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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
They glared at eachother across the breakfast plates. They were both lost in their thoughts about the fire incident and still wedged into their own positions on her manuscripts. Last night they had shared a bed, but that was all.
Taylor made arrangements with the airlines for their return to Pittsburgh, bringing Bling with them. With the house sparkling and a clean bill of health from the water company, they took the morning off to meander the property and surrounding woods in the lull before they needed to head for the airport. The calming forest sounds provided a neutral atmosphere as they struggled to regain their friendship. Amid the smell of humus and ferns, their footsteps began in an odd syncopation before becoming an even patter on the leaf-strewn ground.
She’d owned the house for six years, but because she took out-of-state jobs for long periods, the path she led him along was barely recognizable. Lacking regular use, it had become overgrown with herbaceous material. Shrub and tree branches dipped into the open walkway to capture the spare fractures of light escaping through the tree canopy. Neither of them had the appropriate footgear for the hilly and rocky terrain. After about forty minutes, Roberta took a side path leading back to the house.
When they cleared the valley floor, her phone sounded for a missed call from Sara. Roberta’s throat choked up, and her heart stopped while listening to Sara’s voice message.
“Roberta, I’m so sorry to tell you this, but I can’t find the dogs. Diane got back from her rounds at eleven, and the house was empty. The back door was busted open, and she knows she didn’t leave it that way. Nothing else seems to be gone. We called the police, but they say they don’t handle missing dogs. Is there anyone who might have picked them up for a reason we’re not aware of? Call me, please.”
Roberta clutched the phone to her chest, her other hand flying to cover her mouth as she cried out. “Oh my God, someone’s taken my babies! Who would do that? Why?”
Taylor ran forward to steady her, gathering her against his chest. “From the house?” he asked.
“Yes, the door was busted open. The dogs were gone.” She trembled, tears streaming down her face. “The police say they don’t handle missing dogs.” Her watery eyes met Taylor’s, mirroring her horror. “I have to go back to search for them!”
Whipping his phone out of his pocket, Taylor said, “Let me call the guys. See if anyone suspicious has been around the houses.”
Taylor’s call and her return call to Sara got them nowhere. No new information was available though Sara added she contacted the animal control office in case the dogs ended up there for some reason. Taylor’s guards admitted they were off duty, and security was only available inside the house during the day though they’d make inquiries with the police roadblock to see if anyone had been let through.
They packed everything back into their rental car and left for the airport to catch an earlier flight. To keep her mind off her missing fur babies, Roberta concentrated on caring for Bling over the next four hours as they traveled back to Pennsylvania.
By six-thirty, that evening, Taylor’s chauffeur-driven SUV slid into the driveway on Burgess Lane. Before it had even stopped, Roberta flung the door open and flew to her home. The broken door, the silence in the house, and the sight of the two empty dog food bowls made her sob violently. Taylor rocked her in his arms, holding her tight while she cried. When she ran out of tears, she wandered the house, hoping to find some clues—anything. But there was nothing wrong or missing except for her furry babies. Taylor looked on, not knowing what to do. Roberta stood in the middle of the living room, arms hanging limply at her sides, her face crumpled. He gathered her against his chest and held on while she cried her heart out again over her lost best friends.
?
The next morning, Taylor startled awake to the sound of someone knocking on Roberta’s door. He rose swiftly, drawing on his jeans before heading for the door. Peering around the corner into the kitchen, the familiar coiffed head of his mother was framed in the door’s window. As her hand reached out to knock again, he rushed forward to open it before the noise could wake Roberta. She needed the rest. It had not been a sleep-filled night for either of them.
“What do you want, Mother?” he asked, leaning against the door, blocking her.
After finally getting Roberta settled last night, he’d gone next door to drop off his bag. His mother followed him around, making sympathetic noises about the missing dogs. Over her protests, he’d returned to Roberta’s house to spend the night by her side. Now his mother’s gaze skittered off Taylor’s bare chest, her lips pinched together.
“Taylor, your agent has been trying to contact you, but there’s been no answer on your cell phone.” She wrung her hands as her eyes pleaded with him.
“On Labor Day?” Taylor pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket and checked it. “I never got any calls.”
“Something must be wrong with it. There’s a last-minute screen test for a lead part in a huge television mini-series. You need to get to LA today for the test. They said a car would pick you up at the airport.”
“Mom, I can’t leave the set. I’ve been gone for three days already. They’re not going to like my being away for yet another couple days.”And I can’t leave Bertie at this time.
“Taylor, you have to think of your career. They want to see you as soon as possible. They can’t cast the part, and your name came up as a possibility. They want to see you now,” she said. “It sounds like a huge part. You have to give this a try.”
He glanced over his shoulder back toward Roberta’s bedroom. “Now is not a very good time.” He rubbed his hand over his unshaven face. The timing sucked, but his mother was right. This would be good for his career. “I’ll fly out today to see what I can do. But I’m not staying.”
“I started to pack you a carry-on. Can you come back over first before you head to the airport?” His mother asked, her voice quivering.
“Yeah, sure. Doubt I’ll need it, but perhaps I had better bring one in case I have to stay longer.”
