“I told you we’re working on the changes. It takes time.”
“This place is a safety hazard, unfit for the public. It should already be shut down.”
Boone sensed a shadow behind him and knew that Brynlee had followed him inside and was listening to this conversation. She was the last person he wanted here right now, though he did regret snapping at her earlier. She couldn’t have known what she was bringing up. But he’d told the truth—he didn’t owe her an explanation.
“We’re going to get this done,” Boone said. “You don’t have to follow up with us.”
“That’s my job.” Todd raised his pointy little chin.
“Don’t you have other business owners to badger?”
Todd smiled, still looking smug. “You’re my favorite.”
Boone fisted his hands, trying to remain in control. He counted to three. Then counted to three again. And again.
He and Todd had gone to high school together. Todd had liked Katherine and had never forgiven Boone when she’d chosen him over Todd.
Todd pulled something from his briefcase and slapped it on the counter. “I’ll be going now. Have a great day. I’ll be back to check on things again soon.”
The man nodded at Brynlee as he breezed out the door.
A moment of uncomfortable silence fell in the store.
After a moment, Boone grabbed the paper from the counter and stormed toward his office. He sat at the chair there and read the notice.
He had thirty days to get the changes done or the county was going to condemn this building.
Great.
Where was Boone going to get twenty thousand dollars for these improvements before then?
He knew the answer. He wasn’t. Though he wasn’t one to give up, that amount was just too much. He’d already applied for a loan and had been denied.
The civil lawsuit had eaten into too much of his savings and had left him nearly broke. Kat’s family had taken him to court under wrongful death charges. Everyone in town had seemed to take sides, but, in the end, the judge had ruled in his favor. Still, it had been taxing in more than one way. Thankfully, his family home was in Luke’s name, so Nancy and her husband hadn’t been able to take that away.
A knock sounded at his door, and Boone looked up to see Brynlee standing there with a sympathetic frown on her face.
“Everything okay?” she asked softly.
“Yeah, I’ll be okay.” He tried to shake the dark cloud over him, but he couldn’t. He always believed in having a backup plan. But right now, he had nothing.
She lowered herself into the seat across from him. “You don’t look okay.”
“It’s just business.” Boone thought she would leave. Would see this disaster and flee. Instead, she seemed to be settling in.
“Yeah, I know about that.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What exactly do you do for a living?”
“I own my own interior design company.”
Boone could see her in that line of work. She seemed trendy and perky enough for the job. Plus, she dressed like someone who appreciated detail and making things look nice. “I see.”
“I know all about the struggle of money being tight and fearing you won’t be able to pay employees or make ends meet.”
He resisted a skeptical grunt. “You don’t seem like the type who’s struggled.”
No, Brynlee seemed like someone who’d had things handed to her. Boone couldn’t relate. He liked working hard for what he had. It was the way his dad had taught him.
Brynlee shrugged, a slight defensiveness materializing as she lifted her chin. “You might be surprised. I have my own business, and money is often tight. I suppose I could make more if I focused on high-end clients. But I decided to focus on people who have small budgets instead. We go shopping at thrift stores and estate sales and yard sales to find things to help us decorate.”
“That’s . . . not what I expected.”
“That’s only because you made assumptions.”
That still didn’t explain her expensive car or accommodations. But those things weren’t his business, he supposed.
Before he could retort, a loud thump sounded outside.
Boone froze, listening for another signal to what was happening. The next moment, he heard a moan.
Boone turned toward Brynlee, his muscles ready to spring into action. “Where’s Chigger? Do you know?”
“He went to take some trash out.”
Something was wrong, Boone realized. Those sounds were not normal.
“Stay here,” he barked.
And then he took off toward the back.
16
Boone charged out the back door, unsure what he would find. He only knew that his gut told him something bad had happened.
He stopped just outside the door and glanced around. The creek trickled by. The water wheel churned in its flow. A deer scampered away on the mountainside.
He looked for fallen rocks but saw nothing.
A moan sounded in the distance.
Boone darted around the corner and spotted Chigger. His employee was sprawled on the ground there, and his normally tan skin looked pale.
“Chigger.” Boone knelt beside him and squinted, looking for injuries. He saw none. “What happened?”
Chigger moaned and touched the back of his head as he tried to sit up. “Skookum . . .”
“What?” Was the man delirious? Boone glanced around, looking again for a sign of anything—or anyone—out of place. “Where did this person go?”
Chigger moaned and shrugged, his gaze not quite coming into focus still. “He hit me . . . and everything went black.”
Boone rose. The hair on his arms stood as he scanned the landscape around him again.
Whoever had done this was still around here.
Was close.
He sucked in a deep breath at the realization.
But where had this person gone?
He scanned the wooded mountainside, looking for any type of clue. He saw no one. Nothing.
The man couldn’t have gotten but so far away.
Brynlee, Boone realized. What if this person had used Chigger as a distraction and had gone inside to Brynlee? Concern surged in him.
“You’ll be okay a minute here by yourself?” Boone asked Chigger.
Chigger nodded, still squinting with discomfort. “Yeah, man.”
“I’ll be right back.” Boone darted back to the store, hoping he wasn’t too late.
But, before he rounded the corner, he heard the back door slam shut. As he reached it, he grabbed the handle.
It was locked.
Someone had locked themselves inside with Brynlee, Boone realized.
He had to figure out how to get through the door. There was no time to waste.
As Brynlee heard the slam in the distance, she stood and rested her hand at her throat.
What had happened out there?
Based on Boone’s reaction as he’d darted from the office, something bad.
She backed up until she hit the wall, fear suddenly coursing through her. The emotion had become a familiar companion over the past twenty-four hours.
Who was out there? Was it the same beast who had killed those men?
She knew the answer was most likely yes.
A footfall sounded in the hallway—quiet, timid almost.
That wasn’t Boone. Boone would come thundering back in here.
Someone else was in the store, she realized. She sucked in a quick breath.
She glanced around. Was there anything in here she could defend herself with?
She saw an outstanding volunteer award. A picture of Boone beside a pretty woman with wheat-colored hair. A deer head with a hunting cap perched on top.
None of those things would work as weapons.
She shifted her gaze upward. A small window stretched at the top of the wall, but Brynlee couldn’t reach it. Even if she could, she wasn’t sure she could fit through it.
<
br /> Another footfall.
Someone was definitely in this store. Someone who wanted to remain stealthy and quiet.
Another vision of a wild beast hunting its prey filled Brynlee’s thoughts.
She was being stalked, wasn’t she?
And she had no idea what to do about it.
Whoever was out there was getting closer. He would be at the door any minute. She felt certain of it.
“Brynlee!” someone outside yelled. The voice sounded like it came from below the window.
Boone. Why was he yelling from outside?
Had he been locked out? What was going on?
She wanted to answer back. Yet she feared giving away her location. Her throat seemed to seize up on her.
Maybe she should be brave. Maybe she should face this thing head on.
But her body didn’t cooperate. She was frozen where she was. Dread dripped in her gut until she thought she would throw up.
A scratching sound sent a shiver up her spine.
The beast was in here. In the store. On the other side of the door.
And he teased her. He wanted to feel her fear, didn’t he?
She listened again.
And then nothing.
It was quiet.
Was he gone?
Or was he waiting?
And where was Boone?
Another loud bang cut through the air.
It sounded close. Too close.
Brynlee’s heart rate ratcheted again. What if this beast had found a key to the office? Or figured out another way to get her?
The next thing she knew the door to the office flew open.
She braced herself for whatever terror she was about to face.
17
Boone let out a sigh of relief when he spotted Brynlee still in his office. She stood frozen against the wall, a chair pushed in front of her and fear filling her eyes.
His relief was short-lived.
Someone had been in his store. Had locked the doors. Boone had used his shoulder to burst through the back door and get inside.
The question was: Where was this person now? He hadn’t escaped out the back door. Did that mean he was still in here somewhere?
“Stay behind me,” Boone ordered.
Brynlee didn’t argue. In three seconds flat, she was near him. Holding his arm. Close enough that he could feel her body heat.
He drew the gun from his waistband and started through the store.
Five aisles of products stared back at him.
The intruder could be behind any of them, just waiting for the right moment to pounce.
He heard Brynlee’s short breaths behind him. The woman was terrified, and rightfully so. Her life was on the line.
Slowly, Boone moved forward. He started by the front door. Scanned the aisle.
Nothing.
He moved on to the next. Then the next. And the next.
Nothing.
“He must be gone,” Boone muttered. “Maybe he went out the front door when I came in the back.”
“Who? Who’s gone?” Brynlee asked.
Boone didn’t answer. He didn’t have a good answer.
But he did need to check on Chigger again—especially if this man had gone outside.
At the thought, his employee appeared at the back door, still rubbing his head.
“I think he got away,” Chigger said. “I thought I saw something run into the woods.”
“Someone or something?” Boone clarified, his gaze still scanning the store for any signs of trouble.
“It was . . . it was hard to tell. At first, I thought it was a creature. But I think it was a man, actually, wearing a coonskin hat.”
“Are you okay?” Brynlee stepped toward him, examining his head with a womanly concern.
“I’ll have a killer headache. But I should be fine. I could use a nurse to watch out for me, though.” Chigger’s eyes twinkled as he looked at Brynlee with a childlike gaze.
For some people those words would sound creepy. Coming from Chigger, they sounded humorous and playful.
But still.
“Chigger . . .” Boone warned.
He raised his hands and took a step back. “Just putting it out there.”
Brynlee seemed to take it in stride as she shrugged. “I just called 911. They should be here soon.”
As if on cue, sirens sounded in the background.
Boone’s jaw locked as he glanced beyond Chigger at the mountainside. He didn’t like this. Not at all.
They’d all come out of that relatively unscathed this time. But there was no guaranteeing that would be the case next time.
Brynlee stood back as she watched Boone give a statement to his brother. EMTs had arrived to check out Chigger as well, and a deputy looked for any evidence around the store.
She remained near the office, trying to stay out of the way.
She still couldn’t believe that had happened. Sometimes it seemed like the whole incident had been a figment of her imagination. And then reality came crashing back.
Whoever was behind these attacks was still coming for her. Having Boone by her side wouldn’t change that. A chill rushed through her.
As Sheriff Wilder stepped outside to take a phone call, Boone sauntered over to her. The concern in his eyes touched her more than it should.
It was good to have someone looking out for you . . . the only problem was Brynlee had hired Boone for the job. Was that what her future would look like? Hiring people to take care of her because she didn’t have anyone else? Sometimes she felt so alone that she was certain that would be her fate.
“You sure you’re okay?” Boone asked.
Brynlee nodded and pushed a hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little stunned.”
“I think we all are.”
“How’s Chigger?” She pointed with her head toward him.
The man was outside, sitting on the edge of the ambulance. He looked fine as he joked with the EMTs who treated him. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but Chigger seemed to be making the best of the situation.
Boone followed her gaze. “He’s going to have a headache, but I think he’ll be okay.”
“That’s good news, at least.” Brynlee pulled her arms over her chest, her voice shifting to the serious. “Did he get a look at this guy’s face, by chance?”
Boone frowned. “No, he didn’t. Apparently, everything happened too fast.”
“Did I hear him say that this man wore a coonskin hat? Was that the only part of him that looked like an animal?”
“That’s my understanding. He wasn’t wearing a full costume of fur, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“So maybe this wasn’t the same guy.” She felt her lips curling down. But what about the scratching sound she’d heard? It was similar to the sound she’d heard outside her chalet, only more subtle. However, there hadn’t been any marks outside the door today. She’d checked for herself.
“I can’t imagine there would be two people coming after you. You’re sure this . . . this person you saw kill the men . . . was covered in fur?”
“Positive. Like I said, I thought he was a bear at first.” Brynlee studied Boone’s face. “You still don’t believe me, do you? You still think I saw a bear and that I’m crazy to entertain the idea that it was a person dressed like a bear.”
He rubbed his jaw a moment before shrugging. “I mean, you have to admit that it sounds outlandish.”
“Maybe. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
Sheriff Wilder stepped back into the store and walked toward them. “I’m going to need you two to stick around here for a while. Is that going to be a problem?”
Boone glanced at Brynlee, waiting for her response.
“I just need to make a few phone calls,” she finally said. “If I could use your office to do that . . .”
“Of course.”
“Great, then. I’ll be out of your hair.”
18
/> Boone felt the pressure of everything pressing against him.
First Todd. And now this. Add to that the fact that he’d promised to protect Brynlee, and that task was beginning to feel impossible.
If only two things had happened, he might be able to dismiss that as a coincidence.
But there was no way he could deny that someone was deliberately targeting Brynlee. He just couldn’t understand why.
Luke finally left two hours after arriving at the store. Boone decided to shut down business for the day. He just needed time away from this place. Besides, Brynlee had hired him, and here he was making her tag along with him. She hadn’t complained, and he was grateful for that.
He wandered toward the office in time to hear the end of her phone call.
“That sounds great. You’re available tomorrow? Okay. Let me know what you find out. Thank you.” She pulled her phone away and smiled a little too quickly at Boone. “Hey, there. You finished?”
He nodded. “Yeah, how about you?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” She stood and stretched.
He walked beside her toward his truck, neither in a hurry. “So, where to now?”
She paused and frowned. “I . . . don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Is there anything you need to do?”
“I was going to have a few people over to my place for wings and to play pool. Nothing important.”
“Then you should do that.”
He raised his brows. “Really?”
“Yeah, I’m okay with wings and pool.”
“Are you sure? Because you don’t really seem like the type.” No, she seemed like the type who would like fancy restaurants and days at the spa.
“Then don’t make assumptions. You might be surprised what I’m like when I don’t feel like my life is on the line.”
What was she like? These circumstances were extraordinary. They brought out the best and worst in people. He’d seen—and experienced—that many times in his life. There were do-overs he wished he could make happen. But that wasn’t reality. The truth was that people had to learn to live with the best and worst in people.
He let out an airy chuckle. “I stand corrected then. Would you like some wings and pool at my place tonight?”
Margin of Error Page 8