Page 94 of Hiss and Make Up
With a heavy sigh, Chloe said, “Back to where it all started.”
* * *
Sierra turned onto Marc’s street and aimed for the end of the cul-de-sac. The firetruck was gone, and Marc’s house was completely dark. They must have cut the power and sent him somewhere else for the night. At Freddy’s probably.
She reached for her phone and realized it wasn’t in her cupholder. She must have left it at The Nature Station or on Dale’s porch.
Marc was probably trying to call her and worrying himself sick. While she wished she could let him know she was okay and get confirmation thathewas safe, she was grateful he didn't have a way to talk her out of this. Ortryto talk her out of this.
Sierra coasted into Mrs. Guidry’s driveway. The place was still dark and empty. She pounded on the door inside the open garage, then pressed her ear to the door. Nothing. She peered in through the windows. No flickering lights. No fluttering drapes. No sign of the woman. When she found a cheap padlock on the gate, Sierra hopped the chain link fence and pounded on the back door. Again, nothing.
She walked back to her car, where Puck waited for her. He paced on the back seat, looking out the window toward Marc’s house.
“I know, buddy. We’re so close, right?”
So close.
She ran the lingering questions through her head. Why Denise? Why Marc? Why Dale?
Dale’s part was the most confusing piece of the whole puzzle. What did Dale have to do with Marc and Denise and that house? He didn’t even know Marc until she’d introduced them at the station. His only connection to anything besides Sierra was Lynette Guidry’s long-missing husband.
Everything centered around that cranky old drunk who'd disappeared so long ago. And now his wife was missing too.
Sierra considered breaking in, but from what she could see through the garage door window, the place looked cleaned out. No flashing neon signs here either.
Puck whined in the back, and she reached around to reassure him. Poor guy. She still had to figure out what to do with him for the night. She couldn’t take him back to her place, and she had no idea where Marc was. While she couldn’t go inside Marc’s house, the back yard was safe. They hadn’t taped the area off or anything, so Puck should be fine there for the night. And the way he was whining, that’s probably what he wanted anyway.
She drove past Denise’s driveway and the empty field and parked in front of Marc’s house. Puck was jumping out of his skin by the time she cut off the engine.
“All right, all right. Calm down, dude.” She walked him to the back yard and unclasped the leash. He licked her nose, while she scratched the sides of his face and wondered how the hell she would turn this little guy over to anyone else. Even though she knew better, she’d already grown attached. “You be a good boy. I’ll come to check on you in the morning and feed you. I promise.”
As she closed the gate and gave Puck one more pet goodbye, a flicker of light across the field caught her eye. It came from behind Denise’s house near the shed. Marc was probably cleaning up or looking for something. Either way, she’d be able to tell him everything. To see him. To stand next to him.To touch him.
She could cross that field and everything would be okay.
The walk seemed twice as long as it had when she’d crossed during the fire. This time instead of the crackling and roaring of a fire, cicadas screeched and a barred owl hooted in a pecan tree. It was just as dark, but it was a clear night lit up with stars.
Sierra felt the pull to lie down in that open field and stare at the sky all night. But she couldn’t. Not yet. She’d have to drag Marc out here later to lie in the grass and point out constellations together.
When she rounded the corner, Sierra saw the bumper of a large vehicle parked along the side of the house. Maybe Denise's husband had come home to assess the damage and take care of the insurance mess. It wasn’t Marc, but the guy would at least have a cell phone she could borrow. She'd have a tough time explaining what she was doing on his property. Either the story would sound so surreal that he'd have to believe it, or he'd think she had completely lost her mind and call the cops.
Once the full vehicle came into view, she recognized it immediately. She looked through the driver’s side window and found a mug with a dried coffee ring, a beat-up notebook on the passenger's seat, and a snake hook on the floor.
Dale's truck.
He’d mentioned that he’d been out to the Millers’ house a few times, but that didn’t explain why he was at Denise’s house now.
Sierra continued to the back of the property where a light flickered in the shed. The weight of the last few days lifted knowing Dale was only a few feet away.
They had clues and evidence leading to the woman terrorizing the Dugas family. Sierra and Marc had found a way to be together, for now. And Dale was safe.
But those warm possibilities washed away when a familiar figure exited the shed backward carrying a shovel and a flashlight.
“I should have figured.”
Lynette Guidry froze then turned her head sharply to aim her light at the voice. Sierra threw an arm up to shield her eyes from the bright light.
No robe. No power heels. She wore jeans, a dark T-shirt, and rubber boots this time, and her hair was tied up with a silk scarf.
