Page 36 of Scent of Peril

What could have changed? He stood and found the TV remote. Turning it on, he found a news station.

The TV anchors were discussing the upcoming Easter holiday. He had to increase the volume a bit when Jess turned on the blow-dryer.

He was disappointed there weren’t any breaking news stories.

“Your turn,” Jess announced as she emerged from the bathroom. She eyed the TV curiously. “What’s up?”

“Nothing new from what I can tell.” He left the TV on and reached for his bag of toiletries. “We’re meeting with Wayne at the Post for lunch. He didn’t fill me in about why he was so anxious to have another in-person interview, so I was hoping to catch something on the news.”

She stepped over Teddy, who finally scrambled to his feet, and came over to join him. “That’s odd.”

“Yeah. Maybe you should keep watching for a while.”

“I will.” She dropped down on the edge of the bed. “Here, Teddy.”

The dog once again stretched out beside her. Logan brushed past them to head into the bathroom. The enticing scent of Jessica’s shampoo teased his senses, but he reminded himself to stay focused.

He made quick work of his shower and shave. He wished he had clean clothes to change into, but that was a luxury he couldn’t afford to spend cash on.

Old clothes would have to do. Even if they smelled like smoke from their campfire the night before.

A scent he’d now associate with Jessica, he thought wryly.

He opened the bathroom door and nearly tripped over Teddy. He was surprised to see the dog outside the door. “I thought he was protecting you.”

“He was. Then he decided to protect you.” She gestured to the TV. “Sorry to say there’s been nothing exciting in the news.”

“Maybe the police are keeping whatever happened under wraps,” he said. “Not easy to do in a small town full of gossips.”

“More likely we’re overreacting to Wayne’s request for a meeting.” Jess stood. “I think we should leave now. Better to get there well before the cops arrive.”

She had a point about both the overreacting and getting to the Hitching Post early. Although his nerves were still on edge over the upcoming meeting. He forced a smile. “Okay, let’s go. And we’ll plan on taking the back roads again.”

“That works for me.” She shrugged into her coat, glancing down at her K9. “Poor Teddy just wants to rest, and we keep dragging him around town.”

He didn’t think the dog looked too tired. Logan drew on his coat and then disconnected the phones, handing one to her. She turned the TV off, then reached for the door.

Retracing their earlier steps, they crossed the parking lot to the drugstore. From there, they cut through another street, before making a large loop around town to reach the Hitching Post.

There was no sign of a squad out front when they approached. The bad news was that Jessica and Teddy tended to attract attention. Several customers smiled when they saw the dog, who tended to look happy when he wasn’t barking.

The Post was a seat-yourself kind of place. He hadn’t been there in years, but he was glad to see it hadn’t changed much. Spying a booth in the back, he quickly headed toward it. Jessica and Teddy followed. Teddy immediately stretched out on the floor beneath the table and went to sleep.

Maybe he was tired.

A moment later, a harried-looking server approached. “What would ya like to drink?”

“Coffee,” he and Jess answered simultaneously.

When she’d filled their mugs, they placed their lunch orders, then sipped their coffee in silence. Five minutes before the designated meeting time, Sergeant Wayne Carter strode into the café. He stood looking around for a moment before spotting them.

“Thanks for coming,” Wayne said in a brisk tone.

Logan was tempted to point out that they didn’t have much of a choice but held his tongue as the cop settled into the booth beside him. Wayne asked for coffee too. It didn’t take long for him to get straight to the point.

“You didn’t mention the fact that your girlfriend died of a drug overdose.” Wayne’s gaze bored into Logan’s.

“Why would I? That was eight years ago.” He didn’t bother to hide his annoyance. “That has nothing to do with what’s going on now.”

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