“No. I think you and Logan made the right call. I’m glad Grimm is here with me,” she said. “Are you coming in?”
“I didn’t drive over here for nothing,” he replied. “We need to decide how to proceed with your articles because we need to keep you safe.”
“I’m not going to cower. I’ll still report the news regardless of the threats. Whoever is out there is not going to keep me from doing my job. No matter how many attacks they make. You need to stop worrying about how we’re going to proceed with the articles. I’ll keep reporting just like always as if nothing has changed.”
“But—”
“No, Sher. Listen to me. I think I know what’s best on this one,” Quinn said.
They all went inside, and Bathsheba jumped down from her perch on the mantle. She sidled over to Quinn and rubbed up against her leg. “Did you miss me, baby?” she asked the cat.
Bathsheba purred.
She stooped down and picked up the cat, who immediately nuzzled her under the chin. “Would anyone like some coffee? Water? Soda?”
“I’m good,” Sheraton said.
“So am I,” Grimm added.
“Okay. Then what’s our next move?”
Sheraton scratched the back of his head. “I guess we start fresh in the morning?”
“That sounds like a good idea. And don’t worry. I’ve got things covered here,” Grimm assured the man. “She’s safe in my hands.”
“Yeah…well…I just wish I felt good enough about leaving the two of you here tonight with the assurance that nothing else is going to happen. Something in the last article must have really sparked anger to have two attempts in one day.”
“If the attempts were from the same person,” Quinn said. “Maybe I’ve pissed off more than one person. It’s possible. There could be someone out there who thinks I need to mind my own business and stop hounding the police to find Barbie Martin. And then there could be someone out there who knows where she is because they’re responsible for her disappearance, or knows who is and they don’t want me finding out the truth and wants to put a stop to my articles.”
Sheraton stared at her for a good two minutes. “Solid points and reasons anyone would make attempts on your life. Leads that should be followed up on.”
“Difficult to do when we don’t know where to start other than where we’ve already been looking,” she said.
“Logan has leads that he hasn’t shared with us,” Sheraton said. “I’m sure of it. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
“In the meantime, I think we should all get some sleep,” Grimm said. “It’s been a long day, and tomorrow will be even longer. I’m going to check all the windows and doors before turning in.”
“I’ll help you,” Sheraton said. “I mean before I leave.”
“Suit yourself, but everything was locked up before we left tonight to go to the Creamery.” Quinn got to her feet, careful not to disturb her cat. “I’m going to go prep the coffeemaker for in the morning and carry out my normal before-bed routines as if nothing out of the ordinary is going on.”
When she got to the kitchen, Bathsheba jumped out of her arms onto a nearby stool, and she washed her hands before she prepared the coffee for the morning. Because she went out after dinner with Grimm, she wasn’t home when Shelby might have dropped by, so there weren’t any day-old pastries for tomorrow’s breakfast. She checked her pantry and set out two boxes of cereal for Grimm to choose from before flipping off the light and heading down the hallway to her bedroom.
Bathsheba raced past her in the hallway darted through the doorway and was already lying on her comforter licking her paws when she entered.
Grimm was at her bedroom window making sure it was securely locked.
“I told you everything was sound and tight. Have you found anything that wasn’t?” she asked.
“No, which is the way I like it,” he said. “I’m going to go see Sheraton out and then turn in. See you in the morning. What time do you usually head to the newspaper? I want to set my alarm accordingly.”
“I report by nine. Although I’m up around seven or seven-thirty.”
“Noted. And if I get to the kitchen before you, I’ll start the coffee maker.”
“Fair enough,” she said.
He headed for the door. “Do you like it open or closed when you sleep?”
