“I’d never turn one down.”
Sage looked up from Hadley’s lap and gave a little wave.
“How are you, Little Goose?”
“Good,” she whispered.
Sage might not be completely okay right now, but with Hadley in her life, I knew she would be in the long run. “It’s almost bedtime. You guys want to head upstairs and get ready?”
Sage nodded, climbing off Hadley’s lap.
“Aw, man,” Birdie whined.
Hadley climbed to her feet. “Come on, Birds, we need our sleep if we’re baking chocolate cake tomorrow.”
Birdie’s eyes flashed. “I gotta rest my mixing muscles.”
She chuckled. “Right you are.” Hadley glanced at her brother. “Do you need me, or can Calder fill me in tomorrow? I need a shower and bed.”
Hayes pulled his sister in for a quick hug and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. “He can fill you in tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Bubby.”
“Love you.”
I watched as the people I loved most climbed the stairs and disappeared.
Hayes cleared his throat. “You got a beer I can have with this brownie?”
“You know it.”
I grabbed two beers from the kitchen and ushered Hayes out to my front porch. We had a few rockers there that made for a good way to end the day. I only hoped the easy back-and-forth rhythm could keep me calm with whatever Hayes had to say.
I handed him his beer. “So?”
“I don’t have a whole hell of a lot.”
I gripped the arm of the rocker a little bit tighter. “What about fingerprints or trace evidence?”
“We’re running everything we can, but I’m not overly optimistic. Whoever this is, hasn’t shown up in person. They’ve used burner phones and email addresses, so I doubt they’d all of a sudden not use gloves.”
“What about a hair or something?”
Hayes took a pull of his beer. “I had techs go over every inch of that deck, and deputies searched the entire property. If there was something there, we got it.” He scrubbed a hand over the scruff on his jaw. “That deer was cut up bad.”
“That’s rage. And whoever this is, knows where Hadley lives.”
A muscle in Hayes’ cheek ticked. “I know.”
“I’m gonna stick close, but you know Hadley, she won’t let someone be with her twenty-four-seven.”
He grunted in agreement. “You’d have better luck locking her in the basement.”
“She’d kick my ass first.”
Hayes let loose a low chuckle. “That she would. And she’s got a hell of an uppercut.” He paused, looking out at the street. “You’re sure about this?”
“About what?”