Page 15 of Colorado K-9 Rescue
She and Mocha managed to get out of the room. Lily’s parents were waiting outside the door, but she couldn’t say anything to them. She had to get somewhere with no people. Somewhere she could think.
A sign down the hall said Chapel.
“Perfect,” Mckenna muttered.
Mocha led the way, and she followed the remaining signs until she was in the small replica of a church, complete with stained glass. She managed to sit down and then leaned forward, her breathing harsh and irregular, heart pounding.
Maybe if she’d gone to the parole hearing, Autumn would be alive. Then she started sobbing, letting feelings she’d hidden for years finally escape.
Evan fought the urge to rush out of the room after Mckenna. What had happened? One minute she appeared bright, chipper, and happy to put him in his place. The next minute she had turned pale and seemed like she saw a ghost. Lily’s case must have brought back memories for her. Tough ones.
“Thank you, Lily, for everything you told me. If you think of anything else, will you call me?” Evan placed his card on the table next to her food.
Lily nodded and picked up the card with the FBI emblem.
“You didn’t kill her,” Evan said, wanting to give the girl comfort.
“How do you know?”
“You were her friend. A good friend. I suspect from your description that you were drugged. Depending on what it was, sometimes drugs and alcohol don’t mix, and some people have a reaction. Severe ones. We don’t know yet. The coroner and pathologist will be able to tell us more, but let go of the guilt.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going to find who did this and bring them to justice. For Autumn.” Evan knew he was making a dangerous promise, one that he might not be able to keep, but he had to. He had to do something. “For now, I’ll get your parents. They love you too. When you’re ready to talk to them, I’m sure they’ll be there for you. Until then, get some rest and get better. All right?”
“I’ll do my best,” Lily agreed.
Evan tried not to appear like he was rushing out of the room, but he could only think about Mckenna. What had happened? Was she okay? He needed to see if there was another victim services person available for this case, but first he wanted to find Mckenna and check on her.
Seeing Lily’s parents, he forced himself to stop. “She’s doing well. She gave me good leads to go on, including looking forsome buildings in the surrounding area where she was found. I’ll let you know when I find out anything, but for now, don’t pressure her. She’ll talk to you when she’s ready.”
“Thank you, Agent Knox,” Brenda said. Lily’s father shook Evan’s hand.
“You two didn’t happen to see where Mckenna and Mocha went, did you?”
“That way.” Lily’s mother pointed down the hall.
“Thank you,” Evan said. “I’ll be in touch.”
He power walked toward the end of the hall, wanting to sprint, but trying to have self-control. There was an exit sign and another sign pointing to the chapel. Would she have gone outside? Or would she have gone to the chapel? Evan decided to check the chapel first. It was easy to know if she was there or not. If she wasn’t, he’d call her phone.
Taking the stairs down, Evan found the door to the chapel. He heard Mckenna’s sobs before he saw her. Mocha was in the aisle, a paw resting on his handler’s legs.
“Mckenna?” he said.
She sat up and turned to him, her eyes puffy and face red from crying. Evan fought the urge to go hold her. Console her. It was all he wanted to do, but that would be crossing a line. Mocha climbed halfway into Mckenna’s lap and rested his head on her shoulder.
Evan never thought he’d be jealous of a dog, but he wanted to be the one to pull her closer. Have her rest her head onhisshoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Mckenna said. “I’m fine.”
“Well, you don’t look fine.”
Mckenna rolled her eyes. “If you’re just going to stand there and look at me like I’m a science experiment, then you can leave.”
“A science experiment?”
“Yes, like I’m a freak or something.”
