Free Rottweiler Rescue by Ellen O'Connell Page A

closer and not got the job done.”
    “No, but he was scared of the dogs.”
    “From what I hear any normal human being would have been scared of those dogs. I stopped in Parker and read some of the witness statements.”
    Forrester himself showed absolutely no sign of being bothered by the dogs. At that moment, Millie had her head on his thigh, as close to purring as a Rottweiler can get, as he massaged her ears. I got up and pulled out the coffee cake I’d bought the night before, cut two slices and put a plate on the table for each of us, ignoring Forrester’s protest.
    “You don’t have to eat it, but I’m hungry,” I told him, sitting back down and starting on my breakfast. After savoring the first buttery, cinnamon-laden bite, I went back to the subject at hand. “He could have just killed me the minute he saw the dogs and still beat them to his van. He made it way ahead of Sophie. The thing is, he shouldn’t have been that scared. He should be a dog person. He has to be.”
    Forrester just cocked his head at me and waited.
    “It’s been weeks and there’s been no sign that he was worried about me. He knows I only saw his eyes. Then I went to a dog show I wouldn’t usually go to. Everyone there made me tell all about what happened and what I saw over and over. And I heard this one woman exaggerating what I said wildly, making it sound like I might be able to identify the killer. So in about the amount of time it would take someone to decide what to do and plan how to do it.... Well, there he was.”
    “So you think it’s someone who was at that show.”
    “Or even someone who wasn’t at the show but who heard about it from someone who was. The loudmouth I heard exaggerating probably wasn’t the only one who did it, but why would he care? Why would he do anything? He knows I can’t identify him. If he sits tight, he’s safe. If he comes after me, he might get caught.”
    “You’re thinking rationally. If he was rational, he wouldn’t have killed Sheffield.”
    “Maybe so.” I got up and refilled our coffee mugs, needing the activity to hide my reaction to his words. My mental picture of the killer as vicious was bad enough. Adding crazy to that picture made my hand tremble slightly as I poured the coffee.
    Sympathy was clear on the lieutenant’s face, and I didn’t like it. “You haven’t made any progress in your investigation, have you?” I said.
    “We have leads we’re pursuing. We’ve eliminated a few suspects. Warmstead has witnesses. He was out of town.”
    “Did he really agree to Jack having a dog in the house?”
    “No, you were right about that. He thinks Sheffield was doing it to push him out and keep the house. They bought it together, but they weren’t getting along, and Warmstead admits they were both maneuvering for the best position asset-wise. He says he wouldn’t have let that dog set foot in the house and would have had a fit about it in the yard.”
    “He,” I said.
    “Yes, he, that’s what I said,” Forrester repeated, puzzled.
    “Not he Carl, he Robo. Robo may be neutered, but your sex is in every cell of your body. He’s a he, not an it.”
    “Uh huh.” Forrester didn’t quite roll his eyes.
    “If a dog like Robo was in the house when he got back from that trip, would he have been able to do anything about it other than move out?” I asked.
    “To hear him tell it he’d have grabbed Sheffield and the dog by the scruffs of their respective necks and thrown them both out in the street.” Forrester actually smiled at me as he said this. Then he sobered. “So you think we’re looking for a dog person who’s afraid of dogs, or strange dogs.”
    “That’s the hard part,” I said. “I’ve been thinking about it all morning. All I can come up with is that it could be someone who has a different breed and is afraid of big dogs or afraid of Rottweilers. You get that, people who love one breed, but they have a problem with another. Jack showed dogs of