Page 74 of Her Only Hero

I checked the directory in my phone and dialed. It rang twice, and he answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mr. Sutton. It’s June Harber. How are you?”

“Fine, but we’ll be doing better once we can get away to Vermont. The police came by to tell us what had happened and asked several questions. How are you?”

“I’m doing better, thanks. Sorry to bother you, but I have yet another question to ask you, too, if you don’t mind. It may seem like an odd one.”

“Sure.”

“A couple of weeks ago, I found a flash drive in the basement.”

“A what?”

“A flash drive. A USB memory stick for the computer. It was tucked up in the ceiling.”

“You don’t say.”

“I was wondering if it was yours? I thought perhaps you used it for work?”

“I’ve been retired for some time. I’ve never used those devices. All my records were in paper files, locked at my office, or on the computer hard drive.”

“So, it’s not yours?”

“No, not mine.”

“Do you have any idea who it could belong to?”

“Maybe it belongs to Debra upstairs. Or perhaps it belonged to the fellow you found in the basement. We’ll have to make the house more secure for you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sutton. I appreciate that. And I’ll check with Debra. Enjoy Vermont.” I hung up, but I seriously doubted it belonged to Debra. To be certain I would message her to ask.

An engine rumbled. I ran downstairs, peeked out and swung open the front door as Patrick stepped onto the porch. He wore jeans and a black raglan long-sleeved shirt.

“Hey,” he said and slipped his arms around me. His lips touched mine in a supple sensuality that made my mind and body soar in tranquility.

“Hmm,” I sighed. “Just what I needed.”

“Are you feeling all right, June? I was worried when I saw your text.”

I put my head against his chest. “Yes, much better.”

He kissed the top of my head. “Sorry. This situation hasn’t been easy on you.”

“I just want it to be over.”

“It will be. I promise.”

“So, what are we doing?”

“Are you up for a drive?” Patrick asked.

“I am. Where to?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

“Oh, great. Another mystery,” I said, feigning annoyance.

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