Page 65 of Dairy and Deadly

Her research abruptly came to an end. It was followed by a new set of journal entries that had been typed in haste and were riddled with misspellings. And fear. And outright paranoia.

If her mother’s suspicions were accurate, someone had broken into her lab and stolen parts of her research. Her biggest concern was that they’d stolen the prototype she’d designed for genetically modifying raw milk —more specifically, how to attach a foreign body to the natural molecules, essentially turning them into pack mules.

Ashley’s lips parted as she read. Though she wasn’t a geneticist like her mother had been, she could understand the rudiments of the process. Her mother ended the report by stating that a rogue group of anti-government people might be planning to use her research to build a bio-weapon.

Voices sounded in the hallway outside her hotel room, making her shift restlessly on the mattress. She glanced toward the door, feeling jumpy. Then she swung her feet over the side of the bed and carried the desk chair to the door to prop it beneath the handle. She felt a little safer, but it didn’t slow the racing of her heart. It was as if the paranoia in her mother’s writing had jumped off the page and settled inside her.

I need to get out of here.

Ashley wasn’t sure where the thought came from, but there was a sense of urgency in her that she’d rarely experienced before. She returned to the bed to jam her feet inside her sneakers. Next, she tossed everything back inside her suitcase, including the briefcase she’d taken from the trunk in her father’s attic.

She moved the chair and slowly opened the door, popped her head into the hallway and peeked both ways before she started walking. Since she was scheduled to be auto-checked out the next morning, she tossed her keycard in the drop box at the front desk and hurried to her car. Her shoulder blades itched like someone was watching her as she loaded her suitcase into the backseat. It was probably just her imagination, but she was more anxious than ever to get on the road.

I’m sorry, Dad.She felt awful about ditching the breakfast date she’d made with him tomorrow. At the halfway point in her drive, she topped off her gas tank and sent a text message to him.

The baby calf I told you about is coming tonight. I’m heading back to the farm. Promise you’ll give me a raincheck on breakfast!

She dialed Johnny next.

He sounded worried when he picked up. “Hey, babe! What’s up?”

“I’m on my way back.” She quickly filled him in on everything that had happened.

“Man, Ash,” he sighed. “Really wish you’d let me come with you.”

“I’m fine.” She was being vigilant, glancing regularly into her sideview and rearview mirrors. “I’m not being followed.”

“I’ll stay on the phone with you, just to be safe.” He was silent for a moment. “Just so you know, there’s been another outbreak of salmonella in one of the adjacent counties.”

Again?The outbreaks had been escalating in frequency for days.“Do you think all this contaminated milk might have something to do with…with what I just found out?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. We’ll share the folder with Caro when you get back and let the Feds do their thing with it.” He abruptly changed the subject. “There’s something else I’d like to run past you.” His voice deepened, telling her it involved something personal.

“You’ve got a captive audience, so shoot,” she ordered

“I want you to be my girl, Ash.”

She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Are you sure?” He’d been through a lot. They both had. They didn’t need to rush this.

“Very sure.” He sounded serious. “I’ve been praying about it a lot lately. About you. About us.”

“Me, too.” That said, she didn’t want to make any more relationship mistakes. “That’s why I’ve kept the brakes on things, until we could be sure.”

“I’m sure.”

The sincerity in his voice nestled in her heart, warming her from the inside out. “I want this, too, Johnny.”

“Then it’s settled.” He sounded matter-of-fact. “You and I are officially dating.”

It was a big step, one that left her feeling a little lightheaded. She was glad she’d reached the empty final stretch of highway leading to Heart Lake. The wide-open countryside and star-spangled sky above her filled her with peace. Never before had she experienced so much joy over the simplicity of returning home.

“Almost there,” she announced excitedly. “I can see the last stop sign ahead.”

“I’m ready.” Johnny gave a husky laugh.

“Me, too.” She feathered her brakes as she approached the intersection.

A rumble of a truck motor alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone on the road. Beneath the light of the moon, she could just barely make out the outline of a long cattle trailer. Despite the fact that it was a four-way stop, he appeared to be picking up speed.

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