Page 49 of Ambush

Rod’s eyes widened with what appeared to be genuine shock. “That’s terrible.” He glanced at Blake. “The boys are both okay?”

“Yes, other than being a little clingy this morning from the trauma. Levi ran to get me, and he was nearly hysterical at the thought of his little brother being eaten. It’s not something he’ll soon forget. Me either, for that matter.” He swallowed and his dry throat clicked. The memory of seeing his little brother and Paradise in the enclosure with the tiger would haunt him too.

“Someone left the gate unlocked.” Paradise’s voice snagged Rod’s attention again. “And it wasn’t the first time. The same thing happened in the hyena enclosure a few days ago.”

“And there was that iron that hit you in the head,” Rod said.

Rod must have been paying attention to everything that had happened at The Sanctuary. “We suspect it might have been targeted at me. I’m most apt to go into the enclosures, and hardly anyone uses that shed where the iron was placed.”

“Interesting premise. Have you mentioned it to Detective Greene?”

Blake caught a warning glance from Paradise and shut his mouth against the truth. No sense in antagonizing McShea by pointing out his detective was biased. Better let Paradise use her diplomacy and relationship.

“Not yet. I knew you’d care about how a little boy could have died yesterday, and I knew you’d have every piece of what was going on at your disposal.”

Rod nodded and reached for his coffee again. “That was wise. There have been several incidents out there. It’s very troubling.”

“Nine incidents to be precise.”

Rod ran his finger around the top of his coffee mug. “That many?”

Paradise ticked through them on her fingers. “Someone either wants the refuge to close down or they’re seeking revenge against Blake for something.”

“Anyone special we should focus on?”

Paradise nodded. “Blake has received threats from a man in Mobile. Clark Reynolds. We plan to talk to him, but any background information you could dig up would be helpful.”

“It would be best if the two of you stayed out of the investigation. Let our officers handle talking to Reynolds.”

Blake’s fingers curled into his palms, and somehow he managed to keep quiet. Paradise nodded as if she agreed with Rod, but Blake knew that glint in her eye was from her efforts not to challenge her cousin.

They rose and thanked Rod for his time before exiting into the bright Alabama sunshine. “Think that was a bust?” he asked when they were alone inside the truck.

“Maybe.” Her lips flattened and she consulted her phone. “We’re thirty miles from Mobile right now. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

He started the truck and put it in gear. “Yep. We’ll get to Clark before Greene spoils it all.”

Chapter 23

The Mobile address belonged to a decaying trailer set back from a gravel road among maple and birch trees. The grass was nearly a foot high, and weeds poked through what was left of the gravel. The whole look of the place gave off a bad vibe.

She leaned forward. “Does anyone live here? The grass shouldn’t be so high if Reynolds is driving on it.”

“One way to find out.” Blake turned the truck into the drive, and the tires thumped along the potholes to the trailer. “I’ll take the lead on this one.”

She left her hand on the door after he parked and stared at the front door, which stood open a bit as if the latch didn’t work. “I don’t think he’s here, Blake.” She opened her door and stepped into the high weeds in the drive.

Blake got out and approached the trailer. Paradise crowded close behind him. She could almost hear the dueling banjos fromDeliveranceechoing on the wind. She shivered and pushed away the thought. It was an old abandoned trailer and nothing more.

The metal steps canted to one side amid the weeds, and several discarded beer bottles poked their necks up through the vegetation. Blake mounted the steps and rapped on the door, which opened a few more inches. “Clark? You in there?” He rapped again, and this time the door opened another foot.

Paradise peered past his shoulder into the gloom of the trailer’s interior. It wasn’t as disheveled as she expected from seeing the exterior. A brown tweed sofa was in view, and the coffee table in front of it held only a single beer bottle. No debris was scattered on the brown carpet either.

“Clark?” Blake called again.

“You looking for me?” A gruff voice came from behind them, and two German shepherds charged toward them.

Paradise stepped forward. “Good boys.” She kept her tone friendly and light. The dogs stopped their forward momentum and pricked their ears in her direction. “Such a beauty,” she crooned. She held out her hand and prayed for a sniff or two and not a bite.

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