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Doc
Doc just sat down to dinner when his phone vibrated with an incoming call. He pulled it out, expecting to see Tina’s name pop up, but the number on the screen wasn’t one that he recognized.
Since very few people had his private cell number, he figured it was a random telemarketer and let it go to voice mail. When they didn’t leave a message, he assumed his guess was correct. But when he received another call from the same number almost immediately, he picked up.
“Hello?”
“Dr. Watson?” asked an older female voice.
“Yes,” he answered carefully.
“This is Lottie Obermacher, Tina’s grandmother. I got your number from Mr. O’Farrell.”
His blood went instantly cold. The only reasons Doc could come up with for why Tina’s grandmother was calling him weren’t good ones.
“Mrs. Obermacher. Is Tina okay?”
“I’m not sure that she is,” the older woman said cryptically. “That’s why I’m calling. Can you go to her cottage and check on her?”
Doc was already on his feet. “Of course. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
“I’m afraid the shit finally hit the fan,” she told him. “She’s not answering her phone, and Friedrich hid the keys to the Buick.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Please call or text me when you get there.”
“I will.”
“What’s up?” Cage asked when Doc disconnected the call and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
“I’m not sure. That was Tina’s grandmother. She wants me to go check on Tina.”
“Did she say why?”
“Only that ‘the shit finally hit the fan.’”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
No, it didn’t. It didn’t help that he’d been carrying around a bad feeling all day.
Tina’s call the night before had him worried. She’d been distracted. When he asked her about it, she said that she’d been thinking a lot about her grandfather. He hadn’t thought too much about it until she mentioned the old root cellars where he used to experiment, crediting him for her desire to try new things and create superior organic products.
Based on her description of the cellars, they sounded a lot like the networks of old mines and caves used by Freed and his crew. With her brothers being in Freed’s inner circle, it seemed a logical step to assume those underground storage areas were being used for nefarious purposes. Freed was showing increasing signs of paranoia, stashing stuff in separate locations around the mountain, including one of the caves on the far end of Sanctuary property. Each time they discovered a new location, they wired it with cameras and listening devices to stay abreast of what was going on.
He hadn’t shared what Tina had told him about the root cellars with anyone yet, but perhaps he should have.
“Do you want backup?” asked Cage.
“No. Let me see what’s going on first. But there is something you can do.”
“Name it,” Cage said.
“See if you can get those private satellites to do a sweep over Obermacher Farms, particularly in the hills behind the main house. Tina mentioned something about her grandfather using root cellars back in the day. I’m not sure if it’s anything, but ...”
Cage nodded, the look in his eyes telling Doc his mind had gone down the same path Doc’s had. “Will do. Keep us posted.”
Doc wasted no time in getting to Tina’s, a sense of urgency riding his ass. Unlike the previous times he’d gone down there, he was less concerned about being spotted and making things difficult for Tina than he was about getting to her and ensuring she was okay.
He had no idea what he would find when he got there. “The shit finally hit the fan” could mean lots of things.
One glance at Tina, and it was obvious she was upset. Her skin was pale; her eyes were puffy and red. If her appearance hadn’t tipped him off, her greeting would have. The moment she saw him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck.
“Hey now,” he said soothingly, cupping the back of her head.
She squeezed him tighter.
“How did you know?” she asked, her words muffled.
“Your grandmother called me. She’s worried about you.”
Tina released him, took his hand, and tugged him inside. “How much did she tell you?”
“Not much. She said the shit hit the fan and Friedrich hid the keys to the Buick.”
“More like he auctioned it off behind her back and doesn’t have the balls to tell her,” Tina practically growled. “Not that it’s going to make a difference. They lost everything, Doc. They bet the farm, and they lost. Everything.”
“Tell me.”
“I will but not here, okay? I’m afraid Rick’s going to show up, and if he does, I might just shoot him.”
“All right. Want to come back to Sanctuary with me?”
She looked relieved. “Yes, please. Give me a minute. Don’t go anywhere, okay?”
“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
With a grateful look, Tina went up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek before disappearing into her bedroom. Moments later, he heard drawers opening. Doc remained by the window, his eyes watching the access road for any sign of her brother, and fired off a text to Lottie.
Doc: Tina’s fine. I’m taking her back to Sanctuary with me.
Lottie: Good. Keep her there for a while.
Doc: What about you?
Lottie: Sweet boy. I’ll be fine. Tell Tina to call me later.
Doc: Will do.
Tina emerged from her bedroom with a carry-on bag. “I don’t mean to be presumptuous. If this makes you uncomfortable, I can get a hotel room or something.”
“It doesn’t,” he told her honestly. He wanted her with him. If the time he’d spent with her thus far made anything clear, it was that he would much rather be with her than without.
Tina locked up the cottage. Instead of getting into his vehicle, she went to her truck. “I’ll follow you, okay? That way, you don’t have to bring me back in the morning.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I know.”
She didn’t take him up on his offer, so he let it go. If it made her feel better to have her truck, so be it.
When they arrived at Sanctuary, Doc drove directly to his trailer. Tina pulled up and parked alongside him. He took her bag and carried it inside, just in case she was serious about going to a hotel.
“Have you eaten?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Not recently. It’s been a day.”
“How about I go over to the dining room and bring something back?”
She hesitated. “Don’t go to any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. I haven’t eaten yet either. Might as well get something for both of us, right?”
Her eyes softened, and for a moment, it looked like she was going to cry. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. We have no set schedule here. Kate keeps the kitchen well stocked. There’s always something on hand.”
She sniffled. “In that case, yes, please.”
“Make yourself at home. I’ll be back shortly.”
Doc hightailed his way to the main building, anxious to pick up some food and get back to Tina as quickly as possible. She looked drained, both physically and emotionally, and the need to take care of her was strong.
First, he’d make sure she had a decent meal. Then, he’d find out what had her so upset and do whatever he could to fix it. Or kill it. Whatever.
Doc looked up at the security camera outside the main entrance and simply said, “Kitchen.”
If anyone was in the war room, they’d get the message. If not, he’d catch them up later.
It was Church who came into the kitchen while Doc was raiding the fridge.
“Cage said you got a distress call from Tina’s grandmother?”
“Yes. Tina’s fine, just upset. She’ll be staying with me tonight,” Doc told him. Longer, if he had his way.
“Did she tell you what went down?”
“Not yet. Why? Do you know something?”
“Nothing definite. Cage is in the process of getting the eye in the sky in place, but there’s been another development that might or might not be related. Luther Renninger is MIA.”