“And after that?”
“I have a few other calls to make. And for what it’s worth—I won’t be leaving. But we’ll put some faith in Sammy, too. He does seem to be an excellent watchdog.”
Sammy was apparently attempting to prove it by barking ferociously. As they got out of the car, the dog bolted past them and went dashing around the house.
“What is the matter with that dog?” Olivia asked, worried.
“Dogs are sensitive. He senses that something’s going on,” Dustin answered. He smiled at her. “Hey, come on. You know that. You’re a therapist who works with animals.”
“Yeah,” she said huskily. “I know he’s not barking for nothing, and that scares me even more.”
She hurried over to the house, taking the sticker the alarm company had left before opening the door. Sammy came rushing back and swept by their legs as they entered.
“Want me to call the alarm people?” he asked.
“I can do it.”
“Of course you can—but I’m happy to do it. I thought maybe you’d forage through the kitchen and find food.”
Olivia laughed at that. “Okay, you get on the phone. I’ll look for food.”
He sat in the living room and put a call through to the alarm company. They were exceptionally pleasant, completely understanding of an emergency and happy to reschedule for later that week.
He could hear pots and pans and cutlery being moved about in the kitchen, so he went ahead and called the office. He spoke to Jackson Crow first, filling him in, and then he was put through to Malachi, who was eager to hear what was going on.
“I told Jackson it’s pretty much out in the open now,” he explained to Malachi. “And the local lawman has been okay. I thought he was going to be difficult at first, but he came around. We’re dealing with Deputy Sheriff Frank Vine and Deputy Jimmy Callahan. Vine knows he doesn’t have the manpower to work on this. Oh, the medical examiner is all right, too. I brought him the bits of dart and the pieces of tree bark I took from the woods, and I’m waiting on a report from him now.”
Malachi put him on hold while he had a quick discussion in the office. A moment later, he was back on the line. “I’m heading out there with Abby, Sloan and Jane. We don’t want to make an announcement or anything like that. We’ll just show up. We should be in by tomorrow afternoon.”
“Good,” Dustin said. “Let us know when you’re in the vicinity. I’ll keep you posted on where we are.”
As he ended the call, Olivia walked out of the kitchen. “There’s a casserole in the oven. I’ll be back down in ten. Oh, the guest room is across from mine upstairs. Make yourself at home.”
He nodded, looking up at her. They were both the worse for wear, but even covered in trail dust with bedraggled hair, Olivia Gordon was...striking.
“Thanks.” His voice sounded hoarse to his own ears. “Malachi and some of the Krewe will be here tomorrow,” he told her.
“Really?” She seemed pleased. And yet, he thought, not as pleased as she would’ve been a few days earlier.
Maybe he’d grown on her.
“That’s great,” she said. “I mean...considering all the variables.”
“Yeah, it’s good news.”
“Not that you don’t know what you’re doing. You obviously do. You saved Aaron’s life this morning,” she said fervently.
“Anyone with a few courses in emergency medicine could’ve done what I did—and I’m sure that you would have acted if I hadn’t been there.”
“The thing is you found Aaron. You saved him. Will you excuse me? I’ll be down in a bit.”
She turned and ran up the stairs. He found his backpack by the door and hiked it onto his shoulders, then followed her up. The door to the left was hers, he knew. He pushed open the opposite door and went into the guest room, where he set his backpack on the bed. He headed into the shower, trying not to think about the fact that she was across the hall.
Naked.
While the heat of the water felt wonderful, he didn’t want to tarry. And he didn’t—the hot water lasted a few minutes, and then it went cold. He stepped out, swearing softly, and remembered that while the bathroom was probably fairly new and up-to-date, the house itself was very old. Hot water just wasn’t going to last that long, not with two people showering at the same time.
He dressed, got his computer from his bag and left the room.
Sammy lay in the upstairs hallway between the two rooms, as if watching over both of them.