It was only seven thirty when I got home, but I was exhausted. I called the hospital to check on Juanita only to learn she was still in a coma with no change in condition. The texts from Sadie asking for an update were piling up, so I told her I was close. Of course, I felt closer to having a complete mental breakdown than finding Pratt, but she didn’t need to know that.
Something about Barclay Dietz’s note to his son was pricking the back of my mind, but I couldn’t fit the pieces together. Maybe a little libation would take the edge off enough for me to sort it out. I opened one of the bottles of Four Peaks and took a long pull. I was putting the rest of the six-pack in the fridge when I heard a thunk and a muffled voice say, “Damn it to hell.”
“What the f**k?” I hunched down and drew m
