Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
Kaely and Erin were having another cup of coffee when Kaely’s phone rang.
“It’s Noah,” Kaely said after looking at her phone.
Erin sipped her coffee while Kaely talked to Noah.
Although she could only hear one side of the conversation, it was pretty clear that she was wanted back at the command center.
When she hung up, Kaely confirmed Erin’s assumption.
She couldn’t help but look down at Chester, who was curled up on the floor by her feet.
“I know you feel bad leaving Chester behind,” Kaely said, “but you know he loves being with Hoovey, right? Besides, it’s important that you teach Chester that you’ll always come back.
I have some experience in this area. Mr. Hoover was abandoned too.
For a long time, if we left the house, we’d come home to find pillows shredded and toilet paper pulled off the holders.
It was the result of anxiety. But after a while, Mr. Hoover figured out that he could trust us not to abandon him.
Those behaviors stopped. Now, when we leave, he barely pays any attention.
Chester just needs to learn the same lesson.
As hard as it is, he’ll be happier in the long run. ”
Erin knew she was right, but it really was difficult.
Even though Mr. Hoover made it much easier, Chester’s expression when she left still hurt her.
When they were ready to go back to the command center, Erin called Chester’s name.
He had two ways of handling stress when she left him alone.
One was to follow her to the door. The other was to hide somewhere and refuse to look at her.
Seems he’d chosen the second approach. She went looking for him, but he wasn’t in the kitchen or the living room.
She walked back to the guest bedroom and found Chester on the bed, Mr. Hoover curled up next to him.
Although she hated to wake him up, she softly called Chester’s name. He looked up.
“I’m leaving for a while, pal,” she said. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”
She was surprised when his tail thumped on the bed. Then he put his head down again and closed his eyes.
Could he finally be getting over the fear that had kept him in its clutches ever since he’d been dumped by . . . ? She pushed the words in her mind away. She was pretty sure that since she was a Christian now, those words were best removed from her vocabulary.
She smiled at how comfortable Chester and Mr. Hoover seemed together. “I’m not getting a cat. I’m not getting a cat,” she whispered as she walked back into the living room to meet Kaely.
“Did you just say you’re not getting a cat?” Kaely asked.
“Wow. You must have really good hearing.”
Kaely smiled. “It’s come in handy more than once. So, you want to tell me why you’re not getting a cat?”
Erin laughed. “Chester is in love with Mr. Hoover. I’m not as worried now about his reaction when I leave him, I’m more concerned about what happens when we leave here. I think he’s going to miss Mr. Hoover a lot.”
“I hear you, but the truth is, even though he will miss Hoovey, you’re his person. Being with you is more important than anything else.”
Erin sighed. “I guess so. Having a pet is tough. It’s almost like having a kid.” As soon as she said it, she regretted her comment. “I’m sorry, Kaely. I didn’t mean . . .”
“Don’t be silly,” Kaely said. “I know exactly what you mean. I’m sure it’s not quite the same, but I love Mr. Hoover with all my heart. If anything happened to him . . .” Her voice broke and she cleared her throat. “Before we both start crying, let’s leave.”
“Good idea.”
Erin had just picked up her purse when someone knocked on the door. Kaely looked through the peephole on the door. “It’s Nick,” she said. She opened the door and sure enough, Nick stood there, looking a little uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Looks like you’re getting ready to leave.”
“Yeah, sorry,” Kaely said. “They want to talk to Erin again down at the command center. Are you here for a reason?”
Surprisingly, Nick blushed. “Just wanted to say hello. Make sure everyone’s all right.” He glanced over at Erin. Kaely looked at her too and winked.
“Sorry we have to leave,” Kaely said. “I’m fairly sure we’ll be back by suppertime. Why don’t you join us? Say around seven?”
Nick nodded. “Sounds great. Can I bring anything?”
Kaely smiled at him. “How about some dessert?”
“I can do that. Well, I’d better get going. Hope everything goes okay.” He nodded again, then turned around and headed for his patrol car.
“You definitely have a fan,” Kaely said.
“I think you’re imagining things, but let’s shelve that discussion for now.”
As they got into Kaely’s car, Erin wondered if she was right. Was Nick really interested in her? He was nice and very good-looking. So why was she wishing Kaely hadn’t invited him to dinner? Her reaction confused her.
I watched them get into the car and leave. I needed to make my move soon. As they drove away, I began to create a beautiful strategy. Erin had to die, but it would be special. A dark design that even the great Kaely Quinn-Hunter wouldn’t see coming.
The same officer who had let them into the command center last time was manning the door again. He greeted them.
“I brought my book,” he said to Erin with a smile.
“Great,” she said. “When you take a break, find me, and I’ll be happy to sign it, Brad.”
“Thanks.”
As she and Kaely walked into the large command center, Erin heard someone call Kaely’s name.
A man walked over to them. “So, you’re back for more, huh?”
Kaely smiled at him. “Just can’t stay away.”
“I take it this is your famous friend, Erin Delaney?”
“Yes. Erin, this is Lucas Grant. He works for the BAU with Noah.”
“Nice to meet you, Lucas,” Erin said. Lucas was handsome with longish dark brown hair and green eyes that seemed to look right through her.
“How are things going?” Kaely asked.
“Not sure,” Lucas said. “I just got here myself. I need to check in with Noah. We have a couple of other special agents from the BAU here today too.” He smiled at Kaely. “Your friend Alex is working today. And my SAC, Todd Hunter.”
Kaely returned the smile. “I haven’t seen Alex for a while. She’s been busy.”
“I remember you telling me about her,” Erin said. “I’d love to meet her.”
“She, Todd, and Noah are working on the profile now. They said they could use your help.” He pointed to an area on the other side of the room.
Noah was there with a woman and another man.
Erin assumed they were Alex and Todd. They were gathered around a desk, a dry-erase board next to them.
Although she couldn’t read what it said from where she stood, she hoped she’d get a chance to look at it before she left.
“Lucas, can you keep an eye on Erin for me?” Kaely asked. “Herrington will be interviewing her.”
She gestured toward a serious-looking Detective Herrington coming their way—a look of determination on his face. The fear that had gripped Erin the day before tried to wrap its tentacles around her again. Before she realized what she was doing, she grabbed Lucas’s arm.
“Hey,” he said quietly. “I know he’s intense, but he’s a good guy. You can trust him. Still, if at any time you feel overwhelmed, just look for me and give me a little nod. I’ll come up with an excuse so you can take a break, okay?”
“Okay,” Erin said. She withdrew her hand, embarrassed by her reaction.
It wasn’t that she was afraid of Herrington.
He simply represented the terror that had plagued her for so long.
But then something happened. The voice that had spoken to her before now reminded her that life had changed.
That she wasn’t alone anymore. And suddenly the fear drifted away like smoke in a gentle wind.
No matter what happened, she’d found Someone who would never leave her on her own again.
Someone who could rescue her no matter what. Once again, peace replaced fear.
Lucas patted her on the shoulder. “You can do this,” he said. “I have faith in you.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “Thanks. And you’re right. I know I can do this.”