September Breezes

1.The Damsel in Distress

Ty Bryant scrubbed at his scalp and chin before slipping out of bed and hopping through the shower. Ty was sheriff of Brazon Creek, Oregon, near Sumter; yet another small town that received its start from the mining of gold nearly 3/4 of a century before. When the gold had petered out, most of the population had, too. Now Ty and his two deputies had only one job: keeping the remaining 375 locals - including cattle - out of trouble.

Between the cats and parrots stuck in a tree, the cattle that had to be moved out of the middle of Main Street, the seven or eight dead batteries in need of a jump, and the occasional disputes on who actually settled Brazon Creek first, mostly everything else stayed quiet. Ty liked it that way.

Ty finished his shower and wrapped the thick blue towel around his waist before gathering the necessary things for his shave. When he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror, he paused, regarding himself with a raised eyebrow. Hm. He had been labeled ‘most eligible bachelor' by the Quilting Ladies Association one summer, and each summer thereafter he was reminded of that by one of the townsfolk. He supposed they enjoyed seeing his face redden with something other than the heat.

The description posted of him in the quilting ladies newsletter was as embarrassing as the title 'most eligible bachelor'. 'Tyler Bryant, with his rugged good looks, laughing brown eyes, and short curls of dark brown, is by far the best looking man in Brazon Creek. No one but Ty can truly fill the shoes of 'tall, dark, and handsome' set by every lady's favorite romance novel. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall with an athletic build, Ty gives us hope that our own 'tall drink of water' is waiting for our glass.'

Ty grimaced now, desperately trying to forget how every lady did their best to not only get him to smile - he supposedly had a dimple in each cheek - but they never tired of attempting to get him up the aisle. Of course, at the age of 33, he reasoned that they believed it about time someone put a ring on his finger.

Ty shook his head and lifted his straight-edge razor in a type of salute at his reflection. "Another day, another--"

The phone rang. Ty glanced to his watch with a raised eyebrow. A little after 4:30 in the morning, he wasn't due to start his shift until six. A slight frown lowered his brow as he set aside his razor. Early morning phone calls never bode well for a person in his line of work. It usually meant someone would get a visit from either him, the local doctor, or both. It hadn't happened often, but even once was too many for Ty.

The phone rang again. Ty ran a hand through his wet brown curls and picked up the receiver with a business-like, "Bryant."

"Ty," sighed a rough voice into the phone. "I thought you'd left."

"Still working on it, Perry."

Perry Dawson was the local doctor who had set up a local clinic in Brazon Creek after 30 years at a 'big-wig' hospital in Denver, Colorado. Funny thing was, the people of Brazon Creek came to Perry for their animal issues as well as their human ones. Receiving a crash course in veterinary medicine, Perry and his clients had survived with no casualties. A miracle in itself.

"What's the trouble?" Ty asked.

"Not really trouble... well... No, not really. Zeke brought someone over, Ty. Someone I think you should see."

"Perry, couldn't it wait an hour? You know I always hike over to see my parents--"

"I know. Just get over here."

Perry rung off, and Ty slowly replaced the receiver. Perry Dawson wasn't the type of man to get spooked at smoke unless he felt the heat of the fire at his butt. Ty shook his head and headed to the bedroom to dress. Brazon Creek doesn't need a forest fire.

"That was quick," Perry greeted as he made his way down the steps of his home-based clinic.

Perry Dawson stood about 5' 10" with white hair and crisp silver blue eyes. He had a somewhat slender build, which Ty believed to be due to the fact he cared for people to the detriment of his own eating habits. Perry was always the first one to give up his free time to help, and that was one of the things Ty liked about him.

"You said to get over here." Ty pulled out his notebook and pencil as he asked, "Now what's the trouble?"

"Oh put that away." Perry gestured toward the house. "You've got to see it to believe it."

Ty tossed the notebook into his Cherokee. "Stop saying that," he protested. "You better show me what's got you so worked up, or God Himself will die of curiosity."

Perry reluctantly smiled. "Sorry." He motioned to the house again, the smile fading to a serious expression. "Come on. She's inside."

"She?" Ty followed Perry toward the house.

"Yep," Perry said. He pushed the screen door open, holding it while Ty passed to wait near the entry of the exam room on the left of the hall. Once Perry had come to stand beside Ty, he kept him from entering the exam room with a firm grip to his upper arm.

Ty looked down at the sixty-year-old doctor in surprise. "What's the matter?"

"Ty... Ty, you be careful with this one, not that you aren't ever nice and soft-spoken with these people. She's scared and confused."

Ty smiled. "You know me, Doc."

Perry nodded. "I do, but she's been roughed up pretty bad. You keep it cool."

Ty's smile faded, with the statement making his toes curl. "Initial thoughts?"

Perry released Ty's arm. "That she's been in an abusive situation for several years."

Ty clenched his jaw. "How so?"

"Minute scars on her arms and legs. Some on her face as well. There's bruising also, but those are likely due to the escape from her abuser." Perry shook his head, changing his focus to a corner of the exam room. "I moved to Brazon Creek to get away from things like this, Ty."

Ty rested a hand on the elder man's shoulder to give it a firm squeeze. "I know, Perry."

Perry sighed, and then he sent Ty a brief glance before motioning inside. "She won't answer my questions about her name or where she was before Zeke found her. I think she might have repressed memories due to trauma."

Ty nodded. "Alright. I'll keep that in mind." He lowered his hand from Perry's shoulder. "Is Zeke around?"

Perry nodded and gestured down the hall. "He's in my office. Pretty shaken up, so I didn't want him driving anywhere."

"Thanks, Perry." Ty cleared his throat. "Here it goes," he whispered as he stepped inside the exam room.

The young woman in question was seated in a chair in the far corner, her feet up on the seat with her and her arms wrapped around her legs. Dark reddish-brown hair was a tangled mat of twigs and leaves, and there were scratches on her face and arms as well as bruises and welts. Her T-shirt and jeans were both muddy and splattered with blood, and her black jeans torn to reveal scratches and abrasions.

Perry stepped up to the young woman ahead of Ty, causing a flinch and also the tightening of her arms around her legs. She looked up with green eyes wide with fear and tear trails streaking her cheeks.

Perry smiled as he crouched down. "This is the sheriff, dear," he said in soft tone, nearly a whisper. "His name's Ty."

Ty smiled his most charming, one that he usually saved for the kids that fell from trees or got roughed up by bullies, and knelt to under eye level. "Hi," he greeted softly. Her gaze held his, but she didn't respond with anything other than a blink.

"She won't speak, Ty," Perry whispered.

Ty continued to smile as he studied her face. She examined him just as completely. "Are you feeling okay, miss?" he asked softly.

She gave a slight nod, releasing one arm from the hold on her legs to rub at the back of her head. "Your head hurts?" She nodded again, and Ty focused on Perry. "Head trauma?"

"Nothing major, but she does have a little bump there on the back of her head. Looks as if she rolled down a hill and smacked it on the way down. Most likely on a log."

"She'll be okay?" Ty pressed.

Perry nodded, sending the woman a slight smile. "She'll be fine. But I do need to treat your scratches, dear."

Ty moved his gaze to the woman as she hunkered further into her chair while giving a slight shake of her head. In fact, she looked to Ty with wide eyes and an almost pleading expression.

"We don't want them to hurt worse," Perry continued.

The woman gave another very slight shake of her head, and her gaze refused to release Ty's. She even reached out to grab his hand. Ty met Perry's glance with a brief raised eyebrow. Perry motioned to her with a slight movement of his head.

Then Ty moved his gaze back to the woman. "I'll be right here," he said softly.

From Ty's previous experience as a deputy all the way to his current standing as Sheriff, he had always noticed how the uniform often gave a sense of security. That fact was no different in the current situation, as she sent Ty a hesitant nod after glancing cautiously toward the doctor.

Ty smiled and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She smiled slightly back, but she stayed hunkered in the corner of the chair, tightly clasping his hand. "Can you move to the table? Or did you want Doc to do it here?"

Her eyes darted to the padded exam table near the center of the room, and then back to Ty. She shook her head and squeezed harder.

"It's okay," Ty soothed. "We can do it here." He looked over at Perry. "Right?"

"Scratches, yes." Yet Perry's expression let Ty know that the other exam would need to be moved to the table.

Ty's expression said 'We'll work up to it', to which Perry's responded 'Good idea.' So, Perry stood to putter around the exam room gathering anti-bacterial washes, swabs and all the other paraphernalia needed.

As he did, Ty decided to give a shot at some conversation. "I hear Zeke found you," he began gently. She responded with a very slight nod, focus never once leaving his face. "He's a nice kid, huh?"

She nodded again, sending Perry a quick glance when he made an unexpected noise. Ty gave her hand a gentle squeeze to gain her attention. Her wide green eyes focused back on his brown ones.

Ty's smile remained comforting and encouraging. "He was pretty shook up, I guess. You must have given him a fright. Had you been wandering lost for a little while?" Her nod was very slow and very cautious. "I bet it got real cold," and he said that just as she shivered. "You want a blanket?"

She frantically gripped his hand with a shake of her head.

The continual fright and caution in her body language and expression began to chew at Ty's calm. Perry's observance of long-time abuse settled about as well as a red-hot poker on his backside. No one should go through something like this, Lord, and I'd really like to find the person who did this. If You don't mind.

"It's alright," Ty said softly. "I won't get you a blanket if you don't want me to go."

Perry made his way over, crouching again to her left. She flinched, and her eyes darted to him as she clenched Ty's hand.

Ty lightly touched her shin, which drew her frightened gaze. "You'll need to bring your feet down on the floor. Just so Doc can get to the scratches there on your legs and feet," he said softly. "Okay?"

She very slightly nodded, adjusting her position and slowly lowering her feet to the floor. Her eyes continued to dart from Ty to Perry and immediately back to Ty.

"It might sting a little," Ty warned when Perry sent him a look. She gave a slight nod and closed her eyes tight, her other hand clenching the arm of the chair.

Perry worked deftly and quickly, only getting occasionally responses of jerks and twitches and cringes. Ty continued with soft words of encouragement and smiles when she would occasionally open one eye to catch his gaze. She was a pretty thing beyond the mud, blood smears, and scratches. Her green eyes were bright with intelligence, even if they were dark and muted with terror. She even had a patch of freckles across the bridge of her nose, which had a tendency of wrinkling when she really tried to stay still.

"There you go, dear," Perry said quietly. He gathered up the dirtied and bloodied swabs and tossed them into a garbage can, followed quickly thereafter by his non-latex gloves. Perry looked to Ty. "I'll give Meredith a call and have her come over to help."

Ty nodded. "Good idea." He changed his focus back to the woman as Perry left the room. He smiled. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

She returned his smile with a faint lift of her lips as she lifted her feet back up onto the chair. She still held tightly to his hand. Ty released a slow breath as he watched the fear begin to slowly dwindle from her expression. Okay, Jesus. So far so good. Just keep giving me the words to say. Please?

"Would it be alright if I ask a couple questions?" he asked carefully, all the while watching her expression. It grew wary and more fearful, and she even gave a slight shake of her head as her eyes seemed to say, 'please, don't.' "Just two," he pressed gently. "I promise. And you don't even have to answer them if you don't want to."

Tears gathered in her eyes, which made Ty's insides hurt, but she gave a slight nod.

She's one brave girl. Ty took in a deep breath. Alright, Jesus. A little help here... "Did you get hurt just from a fall? Just shake or nod your head. That's all."

A tear dripped onto her cheek, but she didn't release Ty's hand or his gaze to wipe it away. She only very slightly shook her head. Oh God... Ty forced a smile to give her some amount of comfort, and then he began gently stroking the top of her hand with his thumb.

"One last question, but it might be kind of hard. Like I said, you don't have to answer. Alright?" She sniffed as she gave another slight nod. "Good girl," Ty said softly. He released a slow breath. "Did they rape you?" and Ty's voice was barely louder than a whisper.

Another wave of tears escaped as a sob choked past her pale lips. She closed her eyes with a small shrug and a confused nod/shake of her head.

Ty gave her hand a couple of squeezes. "It's alright. You did good. You did real good."

She choked out more sobs moments before pulling her hand from his grasp and quickly throwing herself against him, her arms tightly surrounding him. Ty nearly fell backwards with the force of the movement, but he recovered quickly enough.

He put his arms around her with a soft, "Shh. Shh. It's alright."

Perry came around the corner then, and his expression grew concerned as he stepped toward them. "What happened?"

"I asked a couple questions. She did good in trying to answer, too. She's a very brave young woman." Ty's expression said, 'You might not get an exam right away.'

Perry gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Meredith is on her way," he said softly.

Ty nodded and then gently placed his hands on her arms to push carefully back. She resisted, and Ty raised an eyebrow in surprise at the amount of strength he had to use to get her to move back. When she did, her eyes were wide and her arms immediately went to her sides.

Ty's charming smile slipped firmly back into place. "I need to go talk to Zeke. Alright? I'll be gone a couple minutes, but Doc here and my Aunt Meredith will be here while I'm away."

She gave a slight nod accompanied by a sniffle and a quick wipe of tears.

Perry crouched down beside her, causing her to give a little flinch as she looked over at him. "Meredith will need to look to make sure you're all okay, dear. But that'll be okay, won't it? Just the two of you girls?"

Her green eyes fixed on Ty's brown ones, and then she nodded with a serious expression.

"Good girl," Ty said softly. Her lips twitched briefly upward. Ty gave her arms a gentle squeeze, and then he released her and stood. "I'll be just down the hall. Alright."

She nodded and scooted back in her chair, again raising her legs to wrap her arms around them. Ty briefly rested his hand on Perry's shoulder and then turned to leave the exam room, turning left at the doorway and proceeding down the hall to Perry's office. Zeke sat in one of the chairs across from Perry's large desk.

Zeke was seventeen and the eldest son to the mayor of Brazon Creek. He was a good kid, but he had a tendency of being at the wrong place at the right time. There had been one time in particular that always brought a smile to Ty's face. Zeke had been caught mooning certain prominent citizens. He'd only done it as a dare from his buddies, but he'd chosen the moment when his father had been showing businessmen around Brazon Creek as a way to convince them to 'invest' in the town's future. Samuel Harrison had nearly burst an artery, but the businessmen had simply laughed and moved on with the tour, commenting on the 'relaxed' atmosphere and how it would be great for business.

Zeke had been grounded for a month.

He looked up when Ty opened the door. Ty smiled. "Hey, Zeke. Feeling better?"

Zeke's freckled face looked a little pale, but he seemed none the worse for wear. "Yeah, Sheriff. Thanks." He scratched at his head of bright red hair. "Is she gonna be okay? She looked real beat up when I found her."

Ty came around to lean against the desk across from Zeke, crossing his arms and feet as he watched Zeke's face. "She'll be fine. Doc'll make sure of that." Ty made a motion with his head. "What happened, Zeke?"

Zeke gave his wiry shoulders a shrug as he rubbed at his hazel eyes, yawning. "Well, I was driving home from a party at Pete's house around three. That's when I saw her. She was wandering around in the middle of the road and I nearly ran her down."

"Where?"

"Out on Baxter Road."

A cold finger of dread traced Ty's spine, and he suddenly felt very sick.

Zeke scratched a hand through his red hair again. "I thought she might be lost, so I pulled over and asked her where she was going. She just stared at me like I was talking some foreign language or something. I told her I could give her a ride, and she crawled into my truck and hid against the door like a scared rabbit."

"You took her straight here?"

Zeke nodded. "Yeah, and she didn't say hardly anything."

"What did she say?" Ty asked, hopes rising.

Zeke met Ty's gaze. "It was kinda spooky. She kept saying ‘sorry' over and over."

Ty frowned in concentration. "Spooky? How so?"

"I don't know," Zeke admitted slowly. "Maybe it was the way she said it. Kind of dead like. Almost like she thought she was dreaming."

"Hm." Ty adjusted his crossed arms. "Did you notice her do anything else? Maybe fiddle with some jewelry or something? Did she throw anything away? Anything like that?"

"Well, um..." Zeke rubbed his hands on the thighs of his loose-fit jeans. "I don't really remember. It seems to me that she had a ring or something she kept playing with. Other than that? I couldn't say."

Ty nodded with an encouraging smile. "It's alright, Zeke. What about when you saw her the first time? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary? A car or a person hiding in the bushes? Anything?"

Zeke shook his head. "Gee, Sheriff. Sorry, but she kinda scared me."

Ty straightened. "Don't sweat it, Zeke." He gripped Zeke's shoulder. "I can't expect the miraculous all the time."

"Do you think Doc'll let me go home now? I'm beat."

Ty gave Zeke's shoulder another grip. "Sure, Zeke. Take off."

"Later, Sheriff."

Ty released a deep breath as Zeke closed the door behind him. Well that didn't go the way I hoped, did it? He shook his head as he stared down at the floor. Baxter Road. Did it have to be Baxter Road? Ghosts and Ghouls from the past always seemed to linger there, crawling along his memories each time he had to make his rounds. A tickle of a face. A whisper of an argument. The sharp pain of-- Ty flinched and scrubbed at his scalp. God, I'm in a tight spot. If you could give me a hand--

knock-knock

Ty looked up. Perry stood in the doorway. "Initial exam?" Ty asked.

Perry nodded. "She didn't resist as much as I thought she would."

Ty reluctantly smiled. Perry came to sit in the chair Zeke had recently vacated. "So what do you think?" Ty asked, smile wavering.

Perry ran a hand through his white hair. "I think I'm getting too old for this."

Ty slightly nodded. "I know what you mean."

"But as for our lady wanderer..." Perry shook his head. "It's hard to say so early, due to her responses to different situations thus far. We can only take it one step at a time to try and ease her down the road to recovery as gently as possible. You know that. I know that. Meredith knows that."

Ty nodded again. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "How permanent do you think the memory loss is?"

Perry shrugged with an exhalation of breath. "That is up to her, unfortunately."

Ty pressed his lips together. "Yeah. I was afraid of that." He shook his head. "Why is it the victims always have the deepest part of the hell?"

Perry stood. "I've no idea." He motioned over his shoulder to the door. "I better go up and see if Meredith needs some help."

"Thanks, Perry."

Perry nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him. Ty crossed his arms and again stared at his shoes. Lord, if you could make this as painless as possible for her... I'd really appreciate it. And if I can help at all, just let me know.

Ty sighed again, scrubbing his scalp as he waited in Perry's office for his Aunt to finish the more personal examination. Ty knew there was a great possibility that the woman had been raped, and each moment he thought about it he was attacked by a stronger bit of anger and rage. God, a bit of help... He cleared his throat and straightened from where he'd continued to lean against Perry's desk, moving forward toward the door--

The door burst open, Ty only seeing a white streak before he was enveloped in a tight hug, a mass of dark hair pressed against him as he raised his hands and arms in shock.

"That woman is quick," Perry huffed as he entered the office. He shook his head with a slight smile.

"Hey now," Ty said softly. "What's the matter?" The woman didn't raise her head or even move. Her arms simply continued to hold him tight. Ty changed his focus to Perry as his arms went around her. "How did it go?" he asked in a low voice.

"Pretty good, actually. Meredith's writing up her report."

"And?"

"From the amount of dehydration... I'd say she was wandering around on her own for about two or three days." Perry took a deep breath and sat in the nearest chair. "Meredith got the necessary samples and will send them on to the hospital for analysis."

Ty moved his gaze to the crown of the woman's head. "Any idea how old she is?"

"Twenty-Five. Twenty-Eight. Maybe older. Maybe younger."

The woman's arms tightened around Ty. "She can stay here, right?" he asked.

Perry nodded. "Of course. I've got a room upstairs where both she and Meredith can stay--"

The woman pulled back from Ty with a firm shake of her head, green eyes wide.

Ty met her gaze with a serious expression. "You'll be safe here," he assured her. "And Aunt Meredith--"

She shook her head again with a firm if quiet, "No."

Ty blinked in surprise. Okay, God. How do you want me to handle this one? Ty glanced to Perry, who only shrugged, and then looked back to the woman. "Why not?"

She only gave another shake of her head, tears glimmering as she pointed at Ty.

Ty smiled. "You can't stay with me," he refused gently. "I'm a bachelor, so I live alone."

She shook her head again, ignoring the tears that began to run freely down her cheeks. She pointed at him again, twice.

Ty again looked to Perry. "You still got that R.V.? We could park it in the driveway, I guess."

"For me or you?"

Ty laughed. "Me, of course. Geez, Perry. I wouldn't boot you out of your own house."

Perry smirked. "Sure. I'll go rustle up the keys."

"Thanks, Perry." Perry left the office, and Ty lowered his gaze back to the young woman. "Is that okay?"

She gnawed her lower lip with a cautious and small nod.

Ty motioned toward the door. "Come on. Let's see if Meredith knows where some normal clothes are."

Ty's Aunt Meredith closed the door to the room. Ty straightened from where he leaned against the opposite wall, arms crossed. His mother's sister, 'Dede' wasn't a small woman. In fact, she stood only a couple inches shorter than Ty. She had kind blue eyes, pale brown hair, and a persona that welcomed calm to those individuals who seldom had any. All in all, nursing was the perfect occupation for her, and the fact she loved her work came across in the way she approached it.

"Dede?"

Dede smiled as she motioned for Ty to follow her down the hall to the stairs leading down to the first story.

Ty fell in step beside her. "Will she be alright?"

Dede gave a slight nod. "She's had quite the traumatic experience, Tyler honey, but I believe she'll be fine. It may take a little while, and a lot of understanding on your part."

"My part?" Ty watched her profile.

Dede and Ty halted at the foot of the stairs. Ty leaned against the banister pole while she faced him. "Tyler, don't you find it a little odd how she's suddenly viewed you as her security and safety?"

Ty shook his head. "Not at all. It's the uniform. I've seen it happen more than once."

Dede changed her focus to the top of the stairs. "No," she said almost absently. "No, there's something else. I can't quite put my finger on it."

Ty followed her gaze. "Something else? As in she looks familiar to you?"

Dede sighed deeply. "I'm not sure. Maybe it's nothing." She moved her eyes back to an examination of Ty's features. "Tyler honey, we need to talk."

Ty looked over at his Aunt with a blink of surprise. "The exam?"

Dede nodded. "Let's go to Perry's office. He's waiting for us there."

Ty motioned for her to go ahead and then followed to fall into step beside her. "There's something other than dehydration, isn't there?"

"I'm afraid so."

Ty released a quick breath. "I knew it."

He opened the door of Perry's office, ushered Dede past, and then closed the door securely after him. Perry was seated behind his desk looking over a medical report. He looked up and motioned to the seats in front of him.

Ty reluctantly sat. "Give it to me straight, Doc."

"As I thought before, she's been abused on a regular basis for quite a while. We not only found scarring throughout, we also found evidence of bone fractures on nearly every major bone in her body. Some have been medically treated, many haven't. Thank God they set correctly."

Ty clenched his jaw as he ran a hand roughly through his hair. "Go on."

Dede slightly altered her position, drawing Ty's attention. "There's evidence of vaginal scaring, Tyler dear."

Ty clenched his teeth.

"The tears have healed, but there's evidence of continued sexual activity. Bruising also," Dede continued softly.

"Which means she was likely an unwilling participant, perhaps even raped at first, and then complied because of mental or physical coercion."

"I'm afraid so, dear."

A swear word would have fit nicely. Instead, Ty just rubbed at his scalp with firm strokes. "Alright, so who lives up near Baxter Road that we don't know?" Ty looked up, catching Perry's gaze. "You know as well as I do: those cabins are rented on a semi-regular basis. She could have escaped from a non-resident who took a fluke vacation with his punching bag/sex toy."

"Tyler..." Dede soothed.

Ty took in a slow breath, sending her a quick glance. "Sorry."

Dede reached out and rubbed at his upper arm and shoulder. "I know, Tyler dear. I know."

Ty released another breath, trying desperately to flush the rage and desire for revenge along with it, and looked back over at Perry. "Please tell me she's not pregnant or diseased, Doc."

"Not pregnant," Perry said, "but as for the latter? I'll need to wait for the swabs to come back from Baker City General. There isn't any inflammation or swelling, so there's a good chance condoms were used to help protect against it."

Ty felt as if his insides had gone through a lawn mower. He briefly nodded as he stared down at his hands. Finally, he looked up. "I'll get on over to Baxter Road and do some back-tracking. See what cabins are up in the vicinity where she was found and get their rental schedule." He moved his darkened gaze to his Aunt. "Keep an eye on her, Dede. Have Simone get a hold of me if you need anything. Alright?"

Dede nodded.

Ty looked back over at Perry. "See if you can get her fingerprints over to Dan. I'll have him send them up to Portland for a look in their database. Maybe someone filed a Missing Persons report."

Perry nodded.

Ty looked back to his Aunt. "Zeke mentioned a ring. Can you see if there's any kind of inscription on it?"

"I'll do my best, Tyler dear."

Ty released a slow breath and then stood. "Alright then. I'll check in with Simone and Dan at the office and then head on out."

Dede reached out and briefly gripped his hand, holding his gaze when he looked over at her. "She'll be fine, hon."

Ty sent her a slight smile, returned her comforting grip, and then turned to leave the office. He paused at the foot of the stairs, resting his hand on the banister as he looked up. "I'll be back," he whispered.

Ty gripped the banister a moment more before striding from the house and heading for the station.

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