Chapter 5 - THE WHISTLE THAT STARTED A WAR
The whistle was barely audible.
Three short notes.
A pause.
One long note.
Dr. Price had received the recording anonymously, with a warning that it might trigger Brutus.
She had not played it directly to the dog without precautions. Instead, she and her team evaluated the evidence and observed Brutus's reaction to a carefully controlled, low-volume sound during assessment.
His response was immediate.
Fear.
Agitation.
A frantic attempt to retreat.
The sound appeared to have been associated with punishment.
Mave watched the recording in Declan's office.
Her stomach twisted.
“Someone trained him to panic.”
Dr. Price nodded.
“It's possible the sound became associated with aversive experiences. We need to be cautious about conclusions, but his reaction is concerning.”
Declan stared at the screen.
“I thought he was protecting me.”
Mave looked at him.
“Maybe he was trying to protect himself.”
The words struck him harder than she expected.
That afternoon, investigators discovered that Patrick Voss had operated an illegal private training facility outside Newark.
The property had been leased through a shell company.
Several former employees described abusive methods.
Dogs were subjected to extreme stress.
Some were used in intimidation schemes.
Others were sold as protection animals.
Brutus had been one of them.
Declan was furious.
He wanted to confront Voss.
Immediately.
Mave stopped him.
“What would that accomplish?”
“He hurt my dog.”
“And if you go after him with a gun?”
Declan said nothing.
“You'll become exactly the kind of man he's counting on.”
He looked at her.
“You think he wants me to retaliate?”
“I think someone is trying very hard to make you lose control.”
That evening, Detective Bennett called.
Voss's former accountant had agreed to cooperate.
His name was Simon Hale.
He had documents connecting the training facility to organized crime operations.
And one of the names in those documents belonged to a man Declan had considered his closest ally.
Anthony Rourke.
Declan's second-in-command.
Declan stared at the phone.
Anthony had worked beside him for fifteen years.
He knew his businesses.
His properties.
His security arrangements.
His habits.
He had been the one who recommended Patrick Voss.
The one who approved Brutus's purchase.
The one who insisted the dog accompany Declan everywhere.
Mave watched Declan's face.
“Who is Anthony Rourke?”
Declan looked at her.
May you like
Then said quietly:
“The man who knows how to destroy everything I've built.”
