"So Burt, what do you think we should do? Eight days away means we need supplies." He looked up at me. "Yer.. I think we need to go to town. Driver, can you take us to town please?"

I made eye contact with the driver in the rearview mirror. "No problem. Anywhere in particular?"

"No, we could do with the walk."

He smiled and turned off the main road to take the slightly more direct route to the town. The road took us past mine and Edith's house. As we passed the end of Edith's drive I saw some police tape fluttering in the wind.

I frowned thinking. What has she done now?

The taxi stopped close to the corner shop. "Here you go that's 58.25."

I handed him 60 and opened the door. "Would you like me to wait?" He asked me as Burt got out.

"No thank you. I will walk home." I closed the door and he tried to hand me change. "Keep it."

I turned and tied Burt to a post. "Stay here and we will go to the pet shop in a minute." He whimpered. "I will be fine I'm just picking up a few things and the lady in this shop won't let you in." He huffed and I smiled at him.

I walked into the shop and picked up some milk, bread and meat. I got to the till and the lady that ran the shop smiled at me. "Can I have a bottle of whisky too please."

She added it up and I paid. While she was getting my change I put the food in my rucksack. "Have a nice day."

"You too." I dumped the change in the charity box next to the till as I answered her.

She gave me an odd smile as I was leaving. I felt wrong about it so I walked out and untied Burt. "Come on let's get you a treat for being so nice to everyone."

He barked. I got that feeling between my shoulders that told me I was being watched and looked around me. Burt growled and I stroked him as I saw most of the people around were muttering and staring. "Come on Burt let's go."

It was a short walk to the pet shop, so we hurried there. I closed the door behind me and the man looked up from what he had been looking at. He was tall and thin, he looked well-groomed. He smiled at us. "Tia, Burt, nice to see you."

I took Burt's lead off and Burt started looking around the treats. "Have you spoken to the police by chance?"

I looked up at the guy a little unsettled. "No.. why?"

"They wanted to talk to you about something. They have been asking questions about where you were around town."

"That explains why everyone is staring at me." I muttered.

Burt came to my side and whimpered again. "It's OK Burt. Get as many treats as you want."

He looked at the treats and then back to me. "Would you like a seat?" The guy pulled a chair out and came around the counter offering it to me.

"I'm fine thanks, Burt what do you want?" Burt sighed at me then went back to picking.

"I could call my brother and he could come to talk to you without..."

At that moment two officers came through the door. "Tia Frost?" The big burly officer who had come to see me before asked.

Burt turned a growled at them. "Burt relax." His ears twitched and he laid down at my command.

"You need to come with us." The leaner officer said watching Burt nervously.

Burt growled aggressively. "Burt enough. Be silent." One of the officers was watching Burt who was snarling silently. "What's going on?" I moved so I was between Burt and the nervous officer as I asked.

"We need to talk to you about your whereabouts."

I took my backpack off feeling dizzy. "Stay still!" The nervous officer razed his taser and Burt started to bark.

"I'm trying Burt!"

The man in charge of the shop came around the counter again. "Chief, I think her dog is a service dog and he is interacting. Can you step out?"

"You sure Roland?"

The owner of the shop came closer to me with the chair and put it down next to Burt. "I'm sure."

The chief moved the other officer outside and I found my new pills. "Please sit down."

I looked at Roland. "No, I'm fine."

Burt was licking my hand and whimpered. "Are you having absent seizures?"

"Probably."

He frowned and I took my pills. "Don't you know?"

"That's why Burt is here." I sat down and stroked Burt's head.

The chief came back in. "I need you to come with me."

I looked at him and then at Burt. "She needs her dog chief, he is a support dog."

He looked at us both. "What is the dog's job?"

"He tells me if my condition is worsening. I don't know it's happening and he tells me when I need to take my medication." I answered him.

He nodded. "Do you need him for the next few hours?"

Burt jumped up and whined. "It's not advisable to separate us. What would you do with him?"

The chief crossed his arms. "We would have to take him to the kennel. I don't think it's a good idea to question you with your dog. We also need to take an impression of his teeth."

I frowned. "Has someone been bitten?"

He didn't answer me just watched me. "Could he stay here?" Roland asked.

The chief sighed. "I suppose it couldn't hurt."

"And when you're done, I can bring him to the station for the impression of his teeth." Roland said softly.

They both looked at me and I stroked Burt then held his head in my hands. "You understand don't you, I need to go and you need to stay here. You need to do everything Roland says. Do you understand?"

Burt whimpered and licked my hand, I kissed his nose. He put his paws on my shoulders and I hugged him. "You be a good boy for me. I will try to answer their questions quickly so I can get you back."

He licked my face and got down. I stood and took my purse out. "He can have three treats maximum. He obeys the usual commands, sit, heel, down, but you could just talk to him. He will listen to you." I offered him the lead. "This is how you hand control of him over. If he is hungry, I feed him a natural diet. Sometimes he eats raw meat other times he eats cooked meat, always with vegetables."

I took two 20's out of my purse and handed it over. "This should cover his treats and food."

"You don't need to do that." Burt looked up at Roland and barked. "OK... I'll take it."

Burt waged his tail and the chief picked up my bag. "Burt behave like you with me." Burt barked again and I followed the chief out of the shop.

The other officer walked next to me as they marched me to the station.

Everyone was staring at me as we passed. I was grateful that the station was close so that I wasn't stared at for too long.

The chief opened the door for me and the other officer pushed on my back to make me move. "Don't." I warned.

The officer frowned at my warning, and the chief took the other officer's hand from his taser. "Janna would you show Miss Frost to the interview room."

"Yes sir." Her voice drew my attention to her.

Janna was an older lady. Plump but not fat, she was wearing some big framed glasses and had a kind face. She stood and gestured to me to follow her through a doorway in the back.

I walked towards her and she led me to another door and opened it. I walked in and sat down. "Can I get you anything?" She asked in her cherry tone.

"Tea please." She nodded and closed the door.

Other than when Janna came back with tea, I was left alone in the room. I sat there drinking the tea and listening to the officers talk outside the room. The chief opened the door and put my pills on the table. "We will be with you soon. We are in the middle of a shift change."

I nodded at him and he left me there again. It was a much shorter wait this time. Maverick walked into the room. He stopped putting his folder in his other hand.

It struck me how muscular he looked under his uniform. He watched me with his blue eyes and a cool expression for a moment. He put a folder on the table. "Tia, how have you been?"

"Fine."

He sat down and looked over at me. "I'm afraid I must ask you some questions."

"OK."

He looked at the folder but took out his notebook opening it to a fresh page. "When did you go away?"

"The day after your boss did his welfare check on me. I left in the morning, by taxi."

He looked up from the notebook. "What were you doing, and where did you go?"

I frowned. "I was in the other town for a change in medicine. My old medication was not being very effective any more. It took them eight days to make sure my new medication works."

He sighed. "I suppose you can prove this?"

"My bag has the paperwork from my specialist to my doctor. I'm sure you've already seen that though. Are you going to tell me what this is about?"

He tapped the folder. "We have your case file of what's happened between you and Edith right here."

"What has she said now?"

He gave me an odd look. "She hasn't said anything."

"Then why am I here and why do you want an impression of Burt's teeth?"

He sat back in his seat. "You don't know?"

I shook my head. "You're right we have got your paperwork and are verifying it. As for Burt... we need an impression of his teeth for the reason you would expect. We need to match it with a bite."

"He was with me." I said simply. He nodded and we lapsed into silence.

"Are you going to explain?" I felt agitated at the non-answers.

He still said nothing, just sat there watching me. "Whatever has happened must have been bad for everyone to be staring at me like that. Also, I'm not the only person in town with a dog."

"That's true, but you are the only one with a larger dog."

I frowned thinking about that. Well, they have me there. Burt is the only larger dog here. "I see."

Again we lapsed into silence. This time it was broken by the chief joining us in the room. "Her paperwork is correct she wasn't here for eight days. That doesn't exclude her from the timeline." Maverick nodded. "Tia, the builder you hired said you walked out of the woods the day he did that work for you. He also said that you became unwell at some point."

"I had breakfast in the forest and walked back. Edith's house was west of mine and I was to the east."

The chief sat down. "And you became ill because?"

"Because of stress. Thanks to Edith and everything I'm doing to make her leave me alone. I talked with a lawyer and added this new crap to the pre-existing case. I'm sure you know by now I would prefer to be left alone, so all these visits from you and my lawyer are stressful."

They both looked at each other. "When I left you, you said she wouldn't be a problem for much longer."

I laughed. "Yes, I'm suing her. It will make her leave me alone, and if that doesn't a restraining order will."

The chief frowned. "So that's what you meant, that you're suing her?"

"What else could I have meant?" I asked them frowning. Again they looked at each other. The look they shared this time was one of concern and suspicion.

"What happened to Edith?" At the look on their faces, my heart dropped forcing the question from me.

"We found her body in the woods close to the road."

I frowned. "When did she die?"

"The best estimate we have is the day I met you." Maverick said.

I leaned in my chair back sighing. "So I'm your only suspect?"

"Yes."

I shook my head. "Are we done here?"

The chief stood and tapped Maverick and they both headed for the door. "Stay here for a bit. Would you like another drink?"

I shook my head feeling sick and they left me alone again. I sat there staring at the space in between the real world and the world in my mind. She must have been attacked by a dog, that's why they want Burt's dental impressions. If they had anything on me I would have been read my rights by now. So...

"Tia?"

I jumped as a hand waved in front of me. "Huh!"

"Are you alright?" I looked around the room.

It was just Maverick there. "Yes."

"Was that..."

I shook my head. "Just lost to my own world."

"OK well, we have decided to let you go. Burt is on his way with my brother. I hope you can help us get his dental cast."

"I will."

He sat on the edge of the table. "I'm sorry about this."

"Why?"

He watched the hallway outside. "The way you were treated, and the trouble you will get from being marched through the town like that."

"You're just doing your job."

He frowned at me but at that moment Burt dived in the room and started licking my face. "Alright, Burt enough."

He got down and danced about. The local vet stood in the doorway. "This dog?" The vet asked pointing at Burt.

The chief's voice came from just behind him. "Yes."

"I know this dog." Burt turned and saw the vet. "Hi, Burt." Burt barked. "I need your teeth again. Would you smile for me?" Burt sat and gave him a silent snarl.

"How do you know this dog?" Maverick asked crossing his arms.

The vet knelt next to Burt who was wagging his tail as he sat making his body quiver. "He was registered with me when he moved in. He's a good boy." He rubbed Burt's head after making the impression of his teeth. "I doubt this is your dog, Mac. He's been trained to do his job since he was a pup. If he had any aggressive behaviour he wouldn't have been a service dog."

"It doesn't mean he hasn't been retrained." The chief said.

Burt growled putting his ears back and I tutted. Burt looked at me so I smiled at him so he knew my annoyance wasn't for him. "Are we done now? I would like to go home and sort out my groceries."

The chief gave Burt an unimpressed look then nodded. "You will need to tell us if you are going to the other town for your medication, you will also need to tell us if you are leaving town for any other reason."

"I don't think I will be." I stood as soon as I spoke and started walking towards the door.

Everyone moved out of the way. As I got out to the reception area the lady Janna handed me my bag. "Thank you." I muttered as I took it from her, putting it on and heading for the door.