Page 18 of Dark Terror
“True that, but at least we now know where she worked. Harry comes back tomorrow, and we’ll pay a visit to the company on Monday. Let’s get out of here.” He and Harry would come back and talk to the neighbors, see what they knew about Sheri Carstad.
“Works for me, Mighty Fine Butt.”
Gabe scowled at his fellow detective. “’Scuse me?”
Nate smirked. “Just repeating something I overheard your witness saying.”
Cara thought he had a mighty fine butt?
Chapter Seven
After Gabe dropped her off, Cara let Cricket out of the utility room, getting dozens of doggie kisses to her knees, the highest the little guy could reach. She’d felt badly leaving him in the closed-up space, but thought it best until she learned his habits. It probably wasn’t good that she was already thinking of him as belonging to her. Once the police located the next of kin, they would take him.
“Were you a good boy?” She picked him up, laughing as his wagging tail slapped against her hip and his tongue lapped at her chin. “You probably need to go out.”
Still unnerved by the idea of someone watching her, she put Cricket on his leash, and then stayed next to the open sliding glass door where she could get back in the house in a hurry if need be. Cricket raced to the end of the leash, jerking back when he ran out of line.
“Silly dog.” He looked back at her and barked as if agreeing with her.
After nosing around for a few minutes, he did his business. Once they were back inside and the door was locked up behind them, she relaxed, feeling safe again. She changed into shorts and a tank top, ate some yogurt for lunch, and then played with Cricket for a while. When she had him worn out, she found a Colorado Rockies baseball game on the TV.
Her brother had taught her to love baseball, their team the Rockies, and she’d spent many hours watching games with him. They were both vocal, screaming at the players, the umpires, and the coaches. She still yelled, even though David was no longer here to encourage her.
“Ack, that was a strike, you idiot,” she screamed at the umpire when he called ball four on the Cub’s batter.
Startled out of his nap, Cricket yelped as he jumped to his feet. He glared at her, making her laugh. “Sorry ’bout that. Stick around long enough and you’ll get used to it.” After giving her a doggie huff, he circled on the sofa cushion three times before curling up in a ball and going back to sleep.
She tried to stay quiet after that, but it just wasn’t the same. Watching the games made her feel close to her brother again, and a part of that was carrying on their tradition of screaming at the TV. So she whisper yelled, pleased when that didn’t seem to bother the dog.
In the bottom of the eighth inning her phone buzzed, and her heart fluttered at the sound, thinking it must be Gabe, calling to check on her. Her sister-in-law’s name came up on the screen, though. They talked once or twice a week.
“Hey, you,” she said. Cricket lifted his chin, staring at her, his head tilted to the side as if listening to her and trying to understand her words. She scratched his ear, something he seemed to love.
“Are you home?” Lisa said.
“I am. Watching a Rockies’ game.” Cara glanced at the clock. The library closed early on Saturdays, and if it had been a normal day, she would have walked in the door thirty minutes ago.
“You’re yelling at the TV, aren’t you?”
Cara smiled. “How’d you guess?” Lisa had never understood her husband’s and his sister’s love for a game she thought was about as exciting as watching water drip. She had been highly entertained by their antics, though.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I lived with you and David for four years.” There was a pause, and then, “I miss him so much, Cara.”
“Me, too,” she whispered. She could hear the pain in Lisa’s voice, and it was a match to the ache she felt in her own heart. Tears burned her eyes. Cara wasn’t sure, but she thought most brides wouldn’t have wanted their husband’s sister living with them, but Lisa had welcomed Cara into their life with open arms.
Cricket, apparently sensing her sorrow, climbed up her chest and tried to lick her face. She pushed his nose away. “Stop it, silly dog.”
“You got a dog?”
“Um, no. I’m… ah, I’m babysitting one?” She’d had no intention of telling Lisa that she’d witnessed a murder. There was nothing Lisa could do from Texas to help her, and Lisa had been through enough without Cara dumping her problems on her sister-in-law.
“That was a question, Cara.”
“It was?” She replayed her words in her head. Drat. She had made it a question. One thing she’d learned about her sister-in-law was that nothing got past her.
“Yep, so spill. What are you trying to hide from me?”
“So much,” she said, and then she spilled everything. The murder she’d witnessed, how she’d come to have temporary possession of the sweetest dog in the world, and before she could stop herself, she threw Gabe into the mix.
