Joy to the Wolves (Red Wolf #1) - Terry Spear Page 0,32
the whole shop, hoping the guy wasn’t still here. No one was in the bedrooms or bathroom on the second floor, or the bathroom and other rooms on the first floor. From the scent he’d left behind, she found he had wandered all over the shop, though, used the bathroom, and even went up the stairs to look in each of the bedrooms used as storage rooms. Snooping? Looking to steal something? She smelled his scent only by the boxes most recently stacked in the room, the ones up front. Chills raced across her skin, making the hair on her arms stand on end.
She checked the attic door, but it was still locked. The man must have left when she got busy.
Then she got a call from Josh. “Hey, I know it’s about time for me to pick you up for dinner and a wolf run, but I’ve got a murder case I’m looking into that just came up, so I’m going to have to work late.”
“I’m so sorry, Josh. Did you get some lunch at least?”
“I picked up a hamburger. How was your beef Stroganoff?”
“Delicious. We’ll run another time.”
“Tomorrow, if I don’t get hung up on another case or I’m busy with this one,” he promised.
“That sounds good.”
“What did you want for lunch tomorrow?”
“I’ll figure out something. Don’t worry about it. We’ll get together when you have some time off.” She didn’t want Maverick to have to pick up lunch for her if Josh couldn’t make it. She really could just make a sandwich or microwave a meal.
“We’ll try to run tomorrow night,” Josh said.
“Sure.” If he couldn’t, she was running at Forest Park herself. In fact, that was what she could do tonight. First, she wanted to see what other treasures were up in her attic. She’d have to wait until nearly ten tonight anyway to run, so she might as well get some work in. She slipped her phone in her pocket, unlocked the attic door, and stepped inside to go on yet another dusty treasure hunt.
* * *
After ten, Josh finally got home to find the house all lit in Christmas lights, welcoming him, and the Christmas tree covered in reindeer ornaments and sparkling with colored lights. He was making a grilled cheese sandwich for himself when Maverick asked, “So what happened on the murder case?”
“After a few hours, the husband broke under interrogation and confessed to murdering his wife. I wish the bastard had done that earlier so I could have brought Brooke out here for dinner and a wolf run.”
“It’s a good thing you got him to confess though. We had a little bit of excitement. A two-year-old ran into the corral with the reindeer calves, but he wasn’t hurt. He wanted to pet the big doggies.”
Josh chuckled. “More fun than my day.”
“Yeah, luckily—”
Josh got a call. “Hold that thought.” He pulled out his phone and frowned at the caller ID.
“Is something wrong?”
“My favorite former suspect in the stolen Jingles case is calling.” Josh answered the phone. “Hey, it’s Josh. What’s up?” He wondered if Brooke was checking to see if he was home and wanted to run as wolves tonight.
“There’s someone in my shop.” Brooke’s voice was breathless, worried, hushed. “I’m hiding in the attic. I—” The phone went dead.
“Hell.” Josh was out of his seat, grabbing his gun out of the safe and racing for the door in the next instant. Brooke’s voice had been low, fraught with fear, and it made him sick to think she was in trouble. He wished he’d never given her grief about Jingles. What if she didn’t survive the encounter with the intruders? He’d never forgive himself if he didn’t reach her in time.
“What’s wrong?” Maverick was off his chair in a second, waiting for guidance.
“Brooke says someone broke into her shop.” Josh yanked open the door. He hoped it wasn’t someone looking for the cocaine they’d confiscated who hadn’t gotten the word that the DEA had all of it.
“I’m going with you.” Maverick grabbed a rifle from the gun cabinet, then locked the cabinet back up. “Why didn’t she call someone else on the police force or 911?”
Josh hurried to his car, and Maverick was right behind him. “I’m a wolf? She felt she could trust me?”
“She hung up on you?”
“She might have been afraid the person was going to hear her talking on the phone.” Just thinking about it gave Josh chills. “What if she got another box of that damn cocaine?”