Two hours later, sweating and grumbling, Nik led the last two dogs through the gate.
Thank God, he'd got them all.
Setting the latch, he sighed in relief. Except for the Lab-Mix. Refusing to return regardless of his yelling or how far he'd trudged into the trees.
"Damn, dude, you look like hell." Dion jogged across the yard and grabbed one of the leads. "What happened?"
"Right after you left, that stray from Jay decided to execute a jailbreak. He dug a hole in the corner and everyone got out while I was on the phone with Mrs. Barnes. Needless to say, she cancelled her reservation. Starting now and any we might get in the future."
"That brings the total to six."
"What?"
Nik's stomach sank and Dion lifted his arm to scratch at the back of his head. "When I went to pick up Bella, the Johnsons said they heard about the fight. The rest were waiting on the answering machine, one after the other, when I got back."
"And let me guess. None of them felt comfortable leaving their dog with your violent brother." Nik dragged his hand down his face. "Son of a bitch. I'm sorry, Dion."
He sighed, but gave Nik's shoulder a squeeze. "This, too, shall pass. Don't sweat it, bro. I'm just glad you managed to get them all back."
"All but the new guy."
Stealing the other lead from Nik, Dion headed toward the building. "I'll get these two inside. Why don't you take a load off and relax for a bit?"
"Thanks." Nik dropped to the bench and leaned his head back against the fence. A few moments of silence, and he frowned as the post vibrated.
A low grrr-woof came from his left. The latch rattled and he turned.
"This has got to be some sort of bad joke." Shaking his head, Nik rose with a grunt and swung open the gate.
The Lab-mix scampered into the yard, a dingy stick in his mouth, butt wagging and ears flat as if he were happy to be home.
"You're in deep shit." Nik planted his hands on his hips.
The big guy pranced around before tossing the stick to the grass. His sharp bark was a surefire invitation for Nik to join in and play fetch.
He sank to his knee, but held off picking up the narrow branch. Something was off… The shape was weird. He didn't understand those large knots on either end. And instead of brown, under the dirt, the wood looked closer to white.
He finally lifted it for a better look and a chill ran the length of his arm. It was way heavier than he'd expected, and based on the smooth, hard consistency, the object wasn't a piece of wood at all.
It landed on the grass with a dull thud. Palms up and fingers spread, Nik slowly rose to his feet.
"What are you doing?" Dion came to a stop beside him. "Ah. I see our friend is back."
"Yeah, and he brought us a present."
Dion frowned down at the grass and nudged the end with his boot. "What in the hell is that thing?"
Nik swallowed. "I'm no doctor…but I think it's a human bone."
Pulling his Jeep Gladiator in front of the police station, Nik set the gearshift in Park and killed the engine.
He stared at the wheel, fists gripping the leather cover, mumbling a list of every curse word that came into his mind.
Six cancellations and now this damned bone. He eyed the paper bag sitting on the passenger-side floor. Maybe he should just take it back into the woods and bury it in an undisclosed location. Forget that dumbass dog had ever dug it up and carried it into the kennel.
He slumped and then nodded as a cop strolled by and headed up the wide concrete stoop. And if that bone belonged to a missing person? A loved one who'd been abducted only so their family could be worried sick?
Those loose ends would continue to flap in the wind unless he manned up and did the right thing. Not to mention how carting it back into the woods would increase the chance he'd be spotted by someone with a set of binoculars. Hell, if that happened, every bit of town gossip about his family would end up being confirmed.
One time…just one time his father had been questioned as a suspect, and he'd forever been branded a killer. Even though his iron-clad alibi had proved he was innocent of committing murder. He'd never had any reason to kill that hiker girl from over two decades ago.
Rumors had led to speculation and the stories were exaggerated and blown out of proportion.
It had made their lives miserable.
He sighed and raked his hand through his hair. And here he was, waltzing into the police station with a human bone in a brown paper sack. "Fan-fucking-tastic."
His only hope was that he'd made a mistake. Instead of human, in reality, the bone belonged to a bear or a deer. Based on the research he'd done prior to heading over, stuff like that happened all the time. In fact, of the bones that were turned in to the FBI, the number one possibility of human remains always came back as belonging to a bear.
But his would be human. That was inevitable considering his luck. And if he'd had any doubts the pictures on the web had pretty much taken care of the guesswork.
"I need to just get this over with." Snatching the bag, he popped the door and exited to the blacktop.
Shit. Sutton Fox sat on the wall near the bottom of the steps, her iPhone pressed to her ear and scribbling on a pad resting against her thigh. But the last thing he needed was to get trapped by the very author of his woes. Literally. The gossip columnist had always been eager to splatter his family across the local tabloids.
Tucking his chin to his chest, he snuck past her and climbed the steps for the door.
Deputy Chief Leo Johnson stood beside the reception desk, the soon-to-be Chief of Police once Uncle Karl's retirement became official. On his left was a petite brunette in a lab coat whom Nik had never seen before.
Her thick, black hair was secured in a ponytail, bobbing as she nodded along to whatever Leo was saying. She glanced in his direction and the conversation ended as they both turned at Nik's approach.
"Hey, Leo. Is the Chief here?"
"Hey there, Nik." He shook Nik's hand in a vice-like grip, dark-brown cheeks working a grin and the tiny crinkles at the corners of his eyes. "The Chief had to step out for a bit. Bonnie needed his final approval on the menu options for the party this Friday. Is there something I can do for you?"
"Yeah, and you might even save me the embarrassment of having to give this to him." Reaching into the paper bag, Nik pulled out the stained, sun-bleached bone. "Tell me my imagination is running on overdrive and this isn't what I think it is."
The brunette's eyebrows rose, and she reached into her lab coat for a pair of blue, nitrile gloves. "That's definitely human. Where did you find it?"
"I didn't." Nik gladly handed it off. And yet the tension in his shoulders hiked another ten degrees as she traded a confused glance with Leo. "A stray dog I'm trying to place dragged it into my kennel. He escaped this morning and my assumption is he dug it up in the woods."
"Interesting."
"Thane!" Leo's frown morphed into a bright smile. Rounding Nik's side, he greeted a tall guy who'd just walked into the building.
"Hey, Leo. Can't tell ya how good it is to see your ugly mug."
The two men embraced in a back-slapping hug before Leo nudged the other dude's thick shoulder. "Who you callin' ugly? This face is like a fine wine that keeps getting better with age."