Chris nodded. “Yeah… I suppose so.”
“Then there was the earthquake today. Did you feel it?”
“Yeah, but nothing really shook… mostly, the building just swayed a bit.”
“Well, it happened right as Dimples and I were questioning Dex, who refused to cooperate. He sure changed his tune after that.” I filled him in, including how scared I’d been, and how badly it had terrified Dex. “He wrote down his confession and signed it so he could get out of that room. After they took him away, I smelled the Armani cologne, then it was gone too. I hope that means Brock is done, but honestly, I have no idea.”
“That’s crazy… you think Brock made the earthquake happen?”
“No way. That’s… I just can’t believe that. Still, there was another benefit because it convinced Willow that working for the police wasn’t for her.” I filled him in on what happened, and he was surprised she’d given up so easily.
“I guess if she took the earthquake as a sign, it makes sense.”
“True. But after she left, Bates brought in Xavier.” I explained that whole deal and Chris could hardly believe so much had happened.
“But there’s more.” I told him about visiting Thrasher, only to find that Uncle Joey had been taken to the emergency room. “It all turned out okay, but it scared me to death, too.”
“What happened?” I explained Uncle Joey’s accident with his knife during the earthquake, and Chris got a chuckle out of that.
“It’s been a weird day. I mean, the ghost was bad enough, but thinking that Uncle Joey might be dying just about did me in.”
“No doubt.” He thought my fear probably had a lot to do with being named Uncle Joey’s successor. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “You’ve certainly been busy.”
“You can say that again.”
We were in our room getting ready for bed, and Chris began to pull off my shoes. He started rubbing my foot, and it felt so good that I flopped back on the bed and groaned. He moved to the other foot, paying special attention to the pad and joints. Next, he traveled from my ankle and on up my leg, rubbing my calves with his magic hands.
Happy and relaxed, he helped me out of my clothes, and I kissed him tenderly. “You sure know how to help me feel better.” I unbuttoned his shirt.
He sent me a sexy smile. “It’s a job I take rather seriously.”
I laughed. “And you’re very good at it, too.”
“Oh baby, oh baby.”
I woke the next morning at eight, surprised that I’d slept so well. In fact, I hadn’t had one nightmare, even after the ghostly visit at the precinct. Maybe things were looking up. Of course, it helped that I’d solved a couple of cases yesterday. Now, I had one more to go… only this case seemed the most difficult.
I hadn’t heard a thing from Misti, so I hoped my appointment to meet with her and her mother today would actually happen. Still, each time my phone rang, I held my breath, worried that they’d cancel. At ten-thirty, with no call, I was ready to go. I gathered some treats and a couple of dog toys for Coco, and we were off.
I pulled up in front of the imposing house and called Misti. She told me to come to the side of the house opposite the driveway, and she would let me in the gate to the back yard. Coco followed me with his ears up, curious about where we were going.
Misti stood at the gate, waiting. She pulled it open and we stepped inside, catching sight of Ava standing behind her mother. Seeing the little girl excited Coco. He dropped his head, and his tail wagged furiously. Ava squealed, and he trotted straight to her side, sniffing her, like he was making sure she was all right.
He held perfectly still while she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. She patted him and hugged him, all while talking a mile a minute. Coco licked her a few times, and she giggled.
“Let’s move into the backyard,” Misti said.
We walked around the house into a beautifully manicured yard, lined with shade trees and a covered deck, connected to the house by a set of patio doors. In the back corner, a small stream flowed down a rocky path and into a shallow pond. Another small patio set, with cushioned chairs and a table, were arranged by the water feature, making it private and lovely.
Misti led me to the patio by the pond, and the sound of the trickling water played pleasantly in the background. On the table, a pitcher of lemonade, along with a plate of fruit, awaited us. I opened the small backpack that contained Coco’s toys and treats, and showed them to Ava and Misti so they could play with Coco.
I picked up that Misti had never had a dog before, and she was a little nervous around them, but, with Coco, she let go of her fear and began to enjoy his company. After playing for a while, Misti sat down and poured the lemonade.
I took a swallow, enjoying the fresh-squeezed tartness. “Is your mother going to join us?”
“I’m not sure.” Misti shouldn’t have been surprised by her mother’s vitriolic response to my visit, but it still upset her. It got worse after she’d found out I was bringing a dog. Apparently, she hated dogs, even the one who’d found Ava. That stung even more, but her mother was like that.
I glanced up at the windows in the house. At a second-story window, I caught sight of a woman watching us. She was thin, with a patrician nose and a scowl on her face. Her short, white hair poked up in a few places. She caught me staring, and the curtain dropped.
“I take it she doesn’t like dogs?”
Misti shrugged. “I guess not.” She smiled, hoping to
