Don thrashed again, with all of his might. "This is child abuse!" he exclaimed.
Officers Colmes and Russels were sweating by the time they got him close to the patrol car.
"You'll be the ones in jail! Who handcuffs and drags a kid?" he hissed.
The young officer nodded at the plainclothes policeman, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "I think you're right, I did hit a nerve. Could you please get the parents back on the phone?"
"Sure thing," he replied, stepping a short distance away.
Officer Russels took out another set of handcuffs. She used them to handcuff his hands behind his back, then took the one connecting her to Don off of her wrist.
With a shove that caught him off guard, she swiftly "helped" Don into the back of the patrol car. In the same fluid movement, she slammed the door shut before he could react.
Officer Colmes returned, and offered her the same sleek black phone Don had rejected minutes earlier. "Thanks," she said as she took it.
Officer Russels cleared her throat, then put the phone close to her face. "Hello, is this Mr. Reynolds?"
A concerned voice came through the speaker. "Yes, is my son safe?"
"He's fine, but as Officer Colmes said earlier, he declined to talk to you. I have a few ideas on how he might be helped. Like you, we just want what's best for your son."
"I appreciate that, Officer. What would you suggest?" asked Mr. Reynolds.
Ten minutes later, she said goodbye to two extremely frightened parents. "Here's your phone, Officer Colmes. His parents agreed," she said.
"Great! Since it seems we're going to be working together for a while, call me Floyd. Are we headed to Stoneville next?"
"Yes, I'll call Father Sutherby on the way. I'm sure he's going to be extremely interested. I'll also call animal control, and tell them to transfer the puppy to the Stoneville facility. Oh, and while we're at it, you might as well call me Sasha. I think you're right, this is probably going to take a while."
Floyd grimaced, and looked down at his ankle. "Having the animal delivered is a good idea, that so called puppy is downright scary."
Sasha nodded. "I love dogs, but something about that innocent looking golden retriever puppy made the hair on my neck stand on end," she said seriously.
The two opened the car doors, only to be greeted by shouting. "I'm too young to be arrested! you can't hold me for long," protested Don as soon as he could be heard.
Floyd nodded. "Correct. But there's nothing stopping you from getting the help you obviously need. And your parents have agreed to let us make sure that happens."
Don glared at him. "What kind of help?"
Floyd grinned. "The kind we talked about on the way to the car. Your little friend will be there too."
To be continued
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Cover image made in Canva Pro using their gallery