Page 78 of The Rescuer

The woman fastened her hawk-eyed gaze on Neve while Neve walked the dog’s owner through after-surgery care, handed over meds, and set up a follow-up appointment.

“Now if you notice anything off or he seems especially uncomfortable or he runs a fever, you give me a call. Here’s my card with my private cell number.”

The client accepted the card and gushed, “Thanks again, so much, I don’t know what I would have done without your help.” She dropped her voice conspiratorially. “I live halfway between here and Ridgway, but I don’t trust the vet there, that Dr. Bunting. She’s snooty as heck, and worse, she doesn’t seem to have a clue what she’s doing.” Though it was one more knock against Dr. Lark Bunting, Neve took the comment in stride. Vets were like friends or lovers: They weren’t always compatible.

Meanwhile, the woman placed her hand over her heart and continued. “I’m so glad you were available. And please thank your husband for me too. He was quick to get my poor puppy inside but so gentle in the way he handled him, and then he sat with me and made sure I was calm enough to drive home. I would have fallen to pieces if he hadn’t been here. You are both godsends.”

Neve was about to correct the woman on her marital status when Woman Number Two leaned forward with aggressive interest. Something about her demeanor tickled Neve’s spidey-senses. Shelving it for now, and she patted the client’s forearm and wished her and her dog well.

With the client out of the clinic, Neve turned her focus to the cat woman. “If you’ll give me a sec, I’ll get the cat. I’m sorry I wasn’t ready for you; I expected you a little later.” Neve got it. People who loved their pets didn’t like being separated from them.

The woman let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry about that. I had a long way to drive, and I guess I overestimated the amount of time it would take to get here.”

“It’s always nice when the weather cooperates. Where did you come from?”

She flapped a hand. “The Western Slope.”

Another oddity. Most people shared the exact town, or at least the county. “I’m sure you’re excited to see him and get going before Mother Nature decides to dump more snow. I’ll get him.” Neve had a blow to soften first. “I need to give you a heads-up, though. He went through quite a trial, so if heisyours, he might not look the same as he did last time you saw him. I can assure you he’s been well cared for, and he’s on the mend.”

“Your husband sounds like a great guy.”

Neve had been in mid-pivot toward her office, and she spun back around to face the woman, who had risen to her feet. She was about Neve’s height, squared off in a way that hinted at fitness, and she had straight, shoulder-length dirty-blond hair and dark eyes. Brown or hazel, Neve couldn’t tell, but an inner voice warned her off getting any closer to find out. “Yes, he is.”

Normal people in a similar situation would have concentrated on the cat. What injuries did he suffer? What kind of surgeries had he undergone? What was his long-term prognosis?

But this woman didnotbehave like a “normal” pet owner. Her next question carried a fake casualness to it. “Been married long?”

“A while.” Was a week and two days “a while”? And did a fake marriage even qualify? Probably not, but Neve could ponder those questions at a different time. This woman was knocking Neve off balance, and she wanted to hurry her out.

“From reading about your clinic online, I noticed you grew up here. Is your husband a local too?” The woman had followed her into the hallway.

What the hell? Why this keen interest in Reece?“I’m not sure that’s … Let me get the cat. You must be eager to find out if he’s yours. In the meantime, if you’d stay in the waiting room … Only staff is allowed back here.”

“Sorry. I must sound nosy. It’s just that I know some of the people from Fall River, and I hadn’t met you, but I wondered if I knew him.”

Neve narrowed her eyes. “What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t.”

“You know, I was so excited to learn Mr. W might have a home to go to that I totally skipped one very important step. I need your name, address, and phone number.” Neve reached for a pad of paper and a pen, which she thrust at the peculiar woman.

“To look at a cat?” The woman accepted both but didn’t bother doing anything with them. “And who’s Mr. W?”

“We didn’t know what else to call the kitty, so we gave him a placeholder name. Mr. W is short for Mr. Whiskers.”

“By ‘we,’ do you mean you and your husband?” The woman’s grip tightened on the pen.

“No, my lab tech and I. Look, I’m getting a strange vibe here that’s got nothing to do with trying to find your lost cat. Want to tell me what this is really about?” Neve clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides.

The woman’s gaze dipped to Neve’s hands, and her body language did a one-eighty. Her shoulders, so square and straight, dropped, and she puffed out a breath. She handed the paper and pen back. “My name is Chelsea Selkirk. I am—IwasReece Hunnicutt’s incident commander, and I’ve been trying to get in touch with him without any luck.”

Clutching the pen and paper, Neve cinched her arms across her chest. “This is kind of a strange way to go about finding him, don’t you think? You answer a posting about a stray cat and pumpmefor answers aboutReece? Not to mention your questionsaboutme. That’s beyond intrusive, and frankly a little creepy.”

Chelsea shook her head. “Look, I’m sorry. I just … Reece doesn’t want to talk to me, and I thought if I approached someone else … I heard a rumor that you married him recently.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“It’s a small community. Word gets around.”

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