I posed a question to myself. “Maybe he left just a few minutes ago?” But if so, I’d be able to catch up to him, and the closer we got to the park, the less likely that was, because there was no sign of him. Not on the county highway with its wide paved shoulders and not on the side road with its potholes and dirt shoulders. Hills, trees, curving roads, and small lakes. No sign of another human as far as the eye could see.

My concern for Ryan grew. Ballooned. And there was the added element of guilt. “Did he leave because I was late?” I asked Eddie. “Or had he planned to do this from the beginning, and left hours ago?”

“Mrr!”

I sent my furry friend a quick glance. “That sounded like you knew what you were talking about.” Once again, I wished I could talk cat. Talk Eddie, anyway, because he was so unlike all other cats I’d met, I was half convinced he was his own species.

“Mrr,” he said, pushing his nose through the gaps in the wire door.

“Sorry, but no matter what, you have to stay in the car.” I flicked the turn signal and made a right onto the gravel road that led to the park’s entrance. “Sorry about these bumps, too,” I said, my molars rattling against each other. “Guess the road commission hasn’t made it over here yet.”

When I saw the park’s sign, I slowed to a more sedate speed, mostly because I didn’t want the noise of the car to reach anyone who might already be here. My car’s dashboard clock said it was three minutes past eight, three minutes past the time our blog post had said for anyone interested in the sculpture to show up.

I mentally chewed on the limited possibilities.

What if no one came? Or . . . what if someone was already here, waiting, and Ryan was down there meeting him alone?

The car’s tires bounced on a series of washboard bumps. I winced at the noise and came to a sudden decision. “Time to stop,” I told Eddie. “The upper lot isn’t far. I bet that trail over there goes down to the lake. I’ll take that and see what I can see.”

“Mrr!”

“Thank you for your vote of confidence,” I said as I parked on the road’s shoulder. “See you soon. I need to make sure Ryan’s okay.” And to see if we could identify a killer.

“Mrr!”

I put my finger to my lips and, concerned about noises reaching anyone with ears to hear, shut the door as softly as I could, while also shutting my own ears to Eddie’s protests. He must have resigned himself to his fate, because as I walked away, I didn’t hear any further cat noises.