It took him a second to realize that Roscoe wasn’t in the room. Scott had made sure the alcohol was buttoned up for the night, but there might have been cookies somewhere.
He looked in the other guest bedroom and found it empty. The dog hadn’t been in the living room or kitchen, and while his mom might be a free spirit, Scott knew with certainty that she had shut the door to her studio to keep Roscoe out.
So he walked quietly into his mother’s room, where she slept peacefully in her bed. Instinct had him stalking through the master bath to the enormous master closet. Inside, he paused. Roscoe lay flattened on the thick pink rug, his paws in a pair of bright green high-heeled shoes, and his nose between them.
Scott shook his head. “You are one odd chap,” he murmured.
Roscoe looked up and smiled. Angus’s theory posited that Roscoe had some sort of height insecurity, which didn’t make a lot of sense for such a big dog, but apparently another soldier dog had been larger. Scott secretly thought Roscoe just liked the bright colors or sparkles that usually adorned heels.
“Come on, buddy, let’s go to bed.”
Roscoe stood, careful to slide his paws down so the shoes remained on. Scott angled his neck to see if the dog had found a pair for his back legs, and there was one purple and one red heel tipped on their sides.
“Leave the shoes here,” he said.
Roscoe gave him a look.
“I mean it, Roscoe,” he said, keeping his voice low with command.
Roscoe gingerly stepped out of the shoes.
“Thank you. Good boy.”
With a sniff, it could have been disdain or just a doggy sniff, Roscoe padded past him and through the room. Scott followed, careful not to awaken his mother, and gently shut the door.
“You hungry?”
Roscoe gave one short yip.
Scott walked down to the kitchen to pour more food into the dog’s bowl. He’d brought it inside after dinner, before their nightly walk. “Stay out of trouble,” he ordered before heading into the unused bedroom and attached bath to take a shower, change clothes, and return to the office.
He wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight, and he was fine admitting it was a blessing not to face the nightmares for a few more hours.
When the sun finally rose, he went into the kitchen and made pancakes for his girls. The thought went through his mind that Millie wasn’t his girl. He had to get his head on straight and beat the nightmares before he could commit to anyone. But for now, he was her protector whether she liked it or not.
Both women emerged rather early, ready for the day, and he fed them, enjoying their light chatter. He had known they would genuinely enjoy each other, and it warmed something inside him that had been cold for a very long time.
He, Millie, and Roscoe drove his mom to the private airport and her plane. He wanted to keep the morning casual as long as he could. But as they neared, he looked over at his mother. Millie had insisted upon sitting in the back seat with Roscoe, who sprawled over the woman.
“Mom, I’m really sorry about Julie’s disappearance.”
Theresa patted his thigh. “Oh, thanks, Scotty. I already spoke with Detective Bianchi and told him everything I know, which isn’t much.”
“Do you think her husband hurt her?” Millie asked from the back seat.
“I don’t know.” His mom stared out the window at the rapidly darkening day. “The guy is a real meanie who cheated on her several times, which is why she finally filed for divorce. I don’t think he ever hit her, but as a selfish oaf, he didn’t want to split the property during the divorce.”
Scott drove through the iron gates. “I’ve already conducted a background check on Werner Dearth. He doesn’t have any sort of criminal record.” He glanced in the rearview mirror at Millie. There was no need to tell his mom about her ongoing investigation since it dealt with fraud and theft rather than murder.
Millie nodded as if agreeing with his silent thoughts. He liked that she could read him so easily.
He cleared his throat, needing his mother to take precautions. “Millie and I pissed Dearth off pretty bad. So if he is dangerous, Mom, I want you safe. I called the protection firm we used before and they’ll be covering you in Nantucket.”
Theresa rolled her eyes. “I think I’ll be just fine in Nantucket, Scotty.”
“I know you will,” he said firmly, not willing to argue.
They reached the airport and he wound through to their hangar. The plane had already been pulled out, and the pilots waited outside.
