Page 51 of Colorado K-9 Rescue

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Evan gripped his phone. “I tried calling Rex’s phone.”

“Good idea.”

“I heard it ringing,” Evan told her. “In the vehicle. I found it. I don’t know the code, but I’ll bag it for evidence and maybe our tech guys can crack it. Long shot getting into these phones, but you never know. I thought that we needed more deputies to come and help look for Rex in this area, but if Penny is dead, then I don’t know where we need to be looking. Everywhere, I guess.”

“I’ll see if I can call in extra deputies. Some of the younger ones will love the overtime and they still think cases like this are fun.”

“I remember those days,” Evan said with a laugh.

“You’re not that old. Neither am I.”

“I guess this job can make you jaded pretty quick. Thanks for your help, Sheriff. I’ll keep working leads on my end and keep you posted.”

“Over and out,” she said.

As Evan put his phone back in the belt clip, he had to wonder, did Rex kill Toby and then go kill Penny? Was he trying to cover up all the loose ends? There was still a couple and one of them was Mckenna. He had to make sure she was okay.

Evan dialed her number and heard it ringing, but she didn’t pick up. “Hey, there, it’s me. Evan. Call me, okay?”

Hanging up, he sent her a text as worry started to build. Maybe she was in a meeting or something. Evan called Cassidy, but it went to her voicemail too. He tried the office next and asked ifMckenna was there. His heart sank when he heard that she’d left.

And no one seemed to know where she’d gone.

CHAPTER 33

The mountains stood out against the light blue sky—a color that reminded Mckenna of Evan’s eyes. There was a part of her that was still angry and hurt that he hadn’t told her about Toby. She had a right to know as a victim, and he’d lied. Well, not exactly lied, but he’d kept the information from her.

If Mckenna was going to be in a relationship, it had to be honest. After everything that had happened in her life, that was the one requirement she had. Sighing heavily, she made it to the driveway of Lily’s house and turned in. Mocha stood in his crate and shook, the tags on his collar creating a jingling noise.

She had a call and text from Evan, but for now she ignored it. She’d call him back after she talked to Lily. Right now, her only focus was seeing if together she and Lily would be able to recall more details about where they were kept. It was the best lead to find this bastard and end this all. No more kidnappings. No more deaths.

The last thing Mckenna wanted to hear was Evan ordering her back to the office without telling her why.

She knocked on the door and Lily answered. Mckenna thought she looked better than the last time she’d seen the young woman. Her face had more color and today she had on some light makeup and her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She looked like a kid again and that made Mckenna happy. Their experiences had made them both grow up too fast.

“Thanks for letting me swing by,” Mckenna said, as Mocha went in front of her and greeted Lily.

“Oh! Mocha,” Lily said, kneeling and saying hello. The Lab responded by leaning into her and licking her face. “Come on in.”

Mckenna followed Lily to the living room area, where Mocha made himself at home on the couch. “Are you sure your mom doesn’t mind him up there? He knows better. I can tell him to get off.”

“No, it’s okay,” Lily said, taking a seat next to Mocha and snuggling in with him. Mocha rolled to his side and stuck a paw up in the air, indicating he wanted his belly rubbed. Lily obliged. “He’s such a great dog.”

“He is,” Mckenna agreed with a smile. Mocha made a big difference in her life too. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions? Not as a victim specialist or in any type of investigative capacity.”

“Sure. As long as I can pet Mocha.”

“You bet,” Mckenna said. Where did she start? She didn’t want to bring up bad memories, but she needed to see what Lily remembered. Sometimes it was best to start slow, but Lily seemed like she was doing well today. Mckenna decided to go for it and get right to the point. “I don’t know if you had heard, but when I was about your age, I was kidnapped too.”

Lily paused petting Mocha for a second and glanced up. Then she went back to the belly rub. “No, I didn’t realize that.”

“It was a similar case to yours. In fact—” Mckenna took a deep breath “—I think there’s a chance the same person took us. I went to a party at Ms. Gardner’s house. I don’t remember much, and I didn’t see the person who took me.”

Mckenna watched Lily to make sure she was handling what she was saying okay. Mckenna knew how shocking it had been for her personally when she’d listened to Lily tell Evan her story. Lily’s eyes were big, but otherwise she seemed fine.

“I woke up in a room and I wasn’t tied up either. I was able to start looking around for an escape, but the man was there. I never saw him, but he talked about how much he enjoyed catch and release fishing, but it had become boring to him. He wanted to try it with humans. I was his first. Talk about a sick person.”

“Did they catch him? I mean, if they did, then how did he kidnap me? Wouldn’t he still be in prison?”