Jack picked up after the fourth ring, his voice groggy with sleep. Lionel went right into his spiel and ended up with, “We’ll be leaving here in fifteen minutes. I can give you Mr. Hershel’s address and his phone number, but he never answers the phone. And he doesn’t know how to text and has no desire to learn. I’ll be free at eleven-thirty and can come back here if you need me. Just shoot me a text.” He ended the call and turned to Nick.

“I think we should meander over to Magnolia Terrace before we leave here. What do you say, Lionel? We have a few spare minutes.”

“Yeah, sure. Magnolia Terrace was dark last night. No porch lights, and no lights were on in any of the houses. If he was inside earlier in the evening when I made my first patrol, I would have noticed. No lights, that’s why nothing registered. That does open up another avenue, that he’s sick in bed or, God forbid, dead.”

At six-thirty on the dot, Dominic Petro opened the door and breezed through like a prequel to a hurricane. “Everything is okay. I’m so very ready for a long, hot shower. And boys, the good news is it stopped raining. I’m so hungry I could chew that doorknob. Do we have time to stop at the Waffle House?”

“I can drop you off, but you’ll have to find your own way from there. Okay, everything looks shipshape. Let’s hit it, boys,” Lionel said.

* * *

“Okay, Cyrus, we’re up. I’m going to call the guys and get dressed. You want to eat first or wait to grab some real food later?” Cyrus tilted his head before he let loose with two soft barks. Such a silly question. He made his way over to the door and lay down. He was ready to go. At last some action.

Jack hopped about the big room, punching in numbers as he held the phone with one hand and used his other hand to pull on the clothes he’d taken off the night before. “Maggie, call everyone and meet me in the lobby in fifteen minutes. I’ll explain everything when we’re all together. Have the van ready and running. Text the Pancake House around the corner and order for everyone. We’ll buzz by and pick it up on our way. Cyrus gets two sausage patties, four scrambled eggs, and four strips of bacon. Get him two bottles of water, too. Move, girl!”