Sins of the Father: Rose Gardner Mystery Novella 9.5 by Denise Grover Swank

Author:Denise Grover Swank [Swank, Denise Grover]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781939996473
Publisher: DGS
Published: 2016-10-31T22:00:00+00:00

Part Three

8

Rose

Neely Kate called the animal shelter as I drove toward town, but Hugo hadn’t shown up.

“You told Dr. Romano that his paw prints disappeared in the field,” Neely Kate said. “Did you see where they might have headed?”

“No,” I said. “The prints were in mud, but I lost them in a section that was covered with leaves. If I had to guess, I think he might have been headed toward the woods.” I cast a glance toward her. “But they might not have even been Hugo’s paw prints. Maybe we should give up. For all we know, he’ll come home on his own.”

“But it’s a case!” Neely Kate protested. “And I know it’s a small one, but the more solved cases we have under our belts, the better for our résumé.” When I hesitated, she added, “Heidi Joy would have called us if he’d turned up, and just think about those disappointed boys. Do you really want to quit now?”

I groaned. “No, but it feels like we’re looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“Let’s go check out the woods. If we don’t find him there, we’ll figure out our next steps.”

Neely Kate studied the GPS on her phone, giving me directions to a section of trees on the east side of the farm that was close to a county road. When we reached the spot she’d found, I parked the truck and glanced down at Neely Kate’s feet.

“I guess you’ll have to stay by the truck.”

She gave me an apologetic look. “I’ll make sure Hugo doesn’t get away if he comes out.”

I laughed. “I’m not sure there’s enough stain remover in all of Arkansas to get muddy dog stains out of those pants.”

“Hey,” Neely Kate said indignantly. “I need to do my part.”

I pulled her in for a hug. “You do your part and more. I’m not sure how I would have survived these last few months without you.”

She leaned back and pushed me away. “Go find Hugo. I’m hungry.”

I’d been hungry before our visit to the vet, but our conversation about dating had stolen my appetite. I hadn’t thought about dating. Part of me had hoped Mason would move back to Henryetta, although I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Maeve had hinted that he loved his new job in the state attorney’s office.

He was moving on, and I needed to do the same.

I forced a smile. “Just a warning—skunks are black and white too, but Hugo’s more white and black. Kind of like that pig.”

She stuck out her tongue. “Very funny. Just for that, if you get lost in the woods, I’m not ruining my sparkly new shoes to come find you.”

That was a lie, and we both knew it.

I slipped into the woods and headed toward the farm, calling out Hugo’s name every few steps. After I’d gone about twenty feet, I heard whimpering. I followed the sound and was surprised to see a white and black furball, covered in mud, stuck in something close to a tree.

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