Page 31 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Bear

Where could they possibly be? She swept her gaze around. It looked almost exactly as it had the last time she’d been in here, except the dog and her owner weren’t in sight. Were they somewhere else in the house?

It briefly occurred to her that she should probably leave. She was already trespassing. What if Dale called the cops on her? She no longer worked for him, and there were only so many times she could play the “concerned neighbor” card. The last thing Melissa needed was to have to explain to the police why she’d broken into someone else’s home with a tear-streaked face.

She turned to leave—and froze, staring at the white door near the corner.

It was cracked open again.

She swallowed, her curiosity rearing its head. Once again, a soft gleam caught her eye. She swept her gaze about once more. Still no one else around. She could finally take a peek in there. Dale would be none the wiser. And if he did find out...well, no doubt he’d be more concerned about the fact that she’d entered his house to begin with.

Don’t be ridiculous, said a voice in the back of her mind. You shouldn’t even be in here in the first place. Get out of here before you get yourself in trouble.

Melissa bit her lip, contemplating as she neared the door. The sensible thing would be to do a Goldilocks and leave Dale’s home before he realized she’d been in here. She should be in her house right now, either moping in bed or trying to stuff her feelings down in the kitchen. Still, her curiosity prodded her. For all she knew, now might be her only chance to figure out whatever it was Dale kept behind the door.

Besides, after the day she’d had, it wasn’t like things could possibly get any worse for her. The thought brought a mirthless smile to her lips.

“Okay,” she muttered to herself. “Just a peek, and I’m out of here.”

She gave the door a gentle push, and it swung wide open.

“Oh. My. God.”

The room was surprisingly small, practically the size of a closet. One look at it, and Melissa knew walking through it would be impossible. The only source of illumination was a tiny window through which sunlight crept. But it wasn’t the size of the room that made her gasp. It was the fact that the floor was covered with all kinds of weapons, from shotguns to hunting knives. A couple of machetes sat in a corner, covered in what was either rust or dried blood.

Her breath froze in her throat as she looked up.

The walls were even worse. For a second, she thought she might be in a horror movie. Mounted taxidermy heads hung from every wall. Melissa looked around, staring at animal tusks and bloodied horns. Just to her left was a large deer head, its long antlers gleaming softly in the light.

Taped to the wall, right under the deer’s head, was a small piece of paper with a single word printed on it: DEER.

Melissa’s heart hammered almost painfully in her chest. She looked around. Sure enough, the other animal heads were labeled, too. She caught sight of a horse’s head, its eyes wide, its mouth open as though begging for its life even in death. Even the single empty space on the wall had a piece of paper underneath it.

BEAR, it read.

She took a step backward, a twisting sensation filling her gut as she regarded all the death around her. “Oh, no...”

Memories and details swam through her mind, all of a sudden, clicking into a realization.

“It’s Dale,” she breathed. “It’s been him this whole time.”

A growl from behind her nearly made her jump out of her skin.

“Oh!”

She spun around. Leto stood by the door, teeth bared, hackles raised. The dog took a step closer, a hungry look in her eyes. A chill raced down Melissa’s spine. Was she going to attack her?

“Leto?” Swallowing, she held out a hand, hoping to pacify the dog. A snarl forced her arm back to her side. “Leto, wait...”

The sound of footsteps reached her ears then, and a second later, Dale appeared in the doorway. His arms were folded across his chest, his jaw clenched slightly. He stared right at Melissa, disappointment curling his lips and filling his brown eyes.

“You weren’t supposed to see this,” he said softly.

Ice-cold panic made its way through her veins. With a shuddering breath, she pulled her phone from her pocket. Her first thought was to try to contact Cal, and it wasn’t until she’d begun sending a text message that she realized she should probably call the police for help instead.

“Fuck it!” she snapped.

A blur of movement registered in the corner of her vision, and the phone was yanked out of her hands just as she tried to hit send. Dale threw the phone to the floor, stomping hard on it until the pieces were scattered at his feet. He lifted his gaze to meet hers, his eyes narrowed with anger.

“Now,” he said through gritted teeth, “what the hell am I going to do with you, Dr. Kinley?”