Page 23 of Hostile Witness
“What?”
“Seriously, it’s on her bucket list.”
“Why?”
“Even though she participated in the big protest demonstrations of the nineteen sixties, she was never arrested for anything.”
Tia giggled. “Wow. That’s an unusual request. How are you going to pull that one off?”
“With your uncle’s blessing—I hope.” He rose and set his plate in the sink. “Call me if you need help with our boy tonight. Nan runs out of steam after a couple of hours at the outlets. I should be home by eight.”
Tia rolled her eyes. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Thanks for the supper.”
Ethan paused while putting his boots on. “I’ll be in and out of town for the next two weeks. You want me to cosign another check just in case?”
“That’s okay. I’ll front the money if needed, seeing as I planned on spending my own to take care of him anyway. Going somewhere special?”
He shook his head. “No. Maybe. I’m on call for my second job. Sometimes I need to leave town on the spur of the moment.”
“What kind of job?” She wanted to withdraw the question immediately. It sounded like she was prying, and as much as she wanted to keep her distance from him, her curiosity had overwhelmed her good sense.
“I work with young people, help them get their lives restarted after a trauma.”
What a rewarding side hustle. She kept her mouth shut this time.
“See ya. Let me know if you need help with Flynn or a break from the dog-mom routine. Otherwise, I’ll stay out of your hair.” He slipped out the front door and strode to his car.
Tia glanced at Flynn and then out the window as Ethan pulled away. She rubbed her hand against her breastbone. It was the weirdest damn thing. The house felt kind of empty without him.
17
Tia had been so tempted in between bites of noodles to reminisce about the bonfire with Ethan. He’d been her first real kiss and a doozy at that. He’d wrapped the blanket around them both, and they’d kissed and talked for hours. She’d always regretted bolting when the cops had shown up, because she hadn’t gotten his number or even his last name. All summer while working at the ice-cream place on the boardwalk, she’d hoped to look up and see him standing in line. But it had never happened.
Tia whistled for Flynn and headed for the stairs. Time to show him his new digs and the second plush bed she’d bought for him up in her room. He lifted his sleepy head and lumbered toward her, gingerly picking his way up the steps. Poor guy. He had to be sore from the surgeries and trauma he’d endured. Later on, she’d give him one of the pain relievers Casey had included in his take-home bag.
She opened the bedroom doors, the linen closet, and the bathroom door. Might as well let the dog sniff and discover the sights and scents of his new home. Thank goodness she hadn’t brought Ethan up here to see this dog bed. Her room was adisaster. She flung open the closet door and tossed dirty towels and clothes down the enormous laundry chute in the floor of her closet. While not pretty, it sure was functional. After stripping the bed, Tia lobbed the sheets and blanket together. The weather had warmed enough for her to bring out the summer bedspread, so next went the down comforter. It disappeared from view, sliding all the way to a drop about three feet above her clothes washer, and landed with a little thud. The chute was one of her favorite features of the house.
Flynn growled as she pitched more dirty clothes over his head and down the cavernous slide.
Tia stopped.
The dog got down on all fours and combat crawled to the big hole, growling all the way. He even went so far as to let his front paws hang over the edge while he investigated. Whining, he shimmied backward.
Whoa.Her new housemate didn’t like dark holes?
Tia walked around the bed, throwing dirty pillowcases down the opening as he paced and barked. When she hung a jacket in the closet, the dog lunged in front of her to keep her away from the hole.
Oh, she’d have to work with Flynn on this because those closet doors were open more often than not. She couldn’t have him freaking out every time she needed clothes or dropped some laundry.
After grabbing a chewy treat from the new jar on her nightstand, Tia shut the closet doors and got down on one knee in front of Flynn. “Here, boy, you’re a good dog.” Ruffling his fur, she stroked the concern from his furrowed brow. “We’ll have to compromise on the laundry chute, my friend, because I really like it.”
She’d ask Mike and Casey if they had notes on his background. Maybe there was a simple explanation for his behavior.
Ethan strodethrough the precinct doors and headed for Conference Room 3. As he’d suspected, Earl had already parked himself at the massive conference table. A long whiteboard hung behind him. The sticky notes covering the board gave it a rainbowlike appearance. It’d be a great day if Earl’s notes yielded a suspect by day’s end.
“Morning, Earl.”
“If you say so, Son.”