I turned off the television and cuddled my pets closer to me. Surprisingly, Lulu took to Rascal right away. Maybe she sensed his loneliness or smelled his terror, either way, I was just grateful that they got along and hoped that Rascal’s difficult days would soon become a distant memory.
Elijah wasn’t gone long, and when he returned, he was wearing black latex gloves and holding a folded piece of paper in one hand and an evidence bag in another.
“What’s that?” I asked with a pounding heart.
“It looks like evidence,” he said. “I stopped by my truck to grab a few things in case. Will you put on the extra pair of gloves in my pocket and open the evidence bag for me?”
“Sure.” I set the pets on the couch and walked to him.
“I don’t know what’s inside this folded piece of paper, but I don’t want you to look until I know it’s not too graphic.”
“I won’t faint,” I said dryly.
“I know you’re a badass, Freckles. Just do this for me. Some things can’t be unseen if you know what I mean. Just let me protect you from the ugliness the best I can, okay?” I knew he referred to Thom’s dead body.
“Okay.” Being an independent woman didn’t equal being silly. Did I want to see graphic images of dead bodies or read something creepy that was written about me? No, and those were the two most likely scenarios. So, I let Elijah don the figurative cape and shelter me from the ugliness.
“Hold open the bag in case something falls out,” Elijah said then slowly opened the paper. My spare key fell into the bag. “Huh, not what I expected,” he said once he examined it. “Abandoned barn on Willow-Jasper Road about a quarter mile past New Albany Road,” Elijah read out loud.
“That’s what it says?” I asked. “What’s he referring to?”
He carefully slid the letter inside the evidence bag then sealed it. He crossed the room to the coffee table and picked up his phone. “There’s only one way to find out,” Elijah responded.
