Chapter 2 #2
A harried server brought menus and water glasses. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Coffee for me,” Dom said without looking up from the menu.
“I’ll have the same.” Kendra suspected he planned to stay up late digging into Stuart Ramsey’s background to figure out why he’d sabotaged his father’s plane. And if so, she intended to stick close. She wanted answers as to why her parents had died so tragically just as much as he did.
“Looks like they have a pot roast special.” Dom grinned. “I love a good pot roast.”
“Me too.” It wasn’t as good as their housekeeper Anna’s, but it would hit the spot. She set her menu aside and rummaged in the backpack.
“Your dog is so well behaved.” Dom leaned back to look under the table. “I barely know she’s around.”
“All of our K9s are well trained. But yes, Smoky isn’t as vocal as some dogs.” She drew out the collapsible dishes and set them on the floor beside her. Then she poured the water out of her glass into one of them.
“Are you ready to order?” Their server set two cups of coffee on the table.
“We’ll both have the pot roast special.” Kendra handed her the menus. “Thanks.”
When the woman left, Kendra filled Smoky’s bowl with food and set it on the floor beside the water dish. Smoky lifted her head and sniffed but didn’t jump up to eat.
“Here, girl.” She gestured to the dish. “Come and get it.” With permission, Smoky crawled out and ate with enthusiasm.
“Amazing,” Dom murmured.
When the K9 was finished, Kendra tucked the dishes and food away. “The Elk Lodge has a suite.” She sipped her coffee, eyeing Dom over the rim. “I think that’s the best place for us to stay tonight.”
“Us?” His eyes widened. “I told you to head home, Kendra. What if this gunman figures out where I’m staying?”
“All the more reason I need to stick with you.” She glanced at Smoky beneath the table. “My K9 will alert us to danger. Besides, you don’t have a vehicle.”
He frowned. “I don’t want you to be here.”
She told herself there was no reason to be hurt by his comment. He wasn’t trying to avoid her on a personal level.
At least, she didn’t think so.
“I’m staying.” She leveled him with a direct look. “I want to know what’s going on, Dom. And if something happens to you, I’ll never know why my parents had to die.”
He sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. “They didn’t have to die. That’s the point. Learning more about why my dad was targeted won’t change that.”
He was right, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t leaving. “We’ll figure out what’s going on, together.”
“I never should have come here,” he said, half under his breath.
“I’m glad you did.” Again, she tried not to be upset by his comment. Sure, she’d secretly thought him to be good looking, but that wasn’t why she’d reached out to him. Her goal had been to uncover the truth about that fateful night six years ago.
Their pot roast dinners arrived a few minutes later. Kendra hesitated, then said, “I’d like to say grace.”
Dom froze in the act of picking up his fork. Then he dropped his hands into his lap. “Okay.”
“Dear Lord Jesus, we ask You to bless this food we are about to eat. We also ask You to keep Dominic safe in Your care. Amen.”
There was a long pause, before Dom echoed, “Amen.”
She smiled, glad he’d participated, then dug into her meal. Dom did the same. They ate in silence for several minutes. The pot roast was better than she remembered.
Or maybe it was just that she was unusually hungry.
“Do you always pray before meals?” Dom arched a brow. “Or was that for my benefit?”
“Sullivans always pray before meals.” She tipped her head to the side, regarding him thoughtfully.
“But if you want the truth, the prayer was mostly for your benefit. I am worried that gunman will try to find you. We need the Lord’s protection as much as we need to understand what’s going on, before the gunman strikes again. ”
He looked exasperated. “Like I said before, that’s my problem. Not yours.”
She shook her head. “We don’t turn our backs on people in need. Besides, your life being is in danger is no joke.” A sudden thought struck. “Do you think the nurse’s phone call explaining about the confession is the reason why you’ve become a target?”
“I considered that, but I’m not sure why it would.
Again, I don’t know anything other than what she told me.
” He scowled. “We can reach out to Helen again. I have her contact information, including her email. She caught me at work but then used my personal email to communicate after that. However, she told me that Stuart Ramsey didn’t identify the person who’d hired him.
I guess the guy died before he had the chance. ”
“Yeah, but maybe the guy who did hire him isn’t aware of that.” She turned that possibility over in her mind. “Maybe he thinks Helen told you his name. Did Helen also report the confession to the police?”
“She did, yes.” He sighed. “I think she called me first, though. Not sure why I was her priority, but she took the time to find me through my employer, Data Intelligence Services. I’m listed on their website as the manager, and I guess my contact information popped up when she searched on my name.
She wanted me to know my father was murdered. ”
Murdered. Not an accident, but murder. For six years, Kendra had believed the crash was intentional, and now she knew for sure. Her parents hadn’t been the target, but they’d been ruthlessly killed all the same.
“If Helen found you that easily, then there’s no reason the man who hired Stuart Ramsey couldn’t do the same.” She frowned again. “So why now? Why come after you all these years later?”
“I don’t know.” His brow furrowed. “Has to be because of the confession, right?”
“We’ll figure it out.” She forced a reassuring smile on her face. “Your computer skills should make this a piece of cake.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t argue either. When their server brought their bill, Dom grabbed it. “Dinner is on me. And I really think you need to head back to the ranch.”
She was tired of repeating herself, so she ignored him. She wasn’t leaving, no matter what. But she would have to call her brother Chase. She didn’t want him to worry.
She slid out of the booth, then snagged her pack. Smoky crawled out from beneath the table, stretched, and then stood at her side, looking up expectantly.
“I know, you probably need to get busy, huh?” She bent to stroke Smoky’s fluffy fur. “Soon.”
Smoky’s high curvy tail wagged back and forth in response.
Dominic left cash on the table, then followed her and Smoky outside. She paused near a snow-covered area and waved a hand. “Get busy.”
Her K9 didn’t need to be told twice. The Alaskan malamute trotted over to do her thing. Pulling a baggie out of her backpack, Kendra cleaned up after the dog, then tossed the waste in the trash.
“Good girl.” She turned toward Dominic. “Are you ready? We left my SUV across the street.”
“Yeah.” He scowled. “I really wish you’d go home.”
“Give it a rest, Dom. I’m a grown woman who can make my own decisions, thanks very much.” Swallowing her annoyance, she gave Smoky the hand signal to come.
The dog trotted beside her as they crossed the café parking lot, then waited for a break in the traffic.
She took a moment to appreciate how the main street of Cody was fully decorated for Christmas.
Tiny twinkling blue lights shimmered along the rooftops of buildings and wreaths with large red bows hung from each streetlight.
The holiday was still three weeks away, but Kendra knew that normally she’d only spend time in downtown Cody if she was shopping for Christmas gifts for her growing family.
Instead, she was digging into a six-year-old murder.
They crossed the street and approached her vehicle. They were only a few feet away when Smoky began to growl. Kendra paused, glancing around in concern. Smoky was even-tempered, she rarely growled at strangers.
“What is it, girl?” She kept her voice low. “What’s gotten your attention?”
Dominic stopped beside her. “Is there a problem?”
“Maybe.” She thought about some of the stories her older siblings had told, about how their K9s had focused on the bad guy’s scent, alerting them to impending danger even without being asked to search.
Was that happening now? Was Smoky alerting her to the scent of the gunman?
“Kendra, get down!” Dominic reached over to yank her behind the SUV just as the crack of gunfire rang out. She snagged Smoky, drawing the dog close as she silently prayed for God to keep them safe.