“I can do it. I know how to get in and out of a place undetected.”
“If you’re sure,” Katelyn says.
“I’m sure.”
“Okay.” Katelyn says. “You’d better not end up in the hospital too.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
Luke makes a lot of promises to Katelyn. Promises he can’t actually know whether he can keep. Or does he? Does he still have contacts in the drug world? I don’t want to know.
All I want is for Buck to come back to me, healthy and safe.
And Edgar… That silly little pup. I just can’t bear the thought of him starving alone with his owners dead in their bed. Or being put down at a shelter.
It’s silly, I know, but some part of me feels that if I can save that dog, everything will be okay.
Katelyn sits, quiet, stroking Jed’s soft head. Luke left an hour go to fetch Edgar.
I can hardly look at my friend. My request put her fiancé in danger.
Another hour passes.
Then another.
Katelyn will never speak to me again if Luke doesn’t come back.
Neither of us can sleep, neither of us can eat.
It’s after midnight now, and—
The back door opens, and a barking Edgar runs toward me. He and Jed check each other out.
I heave a sigh of relief, as Katelyn launches herself into Luke’s arms.
“What took you so long? I’ve been so worried.”
“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t want to worry you, but I took advantage of the time I had to case the place.”
“No one saw you today?”
“No, I was very careful. I parked two blocks away and sneaked in the back. It was dark, and I made sure no one was around.”
“Thank God,” Katelyn nuzzles her head in Luke’s shoulder.
I want to ask him what he found. I want to ask who might have done this to Buck.
But I stay quiet, let him and Katelyn have their time right now.
I take Edgar into the kitchen to get him some water. I find Jed’s kibble and give Edgar a small portion. “Tomorrow I’ll go to the store and get you some treats, okay?”
He ignores me as he guzzles down the food.
Luke comes in the kitchen to find me. “We need to talk, Aspen.”
My stomach drops.
“No. Is it Buck? He’s okay. Please tell me he’s okay.”
“Yes, Buck is okay. I got an update from my contact. He’s sleeping soundly and his vitals are strong.”
“Thank God.” A sigh of relief whooshes out of me like a gust of wind.
“No, we need to talk about what I found at Gloria’s house.”
I nod. I’m exhausted, but I won’t be able to sleep anyway. “Tell me.”
He takes me to the family room, and I sit down on the couch. Katelyn sits next to me, and Luke sits on her other side, turning to face both of us.
“When I got to the house, the bodies—”
I wince.
“I mean Gloria and her husband… They weren’t there.”
I drop my jaw.
“Sometime between the time I got Buck out of there and took him to the hospital and when I went back to pick up Edgar, someone moved the bodies.”
“What does that mean?” Katelyn asks.
“It means someone took away the evidence. The place was clean. There was absolutely no evidence of blood anywhere.”
“But there was so much blood on the bed, and some of it had seeped onto the carpet.”
“Cleaners,” Luke says. “Professional cleaners. They can get blood out of anything. There is absolutely no evidence that anyone died in that room or anywhere in the house.”
“That’s why you were gone so long,” Katelyn said.
“Yes. I told you I wanted to case the place. Cleaners had been there, so I had to look even more thoroughly. See if I could find anything they might’ve missed.”
“But you didn’t find anything.” I say.
“No, I didn’t.”
“But Edgar was still there.”
“He was outside. Whoever had been there put him outside.”
“But he was inside when you left with Buck, right?” I ask.
“Yes. He was. And I left him inside with a full bowl of water and a full bowl of food.”
Luke goes up a notch in my mind then. He didn’t rescue Edgar while he was there, but he did make sure he wouldn’t starve for the next few days.
“What does it all mean?” Katelyn asks.
“It means were dealing with professionals. Someone with a lot of money and a lot of clout had Gloria and Brian taken care of.”
“Who?” I ask. “Who would’ve done this?”
“I don’t know. But I will find out. For you and for Buck. I owe him.”
Katelyn is rigid next to me, and I know exactly what she’s thinking.
She loves me, and she cares about Buck because I care about him. She cares about Buck because he helped her when they were both being held by the drug lord.
But her first loyalty is to her fiancé, to Luke.
She doesn’t want him in danger.
And now…he’s going to be in danger.