Hidden Danger

by Jennifer Pierce

  He kept a constant lookout, scanning for any moving shadows and listening for any unusual noises that might indicate someone was encroaching on the house.

  "Cody?" Maggie's gentle voice pulled his focus from the window. She was squinting at him in the dim light. "Are you bleeding? Were you shot?" She moved to get up, but he motioned her to stay where she was.

  He looked down at his arm. The constant stinging hadn't let him forget that he had been hit by something, but he couldn't focus on his injuries yet. There hadn’t been another shot since the first one, but he didn’t want to test the waters.

  "Relax, Magpie. It's only a scratch. I’ll live." He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Sirens reached his ears before the red flashing lights came into view. Finally, backup has arrived. One cruiser pulled into the drive and screeched to a halt yards from the front steps.

  "Maggie, stay here while I go talk to my deputy." Unlocking the deadbolt, he opened the door and scanned the porch. Once the area was secured, he and Maggie needed to talk.

  He stepped out onto the lit porch, every muscle in his body tensed, waiting for another shot. Deputy Grainger met him at the bottom of the porch steps and then followed him to his car.

  “There was a single shot from somewhere on the other side of my car. We'll need to search the area. Dee is supposed to be sending out the K9 unit, as well. Once they're here we can see if there’s a trail.”

  As he finished updating Grainger, three more cruisers pulled in, Deputy McKinley in the lead. Deputy Peters and his K9 partner, Luna, followed, and Deputy Minton was the last. They exited their cruisers and walked toward him waiting on his instructions.

  “Grainger. You, McKinley, Peters, and Luna secure the perimeter. See if Luna can get a scent of whoever was here. Minton, I heard the bullet hit the railing on the porch. Grab your evidence kit and see what you can find.”

  The front door opened, and Maggie stepped out on to the porch. He jogged to her. How am I going to protect her if she isn't going to listen?

  “Maggie, what are you doing out here?” Does she not realize someone just took a shot at her? For all we know he's still out there watching. “We haven’t finished canvassing the area. This is a crime scene. Go back inside until everything is cleared.”

  “This is my father’s property, and someone is targeting me. I want to know who and why.” Maggie’s defiant eyes dared him to argue.

  How he’d missed those big, beautiful, green eyes. There was a time he thought he would get to look into those eyes every day for the rest of his life. No. You did what was necessary, what was best for Maggie, no matter how much it hurt.

  She looked away and waved her hand in the direction of the deputies. “Besides, now that the cavalry is here, I really don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to hang around. I’m not going to let anyone scare me away.”

  Her stubborn streak was cute when they were younger, but right now she was playing with fire. He set his jaw.

  “Listen, Maggie—”

  “Sheriff, come take a look at this,” Deputy Minton interrupted. Cody walked the few feet to where Minton was crouched. Maggie was right on his heels, like when they were kids.

  He followed Minton’s gaze to a small cloth square lying on the porch not far from the front door. Cody pulled his multipurpose tool from his pocket, squatted down in front of the object, and used the plier tool to move it. It was a beanbag. Written in small block letters were the words one for sorrow. Their shooter hadn’t been shooting to kill. He was trying to scare Maggie. The note gave him an alarming sense of déjà vu, sending his thoughts back to the first case he’d worked after being elected sheriff.

  “One for sorrow. That's what the caller said.” Maggie's soft voice echoed from behind him.

  “It looks like it ricocheted off the porch column, splintering a portion of it, and landed here,” Deputy Minton informed them, pointing out the trajectory the beanbag had taken.

  So, the splintered wood was what had hit him as he had grabbed Maggie. “Bag it. Maybe we can get something useful off it,” he directed toward Minton, then turned to Maggie. “We need to talk.” He placed his hand on her forearm and led her to the front door.

  She abruptly pulled her arm from his grasp. “Yes, Sheriff, I suppose we do.” She turned on the lights and headed to the kitchen, leaving him standing in the living room.

  “You can still call me Cody. You didn’t have a problem doing so about thirty minutes ago.” He leaned against the kitchen island.

  “Okay. Talk.”

  “First and foremost, please tell me those are not the same duck slippers Jake bought you for Christmas when you were fifteen.” He tried to lighten the mood. She was already dealing with the loss of her father. She didn’t need this craziness piled on top of it.

  Her face blushed. Was she surprised that he would remember those slippers? “No, they are not. Now onto official business or you may leave.”

  “Can you tell me what happened up until you came out on the porch hollering?”

  “You had called me. After I hung up, I gathered my stuff for a bath. The phone rang again. I assumed it was you, so I ignored it.” She reached into the cabinet, pulled out a thermos and filled it with fresh coffee from the maker. She must have started a pot after he’d gone out to investigate.

  “After my bath, I came down and saw that I had two messages, so I checked them. I was walking away when the phone rang again. You know the rest.” She grabbed several coffee cups from the shelf and set them in front of Cody. He placed his hand over hers. Her hand was as soft as he remembered.

  “Magpie, listen.” He softened his voice.

  She yanked her hand from his, “Cody, please don’t. I can’t do this.” Tears pooled in her eyes. “Here’s some coffee and cups. Take them to your men.” She turned and quickly walked from the kitchen.

  Picking up the thermos and tray of cups, he went back out to his officers. There was work to do now. Maybe a couple more days would calm her emotions.

  As he walked out the front door, one of the deputies signaled to him. Hoping they had a lead and could wrap this up quickly, he set the cups and thermos on the hood of one of the squad cars. “Ms. Jones was gracious enough to provide coffee. Tell me what you found.”

  Deputies Grainger and McKinley ambled up. Deputy Grainger was the first to speak. “We searched the area to the north until we got to the road. We couldn't find anything. There wasn't a car parked on the road as we came in, so I doubt our shooter escaped that way. We circled around and searched the woods surrounding the house. There’s a small creek about a quarter of the mile to the south. Luna seemed to pick up a small trail there but then got confused and kept running us in circles.”

  “So, other than the bean bag, and the broken wood on the porch, we don't have any evidence?” Except the ache in my arm. “Whoever this guy is, he’s good, and he knows the area. Okay, do one more sweep of the woods, and I'll make sure the outside of the house is secure.”

  He walked the outside perimeter with a flashlight, inspecting every visible inch. All the windows were intact, and there was no evidence of anyone being around the windows or the back door. He checked the detached garage, and it was secure as well. He slowly climbed the porch steps with Deputy McKinley right behind him and knocked on the door. Maggie’s exhausted voice invited him in. She lay cuddled on the couch with a book. Her auburn hair was disheveled, and her eyes were tired.

  “Maggie, we canvassed the area and couldn’t find anything or anyone. I want a deputy to check all the interior doors and windows of the house as a precaution. Would that be okay?”

  She nodded her consent. He turned and nodded to Deputy McKinley.

  “Has anything else weird or unusual happened since you’ve been back in Whitehaven?”

  He listened as she told him about the damaged mailbox and the vandalism. He couldn’t figure out who would want to target her in any way, much less a motive for doing so. He made a mental note to call the security a
gency and see if they could reach Jake. He didn’t want Maggie alone and, knowing her, she would refuse any help he tried to offer.

  Deputy McKinley joined them in the living room. “The house is secure, sir. All windows and exterior doors are locked.”

  Cody nodded at McKinley, who returned the nod before exiting the house.

  “Magpie, what happened tonight is an indication that someone doesn't want you here. I don’t think it would be wise for you to stay here alone until we can find out who did this. Please consider staying somewhere else until we do.”

  She stood with an air of frustration, tossing the covers and book to the side. “You and your deputies have been here for hours, and you just said the area was secure. It’s late, and there’s no sense in me trying to get a hotel at this time. I think I’ll be fine.”

  “If that’s what you want. I’ll have a deputy stationed outside for the rest of the night. If you need anything else, anything at all, please call the office. I understand you don’t want to have anything to do with me but don’t let your stubborn streak put you in harm’s way.” He walked out the door, and she closed it behind him. He didn’t move until she secured the deadbolt.

  Chapter Three

  The ringing of the house phone woke Maggie from much needed sleep. She stretched and looked at the clock on the mantel—8:30 a.m. She must have finally been exhausted enough to let sleep consume her. After the mysterious caller last night, she was almost afraid to answer the phone. I'm not going to let this creep win. He will not scare me into hiding.

  “Hello?” Did she really sound that shaky?

  “Ms. Jones, this is Gary at Pete’s Hardware. I thought I would call and let you know the paint you ordered is in.”

  Relief washed over her. She’d ordered basic white paint over the phone from home, knowing her father and his lack of upkeep would mean the whole house, inside and outside, would need painted. “Thank you, Gary. I'm going to be in town later this morning. I'll pick it up then. I’m also going to need an exterior primer. Do you have any in stock?”

  “Let me check. I'm going to put you on hold for a sec, okay?”

  Tacky hold music started playing on his side of the line.

  The house and surrounding area had finally been cleared, and Cody and the deputies had departed around two o’clock in the morning. After they left, a feeling of unease had enveloped her. Even though there had been a deputy stationed outside, she’d been suspicious of every sound.

  She'd gone to her father’s room and found his pistol exactly where he had always kept it. Though she hadn’t shot a gun since he had taken her and Jacob to the gun range when she was fourteen, it had brought her some peace of mind.

  But the biggest comfort had come from her Bible. She had begun reading in Proverbs. Chapter eighteen, verse ten resonated with her. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe.

  “Maggie? We do have some primer. I'll put it with your exterior paint. Are you going to need any other painting supplies?”

  “I'm going to have to look and see what dad has lying around. I'll make a list and pick it all up later. Thank you so much.”

  “You're very welcome, and I'll see you later.”

  She placed the cordless phone on a charging station in the living room and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. The cabinets were pretty bare, but she remembered seeing a granola bar in one of them. She’d have to get some groceries while she was in town.

  Grabbing a notebook and pen from the junk drawer in the kitchen, she took her granola bar to the table to make a list of things that needed to be added to her to-do list. The first thing on that list was the red mess.

  A knock at her front door interrupted her train of thought. She set her granola bar down and walked to the living room.

  Before she reached the door, there was another knock. “Margaret, it’s Amelia from church.”

  Her former youth leader? That was a surprise. She hurriedly opened the door. Before Maggie had a chance to welcome Amelia, she’d grabbed her and smothered her in one of her famous bear hugs.

  “This was on your porch when I pulled up.” Amelia handed Maggie a small white box

  “Amelia, what on earth are you doing here?” She took the box and invited Amelia into the house.

  “Jacob told me you’d be in town this month. I’m still the youth leader, and I’m teaching the youth about service. What better way to teach it than to put it into action?” Amelia gave a small shrug.

  “My condolences on your father. I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to make it to the funeral. We were on a mission trip, and I didn’t even know he had passed until we returned. I really wish I could have been here for you.” She reached out and grabbed Maggie’s hand. “But I can be here for you now. Why don’t you let our youth help around with the things you need done? I see painting will be a priority.”

  Maggie set the box on the coffee table and gestured for Amelia to have a seat next to her on the couch. Amelia had always been a helper. She had a servant’s spirit, as Maggie’s mother would put it. She was always the first to volunteer when work needed to be done. When her mother had died seven years ago, Amelia had baked a casserole for them every other night for a month. She'd been a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, and had wisdom beyond her years.

  Maggie had missed her. After she left Whitehaven, she had kept in touch with Amelia through email but eventually that stopped. She’d gotten so busy with school and writing. She’d come home to visit her dad all the time, but she’d never left the house. Dad always had everything she needed.

  “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t have the supplies yet. I’ll be heading into town later to pick them up. Plus, I don’t know if you heard, but there was an incident here last night. Kind of a creepy thing—someone was watching the house, trying to scare me. No one was hurt, it’s probably nothing more than a joke, but I’d rather the youth not be here in case there is a real threat.” Not to mention the fact that allowing a bunch of juveniles to paint could be disastrous. No. She’d do the painting, make sure it was done right. They needed the house to sell quickly.

  “Oh, no! I hadn’t heard. Thank God no one was hurt.” She closed her eyes and looked heavenward. “Well, we’ll put off having the youth come, but maybe I can get some of the adults to help. Since I’m here, tell me what’s new in your world.”

  “There’s not a lot to tell. I went to college, graduated, and now I work as an elementary school librarian.” Maggie turned more toward Amelia, and brought her leg up, lacing her foot under her other leg.

  “Any special fellows in your life? Cody’s still single, you know.” Amelia wiggled her eyebrows.

  “No. No special man. And Cody Smith is in the past. Not a mistake to be made again.”

  Amelia placed her hand on Maggie’s knee. “You know, back in youth group, he’d always been a handful. Causing all kinds of ruckus and chasing the girls. Until that summer your momma died that is. He changed that summer. You two may have been able to fool everyone else, but I knew you were seeing each other. You’re the reason he changed, you know.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean.” Maggie’s neck heated. She didn’t think anyone had known about their relationship.

  “Oh, honey. That boy was head over heels for you. Even after you left. He moped around like a sad puppy. He’s been single ever since.”

  If Amelia was right, why had he broken up with her? If he’d really loved her, why would he cause so much pain?

  The phone rang, saving her from having the conversation about how her relationship ended. She grabbed the phone from its cradle. “Hello.”

  “Maggie. Good thing I caught you.” Gary’s voice echoed over the line. “I know I told you this morning that we had some exterior primer, but I didn’t realize it was on hold.”

  Maggie put her hand over the receiver. “It’s Gary from the hardware store. I’ll be just a minute.”

  “No worries. I need to be going anyway. I’ll
see myself out.” Amelia reached across the couch and gave her a hug before leaving.

  “That’s all right, Gary. Can we order some?”

  “That we can, but it will be a couple days before we can get it in. The order for this week’s first truck has already been sent in.”

  “That’s fine. I’m in no hurry.” In reality, she was. She didn’t want to have to keep staring at the words scrawled across her house, but she also didn’t have the time to drive to neighboring towns to see if they had what she needed.

  “Good. Good.”

  “I’m going to make that list of supplies and still come get them and the paint today though.”

  “I’ll see you later then.”

  She hung up the phone and walked to the kitchen to make an inventory of her painting supplies. She started singing her favorite hymn, “Victory in Jesus,” while she dug through the kitchen supply closet. She started with her favorite verse, the one about angels singing and the old redemption story.

  She stacked the supplies she could find on an old paint tray, and she turned to put them on the island when a man standing in her doorway startled her. She yelped, dropping the tray and scattering everything across the floor.

  “Sorry to startle you. I was about to knock on the door when Amelia opened it. She said you were on the phone. I knocked and called your name, but you didn’t answer. Now I know why.”

  The cadence of her heart started to slow when she recognized Cody. How long had he been standing there staring at her? She took a moment to take in his handsome figure leaning against the doorframe, his hands in his jeans’ pockets. Memories of them together in that same kitchen years ago slowly crept into her mind.

  “What can I help you with today, Sheriff?” She bent over to pick up the mess. Cody stepped into the kitchen and bent over to help. His presence filled the room. Her breath hitched as if there wasn’t enough air. They piled everything onto the tray she had been holding. As he took the tray from her, his hand rested on hers. Warmth radiated up her arm, threatening to go straight to her heart, but she snatched her hand away, not daring to feel anything more. He set the tray on the counter and she turned away quickly, unwilling to look at him. Buying time, she walked to the sink and washed her hands. She dried her hands on a kitchen towel before turning her attention to the tray on the counter. Studiously ignoring him, she started laying things out to take inventory before her trip into town.