“I hope so,” I said. In reality, I had no reason to think otherwise. All my life, Jonah had been the best big brother I could have ever asked for. Sure we had our arguments and moments when we didn’t gel all that well, but that was back when we were younger and still figuring things out. When brothers were equal parts family and equal part punching bag. But as time passed and we got older, the punching bag side diminished and was taken over solely by the family part.
“Any updates on the threat?” she asked.
“Nothing.” If I wasn’t nervous before, I suddenly became petrified by the reminder that someone out there wanted me to stop or die. That they had been inside these very walls.
“And they weren’t able to find anything on the cameras?”
I shook my head and ran a hand through my hair. “Nothing. I even looked through them myself. From the second the clinic was closed to the second it opened. There was no sign of break-in, and no one showed up on the cameras.”
Tyra cocked her head. She chewed on her lip. “The freezer is toward the back, though, next to the rear exit. There aren’t cameras there.”
“Unless someone has the specific key to open that door, they’d have no way to get around the cameras. And the only people with that key are the ones who work here.”
Tyra stared at me pointedly.
“No,” I said. “This is a small clinic. Three vets and seven technicians, and I know all of them, and I know none of them would ever do that.”
“You’re right, you’re right,” Tyra said. “You don’t think this has anything to do with that time my keys went missing for a few days… right?”
“You keep saying missing, but we all agree you misplaced them. Didn’t you find them?”
“Yeah, inside my purse, after I was sure I had checked it a thousand times. I emptied that bitch out andstillmissed them somehow.”
I sighed, my mind spinning. “I don’t think so, Ty. I mean maybe. I don’t know. This is so crazy. I feel like it’s spiraling out of control, and it’s getting scary.”
“I know.” Tyra’s lips spun down into a frown.
“It has to be Greg. It just has to be. The timing makes sense. Beck goes to interview him, tipping him off that we were investigating, and he decides to retaliate. To scare me off. I don’t know how he got into the freezer here, but there has to be an explanation. Has to be.”
Tyra went to say something but snapped her mouth shut, as if she realized it would be a mistake.
“What?” I asked. “Who else?”
“No, nothing.”
“Come on, what were you going to say?”
“I don’t know, Olly. But maybe it’s not Greg. Maybe, ugh. I don’t even want to say it, it sounds so fucked-up.”
“Just say it. Can’t be more fucked-up than the actual circumstances.”
“Well, just… maybe it’s someone who’s been watching since then. Making sure you didn’t do anything to find them? Maybe it’s not Greg at all. Maybe it’s someone closer?”
“I thought about that for a second. Then I got too scared and decided to not think about it at all. I can’t imagine anyone in my life doing something like that to me. No one.”
My lower lip started to tremble. I managed to keep myself under control with a deep breath. “Oh, Oliver.” Tyra stood from her stool and pulled me into a tight embrace. “Beckham’s going to find out who’s behind this, and they’ll be put in prison once and for all. You’ve got this, boo. Just focus on staying happy and safe.”
“I know, but it’s just hard. This is bringing back so many raw emotions. When I went to Stonewall, I was so naïve. I thought it’d be like a dumb TV show and he’d figure things out in an hour’s worth of story arc. Life’s not a TV show, though. And now not only am I involved, but I’ve dragged Beckham into it, too.”
“Okay, stop right there.” Tyra grabbed my elbows, her big brown eyes locking on mine. “Firstly, you didn’t drag anyone into it. You hired Beckham and ended up falling face-first into his open legs—that’s a win-win situation to me.”
I laughed at that. Tyra always knew how to get me to laugh, even when the world was hell-bent on getting me to cry. It was her superpower. Aside from how incredible she was with animals, she was also extremely capable of handling emotions. I’d known her since my first year at college, and ever since then, Tyra’s been a huge grounding force in my life.
“Second,” she continued, “you’re allowed to feel all those raw emotions coming back. Acknowledge them. Accept them. But don’t let them take control. There’s no need for that. You’ve got this, Olly. You’re safe and you’re surrounded by people who have your back.” She smiled a warm and genuine smile. She was right, and it helped ease some of the rising anxiety inside my chest.
Still didn’t cure it, though.
Ben Lamar walked in through the doors. He was the veterinarian who owned the clinic and was watching over us during our clerkship. “You guys good?” he asked, spotting our little powwow by the X-ray machine. A couple of dogs in the kennels started to bark as Ben walked by.