Katie joined him. “Thank you for dinner and for hanging out with Cisco.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “You know I love spending time with you—the both of you.”
“Goodnight, Uncle Wayne.”
“Goodnight,” he said and left.
Katie watched her uncle drive off and stood for a moment in the doorway with her mind processing everything. She sighed and for an instant wished John were there with her. She picked up her phone and sent him a text message.
Thinking about you. See you in the a.m.
He replied:
You too. See you soon.
Katie smiled and got ready for bed after taking Cisco out to do his business. She walked around her yard, relaxing and breathing slowly to calm her mind.
On the side of her property, a gate separated the rest of her acreage and led to a trail and then a roadway. The gate was slightly ajar, which made her go over and investigate. The lock was gone and it appeared someone had come through recently as there were flattened shrubs and divots of footprints. She glanced back at one of her cameras fixed to the corner of her house, but her alerts hadn’t let her know there was movement in her backyard.
She glanced around in the darkness beyond her outdoor lighting. Nothing seemed to stand out. She secured the gate, making sure it was in place. Tomorrow she would find or buy a lock, even though that wasn’t much of a deterrent.
Cisco ran around the corner carrying his favorite ball, wanting some more playtime. Katie took it from him and tossed it one more time before going back into the house.
Katie’s sleep was restless and unsettling. She awoke with a startle, which wasn’t unusual. Perspiring and feeling uncomfortable, she decided to get up and get something cold to drink. Cisco was softly snoring in his favorite chair in the corner of her bedroom.
Katie walked to the kitchen and took a glass out of the cupboard. She had goosebumps, which seemed to come out of nowhere. She poured herself some juice from the fridge, walked to the window of her sliding glass door and stared out in the darkness. The trees were just shadowy shapes surrounding her house. She sipped her juice. The clock on her stove read 2:15 a.m. She needed to get back to bed.
Before she turned, she thought saw something move among the shadows. Quickly checking her laptop on the counter that showed all her video cameras, nothing was detected. But she still felt uneasy. Looking back at the sliding door, she saw the dark mass move again. Katie ran back to her bedroom, slipped on her sneakers, and pulled on a sweatshirt. She grabbed her Glock from the nightstand drawer.
Returning to the kitchen, this time with Cisco at her side, she crept to the sliding door. The dog was quiet, alert, and ready for anything. Katie looked from left to right and back again. The technology told her the backyard was fine—no movement. But her gut was telling her otherwise.
Katie wasn’t going to be frightened of something she couldn’t see, so she decided to do a sweep of the area. Gun ready, with Cisco at her side, she eased herself outside, stepping on the patio. She was in the ready position as she moved forward with her gun directing her lead.
She walked back and forth. The gate was still locked and everything seemed as it was just a couple of hours earlier. She was about to head back into the house when a soft voice came from the tree area.
“Detective?”
Katie jumped and Cisco barked. The dog didn’t run to the source, but stood his ground, waiting for whoever to approach them.
“Who’s there?” she said. “Come out now!”
A dark mass moved from the tree area. It came forward and Katie gradually saw a tall figure emerge wearing a heavy long coat that appeared to be adorned with various levels of camouflage. She then saw his face.
TWENTY-FOUR
Thursday 0235 hours
“Buck?” said Katie as she lowered her gun.
“Yes. Forgive me for startling you.”
All types of thoughts buzzed through her mind. “What are you doing here? And why?”
He took another step forward, but kept his distance. “I needed to talk to you.”
“There are other ways at decent hours.” Katie was still catching her breath.
Cisco had relaxed and downed next to her, as if Buck didn’t faze him, as if there was a familiarity to him.
