by Iris Abbott
He reached out a hand and lightly brushed away a stray piece of hair that was teasing Faith’s cheek. “Jasmine is lucky to have a teacher as caring as you are, Faith.”
Faith’s only reply was a weary smile and a yawn she couldn’t suppress.
He started the SUV and backed into the yard to turn around. He glanced at Faith and saw that her head was leaning against the headrest. It was going to be a quiet ride back to the sheriff’s department. He was okay with that, because he knew the sheriff’s department would be loud and bustling with activity even this late at night. He would relish the peace and quiet now while he could.
THREE
Faith hadn’t even been taking in her surroundings. She was surprised when the SUV she was riding in slowed and then came to an abrupt stop. Faith finally looked up from her lap and noticed that Cole had parked his SUV in the driveway of the house she was renting. She slowly unbuckled her seat beat and then reached for the door handle.
They had just spent a hectic and frustrating couple of hours at the sheriff’s department and it had to be closing in on two a.m. or later. Faith was completely and totally drained both physically and emotionally. She just wanted to fall into her bed and sleep for a week.
“I still don’t like the idea of you staying here by yourself. We have no idea where Tome is.” Then he reminded her of the moving shadow she thought she’d seen outside the Tome house. “If it was the murderer he may have seen you too. If it’s Tome and he recognized you, he’ll know where to find you. I don’t like the thought of that at all.”
He scrubbed his face with both hands. Something Faith noticed he did when he was really tired or really irritated.
“I don’t have enough manpower available tonight to post a deputy outside your house, and I’m just too exhausted to do it myself.”
Faith knew he meant well, but after Patrick’s controlling ways, she bristled at the thought of someone else trying to take over her life. “Look Sheriff I appreciate your concern, I really do, but the bottom line is this. I’m not disturbing Caroline or anyone else this late at night or early in the morning however you want to look at it.” She somehow summoned the energy to wave her hand in the air to make her point.
“I just want to crawl into my bed and shut out the world.” She opened the door. “You know where I live and you have my phone number. I gave my statement to the deputy you assigned to the case.” She slid out of the SUV until her feet touched the driveway. “Thanks for your help with Jasmine and thanks for the ride. Goodnight.”
Faith stumbled over her own feet a couple of times before she could get to the front door. She was just exhausted, so much for a graceful exit. Cole probably thought she was a pain in the butt and not worth the trouble. He’d leave her alone now and drive to his own house. Wasn’t that what she wanted? Then why did she suddenly feel so alone?
Cole wasn’t letting her out of his sight that easily. Thanks to Caroline he knew that Faith had been badly burned by her ex-husband. It figures that she would be a little hesitant and nervous around him. That didn’t mean he was going to shirk his responsibilities. He put the SUV in park, shut off the engine, got out, and followed her to the front door.
Faith was fumbling with the key at the lock when he walked up behind her. She was startled by his quiet approach and jumped when he placed a hand on her arm. “Oh my God, are you trying to scare me to death,” she exclaimed! “I thought we already said our goodnights. Why are you still here?” The gentle reprimand lacked any bite. Deep down Faith was warmed all the way down to her toes that Cole cared enough not to just dump her out and hurry on his way. Even if she didn’t like to be bossed around it felt good to know that he cared enough to make the effort.
Cole held his hand out for the door key. “It looks like you need my help.” He dragged a hand through his hair and then rubbed the stubble on his jaw. “You are shaking so bad you can’t even get the key in the lock.” To prove his point he slid the key home and had the door open in about two seconds. “Besides I’m already here. I might as well check over your place and make sure everything is okay. You can’t take safety or anything else for granted. I think we learned that tonight.”
Faith hated to admit it, but he had a valid point. She followed him inside and turned on the hall light. Then she waited while he went to check out the rest of the house. She leaned her back against the closed front door and just waited. After a short time he returned and gave her a smile and a nod.
“Everything looks okay. No sign of forced entry anywhere. I double checked to make sure all your windows and the back door were locked.” He caressed her cheek to offer a small amount of comfort. She looked so forlorn. He held out his hand. “Give me your cell phone and I’ll program in my number.”
Faith drew in her bottom lip and lightly bit down. Cole was so tempting, but the last thing she needed was another man coming in and taking over her life. Even though handling control over to Cole seemed mighty tempting, she resisted. “I’ll be fine. You need sleep just as much as I do. Go home Cole.”
Cole arched a brow and crossed his arms in front of his wide chest. “You can give me your phone and I’ll be out of your hair in a couple of minutes or we can stand here staring at each other until the sun comes up. It’s your call,” he insisted.
Faith let out a huff of air and dragged her phone out of her purse. She didn’t doubt for one second that Cole meant what he said. He’d stand there all night if it meant getting his way. “Fine,” she snapped. “Here it is.” She held out the phone and waited for him to take it and do what he wanted to do so he could finally leave her in peace.
Cole smiled, took the phone, and pushed several buttons. “I’m on speed dial number one now and the sheriff’s department is speed dial number two. If you see or hear anything suspicious no matter how minor it may seem give me a call. If I don’t answer my phone for any reason then call the department and speak to whichever deputy is on duty. I’ll give the deputies and dispatchers a heads up in case you need to call.” He pulled Faith into a tight hug and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek. “Take care of yourself and try to get some sleep.” He let her go and opened the door. “Remember I’m just a few houses down if you need me and make sure you lock this door behind me.” He gave her a nod and then disappeared into the pitch-black night.
Faith might be stubborn, but she wasn’t a fool. She had the door locked before the sheriff even stepped off the front porch. She watched him retreat through the small opening in the front door. He turned and gave her a final wave right before he stepped into his SUV. Faith felt the heat rise to her cheeks and she hastily stepped away from the front door and headed to the back of the house and her bedroom.
She stripped off her clothes and left them laying where they fell as she continued walking past her bed and into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and washed her face to remove some of the grime of the past few hours. The tepid water did little to revive her and she walked to the bed with both feet dragging. She threw back the covers and slid beneath the cool and welcoming sheets. She reached under the pillow to pull out the old t-shirt she usually wore at night and pulled it on before resting her head on the fluffy pillow. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to claim her.
Thirty minutes later she was still waiting. Her body was exhausted, but the thoughts inside her head were running around in circles. No matter how much she wanted the numbing comfort of sleep it didn’t seem to want her. She let out a frustrated sigh and turned on the bedside light. If she was going to be up all night she might as well do something productive. She’d been meaning to research a few new activities for her students anyway. She might as well get a head start.
She got the laptop from its sleeve and returned to the bed. She could at least be comfortable while she was doing this impromptu research. She booted up the laptop and typed a few words into the search bar. Suddenly the loud sound of crashing glass echoed through the house. Faith sat aside the laptop and jumped up from the bed. Her purse w
as next to the nightstand. She fumbled through all the junk she kept in her handbag until her hand closed around her phone. She pulled out the phone and let everything else fall unnoticed to the floor.
She should have listened to Cole she thought. Cole! He was just a few houses down! He could get here much quicker than anyone 911 could summon. Thank goodness he’d had the forethought to save his number in her phone. Now she was glad he was so stubborn. She hit speed dial number one and waited for the phone to ring. She didn’t hear any more noises coming from the front of the house, but that didn’t mean she was still alone. One ring then two, finally a gruff voice deepened even more by sleep answered.
“Duncan here,” Cole rasped into the phone. It seemed like he’d just closed his eyes to get some much-needed rest when the jarring ring of the phone woke him up.
“Cole,” Faith whispered into her phone. “I heard a loud crash coming from the front of my house. It was definitely more than the house settling.” She didn’t want him to think she was scared enough to overreact to any little noise. Suddenly what Cole thought of her was important.
That woke Cole up real fast. He sat up much straighter and gripped the phone a lot tighter. “Faith?” He had already thrown back the covers and was making his way toward the closet. He used his shoulder to hold the phone to his ear while he stepped into a pair of jeans. “What kind of crash?”
“I don’t know. I’m in the bedroom and I called you before going to check it out. It sounded like breaking glass though and a lot of it.” She chewed on her bottom lip while she waited for Cole to respond.
The thought of someone possibly breaking into Faith’s house and harming her scared the crap out of Cole. “No!” he managed to grate out through gritted teeth. “Stay in the bedroom,” he ordered. “I’m on my way over there right now.”
Faith wasn’t listening and she wasn’t going to cower in her bedroom like a frightened little girl either. She’d done enough of that over the past few years. She put on a pair of shoes, because the noise had sounded a lot like breaking glass. Then she grabbed the flashlight she kept by the bed and cautiously peered around the bedroom door. She shined the light up and down the hall, but nothing looked out of place. “I’m in the hallway,” she informed him. Everything looks fine here. I’m going to make my way to the front door. It was probably nothing.” She didn’t know if she was trying to convince him or herself. “I’ll meet you at the door.”
Damn stubborn woman! He didn’t even bother with socks or a shirt. He slipped on a pair of sneakers then he grabbed his gun and badge and ran out the front door. He sprinted toward Faith’s little rental house. He was running as fast as he could and his heart felt like it was going to pound its way right out of his chest. He trained daily to stay in shape so he knew this had more to do with his worry for Faith than physical exertion. Dread lay like a heavy ball of lead in the pit of his stomach. If trouble had come to visit her it probably wasn’t a coincidence nor was it random. It had to be connected to the Tome investigation. His fear kicked up a notch and he dug deep inside himself so that he could increase his speed and get to Faith faster.
Faith’s breathing and her heart rate both were out of control as she slowly made her way down the hall and toward the living room in the front of the house. She was positive that’s where the out of place noise had come from. She held the large flashlight in front of her gripping it tight just in case she needed a weapon. She moved it up and down and her breath caught in her throat when she got a look at the large picture window in front of the house. There was a gaping hole in the middle. Oh boy! Her landlord was not going to be happy about this.
A loud banging noise at the front door snapped her out of her worry over what the landlord was going to think. She gingerly walked around the small shards of glass scattered all over the living room floor. One look through the decorative glass in the door verified her late night visitor was the sheriff. She opened the door and invited him inside. “Thanks for coming over so soon, Cole. I don’t think there’s an intruder.” She shrugged her delicate shoulders. “There is a lot of broken glass though, so be careful,” she warned.
Cole frowned at the destruction. This was either a teen prank gone awry or a calculated act of malice. Cole had a sinking feeling it might be the latter. He’d gotten a voicemail letting him know that there was still no sign of Richard Tome. Cole didn’t think this act of vandalism was a coincidence and his blood felt like it was going to boil. He unconsciously clenched and unclenched his fists. The thought of someone wanting to harm sweet and lovely Faith affected him more than he had thought possible.
He knew he was attracted to her. He had been ever since he’d laid eyes on her that first time at Caroline’s house. The more time he spent around her the more he liked her. And the more he heard about her from mutual friends the more he wanted to know. He wanted to get beneath the protective shell she’d erected around herself and to the heart of Faith Riley. She dodged his every attempt however just like tonight and things never seemed to develop beyond a light flirtation much to Cole’s frustration. Now he berated himself for giving in and letting Faith have her illusion of control. He should have stood his ground and called Caroline himself, or better yet he should have insisted that Faith stay at his house.
The only good thing about the large shattered window in the front of her house was that he was going to finally get his way. “There’s nothing we can do about this mess tonight.” He switched from a comforting voice to his most official and intimidating tone. “Go pack a bag. You can’t stay here tonight and it’s definitely too late to be bothering Caroline and Kyle. I guess that means you’re stuck with me for the time being.”
Faith turned on the overhead light and looked at the huge rock lying in the middle of all the mess littering her once immaculate living room floor. “You won’t be getting any arguments from me this time.” She shuddered at the thought of the injuries she might have gotten if she’d been sitting on her couch when the rock had been thrown through the window. “What are the chances that this was just a bunch of kids?” Even as she said the words she knew those chances were slim to none.
“It’s possible, but not likely,” Cole informed her. “The sheriff’s office hasn’t received any complaints and these sort of things usually start out small and escalate from there.” He gave her a narrow eyed look. “You teach elementary school, this is a little beyond their scope. Have you had any run-ins with neighborhood kids?”
Faith didn’t even have to think about it. She hadn’t had any problems since she’d moved into the rental house. “No,” she was quick to tell Cole. “Everyone has been incredibly friendly to me.” She hugged herself and gave him a worried look. “Do you think this has something to do with Jasmine and her family?”
“I don’t know anything for sure right now, and I don’t want to speculate, but it’s a possibility we cannot ignore. That’s why you’re staying with me. You go ahead and pack everything you will need for a couple of days while I call this in to the office. I’ll have one of the on duty deputies come out here to investigate and file a report.”
The thought of people overrunning her once safe and comfortable home upset Faith. It made her feel like her hold on things was slipping away. Control she suddenly realized was nothing but a delusion, because one never really had complete control of his or her life. Faith sure liked to try though. She’d had enough of letting other people run her life, yep enough to last a lifetime. “Is that really necessary,” she had to ask even though deep down she knew he was right.
“Beyond a shadow of a doubt,” he sternly replied. “If this is connected to Tome and tonight’s murder and attempted murder it needs to be properly investigated and documented. Sunrise is in a few hours and I need to be in my office and hard at work shortly thereafter. Some sleep sure would be nice. I have a guest room waiting for someone and that someone might as well be you. Now grab your stuff and let’s go!”
FOUR
Faith tossed and turned in C
ole’s guest bedroom. She was still awake when the sun became high enough in the sky to cast a faded light through the thin cotton curtains over the window. She heard the solid thudding sound of a closing door and knew that Cole had left for the day. She threw back the covers and made her way to the bathroom. She wanted to take a quick shower and finish the rest of her morning hygiene routine.
It was a Saturday, so Faith didn’t have to rush off to work, but she did want to visit the rental house. She needed to notify the landlord and she wanted to start cleanup as soon as the police told her it was okay to do so. She needed to be out from under Cole’s roof and the sooner the better. As a matter of fact that very night wouldn’t be soon enough.
Sleeping under the same roof as Cole Duncan was disconcerting to say the least. She wanted to attribute her sleepless night completely to the murder of Jasmine’s mother, the disappearance of Richard Tome, and the rock that ended up in the middle of her living room floor, but she couldn’t. She knew a part of the blame went to her overactive imagination and the wicked images her mind kept conjuring up of a very naked Cole sleeping just a few doors down from her.
****
Cole Duncan looked hard at the large rock a member of the forensics team was holding up for his inspection. The words GO HOME had been written in jagged lines probably with some type of permanent marker. Nothing there to help pinpoint a suspect, but it did prove that this was personal. A commotion at the door caught Cole’s attention. He left the rock with the investigator to be bagged and tagged and made his way to the door.
He wasn’t surprised to see Faith standing there in all her glory. She’d pulled herself up to her full height and her eyes were aglow with righteous indignation as she demanded to be let into her own home. Cole couldn’t help but chuckle at the picture she made. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with. He couldn’t believe her ex-husband had managed to keep her under his thumb for as long as he did. This woman was a fighter and her feisty spirit was a turn on for Cole.