I would agree.Percival climbs down my shoulder and hops off once he reaches my leg to do a little investigating of his own.
“Not for horses anyway.” Remy breaks away from me and walks ahead. “Aisling,” he calls loudly. It doesn’t exactly echo, but the sound does reverberate around the structure. “Maybe you should try,” he suggests quickly after, realizing hearing a strange dude yell for her might not inspire a woman to come out of hiding—if, in fact, she is hiding. I can’t shake the feeling that Eugene may have more to do with her disappearance than he’s admitting, but then why would he seek out my dad?
“Hello, Aisling,” I call loudly, but I can’t project the way Remy can. We give it a few seconds and listen, but I don’t hear even a creak that she might be in the barn. Slowly, we make our way toward the back of the building, passing a few rooms with doors as we do. Remy pushes each door open and peers inside. The farther we get into the building, the gloomier it becomes, but there’s still enough light to be confident we aren’t missing a woman who’s hiding.
As we approach a wooden door on the back wall of the barn, I hear a skittering sound. My breath catches as I look to the left where the sound came from just in time to see a thin, orange tail disappear behind some loose hay piled on the floor.
“Crap, that scared me,” I mumble, only now realizing I’m much closer to Remy than I was before the sound. He wraps his arm over my shoulders and tugs me closer to his side.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the ferocious kitty,” he teases.
He’s still smiling when we exit the barn. I squint against the light and look around for Eugene. “Didn’t he say he would be out back?”
“Yeah.” Remy searches the area much in the same way I am. “There he is.” He lifts his chin, and I finally notice Eugene. He was hidden near the side of the next building, concealed in the shadow created by the roof overhang.
Before I can tell him we didn’t find anything in the stables, he slips back behind the building. I can only assume he wants to head around back to make sure she doesn’t exit when we enter. “Is it just me or is Eugene a little strange?” I keep my voice light and teasing, but truth rings in my words.
“I think he sailed past a little strange a long time ago,” Remy replies and hauls open the door of the next barn when we reach it. I’m hit with the odor of decay, but thankfully, it’s not that fresh in your face smell.
Remy pinches his nose and makes an expression of disgust. “Damn, something died in here.”
“Yeah, we should have a look around.” I pull my phone from my pocket and activate the flashlight. The beam of white light allows me to make out all the large shapes, and I realize it’s almost entirely filled with junk—old farm equipment, cardboard boxes that look as if they would disintegrate if handled, lopsided bales of hay, and a bunch of other garbage piled up all over. There isn’t even a path you can walk through, and I’m not climbing over this crap.
“Percy,” I call, knowing he’ll hear me. Movement farther back grabs my attention, and I shine the light on it. My fearless mink is deep into the space. His sleek head pokes up from behind an old plow. “Is there anything human other than us in here?” I question, hoping his nose can filter through all the smells.
No, not here. The death you smell is another cat. There seems to be quite a few of the creatures lurking about.I imagine him sniffing haughtily.
“What about Aisling? Have you caught the scent of a woman at all?”
“What’s he saying?” Remy touches the back of my arm with his fingers before Percy has a chance to respond. I hold up my finger, asking him to wait a moment.
There was something on the porch, but nothing back here, nor on the ground or in these two buildings. I don’t think she’s been out here in a while. The house…that’s another story.
“He doesn’t think she’s been out here in a while. At least we don’t need to dig through all this crap to see if she’s hiding.”
Instead of trying to make our way through all the stuff piled up to the back of the building, we exit the way we entered and walk around the side. When I don’t spot Eugene, I examine the horizon. I don’t see anything else he could hide behind, so where could he be?
“Where the fuck is he?” Remy snarls, looking around.
“I don’t know. Something about this feels off.” I keep my voice low in case Eugene is lurking close by.
“You think?” Remy snorts, turning around to look behind us, then snaps, “Fucker.”
I turn to follow his gaze and see Eugene approaching us. “I really don’t think she’s out here,” I tell him.
“There are other buildings farther back,” he replies, pointing behind me.
“Maybe, but how would she get out there?” I cast my eyes over the tall grass. I don’t see a walking path or trail, or any tracks a vehicle might use.
“We’ve lived here for over twenty years. She knows her way around,” Eugene scoffs.
“You said you realized she was gone this morning. When was the last time you saw her?” I question.
“Last night. She was upset she burned dinner and went up to bed early.” Eugene thumbs the side of his nose and sniffs.
It’s apathetic, or it seems that way to me. “Does that happen often?”
“What, her burning dinner or going to bed early?” He lifts his thick white brows while his face remains stony.
