Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
When I woke up, sunlight was streaming in through the window, and Rob was gone. Millie was still tucked next to me, her sides rising and falling gently. I blinked a few times in an attempt to collect my mental marbles. I’m pretty sure a few rolled out of reach.
“Did I imagine that?”
My sleep-fuddled brain finally registered the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen.
Millie stirred as I moved and stretched a paw toward me, making an adorable sound that immediately brought a smile to my face.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” I said, stroking her head.
“Morning. Where’s Rob?”
“I’m guessing he’s in the kitchen,” I said, stretching my toes toward the bottom of the bed. “He came to bed last night, right? It was early.”
She nodded and nuzzled her head into my side. She was making it very hard to want to get out of bed. But there was a murder to solve, and the chances of me doing it from this bed were small. I hadn’t yet perfected the Poirot art of exercising my little grey cells.
“Let’s go see what happened last night,” I said, as curiosity finally cleared the tired feeling away.
Millie hopped down, stretched majestically, spreading her back toes wide, and sauntered into the hall.
I made a quick stop in the bathroom to brush my teeth before following her.
That was another thing about living alone.
No one cared about my morning breath. I chuckled to myself as I rounded the corner into the kitchen.
Which was empty. Puzzled, I looked around until I spotted a note on the counter.
“Had to run back to the station. See you soon. All my love, Rob,” I read aloud. “Well, shoot. I guess my questions are going to have to wait.”
I prepared Millie’s breakfast and thought about my plans for the day. With everything that happened yesterday, I’d completely forgotten to ask Rob about what the engineer said. My stomach twisted itself into knots at the thought of not being able to return to my store. My home.
“Well, I guess I’m not that hungry,” I muttered to myself as I filled the teakettle. “But I never turn down tea.”
I puttered around the kitchen while I waited for the water to boil. The leftover spaghetti was still in the fridge, so Rob hadn’t eaten. Hopefully, he’d picked up something.
“It’s weird,” I said.
Millie paused from her washing-up routine, her paw suspended next to her face.
“What’s weird?”
“Thinking about living with someone. Having to worry about them. I’ve gotten very used to our little routine. I don’t know if I’m ready to change yet. It feels like I’m still getting to know myself. Who I really am.”
She lowered her paw.
“We don’t have to move in with Rob.”
“I know. But if the building is badly damaged, we’re going to have to live somewhere. There aren’t many rentals in this town, and the thought of having to leave our apartment, ugh, it just makes me sick to my stomach. I can’t believe this happened.”
She walked over and leaned against my leg, offering comfort in the best way she knew how.
“Thanks, Millie. I just hope we’ll find out that everything is going to be okay. And who killed Jackson Moorehead? I still can’t figure out why anyone would want him dead. And why they picked Timber Falls to do it.”
“They probably thought they had a better chance of getting away with something in a small town,” she said, resuming her bath. “But they don’t know Rob.”
“They don’t know Rob,” I repeated, nodding. “I think you’re onto something, Millie girl. I still think it has something to do with those two. They obviously know each other. We just need to figure out that connection.”
“Well, since we can’t open the shop today,” she said, blinking up at me. “I propose we do a little snooping. Maybe go back to that park again?”
The tea kettle whistled, making me jump. But honestly, the thought of facing Fang again played a part in my reaction.
“I don’t know about that. I was thinking of approaching Natalie. If she isn’t still in custody, that is. I don’t suppose you’d want to text Rob to check. They may have had to let her go.”
“Hmmm. Why can’t we do both? Hey, with any luck, we can catch them together. It’s still pretty early. If they haven’t left town, I bet we’ll be able to track them down somehow.”
I poured the water into my cup and left the bag to steep.
“Alright. Let’s do it. With any luck, we’ll be able to find them.”
As I turned to walk back to the bedroom to get ready, I was almost certain I saw a golden glow around my cat. I did a double take, but she was back to being her regular self.
“Something tells me luck won’t have anything to do with it,” I said to myself.
A few minutes later, I was dressed, mostly presentable, and craving a hit of caffeine. I sent a longing look at the half-full pot on the counter and grabbed my tea. Since I’d left my travel mug at home, I downed it in two gulps, wincing at the slightly bitter taste.
“It’s not a latte, but hopefully it will do the trick. Ready, Millie?”
She was already waiting by the door, her tail lashing back and forth.
It looked like Millie and I were ready to begin our hunt.
I peeked outside, confirmed that Tammy wasn’t lurking in her yard, and dashed for my car, Millie in my arms. She put up with the jostling like a trouper and got settled in the passenger seat, a sharp look in her eyes as she gazed through the windshield.
“So... park? Or try to see if we can find her car at the motel?”
“I think we need to head to the park. It will be okay, Olivia. Trust me.”
And I did. Completely. But that dog scared the stuffing out of me.
As I drove, I came up with a plan that would keep her safe.
She wouldn’t like it, but it would make me feel better.
I parked on the edge of the park and cut the engine.
No one else was around, but I had a feeling I’d find Declan and Fang in the trees.
Now that I was here, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to.
“Okay, well. This is where we split up,” I said, tapping the steering wheel. “I’m going to head into the trees, and you can stay here and keep watch.”
She leveled a look at me that promised future retribution if I had the temerity to go through with my idea.
“No.”
“But...”
“No. I’m safest when I’m with you. And you’re safest with me. We go together or we don’t go.”
“Millie, I know what you’re saying, but...”
“No buts. If you leave me behind, I will follow you. So let’s just cut out the step where I have to race around trying to find you and just take me with.”
“If I lock the car...”
Cats really didn’t have eyebrows. At least not like humans did. But I’m pretty sure she raised one of hers and gave me a pitying stare.
“I’m coming with you.”
I heaved a sigh and rested my head on the steering wheel.
“If something happens to you, I will never forgive myself.”
“Well, I feel the same way about you. Trust me, Olivia. I need to come with you.”
There was something in her tone. Something in the way she looked at me that told me she was being completely honest with me. A shiver went down my spine. I nodded slowly.
“Alright. If that’s the way it has to be.”
She brightened and shook her fur.
“Let’s do this.”
I got out, and she leapt past me, not giving me a chance to pick her up. I closed the door and pocketed my keys. Hopefully, we wouldn’t have to make a break for safety. I left the doors unlocked, just in case.
“Follow me,” she ordered, and began striding toward the trees, her tail held high.
“Look at me. I’m forty-five and I’m taking orders from a cat,” I muttered as I hurried to catch up with her.
“It could be worse,” she called over her shoulder.
She had a point there. If someone were going to push me around, I’d prefer it to be a ten-pound cat with secret abilities.
“True. Can you sense where they are?”
She looked over her shoulder again.
“Yes, but we should probably be quiet. Could you maybe watch where you’re walking? I know it’s not your fault you’re human, but...”
I mimed zipping my lips and began tiptoeing around the branches and dead leaves instead of plowing ahead.
She, of course, moved like a shadow, the grass barely bending as she walked past. Oh, to have the grace of a cat. I tried not to blunder too much and found myself holding my breath as I followed.
I’d lived here for nearly a year, and I’d never actually explored this wooded section of town.
I had an idea that it led close to the lake where the town held its annual events, but I wasn’t positive about that.
All I knew was that the air was thick with the smell of pine sap.
And that said sap was now firmly adhered to the sleeves of my hoodie as I brushed my way through the thicket of trees.
By the time we’d gone what I estimated to be about a mile, I had sap on the ends of my ponytail; I was sweating, overdressed, and completely over this little excursion.
Millie’s pristine ivory coat was also studded with bits of sap, and I knew she was not going to appreciate the removal process any more than I would.
“How much further?” I whispered as she paused, scenting the air.
“Just ahead. Let me go first. I can sneak in and scope out the situation.”
“Now, I don’t... and she’s gone,” I said to the empty clearing as Millie disappeared into the trees. “Cat...”
I debated following her, but this area was so thick with shrubs I’d likely alert half the town to our position. So I waited, praying she’d come back to me safe and whole. I jumped when her head poked out of a nearby shrub.
“Hurry! This way!”
I forced my way through the shrubs, wincing at the loud cracking of a branch.
Millie didn’t seem concerned as she leapt ahead, clearing a stump like a pro.
I followed at a much more sedate pace, worried I’d twist my ankle and trap us both in the woods.
I had my cellphone, but I wasn’t sure if I’d get service out this way.
We came out into a round little clearing, ringed by tall pine trees that stretched up so high I had to crane my neck to see the tips. A solitary tent sat to one side, half-zipped. I crept closer and spotted something that made my heart skip a beat. I risked another two steps toward the tent.
A low, malevolent growl made my arms break out in gooseflesh as I slowly pivoted. Just to the left of the tent sat Fang, his lips curled back, revealing teeth that had to be as long as my thumbs.
“Millie,” I whispered, poised to grab her and make a dash for it.
“He’s chained,” she said, pretty matter-of-factly given the situation. “He can’t reach us.”
“But... it had better be a log chain.”
“It is,” said a male voice behind me. “After what happened two days ago, I made sure to secure him when I left my camp. I didn’t expect to see you. Olivia, right?”
I turned and saw Declan Fairmont. His beanie was dotted with sap, and he looked tired. No, more than just tired. He looked saddened beyond belief. He walked toward us, hands held up.
“Yes. Hi, Declan. I’m sorry to disturb you, but...”
“Out for another walk?”
His lilting voice had a dark edge to it now, and sweat beaded on my spine as I considered my options.
The dog was chained. For now. If Declan wanted us gone, all he had to do was release the beast, and we’d be cooked.
But there was something in his eyes that made my mind up on the spot.
That sadness meant something, and I had a feeling I knew what it was.
“Actually, no. I came to find you. I see you have his briefcase. Do you want to talk about it?”
Declan’s shoulders caved in, and his handsome face twisted into an expression of sorrow that felt like a punch in the gut.
“You should probably sit down. I know I need to,” he said, taking off his beanie. “I’ve heard about you, you know. From the townsfolk. They say you’re the one who solves all the mysteries in this town. Well, have I got a doozie of one for you.”
Quiet fell, punctuated only by the chirping of birds in the trees overhead. Even Fang had gone silent. Millie crowded next to me, her eyes trained on the man in front of us as he began to talk.