Hunted

by T. M. Bledsoe

  Lanie nodded, feeling like a chastised child. She’d never seen her father so upset. Usually, Sam Bancroft was the most jovial and easy going man around. He was always smiling and laughing, a person could talk to him about anything at all. But, this side of him was something that Lanie found wholly new and slightly terrifying.

  He had been pacing up and down the kitchen for fifteen minutes, shaking his head as if he’d taken a blow to the skull, his hands fisted at his sides, his movie star handsome face set in a grim expression and his blue eyes filled with anger.

  This Sam Bancroft was not her father.

  “I want you back in this house every evening before dark,” Sam went on, still pacing and shaking his head. “And I want you to call me to check in when you get home and when you decide to leave the house. I want to know where you’re going, who you’re going with, and when you’ll be back. Understood?”

  Again, Lanie nodded, feeling as if she’d done something terribly wrong, even though she had texted her dad to tell him she was going to the cemetery to visit her mom. It wasn’t her fault she’d ran into a possible murderer out there.

  “You will not put yourself in danger that way again, Lanie,” Sam continued, a muscle in his jaw working hard. “If you see something that doesn’t look right, do not go and check into it! You call me! Period! You call me and you get away from whatever it is as fast as you can! Is that clear!”

  Lanie nodded, trying to blink back a sudden mist of tears. She’d expected him to be upset, but she had not expected this. Her father had never been this angry with her. Never.

  “I can’t believe you went into the woods to take pictures of a stranger’s car!” Sam raged onward, now raking a hand through his hair. “And you confronted the stranger! You put yourself in danger, Lanie! He could be the person who killed Stacy Miller! And you were alone in the woods with him! What were you thinking!”

  The tears that Lanie was trying to blink back filled her eyes, despite her efforts. She didn’t like her father being this angry with her. And she wanted to argue with him, to tell him that she’d only been trying to help him, but her throat was choked by the lump of anguish sitting there.

  “Well? What on earth possessed you to do something like that, Lanie!” Sam demanded, pinning her with an angry glare.

  Lanie tried to swallow the lump down enough to answer, because her dad was clearly expecting an answer from her, but her voice failed her.

  “Sam, take it easy,” Gretchen spoke up from her place by the sink, where she was watching the scene with a pained expression. “Can’t you see that you’re scaring her?”

  Hearing Gretchen’s statement seemed to shake Sam somehow. He stopped his pacing and his brows lifted in surprise, as if he’d been looking at Lanie, but was only now seeing her. And seeing her caused his hard expression to fall and his broad shoulders to slump. “Lanie, I-I’m…I’m sorry. I…I’m just…it’s just that…if anything happened to you, I wouldn’t know what to do. I…I can’t lose anyone else.”

  Hearing the stark sorrow in her father’s voice had Lanie sliding off the chair at the center island and going across the room to throw her arms around her dad, who put his arms around her and squeezed her as hard as he could, causing the air to be pushed out of her lungs, but she didn’t mind.

  “I’m sorry, squirt,” he said to her, taking in a long breath. “I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

  “It’s okay,” Lanie told him, her voice uneven and hoarse.

  She tightened her grip on her dad and took a breath, the scent of his clean cologne filling her nostrils. She loved how her dad smelled. It reminded her of something strong and steady and…good.

  “Why did you do that, Lanie? Especially knowing what just happened to Stacy?” Sam questioned in a softer tone, still squeezing her to him.

  “I saw the car there and I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer. I wanted to take pictures of the car and the license plate, so you’d have a description in case it was moved before you got to it,” she explained. “I didn’t know the guy would show up there.”

  Sam was silent for a moment and then took a step back from Lanie so he could look down at her. “I’m proud that you had the mind about you to want to take pictures, but nothing is worth risking your life for, Lanie,” he told her vehemently. “If this person had something to do with Stacy Miller’s murder, then he could very well have…I don’t want you to put yourself in that sort of situation ever again. Do you understand?”

  Lanie nodded, trying not to let her chin quiver. “I won’t.”

  “It wasn’t a smart move, squirt,” Sam said, shaking his head again. “But, I’m…glad that you managed to get a picture of the license plate. The car was gone when I got there, so with your pictures I can put out a BOLO. If he’s still in town, we’ll find him and haul him in for questioning.”

  An unexpected stab of guilt lanced Lanie. If the young man had nothing to do with what happened to Stacy Miller, then she was causing him some very unnecessary trouble. And come to think of it, if he had been the one to…do that…to Stacy, then why hadn’t he done it to her? He’d had the perfect opportunity. Yet, he’d told her to go home because it wasn’t safe to be out there. But, who knew. Maybe the poor guy was crazy.

  Sam stepped back from Lanie and tried to force a smile to his lips, but it seemed to be rough going. “Just swear to me that you won’t put yourself at risk like that again. Okay?”

  “I won’t. I promise,” she vowed, meaning it. Those few seconds out there in the woods hadn’t exactly been fun for her and she had no desire to repeat them.

  “And I mean what I said, squirt. You aren’t walking around town on your own. You’re not going any further than downtown and school and I want you inside before the sun sets. And I want phone calls so I’ll know what you’re doing.”

  “Okay,” she agreed. “But, am I allowed to drive? I have a lot of school stuff going on. We’re planning the Homecoming float and all that stuff.”

  “You can do your school activities, but I want someone with you when you go out. In fact, why don’t you have Devyn and Johnna stay here with for a few days? I’ll be working and Gretchen can’t be here day and night…” Sam paused, a very strange look crossing his face.

  “What?” Lanie asked, her heartbeat speeding up. “What’s wrong?”

  Sam swallowed hard. “If this guy is responsible for what happened to Stacy, and you came face to face with him, then you can identify him. And he knows that.”

  Something cold wafted through Lanie and her breath sped up. “Wh-what does that mean? I-I mean…I-I…wait. Wait! He…he was at The Pub this afternoon when we were there. Everyone saw him! The waitress saw him because I bought him some food and she took it to him!” she exclaimed hopefully.

  Sam’s dark brows shot up in surprise. “You bought food for him?” he repeated, slightly confused.

  Lanie sucked in a breath, trying to get her thoughts in order. “Yes. He…he was sitting by himself in the corner and he looked…hungry. So, I ordered him some food and the waitress took it to him. Devyn, Johnna, Finn, and Brady all saw him there. It wasn’t just me.”

  Sam took that in for a minute before pulling out his cell phone. “But, you were the only one who saw him in the woods, with his vehicle. And if something happens in that area, you’re the only one who can put him in the vicinity at a specific time.”

  Again, Lanie had that feeling of cold waft through her. “Has s-something else happened?”

  “Not that I know of, but I’m having Deputy Sterling search the area right now,” Sam stated. “I’ll have Deputy Smitty go and talk to the waitress at The Pub. Maybe she talked to the guy.” He turned a very serious expression to Lanie, worry heavy on his face. “Call Devyn and Johnna and see if they can come stay with you for a few days. I don’t want you here by yourself.”

  Lanie nodded and pulled her phone from her pocket while her dad started dialing his. She hit Devyn’s number and the girl picked up on the second ring. “La
nie? Where are you? What happened? Why on earth did you leave the field by yourself!” the girl demanded, sounding an awful lot like Sam Bancroft.

  “I’ll tell you about it later,” Lanie answered. “Listen, my dad wants to know if you and Johnna can come stay here for a few days.”

  There was a slight pause from Devyn. “Oy! Why? What’s happened?”

  “Nothing’s happened. Not exactly. Do you think you can come stay for a couple of days?” she asked, fearing that if her friends couldn’t stay, Aunt Gretchen might just volunteer and that was something she did not want to live through. Gretchen twenty four hours a day might just push her over the edge.

  “Yeah, sure. My mom will probably feel better if I’m with you, anyway. Maybe she’ll loosen the leash,” Devyn said, sounding bitter. “Do you know where I am?”

  “No. Where are you?” Lanie asked, confused.

  “The nail salon!” Devyn whispered, sounding stricken. “After practice she schlepped me over here with her! I have to sit here and watch the moms get their feet buffed or whatever it is they do in this place! I swear, if I don’t get out of here, I’ll plotz!”

  Lanie tried not to laugh. “Is Johnna there with you?”

  “No. She’s with her mom running errands!” Devyn stated as if the girl had been forced to do something so utterly disgusting that it was sinful.

  “Call her and see if she can come over, too,” Lanie stated.

  “Okay. I’ll call you back,” Devyn said, disconnecting.

  Lanie disconnected, too, and slid her phone back into her pocket. Her dad hung up a second later and turned his attention to her. “Are they coming over?” he questioned.

  “Devyn’s calling me back in a minute,” she answered.

  “Well, if they can’t stay over, then you’ll have to go stay with Gretchen for a while,” Sam stated matter-of-factly. “I don’t know how long I’ll be out for the next few days and I’m not about to leave you here alone.”

  Lanie tried not to flinch. There was no way she was going to stay with Aunt Gretchen! She loved the woman dearly, but she honestly could only take her in small doses.

  “I have plenty room if you’d rather have her come stay with me,” offered Gretchen. “It’ll be fun having her sleep over for a while.”

  To crib a phrase from Devyn, oy vey, that would so not be fun!

  Sam shot Lanie a quick glance and she couldn’t miss the look in his eyes. He knew all about Gretchen’s tendency to try and be a fill in mother to Lanie and he knew how she felt about that.

  “We’ll see if Devyn and Johnna can come over first,” he said to Gretchen. “I don’t want to put you out. You have a life and I’m sure Hank doesn’t want to have babysit.”

  Gretchen made a noise in the back of her throat. “Hank loves Lanie! He won’t say a word if she has to come stay with us!”

  Lanie felt a wave of desperation wash over her. She did not want to have to stay with Gretchen and her boyfriend! They’d only been dating for a few weeks and they were so disgusting! Who wanted to watch two thirty year old people sucking each other’s faces off! Yak!

  It was at that opportune moment that her cell phone chirped and Lanie snatched it out of her pocket with unnecessary speed. “Hello? Devyn?” she answered, noting the sheer angst in her voice.

  “It’s me,” Devyn’s cheerful voice sounded in her ear. “My mom said I can come stay with you. And I talked to Johnna and she’s coming too.”

  Yes! Thank God! She was saved! “Okay, then. Uh, do you need someone to pick you up?”

  “Nah. My mom’ll drop us,” answered Devyn. “We’ll be there in a little while.”

  “See you in a bit, then,” Lanie said, disconnecting and looking at her dad. “Devyn and Johnna are coming over.”

  Sam tried not to smile too widely. “Good. That’s settled. You can even have Finn and Brady come over in the evenings if you want to.”

  Lanie nodded her answer. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t want to have a lot of people hanging around the house. This was her sanctuary, after all, but in this case, it seemed the more the merrier. Or at least, the more the less chance that a possible murderer would be coming for her. Though, there was still that little piece of her that could not believe that young man had done anything to Stacy or anyone else. Her gut simply would not allow her to believe that ruggedly handsome person was…capable…of doing anything so horrid.

  Then again, she was only seventeen and a half, so her gut was not that experienced. She absolutely could be wrong.

  “Alright, then. I have to go back out and finish what I was doing,” Sam stated, stepping up to Lanie and giving her another hard hug. “Stay inside the rest of the day, clear? Do not leave the house.”

  “I won’t,” she promised.

  “I’ll be here for a while longer to keep an eye on her,” Gretchen put in.

  “Good,” Sam said, smiling at the woman. “But, you can go on home when her friends get here. I’m sure Hank’s wondering where you are.” He turned back to Lanie, giving her a soft smile. “Be sure to lock the doors tonight before you go to bed. Alright?”

  Hearing that statement made Lanie want to burst into tears. Never, in nearly eighteen years, had her father told her to remember to lock the doors. It was just one more reminder that nothing would ever be the same in Fells Pointe.

  “Call me and let me know you’re okay,” Sam said, heading for the door. “Love you, squirt.”

  “Love you, too,” she called after him. But, then she suddenly hurried after her dad and put herself in front of him, throwing her arms around him and giving him a hard hug.

  “Squirt? What’s wrong?” he asked, sounding confused as he hugged her back.

  “Nothing,” she said thickly, breathing in his clean, familiar scent.

  She’d learned that every time someone left you, it might be the last time and she wanted to make sure her dad left her knowing that she loved him. She hadn’t gotten that chance with her mom and she meant to never repeat that mistake.

  “You sure?” he asked, moving back to look down at her.

  She nodded at him, unable to put her thoughts into words.

  “Okay. I’ll see you later,” he said, extricating himself and continuing on out of the kitchen. “Remember to lock the doors!” he called back at her.

  Once he was gone, Lanie stood for a moment, trying to pull herself together all the while keenly aware of her aunt’s gaze boring into her.

  “Are you really okay, Lanie?” Gretchen asked her in a disbelieving tone.

  “Yeah. I’m good,” she said, keeping her back to her aunt.

  She was good, not counting the fact that she’d come face to face with a probable killer, had been raked over the coals by her father, now had to have a house full of babysitters, and had just watched her dad leave to go in search of someone who had slit a girl’s throat. Life was suddenly upside down, but she was good. She was good.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay with me?” Gretchen asked. “You might feel safer.”

  “I’ll come stay with you if I get scared,” Lanie lied, trying to appease her aunt.

  It seemed to work, because the subject was dropped and Gretchen went back to doing whatever it was she found to do in the kitchen, leaving Lanie to exit the room with a grateful sigh. Once she was out of the kitchen, she pointed herself toward her room, where she shut the door and flopped down on her bed, feeling the strong urge to bury her face in her pillow and weep.

  She’d never felt so unsettled and off balance in her entire life. She felt as if she’d been picked up and shaken so hard that everything inside her was in the wrong place. And oddly enough, she could honestly say that it wasn’t the angry tirade from her father, or her brush with a probable murderer. It was the fact that she’d turned her dad onto the young man and somehow, she felt that it was the wrong thing to do.

  Oh, her rational mind was telling her that she’d done exactly the right thing. There had been a young girl killed and the very next da
y a stranger had been lurking about in the woods. She’d really had no choice but to tell Sheriff Bancroft. But, there was that small place inside her that was regretting it. She hadn’t been afraid of the young man. He hadn’t tried to do anything to her. And if he didn’t have anything to do with what had happened to Stacy, then she was causing him some unnecessary trouble. Her dad would hunt him down, haul him into the station for questioning, and either lock him up or run him out of town and the young man was clearly in dire straits. What if he didn’t have any other place to go? Surely he didn’t. Why else would he be sleeping in his car? What if Fells Pointe was his last stop, his last hope for salvation?

  And she’d ruined it for him.

  Heaving out a deep sigh, Lanie tried to let it go. She’d done what she’d known was the right thing to do and hopefully things would work out for everyone, including the handsome young man who was so lacking that he was forced to live in his jalopy. She really hoped that, if he hadn’t done anything wrong, things worked out for him. No one deserved to have to live that kind of existence.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Lanie! Are you insane!” Johnna exclaimed, her eyes as big as saucers. “You did not go into the woods by yourself to snoop around a stranger’s car after what just happened!”

  “You could have been killed! What possessed you to do that!” Devyn demanded, looking on the verge of tears.

  Her friends had been going for a full five minutes and Lanie was just sitting back, listening to them. They hadn’t said anything to her that her dad hadn’t already said. Although, it seemed a little less hurtful coming from her friends, so she could bear it.

  “You’re lucky that guy didn’t kill you!” Devyn went on. “He could have been the one who killed Stacy Miller! And you were out there alone with him!”

  “And he knows what you look like, Lanie!” Johnna pointed out, her wide eyes growing even wider. “He knows that you can put him in those woods! What if…what if he…comes after you!”