Without Warning

by Lynette Eason

  “Right.”

  They climbed from the Jeep. Daniel walked up the front steps and knocked on Martin’s front door. Katie stood quietly by his side, her eyes scanning the area. He knew she was making sure they hadn’t been followed or were targets for someone with a sniper rifle. Not that she would be able to see a sniper, but Daniel had to admit it felt good having someone have his back. He just hated the reasons for it.

  Martin’s house sat on about two acres of prime property. He’d built the small mansion for his last wife but said he’d made sure he’d incorporated enough things about it that he liked in case the marriage didn’t last.

  And it hadn’t. But Martin loved the house and he’d fought tooth and nail to keep it.

  Daniel knocked again. “Martin, you home?”

  The door flew open. His friend stood in the entryway, disheveled and—frantic? His hair stood on end and he’d misbuttoned his shirt. “What are you doing here? Who is she and why’d you bring her with you?”

  Daniel frowned. “Riley called. You were supposed to meet her at the dig this morning to start her internship. This is Katie Singleton, she’s a friend. Now what’s going on?” He ignored the question about the reason for Katie’s presence.

  His friend ran a hand through his already spiked hair. “I can’t believe this.”

  “What?”

  “It’s gone. It’s lost. No. Someone stole it.”

  “Stole wh—ah . . . the coin.” Daniel and Katie stepped inside his friend’s home. Daniel’s eyes landed on the living area to his left and he blinked. “Have you called the police? Someone did a number on this place.” Martin wasn’t the neatest person in the world, but having a weekly housekeeper meant his home was usually spotless. The cushions had been pulled off the sofa, the chairs overturned, a lamp lay on the floor. “Were you here when this happened? Are you okay?”

  Martin slumped onto the edge of the cushionless sofa. “No, I haven’t called the police.”

  “Why?”

  “I . . . I didn’t think about it. All I could think of was finding the coin.” He threw his hands up. “But it’s gone. And I have the media coming to my dig tomorrow. And now I have nothing to show for it.” Tears welled in his eyes and Daniel felt his breath leave his lungs. His friend just couldn’t catch a break. Martin’s hands shook and he wiped his face. “Unbelievable. Just . . .” He shook his head. “This is it. After everything I’ve worked so hard for, after everything I’ve done . . . I’m . . . done. My life is over.”

  “No, it’s not. You’re going to cancel the media, get back in the dig, and find something else.”

  Martin laughed. Almost hysterically. Then he buried his face in his hands and blew out a sigh. “Yes, I’ll cancel the media. I’ll definitely cancel the media.”

  “And report this to the police,” Katie said. She pulled out her phone.

  “No,” Martin said. “No police.”

  “What? Why not?” She stopped mid-call.

  Martin stood and drew in a deep breath. “If word gets out about this, all eyes will be on the dig, and while that was the original intention when I had the coin, I don’t want or need that right now.” He looked at Daniel. “You’re right. I’ll keep searching the site. There’s bound to be something else there. Another coin, something.”

  “Wait a minute,” Katie said. “I’m assuming this is a pretty important coin. A coin that someone was willing to break into your house and steal. So you’re just going to let whoever did this get away with it?”

  He held out his hands in a beseeching gesture. “I don’t know what else to do. I don’t want the media involved yet.”

  “You’re bringing my headache back, Martin,” Daniel muttered. “Who else knew about the coin?”

  “No one. Just you and me.”

  Daniel pursed his lips. “Well, someone else knew about it. What about the other workers at the dig?”

  “No. I didn’t tell them. I was there late one night when I found it. The only person I’ve shown it to is you. At the restaurant.” His eyes darkened. “You told someone.”

  “What?” Daniel reared back. “Are you crazy? You know me better than that.” Daniel held his friend’s gaze and Martin’s shoulders slumped.

  “I know. You’re right.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little frazzled right now.”

  “I’ll say. Have you searched the house?”

  “Yes, every square inch.”

  “Well, so much for preserving evidence,” Katie murmured.

  “I wasn’t thinking of preserving evidence,” Martin said. “I had to find the coin.”

  “Are you sure whoever did this found it?” she asked.

  “Of course they found it,” Martin said. “Look at this place!”

  “Right. Well, where did you keep it? If you’d put it in your safe-deposit box, it would still be there.”

  “My pocket. I decided not to put it in the safe-deposit box because I . . . I was keeping it as my lucky piece and now it’s gone.” He looked shell-shocked and Daniel felt a shot of compassion for his friend even as he wanted to berate him for his stupidity.

  Katie shot a look at Daniel, then slid her gaze back to Martin. “If it was in your pocket, how did the person steal it?”

  “I don’t know,” he shouted. “All I know is that it was in my pocket yesterday and now it’s nowhere to be found—and my house has been turned upside down.” He rubbed a hand down his cheek. “Let me think. Let me think. I took it out of my pocket and put it in my bedside table drawer. Now it’s not there. No one else has been in my house for three days. It’s gone. Stolen.” He looked like he might cry again.

  “You need to get yourself together, Martin. Then you need to call your team and let them know what’s going on. Understand?”

  Martin groaned. “Yes, yes, of course.” He looked at Katie. “I’m not usually so scattered and unprofessional. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s understandable.”

  Martin reached for his cell phone. He eyed Daniel and Katie. “No one can know about this, you understand? Don’t tell anyone.”

  “We’ll keep it quiet, Martin, chill,” Daniel said. “Now get yourself together and get to the site. You’ve got a team waiting for you.”

  Martin ran a hand over his face and sighed. “Yeah. Okay. Thanks.” He shook his head.

  Daniel’s eyes fell on an item on the end table. He picked it up. “A pattern for a dress? Have you taken up sewing now?”

  Martin rolled his eyes. “No, it’s for Sarah. I found it online and ordered it for her. There’s a market for these 1860s dresses, and she asked me to help her start selling them. Since you’re being so generous and still paying them while the restaurant is closed, she’s got some time to sew.” He used a forefinger to push the glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. “She’s become a friend.” He snatched the pattern from Daniel’s fingers and flung it back onto the end table. “So anyway, have you figured out who’s trying to put you out of business?”

  Daniel looked at Katie. “No, but we’re working on it.”

  “Hope you catch the guy. Now get out of here, I’ve got to get to the site. There’s got to be something else where that coin was. There has to be.”

  Daniel clapped his friend on the shoulder. “I have no doubt that if there’s something there, you’ll find it.”

  “You know the way out. Thanks for talking me off the ledge.”

  Daniel wasn’t quite so sure the man was actually off the ledge, but maybe he wasn’t quite as close to going over as he had been. Whichever the case, there was nothing more he could do at this point. He placed a hand on the small of Katie’s back and escorted her to the door. Once outside, she took over the role of protector, her gaze traveling to and fro until they were both safe inside her Jeep. She cranked the engine and turned on the heater. “Stay here for a second, will you?”

  “Why?”

  “I want to take a look at something.”

  She got back out
of the vehicle and he watched her until she got back in. “What are you thinking?”

  “Just an idea.”

  “You want to share?”

  “Martin’s home is in a nice area. Fairly short driveway, backs up to that wooded area, and is enclosed with a huge privacy fence. At least that’s what I could see from the windows from inside. When I went around to the side of the house, there was no way I could get into the back. He’s got the gate padlocked. I don’t even think I could climb over if I tried. Not without a ladder or standing on someone’s shoulder.”

  He frowned. “Yes. All of that sounds right.”

  “But the front . . .” She waved a hand toward it. “This road is pretty busy. It’s an older section of town. There are three businesses just across the street here.”

  He nodded and figured he knew where she was going with her line of thinking. “Cameras?”

  “Couldn’t hurt to check with the businesses. If they have one pointed to a street view, it might catch the front of Martin’s house.”

  “I think it’s a great idea.”

  “I’ll call Bree.” She pulled her phone from the clip and pressed a speed-dial number. Daniel listened as she talked. So pretty, so smart, so . . . off-limits? Maybe.

  Then again . . .

  She hung up.

  He looked at her. “So. You want some help putting up cabinets?”

  [17]

  Wednesday

  4:00 PM

  Riley swiped the sweat from her forehead and gently shoved the trowel into the dirt, lifted and dumped the load into the plastic sieve. She picked up the sieve, and the dirt ran through the small holes, leaving some larger rocks at the top. Who would have thought she’d get so hot in forty-degree temps? She’d already discarded her heavy coat. Next to go was the sweater.

  “How’s it going, kid?”

  She looked up to see Martin standing at the edge of the grid. His head blocked the sun, allowing her to look into his eyes. “Going okay, I guess. I marked off this area like you said and am working the grid to check every little bit of dirt.”

  “Good, good job.” His eyes moved from her to a few of the other workers. “Everyone treating you well?”

  “Sure. They’re all really nice. Are you okay? Uncle Daniel just said you’d had a personal emergency.”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Well, not exactly fine, but I’m dealing with it. Thanks.” He looked over her shoulder. “I see you have your watchdog over there.”

  Riley rolled her eyes. “Her name is Lizzie and she’s not a watchdog. You know what’s going on with Uncle Daniel. He just wants to make sure it doesn’t spill over onto me—or anyone else I’m around.”

  He held up a hand. “I know. I know. I’m not complaining. If she’s here to keep you safe, I’m all for it.”

  “Good.”

  “We have security as well, so everything should be fine.”

  “I think so.”

  “Okay, well, let me know if you need anything else. I’m going to be working in another area, but I’ll come back and check on you in a bit.”

  “That’s cool.” Riley stuck the trowel in the dirt again. “Thanks, Martin.”

  “You bet, kid.”

  He walked off and another person took his place. She gasped. “Steve. What are you doing here?” Oh great. She probably had dirt on her face. She looked at her hands. She definitely had dirt under her fingernails. Great. Just great. She pasted a smile on her lips and hoped her deodorant was working.

  He hopped into the shallow hole in the ground and knelt beside her. “I decided to see what you were up to.”

  She shook her head. “You know what I’m up to. The same thing you should be up to.”

  “My internship doesn’t start until tomorrow.”

  “How did you get past security?”

  “She let me in.”

  Riley looked over to see Lizzie smiling at her. Great. So not only were these lady bodyguards practically psychic, they communicated with each other as well. Had it been Olivia or Katie or Haley?

  Probably Haley.

  Steve swiped a hand across his chin. “You’re not answering your phone.”

  She patted her back pocket and pulled it out. “Oh. Sorry. I had it on silent instead of vibrate.”

  “So you going to answer my text or not?”

  She read it, then looked up. “You serious? You really want to eat pizza with me? In public?”

  He frowned, then sighed. “Of course I do.”

  “What happened to Sherry Lane?”

  He flushed and dropped his gaze. “I’m not interested in her.”

  “You were.”

  He gave a slow nod. “Yes. I was.” He ran his hands through the dirt. “I was, but she’s . . .”

  “What?”

  “Not you.”

  Okay, that was . . . interesting.

  “Not me how?”

  “Just . . .” He shrugged. “You and I can talk, Riley. With Sherry, she’s all about appearances and into the latest fads and shopping.” He looked away and brushed some dirt away from the front of his shirt, then looked back up at her. “I like hanging out with you better. So . . . you interested?”

  Riley bit her lip on her immediate answer, then tilted her head and studied him. “I might be.”

  A slow smile curved his lips. “Might be?”

  She laughed. “Okay. It sounds like fun.” Then she frowned. “But . . .”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Yeah, there’s an ‘uh-oh.’” She drew in a deep breath. “Look, you don’t live under a rock. I know you’ve heard about my uncle’s troubles with his restaurant.”

  “Yep.”

  “And that doesn’t bother you? That some people believe he’s capable of something like that?”

  “No. I mean yes. Yes, it bothers me that people would think that about him when he’s done nothing but good for this city and community, not because I believe he’s guilty.” He shifted on the red dirt, not seeming to care that his jeans would never be the same. He took her hand. “Look, Riley. We’ve been friends a long time. The fact that we . . . grew apart . . . is my fault. Mostly.”

  “I’ll say.” She paused. “And wait a minute. Mostly?”

  “You’re the one who moved away.”

  She gave a short laugh. “My parents were missionaries. The fact that they wanted me on the mission field with them was kind of beyond my control.”

  He rubbed his head. “I know. This isn’t going like I’d hoped.” He bit his lip, then sighed. “I’ll admit I made some stupid decisions.”

  “Yes. I’ll agree with that.”

  He grimaced. “I’m not proud of them, but I did learn some things.”

  She studied him. “Like?”

  “Like real friends are what’s important. I’m really sorry for pushing you away, Riley.”

  She was sorry too, but not quite so sure she was ready to put her heart back out there for him to stomp on again. “What about your football buddies? Thought they had you convinced I wasn’t cool enough to hang out with. That I was, what was the word? Oh yeah, boring.”

  His face went red. “You heard that conversation.”

  “I heard it.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You didn’t defend me.”

  “I know.” He dropped his chin to his chest. “I’m a jerk, I admit it.” Another sigh slipped from him. “As for the guys, I mean, we’re a team, on and off the field, but I won’t let them dictate to me anymore. My life is my life. It’s time I started living like it.”

  “And you want to hang out with me.”

  “Yeah, I really do.”

  “You don’t think I’m boring?”

  He groaned. “No, I don’t think you’re boring. And I don’t care what the guys think.”

  “Ready to start thinking for yourself again, huh?”

  “More than ready. You don’t let anything faze you or hold you back.” He paused. Then licked his lips. “I was at the funeral.”
<
br />   “You were? I didn’t see you.”

  His lips twisted. “I know. I was too ashamed to speak to you. But I watched you and I could see that their deaths nearly crushed you.”

  “Yes.” She cleared her throat against the sudden lump that had formed. “It did. You should have said something.”

  “I don’t know how you’ve held it together, but you’ve stayed strong. You didn’t let it break you.”

  “God got me through it.” She looked away, then back. “He’s still getting me through it. And I won’t keep quiet about my faith even if it makes your football buddies uncomfortable.”

  “It’s not all of them, just a select few.”

  “The few that influenced you.”

  “Yes. But I like your faith, I admire it. I even believe the same and I’m tired of denying it. You’re strong and will talk about God to anyone. That’s just one of the things I like about you. Admire about you. I want to be like that too.”

  She frowned. “Don’t put me on a pedestal, Steve. I’ll fall off. Trust me, I can wear a mask just like anybody else.”

  He stilled. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you really hurt me, Steve. We’ve been best friends since kindergarten. As corny as it sounds, every time you passed me in the hall and wouldn’t speak, every time you looked like you might sit at my table at lunch, then bypassed me, it hurt. I might have stayed cool on the outside, but I was crying on the inside.” Well, now she’d done it. So much for not putting her heart back out there for him to stomp on. Nothing like opening up and being vulnerable.

  He swallowed hard and nodded. “I know.” He let the dirt trail through his fingers.

  “Why did you take so long to text me?”

  He sighed, then looked her in the eye. “Because I had to make sure I wasn’t going to hurt you anymore. And as hard as you tried to hide it, I still saw it in your eyes.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I had to make sure I was ready to stand up to my football buddies if need be.”

  “And you’re ready for that?”

  “I just said I was.” He nodded. “Look, Riles, we’re getting ready to go to college. All this, high school football, being the popular kid, it’s fun, I’ll admit it. But—” he ran a hand through the dirt and let it filter through his fingers—“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I realized I had to decide what kind of man I’m going to be. I can either care what other people think so much that I let it dictate my decisions or I can think for myself. Watching you stand up for what you believe in, it’s made a difference. I’ve already told you what I decided.” He trailed a dirty finger down her cheek. “I’m glad you stayed in Columbia instead of going to Mexico.”