Instead of the telltale crunching of the underbrush, he barked. Once, then twice. She called him to come again. This time he responded with frenzied, continual barking.
She glanced ahead. The moisture had begun to seep through her jacket and jeans, chilling her. Henry’s cabin wasn’t that much farther, located in a clearing. Here the sun barely peeked through the forest canopy, but there it would be bright and warm.
Tony knew where he lived. Of course he did. He was a dog, not a child, and traveled these woods almost every day. She was the one who would get lost if she wandered, not him. Even as she told herself to stick to the path, she went in search of the dog.
Something didn’t feel right to her. She’d made this trip a dozen times before, and never once had Tony run off and refused to come when called. Maybe Tony was hurt?
Bailey caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Or maybe it was Henry? Maybe Henry had been out walking, fallen and been incapacitated?
Or Tony was just being a crazy puppy and had discovered a new trick?
Muttering an oath, she struck off in search of the dog, following the sound of his barking.
The forest played games with her, leading her one way, then another. Just when she realized she was hopelessly lost, the woods opened into a small clearing with a pond.
She stopped, surprised. Logan hadn’t mentioned a pond on the property and she could see that in better weather it would be a pretty spot. Secluded and shady, with grassy areas perfect for picnics or sunning. She wondered if as kids, he and his sibs had used it as a swimming hole.
Tony was on the far side of it, apparently digging a route to China from a Louisiana swimming hole.
“Tony!” she called sharply. “Come!”
This time he didn’t even acknowledge her existence. As annoyed with herself as with him for being in this predicament, Bailey looked over her shoulder. Obviously, the dog could find his way to Henry’s, but could she?
Doubtful she could, she scanned the ground around the swollen pond. She really had no desire to trek around it, but she wasn’t leaving without Tony. The little shit had to help her find her way out of here.
She picked her way to him, choosing her steps carefully. She envisioned slipping and falling in or twisting an ankle. How long before Logan would come searching for her? And how would he find her way out here?
She reached the far side of the pond, managing to avoid both scenarios. Tony paid no attention to her, intent on digging up whatever treasure he’d uncovered.
Something red, she saw as she neared him. Candy apple red. Hardly a color indigenous to the area ever, let alone at this time of year. Bailey frowned. What was it?
She squatted by Tony. “Let me see what that is, buddy. That’s right,” she said, grabbing his collar and pulling him back.
The toe of a shoe, she saw. Peeking out from the embankment. A lady’s shoe, with a peekaboo toe.
The hair at the back of her neck prickled. With the sensation, a metallic taste filled her mouth. How had it gotten out here, buried in the muck?
Bailey swallowed hard. She was being an idiot. It was probably a sandal. Undoubtedly this pretty little pond was known to all the locals, and she’d bet it was popular with young people. Someone had left it behind.
Simple.
So, why didn’t it feel simple?
Bailey released Tony, stood and went searching for a sturdy stick. She found one and returned to the dog who had apparently decided it would be much more entertaining to watch her. He sat on his haunches, as if patiently waiting for her to retrieve his prize.
She knelt and the wet seeped through her jeans. Using the stick, she started digging out the shoe.
Not a sandal, she realized. A high-heeled pump.
Bailey sat back and stared at it, heart beating fast, mind whirling.
Two women missing from Wholesome. Some people thought True had brought that number to three.
And now, here on Logan’s property, she had found this candy apple red, high-heeled shoe. In a place she could think of no logical reason for it to be.
What else could be buried by the pretty, little swimming hole?
Fear coiled inside her, stealing her breath. Any notion of staying calm and collected evaporated.
Get out of here, Bailey. Now.
She jumped to her feet, slipped on the wet grass, then scrambled back up. She swung around and stopped, a sound of terror on her lips. A figure in the wooded area beyond the clearing. Watching her.
Had he seen her unearth the shoe? she wondered. What if it was his handiwork, something he didn’t want revealed to anyone?
Two women, missing from Wholesome.
And True had made three.
PART TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Saturday, April 19
5:25 A.M.
Bailey opened her eyes. The light stung. Her head throbbed. It all came crashing back. The hospital. Bits and pieces of conversations. Her husband.
She turned her head, wincing at how much that hurt. Her gaze settled on him. She said his name.
“Logan.”
He stirred, opened his eyes and looked at her. She said his name again and he made a sound. Broken, and raw. In the next moment, he was clutching her hand, kissing it. “I was so afraid … I thought … I thought I’d lost you.”
She tried to smile, but couldn’t. “What’s … wrong … with me?”
“Now that you’re awake, nothing. You took a fall and bumped your head. That’s all.”
That wasn’t all. There was something else, but she couldn’t remember what.
Queasiness rolled over her, and he suddenly felt too close. His mouth on her hand too familiar. She shrank back against the pillow. “Don’t.”
He looked devastated but loosened his grip on her hand. “Baby, what’s—”
“Good morning, Mr. Abbott!” a nurse called cheerfully as she entered the room. “There’s a fresh pot of coffee at the nurses’ station, if you’re interested.”
He glanced over his shoulder at her. “She’s awake.”
The broad-faced woman crossed to the bed and smiled down at her. “My goodness, she is! Welcome back, Mrs. Abbott. It’s good to see those pretty, blue eyes open.”
The nurse looked back at Logan. “When did she wake up?”