Newly vaccinated, Marcia Banks can finally schedule the human phase of training with her Air Force pilot client—the soon-to-be owner of a Chow-Husky service dog named Bear. But when she calls to set things up, she’s informed that the veteran has been in a private psychiatric hospital for months, with no one allowed to visit due to Covid.

Marcia puts out feelers to find out what is going on, and suddenly he is discharged…only to have his private plane crash in a fiery ball two days later. Convinced this is no coincidence, Marcia attempts to find out how her veteran client became the target of a murderer.

What she uncovers looks suspiciously like a scheme to defraud the Veterans’ Administration. But who’s behind it, and did they sabotage her client’s plane? Or did the saboteur have a more personal motive?

And just how determined are they to silence Marcia?

(Note: This story occurs during the end of the pandemic, but it focuses on the optimism and relief of the spring of 2021 in the U.S.)