And nobody could explain the strange smell that one of the paramedics had noticed near the kitchen.
At the hospital, Vanessa was rushed into the emergency department.
Doctors immediately began investigating the cause of her collapse.
Her brother Daniel arrived twenty minutes later, still wearing the clothes he had put on after receiving the emergency call.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
A nurse directed him to the waiting area.
“Your sister is receiving treatment. The doctors are running tests, and we’ll update you as soon as we can.”
Daniel sank into a chair.
“Was it the dog?” he asked. “Did something happen between them?”
The nurse hesitated.
“We don’t know yet.”
He covered his face with both hands.
Duke had been with Vanessa for years. Daniel had watched the dog grow from a clumsy puppy into an animal that seemed to understand every emotion his sister experienced.
The possibility that he might have hurt her was almost unbearable.
