardly ever get quality time together like this. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Ford reached down to scratch the dog behind his ears. “You’re spoiled, my friend,but I don’t know what I would have done without you today.”
“Tell me you weren’t counting on him keeping me in the kitchen,” Ella added with a smile.
He looked up at her and
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