Page 26 of Colorado K-9 Rescue

E van drove to the grocery store and picked up dog food for Mocha, happy to find the brand that Mckenna had written down.

The last thing they needed was for Mocha to get an upset tummy because of a food switch.

Evan added steaks and potatoes for them and headed back out.

When he turned onto his street, he stopped and took a moment to observe the area.

The officer he had asked to come watch the house while Evan was gone was sitting in his car.

He’d parked in the cul-de-sac turnaround like Evan requested.

He hadn’t told Mckenna he had called in an officer, a buddy of his that was off duty.

He figured she might not be comfortable with that, but he couldn’t take any chances. Mckenna wouldn’t be hurt on his watch.

Nothing seemed out of place or wrong. His neighbor was out mowing.

Another lady, his nosy neighbor, was walking her small poodle and taking note of a different car parked in Evan’s driveway.

Evan was certain she had talked to his buddy.

But the nice thing was there was nothing out of the ordinary. Everything seemed fine.

He drove down to the end of the street and pulled up “cop style” to his friend’s car.

Evan rolled down his window. “Thanks for watching the place. Anything unusual?”

“Nope, boring as can be. The way we like it.”

Evan nodded, glad his friend hadn’t used the Q-word. That would be a jinx.

“Only action was your lady neighbor trying to figure out why there was a cop parked here. She was hitting on me too,” his friend continued.

“Give her your phone number?”

“Nope, gave her yours.” His friend laughed and then added. “You have some hot chick stashed away in your house?”

“What makes you say that?” Evan asked, willing himself to keep a straight face.

“Because you actually look happy for once in your life.”

“Gee, thanks,” Evan said with a laugh. “Am I that serious?”

“Do you really want me to answer that? Have a good night.”

His friend waved and drove off. Evan parked in his driveway, got things out of the car and took them inside. Mckenna was good for him, but he had put in for the job in Oregon. If he was promoted, it didn’t matter how he felt about her. He’d be gone.

The door made a clicking sound and Mckenna was on her feet, ready to run if it wasn’t Evan.

Mocha trotted over and sat in the hall, tail wagging.

It had to be Evan. She had peeked out the front curtain and saw a cop sitting at the turnaround, adding to her worry about staying by herself.

She’d figured that Evan had called him in and that both annoyed her and scared her at the same time.

Evan wouldn’t have called in an officer unless he really thought someone was after her. Mckenna was determined to find out more. What did Evan know that he was keeping from her? She had a right to know about her case.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway and Mckenna heard Evan say hello to Mocha. Despite her determination to find out more, she also had a smile on her face, happy to see Evan and spend time with him.

“Let me help you with those bags,” Mckenna said, reaching out.

Evan handed her a couple and said, “There’s dog food for Mocha and some steaks for us. Considering Mocha’s history of stealing food, I’d put the steaks in the fridge where he can’t get them.”

Mckenna laughed as she put the steaks away. “He can be a thief, although the sandwich was a pretty brazen move.”

“You can say that again. He’s like a criminal who’s escalating.”

“Maybe,” Mckenna said, taking the bag of dog food and realizing that Evan had bought a food bowl too. Mckenna had a bowl for water in her vehicle that she’d brought in, but Mocha’s food bowl was still at the house. The thoughtfulness touched her. “I studied a map while you were gone.”

“Oh?” Evan turned around and grabbed the steaks back out of the fridge, leaning in close to Mckenna. She wanted to reach out and pull him into a hug but refrained.

Behave yourself. He has you here to protect you, nothing else.

“What were you studying?”

“Your aspen grove out back triggered a memory. Of the night I was taken. I remember aspen trees. They were weird-looking, but maybe that was from the drugs. Anyway, there’s a ghost town not far from where Lily, Autumn and I were found.”

Evan had seasoned the steaks, and they all went out on his deck, waiting for the grill to heat.

“I saw a ghost town mentioned in the reports,” he said.

“I don’t think they found anything. No signs of a broken window or any signs of where you could have been held.

We went to the same ghost town after Lily was found. Same thing.”

“I know,” Mckenna said. “It’s just, I swear we had to be held around there somewhere.”

“We’ll figure this out,” Evan said, the steaks making a sizzling sound as he threw them on the grill.

“I’ll go back there myself and look again.

I wasn’t the one who checked out the place, it was some of the deputies from the sheriff’s department.

But I think if they’d seen something, they would have said it. Tell me more about the aspen trees.”

“I can only vaguely remember them,” Mckenna said, frustrated.

If she could remember more, then she could help the investigation.

It would lead them to the person who’d done this.

The Colorado mountains quickly became remote and even though the ghost town was near there, she didn’t see anything else on the map but forest and rugged country.

If there was a cabin or some other type of building, it could remain hidden.

Evan turned around and leaned against the deck, arms folded, staring at her.

“It’s okay, Mckenna. You were probably drugged too.

I didn’t see that they did a tox screen on you, which is too bad, but if you, Lily and Autumn have the same kidnapper, then there’s a good chance you were drugged with GHB as well and remembering can be tough.

That drug creates amnesia. We can look at the map together tonight. There’s something we’re missing.”

“The aspen trees, though, they had a strange shape to them, like I told you. But maybe I hallucinated that from being drugged.”

“What kind of shape?”

“It was like they were dancing.”

She closed her eyes, fighting to bring back the memory, but it was fuzzy and unclear in her mind.

“Mckenna?”

Evan had stepped closer and was peering down at her. Before she could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around him, wanting him to hold her, to help these memories come back. She may have been angry earlier, but Mckenna appreciated him listening to her. To her relief, he returned her hug.

“I’m sorry for earlier,” Evan said. “With the sheriff. I shouldn’t have said you made a mistake. She didn’t have any right to blame you either.”

“I already blame myself.”

“I know, and you shouldn’t. Who doesn’t make mistakes? Especially as a kid? I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” Mckenna said, hoping the hug would last forever.

To her disappointment, he stepped back and took the steaks off the grill.

Mckenna followed him inside, a little worried that she didn’t see Mocha.

Peeking around, she spotted him on Evan’s exceptionally clean and light-colored couch, napping.

There was going to be black hair everywhere.

Evan might regret inviting them over. Maybe she should have taken him up on the safe house.

Sensing Evan behind her, Mckenna said, “Sorry. I’ll vacuum your couch. ”

“Doesn’t bother me. Sometimes I think this place is too clean. Dog hair might be a nice change. Make it seem like a more lived-in home. Let’s eat.”