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“Father, thank you for this meal and for the abundance of blessings you’ve showered us with. Please guide us and protect us. Be with Cate as she finds homes for the bear cubs and please let the new moms accept them. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.”
“Amen.” Cate looked up at him. “Thank you for praying for me and the cubs.”
“Of course.” He scooped up a forkful of rice and chicken. “Dig in before the food gets cold.”
Her plate was empty mere minutes later, and she pushed it away. “That was delicious.”
“Glad you enjoyed it. Have a second helping.”
“No. I’m stuffed.” She rested her hand on her stomach. “I’ll take care of the dishes.”
“You’re my guest. I’ll handle them. Then I’ll show you to your room so you can get some rest.”
Chapter Twelve
Emmett Reed was standing at the counter when Cate pushed her way through the double doors into the wildlife rehab center. She glanced around the room and took a quick stock of the cages in the front room. There was a raccoon, an owl, a rabbit, and a domestic cat.
“Hey, Cate. How’s it going?”
“It’s all good.” She cocked her head to the side. “What’s with the house cat?”
“The elderly man who brought it in thought it was a bobcat.”
“Did he wear glasses?”
He chuckled. “As a matter of fact, he did. And he promised to visit his eye doctor to see if his prescription needs to be updated. The feline is chipped, and her family is on their way to pick her up.”
“All’s well that ends well, I guess.” She shook her head and smiled, then waved her hand toward the door. “Any chance you can give me a hand?”
His eyes widened. “You brought the bear cubs?”
“I did. And they’re all in a single crate, so it’s not light.”
He shuffled out from behind the counter and joined her as she went out to her truck. Together they lugged the crate inside and released their captives into a much larger pen area. “Thanks for bringing them by.”
“We’ll be back for the tiny one on Friday morning.”
“Didn’t you name them?”
“I’m not supposed to name them. You know that. We’re not supposed to form attachments to them or encourage them to form attachments to us.”
“Doesn’t mean you listened.” He was right. She imagined the girls being named Itsy and Bitsy and the boy, Bruce. But she kept her names to herself. “I better skedaddle. See you in a couple of days.”
Emmett walked her to the door. “Take care, Cate.”
When she settled back into her driver’s seat, she had an overwhelming urge to shut her eyes, but fought it off. She found a satellite station playing Alison Krauss and turned up the volume. The woman’s voice had an ethereal quality to it she wished she could match. Once she got home and collected her cat, she could relax. Right now, she needed to keep her exhaustion at bay, and music paired with a cracked window to let in fresh air helped her fight it.
Malachi entered the recently vacated rustic log cabin and turned in a slow circle. Didn’t appear they’d left anything behind, but it hadn’t been cleaned yet, so he had to check.
The billing address and phone number they’d given when booking the reservation didn’t appear to be valid. This case might be one of the many that went unsolved. Without a way to track the group, he was at a loss. No social media profile for Becky or Rebecca Groves.
Something gnawed at the edges of his mind. West Virginia. His biological father’s community had been located in the wilds of West Virginia. Reece had a West Virginia accent. It was not outside of the realm of possibilities. Not likely, granted, but it was possible Reece could’ve resurrected the cult.
Kevin smacked his gum as he entered the cabin. “Find anything?”
“I walked in two seconds before you.”
“So, that’s a no?” Kevin scratched his head.
