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The moment I shifted my attention to Pax, he shared, “I’m heading out now. I’m going to run home, grab the dogs, and make my way over to the park. I’ll let you know what I find, if anything.”
“Sounds good, man. Thanks a lot for doing this.”
Pax shook his head. “There’s a dog that’s gone missing.If I can do something to help bring him back to his rightful owner, you know I’m going to do it. Plus, if we can get some answers for Lamise, that’ll be a bonus.”
I offered a nod of thanks in return. Pax walked out, Blaze got to work, and I went in search of Jax and Ty. We hadn’t quite solved this case yet, but we were much closer than we had been when I woke up this morning.
Lamise
“Wait, so you’re living with him now?”
My lips twitched slightly at Tabitha’s question. It was the end of the week, later in the day, and Rhys was down for his final nap before his dad would be home.
Having taken some time to adjust to how things were right now, I decided I was ready to share some life updates with the important people in my life. When Rhys napped earlier in the day, I’d called my sister. Jolene had been devastated but hopeful when she learned about Henry. After I told her where things had gone between Banks and me, she surprised me.
I didn’t know exactly what I expected, but I guess there was a part of me that was worried she might think I’d moved on too fast from Graham. Jolene didn’t pass any judgment on me. In fact, she seemed to be a bit thrilled to learn I’d found someone who made me happy.
With the success of that phone call, I was eager to keepthe good vibes going. That was why I called Tabitha after Rhys had gone down for his current nap. I’d gotten her filled in on the news of my new relationship, and it had been clear she was just as excited for me as Jolene had been.
But it seemed sharing the truth about my current living arrangements had caught her off guard. I needed to clarify, so she understood. “Yes, I moved in with him, but it’s only temporary.”
“I don’t understand. You work for him and just started dating him. I realize it probably makes things easier when it comes to getting to work on time, but it seems hasty,” she noted.
“It is. Banks and I definitely wouldn’t be in this place right now if things were different, but there’s something else I have to tell you.”
“Oh, no. What happened?”
“I saw Henry.”
“Henry? What do you mean?” she questioned me, shock evident in her tone.
I went on to tell Tabitha about the visit to the cemetery to talk to Graham about moving on and taking off my ring before I walked out and saw Henry there with a man. Of course, I shared how I called out to him, he saw me, and I chased after him only to fall and wind up watching as the man drove off with Henry freaking out in the back of the SUV.
Tabitha was silent for a long time after I finished. And when she finally did speak, her voice was just a touch over a whisper. “I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling. Are you sure it was Henry?”
“Positive. There isn’t a doubt in my mind.”
There was another pause before my best friend said, “Wait a minute. I don’t understand. Does seeing Henry have something to do with why you’re staying with Banks?”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “I came to him the day it happened, and when he tried to figure out why the man would take off with Henry if it was clear I’d been running in that direction, I explained that I believed the man could have been the man who murdered Graham. Of course, I had to then go through all of that, because while Banks knew about Graham passing, he didn’t know that there was a possibility he’d been murdered.”
Tabitha didn’t hesitate to respond. “So, he thinks you might be a target now?”
“Exactly. I tried my best to reassure him, noting how nobody had attempted to contact me or make me feel unsafe ever since Graham died, but Banks thought it was wise to take extra precautions now that someone saw me and knew I’d recognized Henry. I guess, in his mind, if I wasn’t on anyone’s radar before, especially if that guy had something to do with what happened to Graham, I might be on that radar now.”
“Are you just going to stay with him now until the police figure this out? I mean, it’s been months. Do you think they’re really going to be able to uncover the truth about Graham? Look, I understand how important it is for you to know, and I can’t imagine what I’d do in your position. But are you worried they won’t figure it out?”
I couldn’t say those thoughts hadn’t passed through my mind several times, particularly since I’d moved in with Banks. “I don’t know if the police will figure it out. I don’t know if anyone will, but now that Banks has put together a team to investigate all of this, I guess I have a bit more reason to hope.”
“Banks put together a team?”
“He did. And I’ve got to tell you, Tab, I believed every word he said when he promised me he’d figure this out.”
Rocky started barking in the background. “Oh, this dog. He drives me crazy, sometimes. I swear, he always waits until I sit down to tell me he needs to go out.”
I smiled, my heart squeezing. It had been a while since I last saw Tabitha’s dog. I really needed to find the time to visit with them soon. “That’s how it is. I’ll let you go, so you can take care of him, but I want to come for a visit soon, so I can get some head scratches in with Rocky.”
Tabitha laughed. “You know he’s always up for that. And this conversation isn’t done yet. Promise me you’ll call if and when you have any more news about Henry or Graham.”
