“You’re right, Theo,” Ashley told her.
“Oh, I almost forgot to ask … were you with a blond guy last night?”
“Yeah,” Ashley answered quickly. “Well, not with him. I ran into him. His name is Luca Gregory. We were friends in high school. I called Wyatt like I told you I was going to. He didn’t pick up, so I left him a message and asked him to meet me at The Copper Queen. I was halfway through a beer just waiting on him when Luca came up to the table. We talked for about twenty minutes, then I decided Wyatt wasn’t gonna show, so I left.”
“Then what happened?”
It looked like Ashley was trying hard to remember, but the memories coming to her mind had become painful. Her eyes filled with tears again.
“Um, well, Luca walked me to my car, and then he turned and walked away. That’s when I felt a sharp pinch in my neck. The next thing I remember was waking up on the floor of the cabin.”
19. HOUSE CALL
Theo could hear the sound of Indigo’s voice as she drew on the large chalkboard that had been affixed to the front of Ashley’s oversized desk. It sounded like she was telling Jupiter a story, and if Theo knew Jupiter—and she was fairly certain that she did—she knew he was sitting quietly, listening attentively as only a canine can.
In the two days since the attack, Jordan had spent some time in the Brubaker Building. There had been no damage done to the lobby or the kitchen, although police had dusted for fingerprints and left their powder behind. When he stood just inside the front door, everything looked as it should. Theo’s office had been an entirely different story.
There were no remnants of the mess Mason Wright had left as Theo sat at her desk. All of her beloved books, photographs and other items had been straightened, and Jordan had gathered all the broken pieces of the snow globe, boxing the base and the small figurine of Big Ben for Theo to tuck away somewhere safe. The water had dried, and the plastic snow stuck to the wooden floor. Jordan had scrubbed that all away and cleaned the large rug that sat beneath Theo’s desk. Had she not been the one to lock a madman in this room, she might never have believed it had ever happened.
Theo turned and looked at the photo of the Murphys at Disney World again. Cleopatra still had her arms over her head and her mouth was still open, but she didn’t seem to be yelling anything in particular.
Theo blinked, her eyes moving to Owen. He held a six-year-old Theo in his lap. Her mouse ears were a bit askew, but she was grinning. She looked like she was exactly where she needed to be. Theo filled her lungs with the deepest breath she could manage, then let it out slowly, her gaze never leaving the photograph. She realized that’s how she was feeling at that very moment; a bit askew, but exactly where she needed to be. She’d have to work on the grinning part.
Theo had turned her computer off and was getting ready to collect Indigo and Jupiter when her cell rang.
“Hi, Ashley.”
“Theo … I need your help …”
“Ash? Are you okay?”
“I hurt. I hurt so much. Will you come?”
Theo grabbed her pack and headed out of her office. “Of course. Five minutes, Ash. I’ll be there.” She pocketed her phone. “Indie,” she called. “Jupe! Come on, guys, let’s go!”
Theo checked the front door although she’d never unlocked it, then ushered child and dog toward the back the building.
“I didn’t pick up my chalk,” Indigo told her.
“It’s okay, honey. I’ll help you with it later.”
“Where are we going?”
“Ashley’s,” Theo responded, making sure her inner office door was locked. “She needs our help, blue bird. You ready?”
“Ready!”
“Chuff!”
Ashley and Wyatt lived in a two-bedroom duplex on Third Street, about a block north of Hope Lutheran Church. The first thing Theo noticed when she pulled her Jeep to the curb was that no one had thought to clear the snow from the driveway or the walk.
“Jupe,” Theo said, climbing out of the driver’s side. “You be a good boy, okay? Don’t pee on anything.”
Jupiter whined in the back of his throat. The human had insulted him.
“Unhook,” Theo told Indigo. Indigo unbuckled the straps of her car seat and scrambled to the door. Theo lifted her out and Indie’s boots sunk two inches into the snow on the plowed road. She opened the back and Jupiter jumped out. “It looks pretty deep up there. You want me to carry you?”
Indigo shook her head. “Nope. I’m good.”
Both Indigo and Jupiter headed up toward the house with Theo close behind.
Theo didn’t have a key for Ashley’s house. She thought that might be a problem, but she found the door was unlocked when she turned the knob.
“Ashley?”
“I’m in the bedroom,” Ashley called back. Her voice was still raspy, and not very loud. Jupiter heard a voice he recognized and ran to find where it had come from. Indigo followed him.
Theo looked around the living room. The small space was dominated by a big screen television. She wasn’t sure, but she guessed it was at least seventy inches if not larger. There was a couch and a recliner in the room.
It was dark, and Theo thought that was strange. She didn’t know much, but she was sure plants needed light to grow. She was also sure there would be a lot of plants in Ashley’s home. She walked to the window and opened the blinds, allowing the crisp winter sunlight to fill the room. There were at least a dozen pots filled with bright green leaves and vines on shelves and the windowsill.
“I’m a mess,” she heard Ashley say as she walked into the bedroom. “I’m so embarrassed. I’m so sorry … I know I’m a pain in the ass, but I’m stuck.” Ashley was in her bed, clothed in a T-shirt and sweatpants cut off at the knee. “I’ve wet the bed,” she said, her voice quiet. “I can’t get into the wheelchair with my arm. I’m useless on my own.”
“Okay, sweetie,” Theo told her. “This is nothing that can’t be fixed. Lead me to the linen closet.”
