Chapter nine

It was the third night Maura came home and found the black dog asleep by her house. She had stopped worrying about it the second time she saw it but she still found it odd, the way she would open her bedroom window late at night and look out to find those blue eyes staring back at her. It was unnerving.

It was a massive dog, she had noticed that on the few occasions she had seen it stand up, but she had never heard it bark or make any sound at all, despite the frequent barking of a dogs neighbor or a truck passing by. Its pelt was black and in the dark she could only make out its eyes, blue orbs against rich black fur.

That was the night Maura gave in. She walked all the way to her kitchen, picked up a metal bowl and filled it with water. Then picked up the container with the left over Chinese and brought it out, setting it down by her doorstep. The dog looked up, long wolfish muzzle scenting the air, Maura's appearance catching its attention, before it lowered its head back down to its front paws.

Did it ever leave, Maura wandered. She looked down at her watch, it was still early and she decided to call Jane, let her know she had finished the autopsy on the third victim they had discovered hidden in a statue. In the back of Maura's brain something was nagging her but it didn't have to do with the case, it had to do with Dennis and she wasn't sure why she was feeling this way.

Surely, him not showing up or contacting her in any other way had to be a good thing? For the first time in over a year she felt herself lower her guard a little bit and actually glad to return home, not worried about getting into the wrong side of a fight with him. It was still a period of adjustment for her back in the precinct but Jane's presence somehow made everything alright. Well, not everything, not the weird little looks and people whispering things behind her back, like, ''queen of the dead'' but it didn't matter. As Jane had put it, it wasn't her fault for being so uncomfortable with other people, she was still feeling laid back because of an abusive relationship, it was natural, that's what the Detective had said.

Odd, Maura thought. She had never thought herself as being into an abusive relationship, it was so weird hearing someone else say it. She wanted to deny it, abusive was a word used for other people, not her, but a small part of her knew it was true. Being afraid of the man you married is not what love is supposed to mean.

She had grown up with people guiding her, telling her what she was supposed to feel and she had listened them when they said she shouldn't be upset about this or that, or the other did not concern her and in the end she ended up feeling nothing. She could not understand why Jane insisted that whatever she was feeling it was okay to feel it. It made her feel weak, but when she thought about it, it made her feel weak only when she wasn't listening to the Detective telling her she wasn't.

She was worried about being too dependent. She couldn't let herself get this close to somebody, knowing how easily it could be ripped away from her. Was being alone better than being hurt?

The next day when she left for work she discovered the Chinese left overs untouched where she had placed them but the water bowl half empty. She replaced the bowl with clean water and tossed the Chinese away, just as Danny's nanny arrived. Getting to work she greeted a very sleepy looking Jane and was informed another body had been found. The Department was releasing a profile of the serial killer to the media and she paused her autopsy, turning on the TV in her office to listen at Jane and Detective Korsak give a possible description of him.

''We're looking for a white male in his thirties, possibly unemployed. Judging from the spree he is on he is possibly facing a difficult personal situation, a divorce or a death of a loved one. He may appear calm but he will be prone to violent outbursts, especially to the people in his very close circle. The torture he inflicts might suggest that he is sexually insecure or otherwise incompetent.'' Jane voice was clean and quiet. She did not respond to any of the questions being thrown in her face by the reporters and the news flash was replaced by an ad.

Maura returned home late, her body aching for a cup of coffee and a hot bath. She really hoped Danny was going to sleep through the night because she really needed to sleep. She was surprised that when she walked out of the car she found the dog up, scratching the front door with its immense paws. It whined when she approached and backed off. Something was wrong and it didn't have to do with the black thing that was desperately trying to follow her. She closed the door pushing it out gently before looking into her living room.

Instead of the babysitter watching TV she found Dennis, sat on the couch, legs propped up on the coffee table.

''Hey babe.'' He said when she took a couple of steps closer. She heard the dog outside howl and it sent a chill up her spine because in some visceral level she knew it meant danger. She could guess just from the edge in his voice that he already had had a couple of drinks.

''What are you doing here Dennis?'' She asked calmly. ''Where's Danny?'' She looked around the room and found Danny asleep in his carrier.

''Isn't it funny how easy it is to convince this little girl babysitting to let me inside?'' He smiled, charm filling his features. She could see how she had fallen for that, hell, how Lucy, her babysitter had fallen for it. He was a handsome son of a bitch. ''I am your husband, after all.''

''Not for long. I told you Dennis, I'm not going to let you hurt us again, you have to go alright?'' She took her phone out of her pocket. ''Please leave, or I'll have to call the police.''

The howling got worse and it literally made every hair on the back of her neck stand up. She could hear the scratching as the dog bumped against the door time and time again. ''Dennis.'' She repeated, dialing the first two numbers for 911.

She never got to the last one, because Dennis was already on his feet, his left hand gripping her throat, a pistol in his right. The phone slipped from her hand and slid against the floor.

''You BITCH! You're DEAD, hear me?!'' He shouted, his face so close to hers she could smell the foul breath of low quality alcohol. This man had never had taste, she thought, and it was funny she would think of something like this in that specific situation. She tried to speak but she could barely breathe, a breath here and there, because his big fingers were crashing her throat, the gun pressed on the side of her face, against her bruised cheekbone.

She registered the thunderous sound of her front door breaking and then scariest looking creature she had ever seen lunged inside her living room. It was the black dog alright but she could really see now how huge it was. On just four feet it seemed its head to be at the height of Maura's chest, a dog couldn't really be so tall, could it?

It wasn't howling anymore, but its growl, low and ominous was even more terrifying as it showed teeth white and sharp like knives.

''What the fuck is THAT?!'' Dennis exclaimed and his surprise was enough for Maura to push away from him and choke before drawing in a breath. He turned back to Maura, his weapon pointed but his speed was no match for that beast. It was on him before Maura even blinked, taking him down on the floor. She heard two shots go off, muted by the bodies wrestling on the floor, before the gun rolled away from them.

Dennis screamed and tried to crawl away but the creature grabbed at him, jaws closing around his leg and it pulled at him, dragging him across the floor before letting go and barking at him. He tried again, pushing himself upright, cradling his bleeding and he took off, limping on what looked to be a badly sprained ankle.

Maura blinked again. It seemed all she was capable of doing. She turned to the dog, backing away from it. It didn't look rabid, it never had. Behind those blue eyes she could see something that seemed almost like intelligence, real comprehension. Then with a sudden whoosh it sunk down on the floor on its side, blood beginning to pool around its body.

It was Maura the Doctor who bolted into action. Family business she had no idea how to deal with, but a medical emergency? It was much less complicated that people. She wasn't a vet but she knew a few. The important thing was to stop the bleeding and she rushed to the bathroom for a big towel.

Yet when she returned a vet wasn't needed anymore because lying naked on her kitchen floor was a very human Detective Jane Rizzoli.

Tadah, another secret is out. And a serial killer with a sprained ankle. Hmmm! Lemme know what you think about this
LK