We trudge down the driveway. “The PI is staking out Carlie and Screech’s place again.”
“He should get heavy with Carlie,” Asa grumbles.
“Lennox already tried that, remember? She hung up on him. If we alienate her completely she’ll never tell us anything.”
“Is he going back to Clash’s place again?”
“That will be tomorrow. A different carer is scheduled then. It’s useless trying to get anything out of Clash himself, apparently he can’t speak at all.”
Waldo is waiting by the cabin, leaning on his battered car. Harmony’s equally battered Corolla disappeared at the same time she did.
He nods, a grim expression on his face.
I don’t even know why we are here really.
Waldo was going to finish closing up the cabin, so Asa said he’d pack the last of Harmony’s things and bring them up to the ranch.
Waldo immediately starts emptying the wood burner, Asa heads upstairs. I lean on the tiny kitchen counter, close my eyes and speak to Harmony in my head.
“We know Screech has you. We know all those gossip articles are him not you. We will find you. We love you. Try and give us a clue if you can, darling?”
When I open my eyes again, Waldo is standing in front of me.
“Excuse me, Hugo. Just want to get the rest of Einstein’s belongings.”
I move to one side and watch the older man go through an open drawer. Inside is a spare collar, some flea treatment and soft brush.
“Huh,” Waldo grunts. “Wonder where she put it.”
“Put what?”
“That collar tag thing. I was going to set it up for Einstein.”
I look at him blankly.
“It’s a gizmo Harmony got. Means we can track the cat. He really wants to go outside, so I’m gonna fix the tracker on him. Called an air tracker or something I believe.”
He holds up a small white empty box, which is indeed for a tiny GPS tracking device.
Cold sweat pours over my body.
“ASA!”
Asa thunders down the stairs. “What?”
I hold up the box.
“She might have left us a clue…”
HARMONY
Ihave not managed to pick the padlock, surprise surprise. I did however give Screech some nonesense information about Asa.
He rewarded me with a box of wet wipes (the carers use them on Dad’s ass he told me), and another coke.
I know what that is all about.
Screech knows cola gives me terrible headaches. Yeah, the coke is just an extra fun thing for him.
