Margaret Logsdon
Beloved wife and mother.
Avery’s eyes stung.
She’d found Mr. Logsdon’s Maggie.
The front door swung open.
A frowning Seth Ryland entered, carrying a bag with TJ’s Bar and Grill logo printed on the side. “Agent Hart, I didn’t expect to find you here. Is everything okay?”
“Ms. Lansing and I stopped by to visit Mr. Logsdon,” Avery said. “We stayed because we were concerned that he was alone.”
“He was asleep when I stepped out to pick up dinner for the two of us.” Seth went to the older man. “Are you feeling okay, Mr. Logsdon? I brought dinner.”
“Did you see?” Mr. Logsdon smiled up at Seth. “Sarah’s home, and she brought her...” The man stopped talking, his smile fading, a frown furrowing his brow. “I don’t understand. Sarah...I know it’s you...” He turned to Bree. “But you’re Sarah, too.” The man’s head shook from side to side. “I don’t...understand.”
Seth left the room, then returned with a glass of water and handed it to Mr. Logsdon. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a bottle of pills and shook one out into his hand. “It’s time for your medicine, Mr. Logsdon.” He placed the pill in the man’s hand. “It’ll make you feel better.”
“I don’t understand,” he murmured.
Seth guided Mr. Logsdon’s hand to his mouth. “Take the pill and a drink of water.”
The old man put the pill in his mouth and drank some of the water.
Seth straightened. “Sometimes, when he gets overwhelmed, he can get violent. You need to leave. It’ll take time to calm him.”
“Don’t send her away,” Mr. Logsdon cried. “Sarah’s finally come home.”
“Is he going to be all right?” Avery asked, backing toward the door, not ready to leave the man, but her presence seemed to make him increasingly agitated.
“He’ll be all right,” Seth assured her, walking with them to the door. “You can stop by tomorrow if you’d like. But maybe just one of you.”
Avery nodded. “I’m sorry if we disturbed him.”
“Again, he’ll be all right. He forgets from one moment to the next.”
Bree hooked her arm. “We’ll just be leaving.”
When Avery stepped out on the porch, someone wearing a coverall and a ballcap pulled down low over his forehead stood beside Bree’s car.
“Can I help you, sir?” Bree called out.
Seth came out to stand between Avery and Bree. “Do you know that man?”
“No,” Bree said and started down the steps. “That’s my car.”
“Bree, wait for me,” Avery called out.
Something stung the back of her neck. She reached up to swat the offending insect but couldn’t quite lift her arm that high. She started down the steps to follow Bree, but her legs wobbled on the last step. She fell forward, landing on her hands and knees. “What’s wrong with me?” she whispered.
“You’re not feeling well,” a voice said against her ear.
“Avery!” Bree cried out.
“I’m not feeling...” Avery’s eyelids drooped, turning dusk to dark, “...well.”
Chapter 16
