Chapter 38
Max had thanked Darryl then excused himself. He pushed through the ER doors, scanning the waiting area until he spotted them.
Lyndee sat in a chair with her shoulders hunched while Sheriff Sutherland stood nearby, talking with a nurse. The sheriff’s attention shifted the moment he saw Max striding toward them.
Max didn’t slow. “Lyndee.”
She looked up, startled at first, then confused. “Max? I thought you left.”
He stopped in front of her, his pulse still driving hard from the conversation he’d just had. “When Kenny was at the cabin—when he was talking to whoever showed up—did you hear the other person’s voice?”
She frowned, trying to follow. “I told you, I didn’t see anyone.”
“I know.” Max forced his voice to remain steady. “But did you hear anything? A voice?”
Lyndee hesitated before swallowing hard. “I . . . I’m not sure. I thought I heard a little of the conversation, but like I said, the other person had a softer, lower voice.”
Max leaned in. “What did you hear?”
She frowned, her entire face scrunching with the action. “I thought I heard a woman. I told myself that couldn’t be right, that I was just . . . I don’t know. I thought maybe I was going crazy.”
Max’s stomach dropped. His theory . . . was it right?
Sheriff Sutherland stepped closer, his gaze moving between them. “What’s going on?”
Max straightened, his thoughts snapping into place faster with each passing second.
“Long story short, but I just spoke with someone who knew about Kendra from somewhere else. He said a guy he met had dated her, and when they broke up, Kendra basically began stalking him and harassing anyone he dated.”
Sheriff Sutherland’s expression hardened. “Wait—you think Kendra is behind what’s been happening with Hadley?”
“I do,” Max said. “Think about it. She had the opportunity to leave the note for Lyndee. She works for a real estate company, so she knows about the various properties out this way. She could have thrown the brick into the window at the vet clinic. And she just gave Hadley cookies out of the blue. My friend said she tried to poison someone back in West Virginia.”
“She did this to Hadley because she’s obsessed with you?”
“And because she has an unstable personality,” Max said. “I think she might be helping Kenny. Think about it: She knew Lyndee was at Refuge Cove, and someone tipped off Kenny. I don’t know how it all fits, but I have a feeling it’s all connected—and that Kendra is the link.”
“That matches what Susie just told my deputy,” Sheriff Sutherland said.
“She’s awake?”
“She is. And she said a woman snuck up behind her and injected her with something. It must have been Kendra.”
“I had no idea she’d take things this far . . .”
The sheriff shifted into action and reached for his phone. “I’ll have a deputy head to Kendra’s place. We need to keep our eyes on her and anywhere she goes until we know more.”
Max barely heard the rest. He was already pulling out his phone.
He had to talk to Hadley, to warn her.
He hit Call.
The phone rang and rang.
Again, there was no answer.
His grip tightened as he ended the call and immediately tried again.
Still nothing.
A cold edge of panic slid in, sharp and unwelcome.
“You said she’s at Refuge Cove?” Sheriff Sutherland asked.
“That’s what Caleb said.” Max shook his head, dialing again. “But he sounded off when I talked to him, like something was going on. I should have questioned him more.”
The call went to voicemail.
Max lowered the phone, his chest tightening.
Hadley hadn’t been feeling well.
She’d said that.
Kendra had also given her a package of homemade cookies.
And now Hadley wasn’t answering.
He looked at Sheriff Sutherland, his unease turning into something harder and more urgent. “I need to get back there.”
“My deputy just pulled into the lot. He’ll take you.”
“Thanks.” Max hurried toward the curb.
Something wasn’t right.
And Hadley was caught in the middle of it.
Hadley stepped out into the cold and walked toward the kennel. As she passed the deputy, she waved. It was dark outside, so she couldn’t see him inside. She assumed he was there.
She needed a minute. Needed something normal. Something she understood.
The house suddenly felt too close, too full of questions she didn’t have answers for. The devices, the email, everything about Max—it all pressed in on her at once.
But out here . . . out here with the animals, things made sense.
She pushed open the kennel door and stepped inside. The familiar sounds of the place greeted her. But the dogs for some reason seemed agitated. She could hear them pacing. Hear Petey, a basset hound, barking at the far end of the kennel. Hear another dog panting.
When she reached Juno’s pen, the dog lifted her head, and her gaze locked onto Hadley.
“Hey, girl.” Hadley stepped closer and rubbed her hand over Juno’s fur. “You know, I’m starting to think you and I might be stuck with each other. We’ve been through a lot together.”
The thought didn’t feel as strange as it should have. If anything, it felt . . . right. Maybe God had sent Juno to her. Maybe Juno was Hadley’s answer to prayer . . . and Hadley was Juno’s answer as well.
Juno shifted and lifted her head higher. Her big, amber eyes were fixed on Hadley with an intensity that made her pause.
There it was again. That look.
Hadley tilted her head, studying the dog. “What is it with you? You keep looking at me like you’re trying to tell me something. Those puppy dog eyes are impossible to ignore.”
Juno nudged her hand.
Hadley gave a small, almost breathless laugh. “What are you trying to do, some kind of mind meld with me? Are you silently begging for a treat? You definitely deserve one.”
The dog’s gaze didn’t waver.
A chill captured Hadley.
She shook it off, pushing herself back to her feet. “Okay, that’s enough of that. Maybe I’m losing it. Because it seems like you’re trying to tell me something, and—”
A faint sound broke the quiet behind her.
A footstep.
She turned—and froze.
Hadley’s breath caught as her pulse spiked, every instinct suddenly on high alert.
She wasn’t alone in the kennel, was she?
Max pushed the truck faster than he should have, the road blurring beneath him as Refuge Cove drew closer with every mile. His grip tightened on the wheel, his thoughts racing ahead of him.
He’d gotten his own truck before rushing toward Refuge Cove.
Using his Bluetooth, he called Caleb again.
Finally, Caleb answered.
“I know I asked you this earlier, but have you seen Hadley?” Max didn’t bother to soften the urgency in his voice.
“She’s here.”
Relief hit fast enough to make Max exhale. “I think she may be in danger, Caleb. It’s a long story, but Kendra is unstable. I think she may be going after Hadley.”
“What?” Caleb’s voice lilted with surprise. “Hang on. I’ll put eyes on Hadley. She stepped outside to check on the dogs.”
“Yes, do that. Please.”
He listened as Caleb moved, the faint shift of sound over the line as a door opened, then closed. Then footsteps sounded.
Max kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead, but his focus had narrowed entirely to what he could hear. “Caleb?”
“Hold on. I’m almost there.”
A few seconds passed.
The line stayed open, but the silence on the other end stretched thin.
Then Caleb’s voice came back, tighter now. “Hadley’s not in the kennel. That’s where she said she was going.”
Max sat forward. “Check outside.”
“I am.”
More footsteps sounded, faster this time.
“She didn’t drive off,” Caleb added. “Her car’s still here.”
That cold edge of panic slid into Max’s chest, sharper now.
His mind already raced ahead of the facts. “Something’s not right.”
Caleb let out a quick breath.
“What is it?” Max rushed.
“It’s the deputy who came here with her. I just found him on the back side of the kennel near the office. He’s out cold.”
Dread pooled in Max’s stomach.
This was exactly what he feared might happen.