It's Sunday afternoon. McKenzie and Logan have known each other 12 days.

Ending of Previous Post:

Logan's eyes met McKenzie's as he asked, "Ready?"

She hesitated as she felt a tingle up her spine when he placed his hand on the small of her back. She took a drink of water. "I am now."

*****
As Logan and McKenzie walked up the sidewalk to her front steps, she said, "Something's wrong. I can feel it."

"I do too." He pushed her behind him, as he drew his weapon. He slowly opened the door.

TODAY'S POST:

ST. LOUIS CHAPTER 26 PART 3

Logan stepped inside, shoved an end table aside, and began clearing each room.

McKenzie screamed. Edger lay motionless beside the dining room table. She pushed an upside down chair and a couch cushion aside to get to him.

Hearing her scream, two officers ran inside and scanned the room. "What happened?"

Putting his gun away Logan said, "That's what I'd like to know. Who was on duty? Look at this place. They had access to this place for quite a while to make this much of a mess. How did this happen?" He knelt beside McKenzie and petted Edger.

She pointed to the syringe. "They must have used that. We need to see if they can get prints off it." Logan went into the den and returned with a glove which she carefully used to remove the syringe." She reached over and set it on a chair. "I'll wait and give it to Bill. I know he'll be here soon." Then she tilted her head. "Where's Arlo?"

One of the officers followed the sounds of scratching and whining to the laundry room door. "In here."

The barking Dachshund ran up to her.

She petted him. "I'm sorry they did that to you." Her eyes met Logan's. "They tranquilized Edger, didn't they?" After he nodded, she continued, "Will he be all right?"

"I don't know. Do veterinarians work on Sunday? He probably needs one."

"None that I know of."

Logan took out his phone. "I have an idea." He made a phone call. After he put the phone away, he said, "Simon's on his way."

"Does he know anything about dogs?"

"I have no idea. This brute is as large as some people. Any better idea?"

Shaking her head, tears rolled down her cheeks. She laid her head on Edger's side. "He's breathing, but it's shallow."

Bill and Joanie rushed in. Bill asked, "What happened?"

Logan stood. "That's what we'd like to know. I thought there was a police detail watching this place." He released a deep breath. "I'd say somebody broke in and was searching for something. We haven't had a chance to check to see what's missing. Edger's in pretty bad shape. I have a friend coming to see if he can help." He pointed to the syringe setting on the chair. "When you leave, take that with you. It's the syringe we found in Edger."

Joanie knelt beside McKenzie and put her arm around her. "He'll be fine. He's strong and healthy."

It wasn't long before Simon entered carrying his black bag. He hugged McKenzie and then asked her to move aside so he could get close to the furry patient. "I need somebody to research vital signs for Rottweilers. It's not something I have memorized."

Joanie took out her cell phone. "I'm on it."

McKenzie picked up a couch cushion from the floor. "They sure made a mess in here." She set it in it's place and sat. Her head was in her hands.

Logan added an additional cushion and sat beside her. "Where do you think all these files and papers came from?'' When she shrugged, he took her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "He'll be fine. I know it."

Joanie and Simon repeated numbers back and forth. Bill talked with the police detail about how this happened and how they were going to ensure it wouldn't happen again. He also assigned someone to take crime scene photos of the entire apartment. Logan continued to comfort McKenzie. Arlo lay beside his large buddy, his head resting on Edger's front paw.

Simon handed McKenzie a vial of blood. "Keep this in the fridge, take it to your vet tomorrow, and see what Edger was given. If I take the sample to my lab, we could get a reading but a vet would give a more accurate one."

After she nodded, he continued, "I think he'll be fine, but I can't be sure. I've never worked on a dog before. His heart sounds strong. His breathing is weak, but that's probably due to the tranquilizer. I'd say watch him through the night." He paused. "There are a few emergency vet clinics around the city. We could help you lift him and take him in."

Bill knelt to McKenzie's level. "What do you want to do? I know emergency vets are expensive. Don't worry about the cost. I'll cover it."

McKenzie studied her large dog lying on the floor. When his front paw twitched, she looked at Simon, who said, "That's a good thing."

She glanced at Logan, and he added, "We can keep him here. If he shows signs of getting worse, we'll take him in."

"How will we know if he gets worse?"

Simon held out his stethoscope. "I'm staying and checking on him every twenty to thirty minutes. More often if his symptoms worsen." He nodded at Logan. "Buddy, you'd better make a large pot of coffee."

Logan stood. "I'm on it."

Joanie sat beside McKenzie. "I'm here if you need me."

"There's no reason for you and Bill to stay. Somebody should get some sleep."

Bill petted the dog. "Mac, I remember when this guy was a puppy. He was a bag of bones. Joanie and I were here celebrating your birthday when your parents gave him to you."

"I remember that. I got him for my twenty-fifth birthday." She glanced toward Logan and got up. She walked over to him and waited until he poured water into the coffee maker.

He turned and their eyes met. He drew her into a hug and directed her head to his chest. "I'm here."

She cuddled in.

Later that night, everybody sat around the table and drank coffee. Edger remained stable and his paws twitched once in a while.

The night drew longer, talk quieted as people continued with their own thoughts. Joanie sat straighter and glanced around. "Where's Mac?"

Logan stood and pointed. "She's with Edger." As she slept beside her buddy, her hand rested on his side. Logan took an afghan and covered her.

Bill stood beside Logan and placed his hand on his shoulder. "When her parents died, she withdrew from everybody. Her only friends were the dogs. She felt she was all alone. It took a long time before she let Joanie and me in. She's still guarded, even with us." His eyes met Logan's. "She seems to trust you."

"At times she does. She'll let her guard down briefly, then that wall returns."







Characters:

McKenzie 'Mac' Morgan a 27 year old private investigator
Major Logan Nelson 34 years old and an active duty soldier
Arlo McKenzie's black and tan dachshund
Megan Nelson Logan's younger sister - murdered
The Lou local name for St. Louis
Simon Knight and Sheila Logan's former Army buddy and a Lab technician. Sheila's his wife.
Fan name for the St. Louis Cardinals - a major league
baseball team.
Yadi What Cardinal fans call Yadier Molina - Cardinal's all-star catcher.
Edger McKenzie's black and tan rottweiler
George Whitney A former boyfriend of Megan, early suspect in her murger.
John Benson Man who murdered McKenzie's parents
Bill Abbot A D.A and McKenzie's God-Father; he was a high-
school friend of McKenzie's father. Joanie is his wife.
Jose Lopez his wife is Lucy Chicago Police Department undercover police
department.
Kate Hartford Megan Nelson's friend they taught middle school
together.
Donny Carlton A man Megan Nelson dated.
Mitch Gardner St. Louis Police Department detective who has
partnered with McKenzie's dad.
Ivan Smart A bad guy
Peter and Nancy Nelson Logan's parents
Sidney Parks works for the St. Louis Police Detective with the drug unit.
Mack and Helen Morgan McKenzie's parents - both deceased
Gus Piper McKenzie's abusive grandfather - deceased
Austin Bryant an old boyfriend - McKenzie broke up with him because he's a jerk.
Joshua Davis so far a nobody, but is a neighbor to Donny Carlton
Mark Young an acquaintance of McKenzie, a state trooper, and will become important much late