A Darkness Absolute (Casey Duncan #2)(120)

“If she smells Eric, she might get lost trying to find him,” I say. “And she has no idea how to defend herself against predators.”

“No, Casey.”

I lean over the balcony railing. Paul is patrolling the yard, making regular circles around the house, and as he passes again, he waves again and calls, “They’ll find your pup, Casey. She’s just off playing in the snow.”

Snow.

My brain snags on that and again, I feel the reason should be obvious, but between the sedative and the painkillers, I feel like I’m slogging through mental molasses.

Snow. Puppy. Benjamin.

What am I miss—?

“Yes,” I murmur. I turn to Diana. “Exactly how did Storm disappear?”

“We don’t know. Petra said she’d put Storm in the kitchen because she kept trying to get upstairs. When I arrived, I went straight up to check on you. You seemed warm, so I took your temperature, and it was fine. Then I settled in. It was maybe a half hour later before I remembered the puppy. I’m sorry about that.”

“Your priority was me, and you thought Storm was safely in the kitchen. Except she wasn’t, right?”

Diana nods.

“And the backdoor was closed and locked?”

She hesitates.

“Diana…?”

“I’m walking a minefield here, Casey. You know how I feel about Petra. When I arrived in Rockton, Petra and I hung around. Then you came along, and it was just like with Will—Casey arrives, and I’m persona non grata.”

I squeeze my eyes shut.

“Don’t give me that look,” she says. “It’s true. You’re the interesting one. You’re the messed-up one. Somehow that combination is catnip. You came along, and suddenly Will isn’t interested in a return visit to my bed and Petra’s found herself a brand new friend.”

Which is bullshit. Anders had a one-nighter with Diana, but even before I showed up, he’d made it clear he wasn’t interested in more. He’d seen her damage and decided to steer clear. As for Petra, it was Diana who’d given her the cold shoulder, and then she got pissy when Petra and I started hanging out. But all the council-mandated therapy with Isabel isn’t ever going to convince Diana she’s not the wronged party.

“The back door…,” I prod.

“That’s what I’m getting at. You know I don’t like Petra. You came here for me, and then when we had hit a rough patch, she jumped in. It’s like stealing someone’s husband during a trial separation. You just don’t do that.”

I’m not even sure where to begin untangling that mess of self-delusion.

She continues, “If I tell you that the back door was cracked open, it’s going to sound like maybe I opened it and let your puppy out, just to be spiteful.”

“So the back door was open.”

“I would never let your dog out, Casey. Never. Whatever I’ve done, I haven’t ever hurt anyone.”

I stay silent. This isn’t the time to rehash history. But she knows what I would say and responds with, “Kurt was a mistake. I didn’t like the guy. I thought he was using you. The ex-con and the cop? It was an obvious setup. Either he was planning a crime and wanted your alibi or he knew you had money and was conning you.”

“Neither. He was just a guy trying to put his life back—”

“Whatever. The point is that I didn’t hurt him. I didn’t plan for him to get hurt either. Graham hired that guy. He told me he was just supposed to scare you, wave a gun, fire a warning shot. I told myself that thug shot Kurt by accident, but you know what? I don’t think it was a mistake. I think that’s what Graham hired him for. He lied to me. He was playing me the whole time.”

“Okay…”

“I would never hurt your dog. It’s a puppy. I’m not going to open the door. Let her get eaten by bears? Hope you find her mangled corpse? That’s sick. You and I have been friends for fifteen years, Case. As angry as you are you know I would never do that to any animal.”

I rub my temples, trying to push back the drug fog.

“If you honestly think—” she begins.

“Diana? Stop. Please. I haven’t accused you of anything. I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m trying to think. You found the back door ajar. By how much? Enough for Storm to squeeze out?”

“No. She might be a baby, but she’s a big baby. It was only open a couple of inches. I figure maybe Petra didn’t quite close it, and Storm nudged it open. Then it must have shut partly behind her. There’s a wind today.”

Maybe so, but “wind” in Rockton is never the kind that’ll slam a heavy door shut. The town’s too small, hemmed in by trees.

I walk to the balcony railing and shine my flashlight down.

“If you’re looking for a trail, there isn’t one,” Diana says. “That’s the first thing I checked. But the porch is covered in prints. Paw and boot prints from people taking Storm out all night.”

“Her leash gives her ten feet of room,” I say. “The trick is just to find where her paws lead and no boot prints follow.” I head back into the bedroom and grab a sweater and Dalton’s backup gun.

“You’re not—” Diana begins.