The
Vet Series
Part 3
A
Doggone Good Time
Sequel to "Second Encounter"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday
The rest of the week was hectic as usual, but somehow they managed to get through it and would apparently have the weekend free. Blair had been very careful to make sure all the paperwork was done for each case. He was determined to help Jim keep his promise to Jenny.
So, as the last file was placed in Simon's in-box, the partners headed out the door to go home.
Jim glanced at his watch. "Damn! I meant to call Jenny before she left today." He rubbed a hand over his eyes. It had been a very long day and Jim was exhausted.
"Why don't you let me drive, Jim? You looked wiped. We can leave your truck here and you can ride in with me Monday." Blair held his breath, waiting for Jim to refuse and was a little surprised when Jim answered.
"Thanks, Chief," Jim said wearily.
They climbed into Blair's 4x4 and Jim leaned his head back against the headrest. They'd barely gotten out of the parking lot before Blair heard his gentle snores. The Guide smiled and turned on the radio as he settled in for the drive.
~~~~~~~~~~
Jim jerked awake. "Huh?" He sat up, trying to clear the cobwebs. "Where are we?" Surely they should have reached the loft by now.
"We should be reaching our destination in about an hour," Blair replied helpfully.
"I thought we were going home, Sandburg," Jim growled.
Blair smiled and shrugged. "I thought, since we had a free weekend, we could take a little trip."
"Without any clothes, or other necessities?" Jim asked, watching his friend suspiciously.
"Naw, Jim, I packed us some things for the weekend. They're in the back seat."
Ellison sighed, his partner obviously was not going to volunteer the information. "So, where exactly are we going, Chief?"
"I thought we'd go watch Jenny and Dreamer."
Jim stared at Blair, not knowing what to say. He wasn't sure if he should be angry or grateful for the interference. So, he opted to not say anything for the moment. The older man turned and looked out the window.
Blair glanced at Jim, not sure what to make of the silence. He'd expected an argument, or at least a false protestation. Quiet he hadn't reckoned with. "Uh, Jim? Are you mad at me?"
"I was just trying to decide what I'm feeling, Blair," Jim answered after a short pause.
"Oh."
Jim ran a hand through his hair, trying to collect his thoughts. "This whole thing is a little overwhelming."
Blair bit his tongue to keep from saying anything. If he could just give Jim a little space, he might get more from his friend.
Jim didn't disappoint him. "I can't stop thinking about her. And it's not just pheremones," he said defensively glancing at Blair.
His friend wisely made no comment.
"You were right, you know? I don't know her, but I want to. I want to know
everything about her." Jim closed his mouth on the words that seemed to
want to pour out. It wasn't that he couldn't trust Blair, but he felt
uncomfortable voicing his feelings. And somehow, saying what he felt made it
impossible to deny the emotions.
"I think she feels the same way, Jim," Blair said softly when it appeared the older man had run out of words. He caught the quick movement of Jim's head jerking to look at him out of the corner of his eye and bit back a chuckle.
"You think so?" came the hopeful question.
"Why do you think I kidnapped you, buddy? Couldn't let you pass up a good thing." Blair reached over and squeezed his partner's shoulder before returning his hand to the steering wheel.
"Yeah, well, thanks." Jim grinned. "Are we gonna stop and get something to eat? I'm famished."
Blair smiled. "Yeah, I figured we'd check into the hotel and then grab a late dinner. I downloaded the directions to the tournament from the flyball website. You would not believe how early they start the racing, man." Blair shook his head, bemused. "But, I think we can sleep in and get over there around 10am and still see quite a bit of racing."
Jim chuckled. Trust his Guide to look out for his welfare in all matters. Even those of the heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Rise and shine, Chief," Jim said flipping the covers back off of his Guide.
"Jim! It's cold," Blair complained, trying to grab the blankets and cover his head with the pillow at the same time. "What time is it anyway?" He peeked out and groaned. "7 o'clock? Jim, I told you we didn't have to be there until later!"
"Sorry, Chief, I couldn't sleep."
"I wasn’t having any problems."
Jim grinned wickedly. "But you're my partner, I thought you'd want to keep me company."
"Think again, Ellison," Blair grumbled. He dragged himself out of bed, vaguely noticing that Jim was already showered and dressed and drinking coffee. That could only mean that he'd gone out earlier. Earlier than 7 am!
"There's coffee and a Danish for you," Jim said by way of apology.
Blair mumbled something and stumbled into the bathroom. About fifteen minutes later he came out, a towel wrapped around his waist and another around his head. He spared a brief glare for his partner, drank the coffee and ate the Danish before he disappeared back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.
Jim shook his head and nursed his second cup of coffee. Blair couldn't complain too much, since this trip had been his idea. Ellison had not been sure about any of it last night, but when he woke at 5:30 this morning, he'd been eager to see Jenny.
They finally headed out about 8 am. Blair handed Jim the directions to the Barkley Dog Training Center and drove while his partner navigated. He pulled into the parking area and found a nice shady spot to park his 4x4.
As they stepped out of the truck, Blair could easily hear the frantic barking from inside the building. "You should probably turn down your hearing, Jim. And maybe smell too."
Jim nodded in agreement and complied. They saw people walking their dogs on the lawn in front of the building. Some had the same color and style of shirts, team shirts it seemed. The dogs included Border collies, Jack Russell Terriers, a Schnauzer, several Labs and a couple of mix breeds. The people were focused, but friendly.
"I wonder how many dogs are here?" Jim asked rhetorically.
Blair of course had an answer of sorts. "Well, what I found on the web said the team consists of 4 to 6 dogs. There were 38 teams registered for this tournament, so somewhere around 200, give or take."
Jim chuckled and held the door open for his partner. The noise increased tenfold inside the building. The racing area was set up to the left of the entrance. Rubber mats were laid out over an area about 150 feet long and about 36 feet wide.
Four wooden gates were lined up ten feet apart in two lanes that ran parallel about 12 feet apart. At the end closest to the entrance by the first gate was a racing light tree, red, yellow, yellow and green. At the opposite end of the lanes were two boxes with rubber padded fronts and holes. A person stood behind each box and loaded a tennis ball into the holes. The open area on this side of the starting lights was filled with people and dogs in a sort of chaotic jumble.
As Jim and Blair watched the next race began. A man in a striped referee shirt stood in front of the light tree. He triggered the lights and as they changed two dog handlers in the open area of the racing lane released their dogs. Two dogs, one in each lane raced for the gates in front of them. As the second yellow light turned green, both dogs crossed the line, one slightly behind the other.
The dogs seemed to fly over the gates in their own lane, they hit the boxes at the end, capturing the tennis ball, then pushed off the box and raced back over the gates. The people behind the boxes loaded another tennis ball. As those two dogs returned, another handler in each lane released a dog. Blair gasped as it seemed the dogs would collide, but they passed each other just this side of the light tree and the race continued.
A third and then a fourth dog was released by each team, and then the race
was over. The team in purple was declared the winner. Jim and Blair shared a
wondering smile, which Blair turned into an exclamation of surprise as the same
teams set up to run again. In less than twenty seconds, the second race was
finished and again the purple team won, although only by a few hundredths of a
second. Now the teams were really wound up. The barking was almost painful to
non-sentinel ears. As the two teams waited for the referee to
start the race, the dogs barked at each other and their handlers, seeming to
egg each other on. Let's race, let's race!
The third race was over just as quickly and the purple team won again. This time, the two teams collected their dogs, shook hands and left the racing area. As they left, two more teams entered.
"Wow!" Blair said, grinning broadly. "That was intense." He looked up at Jim to make sure he was handling the noise okay.
Jim was relaxed and returned his grin easily. "Sometimes I have the advantage," he said wryly, tapping his ear. Blair's grin widened. "I wonder where Jenny is?" Jim scanned the rest of the building. Part of it was hidden by partitions, but it appeared that might be where Jenny's team was. He could see several other teams set up beyond the partition in cordoned off areas with crates for their dogs, chairs, tables and their team banners.
Blair nudged Jim's arm. "Hey, that's Jenny's team up now." Jim swung back in time to see the first dogs take off. Jenny was squatting down in the lane beside Dreamer, talking to the dog.
Jim listened. "Okay, there goes Echo, there she goes, are you ready? Here goes Chili, after Chili, get ready, here we go," she continued a monologue, then after the second dog went, she moved Dreamer into a straight path behind the gate. "Readeeeee, Seeeeet, GO!" she said, releasing Dreamer and running behind the dog up to the light tree. As Dreamer reached the box and caught the tennis ball, Jenny yelled, "Dreamer!" Then turned and ran back as the fourth dog was released.
Dreamer raced back to Jenny, dropping the ball just as she reached her handler. Jenny praised the little dog and gave her several tidbits from the fanny pack she wore. "What a good girl, you did so good, such a good puppy," Jenny said excitedly. Dreamer was bouncing and wagging her tail, watching her owner closely and accepting the treats offered. Once the fourth dogs crossed the starting line, everyone moved back into position for the next race. Jenny's team had finished just behind the other one.
As the first dogs crossed the start line for the second race, the judge whistled and raised his hands to stop the race. Both teams set back up and they started over.
"What happened?" Blair asked.
Jim shrugged. "The red light came on."
This time the race progressed as normal and Jenny's team won. The third race started and this time a dog on the other team dropped its ball down by the box. The referee raised a flag on that side, but the race continued. Jim noticed that everyone on Jenny's team seemed to relax just a bit. The dogs were released a little later so they weren't passing quite as close as before. Jenny's team won, the ref called "No finish" for the other team.
The fourth race was a bit more confusing. The second dog on Jenny's team passed very close to the first dog. The red light came on and the judge flagged Jenny's team. Then one of the dogs from the other team dropped its ball, but picked it up and headed back only it didn't go over the gate closest to the box. As the fourth dog from each team was heading back from the box, the second dog on Jenny's team and the dog that had dropped its ball from the other team, were both sent back down to their boxes. Everyone was yelling, encouraging the dogs and Jenny's teammate broke over the starting line just in front of the other dog.
The ref called the win and the two teams put leashes on their dogs and moved to shake hands then exit the racing area.
Jenny was flushed with excitement and smiling broadly as she exited the ring. She spoke to Dreamer, praising her as they walked. The dog's eyes were riveted on Jenny as she pranced beside her.
Jim and Blair moved to intercept Jenny as the next teams entered the racing area. Jenny looked up at that moment and saw Jim. Her smile widened, lighting her eyes. She took a few quick double steps to close the gap and threw her arms around Jim. He caught her and returned the embrace, surprised by how good she felt.
"Did you see the race?" she asked breathlessly. Jenny backed out of the hug to see Jim's face.
"Yeah. That was something," Jim replied smiling. Dreamer jumped up resting her front paws on his leg. "Well hey there, did you enjoy that?" Jim asked the dog, kneeling to give her a good scrub. Dreamer barked and wiggled in delight.
Jenny laughed, turning to acknowledge Blair. She grasped his arm briefly. "I'm so glad you guys came." Her sincerity showed in her smile. "Come on, I need to get her a drink and I want to introduce you to my friends." Jenny tilted her head toward the partition and caught Jim's arm pulling him up, then led them to the other side of the building.
"I can't believe how fast they are," Blair said as they walked. "That was more exciting than a horse race. Don't tell Simon I said that, Jim."
Jim grinned, then answered Jenny's questioning look. "Our Captain is part owner of a race horse."
"Ah," Jenny replied. "Too expensive for my blood. And I prefer the teamwork involved in Flyball."
"Now I know why they call it Flyball," Blair stated. "I would swear some of those dogs hardly touched the ground."
Jenny grinned and nodded. She stopped in front of the small area under a red, white and black banner that said "Paws of Lightning." Her other teammates were there in matching white, red and black shirts with a red lightning bolt pattern down the front. They were talking while tending to the dogs that had been running. Other dogs sat or lay in assorted kennels lining the edges of their assigned space.
Jenny reached down and unclasped Dreamer's leash. "Go kennel," she said and watched as the dog made a beeline through the other people and dogs for a small blue crate in the corner. Jenny smiled at Jim and Blair. "I'll be right back," she promised, then made her way over to Dreamer. She refilled the water and tossed a few more treats in as she praised the dog again. Jenny removed the fanny pack and placed the treats in a cooler. She grabbed a bottle of water and moved back toward Jim and Blair as she took long swig.
"Do you want something to drink?" she asked when she reached them. Jim and Blair shook their heads.
"Not right now," Blair answered, raising his voice to be heard. Even behind the partition the barking was loud. He looked around. Some of the team areas were empty except for dogs. Other areas had people milling around, sitting, talking, eating or playing with their canine friends. None of the areas was exactly quiet, but a couple of them seemed much noisier than necessary. In those areas, several dogs were barking non-stop in a high pitched tone.
"Is it always this loud?" Blair asked.
Jenny smiled sympathetically. "Most of the time. We can go outside, our next race isn't for about an hour." She looked around at her teammates and realized they had an audience. "Let me introduce you real quick and we can go outside, okay?"
Jim nodded. He could only imagine what the noise was like. Well, he only
wanted to imagine, he didn't plan on turning his hearing up again until they
were outside. The Sentinel had found a nice level that allowed him to hear what
people were saying to him, but shut out the background noises. It was almost
like having a white noise generator. I wonder if Sandburg brought one? It might work here in the team's area.
Jenny had turned to her friends. "These are the guys I told you might be coming, Detectives Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg." She faced Jim and Blair, smiling. "I'll run through everyone's names for you. There'll be a test later," she teased.
Jim smiled and nodded, cataloging names and faces as Jenny introduced everyone. Sue Easton was just a little shorter than Jim with short red hair. Her husband, Dan was Jim's height with brown hair and a full handlebar mustache. His smile was open and friendly, and while Sue smiled, she seemed to be sizing Jim up. They were both older than Jim, although he couldn't guess their actual ages.
Angie Guiallano was Jenny's height with long dark hair pulled back into a pony tail. Her eyes ran over Jim and then Blair perceptively as she shook their hands. She was about Jenny's age, but seemed older or maybe just more worldly.
Will Martin's silvered hair lay smoothly in a short cut, he appeared to be in his early fifty's. Will was lean and wiry with an energy that matched Blair's. His wife, Carla, had her silver shot black hair cut in a short bob. She was more reserved, but not unfriendly.
Lacy Short was also older, probably in her late forties. She was a couple inches shorter than Jenny, wiry and full of nervous energy. Her auburn hair was also cut short with streaks of gray running through it.
"We can introduce you to the dogs later if you want," Jenny continued. She motioned to the door addressing her teammates. "I'm gonna take them outside for a bit. Let them adjust to the noise slowly," she said with a knowing grin.
Sue smiled wryly back. Dan grinned. "I've got to go judge, I'll see you later." Jenny patted his shoulder as he passed. Jim realized Dan was now wearing a striped ref shirt. He'd actually had it on under his team shirt.
Jenny moved into the aisle beside Blair and Jim and capturing them both by an arm, led them out a door on this side of the building. They walked outside to a shaded area with picnic tables and she took a seat at one.
"I'm really glad you could come," she smiled at them as they sat across from her at the table.
"You have Blair to thank for that, Jen," Jim admitted. "We were so busy, I forgot to call you until you'd already left and then I was so tired last night, we were halfway here before I knew we were coming." He raised his eyebrows at Blair.
Blair raised his hands in a shrug. "Just doing my job, watching his back," he continued with an air of confidentiality, "you can't imagine the trouble he gets into without me."
Jenny laughed at what was obviously an old joke as Jim tapped the back of Blair's head playfully. They seem like such good friends. I am really glad Jim came. "So, what do you think?" she asked tilting her head toward the training center.
"I never realized such a sport existed," Jim replied. His senses seemed to be drinking in everything about her. He could smell sweat of course, but other smells mingled comfortably with it. A lingering scent of the little terrier, Dreamer and some other dogs Jim didn't recognize. There was a faint odor from Jenny's hands, meaty, must be the dog treats. And then there was her own specific scents, a peachiness from her hair, shampoo or conditioner probably. And Jenny herself had a soft, breezy kind of scent.
The wind played with her short blonde curls allowing Jim to see the various hues. The blonde was natural, but he'd never realized how many shades of blonde could exist on one head. Some of the hairs were light, almost white. He could even see some dark brown strands and multiple tones of blonde in between. Her eyebrows were slightly darker than most of her hair, but her eyelashes were light blonde.
Jim watched as Jenny and Blair discussed the intricacies of flyball. Her blue eyes sparkled as she explained what had happened during their last race. The color seemed to change slightly going from a light, almost gray-blue to a deeper, darker blue as Jenny recalled the excitement of the race.
Her voice teased Jim's ears, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. Jenny's enthusiasm rang clearly in her words. Jim started, pulling himself back into the conversation as Blair nudged his leg with his knee.
"… so we got lucky that last time. If their dog had come back over all four jumps, we wouldn't have had a chance," Jenny concluded.
"Okay," Blair nodded in understanding, but rephrased what she had just told him for Jim's benefit. The big guy had been totally focused on Jenny, not what she was saying. "So the timing begins when the green light goes on, the first dog can't cross the start line until the green light." Jenny nodded. "The dog has to go over all four jumps, trigger the box and bring the ball back over the four jumps and across the start line. Then the next dog goes, but can't cross the start line until the first dog's nose crosses. Like a relay race, passing the baton."
"Right. If one or more of those qualifications are not met, the heat is incomplete. The dog can be sent back after the fourth dog, to complete the heat. Sometimes it's not worth it to send the dog back," Jenny said.
"Why's that?" Jim asked.
"Well, if the dog made the mistake, dropped the ball or went around a jump, most people will send the dog back as a training aid. Even though they may have already lost the heat, the dog needs to know it won't get rewarded unless it correctly completes the pattern. With new dogs it's especially important, for older dogs that have been running for years it may not be necessary. If the dogs are fast enough, sometimes the rerun will be made to earn the dogs points toward their title. Every heat completed under a certain time earns a number of points for the four dogs that is applied to their individual title. If the mistake was a handler error, like letting go too soon for an early pass, then it just depends on whether there is a chance to win the heat or earn points, the handler decides whether or not to rerun the dog."
"Whew," Blair exclaimed, "there's a lot to keep track of in a short space of time. How fast can the dogs run?"
"The fastest teams are running just under 16 seconds now," Jenny grinned at the amazement on their faces. "The two teams we're running today can hit 19.2 and 21 seconds. Dreamer's team is the slower one."
"Slower!" Jim scoffed. "I'd hate to have any of these dogs after me, that means most of them are doing, what, 50 feet in less than 3 seconds?"
Jenny grinned and nodded, focusing on Jim for a minute. "So, you guys had a busy week, huh?"
Blair nodded and stood. "I'm gonna get something to drink from the concession stand. Can I get you anything?"
Jenny shook her head, shaking the water bottle she had brought out with her. "Thanks."
Jim nodded, but turned to answer Jenny's question. "Just the usual for us unfortunately. We wrapped up a couple of burglaries and a kidnapping case." He shook his head at that one. "The guy was a complete idiot, didn't even realize he was being followed back to the victim. Lucky for us," Jim grinned wryly. "I guess I shouldn't complain about stupid criminals. They make our job so much easier."
Jenny laughed. "Still, I can't believe, or I guess I didn't want to believe there was so much crime in Cascade." She chuckled. "It's naïve of me, I know. I prefer to see the good in people."
Jim smiled. "You and my partner."
"What'd I do now?" Blair asked returning with two sodas in hand. Jenny giggled, sharing a look with Jim.
"I was just telling Jen how you tend to see the good in people. Before, during and even after you know better." Jim ducked the hand aimed at his head.
Blair sat down, shaking his head. "You'd think I'd have learned by now," he admitted. "I mean, I've been living with him for over six years now. Been a cop for two." He frowned slightly. "I guess I'm a slow learner."
Jim interceded. "Naw, you just trust people and that's a good thing. Wouldn't have you any other way, partner." Blair smiled at the compliment.
Jenny watched in wonder. These two seemed to be a package deal. Not that Blair wasn't interesting and kinda cute too, but she wondered how on earth the two of them had hooked up in the first place.
"How did you two meet?" she asked.
The men looked at each other, and Jenny saw something pass between them before Blair answered.
"I was a grad student working on my docorate thesis on closed societies. I hooked up with Jim to observe the Major Crime unit."
"Junior ended up helping us out time after time with our cases," Jim chimed in. "Without his input, we wouldn't have solved some of them, right Chief?"
Jenny grinned at the nicknames Jim kept throwing at Blair. The younger man smiled up at his partner.
"Well, I got so involved with the people and the cases that it became a bit difficult to remain the detached observer. I did eventually finish my dissertation, but then, with some encouragement," Blair grinned at Jim again, "I went through the police academy and when I graduated, Simon, our captain, had arranged for me to become a detective with Major Crime."
"Blair had already put in so much time with us and knew all the procedures, the badge was just a formality really," Jim added.
"So you guys have really been partners for six years, not just two," Jenny stated. The two detectives nodded without looking at each other. "Well, that explains it."
"Explains what?" Jim asked confused by the seeming change in conversation.
Jenny grinned mischievously. "I need to get back inside, our second team should be up in a bit." She stood and started back into the building.
Blair chuckled. "She is going to keep you on your toes, partner."
"Why do you say that?" Jim asked, not disagreeing.
"That's the second time I've seen that look on her face."
Jim glanced at Blair as they followed Jenny. "When was the first?"
"That night I met her. You were looking for something to write on and she flashed that look," Blair grinned, remembering his astonishment as she schooled her features and presented an innocent face to Jim. "She looked so innocent when you looked back up, Detective," he teased, reminding Jim that she had challenged him to find her.
Jim bit back a smile, but it managed to creep onto his face one corner at a time. He shook his head. The Sentinel dialed down his hearing before they entered the building but forgot about smell.
He looked around now able to see some pattern to the chaos. Two teams were waiting behind the fenced racing area for their turn. A heat was currently running. Other people were heading out to walk their dogs. And there was a constantly shifting group of race watchers on either side of the lanes.
Jim saw Jenny turn to find him, he smiled at her and received a brilliant smile in return. She waved at him to "come on," so he lengthened his stride to catch up to her and Blair. "You know, Chief," he said once he reached them. "The smell's not so bad in here." He could definitely smell "dog," but it was clean dog, and not overwhelming.
Jenny heard the comment. "Just wait til tomorrow, the grass outside will be pretty rank by then. Even though we clean up after the dogs, the urine odor is atrocious." She entered her team's crating area and motioned for them to take a seat.
Sue, Carla and Angie were there, but none of the others. "We're up in four," Jenny told the ladies, they nodded in response.
"So, Jim," Angie said leaning forward in her chair. "How did you and Jen meet? She said she ran into you at the police station, but didn't give any details."
Jim smiled and shared a look with Jenny. "Actually, we sort of ran into each other. Literally. She had just finished filing a report on her stolen truck and I was heading home. We ended up on the same landing in the stairwell."
"There's still no news on my truck," Jenny said sadly. "I guess it's gone for good."
Jim reached over and patted her knee. "I'm sorry." She gave him a sad smile.
"I've only had it for two years, it was the first time I bought a vehicle I wanted and not what I could afford." She shrugged. "Kind of silly to be so attached I guess."
Blair snorted. "You haven't seen Ellison fawning over his truck." Jim glared at his friend. "It's true. He won't even let me drive it. The truck's as old as I am." Blair dodged the swat aimed at his knee. The women laughed.
"As I was saying," Jim continued, pretending to ignore Blair's rolled eyes, "Jenny was a little upset by the loss of her truck. I offered her dinner and a ride
"Uh huh," Angie said, knowing something was being withheld.
Will and Dan came back at that point. "We're up in two," Will said, opening a kennel and letting out a black and white border collie. "Come on, Bravo," he said.
"Time to walk the dogs," Sue explained.
Jenny ushered the detectives out of the crating area into the aisle as her teammates got their dogs ready. Sue let a medium sized brown and black dog out calling her "Magic." Dan grabbed a Jack Russell out of a cage and headed outside with Jeffie. Carla also had a border collie named Ole.
Jenny spoke as she led the two men over to the racing lanes. "All the activity tends to get the bowels going. We always walk the dogs before racing to prevent accidents. There's even a rule about accidents in the racing area. The judge can call a forfeit."
They followed her along the side of the racing lanes. Jenny stopped just in front of the starting line and pointed to the people sitting inside the racing area at the start line and by the boxes. "They're sort of assistant judges, they watch for dropped balls and missed jumps. The judge watches from behind the starting lights, but one person can't always see everything that goes on in both lanes. The line and box judges watch only their lane and flag any mistakes for the judge to call. The starting lights are hooked up to sensors at the starting line. That's how we know if the dogs cross the line too early."
Jim watched as the next race continued. He could see that the electronic sensors were a vital part of the racing, it would be impossible to tell for sure if a dog crossed the line too soon. Unless you had sentinel vision. "What are these other people doing at the line?" Jim indicated several people wearing team shirts matching those that were currently racing. One lady was yelling a number as each dog crossed the line.
Jenny followed Jim's gesture and replied. "They are telling their teammates how close the pass was. It helps us know how well we are releasing the dogs. The closer the pass, the better our times. If the other team's dogs are as fast as ours are, then close passing is our best chance to win. We can adjust our release point to tighten the pass. A good line caller can make or break a race."
"How can you see where the dog's pass?" Blair asked. "It's all just a blur to me."
Jenny grinned. "It takes some practice, and you can't really watch the race while you do it. I usually focus on the line and when the nose of the dog coming back hits the start line, I use my peripheral vision to mark where the oncoming dog is. Those lines on the mats are one foot apart."
They watched the next heat and Jim quietly called out numbers as the dogs passed. "Four… six… two… that was close… five."
Jenny shook her head and patted Jim on the back. "It's okay, Jim, it takes practice and some people just can't do it." She turned to look at the race number.
Blair leaned into Jim. "They call out the number of feet, Jim. Not inches, man."
Jim's eyes widened as he realized what he'd been doing. He turned and met Jenny's confused gaze. He turned on his best smile and watched her blush, the line calling momentarily forgotten.
"So what are you doing this race since Dreamer's not running?" he asked.
"I'm box loading," she replied glancing at the race number again. "We're next. I'm going to head down to the end of the lanes to get ready. You can wait here and watch." She smiled, then turned and walked toward the other end of the racing lanes.
"Do you think she heard?" Blair asked peeking around Jim to watch Jenny.
"Yeah, Chief, I think she did."
"What are you gonna tell her?"
Jim frowned down at his Guide. "What should I tell her, Chief? That I'm a Sentinel?" he asked barely loud enough for Sandburg to hear him.
"Jim!"
"Come on, Sandburg, let's watch the race. I'll worry about it if she brings it up again."
Jenny's team moved onto the race lane. Jim belatedly realized that Jenny was lifting the team's flyball box and carrying it onto the lane. He had seen the other teams trading in their own boxes, but it hadn't registered that Jenny would be the one responsible for moving the thing. They looked rather heavy. Some teams used dollies to move their boxes. "Damn, she shouldn't be lifting that by herself," he said watching as she set the box and reached behind the backstop for some tennis balls.
Blair tried to watch everything, including Jim. Angie stood by the start line and called the passes as the race began.
Jim leaned over to whisper in Blair's ear. "She's good at that." He
nodded in Angie's direction and Blair nodded that he understood. She must be
calling the passes fairly close even without the aid of Sentinel eyes.
Jim switched his attention to Jenny. She was calmly loading the box as each dog took its ball. She appeared to be calling the dogs, but with his hearing dialed down, Jim couldn't hear her. He cautiously adjusted his hearing until he could hear Jenny's voice. She was calling the dogs, saying their names as each was released and sometimes adding other words of encouragement depending on the dog.
During the third heat, Ole dropped her ball and chased after it. She turned once she caught the ball and Jenny yelled "over," surprisingly the dog veered in and went over the jump closest to the box. Due to an error on the other team's part, Jenny's team won that heat.
Before Jim realized, the race was over and the teams were leaving the race area. Blair was grinning up at him shaking his head. "What?"
"It's fascinating. They each have their own little ritual, each dog and handler. The way they set up for the race, how they release the dog and recall it and then how they reward the dog. It's really interesting, I never would have guessed a dog sport could have such a complex set of rituals." They continued walking back to the crating area. "I should have, I mean I've seen it in other sports, why wouldn't there be in dog sports?"
"I never really thought about it, Chief," Jim admitted. "It's not like you ever had a reason to either." He grinned at his friend's chagrined look. Jim glanced back down the lane where Jenny had just finished moving their flyball box out of the way for the next team. "Damn."
Blair followed Jim's glance and grunted his assent. "We'll just make sure to help next time," he said placing a calming hand on his Sentinel's arm. They followed the rest of the team back to the crating area.
***********
They visited with Jenny and her friends in the crating area for a while until Blair said he needed a break from the noise. He let Jim and Jenny walk together ahead of him while he watched the people around them. Blair soon found himself talking to part of another team. They were relaxing between races and his curiosity got away from him.
A simple statement to them about how fascinated he was by flyball opened the door and the anthropologist started to dig. He discovered that the people involved came from all different backgrounds. Many of them were professionals with degrees. Men and women of all ages, the youngest, not even in their teens having been raised on the sport and the oldest well into their sixties and showing no sign of stopping.
The common denominator of course being the love for their dogs, but also a fierce competitiveness and sense of team spirit. Blair suspected many of the dogs received better care from their owners than the people gave to themselves.
The Guide saw Jim and Jenny heading back toward him and thanked the group as he indicated he was joining his friends.
"Doing a little research, Chief?" Jim asked with a grin.
"You know me, Jim, gotta know what makes people tick," he replied, falling in beside his partner.
Jenny smiled. "Find out anything interesting?"
Blair smiled back. "Nothing unusual really. Flyball seems to attract educated, competitive, dedicated people with a love for their animals. What's interesting to me is how many different things people can find to be passionate about."
"When I was younger," Jenny said, "I bowled. I was on a team every year up until I went to college and then I joined a team every other semester or so if I had time. I thought I would always be a bowler, I love the sport, being on a "team." But once I started working in the "real" world, time got away from me."
They had all stopped just outside the
Blair and Jim both nodded thoughtfully. They followed Jenny back into the building each lost in their own thoughts.
*************
During Jenny and Dreamer's next race, Jim watched as Sue called the passing for each dog. He shook his head and must have made some noise because Sue turned to look at him between heats.
Sue grinned sheepishly. "I'm not very good at this, but we just don't have anyone else free and something is better than nothing," she finished with a shrug.
Jim moved a little closer to her. "If you want, I'll tell you the pass and you can tell them." Sue regarded him thoughtfully. "I think I've got the hang of it," Jim said, "can't hurt to try, can it?"
Sue shrugged again and grinned. "Okay, thanks." Jim smiled back and turned his attention to the lane.
Blair touched his arm and whispered, "Remember, in feet, Jim." Jim nodded and focused on the passing as the next race started.
Jim vaguely noted as he concentrated on the start line, that Jenny released Dreamer very consistently when she had an accurate idea of how long her passes were.
Sue turned to him after the last heat and smiled broadly. "Thank you. They do so much better if they know the passes and you did a great job."
Jim blushed at the praise and returned her smile. "No problem, it's kinda fun being involved with the race that way."
They all headed back to the crating area. Once there, Jenny, Angie, Will and Lacy all started praising Sue on her line calling. She put up her hands to stop them.
"It was Jim, he helped me. I think he should call the passes for you guys from now on."
Jenny watched as her teammates congratulated and thanked the detective for his help. His face was a concentration of embarrassment and pride. She saw Blair grinning like a proud father beside and slightly behind Jim. When the others wound down, Jenny moved up in front of her… boyfriend seemed a little childish, but that was how she was beginning to think of him.
"Thank you for helping, Jim," she said a soft smile on her face. She reached up and pulled him down for a kiss. She felt her face go red as her teammates' catcalls filled the crating area, but the kiss felt too good to stop. Jim's arms circled her waist and when the kiss ended he pulled her to his side and kept one arm around her.
Jenny looked up and chuckled at the goofy grin on his face.
Jim caught her gaze. "If that's the thanks I get, what else do you want me to do?"
Everyone laughed and started to settle back for the wait until their next race.
******
The rest of the day went quickly. The teams alternated between racing for the most part. Jim and Blair helped out where they could. Jim and Jenny spent some of the breaks alone, walking and talking, but spent much of the time in the crating area with Blair and whichever teammates were there.
Blair managed his usual magic, regaling them with tales from his days as an anthropology student and some of the cases he and Jim had been assigned. He also got Jenny's friends talking about themselves.
After their last race of the day, they had enough time before the center closed to run and get something to eat. Everyone piled into a few vehicles leaving the dogs crated in the building and they drove to a nearby restaurant.
Jim found himself seated between Jenny and Blair at the table. Everyone was in good spirits, the dogs were running well and both teams seemed to be running competitively. The Sentinel leaned back in his chair resting one arm on Jenny's chair back and the other on Blair's.
Jenny was leaning forward, resting her chin in her hand as she listened to Blair and Dan discussing the benefits of using fresh basil versus dried in some recipe. Evidently, Dan, Carla and Will were gourmets.
Jenny glanced over her shoulder at Jim and gave him a wry grin. "I have to have a recipe in front of me. These guys just know what would taste good if they decided to add it to the meal."
Jim grinned at her. She didn't seem to mind that she didn't know basil from lemon pepper. In fact, she almost seemed glad.
As if reading his thoughts, Jenny continued, "If it interested me, I'd probably be a great cook. But it was never something I wanted to do, you know?"
He nodded. "Too many other interests, eh?"
"Definitely. Plus, although I appreciate a good meal, I'm rather easy when it comes to food. It doesn't have to be fancy."
Dinner talk wound down after a while and they headed back to pick up the dogs and go to their hotels.
Jim and Blair took turns showering, Blair talking the whole time about the people he'd met. Jim rinsed the soap from his body, grinning at Blair's enthusiasm. He turned off the water and toweled dry, slipping on a pair of boxer shorts before he left the bathroom.
"I guess you had a good time then, Chief?" he asked blandly.
Blair stopped combing his hair and looked at partner. Jim laughed. The younger man shook his head and continued his grooming.
"You are so not funny, Jim. I think Jenny was very glad you came," he said slyly.
Jim turned a thoughtful eye on his Guide. "Me, too. Thanks."
"No problemo, kemosabe."
*********************
Sunday found them all back at the dog center and ready to go again at
After lunch, which they all ate in the crating area, the team sat around talking as they waited for their next race. A high pitched canine scream ripped through the building. Jenny was up and running to the racing lane before any one else could move.
Jim and Blair followed with the rest of the team and practically everyone else in the building. The racing noises had stopped and the building was surprisingly quiet. Even the dogs were subdued.
Jim eased through the crowd and saw Jenny kneeling beside a young woman and her dog. The Border collie was standing on three legs trembling while her owner stroked her head.
"That's it Mindy, just keep Porsche calm. I'm going to see what I can feel." Jenny started a calm, quiet monologue as she examined the dog's leg.
Jim moved forward until he was standing behind Jenny, he motioned for the other people to back up and give her room. The crowd would only upset the dog.
"It's okay, Porsche, that's a girl," Jenny spoke as she felt the dog's paw, foreleg and shoulder. She gently manipulated the leg at each joint. The dog winced when the shoulder was rotated, but otherwise offered no resistance. "That's a good dog, Porsche. I don't think anything's broken, Mindy. But she probably has a good sprain or may have torn something. Possibly a small fracture. We'd need an x-ray to know for sure. I don't think she's going to be able to run anymore this weekend."
"Should I take her to the emergency room, Doc?" Mindy asked rubbing the dog's ear.
Jim touched Jenny's shoulder to get her attention. "Yes, Jim?"
"Mind if I check the leg? I had some training in the army…"
Jenny regarded him for a minute then shrugged, why not. "Okay. Porsche is a good dog, just go slow with her."
Jim smiled at Mindy and knelt beside the dog. "Easy, girl. I'm not gonna hurt you," he whispered softly. He ran a light hand over her lower leg, pretty sure Jenny would have found any problem there, then he gingerly probed the shoulder using his sense of touch to feel for cracks in the bone.
"I think it's just a sprain," he said finally, looking at Jenny then Mindy. "But it wouldn't hurt to get an x-ray." Jim stroked Porsche's back then backed up and stood.
Jenny nodded. "Tomorrow is fine, Mindy. Just keep her confined for the rest of the day. You can give her some Ascriptin if she seems too painful. See your regular vet once you get home."
"Thanks, Doc. Come on Porsche," she said, lifting the dog carefully, to carry her off the lane.
A soft applause started, just like you'd hear at a football game when an injured player left the field. Then those not involved with the current race returned to whatever they had been doing before.
Jenny walked beside Jim, lost in thought.
"You must have very sensitive fingers." She caught his gaze as he turned in surprise.
"Um, well, we didn't always have access to x-ray equipment in the field. I just got pretty good at telling the difference between a fracture and a sprain."
"Hm," she responded.
"Ah, do you see many injuries at tournaments? I hadn't thought about it, but as fast as they run, I guess one misstep is all it would take to get hurt."
"Fortunately, nothing serious. The bigger, faster dogs sometimes blow a pad on their feet, that is, they'll skid and the pad will tear or get worn down until it bleeds. That's why some of the dogs' feet are bandaged, to prevent that from happening. Dogs are not allowed to run with blown pads."
"What happened with Porsche?"
"She collided with another dog, didn't get out of the way fast enough and the other dog was much bigger. He didn't get hurt fortunately. There are a couple of other vets in our region and one or more of us is usually at each tournament running a dog." Jenny grinned up at Jim. "I don't often have to work at tournaments."
"But you're always on call?" Jim asked rhetorically.
"As are you," Jenny replied. Jim smiled with a nod and put his arm around her shoulder as they walked back to the crating area.
*********
The rest of the day was uneventful. Jenny's team managed to come in second in their division and the other team with Sue, Dan, Will and Carla's dogs took first in their division.
The team started packing up their stuff.
"Can I help you load your things?" Jim asked Jenny.
"Sure, grab that bag and I'll show you were Sue and Dan parked."
"You rode with them?"
"Yeah, I still haven't had time to get a new truck. I keep hoping mine will turn up."
Jim noted her small rueful smile. "We could give you a lift back to Cascade," he offered.
"Well, I…"
"Sure," Blair said, "that'd be great. I have still some questions…"
Jim rolled his eyes for Jenny to see, then winked at her. "Well, I can understand if you don't want to…"
Blair cuffed his friend on the shoulder, but turned a grin on Jenny. "Really, Jen, it's fine by me. Whatever you want to do."
She thought for a second and smiled. "Okay, let me tell Sue."
"We'll just take these out to the 4x4," Jim said.
*****
They'd only been on the road for fifteen minutes and already Blair and Jenny were deep in conversation. Jim smiled and peeked in the rear view mirror at Jenny and Dreamer in the back seat.
The dog was curled up next to Jenny asleep. Her owner had a hand resting on Dreamer's back, fingers rubbing slowly back and forth. Jenny met his eyes in the mirror and smiled at him.
Jim's own smile deepened before he returned his attention to the road. Blair was turned sideways in his seat and did not miss the interaction. He grinned and continued talking to Jenny.
The trip home seemed shorter than usual to Jenny. Probably because they never stopped talking. She and Blair seemed to direct most of the conversation, but Jim was always listening and several times cut in with his own questions or observations.
By the time they pulled up in front of the animal clinic, Jenny was ready for a hot shower and bed. The guys helped her unload and she faced them as they set down her bags.
"Thank you both for coming this weekend. It really means a lot to me."
"I'm glad we went, I had fun," Blair said realizing he needed to get out of the picture. He moved toward Jenny offering a hug which she readily accepted. "Your friends were great. Maybe we'll get a chance to go again soon."
"Thanks, Blair for all your help and for dragging Jim out," Jenny grinned, flicking a glance at Jim.
Blair grinned back. "Good night, Jenny."
Jenny waved as he left the room, but her attention turned to the tall, quiet detective. "You don't know how much I appreciate you coming this weekend, Jim."
He closed the distance between them, fingering a soft errant curl at the side of her face. "I'm glad Blair kidnapped me. He's always looking out for my best interests," Jim said with a slight smile.
"He's a good friend," Jenny replied, moving closer to Jim, wrapping her arms around his waist. She looked up at him.
The Sentinel lowered his head and kissed her lips. She leaned into the kiss and they lost themselves in the sensation. They parted when it was necessary to breathe again. Jenny leaned her head against Jim's chest. He stroked her hair, leaning his cheek on the top of her head.
Jenny sighed. "As much as I'd like to stay right here all night," she said softly, "I have to get up early to see patients. And I'm sure you have to work tomorrow, too."
Jim growled acknowledgment. Jenny giggled. He grasped her shoulders and gently pushed away until he could see her eyes, blue and tired, but sparkling with amusement. He kissed her soundly again.
"I'll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can have lunch?" he asked.
Jenny smiled. "Call me, I'm never quite sure what my schedule will be like."
"Okay, good night, Jen." Jim headed for the door.
"Good night, Jim," Jenny whispered, fingering her lips as he closed the door behind him.
To be continued…
Comments are always welcome, please let me know what you think. Judy