“I’ll be ready.” Grimm gathered his plate and hers and carried them into the kitchen, where he made quick work of cleaning them and stacking them in a dish drainer. He hurried to his room, brushed his teeth and hesitated as he stared at the gun resting on his nightstand.
The man who’d attacked Dezi the previous night had carried a knife. What other weapon might he be tempted to use if he didn’t get what he wanted?
Grimm shrugged into his shoulder holster, slipped his handgun into it and pulled on his leather jacket. He stepped out into the hallway as Dezi exited her room.
“Good. We can get going,” she said with a slight smile. “Not that I’m excited about going to the morgue. I just want to get it over with.”
Grimm walked with Dezi out of the lodge and into the parking lot.
She led the way to a small two-door, slick silver sedan and clicked the button to unlock the doors.
Grimm stood back, shaking his head. “Nope.”
Dezi cocked an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”
“How long a drive is it to Bozeman?” Grimm asked.
“Thirty-five to forty minutes,” she said.
“If it’s all the same to you,” he said, “I’d rather take my truck.” He touched a hand to the top of his head. “More head and leg room.”
Her smile competed with the morning sunshine, shining so brightly.
He chuckled.
Dezi’s eyes widened. “Sorry. I didn’t think about that.”
“It’s all right,” he said and set off for his truck, parked on the other side of the parking lot. She followed.
When they reached his truck, he held the passenger door for her and offered his hand to help her up onto the running board so that she could climb up into the truck.
She laughed as she settled into the leather bucket seats. “I guess I’m at the opposite disadvantage as you were with my car.” Her lips twisted. “One of the downfalls of being short.”
He nodded. “You’re right. We’re both vertically challenged in our own ways.”
“You don’t know how many times I wished I was seven inches taller than I am.”
Grimm tilted his head to one side. “And how tall are you?”
“An even five feet tall,” she answered.
His lips quirked. “Exactly one foot shorter than I am.” He closed the passenger door, strode around the front of the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Soon they were on the road to Bozeman. As they drove through Eagle Rock, Dezi waved to the people they passed.
“You grew up here,” Grimm asked.
She nodded. “When I left, I didn’t expect to be back anytime soon.”
“Then why did you come back?”
“It’s home,” she said simply. “Even without my parents, this place is still the only place I’ve felt was home. I belong in the mountains, not on the coast. And I have friends who are as close to me as family. They’re my family now.”
“People like Cassie, Molly and Gabbie?” Grimm asked.
Dezi nodded. “And Bella, Liza and…Penny. When Penny disappeared, I knew I had to come back. Somehow, we’ll find her.”
“You know when women disappear, the likelihood of finding them alive is—”