Cold Terror

by Susan Sleeman

  Unmoving, his daughter peered up at Hannah.

  Gage held his breath in wait for his daughter’s response. She didn’t take well to strangers, and the fact that she was even sitting this closely to Hannah was a good sign. But interact? Not likely.

  Mia lifted her hand.

  That’s it, Bug. Do it. Participate.

  She dropped her hand to her leg and looked away.

  “That’s okay, sweetheart, I understand,” Hannah said softly. “I was just as hesitant when I was a little girl. Let me know when you’re ready. Okay?”

  Mia blinked her responding yes, and Gage wanted to go scoop her into her arms and kiss her pudgy cheeks, but her therapist said coddling her all the time wouldn’t help her learn to venture out of her own little world.

  “I can turn the page for you,” David offered. “You can do the next one.”

  Gage’s heart swelled at David’s kindness and his lack of belittling. Many children Mia’s age teased her when she refused to interact in a group. The mean behavior made her problem worse. Maybe having Hannah and David staying here would be good for her.

  He stepped into the room. All eyes peered at him. A tiny smile lit Mia’s face, worry flooded Hannah’s eyes, and David had big question marks in his. Hannah couldn’t tell David about the attack, and he didn’t understand why they’d left their wonderful vacation cottage to stay here. Gage needed to offer something fun for the boy to do so he didn’t miss out on his entire vacation.

  Gage focused on David. “Mia has a fort out back with ropes for climbing and swings, too. Maybe after your mom finishes the story, the two of you can go out to play.”

  David cast a hopeful look at his mother. “Can we?”

  She questioned Gage with a look of pure anxiety.

  He winked at her. “Rumor has it that Coop has missed swinging, and he wants to come out with you.”

  “Nu-uh,” Mia said. “Coop’s a man. He doesn’t play.”

  “Sure he does. You just haven’t seen him. You go back to your story, and I’ll call him.” Gage got out his phone and stepped into the hallway. “I need you at the house to keep an eye on the kids while they play outside.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Neither one of them can know what’s going on, so I told them you’ve missed swinging.”

  A groan filtered through the phone. “You know I’d give my life for you, but this? Man, you’re pushing it.”

  “But you’ll do it for Mia.”

  “Sure. I’ll do it for the little squirt. But there better not be any pictures taken or so help me I’ll—”

  “See you in a few.” Chuckling, Gage hung up.

  Coop soon arrived and escorted Mia and David outside. Gage stood next to Hannah at the window to watch as the kids approached the large fort that Gage and the guys had constructed for Mia.

  “Maybe I should have built a playhouse or something more feminine for Mia. I’m kind of lost on little girl things without Cass. Still, those stereotypes are gone these days, right?”

  “Right, and I’m sure as long as you love Mia, and I can see that you do, she won’t suffer from having a fort instead of a playhouse.”

  Mia and David both went toward the same swing, but David stepped back and let Mia take a turn first.

  “You’ve got a great kid, there,” he said. “I appreciate his kindness toward Mia. People don’t often understand her limitations, and she gets hurt. Especially by other kids.”

  Hannah turned to look at him. “David’s become more compassionate since Nick died. I hate that he lost his dad, but at least some good has come from it.”

  “Just what God promises,” Gage said, and wished he could see the good more often.

  She tipped her head up. “Since when have you become such an optimist about God and life’s problems?”

  He turned to look at her. “After I made peace with losing Cass, I found it helped. But before you think I’m a saint or something, I fail more than I succeed.”

  “Peace.” She scoffed. “What’s that? I’m still trying to figure out why we have to face such terrible tragedies in the first place. Why God would allow them.”

  “It’s not ours to know. We just have to keep moving. Put one foot in front of the other and trust that God can see further ahead than we can. He has our best interests at heart, and it will all end up good for us.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that…” She genuinely wished she could. “Not anymore. I’m not even sure He loves me.”

  Gage watched her carefully, unsure if he should continue. His heart ached for her. How could she not realize God loved her?

  “You look like you want to say something,” she said. “Go ahead. Say it.”

  “I’m beginning to sound like a preacher here, but maybe something my pastor told me can help you, too. He said that we learn to trust by experience. We need to recall all the times God has brought us through difficult situations. Remembering builds trust. Sometimes, down the road, we can see the reason. Often we can’t.”

  “You mean like now? Like when someone wants to kill me? How do I trust He will keep me alive? Or David? He took my husband so…how can a loving God even do that?” Tears glistened in her eyes.

  Gage’s heart creased with her pain and he couldn’t just ignore her tears. But he also couldn’t take her into his arms. He’d compromise by taking her hand. “God didn’t take Nick—he knowingly made an unwise decision to go climbing alone. But I have to believe God saw fit for me to find you at the beach and put you in my care. I don’t take that responsibility lightly. I have an amazing team, and we’ll do our very best to make sure you and David aren’t harmed.”

  She sniffled and gave a clipped nod as she extracted her hand. She shoved it into her pocket and looked down at her feet.

  He’d dumped a lot of info on her and it was time to move on. “I called Blake, and I’m heading out to meet him at the gate that was breached last night. Opal went into town to get groceries, but she left the coffee maker on. Eryn’s grabbing some now, and she’ll stay with you.”

  “Thank you,” she said, and he heard her sincerity. “I don’t know what I’d do without all of you.”

  “You’ll never have to figure it out. We’re here for you until this is resolved.” He lifted a hand to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, but he had no right to touch her like that. He’d lost that right when he’d walked out on her so he shoved his hand into his pocket. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  He left the house and headed down the path in the utility vehicle. He couldn’t help but think of all of Hannah’s wonderful characteristics. Warm, compassionate, loving. His feelings for her were growing by the minute, and he wished they didn’t have to be together so often. But honestly, he didn’t trust her care to anyone else for extended periods of time, so he would have to find a way to be in her company while keeping her at a distance. But man, when tears filled her eyes—when she was this sad, couldn’t he just give her a hug?

  No, he couldn’t—and not want more. Meant he better find the guy targeting her so they could go their separate ways again.

  He parked near the fence and followed small red flags placed in the ground to an area where Alex squatted next to Blake.

  “Anything?” Gage asked.

  Alex looked up. “Print pattern suggests tactical boots.”

  “You’re thinking we’re dealing with military.”

  “Or ex-military,” Alex said. “Especially with the way the guy moved.”

  “I watched the video feed a few times today, and I have to concur,” Blake said. “He’s definitely been trained in evasion techniques.”

  “Ellwood was Army Special Forces.”

  Blake frowned. “You’re not going to like hearing this. I asked Portland police to question him, but he’s in the wind.”

  Concern raced along Gage’s nerves. “Then he could be in town. Could be the one we’re looking for. Not good. Not good at all.”

  Alex grimaced. “Sor
ry we lost him, man. I don’t know how it happened.”

  Gage wanted to yell at him, but what good would that do? Everyone made mistakes. “Even further evidence that the guy’s not some hack but has strong evasion skills.”

  Blake nodded. “I need you to keep your team away from the boot prints until after I get someone out here to cast them.”

  “How will these casts help?” Gage asked.

  “Sometimes narrowing down a shoe brand can lead to a suspect. At a minimum, it’ll be useful in court when we catch this guy.”

  Gage planted his hands on his waist to keep from fisting them in frustration. “How are we standing on that?”

  “The cottage is a rental. Means we have a large number of prints to process. So far, none of them returned a match in our database. Same with the boat. And if he wore gloves the entire time, none of them will.”

  “What about the boat registration?” Alex asked.

  “As I mentioned, the sheriff told me the owner had already reported it stolen.”

  Gage eyed Blake. “And you’re gonna trust his word?”

  Blake cast him a baleful look. “I may not have traveled the world like you all, but I do know how to do my job, you know.”

  “I know, it’s just…” Gage ran a hand through his hair. “I’m used to dealing with situations like this, but not in my own hometown.”

  “You still think of Cold Harbor as the ideal little world you left when you took off for the navy. Crime is everywhere these days. Even here, but we’ve kept it under control.”

  Gage may have traveled extensively, seen and done things that many people couldn’t begin to imagine, but now that he’d accepted—even embraced—being home again, he wanted his small town to be safe. When this was all over, he would ask Blake if there was anything he and his team could do to help keep it that way.

  “I should also mention,” Blake continued, “that I have a lead in Jane Doe’s investigation that could potentially direct us to Hannah’s attacker.”

  “Tell me.”

  “When we found the body, we sent in hair samples for isotope research and bone samples for DNA testing. I received the isotope information this morning. It lets me pinpoint the victim’s location for the two months leading up to her death. During that time, the information says she moved between warm and cool climates.”

  “A transient?”

  “Maybe, or she could have a warrant out for her arrest, and she was avoiding prosecution.”

  “What about a migrant worker?” Alex asked.

  “I’m not ruling that out,” Blake said. “But the DNA tests helped determine her personal traits, too. She was most likely Caucasian of western European descent and not the typical race for our area migrant workers.”

  “DNA can tell you that?” Alex asked.

  “It can even be used to digitally create a sketch of the subject’s face, but due to cost, we decided to go with Hannah.” Blake frowned.

  Gage knew what the man was thinking. “After all that’s happened to her, you’re wishing you’d gone with the digital image, right?”

  “Right.” Blake’s heated gaze met Gage’s. “Promise me you won’t let this jerk get to her.”

  “All I can promise is that I will do my very best.”

  The rest was up to God, and Gage had to find the strength to trust that what God wanted and what he wanted were the same thing.

  Hannah remained at the window overlooking the backyard watching David and Mia run toward the large wooden fort. Hannah thought to go outside to warn David to be careful of the height, but she couldn’t protect him every minute.

  Hannah heard footsteps and turned to find Eryn carrying two coffee mugs. She lifted one toward Hannah. “Gage told me you liked your coffee black.”

  “Thank you.” Hannah smiled and accepted the cup, but uneasy feelings about having David outside, even with Coop at his side, meant it was forced.

  “You’re worried about David,” Eryn stated.

  “Does anything get past the members of your team?”

  “Actually, this has nothing do with the job. It’s a mom thing.” Eryn gripped the cup hard, her fingers tuning white. “I lost my husband when my daughter was two. Now I go through life concerned I might lose her, too. Makes me worry about her more than I should.” She frowned. “I hate to admit it, but I’ve become kind of a helicopter parent.”

  “You have a daughter, and you live here?” Hannah couldn’t hide her surprise. “Sorry. That sounded judgmental. I’m not saying you’re a bad mother and have your daughter living in a terrible place. I meant, how hard it must be to do this difficult job and have a child living here, too.”

  “Actually, it’s fine. I pretty much work on computers, and—for the most part—Gage schedules me for a regular nine-to-five shifts. He’s also great about working around any special needs I have.”

  “So you have daycare arranged?”

  She nodded. “Bekah’s four now, and she goes to preschool every day. My mom watches her for the rest of the time and when assignments take me out of town. And you can’t beat the free living quarters that Gage provides for us.”

  This all sounded like the Gage Hannah once knew. In fact, until he’d bailed on her, she liked and respected most everything about him. Not something she would share with Eryn.

  “Your mom sounds very helpful,” Hannah said. “I never knew my father, and my mom passed away before David was born.”

  “It must be tough not to have a support system. But Gage says you’re a strong woman and can handle most anything.”

  Oh, does he? “What else does he say?”

  “Um, nothing else. At least not with words. But with the way he looks at you…well…the way you look at him, too, I suspect you two were once together.” She met Hannah’s gaze again. “Am I right, or am I prying too much?”

  Hannah should have realized that this very intuitive team wouldn’t miss the dynamics between her and Gage. She’d tried to be careful to hide any emotions regarding him, but obviously, she hadn’t managed it. “I don’t mind telling people we were once a couple, but the reason for our split is private.”

  Eryn nodded. “Do you ever want to get married again? I don’t specifically mean to Gage, but married in general. I miss the closeness and being able to share everything with my husband.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “But I can’t even think about it, you know? I couldn’t go through the pain of losing someone again.”

  “It’s totally unlikely that I’d take the plunge again. But if I did, I sure wouldn’t marry a man who puts himself in danger like Nick did as a SEAL.” Hannah paused, surprised that her typical response didn’t trigger the same vehemence it did before reconnecting with Gage.

  “Then I guess Gage is out. Protection details put him in all kinds of danger.” She shrugged. “Too, bad. I’d like to see you two get together. It’s nice to have another woman on the property. Especially one I seem to have a lot in common with.”

  With all the testosterone flowing around this place, Hannah was enjoying talking to Eryn, too. But even if Hannah could easily fall for Gage again, Eryn’s reminder of the danger Gage continued to put himself in gave Hannah one more reason to resist.

  8

  The scream was high and shrill. Mia! It was coming from Mia in the backyard. Felt like a big-bore bullet to Gage’s gut, ripping him raw. He jumped from the utility vehicle and charged around the house.

  David lay facedown on the grass in front of the fort, Coop kneeling next to him and assessing his injuries. Mia stood at the top landing of the fort, her face stark white. Gage wanted to go to her, but first he had to find out what happened to David. Gage raced across the lawn, and Hannah burst through the back door with Eryn.

  Gage reached David first and squatted down. “What happened, Coop?”

  Coop’s eyes were dark with concern, and nothing ever spooked him. “David climbed onto the rail to reach for a squirrel. He fell before I could even warn him to get down.”

  Da
vid turned over and a long moan escaped his lips.

  Hannah knelt next to him. “Son, are you okay?”

  Her soft, pleading voice wrenched Gage’s heart, and in that instant, he would do anything to take away her fear and pain.

  David’s chin wobbled as if he might cry, and his eyes misted. “My arm hurts.”

  “I think it’s broken,” Coop said. “I’ll get the first aid kit.”

  “Let me see.” Hannah took one look at the arm and clamped her mouth closed.

  “Are you mad at me, Mommy?” David’s tears seemed imminent now.

  She smoothed back a lock of his hair. “You know what you did was wrong?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you promise never to do it again?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’m not mad.” She pressed a kiss on his forehead. “But we’ll need to go back to the ER to have you checked out.”

  “No. Mommy. Please. Do we have to go? I…”

  “I’m afraid so, Son.”

  “I’ll go with you.” Mia’s voice came from behind.

  Gage spun to see her standing behind him, clutching her well-worn doll. The last place he wanted to take her was to the ER. She liked hospitals about as much as he did, but Gage would foster the interest she seemed to be developing in her new friend.

  “I’ll carry David,” Gage offered.

  Mia looked at him with a serious expression. “And I’ll hold his hand.”

  He smiled at his daughter and couldn’t get over the change in her normal timid behavior. “Then we have a plan, Bug.”

  Hannah kissed David’s forehead again. “Here’s Coop—he’s going to wrap your arm up. Okay?”

  “Ow! Ow!” David yelped as Coop carefully moved his arm to splint it.

  Hannah’s face pinched like she was the one in pain, but she soothed her son, and he quieted down. Gage gently picked the boy up and headed for the driveway. Mia held David’s good hand and Hannah stood to Mia’s side, her hand resting on Mia’s shoulder. Gage was touched seeing Mia come out of her shell and warm up to David—and Hannah, too.