“There was someone on the patio,” she confessed. “When I stepped toward the window to see who was there, they ran behind the bakery.”
On cue, the secretary pivoted to head out of the office. “I’ll go see if I can find out who it was.”
Ellie quickly moved to block her path. The older woman wouldn’t think twice about marching around the bakery in search of the intruder.
“No, Doris.”
“Why not?” The secretary came to a reluctant halt. “It’s probably the same person who ruined your tires.”
Ellie swallowed a sigh. Doris had been as quick as Nate to assume that her flat tires had been caused by deliberate vandalism.
“I’m still not convinced they were slashed, but I’m not going to let you take any chances,” Ellie said.
Doris clicked her tongue. “You need to go see the sheriff.”
“You sound like Nate,” she complained.
“He’s always struck me as a sensible man.”
“I suppose.”
“And hot as hell.”
Ellie made a choked sound. “Doris.”
“Hey, I’m old, not dead.”
With a rueful shake of her head, Ellie moved to the desk to grab her purse. The older woman would continue to nag until Ellie finally gave in. It was easier just to concede defeat and get it over with.
“Fine. I’ll go talk to the sheriff.” She pointed a finger toward the smugly smiling secretary. “You stay here and behave yourself.”
Doris’s smile faded. “You be careful.”
With a nod Ellie left the office and crossed the reception room to step out of the building. The sun was shining, but there was a chilled breeze that whipped around the corner, slicing through her sweater. She paused. Maybe she should go back in and grab her jacket.
Then she gave a shake of her head. The courthouse was across the street. She was just trying to procrastinate.
Squaring her shoulders, she marched toward the large stone structure that had been built over a hundred years ago. It had massive windows and hand-carved shutters. The copper roof had turned green with a patina long ago.
Ellie crossed the neatly manicured lawn and climbed the wide steps to enter the arched double doorway. She was forced to halt and allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the foyer. At the same time, she breathed in the musty scent.
There was a sensation of ponderous age that had settled into the very air of the courthouse. She liked the feeling. It offered a silent promise of tradition that Ellie appreciated.
The law was the law. It was something she could depend on.
Maybe it was because she’d spent most of her life being uprooted from one house to another. When she was three they’d moved from Curry to Oklahoma City. From there they’d stayed in the same city, but they’d traded in one house for another, increasing in size as her father had climbed the judicial ladder of success.
All Ellie had wanted was a home. Instead she’d gotten a mansion as cold and empty as a museum.
She abruptly rolled her eyes and crossed the tiled floor to enter the nearest corridor. Poor little rich girl, she mocked at her bout of self-pity. She had everything, including two parents who loved her.
Minutes later she was sitting in a small waiting room. She’d hoped to make her report to the receptionist. Regrettably, she hadn’t realized it was nearly noon, which meant most of the staff was out for lunch. She’d been met by a young deputy who was clearly nervous at her entrance. No doubt the sheriff and prosecuting attorney spent hours describing her as a bitch who did everything in her power to thwart the brave men in law enforcement.
So now she was stuck twiddling her thumbs.
Pulling out her phone, she did her best to ignore the large clock on the wall, and the tick, tick, tick of the second hand that was an audible reminder that she was wasting time. She’d managed to check her email and order a new bra before the sheriff, Gary Clark, at last strolled into the room.
He was a square, stocky man with a large hook of a nose and rapidly thinning blond hair. His eyes were pale and watery, as if he suffered from allergies. Currently he was wearing a dark uniform with a shiny badge on the shirt pocket and a patch sewn onto one sleeve. He also had a heavy utility belt strapped around his thick waist that held a plethora of objects, including his gun.
She rose to her feet, as always caught off guard by the fact that the man barely topped her by a few inches. She was used to having people towering over her. It was nice when she didn’t have to crane her neck to meet someone’s gaze.
“Morning, Ms. Guthrie,” the sheriff said with a faint nod.
He insisted on formality. Which was fine with Ellie. Even if they didn’t find themselves on opposite sides of the law, she would never have encouraged a friendlier relationship.
The man was quite frankly an incompetent jerk.
He was lazy, and always willing to take shortcuts. Since Ellie had moved to Curry, his sloppiness had led to dismissal of charges for one of her clients, and two overturned verdicts. She suspected he held on to his job because no one else wanted it.
“Thanks for seeing me,” she said, thankful that her time in the courtroom had taught her the trick of sounding sincere no matter what the situation.
“Clay said you needed to report a crime?”
His tone was less than encouraging. Ellie didn’t know if it was because he didn’t like her, or because he didn’t want to be bothered with doing his job.
Probably a combination of both.
“Actually, I’m not sure if it’s a crime or not,” she conceded.
He heaved a resigned sigh. “Come into my office.”
She followed him through a door that had a frosted glass window with SHERIFF CLARK painted on it in big gold letters. She arched her brows as she caught sight of the cavernous office. It was filled with heavy antique furniture that was polished until it reflected the light filtering through the high, arched window. The rug looked like it was handwoven in some oriental pattern and the walls were covered with framed pictures of the current sheriff at various functions. A groundbreaking ceremony. Singing in the church choir. A fundraising event with the governor.
Heading straight toward his desk, the lawman waved a vague hand toward the visitor chairs.
“Make yourself comfortable,” he said, settling in his own leather seat.
“I’m fine,” she said, standing in the center of the room. The office made her uncomfortable. It was unabashed shrine to an egotist. “I know you must be busy.”
He nodded, impervious to her subtle taunt. “Tell me what happened,” he said.
She quickly told him about waking up to find her tires ruined, not surprised when he looked far from impressed by her concern.
“You had flat tires?”
“Yes.”
There was a pause before he pointed out the obvious. “You could have run over something.”
“That was my first thought, but Nate insisted that they were slashed with a knife.”
“Nate Marcel?” For the first time the sheriff managed to look genuinely interested. “He was at your house?”
Ellie swallowed a curse. Of course, the idiot would leap to the conclusion that Nate had spent the night with her.
“He was driving past and stopped to see if he could help.”
“Right.” A skeptical smile twisted his lips. “Just driving past.”
She pasted on her lawyer face. She’d discovered in the courtroom that demanding a direct answer was the only answer to ugly insinuations.
“Is there a problem, Sheriff ?” she asked in cool tones.
“It just seems convenient that he happened to be there just when you needed him.”
“I can assure you that there was nothing convenient about having my property destroyed.”
Gary shifted in his seat, a ruddy color crawling beneath his skin before he cleared his throat and tried to act professional.
“Did you notice anyone near your vehicle last nigh
t?”
“ No.”
“What time did you get home?”
She had to stop and consider. “Around ten thirty,” she at last said.
“Alone?”
“Yes. Alone.” She tried not to take offense. It was a reasonable question. “And before you ask, I didn’t have any guests stopping by.”
He tapped his finger on the top of his desk, which was oddly bare. Or maybe it just seemed bare to her, she wryly acknowledged. Her own desk was always littered with files and law books and empty coffee cups.
“What time did you notice the tires were flat?”
She absently noted that he didn’t mention the word slashed. “Around seven thirty this morning.”
Tap, tap, tap with his finger. She wondered why he wasn’t taking notes, or filling out some sort of form. No doubt because he had no intention of doing a damned thing after she left his office.
“Have you recently broken up with your lover?” he demanded.
She scowled. “No.”
“Have you had any threats?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary.”
The pale eyes hardened. “Is that a yes or a no?”
She shrugged. “There are always people unhappy with lawyers.”
“No shit,” he muttered softly. Not soft enough, however, for her to miss it. “Make out a list of anyone who has recently threatened you.”
Ellie resisted the urge to turn and walk out. She didn’t doubt this was a complete waste of time, but she was already there. She might as well finish what she’d come to do.
“Fine. I’ll send it over later.”
The sheriff rose to his feet, a visible indication he was done with the conversation.
“Anything else?”
“I think there was someone peeking in my office window.”
His brows arched. “When?”
“Right before I came here.”
“I assume you didn’t recognize them?”
She shook her head. “I only caught a glimpse of their shadow.”
“A shadow?”
“Yeah.”
“So, no description?”
Ellie clenched her purse tight enough that her knuckles turned white. She wanted to reach across the desk and smack the impatient expression off the man’s face.
Probably not a good idea, she ruefully told herself. No matter how much pleasure it might give her.
“No, no description.”
“Anything else?”
“That’s it.”
He didn’t even pretend that he was concerned she was being harassed by some unknown enemy. Instead he sent her a condescending smile.
“I’ll have a deputy drive by your house and your office.”
“Great.”
Turning on her heel, she strolled out of the office with her head held high and her spine stiff.
Lazy, conceited ass. Someday there would be a brave soul to run against him in the election for sheriff and Ellie intended to donate as much money as necessary to see that Gary Clark was kicked out of office.
Still fuming, Ellie was leaving the outer office when she bumped into someone trying to enter. There was a painful impact and Ellie was knocked backward.
Shaken out of her dark thoughts, Ellie reached out a hand in an apologetic gesture to the woman who had come to a halt and was staring at her in surprise.
“Oh, Tia. I’m so sorry,” she breathed. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”
Tia Chambers was several inches taller than Ellie, with a stocky frame and shoulder-length brown hair and a sprinkling of freckles across her broad face. The daughter of the mayor, she had the money to wear expensive designer clothes, but she always looked awkward. Like her mother picked out her wardrobe and she was forced to wear it.
Ellie could sympathize.
“It’s fine.” Tia stepped back. “It was probably my fault. I was in a hurry.”
Ellie paused. Tia’s face was flushed, and she was breathing hard. As if she’d been running down the hallway before Ellie crashed into her.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Of course.” The woman’s smile was just a tad too bright.
“Are you sure?” Ellie pressed. She didn’t know Tia as more than a distant acquaintance, but it was easy to sense the woman’s tension.
Tia’s smile faltered. “It’s silly, but I think someone was following me while I was walking to town this morning.”
Ellie’s heart missed a beat. There was no reason to believe that Tia’s suspicion she was being followed had anything to do with her own weird incidents. But on the other hand, Curry was a small town. What was the likelihood that two women would feel threatened on the same day?
“I don’t think it’s silly,” she told Tia. “Did you see anyone?”
“No.” Tia wrapped her arms around her waist. The motion stretched the fabric of her red wool sweater over her large breasts. “It probably was just a figment of my imagination.”
“There had to be something that freaked you out.”
Tia hesitated. Almost as if she was afraid Ellie would laugh at her.
“I’m certain I heard footsteps behind me, but whenever I turned to look, I couldn’t see anyone,” she at last admitted.
“Has it happened before?”
“I’ve occasionally felt like someone was watching me whenever I was out in our garden,” Tia admitted, “but my father told me I was imagining it.”
Ellie bit her bottom lip. Was it possible that there was some local nutcase who was stalking single women in town?
“I believe you,” she assured her companion.
“Thank you.” Tia glanced nervously into the sheriff’s office. “I’m not sure anyone else will.”
Ellie made a heroic effort not to share her opinion of Sheriff Gary Clark or his lack of concern for his citizens.
She reached out to lightly touch Tia’s arm. “It doesn’t matter. If your instincts are telling you that something is wrong, then you should pay attention to them.”
Tia sucked in a deep breath, visibly gathering her courage. “You’re right. I’m going to report it.”
“Good.” Ellie moved out of the way of the door. “Take care, Tia.”
“You too.” Tia headed into the office and Ellie hurried down the hallway.
She had a sudden urge to pick up a sandwich and her favorite red velvet cupcake from the bakery.
It was going to be a long afternoon.
Chapter Four
Nate waited until nearly six o’clock before he drove back into Curry. He didn’t know Ellie Guthrie as well as he wanted, but he’d driven by her house often enough to notice that she was rarely home before seven.
He circled the block, parking directly in front of her office. Then, jumping out of his truck, he paused to glance around.
He’d rarely had a reason to be in the town center at night. Now he frowned as he realized how isolated it felt with the stores shut down and the streets empty of traffic. A frown tugged at his brows as he reached for the door.
Locked. Thank God for that. He half expected Ellie to leave it wide open, even when she was there alone.
Clenching his hand, he rapped on the glass, waiting for the light to be flipped on and Ellie to peer out of her office. With a frown, she crossed the reception area to unlock the door and pull it open.
“Nate.” She looked confused. “What are you doing here?”
“I was about to head back to the ranch,” he said, mentally crossing his fingers at the harmless lie. “I thought I’d see if you needed a ride.”
She glanced over his shoulder at his truck parked next to the curb. Did she suspect that he’d gone home hours ago and had driven back to town to pick her up?
There was a long pause, then without warning, she was tilting back her head to meet his steady gaze.
“Actually, that would be great. If you don’t mind waiting while I lock up.”
His heart squeezed with pleasure a
nd Nate swallowed a sigh. He was an idiot. There were a dozen lovely women in town who were eager to attract his attention, but not one of them had managed to give him the same thrill as Ellie agreeing to a simple lift back to her house.
Pathetic.
“Take your time. I’ll wait in the truck,” he said, turning to head back to his vehicle before she could change her mind.
Sliding behind the steering wheel, he started the engine and flicked on the heat. The night air had grown chilly and his truck wasn’t exactly dependable. Sometimes the air came out as hot as blazes and with the force of a hurricane. Other times, it was barely a lukewarm trickle.
Tonight, it was the trickle.
He settled back in his seat, prepared to be patient. He’d come from a family of four boys, plus a cop for a father. That meant his mother ran a constant chauffeuring service from school to football practice to the thousand other places young boys wanted to go. As the youngest, Nate had learned to wait his turn.
Surprisingly, however, Ellie was climbing into the passenger seat in less than ten minutes.
He waited for her to place her purse and a stack of files on the floorboard and buckle her seat belt before he put the truck in gear and pulled away from the curb.
“Do you need anything before we leave town?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. The shop called to say that they put new tires on my car, so I’m all set.”
He’d already driven by her house to make sure that the repairs were done. He couldn’t help himself.
It was like a compulsion.
They made the short journey through town without saying anything more, then, turning onto the county road, he pressed his foot on the gas.
“Did you talk to the sheriff ?” He at last broke the silence.
She snorted. “Yeah, for all the good it did. He made it clear that he wasn’t going to waste his time worrying about my flat tires.”
Nate flashed a startled glance toward her tense profile before returning his attention to the road. She’d actually done as he asked?
He didn’t know if it was a miracle or if the sky was about to fall.
Of course, the fact that the sheriff had dismissed her concern made his fingers tighten on the steering wheel. Someday he was going to have a very long conversation with Gary Clark about the responsibility of wearing a badge.
You Will Suffer Page 4
