Page 50 of Texas Scandal

Prescott was nodding and taking notes on his cell phone.

“We felt bad for Jason’s mother,” Melody said. “It’s the main reason we went to see her. My father rejected his own child. The kid was doing well until he tracked down his biological father. Then, he spiraled.” She didn’t speak the words that having any contact with her father was toxic. They hung in the air anyway. “We were planning to have dinner with her last night when the fire broke out and changed our plans.”

“Speaking of cameras,” Prescott started. “What about here?”

“I didn’t lock my doors before this situation occurred,” Tiernan admitted. “Why would I think I had a need for watching a deer cross my lawn?”

“Fair point. This area is considered one of the safest,” Prescott agreed.

“Not much else beats it except for my hometown of Cider Creek,” Tiernan added. She would like to go there someday. Possibly even meet his family. His mother had been through hell and back, but she must be a remarkable person if she brought up six children after losing the love of her life. The woman got brownie points for surviving a loss of that magnitude and being able to march ahead. It didn’t sound like she’d remarried, either. Instead, she’d stayed on at a ranch to be near the man she loved. Tiernan hadn’t said those exact words but it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.

“The paper from the note on Melody’s vehicle and the one in Jason’s pocket matched,” Prescott said, confirming they most likely came from the same source.

“My brother said he took a trip to our family cabin.” Melody hopped back in the conversation. “Tiernan and I were planning to pick up Loki on our way to check it out. There would be signs if he’d visited recently.”

Prescott nodded. “Would you be considered trespassing?”

“I know where the spare key is,” she said a little too defensively.

“Be careful,” Prescott instructed, not that he needed to. Melody had no plans to let her guard down.

“We will,” Tiernan promised.

“Let me know whatever you find, if anything,” Prescott further requested. “Take pictures and treat the place like a crime scene.”

“Got it,” Tiernan said. He’d talked about growing up on a cattle ranch. She intended to ask him why he was so good at investigations.

Prescott tucked his cell phone away. “I’ll see what I can do about getting footage from the Longhorn game on the night of the break-in. I suspect a ticket was bought but never used. And I’ll work it out with the sheriff so you don’t have to go to his office. He can go through me for information for the time being.”

“Speaking of which, information is a two-way street, right?” Tiernan asked the lawyer, who nodded. They exchanged quick goodbyes before Prescott headed out. The lawyer’s vehicle kicked up dust from the gravel, causing it to disappear.

“Can we pick up Loki now?” Melody asked, waving her hand in the air, missing the black Lab who was a bundle of energy and unconditional love. He had convinced her that she needed a dog in her life.

“Let’s go,” Tiernan said, motioning toward the truck.

Loki was the easy part. It was a no-brainer to see him. The cabin? Not so much after what had happened during her last visit.

Chapter Twenty

Loki was a sight for sore eyes as Dr. Paul brought him out to the parking lot. Tiernan took a knee as the energetic Lab came bolting toward him. Impact nearly knocked Tiernan over so he put a hand down behind him for balance.

“He did great last night,” Dr. Paul said as Melody dropped down next to Tiernan. He didn’t hate having her by his side. Loki bounced from him to her and back in a heartbeat, taking all the affection he could get out of them.

It did the heart good to see him in such great shape.

“Everything checks out?” Tiernan asked.

“He’s fit as a fiddle,” Dr. Paul said. “Already had a hearty breakfast and a few extra treats for being such a good patient.”

Loki ran over to the grassy area in the empty lot and took care of business. Tiernan stood and went through the motions of checking his empty pockets for a bag.

“Ralph will take care of that,” Dr. Paul said. He and his partner had gone into business together years ago instead of having children.

“Thank you,” Tiernan said. “And thank you for everything you did for Loki.”

Dr. Paul’s smile was ear to ear. The pride he took in his work showed in times like these. Melody surprised both of them by walking over and giving Dr. Paul a quick hug.

“This guy has become very important to all of us it seems,” she said, motioning toward the black Lab that had bounded over to her side. If that didn’t twist Tiernan’s insides, he didn’t know what would. Hearing her say those words stirred more of the feelings he’d been trying to avoid since Corinne. When he really thought about it, he’d never felt this kind of connection to his ex. Melody was the new bar for future relationships.

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