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“Since that’s settled, was there anything else?” Her breezy tone suggested that she was on the verge of heading back to the front of the clinic.
“Actually, yes.” He settled in one of the chairs and crossed one ankle over the opposite knee. This wasn’t going to be as simple as he’d thought. “I’d like to talk to your kids about the night Katie was here. With you present, of course.”
“The kids?” Dana’s eyes widened in alarm. “Whatever for? I’m sure they took good care of her.”
“I’m sure they did. It’s just that Katie was upset when we got back to our place. At first, I figured she was crying because I left her for a few hours.”
“She must have been overtired. All the excitement of the animals, getting to play with other children—”
“It’s more than that.” Zach drew in a deep breath as he decided how much he could say. “You’ve seen how shy she is. Fearful, even. This past week or so she seemed to be doing much better, especially once she got the puppy. But now, she’s more withdrawn than ever. She repeatedly wakes up at night, crying inconsolably.”
“You think my kids did something to hurt her?” Dana’s voice cooled. “Molly adores young children. Alex is more responsible than a lot of adults.”
“No, I’d never think that they were cruel. I’m just trying to figure out what could have changed for her. I don’t know anything about her life before her mother left. Maybe they said something that triggered a bad memory. Maybe she saw something frightening on TV...or one of the animals scared her. Finding out what happened might help me get her through this.”
Dana drummed her fingers on the desk, considering. Then she settled into the chair behind the desk and hit a button on the intercom box. “Francie, could you track down the kids and send them back to my office?”
“They’re out here with Katie right now, playing with those stray kittens the Jenkins brought in yesterday.” Francie’s voice sounded tinny over the speaker. “Katie, too?”
“Not yet. If she gets bored with the kittens, maybe you could show her the Miller’s cockatoo?” Dana turned off the intercom. “Not that I’ve ever seen a young child tire of a basket full of kittens.” She gave him a searching look. “Have you heard from Katie’s mother lately?”
“Not a word.” Zach rubbed at the back of his neck. “It’s been almost two months.”
Dana’s eyes widened. “How could a mother do that? Unless she’s hurt...or...” She sank back into her chair. “You must be so worried. Whatever happened between you two, she’ll always be your daughter’s mother.”
He needed to tell Dana the truth before this went any further. “Well—”
Molly and Alex appeared at the door, clad in faded T-shirts and dusty jeans. “I got most of the cages clean,” Alex began. “There’s just three more and then I have to feed the boarders. Then can I go to the game in town? Please?”
“Me, too. All my friends are going to be there. We’re supposed to meet on the bleachers. You promised, if I got my chores done.” Molly held up her hands and started ticking off what she’d accomplished. “I filled the three water tanks, and fed the mares, and cleaned my room and—”
“Whoa!” Dana beckoned them both into the room. “Shut the door, will you? We just need to ask some questions.”
At the extra commotion, Gabe lumbered to his feet and wandered down the hall toward the front desk. The children stepped farther into the room, warily glancing between Dana to Zach.
“Zach says his little girl has been especially upset since she was here Saturday night. He’s wondering if maybe there was something that scared her while she was here. A television show, any of the animals, or games you might have played...”
“She liked the pups,” Molly offered. “We mostly played with them. And when it got dark, we came in and had ice cream and built a fort out of blankets in the living room.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “She cried a lot when you left. And later, after we’d been out in the barn a long time—” he hesitated, studying the toes of his boots. “Then she started again. I don’t think she wanted to be here.”
“But I tried really hard, honest!” Molly’s voice quavered. “I don’t know why she cried so much. She did like the puppies. At least at first.”
“I’m sure she did,” Dana soothed. “I don’t doubt for a minute that you did your best. But was there anything that could have given her nightmares? Anything on TV? Or did any of the animals frighten her?”
Alex shrugged. “She cried for her dad a lot, but she never screamed or anything.”
“Thanks,” Zach murmured, offering them all a smile. “I expect she’s just going through a phase. You all have a good afternoon.”
He’d reached the door of the office when Molly spoke up. “It was sort of weird, though. She sure is scared of strangers.”
“What?”
Molly shrugged. “She was doing okay with the puppies, but then some guy stopped to ask directions. She never saw him or anything ‘cause he was way up at the front of the barn talking to Alex. But after that was when she really started to cry.”
* * * *
ZACH WEIGHED THE POSSIBILITIES on his way to town. Neither Molly nor Katie had seen the man. When Zach asked Katie if she’d ever heard the voice before, she just vehemently shook her head. Alex only remembered that he’d worn sunglasses and a Nike ball cap, his features shadowed, and “looked like any other dumb, lost tourist.”
