Killing Kate: A Novel (Riley Spartz Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

story in my mind.
    The animal control van pulled up, and a woman in coveralls opened the rear door of the vehicle while a similarly suited man took the dog from my lap. He looked in the animal’s mouth and I could see its tongue was darkish-colored, rather than pink. Not a good sign.
    “Just give him to me,” the owner insisted. “I’ll take care of him at home. I don’t need all these people sticking their nose in my business.”
    But the animal control officers ignored him and loaded the dog into the back of their van, explaining they’d be transporting him to the University of Minnesota veterinary hospital for emergency care.
    “You can follow us if you like,” they told the owner.
    “How about I give this to you first, Mr. Avise.” The cop handed him a citation.
    As the man read it, his face turned red—I couldn’t tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. “Animal cruelty? What kind of joke is this? I love that dog.”
    I got in position for my live report, but could hear the officer lecturing the man about the hazards of leaving pets and children in cars on hot days.
    I heard a “standby” in my ear, and within thirty seconds, Sophie Paulson, our news anchor, was introducing me as being in the center of a parking lot ruckus involving man’s best friend.
    ((RILEY LIVE SHOT))
WITHIN THE PAST HALF HOUR LAW
ENFORCEMENT RESPONDED TO
A CALL ABOUT A DOG LOCKED IN
A HOT PICKUP TRUCK IN SOUTH
MINNEAPOLIS.
    Malik had fed back some earlier shots of the dog trapped in the vehicle, the window exploding from gunfire, and me pulling the animal out. The producer rolled the video during my report, along with a sound bite from the animal’s owner dismissing the incident as an accident.
    ((RILEY CU))
THE DOG’S NAME IS BUDDY AND
THIS CROWD BEHIND ME IS
ALL ROOTING FOR HIM TO PULL
THROUGH THIS.
    ((RILEY NAT))
IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER
THAT ON HOT DAYS LIKE THIS,
MINUTES CAN MEAN DEATH INSIDE
A SWELTERING VEHICLE. THE
OWNER SAID HE WAS TAKING CARE
OF SOME PAPERWORK AT THE
BANK AND LOST TRACK OF TIME.
    ((DOG OWNER SOT))
THIS IS NOBODY’S BUSINESS BUT
MY OWN. ALL YOU PEOPLE SHOULD
JUST GO BACK TO YOUR OWN LIVES.
    ((RILEY LIVE))
THE OWNER—KEITH AVISE—WAS
TICKETED FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY.
    Then the director called for a split screen so Sophie could show viewers how much she also cared about animals by asking me questions.
    ((ANCHOR DOUBLE BOX))
RILEY, WHAT’S THE LATEST UPDATE
WITH BUDDY?
    ((RILEY DOUBLE BOX))
BUDDY HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE
EMERGENCY ROOM AT THE U OF
M VETERINARY HOSPITAL AND
WE’RE AWAITING WORD ON HIS
CONDITION.
    ((ANCHOR DOUBLE BOX))
WELL, HERE’S HOPING BUDDY
WILL BE WELL ENOUGH TO JOIN US
LIVE HERE AT THE STATION FOR
TOMORROW’S NEWS.
    When I returned to the newsroom an hour later, Noreen greeted me with a high five—a salute typically reserved if a story increases the network’s lead in audience in the “overnight” ratings. We wouldn’t know the actual numbers until morning, but Noreen clearly was optimistic the hot car story hooked viewers.
    Right then I appreciated, rather than resented, the glass walls of her office. Usually the rest of the newsroom watched as she berated me for perceived blunders. But not tonight.
    She was pleased not just because I nailed an exclusive on a piece with buzz, but because I helped save a dog, and she loved dogs. It had been a long time since Noreen had been this happy with me.
    “Keep an eye on this one,” she said. “Those shots of you holding the dog means we own this story.”
    That meant Channel 3 could air that video in prime-time promotions to suck in even more viewers for our late news. It wasgenerally understood in the world of television news that animal stories meant ratings, and ratings meant money. Noreen championed coverage of new zoo baby bears and dolphins and heaped praise on photographers who captured video of duck families crossing the road in traffic.
    “Riley, make sure our camera is there when Buddy’s released from the