Chapter Twenty-One
Grady pokedaround the ruins of his parents’ cabin early Saturday morning. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, since he wasn’t a fireinvestigator.
The fire hadn’t been an accident. If it was directed at him, he needed to get to the bottom of it before Cait or any other member of his family gothurt.
He hadn’t said anything to Brian, but every man whose house was set on fire had slept with Salem Pryde: Tim, Duane, Jake, Chief, himself. Of course, the list of men sleeping with her was longer, including Paul and another half a dozen guys at the basecamp.
He circled what was once the porch and stared at the spot where the front door used tobe.
Someone had left a cross made of railroad spikes. The ground had been brushed clean of ashes, and the longer side of the cross was pounded into a charredlog.
This had to be a message from one deranged person, but who was it aimedat?
Last Christmas, Cait had been kidnapped by an ex-boyfriend, and Brian had gotten on the wrong side of a powerful senator who found out he’d had an affair with his deceasedwife.
What other enemies did his familyhave?
Grady took a picture with his cell phone camera and texted it to Brian.You cleared the area, right? Someone nailed a cross to one of the wooden beams. Call the sheriff and have him take it forevidence.
He was about to get into his pickup truck when something rustled in the dry brush behindhim.
Grady snapped to attention, narrowing hiseyes.
A gray dog with floppy ears and matted fur sniffed the air and watchedhim.
“Betsy.” Grady recognized her from the posters. “Comehere.”
The dog skittered away when he went toward it. Her head lowered, and she tucked her tail between her legs,shivering.
Grady got down on his haunches and put his hand out. “You must be hungry. Come here,sweetie.”
The tip of the dog’s tail wagged, but she was stillleery.
Reaching into his truck, Grady found a wrapped rawhide bone he’d bought for Cedar. It wasn’t much, but hopefully, it would get the lost dog to trust him. She would be hungry, since she’d been lost quite awhile.
He called Linx and told her he’d found Betsy at the site of his parents’cabin.
“That’s great. Jessie’s with me right now,” Linx said. “We’re on ourway.”
* * *
Grady keptwatch over Betsy as she tentatively approached him and took the rawhide bone. He looked away from the dog, appearing disinterested, and waited for Linx to driveup.
Their date night had been both special and sweet. After the candles burned down and the playlist looped, he and Linx had eaten cold steak and drank warm wine. They’d held hands and taken a walk with Cedar through the duskywoods.
The trail took them up by the creek and Cedar led the way, her ears upright. She scampered from rock to rock, looking back to make sure she hadn’t left thembehind.
After the walk, he’d bade her goodnight instead of going back into the cabin for a nightcap. They’d kissed under the moonlight, and when he drove away, he spied her shadow up in the loft window waving tohim.
He wasn’t sure if he preferred her so subdued, but knowing Linx with her short fuse, she was sure to fire up again without a moment’snotice.
Somehow, that thought got his juicesflowing.
Linx’s SUV drove up the gravel driveway, raising a trail of dust. Betsy slunk to the back of the burned cabin, but Grady wasn’t tooworried.
“Betsy!” Jessie jumped out of the SUV even before it had fully parked. “Betsy!”
Woof! Woof! The dog bounded toward the little girl whose eyes popped wide along with hermouth.
