Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
By the time I was in the car, Natalie was long gone. But Timber Falls was small, and it was only a matter of time until I tracked down the car. It was just a matter of finding the rental car needle in the proverbial haystack.
“It’s not like we have anything else to do,” I said as I turned onto a side street, scanning the vehicles. “I don’t feel like going back to Rob’s house to hang out for the rest of the day.”
Millie shot me a look, and I focused back on the road. No rental cars on this street.
“Maybe we should go to a hotel,” Millie said after another fruitless side street passed by.
“I guess we could,” I said, tightening my grip on the steering wheel.
“But that feels... Oh, I don’t know. I know I’m blowing this out of proportion, but if I check into a hotel, that feels final.
Like I’m drawing a line in the sand. And I’m not certain I want to do that.
Besides, think of the field day the gossip mill would have if I did that.
Even if I found a short-term rental, it would be the talk of the town. ”
Her whiskers quirked as I took a left turn.
“No, I mean that is probably where Natalie is staying.”
“Oh. Oh. Yes, of course. Good idea.”
My cheeks flushed as I scanned the street, passing by a row of older homes on the outskirts of town.
“But I guess that does raise the question of where we’re sleeping tonight,” she continued. “We could take Sandy up on her offer if you’re not comfortable sharing a roof with Rob.”
“Ugh,” I said with a groan. “I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it right now. We need to find Natalie and figure out what’s going on. I don’t know why, but something feels off with the timing of her coming to town.”
“She might have been honest. I mean, her star client was the target of a car bomb. I’m sure that would concern any publicist,” Millie said as I turned onto the highway to head back to the main part of town.
“True. But enough to drop everything with another client and fly through the night to get here? Unless she’s admirably dedicated to her job, that just feels... off.”
“I guess we won’t know for sure until we ask her.”
“There’s only one hotel, well, I guess it’s more of a motel, in town. So if we don’t find her car there, I don’t know where else to look.”
Millie murmured something I couldn’t quite hear. I sighed and kept an eye on the cars as we drove, just in case Natalie drove past us. I pulled into the parking lot of the little, faded motel and looked around.
“No rental cars. Shoot.”
“Do you think she left town?”
I frowned as I backed out of the parking spot.
“I guess she doesn’t have much reason to stay. But I can’t imagine Rob being okay with that. I’m sure he noticed when she flung herself on the body.”
“But you haven’t talked to him since then, so he may not understand the subtext. Or the fact that she was in town hours before she said she was.”
“All roads lead to me having to talk to Rob, don’t they?” I asked as I cruised down the main road again.
“Well...”
“I know. I need to be an adult. I wonder if he’s still at the park? Let’s drive by and see if we can find him. If he’s there, I’ll stop.”
Millie looked out the window as we made our way back over to the park. His pickup wasn’t parked nearby, and it was empty. I paused as the crime scene tape strung across the bench fluttered in the wind.
“He’s gone. Shoot.”
“Olivia! Over there!”
Millie was standing on her hind legs, front paws resting on the dash. I turned to see the taillights of a silver car as it turned.
“There she is! Follow her!”
I obeyed, giving my car a little more gas than I should have. The tires squealed in protest as I hauled my steering wheel to the right. The gray car sped up, and I forced myself to take my foot off the accelerator.
“Why are you slowing down?”
“I don’t want to spook her, or be too obvious. Where is she going?”
Millie huffed a little sigh as we crept along behind the car.
I did my best to keep it in sight as Natalie took several turns.
Before long, we were back in familiar territory.
We were near the forest that backed onto the park where we’d taken our morning walk.
Had that been just yesterday? It felt like it was weeks ago.
Natalie pulled over, and I quickly found a place to park about a half mile back. Something told me now wasn’t the best time to approach her, and I’d learned long ago to follow my gut.
“What’s she doing?” Millie asked. “Roll down the window so I can hear!”
I cracked the passenger window and turned off the engine. It felt like time was ticking backward as we waited for... something. I wasn’t sure what it was, but obviously she’d parked here for a reason. She got out of the car and leaned against the passenger side, checking her watch.
A loud bark startled me, and Millie let out a hiss as a brindled dog streaked through the trees, followed by the lanky form of Declan Fairmont.
“Get back here, Fang!”
I tensed, ready to spring to Natalie’s defense if the dog attacked her, but she knelt, opening her arms. The dog I thought vicious turned into a wiggling mess as he danced in front of her, delighted yelps echoing down the street.
“What?” I whispered to myself.
Natalie stood and opened her arms as Declan raced over. He lifted her into the air, spinning her around twice before settling her back on the ground. I craned my neck to see, wishing I had Millie’s ears as the couple leaned in close to each other.
Natalie opened the back door of the car, and Fang hopped in. Declan got into the passenger side, and Natalie walked around the back of the car, scanning the street. I hunkered down in my seat, hoping she didn’t spot me.
“There they go!” Millie said. “After them!”
It took a moment to get the car started again, and by that time, they were out of sight. Millie’s claws flexed, digging into the upholstery.
“Left or right?” I asked.
“Right.”
I turned and picked up speed, hoping to catch sight of the car again. We rounded a turn, and the road opened into a valley surrounded by trees. I could see for at least two miles ahead, and there was no silver car there.
Millie hissed.
“It’s okay. We’ll turn back around and see if we can find them. It’s a small town,” I said, as I pulled to the side of the road so I could turn around.
“Only if they stay in it.”
That somber warning gave a little extra weight to my foot as I sped back down the way I’d come.
We were too far behind them, and Millie was right.
This highway led out of Timber Falls. If they had left, there’d be almost no way of finding them, especially since I’d failed to get the plate number of the vehicle.
I banged my fist on the steering wheel and risked speeding up a little more.
A siren whooped behind me, and I glanced in my rearview mirror in time to see red lights flashing on Rob’s pickup. I had to squelch the urge to floor it while wondering where on earth it had even come from. I slowed down and pulled to a stop at the side of the road.
I watched in my mirror as Rob sat behind me, still in his pickup. This day just kept getting worse. My back tightened as his door swung open and he began strolling my way.
He rapped on the window with a knuckle, a questioning light in his eyes as I hit the button to roll the window down.
“Uh, hi Rob. What’s up?”
Exasperation was clear in his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Stopping my girlfriend for going seventy in a fifty-five. What on earth are you doing all the way out here? You never speed. What’s happening, Olivia?”
I let out a shuddery breath. Time to come clean.
“I was following Natalie Adams. She just picked up Declan Fairmont and his beast of a dog. I turned the wrong way and lost them, so I was speeding to catch back up to her car. It’s a gray rental.”
“Make? Model? Plate?”
I winced and shook my head.
“I didn’t get close enough to see the plate, and I’m terrible with cars. It was a sedan.”
“There’s no crime in her meeting up with someone, Olivia,” Rob said, and a thread of patronization crept into his tone, instantly making my blood pressure rise. “Speeding after them, however...”
“Rob! She is Moorehead’s publicist. Or was. And Declan appeared in town right before the explosion. And she got into town hours before she said she did. Something is going on. I’m certain of it!”
His eyes sharpened, and he leaned closer.
“All of this would have been good to know, Olivia. I appreciate the fact that you’re driven to find the truth. It’s one of the many things I love about you. But this...” He trailed off and sighed, looking down the road as a truck passed us.
Rolly James was goggle-eyed, and I’m pretty sure his dog, Cooper, was too as they cruised past us. Oh great. This little scene was going to get replayed all over town. Defeat crashed down on me. What had I been thinking? Rob was right. I should have gone to him instead of chasing Natalie. But...
“Olivia, let’s head home and talk about this like adults,” Rob said, his tone softening. “I’m not your enemy. And you’re not mine. You’re the woman I love.”
My lip quivered. He sure knew how to reduce me to mush.
“Okay. I’ll... meet you there. But what if they left town, Rob? They might have killed Moorehead, and they’re just going to get off scot-free.”
“We’ll find them, Livie. Come on. Come home with me.”
My breath felt shaky as I looked at him.
“No ticket then?”
His lopsided grin sparked a little flame in my heart.
“Just a warning. This time. See you at home, Livie.”
He patted the top of my car and headed back to his pickup. I turned to see Millie looking at me with wide eyes.
“That was...”
“Yeah. Well, I guess I know where we’re going next.”
“I wish we were really going home. I miss my spot on the bed.”
I ruffled her fur as Rob pulled out, leading the way back home.
“Me too. We’ll figure it out.”
“You know by tomorrow it will be all over town that you led Rob on a high-speed chase,” she said, settling into a loaf position in the passenger seat.
I groaned and pulled out to follow Rob.
“Guns blazing, no doubt. Maybe even a spike strip thrown in for extra drama. I love Timber Falls, but the gossip mill sure does get interesting.”
I double-checked my speed as I drove to Rob’s house.
I knew I was doing the right thing, but a part of me wanted to continue on, chasing Natalie and Declan.
It was obvious they knew one another, and the timing of their arrival in town raised all of my alarm bells until they clamored so loudly I couldn’t ignore it.
“I hope he listens to me,” I said to myself in a whisper.
“He always has,” Millie said, ever the voice of reason. “Don’t see trouble where the waves are just a little choppy. It will be okay, Olivia.”
I glanced over at her and smiled.
“How did you get to be so wise, cat?”
“Practice. Lots and lots of practice.”
Silence fell as we returned to town. The sun slipped behind the mountains in the distance, casting the surrounding trees in a purple-hued light.
I wasn’t looking forward to this discussion, but maybe Millie was right.
We’d get through this. Somehow. And we’d figure out who killed Jackson Moorehead.
There was no way I was backing down from this case, even if it wasn’t really mine.