Free Blood Orchids by Toby Neal

stalker will think twice about coming by on foot while I’m home,” she said out loud, flinging off the sleep mask. Keiki raised her head to look at her from the foot of the bed. Lei rocked herself some more, but for once it brought no comfort as she thought of the stark terror in her neighbor’s face, the outrage of the woman’s husband, the trembling little white dog they’d found two blocks away.
    I wonder if he was watching? If so he must be laughing his ass off, she thought, and squeezed her eyes shut again.
    Her cell phone bleeped from the side table and she looked at the caller ID before she answered it.
    “Pono. Hey.”
    “Called in sick, huh?”
    “I don’t feel so good,” she said.
    “You’re the owner of one sick puppy, that’s for sure.” He chuckled, but there was an angry edge to it.
    “Very funny. What did you hear?”
    “You and your dog were running around the neighborhood, out for vigilante justice, scaring old ladies out of their wits and waving a gun around. The husband is trying to press charges on you for attempted assault with a deadly weapon and terroristic threatening.”
    “What? The worst I did is disturb the peace!”
    “The dog. Says she’s a deadly assault weapon and you knowingly unleashed her. She was the one doing the terroristic threatening.”
    “Oh my God.” Lei sat up. “I know Keiki scared the crap out of them, but she wouldn’t have attacked.”
    “You say that and, frankly, you’re the only one who believes it. Anyway you shouldn’t have run out there alone with your gun and your dog, Lei! What were you thinking?” His volume was steadily increasing. “You should have had backup. Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve come and helped you!”
    She put her hand over her face. Tears rushed up and stung her eyes like a thousand tiny bees. She tried to control her voice.
    “I just wanted to get him. I’m not going to be a victim again! I didn’t want to let him scare me.”
    “I’m the one scared. And your neighbors . . .” She heard him breathing hard, trying to get control.
    “I’ll call for backup next time,” she said in a small voice. Keiki belly-crawled across the fluffy duvet and licked the tears off her face.
    “I hear that damn dog slurping. Hope she doesn’t get put down.”
    Lei clutched Keiki’s neck as fresh tears welled. The enormity of the trouble she was in hit her and she let out a sob.
    “Oh, God,” Pono exclaimed in a tone of horror. “Are you crying?”
    “They can’t take my dog!”
    “They probably won’t, but only because she didn’t actually bite anyone. I’m just saying, if she’s being seen as a dangerous weapon in the hands of a reckless police officer . . . it’s not good.”
    “I know.” Lei wiped her face on Keiki’s ruff.
    “Did you give them the note?” he asked. She heard the clicking of his keyboard.
    “I did. They said they’d investigate, but what is there to investigate? That’s what I was doing last night!” Her voice ended in a cry of frustration.
    “Okay, yeah. Ross and Nagata entered the note into evidence and they must have seen you had an open case started. I hope that helps, that you were following protocol about that at least.”
    “I can’t believe things got this out of control. If only I hadn’t taken the leash off her . . .”
    “That’s another thing. I think you should stick to the story that you went outside investigating, and she got away from you.”
    Lei battled with herself. It was pride in her well-trained dog that was taking the worst beating: Keiki would never run away from her and go after someone. It was disloyal to say otherwise. It just wasn’t the truth.
    “No,” she said. “I took a risk letting her off the leash. I knew she could find him if he was out there, but that she would confront anyone she found. I shouldn’t have taken that risk.”
    “It’s your ass,” he said. She could tell he was still mad, and they sat there in silence. “I’ll go talk to