Free Resolution: Evan Warner Book 1 by Shawn Underhill, Nick Adams Page B

looked at me. Like I was some sort of a caveman.
    “You okay with that?” I asked.
    No answer.
    “They took your dog,” I said. “God knows what they’re doing to him.”
    “Thanks for reminding me.”
    “I’m offering to help, if you want me to. Or I can go home and forget it.”
    She kept quiet.
    “Think about it,” I said. “You don’t have to make up your mind right now. I’ll give you my number and you can call me.”
    She sat still. I moved to stand up. Then she spoke.
    “I want him back,” she said, and her voice cracked. “He’s just a dog, I know. But I love him to death. He’s family, you know?”
    “I know.”
    “Yeah, I guess you do. Obviously you’re crazy about this big lug.”
    Frank was relaxing at Kendra’s feet. His eyes were open but heavy. If he’d heard a key word he would have perked up. For the moment he was perfectly content to chill.
    “I want my Simon back,” Kendra said. “I’m sick of feeling this way. It feels like there was a death in the family. And Simon’s a good dog. He doesn’t deserve this.”
    “So let’s fix it,” I said. “Let’s do what we can.”
    “I just don’t want trouble.”
    “There shouldn’t be any for you.”
    “Well, I don’t want you getting yourself into some mess. These people could be dangerous.”
    “I can handle it,” I said. “My only concern is your car. Someone took Simon from it, right?”
    “Yeah.”
    “So if I stir up a hornet’s nest, you don’t want them to spot you out and about. Even if they’re complete numbskulls, they’ll remember stealing a dog from a red sports car.”
    She nodded agreeably, though she didn’t look thrilled. I started to ask her where she was when Simon was taken, but she spoke up before me.
    “What were you doing at Walmart?”
    “Does it matter?”
    “A little.”
    “Why?”
    “I need to know.”
    “I was looking at the flyers. You saw me.”
    “Which one? Why?”
    “Think I’m after the reward?”
    “Maybe. Probably not. I don’t know. I have to ask, don’t I?”
    After a pause I said, “The little girl from Franklin, Lucy Kurtz. She went missing from my campground. I guess I’m a little obsessed. I was looking at her flyer.”
    Kendra’s mouth opened. She looked like she had something big to say.
    “What?” I said.
    “I’ve heard about that,” she said. “That’s why you’re not surprised to hear about Bow Street.”
    I nodded.
    “You know, I talk to a lot of people at work. I hear a lot of rumors.”
    “Spill it.”
    “That happened at your family’s place. I’m sorry.”
    “What do you know?”
    She squirmed a little. Like she didn’t want to discuss it. But I kept staring at her, willing her to go on.
    “Mary Kurtz doesn’t have the greatest reputation,” she said.
    “What else?”
    “Her sister is even worse. Plenty of people have suggested that Lucy was taken as a sort of punishment, because Melinda, the aunt, owes a lot of money. She really likes heroin.”
    “The FBI looked into the family,” I said. “Wouldn’t you think they’d chase down those sort of leads?”
    “Sure, if they could get all the people they interviewed to tell the truth. If they could get local police to tell everything they knew. But I’ll bet you fifty bucks they only got half the truth at the very most.”
    I nodded. It was a good point. Plenty of people might be hesitant or nervous about telling all they knew. Some might take sides. Some might have grudges against law enforcement. And some might simply wish to avoid the mess altogether. They lived in that neighborhood. Probably didn’t want to rock the boat. It was already a shitty boat. No need to make it worse.
    “I haven’t heard much of anything lately,” Kendra resumed. “It was last summer and fall when everyone was chattering about that.”
    “Nothing has changed,” I said. “Lucy’s story is old news now, but she is still missing. No one’s been held accountable.”
    “Sad,” Kendra