Chapter 2
"Please, both of you, calm down," I said. "Ms. Carter, even if you want Sunny to get spayed, we have to do a full pre-op checkup first. That's standard procedure."
I turned to Daniel.
"Mr. Carter, I need to make sure Sunny's healthy enough for surgery. Or if there are any marks or signs of... what you described as 'abuse,'" I said.
Emily glanced at me and nodded.
Daniel's face twisted with anger as he jabbed a finger at me. "A checkup? Why are you even talking about rules with her? Dr. Ford, I respect you as a professional, but don't get it twisted!"
He stepped in close, dropping his voice so only I could hear. "I'll pay you double. Just work with me here. Take the dog away. Just say it's way too stressed out to be around its owner."
Money.
Always about money.
I could feel my anger flare up. "My job is to treat animals."
"Oh, great. Aren't you something!" Daniel let out a bitter laugh, stepping back and jabbing a finger at Emily, his voice rising with venom. "Fine, let's do the checkup. I can't wait to see what kind of tricks you try to pull.
"Emily, let me tell you. Just because my brother's gone, don't think you get to run the Carter family. That dog was bought by my brother, so it belongs to us."
Emily finally responded. "Is that so?"
Daniel was clearly pissed, but he couldn't come up with a comeback. He just shot Emily a venomous glare.
"Fine, let's do the checkup. I can't wait to see what kind of tricks you try to pull!" Daniel snapped.
The two of them erupted into another shouting match right outside my clinic, and in the end, they both left in a huff, neither willing to back down.
At last, some peace and quiet around here.
I closed the clinic door and looked at Sunny, the golden retriever.
He was lying on the floor, looking utterly dejected. His big eyes stayed fixed on the door, and soft whimpers escaped his throat.
He came over and pressed his head against my hand, his warm breath tickling the back of it.
His clear eyes brimmed with sorrow and dependence.
He didn't understand any of it, yet he'd been swept up into this messy human conflict.
It was late, and after sending my assistant home, I stayed behind at the clinic to give Sunny a thorough checkup.
While trimming the fur on his left hind leg, my fingers found a strange lump at the joint.
Beneath the skin, I could feel the shape of something long and solid.
As an experienced vet, I immediately had a suspicion.
I gave the lump a gentle press.
Sunny, who'd been so calm just a moment ago, suddenly yelped in pain, jerking his leg away and shooting me a wary look.
It was a metal plate, surgically implanted.
I only saw that kind of thing after a bad break or some serious trauma. It was used to keep the bones in place.
Out of nowhere, my phone started ringing. It was Daniel.
I hesitated for a moment, but answered anyway.
"Hello, Dr. Ford? Sorry to bother you so late," Daniel said, sounding polite and calm, totally different from the furious guy at the clinic earlier.
He continued, "I just wanted to talk about Sunny's condition. Don't let my sister-in-law trick you. She's hurt Sunny more than once.
"That left hind leg? She messed it up so badly that Sunny was almost crippled. My brother felt sorry for her and secretly took her to the vet to get it fixed. There's a metal plate in there now."
Left hind leg.
Right where I'd just found that metal plate.
Could Daniel really be telling the truth?
Was Emily's cold, sorrowful look just an act?
A woman who could break a dog's leg with her own hands...
"Alright, Mr. Carter, I understand. I'll keep that in mind," I said, trying to sound calm as I hung up, but my palms were clammy with cold sweat.
A chill ran down my spine, like someone was watching me.
I walked up to the clinic door, checking the ground outside under the yellowish glow of the streetlight.
At the bottom of the steps, I spotted a cigarette butt.
It was all squashed and bent out of shape, but I could tell it wasn't one I knew.
My assistant didn't smoke, and I definitely didn't.
This wasn't ours. Someone else had left it here.
My heart dropped. I rushed back into the clinic and pulled up the surveillance feed from the front door camera.
On the screen, I watched myself seeing my assistant off and locking up for the night.
Then, a black sedan rolled up quietly and parked across the street from my clinic.
I knew that car. It was the same one Daniel had driven earlier today.
The footage showed that the car just sat out front for a solid three hours.
It only drove off right when I picked up Daniel's call.
I grabbed my phone and texted Emily: [Sunny's case might be trickier than you thought. Let's talk at the clinic tomorrow.]