LITMIR.BIZ

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feathered chest, inviting touch. Patience gently scratched the back of the bird’s nape, marveling at the silky soft skin under her feathers. Gabby made lovey-dovey noises, indicating her enjoyment of the contact.

      “Okay, you both seem to like option two. I think it’s going to need more work, though. I’ll think about it and we’ll practice again after dinner.” She walked Gabby back to her cage and put her inside. The bird went obligingly but Patience had to coax one claw off the T-stick. “Sorry, hon. I know you’d rather be out, but your cage is the safest bet until I come back.”

      Back in the staff area, she heated up the leftovers from last night’s dinner—or was it two nights ago?—and streamed two episodes of her favorite sitcom on her laptop as she ate. She had to make a concerted effort to eat as nutritiously as possible, especially now.

      She was going to be a mother. Have her own family. Thinking of it, the prospect was at once terrifying and thrilling. She had shared a bumpy relationship with her father since she’d gone to college and vet school on her own, scraping and saving to pay back every cent of her loans. Fenwick had watched in exasperation, trying to convince her that she didn’t have to make things so hard on herself. She had her own trust fund.

      But Patience had to know that her degree and career were hers. It wasn’t another freebie from being born into a rich family.

      Her phone lit up with a call from Layla. Patience considered ignoring it; she wasn’t about to tell anyone she was pregnant until she told Nash. And even then she wanted to keep this to herself for a bit. As the phone vibrated, she put it on speaker.

      “Hi, Layla. What’s up?”

      “Where are you? I need a drink. I want you to meet me downtown.” Layla sounded just like their father. Her harsh countenance grated at times, same as Fenwick’s. But unlike him, she was soft and kind underneath her hard corporate exterior.

      “I’m on duty.” Thank goodness. Patience wasn’t ready to face her half sister yet. Layla always seemed to sense what was going on with her, as different as they were. “I’m tied to the clinic all night.” Not completely true, as she could call on a volunteer to watch the patients at any time. She was still miffed at Layla for getting engaged to Hamlin Harrington. No business, even Colton Energy, was worth a marriage of convenience. Screw the millions Hamlin promised Fenwick he’d pour into the utilities company.

      “We had a labradoodle come in with birdshot and I need to make sure he stays comfortable through the night.”

      “Oh, that’s awful! Who would do such a cruel thing?” More proof that Layla had a kind heart. She loved animals as much as Patience did.

      “It was an accident, truly. Trust me, if I thought it was foul play I’d have called the RRPD.” Animal welfare was a safe topic with Layla, who was otherwise too preoccupied with her corporate role as Colton Energy VP for Patience’s liking.

      “Make sure you report it if you change your mind.” Layla never seemed to realize that Patience had her DVM and was fully capable of deciding when and why on the calls into the RRPD. Not to mention her K9 certification.

      “What are you up to now, Layla?” She heard the hard edge in her voice but it couldn’t be helped. It rarely could with Layla.

      “Since my sister can’t meet me for a drink at the only decent bar in town, I think I’ll spend more time here in the office. There’s always more to do, and I’ll need to have things in order for when we have our cash flow back in the black.”

      Patience gritted her teeth. Layla was goading her. When it came to the subject of Layla’s secret engagement with the smarmy Hamlin, silence was the best approach.

      “Patience?”

      “I’m here.” She rolled her eyes and popped a grape into her mouth. Good thing they were on speakerphone and not doing their usual video call.

      “You know your judgment is stinking over the line, don’t you?” Layla’s tone was pure corporate executive with a dollop of big sister.

      “I haven’t said a thing!” Either the grape had been sour or she was reacting to Layla’s tone, for her stomach began to roil. She’d felt fine for the most part, until she realized she was pregnant. And thought back to how shaky her stomach had been the last couple months. Another reason to put off meeting Layla. Her sister would connect the dots in an instant if Patience turned her nose up at food and, of course, alcohol. Gourmet meals paired with fine wine were the one luxury Patience indulged in, and only with Layla, on occasion.

      “You don’t have to say anything, dear sister. I do think Hamlin cares about me, by the way. Dad’s putting pressure on us to make it legal ASAP, but with the Groom Killer around, Hamlin’s rightfully nervous. I know you don’t approve of us or how we’re handling our engagement. But it is what it is, little sis. I’m doing what you always say you believe in and putting family first.”

      “By keeping it secret?” Stung by Layla’s accurate assessment, she couldn’t help but to strike back.

      “From the public. There’s a serial killer on the loose, or have you forgotten?”

      Patience remembered she was alone in the K9 clinic, and saw the darkening October sky through her office window. The early sunset was a sign of the winter to come, not a harbinger of more killings. Her body thought otherwise as shivers ran down her spine.

      “Of course I haven’t forgotten. But Hamlin’s just like our father. His priority is always business and that means Colton Energy. Above all else, Layla, even your marriage.” She almost choked on the word marriage, and yet guilt tugged at her. How could she judge anyone, even Hamlin, for postponing the nuptials? A psycho intent on killing grooms remained at large. Even if Hamlin had the resources to provide himself with the best security on the planet. And she had to admit, if only to herself, that she was a hypocrite. She’d been relieved that the wedding was called off for now. The thought of Layla on Hamlin’s arm made her sick, and it had nothing to do with baby hormones.

      “Tell that to Bo Gage, Michael Hayden, Jack Parkowski, Joey McBurn or Thad Randall.” Layla’s sharp reply sounded as if she was a woman sure of her place in life, but Patience saw through her sister’s smoke screen. Red Ridge wasn’t a tiny town, but it was small enough that they’d both known all five victims, at least as acquaintances. “And the RRPD still hasn’t caught our cousin Demi—if she’s the killer, of course.”

      Layla referred to Demi Colton, a bounty hunter whose relation to the murders was circumstantial at best. Patience didn’t know Demi well as they hadn’t spent a lot of time together growing up, or now as adults. But she didn’t believe the gossip one bit, not since Demi brought in an injured dog to the clinic shortly before she’d fled. Demi cared. Killers didn’t.

      “She’s not. She’s only a suspect.”

      Demi had left town right after Bo Gage, the first victim, had been found. Because Demi and Bo Gage had been engaged for a week, until he’d dumped her for Haley Patton, there was circumstantial evidence, as well as motive, for Demi’s guilt. It made no sense to Patience, though, because Demi had zero relationship to the other victims. But community opinion named Demi as the killer. Fortunately, the RRPD worked with facts, as did Patience.

      Patience had to stand up for the truth, even if they flew in direct opposition to popular opinion. She put her trust in the RRPD’s investigative capabilities over fear-fueled town scuttlebutt.

      Layla’s silence grew long and Patience wondered for the umpteenth time if her sister needed her to talk her out of the Hamlin Harrington agreement.

      “Layla, you know I admire your loyalty to Colton Energy and our father, even though he doesn’t deserve it. And we haven’t talked about it since the fund-raiser, for obvious reasons, but are you sure you still want to marry Hamlin?”

      “Of course I do.” Her prompt reply was too quick, too reactionary. “Look, I’m not the one who went off the Colton straight and narrow. I’m holding up my part of the family business.”

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