Chapter 6 - TITAN WAKES UP
Titan opened his eyes at 11:43 that morning.
Dr. Patel called me herself.
“He’s weak,” she warned. “But he’s responsive.”
I reached the hospital twenty minutes later.
The moment I entered the treatment room, Titan’s ears twitched.
“Hey, partner.”
His tail moved.
Not much.
Enough.
I knelt beside the oxygen kennel.
“You scared the hell out of me.”
Titan lifted his head.
I slid my fingers through the bars and touched his muzzle.
For five years, Titan had been the strongest creature I knew.
Seeing him connected to monitors felt wrong.
Dr. Patel checked the fluid line.
“The antivenom appears to be working.”
“Will he recover?”
“That’s what we expect now.”
I nearly laughed from relief.
Then the door opened.
Natalie Carter stepped inside.
Emily was beside her.
I stood.
“Mrs. Carter.”
“She wanted to see him.”
Emily held something against her chest.
A small stuffed police dog.
She approached carefully.
“Can he hear me?”
“Definitely.”
She crouched.
“Hi, Titan.”
His tail tapped the blanket.
Emily smiled for the first time.
“I knew you weren’t mean.”
Natalie wiped her eyes.
Emily placed the stuffed dog beside his kennel.
“That’s for you.”
I looked away for a second.
Then Emily tugged my sleeve.
“Officer Jack?”
“Yeah?”
“The man in the park.”
My attention sharpened.
“What about him?”
“I remembered something.”
Natalie said, “Honey, you don’t have to—”
“It’s okay.”
Emily looked at me.
“He had a box.”
“What kind?”
“A clear one. Like Mommy keeps Christmas cookies in.”
My stomach tightened.
“Did you see what was inside?”
She nodded.
“A snake.”
Natalie covered her mouth.
I crouched to Emily’s height.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see him put it on the ground?”
“No.”
She frowned.
“But he opened the box.”
“What happened next?”
“I chased my Frisbee.”
“And then?”
“Titan knocked me down.”
She looked toward him.
“He was really heavy.”
I smiled slightly.
“He is.”
Emily became serious.
“The man smiled.”
Every muscle in my body tightened.
“When?”
“When Titan ran at me.”
Natalie stared at her daughter.
“You never told me that.”
“I forgot.”
Emily looked confused.
“He smiled like it was funny.”
I stood.
That changed everything.
This wasn’t negligence.
This wasn’t some irresponsible reptile owner accidentally losing an animal.
Someone may have intentionally released a venomous snake near children.
My phone buzzed.
Marcus.
I stepped into the hallway.
“Talk to me.”
“We got a hit on Ethan Vale.”
“The reptile guy?”
“Former reptile guy. Lost his wildlife license eighteen months ago.”
“Why?”
“Illegal venomous species sales.”
“Where is he now?”
“That’s where it gets interesting.”
I waited.
Marcus continued.
“Vale used to do contract removal work for the city.”
“So?”
“One department requested his services more than any other.”
“Which one?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Seattle Police K9 training grounds.”
I stared through the glass at Titan.
“Why would he care about us?”
Marcus lowered his voice.
“Because he filed a lawsuit after one of our dogs found contraband in his van.”
My stomach dropped.
“What happened?”
“The search led to his arrest.”
“And which K9 made the detection?”
Marcus paused.
Then said one word.
May you like
“Titan.”
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