Hide & Seek - Nicole Edwards Page 0,21
and she confirmed it from what she found. And I called Gallegos, gave him the details. According to Reggie, Tanner’s just fine.”
“You know this for a fact.”
“Based on the text messages the kid showed me, yeah. Tanner Wright’s bein’ rebellious while, at the same time, losin’ his virginity.”
Reese laughed.
“Never in my life did I meet a teenager who talked as much as Reggie. If I would’ve wanted to stick around all day, I could’ve gotten the full backstory on Tanner and Reggie both.”
“Well, I’m glad he’s safe and sound.” Reese exhaled. “Think we should get eyes on the boy though. Before we close it.”
“Agree.”
“Wasted trip, though, huh?”
Brantley glanced down at Tesha. “I wouldn’t say it was completely wasted.”
To his surprise, Brantley opened the doors for them, waited until they’d both gotten in before he sauntered around to the driver’s side.
Reese smiled as he relaxed against the seat. “You know Travis is gonna have a conniption when he finds out we’ve got a four-legged travel companion on his brand spankin’ new jet.”
“Not if he doesn’t know about it,” Brantley countered. “So let’s keep it to ourselves, shall we?”
It took roughly three and a half hours for them to tie up all loose ends and get back to Coyote Ridge. Brantley hadn’t been willing to leave until he had a chance to talk to Tanner personally. The kid admitted that yes, he was hanging out with his new girlfriend. Yes, he had told his parents, actually. No, they never listened but he wasn’t surprised they lied to the police. They liked drama. Turned out, the girl’s parents had taken a cruise, leaving their sixteen-year-old home alone, and she’d taken advantage of the freedom, inviting Tanner over.
Reese wished all missing persons cases went like that.
Once they were back at the house, while Brantley went to the barn to fill JJ and Baz in on what happened, Reese made a call to Kennedy, who kindly offered to see Tesha today if he could get her over there now.
Reese shot a quick text to Brantley, letting him know, then loaded Tesha into his truck and made the quick trip into town.
When they stepped into the waiting room, it was to find the place looked like a ghost town. Kennedy and her tech, Olivia, were sitting behind the reception desk drinking coffee and chatting. Both women stood up when he stepped inside.
“Well, well, well,” Kennedy said with a wide grin. “Who do we have here?”
Although she wasn’t an imposing woman, Tesha still backed away when Kennedy approached. That didn’t seem to faze the vet one bit. She simply took a seat in one of the reception chairs, leaning down with her elbows on her knees.
“Hello, young lady,” she said softly, letting her hand dangle, her fingers fluttering as though enticing the dog to come greet her. “How’re you doin’ today?”
Reese didn’t force Tesha over, but he did encourage with a couple of words. “She’s good. We can trust her.”
He could feel Kennedy’s eyes on him momentarily before they shifted back to the dog. “You said you found her in someone’s backyard?”
“Tied to a stake,” he said, unable to hide the anger in his tone. “Water and food bowls were bone-dry and just out of reach.”
She didn’t appear pleased with the news. “Around here?”
“No. Case we had in Houston. Found her when we were doin’ an interview.”
“How’d you get her?”
“I walked in the backyard, unchained her, and carried her out.” He waited to see if she would chastise him. When she didn’t, he added, “I … relocated her.”
“I’ll check to see if she’s microchipped,” she noted. “Doubtful since it costs money and this girl doesn’t look like she’s seen a dollar in her lifetime.” She smiled sadly. “But you’re in good hands, sweet girl.”
Olivia came over, carrying a couple of treats. She passed them over to Kennedy, who used them to coax Tesha her way.
Reese watched as she introduced herself, never rushing. She seemed completely content to sit right there until the dog was comfortable with her. It took a good twenty minutes before Tesha's stick-thin tail began to wag.
“I can tell you, she needs a bath,” Kennedy said easily. “Probably some shots, but we’ve got to run some tests first. I’ll draw blood, give her a quick physical inspection. If you want, Olivia can give her a bath.”
“I can handle that part,” he assured her.
Kennedy nodded. “We can schedule follow-ups if needed.” Her soft gray eyes shifted to Reese’s face. “You plannin’ to keep her?”
“Yep.”
“Good. She’s