Daisy to move about freely, and so she did, her body clanging loudly against the metal barricade in wild, uncontained excitement. Daisy could see and smell Nina. She knew what home was, and home had come to her.
Nina’s heart leaped for joy. There did not appear to be a lock on the crate; escape should be easy.
Get my dog and get out.
Nina went to the crate. She crouched down to undo the latch, and managed to get the leash out of her coat pocket without dropping her phone. Daisy broke into a frenzy of barking.
Opening the crate a crack, Nina struggled to secure the leash to Daisy’s collar. Her dog was nonstop motion, barking, yipping excitedly, and kissing any part of Nina within reach of her tongue. The moment Nina stepped away from the door, Daisy shot bullet-like out of the crate. With a burst of startling strength and speed, she dragged Nina to a wall behind the stairs. Nina resisted by tugging hard on Daisy’s leash to pull her in the opposite direction.
“Come on! Come on!” she urged.
She didn’t want to go back through that house, but there was no other way out. Again, she jerked the leash hard, but Daisy continued to resist.
Eventually, Nina got to the stairs, and up she went, surprised she had to pull Daisy, and with some force, to get her to leave.
Out! Out! Get out! The voice in her head was screaming now.
At the top of the stairs, Daisy dug in and wouldn’t budge, so Nina gave the leash another hard tug. The house was quiet and still. To her left, she could see the front door. Escape was only feet away. Her heart lifted. It was mission accomplished. She’d go straight to the police and they’d arrest Simon for dognapping. She wondered if perhaps she should get the diary, thinking the authorities would search for Allison and reopen the investigation into Emma’s death, but now wasn’t the time. She had to leave. Every part of her was urging her to go.
Good-bye, house. Good-bye, Simon.
As Nina reached for the front doorknob, her cell phone rang.
CHAPTER 59
Instinct made Nina retrieve her phone from her coat pocket. It could have been Maggie calling from school. Simon was there and she was thinking crisis.
She saw the call was actually from Connor. Nina was about to answer when Daisy gave a hard yank, pulling the leash free from her loosened grasp as she went for her phone. Spinning quickly to catch her, Nina lunged for the leash, but Daisy was too fast. In a blur of motion, Daisy bolted for the door to the basement, which Nina had left open in her haste.
Down she went again, putting her phone back in her coat pocket, not answering Connor’s call.
Get my dog and get out.
Nina returned to the basement to find Daisy barking wildly at the wall behind the stairs, pawing at the brick.
“What are you doing?” Nina shouted as she reached down to gather Daisy’s leash. She pulled hard, but Daisy held firm. Nina gave the leash another tug, gritting her teeth in frustration.
“Come on,” she urged, her temper rising as if she were dealing with an obstinate child.
Instead, Daisy went down on her stomach, paws outstretched, before rolling onto her back, refusing to make eye contact.
“No! Come!” Nina scolded.
What is Daisy trying to say? A trainer had once told her that hierarchy was important in the canine world. Could Daisy be attempting—in a respectful manner—to inform Nina that she wished to disobey her command? Perhaps. Or maybe it meant she was afraid. If so, it would be an emotion both currently shared.
Nina thought of Allison, gone somewhere, taken, killed, thought of Simon finding her here, and pulled on the leash again, this time with more force, knowing every second counted.
“Come on,” she growled.
Daisy allowed Nina to drag her a couple feet on her back before righting herself.
There, thought Nina. Let’s go.
But Daisy dug in and began moving in reverse, as if she were playing a game of tug with an invisible rope toy, pulling Nina toward that same wall she’d visited before.
No more games. Nina went for the collar. She’d carry her out of here if she had to. But now, standing so close to the wall, Nina could see something she hadn’t noticed before. There appeared to be the very faint outline of a door. Daisy kept her nose to the wall, barking excitedly. Using her fingers, Nina traced the edge of the outline, searching for