Page 14 of Guarding Holly Grace
Chapter 10
“Come on, man.”Gage said to Ian. “This is getting us nowhere.”
Ian glanced around to see who might be within hearing distance. “This is what the sheriff wants to do, so we’re doing it. Neither one of us is in charge here.”
Gage blew out a frustrated breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Seriously? If it was Piper would you be going along with this?”
Ian didn’t respond.
“I knew it.” Gage said. “You wouldn’t be doing this if it was Piper. Well, I’m not going along with this on Holly Grace either. Do you know the number to the rescue group? I want to talk to those ladies. Find out if anything weird has been going on lately.”
Ian gave him a doubtful look. “You think her disappearing has something to do with the dog rescue?”
“It’s the best place we’ve got to start at this point. Let’s talk to those ladies and see if anything turns up.”
They edged away from the others working the grid of the field, fading into the woods nearby and working their way back to Ian’s truck. “Come on.” Ian said. “Let’s just take my truck and go over there and see what they have to say.”
Gage’s answer was to jump in the passenger seat and buckle up. “Let’s go. Time’s wasting.”
Mollie and Alice latched on to them the minute they walked in the door wanting to know what was going on and any progress being made in finding Holly Grace.
“Look.” Gage said. “The local men are out there scouring the field where I found the scuff marks and blood but aren’t turning up anything yet. I wanted to come in here and talk to the two of you. Is there anything, I mean anything, unusual that happened lately? Even something that may seem unrelated.”
The two women gave him frightened looks. “I don’t know what to tell you.” Alice responded. “I swear there’s nothing I can think of that could possibly relate to her disappearing like this.” Tear swam in her eyes and Gage felt sorry for her. She was obviously distraught over her friend’s disappearance.
“What about you?” He questioned Mollie. “Is there anything you can think of?”
Mollie looked uncertain. He knew she was thinking something over. Something that might lead them to Holly Grace.
“I can see you have something on your mind, Mollie. Why don’t you tell us so that we can make a decision about how it might be related to this?”
Mollie put her head in her hands. “I told her she’d made a mistake. I told her.”
Gage sat in the chair next to her desk. Took her hand in his. “Please. I know you care about her. I know you don’t want anything to happen to her. Please tell me what you’re thinking.”
“The Summerall’s.” Mollie said.
Ian hissed.
Mollie glanced in his direction. “Yes. The kennel. I found out the other day that Holly Grace had called in an anonymous report about them running a puppy mill.”
“And you think they know it was Holly Grace who called it in?”
Mollie frowned. “You obviously don’t come from a small town. I don’t care how anonymous you think something is. When you live where everybody knows everybody and all their business, for generations back, there is no anonymity.”
Gage looked to Ian who nodded. “She’s right. What was Holly Grace thinking to do something like that?”
“How do we get there?” Gage asked, heading for the door.
“Hold up.” Ian said. “We have no evidence that the Summerall’s are involved in Holly Grace’s disappearance.”
Gage continued to the door. “We don’t have any other clues. I’m going to follow this one. If it doesn’t pan out, I’ll find another one. And another one. Until we find her.”
Ian followed him out the door. “Okay. Okay. Get in the truck. It can’t hurt to drive out there and ask if they’ve seen her. Maybe sniff around a bit just in case.”
Ian turned his truck off the country road fifteen minutes out from town.
At first Gage didn’t see anything. Just woods and open pastureland. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, they rounded a curve and he saw a huge brick home that looked like something out of a Civil War movie. And up a hill past the house two buildings that looked almost like barracks surrounded by fencing. A big sign with Summerall Kennels painted in curly black letters on a white background stood next to an archway over the road leading up to the house and kennels.
