“Aubrey,” I bark, and her eyes swing to me and light with fire.
“I do, Dad. I hate her.”
“Calm down,” I demand, seeing that she’s working herself up for a teenage tantrum.
“I just don’t understand why I have to be there. Why it’s not my choice who I stay with. I don’t want to go to her house, I hate going to her house.”
“That’s so fucked up, Bre!” Steven yells, and my head swings his way.
“Watch your mouth.”
“Mom lets him curse. Mom lets him do whatever he wants all the time,” Aubrey tattles, staring down her brother.
“Both you, cut it. Now!” I snap, and their eyes come to me. “Until I know that you guys have supervision when you’re at your mothers, you’re not staying the night at her place anymore.”
Slamming his hand down on the counter, Steven growls, “That’s fu—jacked, Dad.”
“No, what’s jacked is your mom leaving you two alone overnight while she’s out.”
“That’s only happened a few times.”
“It only takes once for something bad to happen, Steven.”
“Town’s safe, Dad,” he continues, and I shake my head.
“In the winter, the town is safe. During the summer, we have people from all over the world coming in to work the canneries, and boats dropping anchor for the night so the guys can get off for a few hours and let loose. Which normally means they drink too much and end up doing stupid shit that has them sobering up in a cell.”
“But—”
“No buts, bud. You think about it for a second and you’ll see I’m right. It’s not okay for her to give you free rein, and it’s definitely not okay for her to leave you or your sister alone overnight.”
“I still want to see Mom.”
“And you will. I’m not keeping you from her, but I need to make sure we’re on the same page before you have another night with her.”
“Fine,” he mutters, and I look at my girl.
“I know you and your mom don’t always see eye-to-eye, but she’s your mom. The only one you’ve got,” I tell her, and her lips press tightly together. I know she’s fighting back tears as she nods. “Now, what are we eating?”
“Tacos,” Steven grumbles, and I lean back against the counter, taking another pull of beer, wishing like fuck I didn’t have to deal with Tina a-fuckin’-gain.
Pulling in behind Arney, who’s already out of his truck waiting on me, I look toward the right and my vision goes red when I see the dog in question tied to a post, his fur matted and dirty, his bones showing through his thin coat. We were dispatched to the residence when one of the neighbors called to complain about the excessive barking outside. The asshole didn’t say shit about the obviously neglected animal. Shutting down my truck, I hop out to meet Arney halfway between our vehicles.
“I checked with the neighbors. None of them seen the dog until today, but the barking’s been going on for a few days now.”
“That dog’s been tied to that pole for more than a few days,” I mutter, looking around the neighborhood. Most of the trailers and houses here are rented cheap and only lived in during the summer, when men and women come in to work the harbor or canneries.
“You and I know that,” he replies, heading to the cab of his truck. Once he opens the door and reaches in, he comes out with a bag of beef jerky. “Let’s try to get close and see how he does.”
Lifting my chin, we walk across the dirt yard toward the dog. Even from a distance, I can see the rope around his neck has been there for a while and has started to imbed in his fur and skin. “Hey,” I call when I’m close, and notice the dog is not a boy, but a female who has obviously had a few litters of pups. Her tail starts to wag frantically and her head drops toward the ground like she’s ready to play.
“I don’t think we need to call in Paul,” Arney states, referring to our local animal control guy who is also one of the best mechanics in town. Taking a chunk of jerky out of the bag in his hand he holds it out for the dog, and she immediately scarfs it down without chewing.
“She’s friendly,” I say in agreement, petting the top of her head while using my free hand to inspect the rope. “You got your knife on you?”
“Yep.” He pulls out his knife and hands it to me. I cut the rope near the pole, knowing the vet will have to take a look at her neck before removing it completely.
“Do you know who’s living here?” I gesture to the house as I hand him the rope the dog’s attached to and take the two steps up to knock on the door.
“Didn’t answer when I knocked earlier, and the house next door and across haven’t seen anyone in over a week.”
I wait a minute to see if anyone comes to the door. When no one does, I step down from the small porch and take the rope back from him. “I’ll take her over to Lee then meet you back at the station.”
“I’ll see if I can find out who’s been staying here.” He nods towards the house.
Lifting my chin, I lead the dog to the back of my truck and lift her in then shut the gate behind her. Heading around to the cab I climb in before sending a call to dispatch, letting them know I’m going to drop off the dog and will be out of touch.
“She’s gonna need surgery,” Lee says, stepping away from the dog on the table. “The rope is imbedded too deep for me to just cut out.”