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Before, when she’d mentioned a puppy, he’d balked. “I thought you didn’t like dogs.”
“I know I was difficult, Lara. But I can change. Right now, all I want is to bring our little girl home.”
Lara heard regret and love in his voice. Once again, it reminded her of the Jasper she’d fallen in love with eight years ago before they’d hit hard times financially and Ava’s medical issues had brought their world crashing down.
“How about it?” Jasper asked. “Should we get the puppy so we can surprise her when she comes home?”
Lara knew it might be crazy. It had been days already and the police hadn’t found her daughter. But she refused to give up hope.
“Yes. It’s a little wiener dog,” she said. “Ava loves them, and one had been dropped at the shelter just before I visited. I thought it was meant to be.”
Jasper smiled. “Then let’s go. Ava can name him when she comes home.”
Lara latched onto Jasper’s hand. If she didn’t, she might not be able to go on another minute.
One Hundred Twenty-Three
Bluff County Hospital
Derrick found Ellie in an ER room being stitched up. When Captain Hale had told him Grueler had been attacked, he’d raced over.
“Are you all right?” Derrick asked.
“Yes,” Ellie winced as the doctor finished stitching her arm. “I stepped into the hall for a second and this man dressed in scrubs went in. Then I saw Grueler struggling with him and realized he had a knife. He stabbed him.” Self-disgust tinged her voice. “I tried to pull him away, but it was too late.”
Dammit, she could have been killed. Derrick fisted his hands by his sides to tamp down his anger.
“The sheriff’s department took him into custody,” Ellie said. “His name is Tony Studdard. Some kind of vigilante.”
“And he killed Grueler for something he didn’t do.”
“Right.” The doctor bandaged her arm, and Ellie slid off the exam table as he left the room. After pulling her torn sleeve over the bandage, she reached for her coat and Derrick helped her into it.
“Nolan did tell me he saw a woman in a white van watching Ava near the bus stop and at her house. The van could be the one Priscilla described. He said she seemed just like any other mom. She only stood out to him because he realized they were both watching Ava.”
“No wonder no one suspected anything,” Derrick said thoughtfully.
“I’d already requested a sketch artist to work with him, but now… that lead is gone.”
Derrick sighed. “Maybe not. You said there’s a lady in the neighborhood who formed a neighborhood watch. She might have seen this woman.”
Ellie nodded. “Yes, Dottie Clark. Deputy Landrum talked to her. She was the one who overheard the Trumans arguing. Maybe she can give us a better description.”
He indicated her injured arm. “Come on, I’ll drive.”
One Hundred Twenty-Four
Honeysuckle Lane
“I’m fine to drive,” Ellie said. “Let’s drop my Jeep at the station then we’ll question Dottie together.”
“Stubborn woman,” Derrick grumbled.
But he didn’t waste time arguing and followed Ellie. At the station, she jumped in his car, then he drove them to Dottie Clark’s small ranch house. The storm the night before had blown down tree limbs and twigs, and a fog had settled in, adding a gray cast to the sky, just as Ava’s kidnapping had over the town.
Unlike Lara’s home, which was welcoming with its festive décor, Dottie’s looked bare and void of holiday cheer. Ellie wondered why.
She glanced through the window but spotted no Christmas lights, just a faint glow from what looked to be the kitchen. A gray cat was sprawled on the floor, and two more in chairs near the fireplace. She rang the bell again and finally heard footsteps shuffling.
