A Town Called Valentine(6)

Tony smiled and glanced at Emily. “I might have to call you tomorrow.”

“There’ll be nothing to report.” He stood up and slid on his jacket.

Emily waited by the door, wincing as she peered out at the rain.

He opened it and gestured. “After you.”

He ran toward the pickup as rain dripped off the edges of his hat. He followed her to open the door, but she veered toward her own car first and tried to lug a suitcase out of the trunk. He grabbed it out of her hand, opened the truck door, and slid it onto the rear bench. She was short enough that she had trouble getting up inside, and he almost boosted her up by the ass but figured she wouldn’t appreciate it. He ran to his side and hopped in, and the slam of both doors echoed in the rain-drumming silence. He started the pickup and quickly rolled up the partially opened window, swearing again at the rain that streaked the inside of his door.

At the soft “woof” from the backseat, Emily gave a little cry. Scout stuck his black-and-white nose over the seat and sniffed at her. Nate held back a smile as she sagged against the door with a shudder.

“Afraid of dogs?” he asked.

“No, but he startled me.” She eyed Scout. “Does he like strangers?”

“Yep.”

She put out her hand, palm up, and within a second, Scout turned traitor and happily licked her before settling down again next to her suitcase on the bench seat.

“What’s his name?” she asked.

“Scout.”

With a sigh, Emily buckled herself in, then sat facing forward, hands in her lap. When Nate didn’t put the truck in gear, she glanced at him with a frown. He could sense the tension as if it were a force field around her.

“So where are you going?” he asked.

“Sorry. Two Oh Four Main Street.”

Damn, he knew that building. His luck had definitely run out tonight.

“I’m sorry if I didn’t appear grateful for the ride,” she began, speaking quickly. “It’s just that—”

“You don’t know me. I get that.”

She didn’t look at him, didn’t say anything more. He didn’t blame her. And she was about to find out some bad news.

Two Oh Four Main Street was less than six blocks away, so the drive didn’t take long. In the rain-soaked darkness, he could see nothing but the blurry image of lights along the street, and the flat-fronted buildings nestled side by side along each block of Main Street. There wasn’t even a traffic light to slow them down. He pulled into the alley behind the two hundred block. Of the four commercial buildings, three had lights shining above the door to help—but naturally, hers was out. He knew this building, knew it had recently been a small restaurant that had closed down just a few months before.

“Is this it?” she asked, obviously trying not to sound disappointed.

“You really haven’t been here since you were a kid?”

She shook her head. “This used to be my grandmother’s store. I was eight when she died. My mother never brought me back after that.”

“Did you have the electricity turned on?”

She sighed. “No. I had planned to arrive during the day.”

“There’s a motel back—”

“No, I need to go in.” She unbuckled herself.

With a sigh, Nate brought a flashlight from beneath the seat. She gave him a quick, grateful smile, then jumped down into the rain. Nate glanced over his shoulder at Scout, who panted and watched her curiously.

“I know what you mean, buddy,” Nate said. “I’ll be back.”

When he joined her, she was already shivering, trying to enter a code in a numeric box next to the door. The flashlight helped, and soon she’d removed the keys from the box and was able to unlock the door. He followed her into a little hallway with two doors. He assumed one led upstairs to an apartment, like most of the buildings on Main Street. She used another key on the door directly in front of her and stepped inside. The place smelled musty and unused, but before he could even shine the flashlight around, he heard the squish of his foot stepping in water. Uh-oh.

Emily felt the last hope she’d cherished dissolve inside her. As Nate slowly moved the flashlight around the room, she saw that they were in the kitchen of the restaurant. The stainless steel gleamed dully from counters and appliances, and she winced as she saw a splash of paint spattered down the door to the walk-in refrigerator. Holes gaped in the walls, and the sink, with a slow stream of water coming from the tap, had overflowed, leaving the floor wet, although a drain at her feet took the worst of it. Garbage was strewn everywhere, and shelves had toppled.