“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.
“You’re a good old boy,” Dustin said, bending to scratch behind the dog’s ears.
As he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, Sammy followed him. Dustin saw a bag of dog treats on the counter and offered him one. “You tried hard, didn’t you? You knew something wasn’t right the day Marcus was killed. I think you went after the killer. But the killer wasn’t really supplied with the customary murder weapons. No gun, no knife. So you were probably whacked with a good-size rock or maybe a branch. But you went up to the killer—close enough to get a walloping—because it was someone you trusted, huh?”
“Talking to yourself?” Olivia asked, sweeping into the kitchen. Her hair was still damp. She was wearing a casual cotton halter dress and sandals. There was something compelling about her—the naturalness of her movements, her lack of makeup, the tempting scent of her soap.
“Sammy is an excellent listener.”
“And you were discussing...?”
He smiled grimly. “Sammy and me? We were discussing my certainty that someone involved with the Horse Farm is doing this. I think Sammy trusted the person who hurt him.”
“But if someone at the Horse Farm hurt him, wouldn’t he be afraid of that person now?”
“Yes—unless the person threw something at him from a distance, maybe as Sammy approached. In that case, it’s possible he never associated the person with the action and the pain it caused him.”
She walked past him and into the kitchen, pulling a casserole from the oven. “It’s just hamburger and potatoes, with a soup mix and crisp onion topping. Not very gourmet.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything better,” he said.
Not true. He’d never smelled anything as good as her.
“I’ll bring it out. There’s a dining table set up in the family room. You can eat and play on your computer at the same time,” she told him.
She carried the casserole into the spacious back room. The table appeared to date from the early 1800s, and there were heat pads on it for protection. “Agent Blake, have a seat,” she said, placing the casserole on one of the pads.
He was wondering how she’d managed anything other than the casserole, but she also put out a platter of raw vegetables and dip, along with glasses of sweet tea, plates and silverware.
He’d opened the computer while she set up.
She closed it as she joined him. “I’m starving, and I know you are, too.”
“I am, and we can talk, which is almost as good as staring at a computer screen.”
“Almost?”
He was pretty sure he actually flushed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that the facts and figures I need are in the computer.”
“Where do you think Marcus has been lately?” she asked.
“I assume he’s off trying to solve his own murder—except that he could help a lot more by hanging around with us.”
“He never did like camping,” Olivia said. “Strange, because he loved nature so much. He loved a walk or a ride through the hills or along the stream.” She looked away quickly and he realized she was close to tears. You could accept the death of a loved one, but it often took time to really remember the good times and be able to smile and laugh at a memory.
“Well, he’s still with us,” he reminded her softly. “Somewhere,” he added. “But let’s go back to that day. So Marcus was at the Horse Farm and we know he definitely went in to see Aaron. We know they talked. He probably talked to Andrew and Sydney, too, because they would’ve been working at the stables.”
“Yes, and we know that because Frank spoke to them. They had casual conversations with Marcus fairly early in the day. I had a session in the morning. When I’m with my groups, I’m not paying attention to much else. As gentle as our horses are, they’re still horses. I keep an eye on every interaction. Not to mention that I’m talking most of the time. So, the upshot is that I wasn’t really watching.”
“When did Sammy come back hurt?”
“During the lunch break. It’s from twelve to one.”
“Who was around during the break that day?”
“Hmm. You’re not going to like this. I had some paperwork to do so I was at my desk. I saw Drew when I brought in Trickster. He was cleaning Gargantua’s hooves. I think he’d been checking all their shoes.”
“Did you see Sydney?”
“Not until Aaron talked about how concerned he was once Sammy came limping back. I remember Sydney called the vet right away—and our vet is wonderful. He came out and made a house call, then took Sammy with him because he wanted to keep him still for the night. He was afraid Sammy might tear out his stitches. By the time the vet left, we were all worried about Marcus. We started calling him and looking for him, then we mounted up and headed out on a search. Everyone except Sandra. We needed someone to stay at the house. Oh—we’d called Frank Vine. He gave us a spiel about Marcus being a grown man, but Aaron insisted that something was wrong. Because of Sammy, you see. Sammy would never have left Marcus.”
Dustin was glad to hear her memories of the day; for one, listening to her, he was able to eat. And he’d been famished. But now she was waiting for him to respond.
“As far as you know, any one of the others could have been out in the woods during the lunch break?”
“I suppose so. I wasn’t keeping track. And we were focused on Sammy and on the fact that Marcus seemed to be missing.”
“Someone could still have slipped through the cracks.”
“Have you eliminated anyone?” she asked.
“No.”
“Okay, but if you were going to eliminate someone, I’m assuming it would be Aaron.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Dustin! He almost died.”
“Almost.”
She shook her head and groaned. “Seriously?”
“If I were going to eliminate someone, I’d say Sydney and Drew.”
“Why?”
“Because I like them.”
“Now, there’s a good reason for you. I like everyone I work with—most of the time. And you have to realize it might not be someone involved with the Horse Farm. You could be wrong.”
“I could be—but I’m not.”
“You’re confident.”
“Yes.”
“Arrogant, really.”
“No, let’s be kind. Go back to confident.”
She began to pick up their dishes, and he rose to help. As she moved into the kitchen she asked, “Who, then? Mason? His greatest flaw is his self-regard—but he’s still a good therapist. Mariah loves history, is almost obsessed with it, but that doesn’t seem like much of a flaw. Sandra—well, okay, she can be bitchy. I had my head in the clouds about her and Aaron. I mean, I had no idea there was an affair going on. But if they’re in love, and I think they are, it sure doesn’t make sense that she’d try to hurt him, does it? Anyway, Aaron is really a doll. He’s always patient and never loses his temper. As you say, Sydney and Drew are great. They’re both low-key. Drew works with the boys from Parsonage House a lot, while Sydney is more of a loner. He’s the sweetest man on earth, but he does tend to like animals better than people. I don’t really hold that against him. And...you did suspect Aaron.”