“What if you did something stupid and now you’re hiding out here?” Her mind raced. She should have never given him the benefit of doubt.
“I promise you—that’s not true.”
“Explain those bullet holes.”
“I can’t. I must have hit this tree and smashed my head. That’s why I’m having trouble remembering.”
“I don’t know what to believe.” Every bit of conflicting logic warred within her. She couldn’t afford to be naïve again. The first time her professional reputation had been on the line. This time it was her life and her aunt’s life.
Brody stepped closer, his voice calm and pleading, much like a negotiator. “I believe you’re in danger. I don’t know if that danger followed me here or not. I just know that a man tried to break in last night. I don’t know where he came from or where he is. I believe something dangerous is going on. I wish I knew my connection with it.”
His connection. He was admitting there was one. That settled it in her mind. “You need to leave as soon as the road clears,” she said.
“I’ll be happy to get out of your hair. You’ve been generous enough as it is.”
“If I find out you’ve been lying to me, I won’t hesitate to take action.” Her voice sounded stronger than she felt. Inside she was a quivering mess. But she never wanted to be a victim again. Never.
“I understand.” He stepped closer and lowered his eyes, his voice. “Now, please, put the gun down, Felicity.”
She stared at him a moment, trying to measure her actions. If he’d wanted to hurt her, he could have done that already. And there was blood on the driver’s seat, so his story could very well be true.
Hesitantly, she lowered her gun. “Don’t make me regret this.”
Her shoulders seemed to relax. “You won’t.”
She stuck the gun in the back of her jeans and licked her lips, already dry and parched from the cold. “What are you doing now?”
“Just looking for any clues as to what happened. Unfortunately, the snow covered any footprints.” He looked down the road. It wasn’t one he’d taken very many times. He’d never had any reason to. “How much farther does this road go?”
“About four miles until you reach the highway. Why?”
“The man was found not far from here, but I doubt he could have walked that far in the snow.”
She let his words sink in a moment. “You think someone grabbed him?”
A shadow passed over his face. “Maybe. Is there any reason that man would have wanted to come to your place? Did you recognize his picture?”
“No. Why? I know no one here. I’m not working. I’ve pretty much been reclusive. Why would you ask?”
“He said Pasture. I remember that much. I thought he was talking about a minister or something.”
She blinked as she processed the new information. “The man—the one who’s now dead—said my grandma’s last name while he was in your truck?”
Brody nodded, watching her every action and reaction. “Any idea why?”
“I have no idea.” She shivered, suddenly even colder. “I don’t like this. As soon as the roads clear, I need to take my aunt back to her assisted-living facility. I don’t think she’s safe here with me.”
“Not a bad idea. Is there anyone you can stay with?”
She just stared at him a moment. They’d been over this. She’d made no effort to meet people since she’d been in town. She’d had no reason to. “I’ll be fine here by myself. I took a shooting class once.”
“Your safety was on.”
“What?”
He nodded toward her gun. “You wouldn’t have been able to shoot anyone.”
Her cheeks heated. “Regardless, I’ll be fine.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” He reached under his front seat and found his gun and cell phone. He tucked them into his jeans. “Now I need to go check out your backyard.”
She stumbled through the snow behind him, struggling to keep up with his long strides. “I’m going with you.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll tell you what I find.”
“I want to go.” No way would she give him the opportunity to deceive her. She had every right to know what was going on.
Ricky had liked to keep her in the dark—then he used that to his advantage. Never again.
“Suit yourself.” He threw her earlier words back on her.
With every step, she struggled behind him. Her legs were considerably shorter and not nearly as muscular as Brody’s. But she didn’t want to give any hints that she was struggling. She was going to keep up with him if it was the last thing she did—and it very well might be.
Her lungs burned as she heaved in the icy cold air. The snow had seeped through her clothes, and now her jeans were wet and frozen. Frost had found its way through the opening between her socks and jeans and stung her skin.
One foot in front of the other, Felicity. You can do it!
She nearly collided with Brody when he stopped in front of her. Thankfully, she caught herself in time.
“What is it?” She tried to peer around his shoulder, but he was too broad. She had to reserve any extra energy for the walk back to the house.
“Tracks. It looks like they lead to that building out there.” Brody turned slightly—enough for her to see around him—and pointed.
She followed the trail. “To the old barn?”
He nodded. “The old barn. Let’s go check it out.”
She wasn’t sure she could make it that far, but she refused to let him know that. Instead, through labored breaths, she followed after him, trying to step only in his tracks. She would need a warm bath after this. And coffee. And maybe a pat on the back.
He glanced over his shoulder. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” Her deep, desperate breaths betrayed her words.
“I don’t know what we’ll find in there.”
“I have a gun.” She remembered his observation about the safety earlier and felt her cheeks warm. They were the only part of her that was warm.
“I would bet your fingers are too frozen right now to use it.”
She wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t feel her fingers, now that he mentioned it. “Let me guess: you’re still a good shot—even with ice cubes for fingers.”
“I have been trained. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be a very good coastie.”
Coast Guard. She kept forgetting. Her mind kept going to dark places—places where he was a criminal. Where he had secrets he wasn’t sharing. Secrets that could destroy people. Destroy her.
But maybe he was noble. Maybe he had a good reason for all this.
They finally reached the barn, and he motioned for Felicity to stay behind him. He peered into the doorway and then nodded. “Looks clear.”
Felicity had only been out to the barn once since she’d come back, and that was when she was looking for a lawn mower—which she hadn’t found. The red barn had held old bales of hay, some old farm equipment, and mice. Lots of mice.
She hated mice. She hadn’t entered it since then.
But right now, she stepped inside.
Even though the barn was cool, it was like the desert compared to the breezy outdoors. The flimsy walls at least blocked some of the breeze, and snow didn’t trap her feet here.
Her gaze went to the little camp that had been set up on the floor there. There was a blanket and a coffee mug—an expensive looking one—and the dirt looked plenty scuffled.
Brody squatted down and examined the footprints on the ground. “Someone’s definitely been here. He must have left after his failed attempt to get into the house.”
“Look at this.” Felicity pointed to some tire tracks on the other side of the barn, near the two huge doors that opened up to a field behind it.
“He must have stowed his vehicle here for a quick getaway.”
He glanced outside. “As soon as it’s safe, I’d like to ask the chief to come out and se
e if there’s any evidence that might tell us who this man was. I’d say I’d take it to him myself, but since my truck is wrapped around a tree . . .”
“My aunt has a car here you might be able to use.” Now why had she offered that? She knew: because it would get him away from her. Then she could return to being a hermit and nursing her wounds.
Brody looked at her a moment as if her words had surprised him. “That sounds great. Check the news for more information on road conditions. In the meantime, I need to check in with Joshua.”
“Makes sense.”
“You ready to trudge back through that snow?” he asked.
She nodded, even though she felt anything but ready. “Let’s go.”
Once she was back inside her house, she escaped to her room for a moment, feigning needing to get some rest. Then she turned on the light and held the key from Brody’s shirt under the illumination.
What if the man from the truck had put this key into Brody’s shirt? What if all this danger somehow circled back to this piece of metal?
But why? Why would that be the case?
She squinted at what Aunt Bonny had called “Blackbeard’s symbol.” What was that? She almost needed a magnifying glass to say for sure. But it looked like letters were embedded in the middle of the miniscule design.
With the right equipment, she could scan this and blow it up. But she didn’t have any of that with her now. Despite that, she took a few pictures with her cell phone.
If someone wanted this key badly enough that they’d run Brody off the road . . . that they’d hidden it away in his clothes . . . that they’d tried to break in last night to retrieve it—then it must have some significance.
A familiar longing began in her gut. What if this key was what she needed to clear her name and prove that she wasn’t a fraud? If this key did have significance, she needed to figure out what it was.
It was going to be hard to do that when she considered this key wasn’t hers.
Maybe her aunt was right. Maybe Felicity needed to tap into her inner pirate. She’d been composed and done what was expected of her for so long. Too long.
Just then, a knock sounded at her door. She jumped up, dropping the key. It clattered to the floor, seeming louder than it probably was.
“Coming.” Sweat broke out across her forehead.
She grabbed the key, shoved it into her jeans pocket, and then walked to the door.
She knew it wasn’t her aunt—her aunt wouldn’t knock. It had to be Brody.
She tried to compose herself before jerking the door open. But as soon as she spotted Brody on the other side, any composure she’d felt disappeared faster than snow in the tropics. His hulking frame made her feel like a dwarf. He’d showered and changed back into his tight-fitting jeans.
He was handsome. She’d known that the first moment she saw him. But right now he took her breath away as a rush of attraction welled in her.
She mentally chided herself for even feeling anything.
She pushed a hair behind her ear. “Can I help you?”
His gaze seemed smoldering as it met hers. “I thought I’d let you know that the roads seem to be clearing faster than expected. Snowplows have been clearing the main roads all morning. I talked to my friend Joshua, and he said streets are slick but drivable if necessary. That said, I’d like to collect some of the evidence from the barn and take it to the police station.”
“Of course.”
“I cleared away the sidewalk and driveway the best I could. Is it still okay if I borrow your aunt’s car? Do I need to ask her?”
“You know—you just take mine. I’ll use my aunt’s when I drive her back to her home. Like I said earlier, I need to do this sooner rather than later.”
“I agree.” His eyes continued to smolder. “I also think you shouldn’t be staying here alone. That man—whoever he was—knows you’re here.”
“I have nowhere else to go.” And no money. She didn’t add that last part. “I should be fine.”
His lips parted like he wanted to say something, but then he stopped and nodded. “Okay.”
He took a step away and paused. “Oh, and do you still have that key?”
She swallowed hard, trying to think fast but failing to do so. She settled on, “The key?”
He lowered his gaze and squinted, as if not buying her confusion. “The one you said you found in my shirt.”
“Oh, that key. What about it?” Great. She sounded over the top now. She’d never been a good liar. She shoved a hair behind her ear, hoping she looked more relaxed than she felt.
“I thought I should probably show Joshua—Chief Haven. Just in case it has any significance.”
She nodded. “Of course. I’ll go get it.”
“Thanks.”
Her heart slammed into her ribcage after Brody shut the door. She couldn’t give up that key. Not now. It could contain all the answers she’d been searching for. She had to figure out a way to keep it . . . even if it meant deceiving the stranger who’d taken shelter in her home.
As Aunt Bonny returned to her habit of smashing porcelain, Brody folded the last blanket and placed it on the couch. He’d officially cleaned up after himself the best he could.
“Here.” Felicity emerged from the hallway and handed him a cloth bag. “I put the key in there. I thought it might preserve any fingerprints that weren’t already smudged.”
Brody took it from her and shoved it in the pocket of his thick coat. “Thanks. Smart thinking.”
A little strange and unexpected but thoughtful nonetheless. Why did Felicity look so nervous? Was she really this uncomfortable with him?
“I think I’m going to go ahead and take Aunt Bonny back to her home,” Felicity said. “You said the roads weren’t that bad?”
“It’s raining, and the temperatures are climbing. I didn’t say it was safe, but it’s better than it was. Do you want me to drive you?”
Her eyes widened, as if the very thought alarmed her. “No, we’ll be okay.”
He felt like he should say something more. Like he should beg her to find somewhere else to stay. But they were practically strangers. And she was a grown woman, capable of making her own choices.
Still, a smidgen of concern wouldn’t let him go. He really didn’t think it was safe here.
He shifted. “You know, I have a couple of friends I could speak with. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you camped out at their place until this passes over . . .”
She shook her head, leaving no room for question. “No, I’ll be fine. But thank you.”
Hesitantly, he took a step back. “Okay then. Well, I’ll be in touch about returning the car. Thanks for letting me stay here. For pulling me inside and from certain death.”
“No problem. I would love an update on what’s going on, if you hear anything.”
“The chief will probably come out here himself and ask you some questions. It wouldn’t surprise me. And as soon as a tow truck is available, I’ll send someone out here to get my truck.”
“Of course.”
With one more hesitant nod, he stepped back. “Okay, then. I’ll be going.”
He told Aunt Bonny goodbye and then climbed into Felicity’s neat sedan. A torn piece of newspaper was balled up on the floor. Out of curiosity, he picked it up and unfolded it.
The paper showed a headline reading: Leading NC Antiquarian Discredited.
Interesting. There was nothing else to read; the rest of the article was missing. Why would Felicity have torn this off? It didn’t matter. It was the least of his concerns at the moment.
The snow had turned to slush. The road was still slick but not nearly as treacherous. Even with these conditions, it took him thirty minutes to get to the police station.
He stomped off his feet at the door before walking back to Joshua’s office. Surprisingly, his friend was there, standing over stacks of paperwork.
Joshua had become a good friend during the past year. He was engaged
to be married to Andrea’s best friend, Charity. At first, it had been hard to see Joshua because he would inevitably see Charity, which brought back memories of Andrea. But God was working on him and helping him to deal with his past mistakes.
Joshua looked up. The man was lean with light brown hair and wise, kind eyes. He’d just recently been named chief after the former chief had taken a job in a different city.
Joshua turned toward Brody and leaned against the table behind him. “Hey, Brody. You made it.”
“Surprised you’re here.” Brody walked over to him.
“You just caught me. I’ve been running around all morning helping people who were stranded on the road during the storm, and now I have to catch up on paperwork. What do you have for me?”
Brody set his items on the table and explained each of them to Joshua. He brought a bullet, photos of the tire tracks in the barn, as well as pictures of the footprints left on the porch.
Finally, he got to the part of his story involving the key. He pulled the bag from his jacket pocket and opened the string at the top.
“And I believe the man put this in my pocket.” He turned the bag over and a key dropped onto Joshua’s desk.
Brody squinted. That was not the same key he’d seen earlier. This one was the same basic style, but it wasn’t nearly as ornate.
“What’s wrong?” Joshua asked.
His jaw hardened as he realized the truth. “Felicity switched keys.”
“Felicity? The woman whose place you were staying at?”
Brody nodded. Why would she do that? Unless she knew something he didn’t.
Brody stood. “I’ve got to go find her. Now.”
Felicity’s hands trembled as she rested them on the table that served as a desk and eating space for her aunt in her small, one-room apartment. Felicity wasn’t the kind of girl who was normally deceitful, and it was getting to her. She’d never been so jittery.
“You okay? You’re jumpier than a grasshopper on a trampoline.” Aunt Bonny cast a glance over her shoulder as she deposited her bag on the bed.
“I’m fine. The drive was just a little stressful.” The roads had been worse than Felicity anticipated, and she’d nearly slid into a ditch. She wasn’t looking forward to driving back. Not at all.
Wait Until Dark: Carolina Moon Series, Book 3 Page 7
