out of his house, letting the screen door slap shut behind him. His chest puffed as he pointed and yelled at Matt, “Get the hell out of here, or I’ll sue you!”
“For what?” Bree asked. “He’s on public property.”
A vein in Greg’s forehead pulsed.
“Mr. Speck.” Bree commanded his attention. “I’m looking for Cady Flynn. Have you seen her?”
“No.” He jabbed his finger at Matt again, then did a quarter turn to face Bree again. “Did he say I did something?”
“No. But Cady is missing. We’re checking with all of her acquaintances. You’re just one person on the list. We know you saw her at the pet supply store.”
His eyes went small and mean as he glared down at her. “That was an accident. Before I ran into her there, it’d been, like, six years since I’ve seen her. I wrote her off a long time ago.” He jerked his chin at Matt. “Cady and me might have gotten back together if he didn’t interfere.”
“Where were you tonight?” Bree asked.
“Home.” He backtracked to his door and yelled, “Jenn, get out here!”
A brunette appeared behind the screen door. She held a baby on her hip. She was a tiny thing, and young. Really young. In ripped jeans and a T-shirt with a spit-up stain on the shoulder, she didn’t even look old enough to be served at a bar.
“Come out here,” Greg commanded. “Tell them I was here all evening.”
Jenn pushed the screen door open and stepped outside. She nodded, her eyes huge, dark, and just a little fearful. Her voice quivered as she said, “He’s been here all week. He’s just getting over the flu.”
Greg propped his hands on his hips and squared off with Bree. “Get off my property or I’ll call my lawyer. I’ll sue the sheriff’s department for harassment.”
If not for the flu germs, Bree would have gotten in his face. She would not be intimidated by this jerk. “Do you want to take this discussion down to the station?”
He glared at her. Bree maintained eye contact.
Ten seconds later, he backed down. “Like Jenn said, I’ve been here all week.”
Typical bully. He didn’t have the courage to face someone who would stand up to him.
“Thank you for your time,” Bree said.
Greg waved an angry hand at his front door. “Go inside.”
Jenn dropped her gaze to the ground and scurried back into the house. Greg followed her. He shut the door with a firm bang.
Bree hurried back to her vehicle. Matt’s eyes were flat and cold. He loaded the dog into the SUV and jumped into the driver’s seat. The SUV shot away from the curb with a small squeal of tires.
“He’s an ass,” she said. “But I don’t think he took Cady. He looked genuinely confused when I asked about her.” Bree grabbed the door handle as Matt barely slowed for a bend in the road.
“I agree.” Matt was trying to maintain his cool, but Bree could sense emotions gathering inside him like the storm clouds thickening in the sky. Tension corded the muscles in his forearms and neck, and his jaw was clenched tight.
She couldn’t blame him for losing control. She remembered her sister’s call asking Bree for help, the burning anxiety in her gut on the long drive from Philly to Grey’s Hollow, and the punch of grief when she’d learned Erin was dead.
Please, don’t let anything terrible happen to Cady.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Shannon Phelps’s house was dark when Matt parked down the street. Worry burned in his belly as if he’d swallowed fire. They stepped out of the vehicle. Wind gusted, and dead leaves tumbled along the gutter. Overhead, the sky darkened with thickening clouds.
Matt let Brody out of the back. He slid the ramp back inside and closed the door. “I don’t know whether I should hope she’s inside or not. If she isn’t, we have no idea where to look.”
Or who might have taken her.
His scarred hand ached. He looked down to discover he’d been clenching his hands into tight fists. He uncurled his fingers and flexed.
Stop freaking out. Keep a clear head and find Cady.
They walked up to Shannon’s front door and flanked the doorway. Bree raised a hand and knocked. Inside, they could hear Shannon’s little dog barking. It must have been confined, because the sound stayed in the back of the house.
Bree rang the doorbell. It chimed inside. The dog barked louder. Matt cupped his hands over his eyes and peered through a window next to the door. He saw no one