Jack had his phone in hand when he stopped and listened. Was it his imagination or was he hearing a dog bark? Did Cyrus know he was here? Damn straight the dog knew, because in that moment he heard feet thundering down the hall and joyful barking. Jack opened the door just in time for Cyrus to slam up against him as he tried to hug, snuggle, lick, and bark at his owner all at the same time.

“Good to see you, too, big guy!” Jack laughed as he let the big dog drive him back to the bed, where both man and dog fell backward and proceeded to tussle with each other.

“That dog knew the minute you hit the building, Jack. How do they know that?” Abner asked fretfully.

“They’re extrasensory is the best answer I can give you,” Jack said, getting up off the bed. “So, talk to me, Abner. What, if anything, do you know?” He watched as Cyrus prowled through the suite, sniffing everything, then pawing the carpet to make sure he put his scent in the room. He did the same thing each and every time they entered a room he’d never been in before. Marking his territory is what it was.

“I gotta tell you, Jack, Cyrus is real good company on a road trip. Thanks for letting him ride with me. I know you missed him. As to what’s new . . . that tall doctor—surgeon I guess, the one in the cowboy hat—took Cosmo back into surgery, which he himself performed. Some pretty long hours. I fell asleep. When I woke up, they made us leave. Charles said Cosmo was critical but holding his own. The cowboy stayed at his side and is still there, I think. When we asked why he was going back into surgery, the guy just said it was complicated and we wouldn’t understand anyway, so we had to leave it at that. He did say he was cautiously optimistic. At this stage of the game, that’s as good as we’re going to get. Everyone is here now. Where’s Lizzie?”

“We dropped her off at the hospital and drove here in her car. With her permission, of course.”

“Okay, well, when you’re ready, come up to the penthouse. Charles and Fergus are making breakfast.”

“Hold on a minute, Abner. Harry and I were going to go to the police station to see if we could get a copy of the police report.”

“Ted and Espinosa went and got it. No clue what it says, though. Guess we’ll find out when we all meet up. See ya!”

Cyrus sprinted across the room and held out his paw to Abner, who dutifully shook it. “My pleasure. You can ride shotgun with me anytime, Cyrus.” Cyrus woofed his thanks for the compliment, and then it was just Jack and Cyrus in the room.

Jack dropped to his haunches and eyed the big dog. “Damn, I really did miss you. That was a good thing you did, riding with Abner. Settle in while I shower and shave, then we’ll go up to the penthouse and get some breakfast.”