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meeting Tex. Breakfast had been full of laughter and reminiscing of the good times in their lives. Baby had been slipped way too many pieces of bacon and sausage, but never left Tex’s side for more than a moment.  
    Finally, Tex knew it was time to go. As much as he wanted to soak in the happiness that oozed from every pore of his friends’ bodies, he couldn’t get Melody out of his mind. She was out there . . . somewhere. She had no one. No friends like this to have her back. No military buddies to help her out. She was scared, she’d said it herself. And Tex hated that.  
    So as much as he loved being around Caroline and the other women, he had to go. Baby stood up as soon as he had and pranced to the door. It looked like she was just as ready to go as he was.  
    Now Tex’s mind was going a mile a minute. He didn’t really have a plan, except to head to Anaheim and see what he could find. He’d check the hotels and see if Melody had checked in. Of course that would assume she used her real name, Melody Grace, but that was unlikely. He had a photo of her Amy had given him that he could show hotel clerks, but again, they saw so many tourists that they’d probably not be able to recognize Melody from a photo. Tex would probably have to keep relying on his computer skills to narrow down her location, but he felt better knowing he was at least hopefully in the same city as she was.  
    After a couple of hours of driving through the city traffic, Tex pulled into a hotel only blocks from the large amusement park. Everywhere he looked he was reminded where he was. There were Disney characters everywhere. It verified his belief that when Melody had asked him about his favorite character, it was because it was an easy topic of conversation.  
    Tex checked in, making sure to get a room on the bottom floor so it’d be easier to walk Baby. He brought his bag in, as well as Baby’s food and toys. He didn’t bother with the dog bed, knowing Baby would just jump up on the mattress next to him to sleep. Tex put a bowl of water on the floor and smiled as Baby helped herself.  
    He sat at the table in the corner of the room by the window and plugged in his laptop. Tex was going to start with the closed caption companies and see what he could narrow down.  
    After thirty minutes of research and searching, he sat back in the chair. He was close. Very close. He felt it in his bones. It was easy enough to find the company Melody worked for. Just that day Melody had translated a graduation back in Indiana. Apparently the way it worked was whoever hired the service would hook up via Skype. Melody would watch the event, in this case, a graduation, and she would type out whatever was being said. Then whomever was at the graduation who needed the service would use an app and watch her typed words scroll across their smartphone screen as they sat in the audience.  
    It really was amazing, and it was something Tex had never really thought about before. No wonder Mel could type so fast when they were talking. He’d always wondered, but never thought to ask.  
    Since Melody had been online that day translating the graduation ceremony back in Indiana, Tex could trace the Wi-Fi signal back to one of two places in Anaheim. Goosebumps broke out over his skin. He was close. He absently rubbed his left thigh, trying to rub out the phantom pain that was always present. With this bit of news, it looked like a good time to head out for a cup of coffee. If Melody felt safe enough to use the internet once today, he hoped she would again.  
     
    * * *  
    Melody sat against the wall of her hotel room, behind the bed, with her knees drawn up in front of her. She held her cell phone clenched in one hand and had her head resting on her knees. It was time to move on, but she’d been in California for so long now that she really didn’t want to go. If Melody was honest with herself, all she wanted to do was go home.  
    But whoever was stalking her