Wild Country (The World of the Others #2)- Anne Bishop Page 0,103
seemed overly eager to get inside the office this morning.
Crouching, Jana held out her hand. “Rusty? Come on, girl. It’s okay. Come on out. Quick walk.”
Rusty came to her but balked at the office door. Should she let the dog stay or insist on being obeyed?
“Come on, girl.” She really needed a dog-training book. Or a book on human-dog relationships. Virgil could interpret dog, but she didn’t want to ask him about Rusty’s behavior since it would prove she knew less than he did and that would give him more reason to ignore what she thought about Rusty’s education.
The dog came with her but didn’t do her usual pulling on the leash to explore as much as possible. Instead, the only pulling was attempted dashes back to the sheriff’s office. And when the pup wasn’t trying to go back to the office, she was pressed so close to Jana’s leg that Jana had to watch each step to avoid stepping on Rusty’s feet.
As they came out on the other side of the square, Jana spotted Isobel Sanguinati outside the post office.
“Morning!” Jana called.
Isobel turned—and Jana jerked back a step. The Sanguinati who were in charge of Bennett had originally lived in Toland, an East Coast city that had been one of the largest human-controlled cities on the whole continent. They always sounded so educated and looked so sleek in their black clothes, it was easy to forget they weren’t some high-society family who had made their fortune in banking and investments; they were predators. They were a form of terra indigene.
Looking at Isobel now, Jana knew she wouldn’t forget it again.
Isobel smiled, carefully not showing even a hint of fang. “Your dog is nervous.”
“Yes. We usually take a walk in the morning, but I think I should put her in her crate for a while.”
“It would be harder for an enemy to reach her if she was in a larger cell.” Isobel held out a hand. “You have mail? I will take it.”
“Thanks.” Jana hesitated a moment before stepping forward and giving Isobel the letter. “Why do you think Rusty needs a larger cell? What’s going on?”
“Perhaps nothing. Perhaps a fight.” Isobel walked into the post office.
Oh gods. Who’s fighting? Forcing herself to steady her breathing, Jana looked around. An Eagle perched on one of the new hitching posts, watching her. Hawks soared overhead. Ravens or Crows flew from one tree in the square to the next, but they were silent. Whatever communication was being shared, it wasn’t vocalized.
A little ways down the street, Jana noticed Becky Gott taking her morning constitutional. Hannah and Sarah Gott had taken over two of the alleyway stores for their used-clothing business, and Becky had the job of sorting buttons taken from clothes her aunts deemed fit to be rags or quilting squares, filling glass containers with different colors. But every morning Becky took a walk around the square, waving at people as they opened their stores. Eventually her brother, Jacob, would fetch her and guide her back to the Gotts’ store.
Today, with Rusty whining and Isobel Sanguinati’s comment about a fight still circling in her head, seeing Becky on her own gave Jana a chill.
“Deputy? Morning, Jana!”
Jana worked up a smile as Craig and Dawn Werner, the new land agents, hurried toward her. In their mid-twenties and married just before the war that swept over the continent earlier that summer, they had had the misfortune of losing their jobs a couple of days before the wedding. With some cash from friends and family, they had packed their belongings into two large backpacks and headed out to see some of Thaisia. Then the Elders closed the borders between the regions, making travel difficult if a person didn’t have a work permit. Caught on the wrong side of the border and unable to return to the West Coast town where they had grown up, they had scrambled for food and shelter and safety until they managed to convince someone that they were heading for jobs in Bennett and bought tickets on a bus that covered travel between towns not serviced by the trains.
“Morning. Who is this?” Jana asked, looking at the black-and-white puppy.
“We just got him yesterday and haven’t settled on a name,” Dawn said. “We’re not even sure what breed he is, but we’re hoping he doesn’t get too big.”
Studying the puppy, Jana thought Dawn should hope a lot harder.
When both puppies started whimpering, Jana figured she’d delayed long enough. “I have to—”