At this time of day the dogs should be barking and the cats should be calling for attention, all of them needing food and clean cages and a walk to relieve themselves. It felt like even her patients were holding their breaths, waiting for her to turn that final corner and discover...
She stopped abruptly in her tracks, bile rising in her throat. An animal was sprawled on the floor on its back, its front and rear legs bound together and a length of twine knotted around its neck. A pool of dark red crept across the concrete floor.
Tory backed away, unable to take her eyes off the horrifying sight. Just as she turned the corner, though, she stopped. Something wasn’t right.
Slowly she approached the obscenity. Before she even reached it she realized that whatever laid on the floor of her kennel wasn’t an animal. It wasn’t anything that had ever been alive. Touching the gray mass with one toe, she realized that it was nothing more than a rolled-up blanket. The red liquid was merely paint.
The nausea receded, replaced by a growing fear. Whatever it was, someone had left it here, meaning for her to find it. Someone had been in her clinic during the night.
She stood and backed up as she stared at the tableau on the floor. Once she’d turned the corner, she ran out of the room, fear clawing at her with sharp fingers. As she shoved her way through the swinging door, she practically ran into Teddy, emerging shakily from the bathroom.
“Don’t go back there again, Teddy.”
He gave her a look of disbelief. “Don’t worry, Doc, I won’t.” His Adam’s apple bobbed a couple of times as he tried to swallow. “Is he...he’s dead, isn’t he?”
“It’s not an animal, Teddy,” she said gently. “It was supposed to look like one, but it’s just a blanket and some red paint.”
Teddy swallowed again, disbelief in his eyes. “Are you sure, Doc? It looked awful real to me.”
“I’m sure.” Grimly she reached for the telephone. In a matter of minutes she’d spoken to the police officer on duty and explained the situation. After assuring the officer that she wouldn’t touch a thing, she hung up the phone and turned to Teddy.
“Did you notice anything out of place in the kennel?”
He shook his head, obviously trying clear his mind and concentrate on the question. “I turned on all the lights up front first, just like you told me to do. Then I went into the back.” He swallowed again, and his face paled. “The first thing I noticed was the quiet. Usually all the dogs start barking when I go back there in the morning. You know?”
She nodded. “Then what?”
Teddy’s face blanched again, and he turned away. She barely had time to wonder why before he started talking again. “Then I felt the breeze. I knew I hadn’t left a window open last night.” He was oddly insistent, and Tory studied his face, puzzled.
“I know you’re conscientious, Teddy,” she said gently. “I never would have thought you’d left a window open.”
“The window was broken,” he hurried on. “Someone had punched it out and opened the lock. I was worried that one of the animals might have gotten out, so I checked all the cages.” He stopped and paled again. “That’s when I found it.”
“It’s all right, Teddy,” she said again, studying the boy. The more he talked about what had happened, the more agitated he seemed. “All the animals are accounted for, aren’t they?”
The boy nodded, his freckles standing out in stark relief on his white face. “They all seem okay.”
“So no harm’s been done other than the broken window.” Tory forced herself to sound confident as she balled her hands in the pockets of her coat.
Teddy flushed, the red stain on his cheeks vivid against the dark fear still lingering in his eyes. “All the animals are fine,” he mumbled.
Tory watched as Teddy’s fingers dug at the seams of his blue jeans. “What’s wrong, Teddy?” she asked quietly. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Teddy stared at a point over her shoulder, his face a picture of misery. Finally he blurted out, “It could have been one of the animals in the clinic. Whoever left that there could have killed one of our patients.”
“But they didn’t,” she said, wondering at his reaction. “None of the animals were hurt. Someone broke into our clinic, but the window can be fixed.” She tried to put the fear out of her mind, to still the terror that lingered. Something was wrong with Teddy, and she had to get to the bottom of it. Something more than being upset about what had happened that morning.
Before she could ask him anything more, gravel sprayed against the wooden front of the building as a car screeched to a halt in the parking lot. That would have to be the police, she thought with relief. She didn’t dare hope it was Holt.
“Open the door, Tory.” His voice boomed through the front door, and she scrambled to open it. Holt stepped into the room and reached for her, crushing her against him.
Wrapped in his arms, she felt the fear retreating. His solid chest was a barricade against the evil that had violated the other room, and she leaned into him, not caring that they had an audience.
He held her tightly for a moment, his cheek resting against her hair. Then he eased her away from him and held her shoulders. “Are you all right?” he asked, his voice urgent.
She nodded. “I’m fine.”
He looked over her shoulder. “How about you, Teddy? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, too, sir.”
Holt’s fingers gentled on her shoulders, caressing her arms for a moment, then he let her go. “Then let’s go take a look.”
“Do I have to go with you?” she asked in a small voice.
He looked over at her, and his eyes softened. “Not right now. You can wait out here. More police will be coming, and the evidence team. You stay here and let them in.”
“What do you want me to do, Chief?” Teddy’s voice was shaky, but he looked at Holt and straightened his shoulders.
Holt looked at him and nodded. “I’ll need you to go over your routine with me, but not right away. You stay up here with Dr. Falcon.”
The next couple of hours passed in a blur for Tory as a steady stream of policemen came and went in her clinic. She turned away all her patients except those who were sick or injured and had to be seen right away. Finally, as noon approached, the last of the police officers left and she was able to lock the door behind them and sag against it in relief.
Only she, Teddy and Holt were left in the clinic. The dirty bundle of gray blanket had been taken away for the evidence technicians to examine. She sat in her office, looking at patient records and wondering what they would find, while Holt and Teddy cleaned up the kennel room.
The swinging door creaked, and Holt walked into her office and threw himself into her extra chair. When she swiveled around to look at him, his face was set in a hard, determined line.
“He got in through a window. Broke a pane and opened the lock, just as slick as spit. No fingerprints, no footprints, nothing.”
“What did it look like to you, Holt?” She swallowed again, hoping he wouldn’t give words to her fears.
He didn’t speak for a while. Finally he said, very quietly, “I think it was supposed to look like Spike did when we found him in the woods.”
“I thought the same thing.” Her voice was a whisper that barely moved beyond the boundaries of her desk. Biting her lip, she looked out the window. “I didn’t hear anything last night.” The guilt and fear had been eating at her all morning.
From the look that flitted over his face, she suspected he’d been beating himself up over the same thing. “I didn’t, either. But chances are there wouldn’t have been much to hear. If he’d wanted us to hear him, he wouldn’t have arranged his little surprise inside the clinic. I figure he wanted you to walk in on it this morning, just like you did.”
“I feel so helpless, Holt. Like I’m being stalked by a shadow,” she whispered.
“Dammit, how do you think I feel?” he exploded. “This guy is like a ghost
, coming and going and leaving no trail. I feel like I’m trying to catch a piece of mist with my bare hands.”
“Why do you think he did this?” Her voice was low and scared as she searched Holt’s face for answers.
“The same reason he killed the cat and left it on your porch. As a warning. And a taunt. To let you know that he can get to you any time he wants. To tell you he almost had you when we found Spike.”
A fist squeezed her heart, spilling terror into her blood. “Maybe I should leave, like you told me to originally. Go back to Chicago and stay with a friend for a while.”
Slowly he shook his head. “I’m not sure that would be a good idea now, Tory. This guy is too focused on you. I’m afraid if you left, he’d follow you. And in Chicago, he’d have a lot more chances to get to you.”
“I could sneak away during the night, not tell anyone where I was going.” Even as she spoke, she knew she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay with Holt, to trust him to protect her.
He shrugged, his face a careful blank. “If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you.”
“It’s not really what I want,” she whispered.
“What do you want, Tory?”
“I want this to be over,” she cried. “I want him sitting in jail, not able to hurt any more women. I want him to stop tormenting you.”
“He’s not going to hurt me. He’s trying to hurt you.” He stood up suddenly, and the chair banged into the wall behind him. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it would be better if you left. Why don’t you start getting your stuff together right now?”
She stayed in her chair, looking at him. Leaving would be the smartest thing to do. There was no doubt of it. But looking at the faint lines of pain etched around his mouth, she knew suddenly that she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t abandon him, leaving him here alone to battle his demons. She had more faith in him than that.
“I can’t leave, Holt.”
For a moment, she saw the relief in his eyes. It was followed by the self-disgust she should have expected.
“Why not?
Her explanation better make sense, or he would never buy it. “Because you’re right,” she said slowly, realizing that she meant it. “In Chicago there’s too much activity, too many people. A lot can happen in the midst of all the chaos there. And besides, I have the best protection I could ask for right here.” She looked at him steadily. “You.”
“I don’t want to fail you, Tory.” His knuckles whitened on the chair arm, and suddenly they were talking about far more than catching a killer.
“You won’t.” She leaned forward. “I’m locked into my clinic all day, and locked into my house all night with you. Do you think I’d be any safer than that in Chicago?”
“Probably not.” His answer was grudging. “But it would make me feel better.”
“No, it wouldn’t. You’d be worried every single minute.”
“You’re right.” He paced the tiny office, anger and fear vibrating off him. “I want you next to me every single minute of the day. I don’t want you out of my sight for even one second.” He spun to face her. “I’d chain you to my side if I could. That’s the only way I’ll feel safe.”
“You already spend practically all your free time with me now. What more could you do?”
“I could move in with you.” His words dropped between them, echoing loudly in the suddenly quiet room.
He wanted to take the words back, she realized instantly. Not because they didn’t mean anything, but because they meant too much. She could see it in his eyes, and she started breathing again.
“Maybe you should,” she said softly.
“I can’t, Tory. I spoke without thinking.” His voice was flat. “What would everyone in Eagle Ridge say?”
“I don’t care. I didn’t care what people said for the first eighteen years I lived here, and I don’t care now.”
His gaze sharpened as he looked at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” But it did, and she knew she would have to tell him.
His radio crackled, and he pressed the button and listened. Finally he stood up, watching her. “I have to go. We’ll talk tonight.”
“Yes.” There were things she needed to tell him, things he deserved to know. Especially after last night.
He lifted his hands to her face and stared at her. “Keep your door closed. Remember, no one who doesn’t have an appointment gets in here. And wait for me to walk you home.”
“I will.” His hands were warm and hard against her cheeks, and full of comfort. She wished she could stand here forever, feeling his touch on her.
Pressing a quick, hard kiss to her lips, he looked at her one more time then turned and left. She watched him drive out of the parking lot and tried to ignore the trees that laughed at her as they whispered her name. There was triumph in their voices, and satisfaction. Soon, they seemed to be saying. Soon.
The sky was leaden with dark, heavy clouds by the time Holt returned that evening. Tory and Teddy sat in the reception area waiting for him, neither of them bothering with the pretense of work. When they heard the crunch of tires in the parking lot, Teddy stood and grabbed his coat.
Holt had barely opened the door when Teddy shot out into the parking lot. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Doc,” he muttered without looking at her.
Holt raised his eyebrows as he watched Teddy leave. “He’s in a hurry tonight.”
“Can you blame him? I’m not too crazy about being here myself right now,” Tory retorted, standing up. “Let’s go.”
“Hold on. I want to take another look around.” He walked into the kennel through the swinging door, and through its small window Tory could see the light flick on. After a moment, the light was turned off and Holt returned. “Teddy did everything I told him to do.” He watched her carefully. “He seems like a good employee.”
Tory bristled. “He is a good employee. I was lucky he wanted to work for me.” As Holt just watched her, she frowned. “You don’t suspect him as the murderer, do you?” His eyes didn’t change, and her stomach churned. “That’s absurd,” she cried.
“Nothing’s absurd, Tory. Nothing.” He paused, then said slowly, “He has a key to the clinic, doesn’t he?”
“Teddy would never do anything like that.” Her response was instant, but as her words died she remembered his odd reaction that morning.
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Holt walked into her office and turned off the light, returning with her jacket in his hand. “Why don’t we go?”
The wind howled through the trees as they walked toward her house. The tall pines chanted her name, hypnotizing her and drawing her gaze from her house. The sound wrapped around her, closing out everything but the need to go to the trees. She didn’t realize she’d turned and started walking toward the woods until Holt grabbed her arm.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice rough with concern.
She looked at him, dazed. “What do you mean?”
“You were walking toward the forest. How come?”
Stopping, she closed her eyes and fought the terror. “I didn’t realize. They’re calling me again, Holt, calling my name. Can’t you hear them?”
“I don’t hear a thing but the wind.” His words were cold and hard. With fear, she realized. For her. “Get in the house, Tory.”
Practically dragging her up the steps, he unlocked the front door, but then turned and stared into the forest surrounding them. The force of the wind was fierce, bending the tips of the trees and splaying the pine boughs. She stood next to him, refusing to look at the trees, tightening her grip on his hand. Finally he opened the door.
“I didn’t see a thing.”
“Did you expect to?”
“I hoped to.” He walked into the kitchen and turned on the lights, then checked the back door. Satisfied, he checked the rest of the house and in a few minutes was back in the kitchen. She stood by the counter watching Spike eat, her stomach twist
ing into a tight, hard knot.
“Do you have to go to the clinic tonight?”
She shook her head. “I made everyone take their animals home today, so the clinic is empty.”
“Good. Then neither of us has to go out.” He looked at her, and his eyes softened. “We’ll have time to talk.”
“Yes.” The knot in her stomach swelled, pressing on her lungs. She drew in a breath, struggling for air.
Holt turned away from her and filled the kettle on the stove, then began rummaging in her cabinets.
“What are you doing?” she managed to ask.
“Looking for tea.” He opened another cabinet without turning.
“I can make you some,” she said, moving toward him.
“It’s not for me.” He located the canister. “You look like you need something hot.”
She did, she realized suddenly. She was chilled to her core, frozen inside and out. Watching as he poured the hot water over a herbal tea bag, she said, “Do you want some coffee?”
“Sure.” He looked at her. “It’s been a long day.”
And it wasn’t over yet. Her stomach twisted as she reached for the instant coffee and spooned some into a mug. As she was stirring it, he gently took the spoon out of her hand and set it on the counter.
“Let’s go sit down.”
Without a word she walked into the living room. Balancing her mug in one hand, she carefully lowered herself onto one end of the couch and sat stiffly, her back not touching the cushion behind her. Holt eased down next to her, close enough so she could feel the heat from his body. It warmed her far more than the tea she drank.
They had to talk, she knew. There were things Holt had a right to know, after last night. Swallowing hard, gathering her courage, she opened her mouth to begin, but he spoke first.
“There were some fibers on the blanket in your clinic that didn’t come from the blanket or any of the animals in the clinic. It’s not much, but it’s something. At least we have some physical evidence.” He shifted and turned to face her. “He’s blown a couple of chances at you and he’s getting reckless. Sooner or later he’ll slip, and we’ll catch him.”
The Dark Side Of The Moon Page 18