“You came back for me. You don’t know what that means. You just can’t . . .” Her voice trailed away.

Nick cocked his head to one side. “You know, I’ve been thinking.”

“About what?”

“Dogs and insects—they both detect the scent of death in very similar ways.”

“So?”

“I don’t think they’ve ever been studied together. A blowfly can pick up the scent of human remains from two miles away. Can a dog do that?”

“Not likely—but can a blowfly find a body after it’s been dead for a hundred years?”

“Not a chance. You know, I wonder if we might have an opportunity here.”

“An opportunity?”

“For further study. I was thinking—maybe the Department of Entomology at NC State could host a study. Dogs and insects—it would give us a chance to study them side by side—to compare their relative strengths and weaknesses.”

“Are you asking me to come to Raleigh?”

“Just for a couple of days—maybe a weekend. Dogs and insects—it’s never been done. I just thought—maybe—the relationship should be explored.”

She smiled. “Dogs and insects. That could be interesting.”

I must be out of my mind, he thought. A woman who loves dogs and a man who loves insects—we’ll never agree about fleas.

“It really isn’t fair,” she whispered.

“What isn’t?”

“Life. You barely begin to care about something before it goes away.”

He looked at her face. It was an almost perfect face, and he began to notice features that he had never seen before: her upturned nose, her milky white skin, the faint constellation of tawny freckles arrayed across her cheeks. But there was something about her eyes—the clarity, the brilliance, the almost mystical power that seemed to grab hold of him and draw him closer.

He began, almost in spite of himself, to slowly lean toward her.

CLICK clack.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank the following individuals and agencies for their assistance in my research for this book: Morris Berkowitz, CBP Supervisor, Canine Enforcement Training Center in Front Royal, Virginia; my research assistant, Samuel Thomsen; Dr. John Strasser of Kildaire Animal Medical Center; John Smathers of Falls Church, Virginia; and all the others who took the time to respond to my e-mails, letters, and calls.

I would also like to thank my literary agent and friend, Lee Hough of Alive Communications; story editor Ed Stackler for his insights into story, pacing, and character development; copy editor Deborah Wiseman for her unerring red pen; my publisher, Allen Arnold; and my editor, Amanda Bostic of Thomas Nelson, for her helpful suggestions on the story; and the rest of the Nelson staff for their kindness and dedication to the craft of writing.