Rabid is a short story in the series by author Paul Doiron about Maine Game Warden, Mike Bowditch. This short story builds on the relationship between Mike and his mentor, retired Game Warden and pilot, Charley Stevens.

Mike Bowditch is currently stationed in a part of Maine known as the “Downeast Region.” Charley rides along with him one day and asks Mike to take a detour down a forest road. Charley recounts the story of what happened here.

When Charley was a patrol Warden, he was once stationed in this same area. He was called to a house about a bat in the house that had bitten the homeowner. The house is far from a showplace. Charley finds the man, a retired Marine and Vietnam vet, at the house with his Vietnamese wife and their daughter. The man was bitten by a bat in the little girl’s room and threw it in the wood stove. Charley is concerned about rabies. There’s no way to test for it unless the man, John Hussey, goes to the hospital. He’s not a well man to begin with. He seems to have anger issues. This is set in the 1980s, when the world was just beginning to acknowledge that domestic violence was a problem.

Charley feels caught between a rock and a hard place. He talks to the wife, Giang, in her language, which he learned on his own tour of duty. In the end, there’s not much he can do but encourage John to get tested, which, of course, he doesn’t.

Charley has always confided in his wife, Ora, about his cases. This one is no exception. On a stormy night, Giang and her daughter, Lisa, visit the library where Ora works. They have walked more than 20 miles in the weather to try to find out more about rabies. Ora learns that John Hussey controls his wife and daughter by not allowing Giang to drive and having Lisa homeschooled. Ora attempts to help them, but even the offer of a ride home in this weather is rebuffed. John is a trucker on the road, but neither Giang nor Lisa knows when he might be home, and she doesn’t want the confrontation that will ensue if he sees that they went out somewhere and received a ride home.

It’s apparent that Giang is afraid John is infected with rabies. Charley isn’t so sure. He’s seen many Vietnam veterans come home with anger issues and worse.

Rabid is a story of domestic violence and untreated PTSD. Charley is reluctant to get too involved. It’s a time when the world was transitioning from domestic violence being an issue between a husband and wife to a much larger concern. Doiron manages to capture the time perfectly. There’s so much indecision on Charley and Ora’s parts about how to proceed without putting Giang in more danger. There weren’t the resources that there are today for law enforcement officers.

There’s more background to the characters of Charley Stevens and his wife, Ora, as well. He’s riding along with Mike, most likely for the opportunity to have Mike take a detour for him, but also because he has a hard time living in retirement. There’s also the ongoing issue of the plane crash, which has caused Ora to live in a wheelchair, something he feels very guilty about. He feels bad about leaving her home alone, but this provides him with a good mental excuse to himself. Ora doesn’t blame him, nor does she have a problem with him going off on his adventures. It’s the guilt inside Charley that he’ll likely never resolve that is the problem. This also ties into the issue at the Hussey home.

Overall, Rabid is a solid addition to the Mike Bowditch universe. It is a story that feels right for the 1980s, and takes on a different tone looking back at the events from today. We’ve come a long way, baby, but we still have far to go.