“Okay, I’ll leave you to it, then.”
He got out of his chair and came around the desk. “You and Jake okay?”
“Sure. I came clean, he lectured me for a while, and we’re good now. And you and I will just put last night behind us and move on, okay?”
He nodded, watching her closely.
“Bye then.”
“Katie, about last night—”
Katie wasn’t the type to run, but that was exactly what she did: she walked out of Cubby’s office as he was talking and shut the door behind her, right in his face. She then headed for the door almost at a sprint.
“Bye, Katie.”
She lifted a hand to Rona and reached her car seconds later. Jumping inside, she drove out of Howling as if the Alessi brothers were on her tail.
She needed to get out of his town. Needed to get back to LA, and soon. When she reached the houseboat she’d call E.J., and find out any news. But before she did that, she’d call her family and invite them for dinner. It was time to come clean with her parents about her drinking, and she’d have Jake at her side to do it.
“Well lookee here,if it ain’t the Sheriff come a-callin’.”
“Coffee, black and strong as you can make it,” Cubby said four days later, from outside The Hoot’s front door. He then shook himself, taking off his cap and slapping it against his thigh. “Like I don’t have enough shit going on without this rain pissing me off,” he snarled as Buster arrived at the counter.
“More problems?”
“Yup, and I need refueling.”
“Jesus, Cub, not more bad news?” Buster headed for the coffee machine. “Don’t think this town could take any more right now.”
“They’re about to get some is my belief.”
“How’s the investigation going?”
Cubby blew out a loud breath. “Jilly and Melanie Peters, her best friend, went out hiking six days ago and they didn’t return. Melanie is out there somewhere, but the hell of it is we don’t know where.”
“Christ, when did this come to light?”
“Melanie was home alone while her parents were away; they only got back this morning, and Jilly’s family knew nothing about Melanie joining Jilly on her hike.”
“So how do you know she went with Jilly?”
“Mike at the grocery store told me. Said he forgot about it until Tank was talking to him an hour ago. Seems Jilly told him she was taking Melanie with her.”
“Surely someone noticed Melanie wasn’t around, Cubby?”
“The Lees are grieving, not sure they’d notice much of anything, and like I said Melanie’s folks were away. Plus, Melanie isn’t working, so no one reported her missing, and she was supposedly studying for exams, so no one said much when she wasn’t seen around town either.”
“You think she’s been murdered too?”
Cubby took the coffee Buster handed him and swallowed down a mouthful, enjoying the burn as it slid down his throat.
“Either that or she’s being held somewhere, or is out there hurt. None of those options are good ones, but I like the last two better. Keep that under your hat for now.”
“Well, fuck.”
“The Lees said Jilly hiked a lot on her own, but for some reason this time she took Melanie, and now she’s missing too and it’s a hell of a situation.”
“I’m in for the search.”
