Mariah nodded. “So, Dustin—even Deputy Vine thinks something odd is going on. But in a court of law, wouldn’t we be looking at a bunch of circumstances? As opposed to solid evidence? Sorry, I guess I watch too much crime TV.”
“I’m into being safe and if Frank wants us to be safe—well, I’m there,” Mason said. “See you all. Thanks, Secret Agent Man.”
Dustin didn’t bother to protest. “Take care, Mason.”
“Will do!” Mason promised. He walked to his car. Mariah started walking to hers; by the end, she was running. She hopped in, revved the engine and lifted a hand to show that she was on her way.
He walked back into the office. Olivia, Drew and Sydney glanced up at him expectantly.
“What do we do now?” Drew asked him.
“Find a killer,” Dustin said.
13
“That was pretty blunt,” Olivia told Dustin as they drove away from the Horse Farm.
His rental car was staying there.
They were driving to her place. Together.
Sammy was with them, of course. The dog was in the backseat but his head appeared between them every few seconds, despite Olivia’s suggestion that he stay in the back. Dustin had a feeling that she was usually a little more authoritative with the dog, but she was tired. Worn out. And she was feeling guilty about Sammy.
“Blunt? Perhaps. Not much else to say at this point, though.” He turned to look at her. “Whoever is doing this has to be in your group. And you did the best thing you could have done—stopping all sessions until Aaron’s back. If Aaron makes it back.”
Olivia gripped the wheel and glanced his way quickly. “First of all, canceling our sessions wasn’t entirely my choice. And what do you mean, if Aaron makes it back? He looked great. They’re just keeping him for observation.”
“He’s keen to get out of the hospital. He almost died, Olivia. According to him, he heard a ‘mosquito’ buzz and went down immediately after that. He’s not a stupid man. He listened to what Frank and I had to say, but he just wanted to see Sandra and get out. The sheriff’s department doesn’t have the manpower to put a guard on everyone at the Horse Farm, so I’m hoping he and Sandra stay together. For now, Aaron is fine. However, I don’t know what’ll happen when they release him—even if Sandra never lets him out of her sight.”
“You’re really scaring the hell out of me,” Olivia muttered.
“There’s more.”
“What?”
“Someone had an image of the general on his horse out in the forest. I don’t know much about art, but it’s on some kind of cheesecloth, which, I assume, would make it look ghostly in the right light. Frank Vine was the one to find it. That’s good, because it means he’s bought into our suspicions about what’s going on.”
“I don’t understand. An artist drew a picture on gauzy cloth—and put it in the forest? Why?”
“Because if you’re stumbling around at night or in the early morning—when the light’s hazy—you’d think you were seeing the general.”
“But...wouldn’t you check to see if it was real?” Olivia asked.
He grinned at her. “No, not most people. Most people would run like hell!”
Olivia nodded thoughtfully. “Okay, so what would the image of the general in the forest have to do with someone attacking Aaron at the stream? And are you sure Aaron was attacked?”
He shook his head impatiently. “No, I’m not one hundred percent sure, but anything else is unlikely. Aaron might just happen to have a little wound the size of an insect sting near the base of his neck. And I’ll admit I’m not one hundred percent sure of the connection between those two events—Aaron’s so-called accident and Mariah’s discovery—either.” He shrugged. “Maybe Mariah simply imagined that she heard the general speaking and then happened to wander into the woods where she found an image of him—and the torn-up carcass of a cow. Like I said, it’s unlikely, but...”
“It is possible,” Olivia said a little stiffly.
She pulled into her driveway and let out a little cry of dismay. Dustin frowned, looking toward the entry.
There was a note on the door.
“The alarm company came and went,” Olivia said. “I forgot all about them.”
“So did I,” he told her. “Don’t worry. We’ll just reschedule them.”
“I’d have liked to get the alarm system in today. Funny, I’ve lived by myself for several years and I’ve never been afraid. But now...”
“Let’s call them right away,” Dustin suggested.
“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.