Lobo admired the patience and fortitude of Officer Biscuit as they retraced the mile or so they had traveled in the ice cream truck to make their way back to the academy.

Lobo hadn’t been sure which way to go, but he had stroked the sleek fur of his friend’s back and pushed out a vision of the academy.

The dog instantly pricked up his ears and headed in a direction Lobo hoped was homeward.

The street was hot enough that Lobo encouraged his friend to cut through front yards to soothe his paws on the cool grass.

At last the sights were familiar enough that Lobo knew the academy was just a block away.

“Good work, Officer Biscuit,” he told his companion. “You are an excellent rescue officer.”

Biscuit swiveled his ears toward Lobo.

Lobo could tell by the slight lift in the dog’s posture and the warm enjoyment emanating from him that he felt proud.

“Let’s go the long way though,” he told Biscuit. “We don’t want anyone to spot us. It’s too risky. We’re wanted men.”

The dog made no protest when Lobo led them all the way around the rear of the old monastery.

Lobo’s heart sped up a bit when they rounded the corner of the old stone edifice to see the field of violets and the trees to the east where he and Veronica had nearly shared intimacy.

He had missed his chance with Veronica.

She was not really dedicated to chastity. He could tell by the way she responded to his touch.

If he really wanted her to choose him for her mate, it would have been a simple thing to wait for her to lose Biscuit and then make sure he was there to comfort her and let things run their course.

But that would have been wrong. He could not let anything happen to his mate’s best friend.

Veronica herself had been willing to sacrifice their future together to save Biscuit.

No, he had done the only thing he could. He had sacrificed his own chance to click with her and become permanently human in order to set things right and save his friend.

He should have no regrets. He should see the good sense in each decision and feel satisfaction.

But the cool intellect of his personality on Aerie was lost to him now in a sea of human emotion and warm kinesthetic memory.

His imagination was thrust back to the shaded bower where he had held Veronica in his arms and explored the wonder of her body.

Officer Biscuit snorted indignantly.

Lobo was concerned that his lustful thoughts had been communicated through their link, but when he looked over he could see the dog was focused on a figure scurrying out of the monastery and into the shadows.

A low growl emanated from the dog’s throat.

They were close to the living quarters, where the cadets lived in shared apartments. The person must have come from there.

Percy.

Percy and the other K-9 trainees were staying in rooms there. It must have been Percy who just dashed away. Lobo should have recognized his weasel-like shuffle right away.

No wonder Biscuit was feeling threatened.

Lobo headed into the front hall of the building, Biscuit's claws clicking on the marble floor beside him.

The inside was dim, but once Lobo’s eyes adjusted he could see the buzzers for each unit.

Most had two or three names on them. Lobo decided it must mean that the cadets shared their quarters.

At last he saw ‘REEVES’ on a buzzer all by itself.

Percy had his own room.

Of course he did.

Reeves was a greedy and unpleasant fellow, unlikely to be chosen for room sharing.

Lobo noted the number on the unit and headed up the stairs, Biscuit following close behind.

When they reached the proper apartment, Lobo tried the handle.

Locked.

Biscuit whined, his ears pressed down against his skull.

“We have to get in there,” Lobo explained. “It’s the only way to clear your good name.”

He looked around. They were on the second floor, in the back of the building. There were two units to the east of this one.

“Come on,” he told his friend. “Let’s go back out.”

They headed back down the stairs and outside again, miraculously without bumping into anyone.

Lobo led Biscuit to the back of the building and counted windows.

“There,” he said triumphantly, pointing at the proper window.

A fire escape balcony was just off the window. But the ladder was retracted upward, so Lobo couldn’t reach it from the ground.

He looked around.

The only thing the right height to climb on was a big recycling bin by the back door.

Recycling on a planet so close to its environmental tipping point as this one was no joking matter.

Lobo hesitated.

Biscuit whined.

“You’re right,” he told his companion. “This is important too.”

Besides, Lobo was sure he could climb on the bin and return it to its place before any metal or plastic found its way to the landfills.

Determined, he dragged it over and tried climbing it.

After a few attempts he managed to get on top and stretch himself high enough to reach the ladder and pull it down.

He scrambled up to the fire escape and looked down at his partner on the ground below.

Biscuit looked up at him, concern in his large amber eyes.

“Wait here, my friend,” Lobo whispered down to him. “I will be right back. But I need you to keep watch for me.”

Warmth and understanding flowed back through their bond, so he turned and opened the window.

Percy’s apartment was immaculate.

The dining table by the window was meticulously set in the manner which Dr. Bhimani had demonstrated to the aliens was proper. They had never seen a table set that way again. Meals at the lab were big bustling affairs with very little ceremony.

But Lobo admired the perfect symmetry of the silverware, the way the mug was placed in relation to the plate, and the fancy napkin folding Percy had accomplished.

The kitchen counter was small but no less organized. Mugs were organized by color and lined up in descending size order.

The refrigerator had a few magnets lined up in a perfect row.

On the far counter, Lobo found exactly what he had been looking for.

The evidence was right there.

Or rather, it was not right there at all.

But the facts of the case were clear.

Lobo felt as clever as Axel Foley, the famous cop of Beverly Hills.

Triumphant, he headed back out the window and onto the fire escape.

He was just lowering himself to the ground when he heard footsteps.

“Freeze,” said a no-nonsense voice behind him.