She riffled in her bag for her planner and looked back at the last several days. The decision to come north to the cabin had been made a week ago. A quick scan showed that she’d made a note for Marina to call and turn on utilities. Had she sent that memo to her administrative assistant? She couldn’t remember. Damn it. She had no patience for herself when it came to incompetence. “Let me call the office and get my assistant to look into it. Until then, let’s pull the dustcovers off and open the windows to let in some fresh air. That should help the smell.”

“I hope so,” Chase said, muffled beneath her slouchy long-sleeve T-shirt.

Olivia dialed the office, switching on her Bluetooth as she ignored the horrid odor, and ripped back the heavy drapes, exposing the glass-paned windows that were original to the house. Golden light streamed in, catching dust motes in the beams, highlighting the worn wood floors and hand-hooked oval rug she’d once played Barbie dolls upon. Zeke had begun the process of pulling off the sheets and exposing the olive-green tweed couches beneath. The squat coffee table held several outdated copies of Reader’s Digest and National Geographic along with some pottery ashtrays her granny had made.

Chase stood and watched. Of course.

“Chase, can you open the windows in the kitchen?” Olivia said before diverting her attention to the call. “Marina, I need you to call the Shasta County Water Department and California Electric on the following property. Do you have a pen?”

Chase finally moved into the dining area, stepping as if mines were hidden beneath the floorboards.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll call them now and get back to you, but it’s after hours. If you want me to call a hotel for you and Miss London, let me know,” Marina said before hanging up. Olivia clicked her phone off right as Chase screamed.

Zeke leaped into action, bolting into the kitchen and moving a terrified Chase back into the dining area.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” Chase screeched, pointing to the open cabinet. “It ran in there. It ran in there.”

“What? What ran where?” Zeke asked, his head bobbing between the freaked-out actress and the kitchen.

“I don’t know. Some kind of furry animal. I couldn’t see because there aren’t any effing lights!” Chase moved back into the dining room, wrapping her arms around her torso. She tossed a glare toward Olivia—who’d moved to take a look into the still-dim kitchen—as if it were her fault that there was some creature roaming the house.