Chapter 1

1

Las Cruces, New Mexico

August 12, 4:30 P.M.

Jake Rasmussen stuck his key into the lock and gave it a twist. The battered door swung inward, releasing a welcome blast of cool air and a rocket-propelled bundle of fuzzy energy. Snick—formally known as Schnickelfritz Schnauzerstein—damn near ran up one side of his master and down the other.

“Awright, ya little shitbird. You’re glad to see me. That’s cool. I’m glad to see you too, but you’ve got too fuckin’ much enthusiasm. Gimme a minute, will ya? After I have a beer, we’ll go to the dog park. Promise.”

The Miniature Schnauzer wove between Jake’s legs and twisted in dizzy circles around him as he made his way across the stamp-sized living room of his apartment to the kitchen alcove, jerked open the fridge door, and pulled out a brown bottle. That first cold swig was pure heaven after long hours at work in the Las Cruces August steam. The monsoon season was in full swing and a dry heat it was not. A passing shower had just made the air feel more like a sauna.

Jake set the beer on the dinette table and dug a rumpled bandana from a pocket of his jeans to wipe the runnels of sweat off his face. Something about coming in to a cooler place and taking a few cold swallows really got it running. With a little luck, he could postpone Snick’s afternoon expedition for half an hour or so. Not that it would be much cooler, but every little bit helped.

He ambled back to the living room and flopped into the comfort of his worn recliner. “Can we watch the five-o’clock news first, buddy?”

The dog seemed to consider this for a moment, then hopped up to perch on Jake’s knees. The man reached for the remote, then remembered he’d left his beer in the kitchen.

Aw, shit. Well, it won’t get too warm for a few minutes. I ought to teach this mutt to fetch. Ha, first I’d have to be smarter than the dog. For the half-Greek son of a Swedish sailor, who barely got through high school, that might not be possible.Jake punctuated the thought with a wry chuckle. If Snick was an example, Schnauzers were damn smart dogs.

Snick was charcoal gray, and the bristly hair around his face gave him an old-man look that his bright eyes and abundant energy belied. Jake had just happened to see the notice from the local animal shelter—too many dogs meant some of them would have to go soon, either by adoption or by being put to sleep. Although he’d loved dogs as a kid, his mom had refused to allow one, citing the family’s frequent moves. His construction work still kept him moving often, yet he thought he could fit a smaller dog into his life. After all, he’d always gotten along with his friend’s dogs, often even better than they did.

Snick, the shelter people told him, had been a puppy mill stud for the first few years of his life. Taken in a raid along with a bunch of others, he was just a tad past the cute puppy stage that appealed to many seeking a pet. He was also a bit cantankerous at times, but had improved with some socializing by the shelter staff in the weeks he’d been housed there. Despite the dog’s shortcomings, Jake took to the feisty little guy at once and brought him home the next day. Actually, they were a pretty good match—two loners with some bad baggage from the past and a well-hidden need to have someone to care for. They’d been together over a year now. So far it worked

At five-thirty Jake left the comfort of his recliner with some reluctance, snapped the leash onto Snick’s collar, and headed down the street two blocks to the nearest park, a dog-friendly one with a fenced area where canine citizens could frolic off leash safe from traffic, while other park visitors were safe from them.

Before they got there, Snick was all but walking on air. He knew this drill well. Freedom! Frolic! Fun! Things to sniff and a hundred spots to pee on, maybe some other dogs he could growl at or wrestle with. The place was sheer paradise from a dog’s point of view.

Once inside the gate, Jake removed the leash. Not a second later, Snick took off at a dead run, so fast he was just a gray blur. Jake shook his head as he wandered to a shaded bench to sit down. If only I had a tenth of that damn dog’s energy…This new job promised to be a real challenge. Normally he liked challenges, but sometimes they mushroomed to gigantic proportions, and this looked like it’d be one of them, especially since it was his first as team leader for the electricians.