Stray Trouble: A Jessica Anderson K-9 Mystery (The Jessica Anderson K-9 Mysteries Book 2) by D. L. Keur

Author:D. L. Keur [Keur, D. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: D. L. Keur
Published: 2021-11-29T16:00:00+00:00

24 – Pity-Party

“SORRY ABOUT THAT,” Remmers said, when they were back in his truck and headed out Crowell’s drive. “He can be an arrogant cuss.”

There’s an understatement! “Right.”

Remmers glanced her way. “What dolly was he talkin’ about?”

Irritated, Jessica told him the short version and watched him grin. Then he started chuckling. “You really are something, ain’t ya?”

Even more irritated by his laughter, she frowned. “What do you mean by that?!”

He shook his head, still grinning. “Always in the right place at the right time. Lady Luck is always on your side. You always throw a seven come eleven, and you never get the snake eyes.”

Jessie looked away out the window, blinking back both rage and tears that suddenly threatened as faces of dead men who had depended on her inserted themselves in her mind’s eye. “Not true,” she hiss-whispered.

“Sure seems it to me,” Remmers came back. And he was still chuckling.

She turned toward him and all but snarled, “I get people killed. Now, just take your own advice and shut up, would you?!”

“Whoa,” Remmers said, and, that suddenly, he pulled over.

“What? You dumping me and my dogs right here?!” And now she was really angry.

“No-ooo.” He turned the truck off. “I don’t drive when somebody’s about to throw themselves over a cliff, and, right now, you seem just about ready to jump. An’ you ain’t doin’ it on my watch or out of my truck.”

She sucked a hard, whistling breath through her nose. Swallowed. Kept her eyes straight forward. Between her knees, Britta whined and pushed her nose into Jessie’s belly. In her lap, the puppy quivered.

Jessie put a hand on both the pup and on the shepherd’s head, her fingers stroking.

“You wanna talk about it?”

“No!”

“Okay. Then we’ll just sit here till you get yourself settled and back together.”

Like that’s going to happen around you!

“Didn’t mean to touch no raw spot with the Lady Luck thing, but it sure seems to me that you and your dogs have done your fair share of savin’ folks, not killin’ ‘em, then reapin’ some real good press for doin’ it.”

Jessie shook her head.

“Yeah, you have,” he insisted. “What was it, three men you saved down in that fire fight in Blaine?”

Jessie felt her temper fight with her upset. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Against what? A dozen or so gunning for you? You and that dog of yours? The big shepherd?”

“Acer,” she whispered, trying very hard not to cry or lash out, either one.

“Okay. So how does that measure out to you gettin’ folks killed?”

He just kept pushing. It was too much—way too much. The images flashed—Kingston dropping. Then Peters. “HE DIED! THEY DIED!” she screamed, and, grabbing her pack, she did bail out of the truck, Britta jumping down with her, the pup yelping its head off.

By that time, Nelson Remmers was out the door and coming around the front end of his pickup. “You’re going to have to face this,” he said. “Whether you want to or not, Missy.”

“Leave me alone!”

Nelson advanced, his hands up, signing ‘calm’ like she was a dog.

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