Danger on the Mountain

by Lynette Eason

  * * *

  Another knock on her front door didn’t have the same effect on her heart rate as the earlier one. But she was still cautious as she placed Belle in her playpen and walked over to look out the window.

  Reese was back. She couldn’t help but think about Abby’s comment that he was ready to move on.

  But was Maggie? That was a question she didn’t have an answer for right now. And didn’t need to have one. She had time to get to know him and let him get to know her. And Belle.

  She opened the door and he held up two bags from Holly Brody’s Candy Caper shop and deli. “You were kind enough to feed me lunch, I thought I’d bring supper.”

  “Hmm...thank you. But...you really came to check on me, didn’t you?” She smiled, not upset by that at all. She liked his company. She liked him. And she liked that he cared that she was safe. She felt as if she’d known him much longer than two days.

  “Guilty as charged.”

  “Come on in.”

  He stepped inside and handed Maggie the bags of food and the motion sensors, then he shrugged out of his heavy coat, mimicking Abby’s earlier actions. He hung the coat on the hook and moved into the kitchen while she placed the bags on the counter.

  “I see you had company,” he said. She lifted a brow at him and he grinned. “My awesome powers of observation. Two mugs in the sink.”

  Maggie smiled. “Abby came by.”

  He nodded. “She said she wanted to get to know you better. I’m glad she’s making the effort to do so.”

  “It was nice having company. Gets kind of lonely around here with just Belle and me.” She winced and prayed she didn’t sound as desperate as she thought she did.

  Reese gave a small, sad smile. “I know what you mean.” Then shook off the melancholy her words seemed to bring on. Had she reminded him of his wife? Probably. “So let’s eat. I’m starved.”

  “I’ll get Belle.”

  Three hours later, Belle was asleep, and Reese was gone. Maggie smiled to herself as she thought about the evening. It had been nice. Pleasant.

  Interesting.

  She’d been able to forget everything that had happened over the past couple of days until Reese said, “I’ve got the alarm company scheduled to come first thing in the morning. I hope that’s all right. He’s a friend of Eli’s and is fitting you into his busy day.”

  And she came back to earth with a thud. “It’s fine.”

  Reality wasn’t as pleasant as dinner with a handsome man, but she agreed that the alarm system was necessary. And she needed it fast.

  Maggie glanced out the window to see the cruiser sitting in his usual spot. Who was it tonight? Mitchell or one of the other deputies? She couldn’t tell because of the darkness and the tinted windows. But satisfaction and thankfulness filled her because she knew if anyone got close to the house, the lights would come on.

  Eli had mentioned having a bit of turnover lately, but she couldn’t remember the names he mentioned. Not that it really mattered. There was only one deputy she was interested in, and she wasn’t likely to forget his name anytime soon.

  As she prepared for bed, she checked her phone. One message. From her sister-in-law, Shannon. So the woman was serious about visiting. Maggie wondered how she’d found her, as she hadn’t told Shannon or anyone else where she was headed. She’d even used some of the techniques her police officer friend had told her about to cover her tracks for a while. Even though Kent had been dead, Maggie supposed she’d still been scared enough to feel as if she needed to become invisible. Being anonymous had been important to her the last few months.

  She’d needed time to heal, to figure out what she wanted out of life. To find out who she was underneath Kent’s robot. She supposed when she’d applied for a credit card last month, it probably hadn’t been too hard to track her down.

  Making a mental note to call Shannon tomorrow, Maggie checked on Belle one more time before slipping between the covers. She sent one last text to Reese, letting him know she was safe and was going to bed.

  Then she lay there, eyes closed, thinking. Her mind turned one way then twisted another. Go to sleep.

  The order did no good. Her eyes popped open. She forced them shut. After two hours of this, Maggie was ready to give up, get up and do some work, when a sound from the hallway startled her into sitting straight up in the middle of the bed.

  Heart thumping, she peered out of her open door. What had she heard? Not moving, she just listened. Heard the sound of her own breathing. Maggie swung her feet to the floor. The blanket slipped from her shoulders and she pushed it to the side. Rising from the bed, she padded on silent feet into the hall. Belle’s door stood open the way Maggie left it every night. The nightlight glowed, casting shadows Maggie used to think were comforting. Now they taunted her, their eeriness causing the hair on the back of her neck to rise and goose bumps to pebble up and down her arms.

  Shivering, she walked into the den and crossed to the front door.

  She checked the knob.

  Locked.

  Her blood slowed its frantic race through her veins. Maybe she’d fallen asleep after all and had been dreaming.

  She walked into the kitchen, her bare feet soundless on the cold hardwood floors. Taking a deep breath, she flipped on the light.

  And let the breath out slowly. All looked like she’d left it before heading to her bedroom earlier. A quick glance at the clock on the microwave said it was a little after 1:00 a.m. She turned the light off and blinked until her eyes adjusted again. Turning, she stepped and nearly screamed. Something soft—and squishy—slid between her toes.

  Only the thought of waking Belle kept the scream from erupting from her throat. Gasping, she slapped the light switch once again and looked down.

  A dark brown substance stained the floor next to her foot. “What—?” she whispered. Her stomach turned and she grimaced.

  Kneeling, she touched the brown goo, lifted her finger to her nose and sniffed.

  Dirt.

  Relief threaded through her. Not blood or anything else along those lines. Just dirt. She could handle dirt.

  Then she stiffened. But how had it gotten here? Had Reese tracked it in? But no. It hadn’t been there when she’d gone to bed.

  Her gaze flew to the kitchen door that led out to the small porch that overlooked the backyard. Now she noticed the dark round spots on the dark floor. Small round wet drops and traces of mud led from the door.

  Her heartbeats came faster. How? Who? She’d locked the door. Double-checked it even after Reese had given the knob a test from the outside.

  She heard something coming from her office and froze, her breath hitching in her throat.

  Was someone in her house?

  Belle.

  Maggie raced down the hallway and into the baby’s room.

  The empty crib mocked her.

  SEVEN

  Reese rolled over and punched his pillow. He’d just checked with Jason White, the deputy assigned to guard Maggie’s house tonight. Everything was fine. Quiet. She’d had her lights off now for a couple of hours.

  It all sounded good. Maybe the robbers had decided to give it up. To stop hounding Maggie.

  Right. He wished he believed that.

  It would be nice, but he didn’t live in a fantasy world. Reality was that Maggie was a target and until they caught everyone behind the attempted robbery, she would remain a target.

  So the simple solution would be to find the other robbers. Hopefully, they’d hear something tomorrow. Reese glanced at the clock, sighed and rose. He walked to the window and pushed back the curtain just enough to look out across the lake. Maggie’s place was lit up like a Christmas tree once again. He could make out the cruiser at the end of the gravel drive.

  Reese couldn’t say he was entirely comfortable with the placement of the cruiser. Where Jason sat, he could only see one side of the house. But when the man was making rounds, he walked the perimeter at least once an hour, staggeri
ng his timing so as not to have a pattern anyone could count on.

  Reese rubbed his eyes and turned to head back to bed when a flash of red then blue flickering through the trees caught his attention.

  “What’s going on?” he whispered aloud. He waited, watching to see where the lights were headed.

  Realized they were cruisers.

  Cruisers heading toward Maggie’s.

  His gut clenched. Something had happened.

  Bolting back to his room, he snagged his sweats and threw them on. Then he grabbed his gun and raced for his back door.

  The sound of shattering glass brought him up short, and he turned to see a small round object on his bedroom floor. Reese’s only thought was to make it out of the house before the bomb in his bedroom exploded.

  * * *

  Maggie felt her knees buckle. “Belle!”

  Gathering her strength, she turned and raced to the front door and threw it open. The cruiser still sat at the end of her drive. “My baby’s missing!”

  At her frantic cry, Deputy Jason White opened the door and stepped out. The motion sensors blazed on. “What?”

  Maggie felt tears slip down her cheeks. “Belle, she’s not in her crib, she’s...gone.” The last word ripped from her throat and she thought she might throw up.

  Before she could race back into the house, a loud crack ripped through the night air. Maggie spun around to see a bright flash light up the night sky. Across the lake.

  Right where Reese’s house was.

  Reese’s house?

  She gaped then darted back into her house, desperate to find Belle. Please, let Reese be all right. And please, please let me find my baby.

  Sobs threatened to rip from her throat, but she couldn’t afford the luxury of a good cry right now.

  She went straight to the empty crib and gripped it with both hands as though touching it would allow her to touch Belle.

  Deputy White stood behind her, speaking into his radio.

  A high cry sounded. She froze as hope flooded her. “Belle?” she whispered as she ran toward the sound. The deputy again followed, his footsteps pounding right behind her.

  Maggie rounded the corner of the door and raced into her office. She came to skidding halt on the hardwood floor. She blinked to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. Belle stood in the playpen, holding on to the side, bottom lip quivering. Maggie rushed to her and snatched her against her. “Isabella, oh baby, you scared me to death.”

  “Is she all right?”

  “Yes.” Maggie inspected the little girl, running her hands over her head, her ears, her lips, her little fingers. “Yes, she’s fine.”

  With the blinds drawn, flashing blue and red lights lit up the room as she carried Belle into the den. The deputy who’d been with her up to this point opened the door and let Eli Brody and Cal McIvers in.

  “Maggie?” Eli asked. “What’s going on?”

  “What happened?” Reese demanded as he stepped inside behind Eli and Cal. “I heard the sirens then saw all the commotion over here and got here as fast as I could.”

  Maggie nearly lost it when she spotted Reese. “Your house?”

  “Someone tossed an explosive in my bedroom as I was racing out. Fortunately, I got out before it went off.” He glanced at Eli and Cal. “Fire trucks are on the way. We’ll deal with that after we deal with this.”

  He’d left his own burning home to get to her, to make sure she was all right. The wild worry in his eyes conveyed a lot to her at that moment. She held herself together, clung to Belle and said, “Someone was in here. Someone moved Belle from her crib to the playpen in my office.”

  Eli and Cal exchanged a look. Deputy White nodded. Reese frowned. “Tell us what happened.”

  “I was trying to sleep,” Maggie said, “and not being very successful at it when I heard a faint noise in the hall. I got up to check it and I came into the kitchen where I stepped in mud.”

  “Mud?” Cal lifted a brow.

  “Yes. On the kitchen floor. Someone tracked it in.” Reese went into the kitchen and the others followed. Maggie pointed to the floor. “See? It leads from this back door.”

  “Where does it go?” Eli asked.

  Maggie shook her head. “I don’t know. When Belle wasn’t in her crib, I lost it.”

  “But she was in the playpen,” Reese said. “Odd.”

  “Are you sure you didn’t leave her in there and just thought you put her in the crib?” Deputy White asked.

  Maggie stared at the deputy who’d been sitting in the cruiser outside her house while someone had been inside. “No, Deputy White. I didn’t misplace my daughter. Someone moved her.” The thought made her sick and she placed a kiss on top of the baby’s head. Belle clapped her hands together and laughed, unaffected by the interruption of her sleep or the excitement going on around her.

  Eli nodded then grimaced as he looked around. “Now that we’ve tracked all over it, let’s make this an official crime scene. An attempted kidnapping. I’ll get the kit. Maggie, I need you to take Belle back into the den and stay put while we see what we can do out here.” He looked out the window toward Reese’s home. “You’d better head back over there.”

  “I’ll take care of that soon enough.” He didn’t look worried, but Maggie felt horrible that he was here with her when he was losing his home. His eyes softened as he looked at her, as though he knew what was going on inside her. “Go. It’s all right. I didn’t have anything too valuable anyway.”

  Maggie swallowed hard. She carried Belle into the den as ordered, but didn’t sit. She hovered in the background to watch and listen. Because now she wasn’t just scared...

  ...she was mad.

  * * *

  Reese slipped the mud from the kitchen floor into the evidence bag and ran his fingers across the top, sealing it. His thumping heartbeat had slowed considerably once he realized Maggie and Belle were safe, but his reaction to the flashing lights and sirens headed toward Maggie’s house floored him.

  He’d been terrified, more so than the moment he’d realized what was on the bedroom floor. His all-consuming fear of something happening to Maggie and Belle had nearly paralyzed him.

  Reese looked at the deputy who’d been charged with keeping watch and wondered what the man had been doing while someone had been breaking into Maggie’s house.

  Anger rolled through him and he took a deep breath, pushing back the desire to lash out at the deputy and demand to know if he’d been sleeping on the job. Instead, he ran a hand through his hair and said, “Dust the doorknob for prints, would you?”

  “Sure.”

  Reese followed the trail of dirt with his eyes then with his feet as it took him out of the kitchen, into the small foyer area and down the hall. A drop here, a drop there. The trail led straight into Belle’s room. He was surprised Maggie hadn’t stepped on either a water droplet or some of the mud before she’d found it in the kitchen.

  Eli came up behind him. “Cal checked the door to the kitchen. No forced entry.”

  “Someone knows how to pick a lock?”

  Eli shrugged. “Possibly. Or Maggie left it unlocked.”

  Reese was shaking his head before Eli finished the statement. “She’s too careful about that. There’s no way she left the door unlocked.”

  “The motion sensors didn’t come on until Deputy White got out of his car,” Maggie said.

  “That means he didn’t come through the front door. What about the door off the kitchen? That’s where he gained access to the house.”

  Jason said, “I’ll check.”

  Reese continued to follow the trail of mud, although it was faint now and he found fewer signs of the dirt as he went along to her office. But there beside the playpen was a trace of it. He could hear Belle starting to fuss and wanted to join her.

  He looked inside the playpen and his eyes landed on a piece of paper. Snapping on the pair of gloves Eli handed him, he reached in and snagged the paper by the edge. He read aloud,
“I could have taken her. Keep your mouth shut or you’ll die like him.”

  He heard a quick, indrawn breath from behind him and turned to see Maggie standing in the hall, Belle on her hip. The baby rubbed her eyes and let out a wail. Maggie absently shushed her and asked, “What?”

  Her pale face and trembling lips had him striding toward her. He handed the paper to Cal who bagged it. “Come back in here.” Reese led her back into the den where she collapsed onto the couch.

  Deputy White poked his head in the door. “The light over the kitchen door is broken.” He shook his head. “I never heard it. I was doing my perimeter check like I was supposed to, I promise.” He frowned, his face pale. “I...I’m sorry.”

  Reese just shot him a dark look. He left the others to finish the evidence gathering and reached out to take a squirming, whining Belle. Shock crossed Maggie’s face, but she let him take the baby. He settled her on his lap and she looked up at him with those big brown eyes, her fussiness forgotten for a moment.

  He swallowed hard and focused on Maggie. “Whoever broke in had no intention of taking Belle. He wrote that note before he got inside.”

  Eli ran a hand down his face and agreed. “He came here first, left the note, then went straight to Reese’s house. He didn’t want to take a chance on the explosion waking you up before he got in here and left his little message.”

  Maggie swallowed hard. “So what does this mean?”

  “He’s afraid you’ll testify.”

  “But he’s not even in custody,” she sputtered.

  “But his partner is,” Eli reminded her.

  “But die like...who?” she asked.

  Reese drew in a deep breath and looked in the direction of his home. “Me.”

  * * *

  Maggie didn’t sleep much that night after everyone left. Instead, she worried. She knew she shouldn’t, but she did. Cal McIvers sat outside her home the rest of the night, and she worried about him being too tired to stay awake. She worried about Reese and his damaged house, and she worried about keeping Belle and herself safe.

  She walked into her office and saw the envelope on her desk. The one she’d meant to mail, but had forgotten in the chaos of worrying about everything.