The Hand That Feeds You

Andi Pauldi is a vet living in Palm Springs, California. She is trying to get her fledgling practice off the ground while waiting and hoping that her sixth and final blood test for AIDS will be HIV-Negative. When a little girl named Nikki, mute, pathetic looking, and in emotional pain, comes into her office to have her pit bull Buck taken care of. Andi takes an instant dislike to the girl's redneck father, but the pleading in the little girl's eyes convinces Andi to take care of the savagely injured dog. Andi suspects the dog was hurt in an illegal dog fight. ........ Through a local politician's donation, Andi is able to give Buck the best of care but a shock awaits her when, a few week's later, she delivers a now healthy Buck back to his owners. Nikki is gone, with no trace of her existence in her dump of her house. Andi locates the girl's father, shot to death on the living room floor.

Pros: Great mystery

Cons: Graphic dog fighting and child pornography