“And?”
“Then they called Morris. He’s on his way.”
“Why?”
Gil reached for her left hand with his right. He wrapped his left hand around her right calf, physically bracing her for what he was about to say. “There’s a body in there.”
She must have misheard. She unlocked her tongue and gasped out a rough, “What?”
“They couldn’t determine through the window if he was alive, so they went in through the garage door. They should have waited on more backup. But if he was alive, they wanted to provide medical assistance.”
“I’m assuming since they’re out here, there wasn’t anything they could do.”
“Once they got inside and had the lights on, it was clear there was nothing to be done. They never touched the body, but . . .” Gil hesitated and then plunged on. “Based on the amount of blood, there’s a good bet the guy died here.”
Ivy had never understood people who threw up after receiving bad news, but right now she was relieved nothing was in her stomach but a few sips of tea.
Gil’s hand flexed on her calf. “I’m so sorry.”
“Did they recognize him?”
“No, but ... he has red hair.”
Red hair? “Is he tall?”
Gil nodded.
“It could be the guy who stunned me.”
“Could be.”
“Why would someone kill him in my house?”
“I don’t know. Someone’s sending a message, but until we check everything out, it’s impossible to know exactly what they’re trying to tell us.”
“Where’s the body?” Gil clearly didn’t want to answer. She could sense the reluctance all over him. “Gil?”
“Your bedroom.”
“WHAT!”
The grip he had on her calf tightened. “Buttercup, take a slow breath. Not deep. Not fast. Count four in. Four out.”
She did as he said, with Gil muttering the count in a low voice. When she regained some control, she asked, “Do I have to go in there?”
“No.”
“Ever?”
“Do you want to move?”
“Yes. I’ll put it on the market tomorrow. I don’t think I ever want to go back in there. Ever.”
Gil’s hands flexed. “Maybe we could agree that you aren’t going in there tonight and leave the future on the table?”
“I’ll consider it.”
Cars were pulling in around them. Based on the flickering lights that danced across her garage, at least some of them were police cars. She dropped her head onto Gil’s shoulder, and his arms wrapped around her waist. His head turned and his lips whispered across her cheek. “I’ve got you.”
