Leaning over the table,Cody glanced through the photos Tommy had brought by for Katherine to see. “You really think one of these guys could be who we’re after?”
“Hell, I don’t know, man. Seems like a long shot, especially since Katherine didn’t recognize either of them. But we’re grasping at straws.”
“Anyone call them? Check for alibis?” Cody asked.
“Owen’s on it now. I figured if I could get a positive ID from Katherine, it’d give us more ammo for Owen to use. No luck there, but that doesn’t mean we’re off the mark.”
Cody tossed down the photo. “Doesn’t mean you’re on it either.”
“By the way,” Tommy said, reorganizing the papers and placing them in the folder. “Sorry about what I said on the phone earlier—that crack about the family being bad or whatever. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Cody snorted. “Trust me. That’s the least of my worries right now.”
A knowing grin spread on Tommy’s face. “My sister can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, but don’t let that scare you away. I think you two would be good together.”
It took some self-control to not react to him calling Katerine a pain in the ass. Instead, he zeroed in on the other part of his sentence. “You do? Hasn’t really seemed that way.”
“Yeah, well, I was caught off guard.” Tommy shrugged. “But you’re a good guy. Always have been. You and my sister just kinda click. Don’t let her push you away because she’s scared.”
Cody sighed. He was about to have this conversation with Katherine. He didn’t need to have it with her brother. “When all this shit passes, the fear can go away. Maybe it’ll be easier to know where things stand then.”
“Dude, it’s not all this shit that she’s afraid of.” Tommy waved a hand over the file resting on the table. “She’s scared of being hurt. She’s gone through hell the past year. A type of hell I never want to experience. But she survived. She doesn’t want to go through that kind of loss again.”
“And the first time she waffled even a little about her feelings, I all but shoved her out the door. Son of a bitch. What the hell was I thinking?”
“Probably that you’re a little scared too, but don’t worry, I won’t say a word.” Grinning, Tommy winked. “You’ll be fine. If being with Sadie has taught me anything, it’s communication fixes all kinds of mistakes. That and flowers. Always bring home flowers.”
Urgency rushed through his veins to fix his blunder and make things right. He’d reassured Katherine they could take everything at whatever speed she was comfortable with, and the first chance he got he pushed her too far and made her feel badly. Damn, he was an idiot.
Not wanting to waste another second, he headed for the back door he’d left open when he’d stepped inside moments before.
“Mom! Hurry up!” Ollie yelled.
Bailey’s incessant barking urged Cody to run outside. Crisp air skimmed his cheeks, and he lifted his hand to shield his eyes against the blinding sun.
Ollie sat in his wheelchair on the lawn. He shifted his body back and forth, bracing his palms against the armrests to lifthimself a little in the air as he looked out to the woods beyond the fence.
Bailey stood at the gate. A low growl rumbled from her throat.
Katherine was nowhere in sight.
“Ollie, where’s your mom?” he asked and jogged down the deck steps.
“I threw the ball over the fence. She went to get it and hasn’t come back yet. I don’t know what’s taking her so long.”
Terror sat heavy in his gut as he raced across the grass. “Tommy, get outside now! Stay with Ollie.”
He didn’t wait for a response as he swung open the gate and charged into the dense cover of trees.
Bailey stayed beside him, her nose pressed to the ground.
“Katherine!” he called, feet pounding through the dense foliage and searching for any sign of her.
Nothing but the sound of Bailey’s labored breath and birds chirping overhead answered. He stilled, turning in a circle to scan the area. A round green ball caught his attention, and he sprinted to the tennis ball.
He wanted to charge through the forest and track her down, but he had no idea which way she went. Fear tightened like a noose around his neck and cut of his breath. His mind spiraled higher than the white, puffy clouds as a dozen worst case scenarios spun in his head.
No, he couldn’t go down that path. He had to act—had to call in Owen and every other deputy at his disposal and find Katherine.
