"Twice."
Emily looked up.
"And his behavior?"
Marcus hesitated.
"He's been trying to get somewhere."
"Where?"
Marcus looked down the corridor.
"Room 417."
Emily frowned.
"There's no patient in Room 417."
"I know."
He paused.
"That's why I'm worried."
2. THE METAL TAG
Emily gently separated the fur behind Rex's left ear.
At first, she saw nothing unusual.
Then her fingers touched something hard.
She stopped.
"Marcus."
He immediately stepped closer.
"What?"
"There's something here."
Emily carefully moved the fur aside.
A thin metallic object was lodged beneath a small protective flap of skin near the dog's collar line. It wasn't a standard identification tag.
It was much smaller.
And it appeared to have been deliberately concealed.
Emily frowned.
"How did this get attached to him?"
Marcus stared at the object.
"I don't know."
"Did you put it there?"
"No."
Emily examined it more closely.
"Has anyone else handled Rex since yesterday?"
Marcus shook his head.
"Only the military veterinary team."
Emily gently removed the object after confirming it was not attached to the dog's skin.
It was a small metal nameplate.
The surface was scratched, but two letters remained clearly visible.
C.C.
Emily stared at them.
Her fingers tightened around the metal.
"Where did you get this dog?"
Marcus looked confused.
"From my unit."
"No. Before that."
Marcus hesitated.
"Why?"
Emily turned the metal plate over.
There was a faint marking on the back.
A date.
And beneath it, a short identification number.
Her expression changed completely.
"Marcus..."
He moved closer.
"What is it?"
Emily looked at him.
"Where did you say Rex was trying to go?"
"Room 417."
Emily slowly stood.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
She glanced toward the far end of the corridor.
"Because Room 417 was sealed almost six years ago."
Marcus stared at her.
"What was in there?"
Emily didn't answer.
Instead, she looked at the metal tag again.
Then she whispered:
"Christopher Cole."
Marcus froze.
"Who?"
Emily looked directly at him.
"Your brother."
3. THE BROTHER WHO NEVER CAME HOME
Marcus's expression changed.
For several seconds, he seemed unable to understand what she had said.
"My brother is dead."
Emily shook her head slightly.
"That's what you were told."
Marcus stepped closer.
"Don't."
"Marcus, listen to me."
"No. You don't get to say his name like that."
His voice became louder.
"Christopher died six years ago. I was there when they brought back his identification. I attended his memorial. I signed the documents."
Emily looked down.
"I know."
"Then why are you saying his name?"
She held out the metal plate.
"Because this belonged to him."
Marcus stared at the letters.
C.C.
Christopher Cole.
His older brother had been a military working-dog handler before his disappearance.
Six years earlier, Christopher had been assigned to a classified search operation overseas.
The military had reported that his convoy was attacked.
No body had been recovered.
Only a damaged identification card and a personal effects package had been returned to the family.
Marcus had never believed the official explanation.
But after two years of unanswered questions, he had eventually stopped searching.
Or at least, he had tried.
"Where did you get this?" he asked.
Emily's eyes filled with emotion.
"I didn't put it there."
"Then who did?"
"I don't know."
"Why does it have my brother's initials?"
Emily looked at Rex.
"Because I believe this dog was with Christopher."
Marcus shook his head.
"That's impossible. Rex was assigned to my unit after Christopher died."
"Was he?"
Marcus stared at her.
Emily continued.
"Did you ever see his original military transfer record?"
"No."
"Did you ever meet the handler who delivered him?"
Marcus paused.
He remembered the transfer.
A senior officer had told him that Rex was an exceptional working dog whose previous handler had been killed during an operation.