by Joanna Wayne
A deputy rushed in from the kitchen area. “This is a crime scene. No trespassing.”
“I’m Dani Boatman. I own Dani’s Delights, at least what’s left of it. And this is my friend Riley Lawrence.”
“Sorry, but I’ll need to see some ID.”
Sheriff Cavazos joined them from the back of the shop. “She doesn’t need any ID. I’ll vouch for her and her friend.” He put out a hand to Riley. “I’m Sheriff Cavazos. We haven’t met, but I know your brother Pierce and have known Esther Kavanaugh for years.”
They exchanged handshakes.
“Sorry we’re meeting under such down-and-dirty circumstances,” Cavazos said. “Glad you’re here to offer Dani some moral support. Always tough seeing your business trashed like this.”
Dani picked up and righted an overturned chair that blocked her path. “I’m not sure I can stomach looking at the rest of the place.”
“Fortunately, this is the worst of it,” Sheriff Cavazos said. “There’s no sign of damage in your fancy kitchen. Not even a scratch on those giant ovens. All your cinnamon-roll fans will be thankful for that. Me included.”
“What about the upstairs living area?” Riley asked.
Dani held her breath, her stomach churning as she waited for his response. If Haggard had been in Constance’s room—if he’d handled any of her things...
“Untouched as far as we can tell,” Cavazos said. “And believe me, we gave it a thorough check. Had to make sure the culprit wasn’t hiding up there.”
Dani shuddered. She hadn’t even thought of that. She scanned the area again. “How did he get in?”
“Through the back door that opens to the alley. He broke the lock.”
“So you think this was all done by one person?” Riley asked.
“I checked the area myself and only saw one set of fresh footprints in the patch of dirt between the door and the alleyway. Big feet. Definitely an adult male. Not wearing Western boots like so many around here do. Prints indicated he was wearing sneakers, no doubt looking for a fast getaway.”
“So no eyewitness?” Riley asked.
“Nope.” Cavazos raked his fingers through his thinning hair. “But we couldn’t have missed the scoundrel by much. He busted the hell out of the system keypad next to the back door, but not before the call went through to the security company.
“When the company couldn’t reach you, Dani, they called us.”
“I was at the Double K for the wedding reception. Evidently I couldn’t hear the phone over the band.”
“Wouldn’t have changed the results if you had. The first two deputies were on the scene in under five minutes. Your burglar wasted no time wrecking the place.”
“Any suspects?” Riley asked. “Is this a pattern of similar vandalism and break-ins in Winding Creek?”
Cavazos shook his head and scratched his whiskered chin. “Last downtown business break-in we had was dang near three years ago. Then it was a couple of teenagers camping out down at the park on Winding Creek. They got high and hit Caffe’s Bar looking for booze. Didn’t make a mess like this, though.”
“Your registers were emptied of all the bills,” one of the deputies said. “That was probably the intruder’s first order of business.”
“That didn’t gain him much. There was very little money in them. I emptied them when I closed shop for the day, except for enough bills and change to start business in the morning. Not that I’ll be opening to customers tomorrow now.”
“What about the cash you took in this morning?” Riley asked. “Where’s that money?”
“I made a deposit at the drive-through lane before the bank closed. The rest is in a hidden safe upstairs.”
“That might be your motivation for the vandalism,” Cavazos said. “Jackass went for the cash and when there wasn’t enough to satisfy him, he got pissed and did as much damage as he could before he heard the approaching sirens.”
“Guess I’m lucky you got here so fast,” she said.
But she felt certain that wasn’t the motivation for the vandalism. The culprit was that rotten James Haggard. He was devoid of any decency. A scoundrel who was determined to steal the trust fund of a motherless girl he claimed was his own flesh and blood.
Riley took off the jacket to his tux and wrapped it about her shoulders. That was when she realized she was trembling.
“I know you’ve got a major clean-up job here,” he said. “The good news is there’s very little costly damage. The best news is neither you nor Constance was home at the time of the break-in.”
“I agree,” she said. She wasn’t sure if Haggard had only come by to threaten her again and then decided to break in when she wasn’t here, or if vandalism had been his goal.
“I wouldn’t advise you to try and stay here tonight,” Cavazos said. “The lock on the back door is busted. Fact is, the whole door is busted up. It will have to be replaced, and it will likely be Monday before you can get someone out to take care of that for you.”
“I’ll secure it until the door’s replaced,” Riley said. “And I’ll replace all the locks once the door is in, just to be on the safe side.”
“Good idea,” Cavazos said. “Now if you two will excuse me, I need to return a phone call. The deputies will be finishing up here in a few minutes. After that, the place is yours, but if you think of anything I should know about, give me a call on my private line.”
He handed them each a business card. He spoke briefly to his deputies and then left through the front door.
Dani’s mind was reeling. Cleanup seemed all but insurmountable and she wasn’t sure she had the strength or willpower to even start on it tonight.
And then there was Riley. She’d known him one day, yet he’d taken over tonight as if they were lifelong friends—or more. He was protective, and far more clearheaded than she was at the moment.
He was both of those things now, but he could be gone tomorrow. She couldn’t start depending on him.
“You don’t have to stay tonight, Riley. Really, you’ve done so much already. I’m starting to feel guilty about taking up all your time when you’re in Winding Creek to visit your brothers and Esther.”
He looked puzzled. “Do you have a problem with my being here?”
“Of course not, but—”
“Then drop the guilt talk. No cowboy worth his boots would ever walk away from a woman in distress. Especially one who can bake the way you do,” he added teasingly.
He smiled and suddenly she was unable to tear her gaze from him. He was still in his tux but seemingly as relaxed as if he was wearing his favorite jeans.
He was undoubtedly the most intriguing and seductive man she’d ever met. Not pretty-boy handsome, but rugged and masculine, with eyes the color of dark chocolate, thick locks of deep brown hair that fell devilishly onto his forehead and a smile that could melt glacial ice.
“I love you in that dress,” he said, “but I’m not sure it will ever come clean if it keeps collecting coffee grinds. And I’m damn sure that staying in this monkey suit for much longer will stop the blood flow to my brain—and other parts.”
Her lustful thoughts cooled as she looked down at her once beautiful dress. It looked as she’d been caught in a whirlwind of black sand.
“So much for ever wearing this again,” she said. “I’m going upstairs and change. I’m afraid I don’t have anything in your size to offer you.”
“No problem. I look terrible in feminine attire anyway. Do you want me to go upstairs with you, give the area another look around?”
“No, but if I run in to any unpleasant surprises, I’ll yell.”
“And I’ll come running.”
That might be the first time a man had ever said that to her. Fortunately there were no surprises waiting at the top of the stairs
. The living area looked exactly as she’d left it.
She peeked into Constance’s room. Also untouched. She breathed easier. The thought of Haggard handling any of Constance’s possessions would have made her physically ill.
She headed straight for the shower, peeling off her clothes as she walked. Hot water and soap couldn’t wash away the feeling she’d been sprayed with Haggard’s special brand of poison, but at least she’d be more comfortable.
All of this would be far more traumatic if she was facing it alone. She wished she dared tell Riley about James Haggard, but she couldn’t lay this on him.
Haggard was her responsibility and she couldn’t afford a mistake. If there was one, Constance, in all her innocence, would be the one to pay.
* * *
RILEY WENT TO check out the back door while the deputies finished with their investigation of the crime scene. One was taking snapshots. The other was collecting fingerprints from the cash register.
True to the sheriff’s report, the solid wooden door was a disaster. It hung from one hinge, open enough that a man could squeeze past it to get in and out of the shop. The top half of the door had a huge hole in it, as if someone very strong had slammed his fist through it. The bottom half was splintered.
Riley squeezed through the opening. There were no lights in the area, but the moon was bright enough that he could get a fair take on his surroundings.
The door opened onto a covering of dirt that bordered the alley. Three huge trash cans sat just to the right of the door. There was a fenced-in area about four feet deep that ran nearly the length of the building on the left. The gate to it had a latch but not a lock.
He walked over and peeked inside. Two air-conditioner units were housed there. A couple of empty clay flowerpots sat next to them beside a half-empty sack of pottery soil.
He stepped into the alley and scanned the rest of the area. Except for a couple of cats, Riley was the only sign of life.
It made sense a man would come in the back way if he was sneaking around. Chances were slim that he’d be noticed after dark—unless he set off an alarm system.
Riley suspected all stores had alarm systems these days, even in Winding Creek. The burglar should have expected that.
So why risk getting caught or possibly shot to break in to a bakery? It wasn’t like there was anything that could be sold at the pawnshop for ready cash. So was it desperation, stupidity or a personal grudge against Dani?
She didn’t seem the type to make enemies, but she was relatively new in town. Perhaps it was her past that was coming back to haunt her.
He reached for his phone and punched in Tucker’s number.
“About time you called,” Tucker said. “If I didn’t hear from you by the time I finished loading these chairs on the back of the truck, I was planning to drive into town and see for myself what’s going on.”
“Loading chairs? Does that mean the guests have all left?”
“For the most part. The bride and groom have already been showered with birdseed and good wishes and escaped to their bedroom in the big house. And the band finished its last set about ten minutes ago. So what’s up with the bakery?”
Riley filled him in as succinctly as possible.
“Poor Dani. She must be freaking out.”
“All in all, she’s handling it pretty well.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Bring me some lumber—a few sheets of plywood and some two-by-fours if Esther has some lying around the ranch.”
“You need all of that tonight?”
“Yep. I need to board up the back door until she can get it replaced. Can’t even close it now, much less secure it.”
“What about tools?”
“I’ve probably got all I need in my truck. But I need some jeans and a shirt. Got to get out of this tux before it strangles me.”
“I get that. I’ve already changed back into jeans myself. Does this mean you’re going to start cleaning tonight?”
“Not if I can help it. Tomorrow’s soon enough for me, but I figure I’ll spend the night here and help Dani get an early start on tackling the rubble remains tomorrow.”
“Spend the night? Really? Am I missing something here?”
“Just living by the code, bro. Gotta protect the women.”
“And, of course, it doesn’t hurt if they’re cute. Lumber and a change of clothes. Anything else?”
“That should do it.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can break free here. That shouldn’t take long.”
“Appreciate it.”
“No problem,” Tucker said. “Who knew Winding Creek would be this exciting?”
Certainly not Riley. And to think he’d been wasting his time with a bunch of cows.
Chapter Six
James Haggard stood on the bank of Winding Creek beneath the shadowed branches of an ancient oak tree. The moon was so bright he could see three deer at the edge of the woods on the opposite bank. An owl hooted and somewhere in the distance he heard the howl of coyotes.
In another situation, he might have appreciated the setting. Tonight he felt nothing but the desperation roaring through his veins like a runaway freight train.
He’d seen his daughter for the first time yesterday. It hadn’t been planned. He’d been sitting in the back of Dani’s Delights, sipping a coffee and sizing up Dani Boatman as an adversary.
It was after three when the door opened and a freckle-faced girl, her hair in braids, swung through the door, a huge smile on her face. She was friendly and full of life the way her mother had been in the old days.
Memories of Amber had flooded his mind. She’d been so beautiful and loving. When they made love, he had felt he was the luckiest man in the world. He’d have done anything she’d asked him to do.
He had even almost gotten shot once while robbing a liquor store to keep her in the fancy rehab center while she was pregnant with Constance.
His woman and his child. He hadn’t wanted to steal, but he couldn’t let them down.
The rehab had never taken root. After Constance was born, Amber had hit the drugs harder than ever. Eventually, she’d kicked James out of her life.
But she’d loved him. He knew she had. It was the drugs and other men who’d torn her away from him.
He’d half expected to feel some instinctive connection with Constance when he saw her. Nothing clicked. All he could think of was Amber and the way she’d used him when all he’d wanted to do was take care of her.
But this wasn’t about Constance. This was what was owed him. He was Constance’s father. By rights the insurance settlement should have been his. All he wanted was his rightful share.
Tonight had been a near catastrophe. He’d lost his cool, let the situation lead to uncontrolled rage. He’d always had a problem with that, more so lately than ever before.
But tonight’s episode had gained him nothing. He’d been barely inside, trying to decide where to start searching for Constance’s birth certificate, when he heard the approaching sirens.
The birth certificate would prove he was the father. He knew it and Dani knew it, no matter what she claimed.
Frustrated, he’d given in to rage, wrecking what he could before escaping out the back door as men with guns raced inside through the front.
At least Dani would know he meant business now.
Red drops of blood plopped onto his shoe.
Damn. His hand had begun to bleed again. He turned and headed back inside the cheap rental cabin for another makeshift bandage and a glass of whiskey to dull the pain.
This had been a damn rotten night.
Chapter Seven
Dani turned on the vacuum cleaner but then just stood staring at the mess that faced her. Sh
e’d been so proud of her shop, thrilled that the future in Winding Creek had felt so promising for her and Constance.
The senseless destruction created an empty feeling inside her, as if it was a harbinger of things to come. It was exasperating how much pain one greedy, vengeful man could spawn, just for the sake of proving to her that he had no boundaries when it came to getting what he wanted.
But he would soon find out she had no boundaries when it came to keeping Constance safe.
She vacuumed and then mopped a swath down the middle of the shop to at least provide a clean walkway. It was only a start but all she felt like tackling tonight.
Tucker and Riley were probably just as fatigued as she was after the long day, but she could hear the hum of the saws and the pounding of the hammers as the men boarded up the back door.
She stopped at the pile of broken items around the nearly empty shelves. She picked up a delicate teapot, one of her favorite purchases from her last trip to market. The handle was missing and there was a chip at the spout. It would have to be trashed. Still, she carefully placed what was left on it back on the shelf for now.
That was when she noticed the smeared crimson dots along the edge of one of the shelves. She visually followed the trail of stain to a mound of broken glass. Drops of blood, not quite dry, glistened on what had once been an etched trifle bowl.
The glass was mostly shards except for one larger curved piece of the bowl. At least a tablespoon of blood had pooled in the curved remains.
Her heart jumped to her throat. That had to be James Haggard’s blood. His DNA. Right at her fingertips.
Excitement trilled through her. Luck might just have taken a swift turn in her direction. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the sterile container the kit would provide.
She considered her options. A plastic ziplock bag would have to do.
She hurried to the kitchen for the bag and a pair of protective gloves. Afraid of spilling even a drop, she gingerly tipped the piece of glass so that the blood flowed into the bag.
