AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Keep him talking... Maybe she could learn something and see if she recognized him.
“You think you met her? Most people in the AAG remember her because of her dog, Dobby.”
“Oh, yeah. So many people have been through the center lately, it’s hard to remember them all.” He took a couple of steps back, as though trying to get away.
“So you did know her?” Katrina persisted.
“I think it’s too much to say I knew her. If she was at the ranch, I’d have met her.” His eyes darted toward the checkout counter. “Look, I have to—”
“Did you ever speak to her?”
“Hey.” Although he still looked cagey, she could sense him getting annoyed. “I already told you, I don’t remember. Just stay out of things that are none of your business.”
The attitude switch from nervy to nasty happened so fast it almost unbalanced her. In an instant, he became someone she wouldn’t mess with. Turning his back, he stalked away from her. Tossing aside the chips and cookies, he headed toward the exit. Moments later, she caught a glimpse of him crossing the parking lot with his head down and his hands in his pockets.
Although Kenyon’s attitude wasn’t proof that he knew anything about Eliza’s disappearance, he wasn’t behaving like an innocent man. None of her business? Eliza was her sister. If her welfare wasn’t Katrina’s business, she didn’t know what was. She sensed she’d just taken a step closer to discovering what had happened to her twin. She also felt she’d just poked a hornet’s nest and put herself in even more danger.
As she paid for her purchases, she glanced out the window at the dimly lit parking lot. The last time she’d seen him, Kenyon had been walking away. He could easily have doubled back and be waiting for her in the darkness...
“Can someone carry these to my car?” she asked the cashier.
“Sure.” She pressed a buzzer and a minute or two later a young man appeared from the back of the store. “This lady needs you to carry her bags.”
Feeling slightly embarrassed at asking for help when she was perfectly capable of lifting the light weight of her purchases, Katrina followed the guy out to her vehicle.
“Could you load them into the trunk and, um...” She extracted a generous amount of cash from her purse and handed it to him. “And would you mind waiting here until I’ve driven away?”
“No problem.” He nodded sympathetically. “My sister had a stalker problem a few years ago. I hope it works out for you.”
Anxious to get away, she didn’t want to get involved in explanations. After thanking him for his help, she got into her car and drove away. When she pulled up outside her house, Spencer was headed down the front steps in sweatpants and a T-shirt with his hair standing on end.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” she demanded as she dashed from the car. “Have you heard something about Eliza?”
“No. I woke up and you were gone.” He caught her by the shoulders as she almost hurtled into him. “Don’t ever do that to me again, Katrina.”
Looking up at his face, she saw panic etched in the fine lines around his eyes and understood its cause. Four years ago, he’d lost the woman he loved. And she’d disappeared without letting him know where she was going, just as there was a faceless figure out there threatening to harm her.
Although she was angry with herself for being so thoughtless, a tiny part of her exulted in the knowledge that he cared. Really cared. For now, she stored that little piece of information up for later. Right now, they had more important things to talk about.
“I got juice and croissants.” She held up the bag.
“In that case, let’s go inside.”
* * *
After checking on the dogs, who were all sleepy but recovering well, they ate breakfast and Katrina gave Spencer an account of what had happened at the store. When she’d finished, he put his head in his hands.
“Tell me you didn’t really approach Kenyon Latimer.”
She tossed back her hair defiantly. “I didn’t see why he should be walking around without a care in the world while Eliza could be in trouble. Or worse. If he knows where she is, he should be made to tell us. And I wanted to look him in the eye while I asked him about her.”
“I agree with you, but you need to leave this to me and my MVPD colleagues. Someone has already driven a car at you, broken into your house, drugged our dogs and threatened you at knifepoint.”
“I tried to keep Latimer talking to see if I could tell whether he was the person who broke in here,” Katrina said. “It could have been, but I’m not sure.”
“Katrina.”
“Hmm?” She was buttering a croissant and didn’t glance up from her task.
