“That makes me feel old. And not at all better.”

“You’re twenty-eight. Hardly knocking on the nursing home’s door,” she snorts. “Neither of us is. You’re just skeptical of people. That’s all. I keep telling you that you need to find more lost kitties than excitable genitals.”

“Lost kitties are rarely lost. They’re usually stuck up trees. Therefore, they have something in common with excitable genitals. At least half are guaranteed to be up something they shouldn’t be.” I dip my fry into some ketchup.

“Kind of like you with Trent and Drake’s investigations.” Her grin is mischievous.

“Exactly like that.” I return the expression.

At least I can admit to being a pain in the ass. Ever tried to get a six-month-old kitten or a wayward penis to admit that?

Well, I guess it depends on the penis. They can be literal pains in the ass if they find the right woman. Or man. Or even animal, if you’re lucky enough to find the odd documentaries in the deep, dark corners of the TV subscription services of the world.

How I went from How I Met Your Mother to How I Met My Horse! I have no idea. What I do know is that, in the future, I’ll pay more attention to my search items before I click.

“I’m sure Alex is a perfectly nice man,” Alison reasons.

“If you’re the devil.”

“You mean you’re not?”

“Only on Saturdays.” I smile into my wine glass and finish the last of it.

Alison signals for the check, and when it arrives, we both throw down enough cash to cover the cost of our lunch and leave the bar in downtown Austin.

Lunch is a rare occurrence these days, mostly because Trent gets mad that she drives after one small glass of wine and a huge burger. And because Nonna tries to scope us out and join us. We agreed that, since Gio’s arrival, the prospect of her finding us with the parrot in tow is terrifying.

I still haven’t gotten over my dream.

We agree to catch up again tonight at the official opening of the fair, but I’m guessing she’s only going to see if I’ll introduce her to Alex. I can safely say that I’ll be going nowhere near his stall, because I’d like to keep the heebie-jeebies in the heebie-jeebie box tonight, thank you very damn much.

I detour to Gigi’s before I head back to Holly Woods, a box of six cupcakes on my passenger’s seat. I really am trying to cut my sugar intake. Before nine a.m.

At least I’m trying.

I just can’t help but think that a world without cupcakes would be a very boring world indeed.

Back at the office, Bek makes off with the second cookie dough cupcake with nothing but a smile and a wink. It’s a good thing I bought it for her, lest the sneaky little shit attempt to steal mine.

The afternoon passes in a blur. Next thing I know, it’s six p.m. and I’m supposed to be arriving down at the fair. My tummy is rumbling so loudly that, if I didn’t feel the distinct hunger pangs of my stomach attempting to digest itself, I’d wonder if there was a storm approaching.

Alas, it’s sunny and humid, and the temperature, even now, is as if it’s preparing for Satan’s arrival.

I’m the last person in the office, so I lock the main door behind me, new case files in hand, and cross the empty parking lot to my car. I can hear the hum of the fair from here, and I’m glad I missed the opening ceremony. Mayor McDougall would be all righteous and proud of the town to make a good impression on the media, but he won’t stay longer than an hour. With any luck, I’ve missed his pompous meander around the fields, too.

A third field has been earmarked for parking, but I choose to park down the street. I change from my heels to the flats I packed in my purse and shove fifty dollars inside my bra. My stomach growls as I get out, and the scent of hot dogs, burgers, and fries attacks my senses.

Oh, God. It smells so good, especially when Alonso’s pizza breaks through.

Oh… Pizza.

I adjust the holster on my thigh as discreetly as possible. Which, in a floral summer dress, isn’t all that easy. Still, I learned my lesson about this fair when I was seventeen and almost attacked, along with Bek. For all the good things about Holly Woods’ Summer Fair, the amount of extra people it brings makes it the most dangerous part of our year.

Given how dangerous this year has already been, this makes me nervous.

Very nervous.

I wonder if this is why I don’t like Alex. His cold, aloof manner combined with his intense stare would throw anyone off, let alone someone in my field of expertise.

I take a deep breath and push it to the back of my mind. I’m sure he’s harmless and, like Alison said, it’s just me being skeptical.

I wander by a hot dog stand and text Drake. Where are you?

He doesn’t reply for a few minutes. At the gate between the fields.

I tuck my phone into my bra, the opposite side of my cash, and order two hot dogs. It takes a couple of minutes to get across the fair, and I have to lick ketchup off my hand more than once thanks to waving at people I know and forgetting about the sticky, red sauce.

When I get close to the gate, I find Drake immediately. He’s leaning against the wall, wearing the same outfit as yesterday, but probably different items of clothing. I’d bet the man has more white shirts than I do shoes, and I am determined to count them one day. I approach him and hold out the hot dog topped with mustard, ketchup, and onions.

I swear he groans in pleasure.

“Have I told you that you’re my favorite person ever?” he asks gruffly, taking the hot dog from me and biting into it with less manners than a two-year-old and a bag of candy.

“No, but I’m assuming you’re saying it under the influence of hunger, so don’t worry. I never heard it.”

He grins, licking some mustard off his thumb. Ugh, I hate that stuff.

“I guess I can’t ask you to go to Rosie’s after this.”

I raise my eyebrows as I chew. “Her stall is on the other side. You’ll be lucky.”

He finishes his food on his third bite. Then he wipes his mouth with a napkin and holds it out to me.

I look down at it, half of my hot dog still in my hand. “What do you expect me to do with your drool-covered napkin?”

“Get rid of it?”

“Where, exactly?”

“Oh. You don’t have your purse.” He sighs. “Wait. How did you get this and text me if you don’t have it?”

I pat my boobs and grin, balling my own napkin up after wiping my mouth. I take his, walk the ten steps to a trash can, and throw the paper balls in there. Honestly, I know he’s working, but you’d think his legs were on vacation.

“Hey! You found a trash can.” The sparkle of his eyes shows me he knew that it was there all along.

“Hmmm.” I lean against the wall and look over it at the rides.

It looks bigger this year, and kids are already milling around. The shopping area of the fair will be open from eleven every day when the kids are at school, and then both sections are open from four. I guess you don’t mind taking your kids in this crazy mass of rides and people and excitement if you get a couple of hours to chill around and shop during the day.

I guess that’s why Alison is allowing Aria and Silvio to subject her to this hellhole tonight.

“Is there anything on Toni and Melissa?”

Drake shakes his head, and his lips turn down. “Nothing. Messina called this morning and said he was going to send copies of the tapes to us. We got them an hour ago. We hadn’t found a thing when I left the station.”

I pick at a loose bit of skin around my thumbnail. “That doesn’t seem good. Have y’all considered that she left the airport alone and met someone somewhere else?”

“Until we see her on camera and get our answer, we’re considering everything,” he admits. “And the longer we go without any contact with them…”

I swallow and look down. The longer there’s radio silence from them, the less of a chance they’re alive. It’s already been forty-eight hours for Melissa, and we’re touching a week since Toni disappeared.