Woof at the Door by Laura Morrigan Page A

to
     read what you sign.” He smiled, holding out a sheet of paper.
    “Excuse me?”
    “The papers you signed this morning were for reclaiming an impounded vehicle. I figured
     I’d save you a trip and bring you the right ones.”
    I took the papers. “You came all the way out here just to give me these?”
    “No. I was on my way back to work. I live in Atlantic Beach. I ran home to get some
     sleep and feed my cat, Dusty.”
    “Well, that was nice of him, wasn’t it, Grace?” Emma smiled coaxingly at me.
    It
was
nice, damn it. And he had a cat. A cute surfer who liked cats and apparently, from
     the way he had been staring, liked me.
    Wait, amend that, I thought. Kai is a cute
cop.
A cop who I might have to tell about my ability
.
Then we’d see if he still liked me . . .
    I started to thank him for bringing the papers just as his cell phone rang. He flipped
     it open. “Duncan.” Turning, he walked back into the foyer.
    As soon as his back was turned, I felt myself being pulled into the kitchen. Emma
     whispered intensely as Kai talked on the phone. “What are you doing? Ask him to meet
     us after he gets off.”
    I rejected the idea at first, but then thought about it. Kai was clearly . . . impressed
     with the way I looked in my outfit. Maybe he’d be distracted enough to give me a little
     more information on the case. After a drink or two, I might even be able to flirt,
     if I tried.
    “You’re right, Em, I should.”
    Emma gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth like I’d just cursed in church.
    She started to say something, but I held up my hand. “Shhh.”
    It sounded like there had been a break in the case. I heard the word
suspect
, which seemed like a good thing. I inched into the foyer to eavesdrop.
    Kai’s voice echoed in the small space. “What? Why wasn’t it in its cage? Was anyone
     hurt?” I felt a twinge of unease. Something was wrong. I walked out of the kitchen
     and toward the front door just as Kai was opening it. As he turned away from me, I
     heard him say, “LaBryce Walker’s in serious shit for this. I’m on my way.” He hung
     up and I felt a sudden twist of fear.
    “I’ve got to go, Grace,” he said, and started out the door.
    “Wait, Kai.” I snagged his sleeve. “Is LaBryce Walker a suspect?”
    “Yes. And he evidently left a little surprise for our team that went over to search
     his house. His pet jaguar was out of its cage.”
    “Charm.”
    “What?”
    My heart began to hammer in my chest. “Did they hurt her?”
    “Who?”
    “The jaguar.”
    “Not yet, but if it gets outside—”
    “Em—” I spun toward her.
    Emma was already handing me my purse. “We’ll go out some other time. I’ll tell Wes
     you had an emergency.”
    “Thanks.” I grabbed my keys and cell phone off the hall table and walked out the door.
     “Let’s go. I’ll handle the jaguar. Call your people back and tell them not to go into
     the house.” I glanced back at Kai, who was looking at me as if I’d just proclaimed
     I was the messiah.
    “Wait a second, Grace, that thing isn’t in a cage—it’s loose in the house. It could
     break through a window or—”
    “Kai, call them back, please.” He followed me as I hurried down the stairs to the
     parking lot. “If she’s being aggressive, it’s only because she’s confused and scared.
     She’s half-blind.”
    “And you know this because . . .” Kai stopped next to a small silver pickup.
    I walked around and pulled open the passenger door. “I’ll explain on the way.”
    Kai hesitated a moment and then, cursing, opened his door and slid in behind the wheel.
     He dialed the phone and relayed my message as he drove.
    “Tell them to get away from the house and turn any lights or sirens off.” I rifled
     through my purse in search of a ponytail holder.
    Kai did as I asked and hung up.
    We sped along Beach Boulevard, Kai’s dashboard light flashing silently. “Okay, Grace,
     explain to me why I just