Chapter 14

“It’s okay, kid. I ain’t mad at you.” He poured some kibble into the dog’s new dish and added a few scraps he trimmed off the pork steaks he’d started to slice into fajita-sized strips. 5

Perry got out of the SUV, called Badger, and stomped into Dot’s. She looked up as the door banged shut behind him.

“Your partner just left ‘bout fifteen minutes ago. Said he was goin’ to go cook something up for you.”

It was unlike Perry to be either depressed or disgruntled, but this evening he was both. Just about anything anyone could say right now would hit him wrong.

“Only partner I got is four-legged and right behind me. Last I checked, she don’t cook.”

Dot shot a quizzical glance his way. “Oh-kay, whatever you say. Want some coffee?”