“He hasn’t left me any gifts or threats.” Well, except for shooting at her, but that wasn’t the same. “But you bring up a good point. Why am I not on his radar?” She was professional, had several PhDs, and looked eerily similar to Abigail. Her mind spun with this new puzzle. “Thanks, Walter. I’ll check on you when I head home today.”
She patted him again and walked out of the room, striding toward Huck’s hospital room.
He was already standing in the doorway, filling out a pair of navy blue scrubs. A bandage covered his left temple. “My clothes were ruined.” He’d showered, and his unruly hair curled beneath his ears. “The doc released me. Let’s get out of here. That nurse keeps coming by to do more tests, and I swear, if I snarl at her again, she’s going to order a colonoscopy.”
Laurel shook her head. “Then stop snarling at her.”
His eyes were a sleepy brown in the morning light. “I can’t help it. She keeps trying to poke and prod at me. I think shelikesit.” Was that a glimmer of fear in his expression?
Laurel chuckled and moved back into the hallway. “Fine. I’ll take point.”
“Good. I expect you to jump her if she makes a move toward me again.” He was so close she could feel his breath on her neck.
They safely reached the outside, where the sky was gray and the wind alive after being calm for so long. It slapped them, pushing Laurel back a step. At least it wasn’t snowing. They fought the wind to reach the vehicle. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Great.” He opened the passenger-side door and settled himself in the seat.
She slid behind the wheel and started the engine, hoping the heat would come on quickly. “Great?”
“No. My head hurts and I have a bruise in the shape of Texas on my hip.” He sighed and kicked his boots out. “But at least I’m out of there. Where’s my dog?”
“Monty said he’d bring Aeneas to the office, but then he’s returning home to rest since it’s Saturday.” She pointed to the back seat. “Your gun, wallet, phone, and coat are in the bag. Officer Zello brought them to the office this morning and said the scene had been processed. He had your truck towed to Zac’s Garage but said it looked like it might be totaled.”
“Zello? Should he still be on duty?”
Laurel sped up where the road had been partially cleared by a snowplow. “I don’t know. He’s a good officer, but he did withhold information.”
“He’s also a suspect.”
True. But it was easier to keep an eye on him while he was working. She looked over at Huck. He was pale, but his breathing was normal. “Do you want to swing by and get Aeneas and then have me take you home?”
“No. I want to work this case.” He looked out at the misty day. “Why were you at the office so early?”
“I thought I’d start going through the phone records. But then my boss called and I had to update him, and Officer Zello came by to give me your belongings, and then it was time to pick you up.”
“Let’s go see the records, then.”
Laurel’s phone rang and she pressed a button on the dash. “Snow.”
“Hi. It’s Monty. Is Huck with you?” The captain coughed wildly. “Sorry.”
“Yes. I thought you were going home to rest?” she asked.
He coughed more. “I will when you get here. We have another body.”
* * *
Laurel drove into the subdivision with its mature trees and worn wooden fence, winding around to see the emergency vehicles, lights still on, parked by the middle home in a cul-de-sac. The houses in Bluebonnet Field were seventies style, some eighties, but well kept up. They appeared to be located on one-third acres, so there were houses flanking the one with all the activity.
She parked behind a Fish and Wildlife truck and stepped into the cold, skirting a police car to reach the front lawn. The sight in front of her pierced her chest with icy fingers.
“Damn.” Huck pulled on his coat over the scrubs, his gaze on the dead woman. Aeneas bounded up, and Huck snapped his fingers. The dog immediately dropped to a sit, his head high and his gaze on his master.
Monty loped more slowly toward them as local officers secured the scene with crime tape that flapped crazily in the wind. “State crime scene techs are already here processing inside the house.”
Laurel stood on the sidewalk and squinted to better see the woman. Like all the others, she lay on her back in the snow, her hands removed. Bones poked out of her face, which had been beaten to the point that very little structure remained. Even an eyeball appeared to have dropped next to what used to be her neck. “His rage was amped up many degrees this time. Most likely because he failed to kill us.”
Huck’s jaw hardened. “There aren’t as many flowers around her.”
