David appeared with Lacey and a wide-eyed Sara on his heels. He came forward and carefully put his arms around her.
“From now on, you’re on a curfew,” he muttered, stepping back so Sara could hug her, too.
The girl uttered a soft cry of dismay when she saw the gauze patch on Bree’s forehead and the bloodstains on her clothing.
“I’m all right,” Bree assured her, wrapping her arms around her.
“Did they feed you?” Lacey asked. “I could make you an omelette.”
“Her omelettes look like omelettes,” Sara said. “And they’re good.”
“They gave me something called oatmeal, and yes, Lacey, I would love an omelette,” Bree said gratefully. “But first I’d like to take a shower and get into some clean clothes.”
She headed for her bedroom. The moment she closed the door behind her, she began shedding her clothing, dropping it on the floor behind her as she headed for the bathroom.
Mindful of the stitches, she directed the shower nozzle at her chest. As she allowed the water to run down her body, she did a self-examination of various bruises caused from her bouncing around. She took care in washing her hair and, once finished, felt a little more human.
When she walked into the kitchen, she found everyone but Lacey sitting around the table. The teenager was busy at the stove.
“It’s just about ready,” she announced, sliding the egg creation onto a plate.
“I poured juice for you,” Cody said, bouncing up and down in his chair.
“Sara’s right. Lacey knows what she’s doing,” Cole said around a mouthful of his own omelette.
Bree decided to wait until she’d eaten before she made her announcement. She enjoyed the cheese omelette flavored with herbs much more than the oatmeal she’d been given in the hospital, and she was quick to tell Lacey so. The girl blushed hotly at her praise.
“I’m hoping to attend a culinary academy and start up a restaurant,” she replied.
“Count me as one of your first customers,” Bree stated.
She looked at the group seated at the table watching her finish her last mouthful.
“I’m calling your aunt Wendy to see if she can put you three up for a while,” she announced. “After what happened last night, I can’t afford to take any chances.”
“No!” Sara and Cody cried.
“You can’t do this, Mom,” David argued, a steely glint in his eye.
Bree turned to him first. She smiled as she saw even more traces of his father in the stubborn look she was receiving in return.
“Yes, I can,” she said softly, but firmly. She already knew she would be truthful with them. She always had been and wouldn’t lie to them now. “I am investigating something that’s proving to be dangerous. I don’t want anything to happen to any of you.”
“I don’t want you to die,” Cody declared, his lower lip trembling.
She held out her arms. He wasted no time crawling into her lap.
“I don’t intend to,” she assured him, moving her gaze from one child to the next. “I just would feel better if you’d stay with your aunt Wendy right now.” As she said it, she noticed the look that passed between Lacey and David. Uh-oh. It was not a look she wanted to see between two teenagers.
Something else she’d have to worry about.
“It was a warning, Mom,” David stated. “Nobody wants to actually hurt us. Whoever it was just wanted to give us a good scare. They want you to back off checking out those past cases.” The expression he shot his stepmother told her he didn’t expect that to happen.
“I wanted us to go to the carnival.” Cody spoke up with a mournful air. “It’s only here for this weekend.” He caressed his mother’s cheek. His gaze silently pleaded with her.
Bree had thought the same thing as David. Running her off the road was a warning. She didn’t want to think whoever was behind this would stoop to terrorizing children. But there was always a first time. She didn’t want them to end up victims because she didn’t do everything possible to protect them.
“We could all stay together,” David said. “We’ll be in a crowded place. No one would dare try anything.”
“Power in numbers.” Cole backed him up.
Bree looked from one to the other.
“Tell you what. Let me take a nap this afternoon and we’ll go tonight as long as you all follow my rules,” she told Cody. “But tomorrow you go to Aunt Wendy’s.”
“At least she lives near a mall,” Sara muttered. She turned a bright red when everyone turned to her. “I’m trying to look on the bright side, okay?”
“A carnival sounds good,” Cole said. “Lots of junk food. Loud music. Bright lights. Rides that go so fast you want to throw up. Just the thing.”
Bree turned to Lacey. “You don’t think your parents will mind?”
She shook her head. “They went to Las Vegas for a week or so.”
“Just be prepared to watch David turn into a total carnival animal,” Bree teased, looking at her stepson. “All those midway games make him crazy.”
“I win my fair share,” he said defensively.
Bree gazed at each one, ending with Cole. He smiled and sent her a look that spoke volumes.
Taking down those shields proved much easier than she thought.
Chapter 15
The large fields on the other side of town had been transformed into a noisy, multicolored world filled with a number of rides, games and every kind of junk food a kid would want.
Bree assured Cole she was feeling better after resting all afternoon, but he couldn’t help noticing she walked slower than usual. He wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t popped more than her share of aspirin since arriving home. She’d refused the prescription for painkillers the doctor had offered.
The moment they arrived, Lacey and David took off, after promising to meet up with them in two hours. Sara complained about staying with the adults, but Cody was only too happy to stick close by when Cole offered to go on some of the more stomach-churning rides with him.
“Better you than me,” Bree murmured, squeezing Cole’s hand.
“I’ll be honest. I haven’t had a lot of experience with humans his age, so it’s a good chance for me to see how I do,” he told her, keeping an arm looped around her neck. He brought her closer and kissed her temple. “Be good to me and I’ll win you one of those huge stuffed animals.”
She laughed softly. “Sure, after you drop at least fifty dollars.”
“I think I can succeed before I go broke.”
Cole didn’t miss that Bree’s gaze swept all around them. He knew she was still angry about Roy Holloway showing up that afternoon to take a report on her accident. He also knew she didn’t like the man treating it as a true accident and not assault with a deadly weapon. After the sheriff left, Cole had listened to her rant and rave about him for a good half hour. Her insistence that the man didn’t deserve to work in animal control was the mildest thing she said about him.
“Calm down, slugger. Let’s just enjoy the evening,” Cole murmured with another kiss.
She smiled. “You can soften me up all you want, Becker. If you’re insisting on spending the night, you’re still sleeping on the couch, since Lacey’s staying over in the guest room.” She sighed. “I think she’s adopted us. Fine by me, since I think she’s a great girl. Too bad her parents don’t realize it. But damn, I think there’s way too much going on between her and David.”
“He seems levelheaded.”
“Everyone’s levelheaded until they fall in love.” She reached behind him and tucked her hand in the back pocket of his jeans.
“Come on, Cole!” Cody shouted, jumping up and down. “Tilt-A-Whirl!”
“I’ll go with him,” Sara offered.
Cole gave her a handful of tickets.
She grabbed her brother’s hand and headed for the line.
“They’re great kids, Bree,” he said.
“Yes, they are,” she said, prid
e shining in her face.
“Tonight is what they needed. A chance to forget what’s been going on and just plain be kids.” A flash of navy caught his eye. He turned his head and noticed Frank Roberts walking through the crowd. The deputy noticed him and nodded.
“One of your co-workers at two o’clock,” Cole said softly, using the time to indicate position.
Bree didn’t turn her head, but he knew she saw the man just the same.
“In a place like this you need to have that high visibility factor. It keeps the fights down.” She smiled and waved back at Cody, who waved wildly at them. “Do you see David and Lacey anywhere?”
“Nope, but I wouldn’t worry about them. David seems to be able to take care of himself.”
“He can, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t worry about anyone else trying something.”
“No worrying,” Cole chided. “This is a night for fun, remember? A night for the kids. I’d like for us to find some dark corner and neck.”
“And get caught by one of the deputies?” she laughed. “I don’t think so. Not to mention I wouldn’t care for Sara and Cody as an audience.”
Cole found himself getting dizzy as he shared a variety of rides with Cody, who only shouted with glee. When Bree offered Cole a Coke, he shook his head.
“I’m glad you think it’s funny. I used to be able to do this stuff standing on my head,” he muttered.
“Maybe you should have tried it that way,” she said all too innocently.
“Wow, Cole, how many rides did you go on?” David asked, when he and Lacey walked up to them. “You look seriously green.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “Once I find where I left my stomach. That kid has a cast-iron gut.”
“And to think you wanted to be an astronaut,” Bree teased.
“Those rides were a lot easier when I was a kid,” he confessed.
Bree brushed Cody’s hair back from his face. “You had enough?” she asked.
He nodded as he leaned against her hip.
“How about getting some pizza?” Cole asked. “By the time we reach the restaurant, my stomach should be back to normal.”
“Yes!” Cody yelled at the top of his lungs.
“I won’t turn it down,” David said, after glancing at Lacey, who gave a slight nod.
“And you thought you couldn’t relate to kids,” Bree teased, as they headed for the parking lot.
They walked down the row toward Cole’s and David’s trucks, since Bree’s SUV was out of commission. Cole momentarily paused before continuing. Only Bree noticed his hesitation.
“Three rows to the left,” he murmured for her ears only. “The end of the row.”
She shifted her gaze in the direction he mentioned and saw what he had. The last vehicle was a large truck. A dually. In the chilly night air, the truck’s exhaust showed white. Because of the noise coming from the carnival, they couldn’t hear the engine, but they didn’t need to. They already knew what it sounded like.
Cole looked at Bree inquiringly, then glanced toward the truck again.
“Want to check it out?” he asked in a low voice.
Before Bree could reply, the vehicle slowly backed up and drove down the dirt road. In moments, it was gone.
“Just wanted us to know he was there,” she murmured.
“Yeah. Stay on our tail,” Cole said to David, who nodded as he and Lacey headed for his truck.
Cole glanced around as he pulled out of the parking lot, with David close behind him. He kept an eye out for the truck as they drove toward the pizza parlor, but saw nothing. Once inside, he forced himself to relax and joke with the kids as they ate pizza. He even participated when David and Cody challenged him to the arcade games in the back.
By the time they left the parlor, they were satiated with pizza, and a sleepy Cody was leaning against Bree.
David pulled into the driveway first and activated the garage door opener. As she watched it roll upward, Bree felt the tingling sense of something wrong.
“Cody, stay with Cole,” she ordered, hopping out of the truck. She opened her fanny pack and took out her weapon. “David! Keep Sara and Lacey with you!” She ran to the keypad by the back door and disarmed the alarm.
“Mom?” Cody’s voice shook with terror.
“It’s all right, sweetie,” she told him as she moved through the brightly lit garage. “Jinx!” she called out. A chill ran down her spine when the dog didn’t respond.
When they left the house, Bree had ordered Jinx to guard. She knew he should have come to her the moment she called his name. Something was very wrong.
She went out into the backyard and found the dog lying motionless in the middle of the grass, with one of the new floodlights shining on him as if he was on exhibit.
“No.” Her throat closed up as she ran to the dog. The moment she touched him, she felt relief that he was still alive. As she examined him in the light, she found a dart buried in his side. “Cole!”
Hearing her shout, he was at her side in seconds.
“Damn,” he muttered.
“Tranquilizer dart,” she said crisply. “We need to get him to a vet.”
“Here, let me get him.” He carefully picked up the unconscious dog in his arms.
“Jinx!” Cody cried out from the front seat of Cole’s truck. He scrambled down to the driveway. “Is he dead?”
“No, honey, he’s not. Jinx is just asleep,” Bree assured him, watching as David hastily found a blanket and laid it in the bed of Cole’s truck.
“Is Eartha Katt all right?” the boy demanded.
Bree shared looks with Cole and David. “I’m going to check the house out,” she told them. “I need you two to stay here.”
“And miss out on the fun?” Cole said, tongue in cheek.
“Let’s go then.”
She kept her weapon ready as she moved through the house with Cole as her shadow. He touched her arm and nodded toward the alarm keypad. They could see it hadn’t been tripped. The kitten was sleeping peacefully in her box. David Boa was curled up in his terrarium. Nothing was out of place and nothing jangled Bree’s sixth sense. After making sure nothing was out of place, they returned to the garage.
“You stay here. I’ll take Jinx to the vet,” Cole told her. His expression was tense as he looked around. “Do you think he’ll show up around here?”
There was no question who he was talking about.
She shook her head. “This was meant to frighten the kids,” she said tautly. “Scaring them makes me angrier, because this person trespassed on my property to do this.” She rested her hand on the dog’s neck, digging her fingers into the thick fur. “Assault on a police officer,” she murmured.
“I’ll call you as soon as I know something,” he promised, kissing her on the lips.
Bree stood in the driveway watching Cole drive away.
“Nobody better have done anything to my tree house,” Cody announced, running toward the backyard.
“Cody Fitzpatrick! You don’t go anywhere without me,” she shouted, taking off after her son.
She’d barely reached the edge of the yard when her son’s screams turned her blood to ice. She sped up, reaching Cody as, still screaming, he scrambled back down the ladder, dropping to the grass. The gagging smell of death reached her at the same time.
“Let me.” David ran past her and climbed the ladder. When he came back down, his face was white. “Somebody left a couple dead squirrels up there,” he muttered.
“Do me a favor and bag them,” she said under her breath.
He nodded. “Gee, Mom, and here everyone thought moving to a small town would be safer,” he said sardonically as he walked toward the garage.
Bree looked around. She could see the indentation in the grass where Jinx must have dropped when he was shot with the tranquilizer dart. The horrible smell from the tree house was another unwelcome reminder.
“I guess I had to be wrong sometime.”
Bree�
�s worries were alleviated when Cole called to tell her Jinx was all right. The dog had been merely rendered unconscious and would be fine in a few more hours, but the veterinarian wanted to keep Jinx overnight for observation just in case. When Cole returned an hour later, Bree was waiting for him. She set the alarm as soon as he was inside.
“What happened?” Cole asked, seeing the tension etched in her face.
“Cody went out to his tree house and found two dead squirrels in it,” she said tightly. “He was afraid to go to sleep. Sara didn’t want to be alone and asked Lacey if she’d stay in her room with her.” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I want to find the person who did this and tear him into tiny pieces,” she said against the comforting warmth of his chest.
“I’ll hold them down for you.” He kept his arms around her as they walked into the family room. They sat on the couch with Bree leaning against him.
“I called my sister while you were gone,” she said in a low voice. “I asked her to take the kids for a week. She asked if something was wrong. I put her off for now.”
“Will she question the kids?” he asked.
Bree shook her head. “She’d want to, but she knows I’ll tell her when the time is right.”
“I guess our next step is to connect all the dots,” he said, also keeping his voice low.
“Exactly.” A deep sigh left her body.
She felt the gentle pressure of his lips against her temple. She reluctantly rose to her feet and headed for her lonely bed.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to figure out what step to take next.
“Lacey’s coming with us.” David stood his ground as he stared down his stepmother. He looked as if he expected an argument and he meant to win.
His truck was already packed with the kids’ belongings, and Cody carried Eartha Katt in his arms. Cole had already promised to feed David Boa.
Bree looked beyond the young man to the girl waiting a short distance away. “I doubt Wendy will mind,” she said finally. “But she’ll have to share a room with Sara.” She studied his solemn gaze. “You would have refused to leave if I said no, wouldn’t you?”
Small-Town Secrets Page 24