Кэти Дэйли - The Magic Of Halloween Night

“I need to track Penny down to see if she can arrange a couple interviews I’m still lacking,” I said after we ate. “I’ll catch you later.”

Luckily, Penny was working in the same office where I’d found her on my first day on the set. I explained who I still needed to speak to, and she assured me she’d do what she could. She couldn’t guarantee anything, but I supposed that if I couldn’t get the interviews I hoped to get, I’d make do with what I had.

Except for the slow start to the day, it seemed to have been a productive day. Harrison still hadn’t shown up by the time the film crew wrapped. I found it odd that the guy would simply disappear and hoped that nothing had happened to him. Based on comments made by others I’d come into contact with, there were more folks who were angry that Harrison had missed his scheduled set time than there were people who were worried, so perhaps I was worried for nothing.

One thing I did know was that I was really looking forward to spending time with Cass. It had been a fun and rewarding week, but a very long one as well, and I really missed the two of us having time to unwind and compare notes.

Chapter 11

By the time I arrived at the shelter, Cass was already there. After I kissed him on the cheek and greeted Milo, the three of us set off to find a dozen or so dogs to play with. It was part of Naomi’s strategy that all the dogs in her care receive as much people-time as possible during their stay. Those with behavior problems were given one on one training, and all the dogs were matched up with volunteers for play sessions.

“So, how was your day?” Cass asked after we’d corralled a dozen dogs into the indoor play area. We like to take the dogs outdoors when the weather cooperated, but the storm that had been predicted was already beginning to blow in, which meant that it was both cold and windy.

“It was great except for the fact that Harrison failed to show up at his appointed time this morning. Talk about throwing a wrench in the works. The director was mad, the schedule needed to be shuffled around, and everyone who wasn’t working on the set was sent out to look for him.”

“Did they ever find him?”

I shook my head. “It looked as if he hadn’t slept in his bed, so the assumption is that he hooked up with someone and forgot to set his alarm. Of course, if that had been the case, he would have eventually shown up, so I really don’t know what’s going on.”

“Maybe he tied one on and will show up tomorrow.”

“I guess. There’s a big storm blowing in, so filming has been paused until Monday.”

Cass smiled. “So, does that mean you have the whole weekend off?”

“I do.”

Cass picked up a handful of balls and tossed them in quick succession. The dogs took off, each appearing to try to outrun the others in order to come up with one of the half dozen balls Cass tossed.

“How is your investigation into Bill’s accident coming along?” I asked.

“I’ve pretty much decided that there wasn’t any foul play involved, although I do have this nagging feeling that everything isn’t exactly as it seems. I’m really not sure why I even feel that way. I’ve had the guys go over the car, and they couldn’t find any sign of tampering. There were no skid marks on the pavement other than those created by Bill once he realized he was in trouble and tried to stop. I’ve gone over his phone and bank records. I’ve talked to his friends and neighbors. Other than the fact that no one can explain why he was out on the old highway so late at night, I really have nothing to suggest that anything other than driver error occurred.”

“What about the black paint?”

Cass shrugged. “That is odd, but that particular lead hasn’t gotten me anywhere. The scratch marks on Bill’s arm could very well have been there before his dinner with Robert and Jennifer. There are patches of mud out along the old highway, so the fact that Bill had mud on his shoes isn’t a reason to open a case, and the red and green stones in the tire tread could have been picked up in any number of locations. For now, the accident has officially been attributed to driver error, and the unofficial file I opened has been closed. If new evidence comes along, I can always take a second look.”

It sounded like Cass had done what he could. Maybe Bill had just swerved to avoid hitting something, and, in the process, lost control and hit the tree.

“So, where should we have dinner tonight?” I asked, deciding to veer the conversation away from work-related topics.

“Do you need to get back to the house at any time in particular?” he asked.

“No. Paisley is spending the weekend with Anna again, and Tom and Aunt Gracie decided to take a little trip. I need to be around to feed Alastair twice a day, but other than that, I’m free for the weekend.”

Cass grinned. “I like the sound of that.” He paused and appeared to be thinking something over. Eventually, he spoke. “What would you think about heading out to Gracie’s place, feeding the cat, and then heading up to my place to make dinner and watch the storm roll in?”

Oh, I was tempted.

“I have some steaks in the freezer I can defrost in the microwave and then grill. I have fixings for salad and potatoes for baking.”

“That does sound nice, and you do have an awesome view of the lake and the summit from the boathouse.” I knew it was there even though it hadn’t been voiced — the unspoken invitation to spend the night with Cass in his home while the wind howled and the clouds gathered all around us. I could imagine laying in his bed, listening to the rain falling on the roof. I could imagine sleeping in his arms. I could imagine finally giving in to the longing I knew both of us felt. Sure, there was the curse to consider, but Gracie was off with Tom for the weekend, and nothing had ever happened to either of them in their forty-plus year relationship. “I suppose that with the storm and all, it might be best to just bring Alastair out to the boathouse. I’d hate for him to be alone if it starts to thunder.”

Cass smiled. “I think that would be fine. Milo will enjoy having a roomie.”

I laughed. “I’m not sure how Alastair will feel about sharing space with Milo, but the two animals do know each other, so I think it should be fine.”

Once the play hour was over, we returned the dogs to their pens and then headed over to Gracie’s house. I packed a bag for myself, which included clean clothes for the weekend, as well as the cat box and food for Alastair. I called Paisley and told her that I was going to be working for most of the weekend and wouldn’t be home. I supposed that was a lie, but I wasn’t sure I wanted her to know that I planned to spend the weekend with Cass. I told her to call or text if she needed me. She assured me she’d be fine, but I could tell she appreciated the fact that I’d checked in with her. Once I had everything I’d need to spend the next two days with Cass, we headed toward the narrow road that led to the north side of the lake. I really couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this nervous. Taking a deep breath, I willed myself to relax.

When we arrived at the boathouse, Cass headed to the kitchen to start the steak and potatoes while I got Alastair settled. Initially, he wasn’t happy that his litter box was in a strange bathroom, and his food and water bowls were perched on the counter in the laundry room just above Milo’s bowls, which were on the floor, but after he’d had a chance to look around, he began to relax. Eventually, he jumped up onto the back of the sofa and looked out the window. The clouds were so dense that the light from the moon and stars couldn’t get through, which made it dark, dark, dark.