Page 175 of The Bone Code
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“What’s his connection to Murray?”
“I don’t know.”
“Border patrol find any record of Murray coming down here?”
“I didn’t ask.”
“The Montreal cops thinking Huger might have done Murray?”
“They’re considering many options.” Quoting Ryan.
We ate in silence for a while. Vislosky spoke first.
“You must live right, doc.”
“Meaning?” I was lost. Doc? That was a first.
“You realize how many breaks we’ve caught on this case?”
I raised a questioning palm, still not following.
“So many witnesses staying put for so long? Never happens.”
Actually, I had thought about that. “Dora Eisenberg is convinced she’s unemployable should she leave InovoVax,” I said. “Florence Sorg is in her nineties and has owned her building for decades. Gertrude Pickle is a widow and fearful of living alone. Digger France has retired to the city that made him famous.”
Bunching and tossing her napkin, Vislosky shook her head. “The only one with wanderlust seems to be Huger. The bastard up and hauled ass to Canada.”
“He’s back in town now.”
“You can take this to the bank. I’m gonna net this knuckle dragger, shove him into a cave, and roll a big fuckin’ stone over the entrance.”
Sounded good to me.
“Have a nice day,” I said in parting.
“Yeah. Blue skies and butterflies.”
I drove home, not anticipating the calamity awaiting me there.
The first of two that night.
Birdie didn’t greet me at the front door. He didn’t answer my calls. Not normal, especially since we were staying in a strange house.
I dumped my purse on the sideboard and searched the first floor. No cat.
In the kitchen, my heart catapulted into my throat. Bloody pawprints tracked from the deck doors to the back stairs. I followed them up to my bedroom, calling Bird’s name. Inside, red trails crisscrossed the floor.
“Birdie?” Struggling to hide the panic.
No response.
I dropped to all fours to check under the bed. Two round yellow eyes peered from the shadows.
“Come here, big guy.” Low and soothing, though my heart was hammering.
