Chapter 36
Hadley pulled into Refuge Cove and cut the engine, sitting a moment with her hands still on the wheel. Deputy Vaugn pulled in behind her, shadowing her just as he’d been instructed.
The drive over hadn’t helped.
If anything, it had given her too much time to think.
Her stomach was churning even more now, and all she wanted to do was lie down to sleep.
She’d done a lot of sleeping when she’d found out about her husband’s affair.
It had probably been a sign of depression since Hadley was usually the busy type.
She didn’t want to go there again.
She pushed her thoughts aside and stepped out, the cold air brushing against her face as she headed toward the kennel.
Inside, Juno lifted her head as Hadley approached. Her tail thumped once against the bedding, and her puppies slept in a cluster around her.
“Hey, girl.” Hadley crouched beside her.
She ran a hand gently along Juno’s side, checking her over, then glanced at the puppies.
Everything looked good.
Normal.
For a moment, Hadley let herself breathe. Animals had always been where she’d found her comfort. But since she’d lost Latte to Ethan, she’d tried not to get too attached.
After all, she’d gotten attached to Ethan, and that had ended in heartache. She’d gotten attached to Emma also, and she’d lost her.
Maybe getting attached was the wrong choice.
She glanced at Juno again, and her heart softened.
Sweet Juno didn’t have a home, and she couldn’t stay here at the kennel forever. Someone had probably dropped her off at that other shelter because they knew they couldn’t handle the expenses of a pregnant dog. She didn’t deserve to suffer because someone had changed their mind about her.
Like Ethan had changed his mind about Hadley.
She leaned closer to the dog and whispered, “Don’t you worry. I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of. I promise you that.”
Then she straightened and headed back outside, crossing toward the main house. Deputy Vaughn was sitting in his car in the driveway. He nodded as she walked by.
Hadley opened the side door to Refuge Cove and stepped inside. The warmth wrapped around her as soon as she did. The scent of something savory—maybe beef and gravy—still lingered faintly in the air.
“Hey,” Naomi called from the kitchen. “I thought I saw you pull up. I wasn’t expecting to see you here today.”
Hadley offered a small smile as she stepped closer. “I just wanted to check on Juno. She’s doing really well.”
“Isn’t she, though? I checked on her earlier too. She seems to be settling into her role as mama very well.” Naomi placed a bottle on the drying rack and turned toward her, Grace in one arm.
She looked like an expert with the baby, even though the child wasn’t officially hers.
“In about eight weeks, we’ll have to find homes for those little puppies.” Hadley felt heaviness press on her at the thought. She sat at the breakfast bar.
Naomi sat beside her. “I’m sure people will want to adopt them. It’s Juno I worry about. People usually want puppies. What’s Juno? Three or four years old?”
“That’s how it appears.”
“You know we’ll keep her here for as long as necessary.” Naomi cast her a look as if trying to interrupt her melancholy.
“I feel better knowing that.” Hadley hesitated, her thoughts circling back to the email and everything she’d just learned. She wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject without sounding accusatory.
“What’s on your mind?” Naomi paused and turned toward her.
“You could always read me a little too well. I was actually hoping—”
A small, startled sound cut her off.
Naomi turned quickly. “Grace—no. Where did you get that?”
Baby Grace had reached under the breakfast bar where they sat, and her tiny hand had found something beneath it. The child immediately tried to bring it toward her mouth.
Naomi pulled the object from her grasp.
The moment snapped Hadley back into focus as she leaned closer. “What did she grab?”
Naomi turned the object over in her hand.
Hadley leaned closer. A small black disc had been tucked beneath the lip of the counter where no one would think to look. A thin strip of adhesive held it in place, nearly invisible unless you knew it was there.
It didn’t look like a common piece of hardware.
She couldn’t be sure, but it almost looked like . . .
A chill slid through her.
“Is that . . . ?” She hesitated, her pulse quickening. “Is that a listening device?”
Max sat in the back of the SUV with Lyndee as Sheriff Sutherland drove toward the hospital. The siren wasn’t on, but urgency stretched taut through the air.
Tears streaked Lyndee’s face, and every few breaths hitched as if she were trying to keep herself together and failing. “I’m so sorry, Max. I should’ve listened to you and Stephen. I should have stayed away from Kenny.”
“You’re safe now.” Max kept his tone steady. “That’s what matters.”
“But I went back.” She swung her head back and forth. “After everything you did for me, I still wanted to go back to Kenny.”
“What happened the night you left, Lyndee?” Sheriff Sutherland glanced at her in the rearview mirror before returning his focus to the road.
Lyndee swallowed hard and drew in a shaky breath. “He sent me a message. Said I had to come outside right then or he’d burn the whole place down. I thought maybe he’d already hurt someone.”
Max’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t interrupt.
“I couldn’t risk it,” Lyndee continued. “I mean, I know I was upset earlier. But I came to my senses. Then I got that note. I thought if I met him, maybe I could talk some sense into him. Or at least keep him from hurting anyone else.”
Sheriff Sutherland’s grip shifted on the wheel. “How did he even find you in the first place?”
“That’s the strange part.” She frowned as she tried to piece it together. “I didn’t contact him. I hadn’t spoken to him since I got to Refuge Cove.”
Max turned to see her face. “How did he contact you?”
“I found a message from him. Slipped under my door.”
Max sucked in a sharp breath at her words. “At Refuge Cove?”
She nodded, her expression uneasy now. “I thought it was strange too. But I didn’t know what else to think.”
Max exchanged a quick look with Sheriff Sutherland.
“That’s not all,” Lyndee said. “When he met me on the side of the road and shoved me into his truck . . . he said something else.”
Max’s focus sharpened. “What was that?”
“He said someone had contacted him,” Lyndee said. “And told him where I was staying. That I would never be safe, and he had people everywhere.”
“Did he say who?” Max asked.
“No, he didn’t. But that’s weird, right? Who at Refuge Cove would do that? One of the other women maybe?”
“Maybe,” Sheriff Sutherland muttered. “I can’t imagine any of the staff at Refuge Cove doing that. Safety is their first priority.”
“But no one knew I was there except the people at Refuge Cove.”