Page 23 of Colt
“There.” He hit play.
It was the front lobby from an odd angle where the camera was positioned to record a wide-angle view. It was empty and the windows were black indicating it’dbeen nighttime. The clock in the corner said nine-sixteen.
The door swung open, bounced off the wall and a woman came in. She shut the door behind her and stepped toward the counter. Cam paused the video.
I leaned closer. He zoomed in.
I froze.
Holy fucking hell.
It was Molly. She had on a black beanie, but I couldn’t miss the soft fringe of hair beneath the cuff. I knew those eyes. That mouth. Every inch of her body.
“Why the fuck’s your girlfriend breaking into my vet clinic?” he asked.
That was a really good, fucking question. Because that time last night, she was supposed to have been on shift at the hospital.
“Anything taken?” I asked, my tone laced with confusion and anger. It was real hard to separate out the man from the lawman in this.
He resumed play and we watched her head down the hall. “No. But the meds are all locked up in the safe at night.”
“What the fuck does she want with farm meds?” I wondered.
“I’d say ketamine,” he replied. “Can be used on people and animals.”
Molly wantedketamine?To what, sell? It was a relaxant. Knocked people out. Used sometimes as a date rape drug. It made no sense.
“I only have the one camera,” Cam told me. His voice was almost apologetic, but who would want to break into a vet clinic that had secured drugs?
She was a doctor, which meant she knew medications and knew which ones to pick. Unless she was drugging random animals, I had to assume they were for people.
I spun on my heel and cut down the central hall that had patient rooms on either side. A dog barked and the scent of animal and disinfectant made my nose twitch. When I got to my patrol SUV, I spun about when I heard someone following, crunching gravel under quick feet. It was Cam.
“I’m coming with you,” he said, looking determined.
“I can do this on my own.”
He shook his head. “No way. I know how you feel about her. This time, you get back-up from me.”
He was in jeans, a plaid shirt, and a fleece vest on top. When he did surgeries, he wore scrubs, so it obviously wasn’t a spay and neutering day.
“Fine,” I muttered, then hopped in the car. Fortunately for Cam, he got his door shut before I sped outof the lot, my tires kicking up dirt and rock. I’d thought I knew Molly. That what we felt was like Ma and Pops.
It seemed there was a lot I didn’t know about the woman. In fact, after what I saw and the fact that she lied about being at work last night, I wasn’t even sure if she was the woman for me.
16
MOLLY
“Hello, Lolly.”
I spun around at my nickname. The name only one person used for me. Missy. We were in the hospital lot. There’d been a multi-car accident on the highway right before shift change, so I’d stayed two extra hours to help with the load of patients. One even got air lifted to Missoula.
I was bone weary and ready for my bed, but Missy’s surprise presence was like a shot of epinephrine right to the heart.
“Jesus, Missy,” I said, setting my hand on my chest. “Have you been waiting out here?”
Of course, she had.
