Page 62 of Nowhere Good

Seth scooped up the box with the kitten in it, pawing around inside. He still had no idea what to do with this thing, but at least he’d saved its life. As he made his way toward the front door, Ron’s voice stopped him.

“Oh, but what about that ‘map’ he mentioned? You ever find anything like that?”

Seth faced Ron, who now leaned against the doorframe to the kitchen, his posture casual, unassuming. Interesting how that was the part he wanted to follow up on. “Yeah, I did. It led me to a forest near the Bursells’ cornfield.” The cornfield Ron’s family used to own. It’d been the first thing Claire thought of when he’d told her about it.

But Ron simply crossed his arms over his chest and said, “Huh. Find anything there?”

Seth held his gaze for a moment longer. “Like you said, it was a prank.”

NINETEEN

Seth knocked on the screen door of the small house, rattling it, and hoped Pereira would forgive him for this.

Night had settled over the town, and crickets chirped in the garden beside Pereira’s front door. She lived in a single-story home with white paneling and a rainbow flag in the front window. He’d tried taking the kitten back to the motel, but when it pissed on the floor, he quickly realized he didn’t have the means to deal with it. He didn’t know the first thing about raising a kitten. Especially one so tiny.

Pereira opened the door wearing plain clothes, an oversized flannel and a pair of sweats, her brown hair tied back in a loose bun. “Winslow? The hell are you doing here?”

“Hey, sorry, but I need your help.”

“Jeez Louise, I’ve gotta get up for another night shift soon—I’m supposed to be nappin’. Do you have any idea how overworked they’ve got me?”

“It’s not about work.” He held up the box. “Can I come in?”

With a roll of her eyes, Pereira pushed the door open, welcoming Seth in. He stepped inside her small home, met with the smell of incense and cats. A large, long-haired cat jumped into the foyer and rubbed against Seth’s leg.

And this, right here, was exactly why he’d chosen Pereira—he’d seen the photos on her desk.

He also had nowhere else to turn, but the photos helped.

“All right, what’s in the box?” Pereira asked with her hands on her hips.

Seth opened a flap and flashed her the contents.

“A kitten? What the hell?”

“I saved it from Ron Dyer’s farm. He was gonna ‘mercy kill’ it.”

Pereira gave him an incredulous look. “Oh, lord, Winslow, are you serious? I’ve already got three cats.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. I’ll take it back to Kansas City with me, but can you look after it until then? Just until the killer is caught. It’s just so small. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

She drilled her hazel eyes into him before she said, “You’re a piece of work, you know that?” and snatched the box from his hands. “Go sit on the couch or something, make yourself at home. I’ll be right back. I know where I can put this guy for now.”

Seth sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

He went into Pereira’s living room and sat on the couch next to a bundle of cat toys. One of the other cats, a short-haired one, sat like a loaf of bread on the arm of the couch, sassily ignoring him. He’d hoped the hangover would be gone by now, but he was still listless, anxious.

Pereira came back into the room and plopped down on the couch across from him. “He should be good for now. Won’t be the first kitten I’ve litter trained. You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Sorry. I really do appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. Why were you at the Dyers’, anyway?”

“Following up on the tip line from the other day. Ron didn’t think it was anything worth exploring either. But when I saw him and his… mercy killing, it made me wonder if people learn that often on farms. Snapping necks, I mean.”

Pereira shrugged. “Sure. I grew up on a chicken farm, and my daddy had me snapping necks when I was twelve. I didn’t like it, but he told me I shouldn’t eat what I’m not willin’ to kill myself.”

Seth had to admit, slaughtering animals was not on his bucket list. “Maybe I should be a vegetarian. I already gave up beef.”