I thought for a moment. “Sassafras?” Her fur was a similar color to the bark, and while it was technically consumable, you didn’t eat it.
Elliot studied the cat. “I suppose it’s vaguely appropriate for a household that makes herbal compounds and teas. And it doesn’t make me hungry.”
“Meerow.”
“And she’s sassy,” he added. “Aren’t you?” he said to the cat.
“Mrow!”
9
Seth Mays
How much longer do you think you’ll be at the house?
I had beenat Humbolt’s office for the last four hours, filing paperwork with Humbolt and the very stylish and obviously high-priced Gwen Walsh, Noah’s lawyer. Lulu had spared no expense, and Walsh was clearly both incensed by the injustice of it—which was a good thing—and also going out of her way to be as irritating as she could to the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office. I also appreciated that.
There were alotof questions—including about the evidence Elliot and I had found the day before, about my mother’s will, about the facts of the murder case, about my father, about Noah’s and my shared childhood…
I was worn out, and I knew we weren’t even remotely done yet.
I flipped over my phone and checked to see if Elliot had replied.
Nothing.
For the last hour.
Are you okay?
I blew out a breath, nerves making my stomach churn.
I tried to convince myself that maybe his battery died. Or maybe a cell tower had gone out. I knew there was normally service at the house, so that wasn’t why he hadn’t replied.
He could have dropped his phone in the water trough, maybe. Or maybe a goat ate it. Or maybe he’d accidentally left it on silent, although he usually checked his phone more often than once an hour. But maybe he was just busy with the animals. Or maybe he’d stopped to say hi to Helen and Ray, or they’d come up to the house.
Please call or text when you get this.
“Mr. Mays?”
I jerked my head up. “Sorry,” I apologized to Walsh. “Say again?”
Three hours later,I still hadn’t heard from Elliot. He had my car, so I had no way to go up to the house, although I was seriously starting to consider calling Humbolt to see if he would be willing to drive me up there, even though it was almost six-thirty in the evening. The sun would still be up for another two hours, so it would be possible to make it out to the house before then.
I’d texted Elliot several more times, tried calling more than once, and had even tried to find Helen and Ray’s phone number, only to discover that it was unlisted.
What I didn’t want to do was call the cops. First of all, I knew full well that you couldn’t issue a missing person’s report after only four hours of not having heard from someone. Second, I didn’t trust the Augusta County cops as far as I could throw them, and I knew Elliot didn’t, either.
I’d been debating trying to get a cab or ride service, but I also didn’t want to drag a stranger into what was probably me overreacting. Nor did I really want to pay for it, especially since I’d been off work for over a week already. Lacy Krinke, my boss, had been more than gracious enough to give me personal time off for two weeks—which I was starting to worry wouldn’t be enough, and I also wasn’t getting paid for, because I only got a week of vacation, and that had been used up yesterday.
I’d been pacing the hotel room for the last forty-five minutes, Sassafras sitting on the bed watching silently. I’d just about decided to say to hell with it and call Humbolt when there was a knock on the door.
Hoping that maybe Elliot had lost his key and needed to be let in or that he’d somehow gotten a message to the hotel front desk or something, I hurried to the door to open it.
And found myself facing an Augusta County Sheriff’s Deputy.
My brain froze. I wasn’t sure whether it was most likely that he’d come to arrest me or tell me something about my mother or?—
His expression was serious.
