She sighed heavily and padded down the stairs, only to stop short on the bottom step. The rapid shift in momentum nearly made her stumble.
Her front door was cracked open.
Savannah tried to make a sound, but her throat was constricted. A primal fear she was unfamiliar with made her dizzy, and she gripped the stair rail tightly.
She walked slowly toward the door, raking her mind for the possibility that she had left it ajar when Eliana and Micki had left hours earlier. She knew in her heart that it wasn’t true, but for sanity’s sake, she reasoned with herself that it must have been. If someone was in her house, she would know. Wouldn’t she?
She closed the door and entered her study, slowly and quietly. It was empty. She reached for the fire poker and clutched it so tightly that her hand would bear the marks of the wrought iron design for hours. Savannah could feel tears form behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
“You Are My Sunshine” suddenly blasted from the kitchen, so loud that the speakers were crackling, so loud that Savannah couldn’t hear the sob that escaped from her throat.
She started to run toward the front door, poker in hand, and found that it was open once again. She screamed, unable to justify that all it would do is reveal her location, and turned away from the door, thinking the intruder could be standing right there, waiting.
The music continued to assault all of Savannah’s senses. She tried covering her ears, but it was futile.
As the song continued, she ran toward the stairs, blind with fear, reason forgotten, moving forward on instinct alone.
She made it to her bedroom, where she slammed the door and locked it, her hands shaking so profusely that it took her three times to push the button in properly. From the kitchen, she could still hear the blasting music, now only slightly muffled.
In a momentary flash of unmitigated relief, Savannah spotted her cell phone on the edge of her nightstand. She stumbled over to it, falling to her knees. She texted Micki with trembling hands.
He is in the house. Please come now. Please help me.
The speakers continued to blare the happy tune, creating chaos within the terror that cloaked her. Savannah covered her ears again, crying openly. She looked at her phone to see the text message bubbles appear, then immediately disappear.
I’m coming.
Savannah wept in a stomach-turning mix of relief and terror.
Thank God she’s not here. Savannah allowed herself a moment of gratitude that her daughter was at a sleepover instead of being traumatized by the monster in her house. The music continued to play, the song set to repeat, while Savannah waited the longest six minutes of her life, curled against her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, the fire poker still firmly in her grip.
* * *
Micki screeched to a halt in front of Savannah’s house, her tires leaving tread marks on Kensington Road. She jumped out of her car, not bothering to close the door. She leapt onto the front stoop, ignoring the steps completely. The door was cracked open.
She quickly unholstered her standard-issue Glock 22, the weapon she favored when she was off duty, holding it tightly near her shoulder with both hands. Micki kicked the door open the rest of the way, momentarily confused by the blaring music. She checked the hallway and study, her heart beating rapidly. She made her way to the kitchen, where Savannah’s Bluetooth speakers were bursting to capacity. She pressed the pause button with her knuckle and turned with her weapon pointed straight ahead of her, thankful that the racket was no longer pulsating through her ears.
The downstairs was clear.
Micki made her way upstairs, her back against the wall as she listened for signs of commotion. She was grateful that she didn’t hear anything, but her anxiety began to grow as what the silence could mean began to infiltrate. She pleaded with any higher power listening that she wasn’t too late.
She confirmed every room upstairs was empty, including Eliana’s, before finally making her way to the only closed door on the upper floor. She turned the knob, and it didn’t budge. She couldn’t risk calling out and letting the intruder know she was there if he was, in fact, in the room.
Micki backed up a step, raising her booted foot toward the door. She lunged forward, adrenaline giving her super-strength. The door slammed loudly against the wall.
She saw Savannah sitting against the bed, making a move to stand. Micki put her hand up to stop her. “Are you alone?” she asked as she gently eased the closet door open. Nothing.
“Yes,” Savannah whispered.
Micki made her way to the attached bathroom, where she violently pushed aside the shower curtain with her gun drawn. Empty.
Feeling moderately confident that no one was in the house any longer, Micki holstered her pistol and rushed over to where Savannah was still sitting immobile.
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly, kneeling down next to her, kicking the fire poker away.
“What kind of a stupid question is that?” Savannah spat, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks. “Do I look okay?” Despite her words, Savannah reached out, her arms circling tightly around Micki’s neck. She held on to her and cried.
Still rigid, Micki’s eyes widened at the uncharacteristic show of vulnerability. Cautiously, Micki wrapped her arms around Savannah’s waist, and she rested her chin on her shoulder. For a brief moment, she closed her eyes and inhaled Savannah’s unmistakable scent. Lavender mixed with something heady, like musk. It was a little bit like heaven.
“I got here as quickly as I could.” Micki gently rubbed Savannah’s back in wide circles.
“I know. Thank you for coming.”
Micki nodded into her shoulder, unsure what to say. Of course she came. She was angry at herself for leaving at all earlier that evening. She’d had a feeling something was off, and she’d ignored it.
“I don’t know how he got in,” Savannah said, pulling back from the embrace. She wiped at her eyes. “I know I locked the door, Micki. I know I did.”
“I’m sure that you did. We don’t know how long this person has been watching you. Maybe they did something to the locks or found another way in. I’ll have the locks changed this week. We’ll figure it out, I promise,” Micki said, reaching out again and brushing Savannah’s dark hair away from her face. Touching her was sort of…nice.
“I can’t live like this. Maybe I should go away for a while. Take Eliana and just leave.” Savannah looked up at Micki with wide eyes glittering with tears from a seemingly endless well that she probably didn’t even realize existed.
Micki shook her head emphatically. “That is the complete opposite of what you should do. We can’t let them win. Eliana needs safety and stability; the town needs you here to ensure things continue to run smoothly. I need you here,” Micki said without thinking. At Savannah’s look, she quickly clawed back. “Without your input, we’ll never find this guy.”
Savannah sighed and nodded reluctantly.
“The force doesn’t have the resources for twenty-four seven surveillance, which you’re aware of. The bureaucratic bullshit needs to stop when it comes to the town’s safety. Obviously, we don’t have to get into that right this minute.” Savannah glared at her. “But as of right now, we officially have the resources again,” Micki said, nodding in affirmation to her own statement.
“No, Chief, you don’t. You and the two deputies are really all we have, aside from the citizen volunteers. And I don’t particularly trust anyone right now.”
“Yes, we do. We do because I’m going to stay with you. Until all of this blows over, until we arrest and incarcerate this motherfucker, I’m going to stay here. You have more than enough room, don’t you?”
Savannah looked at her with a mix of shock and disbelief. “I believe that is highly inappropriate, Chief—”
“I don’t really care, Savannah. This guy was in your house. That puts you and your daughter in serious danger.”
Savannah hesitated. Micki waited for her to
fight with her, scoff at her, laugh, something. Nothing came except a soft sigh.
“Fine. Will you be gathering fingerprints? Taking plaster molds of shoe prints?”
It was Micki’s turn to be surprised, but she tried not to show it. She had expected much more resistance to the idea. Even though it was spur of the moment, she was frantically reassuring herself that it was, in fact, a good idea.
“Well, again, we don’t have those kinds of resources. I’ll definitely use the kit we have at the station, but I wouldn’t expect much from it. My assumption is that they wore gloves. Clearly, you watch way too much CSI. Was the song that was playing ‘You Are My Sunshine’?”
Savannah’s lip curled in disgust. “Yes, it was. It sounded like a little girl’s or maybe a little boy’s voice. I don’t know. Used to be one of my favorite songs to sing to Eliana when she was younger. I guess that’s it for those particular memories.”
“I agree. The little kid version of it just added to the weirdness. I’ll have to check it out tomorrow to see if it’s just a random song or if there might be any significance to it. Cross check it against the items that they left.”
Savannah shot up. “Is the front door still open? He could have come back in!”
“No, no, I locked it once I had cleared the downstairs. I wanted to make sure they couldn’t just sneak out while I was looking around.”
Savannah’s shoulders relaxed. She breathed deeply in and out, coming down from the abysmal high. Then she gave Micki the once-over. “Exactly what are you wearing?”
Micki looked down at her clothes and blushed. “Look, I didn’t have time to get my uniform on, okay? I jumped out of bed!” She had on black and white plaid flannel pants and an oversized T-shirt that read in faded block letters New Kids on the Block.
“I didn’t realize you enjoyed ‘Hangin’ Tough.’” Savannah smiled in spite of herself.
“I got stuck with it at a Yankee swap a few years ago,” Micki mumbled. “It’s comfortable!”
“Well, don’t take it personally. I mean, you’ve obviously got ‘The Right Stuff.’”
“Oh, fuck off, Savannah.” Micki chuckled, torn between hugging her and strangling her. “Eliana is with Rebecca and Riley tonight, so she’s fine. I’ll shoot Rebecca a quick text to let her know that you’re okay and that I’ll be staying here.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes?”
Savannah nodded. “Okay. That’s fine. And, Micki, don’t worry. We’ll just take it ‘Step by Step.’”
Micki smiled and shook her head. “You’re a riot. Who knew? Anyway, can we get some sleep? I’ll do another house check, and then I really need to crash. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow. Should I just take Eliana’s room?”
Savannah’s face fell, and her eyes clouded with worry. “Yes. That’s fine.”
“Are you sure?” Micki asked, sensing her hesitation. “Do you want me to sleep in here?”
“You don’t need to make everything into an enlightening course in humiliation, do you? I’m just…a little on edge at the moment.”
“Savannah, it’s fine, really. I’ll just grab some blankets and pillows and find a comfy spot on the floor.”
The thought of sharing Savannah’s bed with her was both terrifying and exhilarating, but Micki didn’t want to seem presumptuous. Three days ago, the woman was spitting venom at her.
Silent for a moment, Savannah nodded. “Yes, thank you. Micki?” she said as Micki was leaving the room. “I do appreciate this. I’m not always the best at expressing gratitude, but…thank you. Really. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Micki said, a grin slowly taking shape. “It’ll be like our very own sleepover. I haven’t had one of those since I was a kid.”
Savannah pursed her lips, her mask falling back into place. “And you’re not having one now. This is definitely not like a sleepover.”
“You ruin everything.” Micki laughed. She winked at Savannah and began to check and double-check each room in the house.
Chapter Ten
Early morning light streamed through the windows, rousing Savannah from her restless slumber. Her fear had finally subsided a little, thanks to Micki, but her mind wandered back to someone in her house, touching her things, violating her safety. She hoped it would all just go away, that they would lose interest, but something inside told her they weren’t satisfied. That maybe they never would be. But she knew she couldn’t live like that. She slowly opened her eyes and leaned over the side of her bed. She saw Micki curled up in a ball, Eliana’s purple princess comforter covering all but her eyes.
An unfamiliar feeling washed over Savannah, gratitude mixed with…something else. Fondness? Affection? She shook her head to rid herself of such silliness and used her toes to gently nudge Micki awake. She was just doing her job. Maybe she was a better police officer than Savannah had given her credit for. It obviously wasn’t commonplace behavior to sleep on a victim’s floor, but Savannah could easily enough chalk it up to small-town solidarity. Even if they did loathe each other. For the most part.
Savannah smiled as Micki grunted and pulled the blanket completely over her head. She nudged her again.
“I don’t know what you do in your own home, Chief Blake, but in this one, we actually get up at a reasonable hour.”
Grunting again. “What time is it?” Micki asked, her voice full and throaty.
“Seven.”
“Seven! In what world is that a reasonable hour?”
“I have to take Eliana to soccer practice. We don’t just lie around like sloths all day.” Savannah couldn’t hide her amusement at the deputy chief of police using a princess comforter to shield herself from the outside world. Micki groaned and stuffed her head under the pillow. Savannah wondered if she should snap a quick photo.
“What time is soccer practice?”
“Nine.”
“Nine! It’s seven! I can have another hour, at least.”
Savannah continued to poke her with her foot until Micki threw the covers off of herself dramatically. “I’m up, I’m up.” She scratched her eyebrow, her hair wild and mussed. “I have to go get my stuff. You coming?” she muttered.
“Your stuff?”
“Yes, my stuff. If I’m going to stay here for a while, I’d like to have some of my own things. Is that okay with you? I promise I won’t let my plebian possessions come into contact with your pristine palace.”
Savannah rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure I understand why I need to be there?”
“Well, you don’t, but I need to go pick up Riley, and I thought you might like to get Eliana? I’d like to be there when you tell Eliana I’m staying with you. She knows you hate me, so I want to see her expression. She’ll think you’ve lost your mind.”
“I don’t hate you, Micki,” Savannah said quietly. That hurt. She’d never been anything but caustic toward Mickey, so there was no reason to expect anything different. Still, she couldn’t ignore the pang in her stomach.
Micki cleared her throat. “I guess I sort of know that now, but she doesn’t.”
Savannah tilted her head, looking at Micki curiously. “Won’t your roommate have something to say about this?”
“I don’t actually report to her. I’m allowed to stay out on school nights. So, come on, brush your teeth, paint your nails, drink the blood of a virgin. Do whatever it is you normally do in the mornings, but hurry up.” Micki quickly folded the blankets into a messy pile and left them on the foot of Savannah’s bed.
“Who said it has to be a virgin?” Savannah asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Funny. Hurry up.”
Savannah smiled again, grabbing her purse off her dresser. She heard Micki clanging around in the bathroom and felt the tiniest hint of relief that she’d be there again that night. She was unnerved once again by her acceptance of Micki’s offer to stay with them, but rather than analyze it, she rushed downstairs to collect cleats and kneepads.
* * *
&nb
sp; Eliana sat at the island counter eating a bowl of wheat flakes. Riley sat next to her, flipping through one of those catalogs that sells a thousand rubber ducks for a dollar fifty. Rebecca was sipping her coffee when Micki opened the door, Savannah in tow.
“Hey! So, what happened last night? I got your text but you…” Rebecca trailed off when she saw Savannah standing in the doorway. Savannah stood rigid, her hands shoved firmly into the pockets of her coat.
“Micki! Mom?” Eliana blurted out what Rebecca was obviously thinking. “What are you doing here?”
Riley looked at each of them in succession, clearly trying to figure out exactly what was going on. A blanket of disquiet hung over the kitchen. Everyone looked a little apprehensive. Micki coughed, trying to divert the awkwardness.
“Picking you up. You have soccer practice this morning.”
“How come you came here together?” Eliana looked at her mother and then at Micki.
“If you can believe it, I’m actually going to stay at your house for a few nights. Cool, huh?” Micki thought she would enjoy the shock of Rebecca and Eliana finding out, but experiencing Savannah’s discomfort wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as Micki had imagined. She could almost feel the tension seeping out of her.
“What?” Eliana asked.
“What?” Riley asked.
“What?” Rebecca asked, her eyes the size of Easter eggs. She’d been tying her light brown hair back into a messy bun but let it fall back down on her shoulders. She just stood there, holding the black rubber band with her mouth open.
Savannah stepped forward, looking like she was ready to do battle. “Rebecca, I hardly—”
Micki lightly put her hand on Savannah’s shoulder to stop her in her tracks. It worked. “Beck, I’ll call you later after I take Riley home. I’m sorry to cut the visit short, honey. Something’s come up, but I promise we’ll do it again soon. I’ll call your dad and explain everything on the way.” Riley nodded. “And, Eliana, I’m sure you know that there’s been some weird stuff going on in the neighborhood lately.”
Secrets in a Small Town Page 6