Page 13 of Chasing Justice

“Juniper.”

“Excuse me?”

“Juniper, the dog’s name is Juniper.”

“Ah yes. Well, please come see Juniper tomorrow. I think it would be good, especially for these high-strung breeds. They need some consistency, and waking up in a vet clinic might put her on edge.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it. Thanks, doc.” Maya hung up. She didn’t want to see Juniper. She just needed to make sure Juniper was okay. That was all.

Maya strode back inside. The fluorescent lights seemed harsh after being outside in the dark. Several more deputies and friends of Doug’s had shown up. The sound of the coffee machine drowned out some of the conversations.

Several of the men, including Pops, turned toward her with expectant gazes. Maya filled them in on what the vet said. She was interrupted by a doctor coming into the ER. He wore blue scrubs and the surgical hat over his head accentuated his tired face.

“You all here for Officer Doug Leyton?”

“Yes,” Maya’s grandfather answered.

“Are you family?”

“Yes.”

The doctor shrugged and sat down. “Mr. Leyton came in with a lot of trauma and internal bleeding. We were unable to get the bleeding stopped. I’m sorry. He passed away.”

Dizziness swept Maya’s body.

She grabbed the back of a chair to steady herself.

Josh moved closer to her, but she shot him a look and he stopped. She didn’t need help, just a moment to gather herself. Sadness turned to anger, and Maya clutched the chair harder. He couldn’t be gone.

Her best friend.

Her only friend.

Maya’s knuckles began to ache as her fingers dug into the back cushion. She strode over to the vending machine. Without thinking, she made a fist, pulled back her arm and punched the machine as hard as she could.

“No, no, no” came out of her mouth, but the sound seemed distant. Like it wasn’t coming from her.

All she’d succeeded in doing was leaving a small dent, while her knuckles hurt like hell. People in the waiting area stared at her.

A hand grazed her elbow, and Maya turned to see Josh. He had ignored her moment of anger against the vending machine and braved coming over. “You need to rest. Why don’t I take you home?”

“I can drive myself.”

“Take your grief outside, Maya,” Pops said. Maya hadn’t noticed that he had joined them.

With Josh and her grandfather flanking her, she strode outside as anger and grief churned up inside her like a brewing storm.

“You’re making a scene,” her grandfather said.

“I thought you’d be more worried about Doug and less about your granddaughter embarrassing you,” Maya said.

“I’m just as upset as you. He was like a son to me. But I’m handling this like an adult.”

“And I’m not?” Maya started pacing, knowing that she wasn’t being reasonable, but unable to stop herself. “I’m going to figure out who did this and make them pay.”

“Be careful what you say,” her grandfather said.

“I am being careful, and I will figure out who did this. End of story. I’m heading home now.”