Dale pointed towards the stiffened dog in the corner, explaining frantically, “You know how much I love this dog. I raised him like my own child. Today, Harper tortured him to death. She deceived me to take him back from my ex-girlfriend's house. Isn't that crazy? Look, Ryan–”
Without warning, Ryan punched him hard in the face. He staggered back, clutching his nose. He appeared deeply shocked by both the punch and my brother's anger.
“Are you fucking out of your mind? Your son died because of that mad dog and you're still trying desperately to defend him. You're an asshole!” Ryan took a step back and unclutched his fist. Blood dripped from Dale's nose. He was stunned. I didn't know if he was stunned from the punch or from hearing my brother's words.
“By the way, my shift ended half an hour ago. I was on my way home when Dispatch notified me of a disturbance at my sister's house. I hitched a ride with a friend who was on duty just to check. I never imagined the report was about you.”
“What?” After a moment, he snapped out of thought and immediately took out his phone. He dialed my mother's number frantically. He called her to confirm.
