by Rebecca Deel
“Stay put, Del. I’ll be there in less than a minute.”
“Okay. Josh?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“Hurry.”
“Almost there. Just hang on.”
Over their open cell connection, the police siren sounded loud and clear. She also heard Josh talking to someone, asking for backup at 2416 Evergreen Road. Must be talking to the dispatcher.
Wood splintered nearby. Her bedroom door? Del reached over and gripped Ivy’s hand. If they made noise, the intruder would know they were still in the house.
A soft curse sounded as a police siren cut off. Footsteps pounded across the floor toward the back wall. Then nothing.
Over the phone, she heard Josh yell, “Police! Freeze!” and then the phone connection dropped.
“What’s happening?” Ivy whispered in Del’s ear.
She gripped her cell phone harder though she pulled it away from her ear. “I heard Josh yell for somebody to freeze and then the call dropped.” Del shuddered, gripping Ivy’s hand tighter. Together, they sat in the dark and waited.
After what seemed like hours, they heard movement in Del’s bedroom. Hardly daring to breath, she watched the closet door. Was it Josh or the person who’d broken into her home? If this was the burglar or Judge Reece’s killer, she and Ivy had no way to escape. Had something happened to Josh? She drew in a sharp breath. She couldn’t think like that or she’d drive herself crazy. He was a cop, a good one from listening to Ethan, Rod, and Nick talk about him. He knew how to take care of himself.
Footsteps moved closer to the closet. Del pressed against the back wall. The doorknob turned.
CHAPTER FOUR
Flashlight in hand, Josh approached the closet. Fellow officers were searching the neighborhood for the escaped perp. He caught a glimpse of the guy, not that it helped since he wore black, face covered by a ski mask. Though tempted to chase the perp further, he worried about Del and Ivy. He didn’t intend to lose anyone else on his watch. If this guy killed Reece, Josh would have another crack at him. It was only a matter of time. If the killer tried for Del tonight, he wouldn’t give up easily. But why come after the women at all? Del and Ivy didn’t see him. Was he covering his bases? Or was this a string of bad luck?
He snorted. The chances this was a coincidence ranged somewhere between zero and nil, and nil was out of town. In his military and law enforcement experience, nobody’s luck was that bad.
Gripping the heavy duty flashlight, he stepped to the side of the door, aimed his light toward the back of the closet, flung open the door and turned on the light. Two women raised their hands against the blinding light. He didn’t see any obvious injuries. Safe. Thank God. “You’re safe now.”
Del surged to her feet and raced toward him. He had just enough time to plant his feet before she threw herself into his open arms. Shudders wracked her body.
Josh wrapped his arms around her. “You okay?” After receiving a nod despite tightening her grip around his waist, he turned his gaze toward Del’s cousin, making her way out of the closet. “What about you?” He eased Del to his side and, after stuffing the flashlight into his pocket, extended his arm to Ivy. She slipped one arm around Josh, the other around her cousin. “Ivy?”
“I’m fine. Scary few minutes.”
His arms tightened around them both. Josh was so afraid he’d be too late to save them. The whole time he’d jerked on clothes and careened down the deserted streets toward Del’s place, he imagined various scenarios, all bad. Then he saw the perp race across the yard. Incredibly fast. The way he moved reminded Josh of his special forces days.
That reminder was the reason he’d dropped the chase when the perp disappeared in the woods. If this guy was a professional, he could hurt or kill the women in seconds. The haunting thought had driven him to check on them, praying he’d arrived in time.
The timing had been close enough he had to concentrate to drag his heart rate down from the stratosphere. Not normal for a sharpshooter.
Out in the hall, someone called his name.
“Bedroom on the right,” he responded. Ivy eased away from him. Del, though, burrowed closer, burying her nose in his neck, still shaking. “Everything will be okay, baby,” he murmured against her ear. “I won’t let him near you or Ivy.”
“Thank you for coming so fast.”
Josh cupped the back of her head, threading his fingers through her rumpled hair. Footsteps sounded behind him. He turned his head, nodded to Rod Kelter.
“They okay?” Rod assessed what he could see of Del and turned his attention to Ivy.
“Just scared,” Ivy said.
“Understandable.” Rod eyed Josh. “You arrived fast. On stakeout?”
“I live a few blocks away. Del called me.” Josh rubbed her back. “I was first on scene, couldn’t wait for backup.”
The detective didn’t make further comments. His gaze rested on Del. “I need to ask you and Ivy some questions, Del. Why don’t we take this somewhere more comfortable than your closet?”
“Where?” She lifted her head from Josh’s shoulder.
“Living room. Intruder came in the back door.”
“Can we change clothes? I’m not comfortable answering questions in my pajamas.”
“Don’t touch anything in your bedroom. Same for you, Ivy.”
“I left the closet and dresser drawers open when I went to bed.” She grinned. “I’m not the best housekeeper.”
“Ten minutes long enough?” Rod asked.
Del nodded.
With a pointed look at Josh, Rod left the room.
Ivy eased past them. Her soft footsteps faded as she crossed the hall.
Josh eased Del back, nudged her face upward with his fingertips under her chin. “Better now, sweetheart?” She didn’t look as though she would fall apart anymore.
“Sorry. I lost my composure for a minute.”
“You’re entitled.”
“Josh, thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been so close.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek.
Heat flooded his body that had nothing to do with the hot, sultry weather on this muggy night. When she started to move away, he captured her face between his palms and leaned down to press a soft kiss on her lips. Her startled gasp made him smile. He’d been wanting to do that for months. Though he hated the circumstances, he didn’t mind introducing the idea of seeing him as more than a friend. “I’m glad I was close.” He tapped her nose gently. “Get dressed, beautiful. Rod’s not a patient man.” Knowing he needed to leave the closet before he pushed things too far too fast, he turned and strode away.
Rod waited at the end of the hall. Yeah, he figured the detective wouldn’t let this pass though maybe he was more interested in Josh’s perspective on what happened rather than dogging him about this thing with Del. His brother-in-law may push, but it wouldn’t make any difference. Josh didn’t understand what was happening yet. He’d been blindsided by his favorite bookseller the first time he saw her and reluctant to explore it too closely since Del’s business partner was his sister, Madison. He’d hate to cause dissension between them if he and Del tried a relationship and it didn’t work. Too late to back out now, he supposed.
“Sit,” Rod said. “This is my first week in a while for night duty.”
Josh dropped onto the couch and stretched his legs in front of him. A long night for both of them. He didn’t need much sleep, but two hours was a little less than he was used to. Guess he’d gotten soft since leaving the military. “I start third shift again next week.”
Rod snorted. “You like night duty and don’t have a wife waiting at home.”
Josh cringed. “I don’t want to hear about your wife keeping your side of the bed warm, buddy. That’s my sister and I definitely don’t want that visual in my head.”
“Sounds like you introduced that picture into your brain all by yourself.” He dug into his pocket for a notebook and pen while yawning. “Start
at the beginning. When did Del call?”
“Couple minutes after two. Told me someone was breaking into her house.”
“You the one who told her to open the window and hide in the closet?”
Josh nodded. “By the time Del called me, they couldn’t leave the house without the perp seeing them. He broke one of the glass panes while she talked to me. House is too small for them to leave Del’s room unseen at that point.”
“Smart advice. If this was Reece’s killer, they wouldn’t have stood a chance against him. When did you arrive?”
“At 2:06. I spotted him running across the backyard. Black pants, black shirt, black ski mask. Six three or four, about Ethan’s size. Not an ounce of fat on him. I followed, but this guy was fast, light on his feet. Almost no discernible sounds as he ran.” Josh frowned. “He reminded me of some of the guys I used to work with in special forces.”
Rod’s eyes narrowed. “You think he’s ex-military?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me. This guy melted into the shadows, Rod. He moved like a well-trained spec ops soldier.”
“If you’re right, Reece’s killer is as dangerous as they come.”
Ivy hurried into Del’s room and skidded to a stop. “You’re not dressed. What’s wrong?”
“What isn’t? We almost witness a murder and less than twelve hours later somebody breaks into my house. I used to feel safe in this town. I’m friends with cops, including the chief of police. I’ve never been anywhere near a crime yet within the space of a few hours I’m exposed to two majors crimes?”
“Must be a coincidence, Del.”
“I don’t buy that.” Del stood, grabbed clothes and her tennis shoes, headed for the guest bathroom. “Tell Rod I’ll be a couple minutes.”
Though she wanted to slam the door, Del refrained. At first, she’d been too frightened to feel anything but sheer terror. Now, she was furious. Almost witnessing Reece’s murder was bad timing. This latest incident made her blood boil. Why would someone break in to steal? Jobs were available in Dunlap county, many suitable for either skilled or unskilled labor.
What did she own that anyone would want? Her television wasn’t new. She wasn’t obsessive about music so she only played the radio when she needed musical entertainment. The only thing she invested money in, besides her store, was books and the teddy bear collection. Her cheeks flamed. She was still a child at heart. When she collected enough unique bears, Del donated them to the hospital or the police for traumatized children.
These incidents might frighten her cousin into going home to Nashville. Ivy needed a new start, away from her abusive ex-boyfriend. She deserved better than that jerk. If Ivy went back home, he’d pressure her into taking him back, no doubt promising to change.
Del scowled. He’d promised before, but he wouldn’t control his mouth. No, Lee Hall never hurt Ivy physically, but he tried to change her cousin to suit him. She wanted her cousin to stay. She’d missed spending time with her while the jerk had been in Ivy’s world. He’d slowly but surely cut Ivy’s friends and family from her life until she discovered his actions. Del loved having her cousin back. She didn’t want anything to send her home.
Del yanked on her clothes and shoes, ran her fingers through her hair and called it good. No use worrying about her appearance. She would look like the walking dead at the store in a few hours, but that was too bad.
She opened the door and traipsed to the living room where Ivy, Rod and Josh waited. Del’s gaze collided with Josh’s warm hazel eyes. He stood and gestured to the couch.
“Come sit with Ivy.” He scanned her face. “Ready for your second police interview in twelve hours?”
“I’m afraid we won’t be helpful. We didn’t see anything.”
“So Ivy said.” Rod’s pen hovered over his notebook. “Start from the beginning.”
Del told the detective about her sleeplessness and decision to read. “I heard something outside.”
“What?”
She thought a moment, analyzing what drew her attention from the book. “Shifting rocks in my driveway. I thought it was the neighbor’s dog until I heard noise at the back door.”
“What did you do?” Rod asked.
“Crawled to the hallway and ran to Ivy. Felt stupid, too.”
“Sounds smart to me.”
“You weren’t here when I thought I imagined everything.”
“Your instincts were right. It was a good move, Del.”
Josh, who stood behind the couch, laid his hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “Always pay attention to your instincts. Better to be embarrassed than to brush off warnings from your subconscious and end up hurt or worse.”
Del shivered. If she’d ignored her subconscious, would she and Ivy be dead now? Not if this incident was a burglary. Would a burglar break down her door? Didn’t they just steal and run?
Rod flipped to a new notebook page. “What happened after you reached Ivy’s room?”
“I woke her up. We ran into my bedroom and locked the door. I called Josh.”
“What did he tell you?”
“Leave by the window.”
“Could you?”
She shook her head. “My window is on the back wall, the same side of the house as the French doors. The burglar was back there. While I was on the phone, the glass broke. Guess the burglar failed at picking the lock.”
“Your French doors have a standard lock. Any self-respecting burglar would be inside in a minute or less.”
Del closed her eyes. “Thanks for trashing my security even more.”
“The dead bolt slowed him down. The best dead bolt locks with a key. You should change the lock for your own safety.”
Another shoulder squeeze from Josh. “I’ll take care of it, Rod. I’m upgrading her security.”
“Hey, I’m not made of money.”
“Don’t worry. We can do many simple and inexpensive things. However, you need a security system, sweetheart. I know some guys who will set you up at cost. They owe me a few favors.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Del protested.
Ivy patted her knee. “Shut up and say thank you.”
The lack of sleep and stress made her grumpy. Del sighed. She needed to accept the new security measures with grace instead of grouchiness. “Thank you, Josh.”
“I’ll make calls in a few hours and start the process.”
Rod cleared his throat. “Back to your story, Del. You called Josh and, while you were on the phone, you heard glass breaking. What did you do?”
“Opened the window as soon as he was inside. We hid in the closet.”
“What did you hear?”
“Footsteps in the bedroom, cursing, then nothing. Right, Ivy?”
“He kicked the bedroom door in,” Ivy added.
“He?” Rod glanced up from his notes. “Definitely a man?”
Del replayed the events in her head. “The floor creaked in the hall and in front of my closet. I hear the creaks when my brothers step on those boards, but never with me or Ivy.”
“Did you hear enough cursing to determine if the voice was male or female?”
Ivy grinned. “Male. Deep voice. Salty language. He wasn’t happy about us being gone or the police arriving.”
“Did you leave the closet before an officer told you it was safe?”
Del shook her head. “Josh said to stay hidden until he or an officer I knew arrived.”
Rod grinned. “Doesn’t mean you listened to him.”
Josh snorted. “Del is not Megan, bro. She doesn’t look for trouble like my sister.”
The detective turned his attention and question to Ivy. “What about you?”
Another head shake from her cousin.
“When you left the closet, did you notice smells that were out of place?”
Del paused. Her face heated remembering her source of comfort and safety. Josh’s arms. She remembered the scent of his soap. Not what Rod meant with his question. “Not re
ally.”
“Ivy?”
A frown. “There was a sharp scent, not one I recognized.”
Rod jotted a note, looked up again. “Anything else stand out?” When he received a negative response, he asked, “Did you hear anything before Del came to wake you?”
Ivy shook her head. “I wouldn’t hear a bomb go off.”
Rod closed his notebook. “Pack a few necessities.”
“Pack? Why?”
“Two reasons. One, this is a crime scene. The CSI team needs to process your place. Second, your home is not secure, especially since your French doors are compromised.”
“We’ll find a motel with a vacancy.” Del dreaded the hassle though it was for their safety. She wouldn’t risk herself or Ivy.
“Not a motel,” Josh said. “You’re coming with me.”
Del straightened and turned around to stare at him. “What?”
He tapped her nose again. “Trust me. Pack what you need for a few days.”
“What are you planning, Josh?” Rod’s eyes narrowed. “You know how small towns talk, man. You can’t take Del and Ivy in like stray puppies. The news will be around town before sunset.”
Josh dragged his attention from the hall. “With both of them staying and a home invasion here, I don’t think the town biddies would faint. However, I won’t place Del in an uncomfortable situation.” Especially now that he’d made the first move to change their relationship. At least, he hoped Del interpreted that peck on the mouth as a game changer. He sure had. And he couldn’t wait to kiss her again. Patience, he reminded himself. He’d had months to think about dating Del Peterson. She’d had less than an hour. “Mom and Dad have room and I’ll be able to stay when I’m off shift. They also have a top quality security system. If this guy gets through that system, he’ll still have to go through me.”
Rod frowned. “Think this was a stupid burglar?”
