"No, thank you," Dean replied, forcing a smile he didn't feel. "I think my dinner companion has been delayed. I'll just settle up for the drink."
The truth was, if circumstances had been different, Dean probably would have given up by now. He would have assumed that Lacey had changed her mind about having dinner together, perhaps gotten cold feet about the conversation they both knew they needed to have after what had happened between them yesterday.
But he couldn't forget the look in her eyes when they'd parted late last night after the manatee rescue. The way she'd touched his hand and promised they would talk everything through over dinner tonight.
That wasn't the look of someone who would simply stand him up without explanation.
Dean paid for his drink and left the restaurant, stepping out into the warm evening air that carried the familiar scent of salt water and blooming flowers. Ace had dropped him off at the club earlier, assuming he'd get a ride back with Lacey or call for pickup later. Now Dean found himself facing a twenty-minute walk back toward town, but he welcomed the physical activity as a way to work off some of his growing concern. He pulled his phone out and called Lacey. But it went straight to voicemail.Maybe she was still dealing with the badly injured manatee.
As he walked along the tree-lined road that led from the yacht club toward downtown Sandpiper Shores, Dean tried to talk himself out of the worry that was building in his chest. If she wasn’t dealing with the manatee, maybe Lacey had been called out on an emergency. Maybe someone's animal was in crisis, andshe'd had to rush off without thinking to call him. Maybe her phone had died, and she hadn't been able to reach him.
But even as he ran through these rational explanations, Dean couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. His instincts, honed by decades of emergency response work, told him this wasn't a simple case of poor communication or forgotten plans.
The fact that they were no closer to identifying who had been targeting Lacey despite their combined efforts over the past few days only added to his unease. Someone out there wanted to hurt her, and that someone had already proven they were willing to escalate their attacks when previous attempts had failed.
As Dean walked past the familiar landmarks of the seaside town, his mind kept returning to the conversation he'd had with June just that morning. She'd suggested, only half-jokingly, that maybe they should get Lacey out of town until they could solve this mystery. Take her somewhere safe until Holt could identify and arrest whoever was behind the attacks.
If Shaun's memorial service wasn't just a week away, Dean thought he might seriously consider that option. But he couldn't miss the anniversary of his son's death, and he knew Lacey wouldn't want to leave Margo, Lucy, and the rest of her family vulnerable while she ran away to safety.
Still, the idea of getting Lacey away from Sandpiper Shores until this threat was resolved was becoming more appealing by the day. Even if it meant missing some of the preparation for the memorial service, even if it meant asking June to let them stay at her house in Miami for a few weeks.
Dean's steps slowed as he approached the area of downtown where Lacey had set up the new veterinary practice. The old post office building, just a few blocks from the town hall, was now being renovated to become the town's new veterinary and wildlife clinic. The town had come together with contractors pitching in to get the place up and running in record time, and by the rate they were moving, it would be done in a couple of weeks.
But as Dean rounded the corner and caught sight of the building, a cold feeling crept up his spine. The office was completely dark. The entire building looked empty and closed for the night.
Even Dr. Vernon, the new veterinarian who had started working with Lacey just the day after the fire, didn't appear to be there. Dean had expected to find some sign of activity, some indication that Lacey might be working late or dealing with an emergency that had kept her from their dinner. Someone must be watching the manatee. He knocked on the door and waited. No sounds came from inside. Dean banged louder on the door and waited again. Still nothing. The building was quiet, and no one was inside, or if they were, they were at the back and couldn’t hear him.
Dean pulled out his phone and tried Lacey's number again, listening as it went straight to voicemail after several rings.
"Hi, this is Dr. Lacey Peltz," her recorded voice said. "I can't take your call right now, but if this is a veterinary emergency, please call the emergency line at..."
Dean ended the call without leaving a message. He'd already called twice during his wait at the restaurant, and again when he’d started walking here. If Lacey were able to check her voicemail, she would have called him back by now.
Fighting down a growing sense of panic, Dean called the Sandpiper Inn, where Lacey had been staying while her house was being repaired from the car accident damage. She had been working around the clock on the manatees.
"Sandpiper Inn, this is Jennifer speaking. How can I help you?" the woman at the front desk answered.
"Hi, this is Dean Parker. I'm trying to reach one of your guests, Dr. Lacey Peltz. Could you ring her room for me?"
"One moment, please." There was a pause while the desk clerk checked her system. "I'm sorry, Dr. Peltz isn't in her room right now. And I don't see her rental truck in the parking lot either. Would you like me to take a message?"
"No, that's all right. Thank you." Dean hung up and stared at his phone, running through his options.
Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe Lacey really was out on an emergency call and had simply lost track of time. Maybe her phone had died, and she would call him as soon as she got back to the inn and could plug it in to charge.
But his gut was telling him otherwise.
Out of desperation, he scrolled through his contacts and found June's number. If anyone would know where Lacey might be or what might have kept her from their dinner, it would be June.
"Dean?" June's voice answered after two rings. "Is everything all right?"
"I hope so," Dean replied, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. "I was supposed to have dinner with Lacey tonight, but she never showed up. Have you heard from her this afternoon?"
"No, I haven't talked to her since this morning," June said. "We had coffee earlier, but I haven't heard from her since then. What time were you supposed to meet?"
"Seven thirty. I waited until eight thirty before I gave up." Dean forced a laugh that sounded hollow even to his own ears. "I'm probably just being overly paranoid. She's most likely out on an emergency call and lost track of time."
The silence on the other end of the line stretched just long enough to tell Dean that June didn't believe that explanation any more than he did.
