Showdown in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #3)(55)
Hank watched as Rico jumped in his car and drove away, then turned to face Chuck. “Sorry about that. Guy was a little weird. I think he was hopped up on something.”
Chuck studied Hank’s face for a couple of seconds, and Hank could tell he wasn’t completely convinced. Finally, he nodded. “I just came by to drop off the rest of the front-office designs.” He handed a tube to Hank. “Might as well give them to you. It’s the front-desk layout and the ideas you came up with for furniture in the lobby. Great stuff, by the way.”
“Thanks. It’s hard to believe I actually get paid for this. This is fun.”
Chuck nodded. “Shows in your work, too. I tell you, it’s a rare person that finds they can make a living at something they love. You and me are lucky men, Hank.” He looked over at the clinic. “You done for the day?”
“Not quite yet. I have one more cabinet to stain. I wanted to get one coat on all of them today, so I can finish them tomorrow.”
Chuck clasped one hand on Hank’s shoulder. “Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow morning for the walk-through with Lila.”
“Yes, sir,” Hank said as Chuck walked to his truck and hopped inside.
Hank waved as Chuck pulled away from the curb, then crossed the street to the clinic. Maybe another hour and he’d be done for the eve ning. Then he could go home and figure out what the hell had motivated him to ask Lila on a date. If he couldn’t come up with any reasonable explanation for canceling besides being scared, which wasn’t exactly something a man liked to admit, then he was going to have to call Maryse and ask for a restaurant recommendation. And what to wear. Jesus, dating was filled with difficulty.
He closed the front door to the clinic behind him and locked it just in case Rico was lurking anywhere nearby. He didn’t doubt the thug would plow right through a locked door if he really wanted what was on the other side, but at least Hank would hear him coming. He headed down the hall to the last room in the clinic. He’d been using that room to assemble and finish the cabinets, and his first masterpiece was resting in the center of the room, all stained except for the corner unit. He grabbed his can of stain and paintbrush and got to work on the cabinet facing.
Hank heard the intruder as soon as he entered the building. He probably thought he was being quiet, but the click of the front door lock releasing echoed straight through the silence of the clinic. Hank grabbed a screwdriver from his toolbox and slipped behind the row of cabinets he was working on. He paused one second, two seconds, trying to figure out where the person was, but there was only silence.
He edged away from the cabinets and pressed himself flat against the wall, then crept down the hall until he reached the doorway. He peered around, but the hallway was empty, and he couldn’t detect the sound of another person moving around inside the building at all. But he knew what he’d heard, and the hair standing up on the back of his neck told him he hadn’t been wrong. He was a lot of things, but fanciful wasn’t one of them.
For the first time in a long time, he wished he’d broken the law and bought a handgun. He’d hoped it wouldn’t be necessary, but that had been a foolish thought. Battling whoever was out there with a screwdriver didn’t seem like the best option, but he couldn’t think of another one.
He waited a couple of seconds but didn’t see or hear a thing. Finally, he slipped out of the room and down the hall, careful to avoid stepping on anything that would give away his position. He peeked into each room as he passed, but they were empty. When he reached the lobby, he peered around the corner from the hallway and scanned the room. The door was shut, but he could see it was unlocked.
Had the intruder been a common thief, looking for construction-site tools? Maybe he’d left after hearing Hank in the back. That must be it. Hank crossed the lobby and opened the front door. The lawn and street in front of the clinic was empty, and the only cars on the street were those he’d seen earlier in the day. Absolutely nothing seemed out of place. Letting out a sigh of relief, he closed the door and locked it.
When he felt the sting of the needle, he immediately knew he’d grossly miscalculated.
The intruder must have been hiding behind the frame for the front desk, and whatever he’d been stuck with was making him woozy. Hank turned, trying to get a good look at his attacker, but the last thing he saw before crashing to the floor was two huge eyes and a bug-shaped face staring back at him.
Chapter Fifteen
Raissa closed the folder she’d been studying and tossed it onto her hotel-room bed. Maryse looked up from a set of paperwork. “Frustrated?”
“To say the least. Six hours of combing these files, and nothing. There has to be something those girls have in common besides looks. Why would anyone go to such lengths to abduct them and return them for no good reason?”
Maryse nodded. “There’s a reason. We’re just not seeing it. I keep waiting to hear about a ransom note, given the last girl was the mayor’s granddaughter, but if there’s been one, it’s being kept really secret.”
“Zach would have told me if there had been a ransom request. It would change everything.”
Maryse cocked her head to the side and studied Raissa for a couple of seconds. “So, you want to talk about your relationship with Just One, or do I have to leave it all to my very vivid and creative imagination?”